Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

"The second trial is a duel."

"A duel?"

"That's right. Each faction will send one person to fight in a duel. The faction with the most victories will win the trial."

A duel where victory counts the most, Justin thought. That meant there was no immediate danger of dying for good. Many of the participants looked relieved as they processed the information.

"But," the Dark Elf added, "the duel is to the death. Whether your opponent lives or dies is entirely up to the victor."

"...!?"

"The loser's life rests in the hands of the winner. If you want to spare them, do so. If you want to kill them, go ahead."

"W-Wait a second!" one of the leaders stammered, his face pale with panic. "Didn't you say the side with the most victories would win? What happens if someone dies early on? Does that mean it's over for them?"

"No. The duels will continue. You'll simply have to send someone else to fight in their place," the Dark Elf replied coolly.

In other words, even if someone died, the trial wouldn't end. Each faction would just keep sending participants, and the battles would go on. If things went badly, multiple people could die after every loss.

"Oh, and I almost forgot to mention an additional rule," the Dark Elf said with a smile, as the color drained from the leaders' faces.

"Leaders are prohibited from participating."

"This is insane! What the hell is going on!?"

"There's no way they're seriously expecting us to kill each other!"

"We need to talk this through with the others…"

The noise of frantic conversations filled the air as different factions reacted to the trial announcement. Some groups were whispering amongst themselves, while others openly voiced their dissatisfaction. Regardless of how they expressed it, none of them had expected the trial to take such a deadly turn.

Only a few, including Justin's group, remained relatively calm. Zachary glanced around, his expression serious.

"It's chaos."

"Well, it makes sense. Most of them probably haven't fought against other pioneers before," Justin replied.

Fighting monsters and fighting other pioneers were entirely different matters. In the case of monsters, even though it was dangerous, you could usually survive. Once you figured out the monster's patterns and had enough numbers, it wasn't hard to handle subsequent battles.

But against pioneers, none of that applied. The strategies, numbers, and tactics were entirely unpredictable depending on the group. What's worse, you never knew if your opponent was stronger or weaker than you.

"Even though both involve risking your life, the uncertainty with pioneers is much greater. The mental pressure is far higher, knowing that one mistake could mean instant death. Plus, the rule prohibiting leaders from participating makes things even worse."

"That's true. If a leader were to die, the consequences would be catastrophic," Rachel commented.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"It's not about whether the rule is reasonable," Justin said, shaking his head. "It's about mental strength. In this kind of world, leaders usually have the strongest willpower. But now they can't fight."

"Ah!"

Rachel's eyes lit up in realization. Not every faction was the same, but generally, a leader was someone who could gather and guide others. In a world where life and death battles were common, the leader was often the one who led hunts and took charge during quests. Naturally, they tended to be mentally stronger than most of their followers.

But now, they had to choose someone else from their group to fight in their place.

"There may be others with strong mental resilience, but most of them are likely weaker than their leaders. And now they're being forced into this situation," Justin said.

"Yeah, that makes sense now," Rachel agreed.

"Are we going to send someone in?" Nathan asked hesitantly, glancing at Justin.

Truth be told, Justin was still considering their options. "It would be good if we could, but the risk is too high. If it's not a team-based battle and just individuals fighting, someone might end up dying."

"So, are we giving up on the trial?" Nathan asked.

"Fortunately, we have the option to do so. We were the only ones who passed the first trial," Justin said thoughtfully.

According to the Dark Elf, the trials were not about averaging scores across all participants. The goal was to pick a single ultimate victor. This meant that whoever won the duels would still have the same score as Justin's group, the only ones who passed the first trial.

"There's no need to rush. We can skip this trial if we want," Justin said, considering the strategic option of withdrawing.

"I'd like to participate if it's alright with you," Derek suddenly spoke up, causing everyone to turn in surprise. Even Justin was caught off guard by Derek's offer.

"Are you sure? This isn't a team battle. You could die," Justin warned.

"Honestly, my opponent should be more worried about their life than I am," Derek replied confidently.

"Well, you've got a point," Justin admitted.

Derek was one of the highest-level warriors in the group. Unless the opponent was extraordinarily strong, the chances of Derek losing were slim. Still, there was always the risk.

"Don't worry. I'll win and come back safely. We need every point we can get if we're going to claim this city," Derek said, pounding his chest with confidence.

Justin blinked, impressed. This guy didn't seem to fear death—he didn't even entertain the possibility of losing. With his current strength, he likely believed he could survive even if he was pushed to the brink of death.

'Well, he's not wrong,' Justin thought.

At this point, Derek was at level 24, just before his second class change. Most of his stat points were invested in strength, making him a physical powerhouse. Even Justin doubted he could kill Derek in one shot unless he hit a vital point.

'With his current endurance, he could probably take a hit to the chest or stomach and still survive without needing to activate additional buffs,' Justin mused.

Of course, there was still a chance of death. If Derek were struck in a vital area or hit by a powerful mage specializing in high-damage elemental magic, it could be fatal. But those scenarios were unlikely. Warriors capable of overpowering Derek didn't seem to be around, and mages would struggle in close-quarters combat.

Having understood Derek's confidence, Justin nodded.

"Alright, give it a try."

"Thank you!" Derek replied enthusiastically.

"But there's one condition," Justin added, lowering his voice.

"What is it?" Derek asked, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"For the first fight, you have to kill your opponent."