Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

Chapter 22: A Risk Worth Taking: The Reluctant Rescue

In a situation as isolated as this, wasn't it only natural for those being rescued to come out immediately?

Justin, too, had similar doubts, but he could somewhat understand their hesitation.

"Honestly, they're probably just scared. There's no guarantee that we're normal people, and above all..." Justin paused, considering.

"Above all what?" Ethan asked, curiosity in his voice.

"...they're probably clinging to the hope that the military or rescue teams will come. After all, it's only been a short time since this calamity began," Justin replied, his voice calm yet contemplative.

If all their water and food ran out, they might make a different choice. But now, it had only been about a day. Unless they were seriously injured and in desperate need of help, it made sense that they would prefer to stay hidden. The fear of something going wrong while moving around was greater than the urge to act recklessly.

"The problem is that the system has no intention of letting things be so simple," Justin continued.

"Indeed," Ethan agreed, nodding. "It's Skeletons now, but who knows what kind of nightmare might appear next time."

The families of those holed up inside the building may not realize it, but being rescued by Justin and Ethan was, in reality, an immense stroke of luck. Had they stayed silent and done nothing, the next threat could have been far worse.

Justin stepped forward, raising his voice as he knocked on the door.

"Excuse me, is anyone there?" His voice echoed through the dim corridor.

Silence answered him.

"This is Unit 302, isn't it? Didn't you ask for help?" he called again.

Still, no response came. From the faint rustling sounds inside, Justin could tell that someone was definitely there, hiding.

He glanced at Ethan, and their eyes met, exchanging unspoken thoughts.

"What do we do?" Ethan asked, furrowing his brow.

"Let's try to persuade them, and if that doesn't work, we leave," Justin replied calmly.

"There's no point in dragging out someone who doesn't want to be rescued. They might even end up blaming us later."

With a sigh, Justin took a deep breath and spoke through the door.

"Just to clarify, we're not doing this for free. The system gave us a quest—to bring anyone we rescue back to a safe zone. There's a reward for it."

Still no answer.

"If you don't come out, we'll just leave," he continued, his tone straightforward. "But I recommend coming with us to the safe zone. Didn't a Skeleton pop up in your home recently?"

The tension in the silence grew thicker.

Justin added, "In my opinion, those things will keep appearing. If we leave now, you might end up facing the next Skeleton alone. Are you really okay with that?"

For a moment, nothing but quiet. Justin shook his head, and Ethan sighed deeply.

"Let's just go. It doesn't look like they're willing to listen," Ethan muttered.

"Huff! Th-there's a corpse!" someone shouted, their voice trembling.

"Ugh! Urk!" another gagged, the sight too much for them.

"Don't look! Cover your eyes!" a man tried to shield his children from the gruesome sight.

The reactions were all similar—whether it was shock, horror, or disgust, the intensity only varied slightly.

"Damn it..." Ethan muttered, looking visibly distressed. He turned to Justin, worry clear in his eyes.

Justin winked, signaling Ethan not to worry. Before anyone could say anything, he clicked his tongue deliberately, muttering aloud.

"If we had run just a bit faster, they might have made it. But unfortunately, they were caught by the Skeletons just before reaching safety... Poor souls."

"...!"

"And who will deal with the bodies of those who died at home? Probably all their family members are dead too."

Faces turned pale. The people realized that they and their families could have ended up like that—corpses left behind in their own homes.

The fact that they had survived the Skeleton attack in their house was a miracle, pure luck.

Ethan glanced at Justin, a small, appreciative smile forming as he subtly gave him a thumbs-up.

'Well done!'

'It's nothing,' Justin mouthed back.

The important part was making them realize that staying in their home was more dangerous than entering the safe zone. Once that idea took hold, no one would blame them, no matter how many corpses they saw. After all, Justin and Ethan were genuinely trying to take them somewhere safer.

After passing by the mutilated corpses, Justin pointed to the safe zone and shouted.

"There it is! That's the safe zone! No monsters can enter there!"

"The safe zone...!"

At Justin's words, people's eyes brightened, and they rushed toward the safe zone.

It might have looked eerie, like an abandoned medieval village, but it didn't matter. Once inside, no Skeletons could follow them.

Having just seen such horrifying corpses, not a single person hesitated as they ran inside.

When all twenty-three of them had entered the safe zone, a system message appeared before Justin.

"You have completed the main quest: 'Savior of Life'."

"As a quest reward, you receive the 'Warlock Beginner Equipment Set'."

"Additional items have been added to the inventory in the available space."

Yes, this is it.

Justin clenched his fist in triumph, immediately opening his inventory.