Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

'Finally.'

The Apostle of Eternity—one of the most powerful and rare hidden classes in World Rebuild. Normally, one would have to endure all kinds of suffering and pass four grueling trials to barely earn this reward.

Yet here it was, in his hands, without any significant struggle. All it had taken was a bit of patience.

'This feels amazing.'

Though it might be strange to say, the fact that he had obtained this reward through cleverness made it feel even more valuable. There was no room for tricks with the other hidden classes that could rival the Apostle of Eternity. While others struggled through unfair trials, he would walk ahead with a smile.

Just thinking about it made him want to burst out laughing.

『What are you standing around for? Hurry up and put it on!』 Kargaron's voice boomed impatiently.

"…You're in quite a rush," Justin muttered, smiling at the Duke's impatience as he lifted the crown toward his head.

The hexagram-shaped crown fit perfectly, as though it had been made specifically for him.

Swoosh.

"Ugh!"

As soon as the crown touched his head, something sharp pierced through it. It didn't twist through his physical brain, but rather, it felt as though his soul and the crown were becoming one. Once the crown had fully merged with his soul, a series of system messages rang out.

"Ding! You have equipped the quest item 'Crown of Eternity' and changed your class to 'Apostle of Eternity'."

"Ding! The class 'Apostle of Eternity' has been born. No other pioneer can obtain this class from now on."

"Ding! Skills that had been weakened will return to their original power. Kargaron's authority has been added."

"Ding! Due to the class change, some skills will be replaced or evolve into higher-tier skills."

Once again, Justin's vision was flooded with white.

Cheers erupted in the distance.

Woooooo!This drink goes down smooth!As expected of a pioneer!

"So they're having the time of their lives," muttered a young man named Dylan, squinting his eyes at the distant celebration. Every time he heard those joyful cheers, his insides twisted.

But the cheering showed no sign of stopping.

Wow, you're really putting it away!One more round! One more round!Come on, you've had enough!What are you talking about? We're pioneers now!Exactly, this is nothing for a pioneer!

Grit.

In the midst of the noise, someone ground their teeth. It was one of the people nearby, someone standing close to Dylan. Letting out a deep sigh, Dylan glanced at the group and spoke quietly.

"Hold it in."

"...."

There was no response. It was hard to tell who had made the sound. Dozens of people sat slumped on the ground, their heads bowed, so it could have been any of them. Dylan raised his voice slightly.

"I feel just as upset as you do, but we all know that lashing out at them would just be pointless venting."

"...."

"They're not doing this on purpose. Let's just endure it for a bit longer, and don't forget—we're the newcomers here."

Only then did the people around him start to loosen their tightly clenched fists, their knuckles pale from the pressure. It wasn't the most satisfying response, but for now, it was the best he could hope for. No matter what else he said, it wouldn't make a difference.

Dylan resigned himself to the situation and walked over to a woman sitting in the corner of the building.

"We should let them take care of it now. We can't stay here forever," he said gently.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"…How could I?"

The young woman, whose face was still streaked with fresh tear marks, wiped her eyes as she mumbled. In her arms lay the body of her father, a middle-aged man who had passed away that morning.

"If I let them take him, they'll burn him. They'll burn my dad."

"They're going to cremate him, not burn him."

"What's the difference? They'll just light him on fire until he's nothing but ashes. There won't be a proper funeral, no urn, and we can't even scatter the ashes somewhere meaningful."

"Should I ask them to bury him for you? See if we can get some land for that?"

"...."

Her voice, which had been rising, fell silent. There was no way the pioneers, who didn't even have enough burial grounds for themselves, would allow one for civilians. They would refuse outright, and it might even provoke the pioneers' anger.

"Most people didn't even get their loved ones' bodies back. They're all out in the forest, eaten by monsters. But at least you were able to be by your father's side when he passed."

"You're saying I should feel grateful, right?" she replied bitterly.

"What I think doesn't matter. What the leaders and pioneers think is what matters."

Frustration clear in his voice, Dylan finally snapped back. "I get it. You've been through a lot in just a few days."

In just two days, they had watched friends and family slaughtered, their bodies left as food for monsters. Some had been forced to abandon loved ones to the monsters in order to escape. After enduring all those tragedies, the few survivors arrived, only to lose even more. And now, while their hearts were filled with sorrow, people nearby were celebrating.

It was enough to break anyone's spirit.

"But we can't afford to act out now. Everyone's on edge."

As cruel as it sounded, even grief needs someone to accept it. Everyone else was already overwhelmed—who could possibly take on someone else's sorrow? And they weren't the only ones under pressure.

'Even though we've been allowed in, this is still a domain ruled by pioneers. If we misjudge the situation and cross a line…'

Just the thought made his hair stand on end.

They had barely made it to this haven, by miracle after miracle. If they were cast out here, there would truly be nowhere left to run.

However, the woman couldn't resist one final comment.

"If only they had used a healing skill..."

"Enough."

The coldness in Dylan's voice made the woman flinch and look at him. Even he was surprised by how harsh he sounded as he spoke.

