Chapter 57

“Everyone, still have some stamina left? We’re going back—fast!”

Even though the team was exhausted, they didn’t complain and followed her lead.

They rushed through the forest as quickly as possible. But by the time they reached the safe zone…

“Well, well, you’re back later than I expected. Leveled up a lot, huh?”

“…!”

At the entrance, Lucas stood waiting, a predatory smile curling on his lips. Around him, other pioneers were lined up, creating a living wall that surrounded Rachel’s team.

“Yeah, we made good progress. But what’s this? Why the welcoming party?”

She forced herself to remain calm.

“A welcoming party? You could call it that,” Lucas sneered. “After all, today’s the day our zone welcomes its very first traitor.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Hey, David, come out here.”

From behind Lucas, David stepped forward, eyes gleaming with cowardly satisfaction.

“I overheard her making plans with that other guy,” David announced smugly. “They were scheming to take down our leader and split the zone between them.”

“What?!”

The accusation wasn’t completely false—but it twisted the truth.

They had discussed the possibility of war, but Rachel had never agreed to it.

“I never—!”

“Shut up.”

Before she could finish, Lucas cut her off coldly.

When she looked into his eyes, she realized the truth: this wasn’t about betrayal. This was about consolidating power. It didn’t matter whether her intentions were innocent or not—he needed her to be the villain.

A convenient scapegoat to justify whatever violence came next.

“I didn’t expect you to betray me, Rachel.”

“This isn’t betrayal. You just don’t want to hear my explanation, do you?”

“Listening to a traitor is just a waste of time.”

“You’re not afraid of the truth—you’re afraid it’ll ruin your excuse to get rid of me.”

“Seize her.”

Pioneers surrounded her team, weapons drawn.

“Just put down your weapons, Rachel. You’re outnumbered, and your people aren’t ready for a fight.”

She looked over her shoulder. Her teammates were frozen with fear, unable to move.

Gritting her teeth, Rachel dropped her weapon.

“At least let them go.”

“Relax. I never planned on killing you.”
“You’re too useful to waste.”

The old saying goes: Life is unpredictable.

And Justin couldn’t agree more.

“So you really showed up. Guess that coward wasn’t lying after all.”

He blinked in silence as he took in the scene.

Nineteen pioneers surrounded him. Below them, Rachel and her team were kneeling, bloodied and beaten.

“Anyone care to explain what’s going on?”

“Explain? There’s nothing to explain, idiot.”

The smug voice came from none other than David.

‘So that’s how it is.’

The realization hit him immediately—David had been eavesdropping back in the gnoll territory, hiding in the tall grass, and had reported everything to Lucas.

“So, you’re the leader, huh?” Justin asked, eyeing Lucas calmly.

“That’s right. I’m Lucas. And you were planning to take me out, weren’t you?”

“I was. But Rachel convinced me to hold back—for now.”

Lucas’s eyes twitched at his nonchalant response.

“You’re surprisingly calm.”

“Why wouldn’t I be? Do you expect me to tremble?”

“You should. These people will die because of you.”

At his signal, the pioneers drew their weapons, ready to kill the captives at any moment.

But Justin didn’t flinch.

“Do you really think using hostages will work on me?”

“It doesn’t have to work—I just need to try. If it does, that’s a bonus.”

For someone who looked brutish, Lucas was surprisingly cunning.

“I’ll ask once: What do you want?”

“It’s simple. Drop your weapons, get on your knees, and put your hands behind your head.”

“Yeah, that’s not happening.”

At his words, Rachel panicked.

“Don’t do it, Brother Justin! We’re not worth it—just fight!”

“Shut up!”

Before she could continue, Lucas slammed her head into the ground.

But before he could land another blow, Justin’s hand shot out.

“Gladly.”

“What?”

“You said to drop my weapon, right? Sure. But I’ll do it my way.”

A sudden surge of energy filled the air.

“Everyone, ignore the hostages—get ready for battle!”

“Cursed Lightning!”

Crack!

A brilliant violet bolt shot from his outstretched hand, striking with ruthless precision.

Screams echoed as both captors and captives were hit by the blast.

The hostages convulsed on the ground, but it was the surrounding pioneers who took the worst of it.

As the lightning faded, Lucas looked up in disbelief.

“You insane bastard—!”

“What’s the matter? Didn’t expect me to sacrifice my own?”

Without missing a beat, Justin raised his hand again.

“Black Missile.”

Boom!

A shadowy projectile slammed into one of Lucas’s lieutenants, sending him sprawling across the ground.

“Your move, leader-boy.”

In that moment, it was clear to everyone: this wasn’t a negotiation.

It was war.

Boom!

With a thunderous crash, Lucas was sent skidding backward across the ground.

Barely managing to block the attack with his shield, he ground his teeth, rage bubbling in his chest.

“You’re tougher than I thought,” Justin remarked with mild amusement.

“You son of a—!”

Lucas’s eyes burned with fury, and a faint crimson aura shimmered around his body.

‘[Rage].’

The hallmark skill of a level-10 Berserker, temporarily boosting physical attributes to superhuman levels.

Justin clicked his tongue in acknowledgment.

‘He must’ve activated it just before my attack landed—no wonder he managed to block it.’

Without it, even blocking the attack with a shield would have left his arm useless.

“I’ll kill you!”

With a guttural roar, Lucas charged, the crimson aura around him intensifying. His fellow pioneers followed, each of them emanating the same deadly red mist.

“Interesting,” Justin mused as he observed their matching equipment. “Why the shields? You’re not paladins.”

“We bought them from the shop, you idiot!”

Lucas launched himself forward.

“Black Missile!”

Boom!

The projectile collided with Lucas’s shield. The metal groaned under the impact, but it held firm.

A wicked grin stretched across Lucas’s face.

“Is that all you’ve got? Your magic’s useless now, isn’t it?”

“Shields from the shop, huh? Not bad. Maybe I should buy some for Derek next time.”

“You think this is funny?!”

The rage in Lucas’s eyes sharpened as the realization dawned on him—Justin wasn’t worried at all. Not even slightly.

And it infuriated him.

There were still eleven pioneers standing strong around him, all burning with [Rage]. Eight had already fallen, but the rest still had the numbers and strength to overwhelm Justin’s team.

At least, that’s what they thought.