Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

Justin returned to the territory with Zachary's group and Nathan's family. As soon as he arrived, Rachel quickly handed over the leadership position.

"At the request of the previous leader, the leadership authority is being transferred." "Justin has been selected as the new leader." "Opening leadership authority and territory development options."

A satisfied smile spread across Justin's face as the system messages followed.

"Finally, I can do something worthwhile."

World Rebuild truly began once the village was under control. In some ways, Justin felt that he had only now truly reached the starting point. He had gone from being a mere "unit" to becoming an actual "player."

"Status window."

A bright flash appeared as the status window opened, and just as the message had stated, new options were listed. The functions included lifting the anti-violence restriction, expelling specific individuals, restricting access to the shop, and more. Each of these abilities was so powerful that they could easily turn him into a tyrant.

"Of course, if I abuse these powers now, the pioneers will leave in an instant."

For now, his strong influence was thanks to the lack of alternatives. However, soon enough, the existence and location of other villages would be revealed. If he recklessly abused his authority, defectors would arise in great numbers.

"It's best to leave them alone until I have a proper foundation. Once they can't leave the territory, that's when it really starts."

After reviewing the authority options, Justin shifted his gaze to the territory development options. There were certainly functions to build various new structures, but they were of no use at the moment—everything was too expensive to afford right now.

"It will take quite some time before I can make proper use of these too."

After finishing his checks, Justin closed the status window. He then spoke to the pioneers, who were still waiting for his words.

"Everyone, thank you for your hard work! You must have been through a lot, so let's take two days off to rest! We'll discuss the details afterward!"

"Yes!" they replied in unison, and everyone dispersed immediately. Since they were new here, the first thing they had to do was, of course, "choose a house."

Fortunately, there were many vacant houses, thanks to Kim Gihun's group having been wiped out. Nathan's family took this opportunity to move into a better house altogether.

"Are you sure we can live here now?" Nathan's mother asked, still uncertain.

"It's fine. Stop worrying and go inside," Nathan assured her.

Justin smiled as he watched Nathan gently push his still-bewildered family into their new home. Then, a thought came to Justin, and he turned to Rachel.

"What about the others?" he asked.

"My companions? What about them?" Rachel replied.

"They used to live here, right? They might want to take over a good house if there's one available."

Rachel gave a wry smile. "My friends aren't fools. Their levels are low, and they were even taken hostage. How could they be bold enough to take a good house? They're just grateful to be alive."

Justin glanced over, and Rachel's companions nodded in agreement. It wasn't just that they were reading the room; they genuinely seemed to have no complaints.

"That's good, then. Now, you should go rest as well. It was a long day yesterday, and you must be exhausted."

"I was planning to do just that. Oh, my shoulder still aches from being struck by lightning," Rachel replied playfully.

Justin held back a laugh. Despite her calm demeanor, she could be quite the character.

"Is this heaven?" Zachary asked, approaching Justin two days later with a blank expression.

"Coming to me out of nowhere and asking strange questions, what are you talking about?" Justin replied.

"It's just hard to believe, even after seeing it. The citizens greet us politely, speak respectfully, and everyone continuously does labor quests!" Zachary said, astonished.

"…"

This man had really been through a lot.

Just how terrible had the citizens behaved for him to be so surprised by something like this? Normally, people would be more shocked by the class system or the concept of nobility.

"Aren't you bothered by titles like 'lord' or the class system?" Justin asked.

"What does the system matter if society runs properly? No matter how ideal a system is, if people don't cooperate, it's meaningless."

So, as long as the territory ran smoothly, the system didn't matter to him. This man, who had once been overflowing with humanity, had certainly changed. Fortunately, he didn't seem to have any complaints about the class system.

"By the way, why did you come to see me? I doubt it was just to tell me how great the territory is," Justin asked.

"I came to suggest a few things," Zachary replied.

"Suggestions?"

"Yes."

Zachary straightened his posture, his face serious. "How about creating a proper power structure in the territory?"

"A power structure?"

"There are already too many pioneers in this territory. And their levels vary greatly. In this situation, it's impossible to treat all pioneers equally."

In short, he was suggesting creating a distinction between core members and other pioneers. If more pioneers were to join, it would indeed become necessary.

"Won't there be complaints?" Justin asked.

"Now is when there will be the least complaints. Your group has an overwhelmingly high level and the most contributions. If we miss this chance, there could be complaints later," Zachary explained.

Justin nodded. It was indeed best to deal with troublesome matters when his authority was at its peak.

"It will be the same when new pioneers join. If we try to create a new system later, there will be complaints. But if the system is already in place, it will be hard for anyone to challenge it."

"That's true. Let's establish a proper power structure this time. Anything else?"

"There is."

"What is it?"

"Stop speaking politely to the people. Speak informally."

Justin looked at Zachary in surprise at the unexpected suggestion. But Zachary spoke without hesitation.

"If we've decided to have a class system, then the leader's authority must be established first. Because of the way you speak, some idiot who doesn't know better might think they're on equal footing with you."

"You think it's because I treat them as equals?"

"Exactly. We know it's your consideration, but there will be newcomers who don't understand that and think they're your equal."

At some point, Zachary had started addressing Justin as "my lord" instead of just "Justin." He was already treating Justin as someone above him in rank.

"So change your way of speaking before that happens. Show that you are the ruler and make it clear to the fools not to challenge your authority. That way, even the newcomers will understand the situation."

There was a longing in Zachary's eyes as he spoke—an eagerness not to lose this newfound refuge again. He wanted to empower Justin for that very reason.

"Won't the pioneers say anything about it? Won't they think I'm trying to become a dictator?" Justin asked.

"That won't happen. In a world as unstable as this, no one will oppose a reliable leader solidifying their foundation. I can guarantee that," Zachary assured, patting his chest confidently.

Justin fell into thought. He hadn't overlooked this aspect, but he had planned to attempt it after building a bit more credibility. He had felt that just eliminating Kim Gihun's group wasn't quite enough.

But now Zachary had brought it up first.

"Alright, let's do it."

Justin made his decision and raised his head.