Chapter 37

“Pioneers and civilians, huh?”

Justin studied the man in front of him without a word.

The first time he had heard those terms was earlier that morning—from the merchant NPC, Algrim.

A clear distinction: players who leveled up and fought were “pioneers,” while those who didn’t were just “civilians.”

A separation was being drawn—and it wasn’t a small one.

The NPCs had already made their stance clear.

To them, pioneers were valuable, civilians were expendable.

And now, the man in front of him—Nox—was openly using the same language.

“So, he’s not just acknowledging the division. He wants to enforce it.”

Justin could already see the bigger picture.

This wasn’t just about forming alliances.

It was about power.

And the guy sitting across from him?

He wanted to be in charge.

Sensing Justin’s scrutiny, Nox tilted his head, feigning confusion.

“Something wrong? If you’re busy, I can come back tomorrow.”

Justin gave him a neutral smile.

“No, it’s fine. Come in.”

He stepped aside, letting the man enter.

Not because he trusted him.

But because he was curious to see how far this guy would go.

They sat across from each other at the wooden table in the living room.

“Would offer you tea, but I’m a bit low on magic stones.”

Justin said it casually, but he watched Nox’s reaction.

The Elementalist chuckled.

“Don’t worry. We’re all in the same situation for now.”

“For now, huh?”

That wasn’t just a statement.

It was a prediction.

Nox was already thinking ahead—imagining a future where not everyone was equal anymore.

“So that’s what this is about.”

“Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Nox, an Elementalist.”

“Justin. Warlock.”

“I saw you in action during the Undead Wave. Impressive work.”

Justin barely reacted.

“Not as flashy as an Elementalist’s fire magic.”

That was his way of shutting the conversation down.

No need for flattery.

If Nox wanted something, he could just come out and say it.

And he did.

“To be honest, though, every pioneer is strong, not just us. The truth is… we’re practically superhuman compared to civilians now.”

Justin leaned back, crossing his arms.

“So?”

“And we’re only getting stronger.”

“Obviously.”

Nox nodded, his voice dropping slightly.

“But the civilians—they don’t get it. Worse, they don’t respect us.”

“Ah.”

Now they were getting to the real issue.

“They don’t respect us?”

“No. They still think we’re the same as before. That we owe them something.”

Justin didn’t reply immediately.

Instead, he just watched as Nox leaned forward, sighing dramatically.

Like he was so tired of dealing with all these civilians.

Like he wasn’t actively trying to control them himself.

“He’s testing me. Trying to see if I agree with him.”

Fine.

Let’s see how far he takes this.

“You wouldn’t know since you were out hunting all day,” Nox continued, “but there was an incident in the village today.”

“An incident?”

“Yeah. A fight almost broke out between pioneers and civilians.”

Justin raised an eyebrow.

“Almost?”

And there it was.

If a real fight had happened, that meant someone got hurt.

And if someone got hurt, the system would have reacted.

But since it didn’t…

“This was just a shouting match.”

“What happened?”

It was simple.

Once their emergency food rations turned to stone, some of the civilians started demanding food from the pioneers.

Because, apparently, surviving on boiled potatoes wasn’t good enough for them.

Civilian 1: “You brought us here! You should take responsibility!”
Pioneer 1: “Oh, so we forced you to come? You followed us for safety, didn’t you?”
Civilian 2: “So we should just eat nothing but potatoes forever?!”
Pioneer 2: “Oh, right—because going back to the undead-infested ruins was a better choice?!”

Voices rose.

Tempers flared.

Until one of the pioneers snapped.

Pioneer 3: “You son of a—!”
WHAM!
Civilian 3: “Ghhkk—!”

Only for the system to nullify the attack instantly.

With violence impossible, the argument just fizzled out.

Nothing changed.

The civilians didn’t get what they wanted.

And the pioneers…

They walked away angrier than before.

“So, they’re already trying to push us.”

“And the pioneers are already snapping.”

“That was faster than I expected.”

“You see what I mean?” Nox said, shaking his head. “This is just the start. They know now that we can’t hurt them. So what happens next? They’ll keep pushing. Keep demanding. Again and again. Because why wouldn’t they?”

Justin looked at him carefully.

“And?”

“And what?”

“You told me the problem. So what’s your solution?”

Nox grinned.

“We need to unite. The pioneers need to start working together now—before the civilians try to control us.”

“There it is.”

This wasn’t about pioneers vs. civilians.

This was about power.

And who would hold it.

Justin didn’t answer right away.

He was letting the silence stretch, watching Nox start to shift under his gaze.

Finally, he spoke.

“And if I say no?”

The Elementalist’s smile flickered.

But he quickly recovered.

“We both know how this is going to end. The question is—which side will you be on when it does?”

Justin smirked.

“Oh, you have no idea who you’re talking to.”

“I-I apologize. I got carried away.”

“It happens. Just don’t let it happen again.”

Justin’s voice was flat, but the warning was clear.

Nox cleared his throat, forcing a smile. He was trying to smooth things over, but the crack in his composure was already showing.

“He lost control. Just for a second. But that’s all it takes.”

This was why Justin had no interest in joining forces with him.

A real leader never lost control of his emotions.

And yet, here Nox was—trying to manipulate people while barely holding himself together.

“Anyway,” Nox continued, “we pioneers need to stand together before the civilians become too much of a problem.”

“So, he really wants to play politics, huh?”

Justin had no patience for this kind of nonsense.

“And what exactly do you mean by that?”

“We need to prepare—before things get worse. Before the civilians try to take advantage of us.”

“They can’t take advantage of us,” Justin said flatly. “You already said it yourself. They can’t force us to do anything. So what exactly are you so scared of?”

That hit a nerve.

For a moment, Nox didn’t answer.

“There it is.”

The Elementalist wasn’t worried about the civilians.

He was worried about losing control—over them, over other players, over his own little ambitions.