"What are you saying right now? Do you want to die?"

"..."

"If you want to die, do it alone. Don't drag the rest of us down with you."

It wasn't personal anger but a survival instinct that made him reject her words so fiercely. The woman seemed to realize that too, biting her lip and staying silent. Their conversation had only darkened the already tense atmosphere around them.

Just as Dylan sighed and turned to leave, someone spoke up.

"Well, hello there!"

A civilian from a nearby area approached and greeted them.

"…What do you want?" Dylan asked, trying to sound unaffected, though his tone betrayed the distaste he could no longer hide. The civilian, seemingly oblivious to the tension, smiled brightly.

"Oh, nothing much. Just came by to share some rice cakes."

"Rice cakes…?"

"Yes! As you know, there's a celebration going on."

The man, along with a few others, set down some rice cakes and food they had brought with them. Earth food. It was something Dylan hadn't seen in a long time. But instead of feeling nostalgic, all he could feel was jealousy.

'How many mana stones would that cost?'

Earth food sold in the stores was so expensive that even low-level pioneers found it difficult to afford. Yet these people were casually handing out rice cakes. There wasn't much of it, but it still made his insides twist with envy. However, there was no way he could show such emotions to someone offering food as a gesture of goodwill.

"Thank you. We'll eat well," Dylan said, forcing a smile.

"Oh, don't mention it. If you'd like, why don't you come over and join us? The administrator was kind enough to buy plenty of food for us."

Even if the food was delicious, how could anyone eat after watching their family die before their eyes? Swallowing the words that had almost escaped him, Dylan forced another strained smile.

"We're fine, thank you."

"Ah, come on, don't be like that. When will we ever get a chance to sit together like this?"

Dylan's expression faltered.

'When will we ever sit together? We live here now, too, so what do you mean by that?'

No matter how he thought about it, there was an underlying insult in the man's words. He was practically bragging that because one of his family members had become a pioneer, they were no longer in the same league. Dylan's eyes twitched with suppressed rage, but the man wasn't done boasting yet.

"Thanks to our family, we'll have a good life from now on. But you guys aren't in the same situation, right? You should come enjoy this food while you can."

'This bastard…'

Dylan's fists clenched tightly. It was only natural for people to want to boast, but his timing couldn't have been worse. Baek's patience had already worn thin.

"You bastard."

"...?"

Dylan blinked, wondering if he had said that out loud. But it wasn't him.

"Did you come here to mock us?"

"We're already on edge, and you show up here like this?"

"Hey, are you a pioneer? Are you the pioneer?"

Only after hearing the other voices did Dylan realize that someone else had said what he was thinking. He wasn't the only one who had reached the limits of his patience. Furious glares came from all around, directed at the man who had brought the food. The man, realizing the danger, began to panic.

"Wh-what's going on? I just came to share some rice cakes…"

"Rice cakes? Or were you just here to rub it in our faces?"

"You think you're so lucky. We watched our families die by the hands of pioneers."

"We didn't even recover their bodies. The monsters ate them all. They ate my whole family!"

As the crowd closed in, the man's face turned pale. He was starting to realize that he might not make it out of this alive.

Terrified, he screamed, "Help! Someone help! These people are trying to kill me!"

"...!"

"Somebody, please! Guys, I'm going to die!"

His desperate cries brought the crowd to a halt. They suddenly became aware of the situation they were in. But it was too late—his shout had already carried. Moments later, people came running from the direction the man had come from.

"What the hell are you doing to our uncle!?"

The people who arrived were armed. Everyone around Dylan froze at the sight of them.

Pioneers. They might have been low-level, but they were clearly pioneers.

"You bastards! We tried to share some food, and this is how you repay us?"

"Is this how you return a favor? By threatening to kill him?"

"N-no, that's not what we meant…!"

"A favor, my ass! We're sick of hearing you bragging!"

Dylan's face turned pale as he tried to de-escalate the situation, but the anger that had been simmering was now boiling over.

"You were just civilians a few days ago. What makes you so special?"

"You're mocking people whose families have died, and you call yourselves human!?"

"When my child died, you stuffed your face with rice cakes. When my father died, you danced!"

"Yeah, sure. You're so great! I hope the monsters kill every last one of you when you're out hunting!"

The people had given up on survival and were now spewing insults at the pioneers, even in the face of their weapons. Every curse made the pioneers' faces harden, their anger turning into something much darker.

'No, this can't happen.'

Dylan wanted to scream. If this continued, a massacre was inevitable. And just as one of the new pioneers let out a roar, everything spiraled out of control.

"I'm going to kill you!"

"Ahhh!"

A pioneer, his sword raised, charged at the crowd. The moment someone screamed as the blade swung toward their head—

"Ding! Pioneer 'Justin' has unlocked the hidden class 'Apostle of Eternity'."

"Ding! No other pioneer can change to the class 'Apostle of Eternity'."

"Ding! Any ongoing class quests for this job will be terminated."

A black storm erupted from the castle, accompanied by the system message.