Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

As soon as the system messages ended, all the senior officers gathered in the conference room. Most were already nearby, and those elsewhere hurried over without delay.

"A monster wave, of all times," Derek lamented, having temporarily paused the slave training program to attend. Ethan nodded in agreement, sharing his frustration.

Zachary, too, rubbed his forehead, looking troubled. "The walls are sturdy, and we have enough defensive forces, so there's no need to worry… Or at least, that's what I want to say."

"But we can't be certain this monster wave will be easy to handle, right?" Justin replied, his voice cutting through the tension.

"Exactly. I hate to admit it, but that's the truth," Zachary, usually confident ever since joining Justin, responded with an unusually uncertain tone.

Justin understood his concern. After all, the term

Monster Wave

referred to an event where, at regular intervals, monsters would go berserk and attack human territories. According to the lore, celestial events like eclipses or comets would trigger this heightened aggression. Depending on the external influence, the type of monsters would vary. For instance, if the influence was from undead energies, an Undead Wave would occur, or a Beast Wave if it involved beast-type monsters.

As Justin pondered, Nathan tilted his head in curiosity. "What exactly are 'Green Skins'? I've never heard of them before."

"It's a general term for humanoid monsters with green skin," Justin explained. "They're humanoid, meaning they walk on two legs, like goblins, orcs, and trolls. Although, we haven't encountered trolls yet…."

"But they'll likely show up during this wave," Ethan added, and Justin nodded grimly.

"Exactly. That's the problem."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Orcs had already appeared, so it wasn't out of the question for a troll to emerge. Rachel and Nathan, however, didn't seem to grasp the weight of the situation, lightly scratching their cheeks in confusion.

"Aren't you all worrying a bit too much? We've overcome stuff like this before, haven't we?" Rachel remarked, recalling the previous incidents.

"Overcome? When?" Justin asked, puzzled.

"On Earth, remember? When the skeletons appeared. That was a monster wave too, wasn't it?"

Ah, that. Justin had nearly forgotten about the skeleton wave back on Earth. In retrospect, it did count as a wave, albeit a minor one. It seemed Rachel and Nathan had downplayed the gravity of the upcoming event, equating it with their experience back then.

"And we've already seen goblins and orcs before. If we handle it well, it shouldn't be too hard…"

"Don't say things like that so casually." It was Derek who interrupted Nathan's confident remark. "The tutorial and the real game are two completely different things."

"The wave didn't even reach the safe zones back then," Derek continued. "What we faced on Earth was just a mock wave. A real monster wave is no joke."

"How bad could it be?" Nathan asked, still not fully grasping the danger.

"It's extremely bad," Derek replied bluntly.

Most of the senior officers nodded in agreement at Derek's concise but impactful statement.

"I can't even count how many times people have died because we couldn't stop a monster wave," one of them muttered.

"There was a time I went out on an expedition and got delayed, only to come back and find the city destroyed," another added.

"Even with enough defensive forces, sometimes you just don't have the right countermeasures for the monsters attacking."

Everyone had their own bitter stories from past waves, their experiences with the devastation clear in their tones. Justin had his own share of close calls, like the time he abandoned a newly conquered city because he had no chance of defending it against a wave.

Rachel and Nathan finally began to understand the seriousness of the situation. Their expressions hardened as the weight of what lay ahead dawned on them.

"Are you saying we might not be able to stop it?" Rachel asked cautiously.

"We'll stop it," Justin responded confidently, without hesitation. "The difficulty of the wave will likely scale to match our strength. But the walls are solid, and we have plenty of soldiers. We won't be overrun."

"Then why…?"

"The problem is, I can't guarantee that no one will die."

Ever since Justin had become the lord, not a single pioneer in his territory had perished. This miraculous record was due to the elite few in his team who shouldered most of the danger. However, this quest was different. The scale of the battle was so large that every pioneer in the territory would have to fight.

"This time, someone might really die," Justin muttered softly.

The faces of the officers grew serious, the reality of Justin's words sinking in.

Although a troublesome event had come their way, the fortunate part was that they still had ten days to prepare. Justin looked around at the gathered officers and laid out the upcoming strategy.

"For now, we won't be accepting any more immigrants. Send them away if they come, at least until the monster wave is over."

"What? Aren't the immigrants a separate issue from the monster wave?" Zachary questioned, frowning.

"There's no harm in accepting them. I don't see what kind of trouble they could cause during a wave," Emily added, raising her own concern.

"No," Justin shook his head. "After seeing the last three groups, I've realized something. The people from Earth have no idea about the gap between pioneers and citizens."

It was only natural. A significant amount of time had passed since pioneers and citizens had migrated to this world. Even those who remembered pioneers would only recall them struggling against skeletons in the early days. They couldn't imagine what a Level 20 pioneer could do to a common citizen.

"The problem is that if they're clueless about the power of pioneers, they'll also misjudge the power of monsters."

"What do you mean…?" Emily asked.

"They might think they could stage a rebellion during the wave, believing that even if the pioneers fail to defend the city, they could somehow manage to survive on their own."

Suppressing a rebellion wouldn't be difficult. Two or three high-level pioneers could easily wipe them all out. But if such a rebellion happened during the wave, when lives were already at risk, it could trigger something far worse.

'If the pioneers, risking their lives to protect the city, hear that the immigrants are plotting behind their backs, they'll lose it.'

There was no way the angry pioneers would stop at simply punishing the rebels. If casualties occurred during the wave, it wouldn't be surprising if a full-blown massacre followed.

"The chance is slim, but…" Justin continued.

"That slim chance brought three groups of immigrants to our city. I understand," Zachary and Emily, both having questioned him earlier, now looked convinced. They had come to the same conclusion—if there was even a small risk, it was better to eliminate it.

"The monsters won't be bringing siege weapons, right?" Nathan asked nervously.

"At best, maybe ladders. It's only the second wave," Justin replied.

"There are siege weapons?" Nathan gasped in shock, and both Justin and Ethan nodded.

"Yes. As the waves progress, the monsters start bringing tools to make breaching fortresses easier."

"For example, the undead might summon ghosts that can pass through walls, while beast-type monsters might bring flying creatures."