Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

Rumble, rumble, rumble

"An... earthquake!" Derek shouted in shock as the ground shook violently.

This was a land where there had never been any natural disasters, not even rain, so an earthquake was beyond unexpected. Justin was equally startled, but thankfully, the tremor subsided quickly. As everyone sighed in relief, the system message, which had paused briefly, continued.

"A new area, the 'Highlands,' has been opened." "A 'Brass Compass' has been distributed to the inventory of all pioneers. Please check your inventory." "If you do not have an inventory, you will not receive the 'Brass Compass.' Please cooperate with a compass owner to complete the quest." "Details can be found in the main quest 'Dungeon Conquest.'"

After that, the message stopped. Justin and his companions looked at each other for a moment before opening their status windows simultaneously. Just as the system message indicated, a new quest had appeared.

[Dungeon Conquest]

Category: Main Quest

Details: The development of the territory requires enormous costs. Even if the leader has the authority to develop, the expenses are too great to proceed. To cover these costs, the treasure of the dungeon is essential. Use the compass to find the dungeons and conquer as many as possible to obtain treasure.

Reward: Treasures inside the dungeons. No rewards if the quest fails.

Miscellaneous: Dungeons can be explored using the Brass Compass.

The word "dungeon" snapped Justin to attention. In World Rebuild, dungeons were locations with incredible rewards. Finally, the dungeon conquest had been unlocked.

Justin immediately opened his inventory to check the newly received item.

[Brass Compass]

Category: Limited-Time EquipmentGrade: Quest-SpecificDetails: A compass that points to the nearest dungeon. If there are obstacles, it will guide you on how to bypass them. It does not indicate the location of treasures and will not work inside the dungeon. The compass will automatically disappear when the quest period ends.

"...!"

Justin's eyes widened at the item description. In the game, players had to search for dungeons on foot, but now they had a compass. Though it was a limited-time item and not exclusive to him, it was still an enormous advantage. Especially considering that their team included none other than a ranger.

"Given the same conditions for finding dungeon locations, a team with a ranger has a massive edge."

Until now, no team had likely trained a high-level ranger. The skill [Trap Detection], useful for dungeon exploration, was learned at level 20. Nathan, who had been deliberately trained for it, had only just reached that level, so it was unlikely that there were other level 20 rangers around.

"A new quest! Finally!" Rachel exclaimed.

"Ah! It's been a long wait!" Derek added.

"Boss, what will you do? Should we go right now?" Nathan asked, holding a Brass Compass similar to Justin's. Even though he had missed earlier quests, Nathan had received an inventory when he reached level 20, allowing him to receive the compass automatically. It seemed that the system required a minimum level of 20 to recognize citizens as proper pioneers.

Under the eager gazes of his companions, Justin nodded.

"Of course. We still have enough time and energy. At the very least, let's confirm its location."

Since they had just begun their hunt, there was no need to rest for the day. If the dungeon was nearby, they could even attempt to conquer it.

They moved immediately in the direction indicated by the compass.

"Unbelievable," Ethan muttered, staring blankly at the scene before them.

The expressions of the other companions weren't much different from his. Half of the dense forest, which had been thick until recently, was now gone.

"So that's what that earthquake was about," Justin thought. The system must have erased part of the forest, and the shock had been transmitted as a tremor. It was on a different scale altogether, just like when they had relocated the entire village before.

"Let's go."

Justin snapped his companions out of their daze, and they proceeded down the newly formed path. The Brass Compass continued pointing beyond the forest.

After passing through a long passage, they reached the highlands, an area filled with numerous hills. The companions looked around, amazed by the new environment.

"There are so many hills here. It's a perfect place to hide something," Rachel remarked.

"Indeed. Without the compass, we wouldn't even know where to start looking," Justin agreed.

There were too many obstacles for them to climb each hill and search manually. From now on, they had to rely entirely on the compass to guide them. Fortunately, the Brass Compass wasn't an item that only pointed in one direction. Upon reaching a certain location, it would change direction and show the easiest and most convenient path. They hardly had to climb any hills, and even Justin was impressed.

"This compass is incredible. I'd buy it immediately if it were available in the shop."

It was a shame that this compass was a limited-time item.

After traveling for a while, the compass needle suddenly tightened, indicating that they were close. They stopped, searching the area where the needle pointed.

"There it is!" Nathan exclaimed.

Hidden at the base of a hill was a cleverly concealed door. It blended so well with the surroundings that it even created an illusion. Without the compass, they would never have found it.

Justin pushed the green door with all his strength.

Rumble

With a loud noise, the large door swung open to either side. At the same time, the candles mounted on the walls ignited all at once. The dark stone walls were instantly illuminated by bright light, revealing the interior.

"Wow, it's got quite the atmosphere," Derek said.

"Just because it looks atmospheric doesn't mean it's not dangerous. Weapons ready," Justin ordered.

At his words, the companions, who had been somewhat relaxed until now, snapped to attention. Each of them gripped their weapons with tense expressions. Justin turned to Nathan.

"Nathan, can you detect traps?"

"I can use it whenever I need," Nathan replied, blinking as his eyes turned violet.

The level 20 ranger skill, [Trap Detection], allowed him to detect the presence and location of traps. After scanning the area for a moment, Nathan returned his eyes to normal.

"Ugh, keeping it on makes me feel dizzy."

"Dizzy? Why?" Justin asked.

"Everything looks a bit different. It's like looking through concave lenses in infrared vision."

Ah, so it had such side effects. Justin had planned to have it always activated, but that would be difficult. If Nathan's vision changed, it could also affect his combat ability.

"Alright, then turn it off for now and only use it when I tell you."

"Understood."

"Good. If everyone's ready, let's go. Stay alert..."

Kreeeeaaa!

Before Justin could finish his words, a monster charged at them. Even without his command, his companions moved swiftly at the approaching screech. Warriors Rachel, Derek, and Ethan positioned themselves in front of Justin, while Nathan readied an arrow beside him. Justin also held his staff, waiting for the monsters to appear.

Moments later, a group of monsters emerged from inside.

"Kiiieeek!"

"What is it? Hobgoblins?" Rachel wondered.

"I expected something stronger," Ethan added.

To their surprise, only a group of ten hobgoblins appeared. For Justin's group, who were used to slaughtering gnolls, these creatures posed no challenge. However, one figure behind the hobgoblins was different.

Seeing the monster with a large axe on its shoulder, Justin was startled and shouted, "An orc!"