Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse-Chapter 188: The pioneers

The mention of an alliance made Justin’s eyes widen. He had expected something like this would eventually happen. In most cases, conquest wars would come with heavy losses unless someone had an overwhelming advantage like Justin. Leaders, therefore, would naturally opt for diplomacy, threats, and trade to unite multiple territories instead of engaging in costly wars. Now, he was witnessing the first real example of that.

’But something doesn’t feel right.’

Justin accepted Grayson’s explanation but couldn’t shake his doubts. From what he had seen, Damian didn’t seem like someone capable of leading negotiations. He couldn’t even bluff properly, let alone make threats. So how had someone like Damian become the leader of a coalition of multiple territories?

"What really happened?" Justin asked.

"Well, it’s a bit of a long story," Grayson hesitated, scratching his head, unsure of where to start.

"I don’t care if it’s complicated. Don’t try to summarize it. Just tell me everything," Justin urged.

"Alright. I’ll start from when we parted ways. After you chose the Dark Elf city from the Black Tower, we chose the Halfling city. You know why, right?" Grayson explained.

"Of course," Justin nodded.

Enjoy exclusive content from novelbuddy

Among all the cities, the Elf, Dwarf, and Dark Elf cities were the most valuable. But that didn’t mean other cities were worthless. As long as it wasn’t a low-grade monster city like Goblins or Orcs, other race cities had considerable value.

"If I remember correctly, the Halfling city had excellent food resources. The population growth rate was no joke either."

"Exactly. Since this is reality, the population won’t grow that fast, but the food situation looked promising. And we figured there’d be less competition."

In choosing Halfling territory, Grayson had avoided the heavy competition for the top cities, like those of the Elves or Dwarves. And indeed, the Halfling city had its perks.

"To be honest, when we first saw the Halfling city, we were pretty disappointed. There were no walls, just wooden fences, and the storage was practically empty. Aside from the cozy houses, it didn’t have anything special. We thought we got the short end of the stick."

"And?" Justin prodded.

"Then we discovered a killer feature. The city’s store offered a 95% discount on all food."

"...!"

Justin nearly shot to his feet in shock. Grayson’s revelation was startling.

In this world, where pleasures were scarce, food was one of the few joys. But even then, most people couldn’t afford high-end food. The more valuable the dish, the more the store’s price skyrocketed exponentially. Even relatively well-off pioneers had limited choices when it came to indulging in gourmet meals.

’But a 95% discount on all food…’

This meant it wasn’t just pioneers who could enjoy luxurious meals. Even common people could enjoy something far better than boiled potatoes if they worked hard enough. Naturally, this would drastically reduce dissatisfaction among the city’s population.

"That’s incredible," Justin said.

"Right? It was insane. Too bad I wasn’t the one who got it."

Grayson pressed his temples as if recalling a headache.

"Long story short, Damian ended up taking the city. He hit the jackpot."

"And the other pioneers? They just accepted that?" Justin raised an eyebrow.

"No way. The city had no stone walls, only wooden fences. People weren’t just going to walk away quietly. Almost half of them came back to attack as soon as they were driven out."

Grayson laughed bitterly, admitting he had been one of those people.

But their attempts to take the city were thwarted before they even began. Two leaders had surrendered to Damian without putting up a fight.

"Wait. Why did they surrender? I thought they were attacking?"

"That’s what we all thought. Turns out they were old friends. Not from Earth, but they had apparently gotten to know each other after arriving in this world."

It was only two territories, but the difference between fighting one and fighting three was significant. If it had been just one force, they could have been crushed without much trouble. But fighting three meant guaranteed casualties.

In the end, the pioneers trying to take the city gave up and returned to their territories. Grayson was no different. After searching around, he finally managed to secure an Orc city.

"Damn it, I’m still pissed thinking about it. They get that amazing city, and I’m stuck living in a shitty Orc city? Talk about feeling robbed," Grayson spat on the ground in frustration, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Anyway, after that, the territories didn’t clash much. We passed by each other a few times while looking for Earth’s settlers, but that was it. The real issue came with the wave."

At this point, Grayson turned to Justin, a curious look crossing his face.

"Wait a minute, how did you survive the wave? You don’t seem to have suffered much damage."

"I fought it head-on and won," Justin replied casually.

"...You’re joking, right?"

"Nope. The third wave was a bit of a headache, but we made it through without any injuries."

"Damn… that’s insane."

Grayson stared at Justin as if he were a monster. It was clear he wanted to know how Justin had pulled it off, but he also realized Justin wasn’t going to reveal his methods.

New novel 𝓬hapters are published on freёwebnoѵel.com.

"Well… I guess you’ve got your own tricks up your sleeve," Grayson muttered, shaking his head.

"Now, how about you? How did you survive? Don’t tell me you slaughtered your people…"

"What kind of fool would do that? If I massacred them, I’d only be asking for trouble down the line."

