Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

"I told you from the beginning, the offer made by the dead Warchief was one of the system's choices. So, of course, the reward would also be part of the system's framework."

The first choice, 'offering settlers as sacrifices,' would lead to the orcs retreating peacefully.

The second choice, 'just fighting,' would result in a full-scale war.

And the third choice, 'a duel,' would see the orcs retreat depending on the outcome.

"If we had chosen the first option, we would have exchanged the lives of the settlers for safety. With the second choice, we would have risked our lives but gained experience points as a reward. For the third choice, I staked my life, and this retreat is the reward."

"So, you mean...?" Derek asked.

"What I'm saying is that if we attack them now to gain even more experience, the system might step in, just like how a game master punishes players who try to double-dip on rewards."

"...!" Your next chapter is on empire

"So let's just let them go. There's no need to get greedy and bite off more than we can chew. Besides..." Justin muttered, glancing at the other pioneers.

"They don't seem too keen on attacking right now either."

The pioneers, watching the retreating Green Skins, had exhausted looks of relief on their faces. They hadn't slept well since the previous day, and between the appearance of the Wyvern and the tense duel, their fatigue had piled up. Most of them seemed more eager for rest than to chase after more experience points.

Realizing this shift in mood, Derek closed his mouth and silently watched the Green Skins disappear into the forest. When the last of the Green Skins had vanished from sight, a system message appeared.

"Ding! You have successfully repelled the final Green Skin Wave."

"Ding! The Monster Wave has ended. Experience points are being calculated."

"Ding! Your level has increased. You have gained 1 ability point."

"Ding! Your level has increased. You have gained 1 ability point."

"Ding! Your level has increased. You have gained 1 ability point..."

As the flood of level-up notifications poured in, Justin's lips curled into a smile. Winning a one-on-one duel with a Warchief had granted him a massive amount of experience. His level, which had steadily risen, stopped at 39. In one fight, he had gone from level 29 to level 39—a ten-level jump. Considering the large amount of experience required for each level, particularly when reaching the "9" digit, it was a significant leap.

"Ding! You have surpassed level 30 and have been formally invited to the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons."

"Ding! You may revisit the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons for your second job change, which you declined at level 25."

"Ding! An "Invitation to the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons" has been added to your inventory."

"Ding! To visit, tear the invitation, and your soul will once again be transported to the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons."

"Oh-ho."

Unlike the abrupt summoning from before, this time it was a polite invitation. In the game, it had simply pulled him back at level 25, much like the first time. But here, they even provided a formal invitation, allowing him to visit whenever he chose.

'They're practically begging me to come now,' Justin thought with amusement. It was likely the system—or rather, the Four Archdukes—didn't want to upset him again, especially after nearly erasing his existence during his last encounter. Either way, it worked in his favor. The Archdukes were clearly treading carefully around him.

'I could go now, but that wouldn't be very exciting,' he mused, deciding to let them stew a bit longer before visiting the Hall that evening.

After closing his inventory window, Justin turned his attention back to the pioneers. Their voices rang out across the battlefield.

"We did it! It's finally over!"

"Mother, your son is safe!"

"Let's blow some mana stones and party tonight!"

"I—I'm a pioneer now! A real pioneer!"

The seasoned pioneers were thrilled to have survived and grown stronger, while the newly established pioneers were ecstatic to have made it through their first real trial. Watching them celebrate, Justin gave them the words they most wanted to hear.

"Well done, everyone! Now, let's go home!"

"...!"

A moment later, a deafening cheer erupted, shaking the walls of the fortress.

Despite his earlier proclamation, Justin didn't return home. Instead, he remained on the wall with a few of his officers, as there was still one unresolved issue. He clicked his tongue, glancing at the creature lingering near the gates.

"What are we going to do about that?"

"Kyaaak!"

"Grrrk!"

Below the walls, Fafnir and the Wyvern were still squabbling. Well, it wasn't much of a fight. Every time Fafnir let out a roar, the Wyvern would shrink back, avoiding eye contact. Without its rider, the Wyvern hadn't followed the rest of the Green Skin army and was still hanging around.

It seemed that the Wyvern wasn't part of the Green Skin forces but rather a personal mount belonging to Urgulla. Now that its rider was gone, it didn't know what to do.

"Usually, in situations like this, the creature would return to the wild. Why is it still here?" Justin wondered aloud.

"I'd guess it's because of Fafnir's influence. Normally, the Wyvern would have joined us as an ally, but since Fafnir is still young, it's stuck in a sort of neutral state," Zachary suggested.

"That makes sense," Justin nodded thoughtfully.

If that were the case, it made the situation trickier to deal with. The Wyvern wasn't fully an ally but also wasn't an enemy. It was a neutral monster—harmless as long as it wasn't provoked. However, unless fully tamed, it could become hostile the moment anyone attacked it.

'Ethan could use his Avatara to finish it off and gain some experience, but that seems like a waste,' Justin thought. After all, it was a Wyvern—a flying creature that could use breath attacks and be ridden. If tamed, it would be a powerful asset.

It wasn't a situation where taming it was impossible, which made giving up on the creature difficult.

After a moment of consideration, Justin turned to Nathan and asked, "Nathan, could I ask a favor?"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"I was about to offer that very favor," Nathan replied, his face lighting up.

As someone who had recently completed his second job change, Nathan was eager to test his new abilities. His class? Tamer—a profession that specialized in taming monsters and turning them into allies.