Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

The fact that Justin's words were true meant that their team was far ahead of the others.

"So you're saying you were hunting in the gnoll habitat, ran into a field boss, and fled?" Aaron asked, skepticism dripping from his voice.

"I never said we ran away," Justin replied calmly.

"What?" Aaron's eyes narrowed.

"We hunted the field boss. My teammates just had a hard time during the process."

"...Pfft!"

Aaron paused, then let out an incredulous laugh.

"Listen, Justin. Are you expecting us to believe that?" Aaron demanded.

"And why wouldn't you believe it?" Justin countered.

"Because we've hunted gnolls ourselves!" Aaron shot back.

Now it was Justin's turn to be surprised. The gnolls were monsters they had hunted for the first time that day, and even his team had found them exhausting to deal with. And yet, a team weaker and less efficient than theirs had hunted gnolls?

Was there some kind of trick he wasn't aware of?

"At least four of those gnolls are as strong as any seasoned warrior! Even an 8th-level fighter can barely take down one! And now you're telling us you swept through the gnoll hunting grounds and killed the field boss as well? That's absurd!"

Ah, so they had managed with brute strength alone.

They called it hunting, but it was more like a matter of survival, barely escaping with their lives. After barely fending off the gnolls, they didn't have the guts to go back, and now Justin's casual comment of "Oh, it was a breeze" seemed to have really hit a nerve.

And adding to that, the fact that they had hunted a field boss only made it worse.

"If you're going to lie, at least make it believable. Trying to make up stories just because you're slightly ahead of us makes you look—!"

Thud.

Before Aaron could finish his disparaging comment, Justin reached into his inventory and took out a handful of purple mana stones, letting them fall. Aaron's eyes widened at the sight of the mana stones' unusual color.

"W-What is this?" Aaron stammered.

"Oh, don't worry about it. These are just mana stones we got from the gnolls, but sometimes they spill out of the inventory like this," Justin said with a smirk.

"Don't spout nonsense!"

"Oh dear, one of the stones rolled your way! Could you pick it up for me?" Justin flicked a mana stone toward Aaron, who frowned but still picked up the purple mana stone to examine it.

A moment later, Aaron stiffened as he checked the item description.

"One of these is worth five regular mana stones...?"

"Thank you," Justin said, snatching the mana stone from Aaron's hand and putting it back in his inventory, giving him a glimpse of just how many were overflowing from his hands.

They had collected a total of fifty purple mana stones that day, which, if calculated simply, was equivalent to two hundred and fifty regular mana stones. Even seeing just a part of their haul made Aaron's face twist in frustration.

But soon, Aaron gritted his teeth and spoke again.

"The field boss."

"Yes?" Justin raised an eyebrow.

"You said you killed the field boss, the 'Gnoll Warrior.' Do you have any proof?" Aaron asked.

Justin had wondered why he would ask that, but seeing the desperation in Aaron's eyes made it clear. He still wanted to believe that they were at a level where they could catch up. If they were capable of hunting gnolls, but not yet able to take down a field boss, they might still have a chance.

Justin shrugged nonchalantly.

"I don't have any proof. The boss didn't drop a mana stone. If you don't want to believe me, then don't."

"Hah! I knew it..." Aaron was about to declare victory when the system message echoed in everyone's ears.

"Ding ! One week has passed since the dimensional migration."

"Ding ! The main quest 'Income and Spending' has been deleted due to the time limit expiring." "Ding ! The side quest 'Field Boss Hunt' has been added."

"Ding ! The main quest 'Leader Selection' has been added."

"Damn it!"

"Why today of all days?!"

Screams erupted from all around them at the news that the quest had been deleted. It seemed obvious that more than half the groups hadn't completed the quest in time.

This didn't concern Justin's team, as they had already completed all their quests. What drew his attention more were the newly added quests.

"'Field Boss Hunt' and 'Leader Selection'?" Justin mused to himself.

Leader Selection made sense, but a Field Boss Hunt? Wasn't there only one field boss per field? Since they had already taken it down, there shouldn't be another one.

Justin quickly opened his quest window to check the newly added quest.

"Field Boss Hunt"

Type: Side Quest

Details: In monster habitats, there occasionally appear entities known as field bosses. These are formidable foes that possess great strength and are accompanied by multiple subordinate monsters. Hunting one of these field bosses is a feat in itself.

Merchants will honor any pioneer who achieves such a feat.Reward: 50% discount on all items in the shop.Other: Only one field boss exists per habitat, and it will not reappear in habitats where it has already been hunted.

Everything was as he knew it. Then why had the quest appeared again? Could it be that the Gnoll Warrior wasn't considered a field boss?

Aaron, who had also checked the quest, looked at Justin with a triumphant expression, as if he had just exposed a fraud.

"See? No matter how well-crafted your lie is..."

But before Aaron could finish his declaration of victory, another system message interrupted.

"Ding ! Attention to all pioneers in the 5A safety zone."

"Ding ! The field boss of this zone, the 'Gnoll Warrior,' has already been hunted."

"Ding !Once again, please be informed that the field boss of this zone has been hunted."

"Ding ! As this is the result of a legitimate hunt, the quest reward will be automatically distributed to the participants."

"Ding !Since the field boss has been hunted, the side quest for zone 5A will be deleted."