Justin nodded in agreement. Grayson was sharp enough to know that hurting his people would only create bigger problems later on. Even if it helped survive the immediate threat, the consequences would be disastrous.

"So what did you do?"

"It was simple," Grayson grinned.

"Seven of us, including me, abandoned our territories and went to Damian’s. We didn’t surrender, but we stayed as external forces."

"...!"

I was genuinely impressed by their method, one I hadn’t considered. If the leaders had fully surrendered and their pioneers and commoners joined the territory, the difficulty of the wave would have scaled up. But since they simply moved their bases without formally joining, the story was different. External forces are not counted as part of the territory’s strength, meaning the wave’s difficulty remained the same, while their numbers increased.

The orcs that arrived at the seven empty territories must have been thoroughly confused.

"That’s impressive. Whose idea was it?" Justin asked.

"That guy. Well, actually, one of his subordinates," Grayson replied, pointing his thumb toward Damian, who was standing a bit off to the side, trying to act casual but constantly glancing over at them with a nervous look.

"To be honest, the second wave was overwhelming. I lost two of my men... By the time the third wave hit, I had no choice but to accept their offer," Grayson said with a resigned sigh.

"Did it go well?"

"Better than expected. We made it through the wave just fine, but once it was over, the idea of going back to our own territories scared us."

A mutual understanding had formed among the surviving pioneers: the next wave or a similar quest could wipe them all out. If they kept living separately, they might be annihilated before anyone could come to their aid.

"In short, we all felt the need to unify. The fact that the Halfling city was so appealing didn’t make leaving any easier either."

"So, Damian became the leader, and ten territories united under him?" Justin clarified.

"Exactly."

That explained a lot, but not everything. If the alliance had come together willingly, they would have granted the central figure significant authority. Yet Damian seemed to wield surprisingly little power. He couldn’t even intervene as Grayson and Justin whispered to each other, despite the conversation happening right in front of him.

"I have more questions, but..." Justin trailed off, glancing toward Damian.

Damian’s growing unease was evident. His face displayed a mix of anxiety, and it seemed his patience was wearing thin.

’If I keep pressing, he’ll explode.’

While it might be tempting to dig for more information, this was someone Justin intended to ally with for the main quest. Pushing Damian too far could sow resentment and damage their future cooperation. It was better to leave the conversation for now and dig for more information later when Damian wasn’t watching.

Grayson seemed to catch Justin’s unspoken thought and nodded subtly.

"Yeah... I guess we’ve talked long enough. We’ll continue this later," Grayson said, though he looked disappointed, as if there was more he wanted to say.

As the two of them stood up, Damian, who had been waiting nearby, quickly approached.

"Are you done with your conversation?" Damian asked, trying to maintain a polite tone.

"Yeah. It’s been a while since we’ve had a good talk," Justin said with a grin.

"I’m glad to hear that. So, about our alliance..."

Damian seemed to want to confirm the alliance again, just in case. Justin smiled warmly and extended his hand.

"Didn’t we already settle that? Looking forward to working with you."

"Indeed. I’m looking forward to it as well," Damian replied, shaking Justin’s hand. However, the smile on his face didn’t seem as genuine as before. There was a shadow lurking behind his forced expression, like a king watching his sandcastle crumble in real time.

Of course, just because the alliance was formalized didn’t mean that both groups instantly became close. They traveled the same path, but the awkward tension between the two groups was palpable. Even when they encountered monsters, they took turns handling them separately. One time, Justin’s group dealt with the threat, and the next time, it was Damian’s turn.

But no matter how uncomfortable things were, they couldn’t avoid sleeping in the same area. As the sun began to set, Justin approached Damian with a suggestion.

"How about we stop here for the night? You must be tired after that fight with the stone giant."

"I agree. This location seems suitable. It’s wide open, so we won’t have to worry about surprise attacks," Damian replied, accepting the suggestion.

Justin turned to his team and shouted, "Alright, folks! We’re resting here for the night! Set up camp!"

"Isn’t it a bit early to eat?" Damian asked, confused.

"Eat? What are you talking about?" Justin replied, equally confused.

"...?"

Both of them exchanged puzzled glances, unsure of where their conversation had gone wrong.

The misunderstanding cleared up when Justin’s group began pulling out their tents and sleeping bags. Damian’s eyes widened in shock at the sight of the equipment.

"Tents and sleeping bags? Where did you get those?" Damian asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.

"Where do you think? We bought them at the store," Justin replied casually.

"That’s impossible! The store’s prices are..."

"Yeah, they’re ridiculously expensive. We still bought them, though."

As Justin spoke so nonchalantly, Damian’s eyes trembled. His expression was a mixture of disbelief, shock, and a hint of inferiority.

It was then that Justin realized Damian’s team was also staring at them, similarly dumbfounded.

’Well, well...’

Justin’s smile widened as he observed their reactions. He had just uncovered a significant weakness in Damian’s group.

’These guys must be strapped for cash.’