Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

"Wow! Gold, it's gold!" Derek shouted, swimming through the pile of gold coins excitedly. Nathan, equally fascinated, picked up a gold coin and examined it.

Even Ethan, who usually tried to keep his composure, couldn't hide his excitement. "Ahem, this certainly deserves to be called treasure."

"Don't hold back. Go ahead and swim in it," Justin teased.

"I'm not that kind of person!" Ethan protested, his face flushing red.

But it was obvious—he clearly wanted to take a gold coin bath. However, Rachel alone seemed to have a hesitant expression as she looked at the gold coins.

"But is this even useful? We're currently using mana stones as currency, not gold coins," she pointed out.

"...!"

Everyone froze at this forgotten truth. So, was all this gold just worthless decoration?

Justin, worried about that possibility, picked up a gold coin to check.

[Gold Coin]

Category: Exchange Item

Details: A currency used in ancient times. Even though times have changed, its value remains. It can be used as a currency exclusively for territory development in the shop, and each gold coin is equivalent to one mana stone. However, it cannot be used for anything other than territory development.

Fortunately, gold coins could be used in place of mana stones. There was a restriction that they could only be used for territory development, but it wasn't a significant problem. The system encouraged territory development, and there wasn't much else that required such a vast sum of money anyway.

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"Phew, that gave me a scare," Justin said, sighing in relief.

"For a moment there, I really thought it was useless," Nathan added, also sighing.

The other teammates, having checked the item description, collectively let out a breath of relief as well. Still, there was a bit of lingering disappointment. While getting a lot of money was nice, wasn't the charm of dungeon rewards supposed to be rare items?

And yet, they hadn't found anything except money.

"Well, it's still something," Derek said.

"We have to think positively. Improving the territory ultimately benefits all of us," Ethan remarked.

While they were consoling themselves, something caught Justin's eye in one corner of the pile of gold coins—a stubby handle protruding from the heap. Justin quickly moved over and grabbed the handle, pulling it out.

"...!"

What emerged from the pile of coins was a reasonably sized two-handed hammer. It had a bluish hue, something that set it apart from the equipment they had used so far.

[Hammer of Thunder]

Category: Warrior Exclusive Equipment

Grade: Rare

Details: A warrior's hammer containing a trace of thunder's essence. When it strikes something, the impact is amplified by the power of thunder, causing a minor shock effect.

"A rare-grade item!"

Until now, the best item they had received from quests was of the common grade. But this hammer was rare-grade. Justin tried to keep his excitement under control as he called out to the others.

"Everyone, come here! I found a piece of equipment!"

"Equipment!?"

The teammates rushed over and looked at the hammer. After examining it with wide eyes, they began digging through the pile of coins, hoping to find more items. As expected, two more items were hidden within the pile.

[Ring of Protection]

Grade: RareDetails: When the wearer is struck, a transparent shield is generated to block the attack once. The shield regenerates after one day.

[Elixir of Regeneration]

Grade: Rare

Details: A mysterious elixir contained in a glass bottle. It fully heals the user's external injuries and has an effect comparable to "Advanced Healing." It is a consumable item and does not recharge after use.

The newly found items were also worthy of being classified as rare. In the life of a pioneer, where every battle was a matter of life and death, items that increased recovery or defense were especially valuable.

Justin gathered the group and distributed the three items.

"The Hammer of Thunder goes to Derek. I think it's better for you to give up the shield and focus on attacking."

"Knew you understood me, boss!" Derek said, grinning from ear to ear as he accepted the Hammer of Thunder. Rachel looked at him with a hint of envy but said nothing. She probably agreed that Derek was more suited for it. Her combat style was more about deflecting and countering than relying on brute strength.

"I'm keeping the Ring of Protection. I don't need to explain why, right?" Justin said.

Everyone nodded in agreement. Justin was both the leader and the main damage dealer of the team. If he went down, even temporarily, they would lose both their commander and their main cannon. Additionally, Justin, being a mage with lower durability, needed the item more than anyone else.

Finally, there was the Elixir of Regeneration. After a moment of consideration, Justin made his decision.

"This one goes to Ethan."

"Huh? Me?" Ethan looked at Justin with wide eyes, clearly not expecting to receive it.

"Why me? I'm a frontline fighter. Shouldn't someone in the backline hold onto it to give it to whoever gets hurt?" Ethan questioned.

"You're a frontline fighter, but you're also a healer. If you get injured and go down, you need to drink it and get back in the fight. Without healing skills in critical moments, we're screwed," Justin explained.

The healer's survival was paramount. Aside from Justin, who was the main damage dealer, Ethan was arguably the most crucial member of the team. If he suffered a serious injury, not only would there be a gap in the front line, but their overall sustain would plummet. In the worst-case scenario, even Justin could be exposed to attacks.

"So if you find yourself unable to move in an emergency, use it. Don't try to heal yourself and end up delaying your return to the fight. Understood?"

"Got it," Ethan replied, taking the elixir with a dazed expression. Though he looked surprised, the corners of his lips twitched slightly. It seemed he was happy to realize his own importance to the team.

With the distribution complete, Justin began sweeping the gold coins into his inventory. Despite the vast quantity, the gold coins only occupied the smallest slot in the inventory. No matter how many coins he poured in, only the number displayed in the slot changed.

"20,000 gold coins."

Seeing the number displayed in the inventory, Justin's lips curled up into a smile.

"Once we return, I need to immediately check the territory development options."

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Power Stone = extra chapters! 📚⚡️ Your adventure continues at empire

Golden Ticket = extra chapters! 🎟️🚀

Comment = 1 extra chapter! 💬✨

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