How to Survive Against Villains Chapter 102

Chapter 102: Change and Completion

The list of divine nas is akin to a barcode of destiny, representing how the world perceives one's existence.

It’s a roadmap that predicts the past, present, and future.

Of course, this only applies to .

That’s because I hold the “information” necessary to interpret the anings behind divine nas.

While I could now see the divine na lists of others through Awakening, I remained ignorant of my own divine na.

If I could uncover it, it would undoubtedly be a huge help.

Not to ntion, I was also curious about how this world viewed .

‘Can it be done?’

With a flicker of hope, I stood before the mirror.

I directed killing intent toward my reflection in the mirror.

I didn’t have high expectations.

There was no halo above the reflection of my head, and the idea of a hunter hunting himself didn’t make any sense to begin with.

‘As expected, it’s a failure.’

There was no reaction.

It seed that I couldn’t be the target of my own hunt.

That left only one option.

‘I’ll have to find soone who can see my divine na.’

Two individuals ca to mind imdiately.

The first was Arcane, the Prophet of Fate. The second was Lily Base, the Witch of Ordor Forest.

I crossed out Arcane from the list right away.

Seeing how Arcane was aiding Kal in the Black Market, empowering him with my stolen opportunities, it was clear he regarded with either wariness or outright hostility.

Even if I sought him out, I doubted he’d answer my questions. In fact, the likelihood of him tipping off Kal and putting my life in jeopardy was much higher.

That left the Witch of Ordor Forest as my best option.

‘The odds are much better on this side.’

While she’s infamous, her reputation stems largely from prejudices created by the witch-hunting groups that targeted her. Her true nature is quite distant from being “evil.”

She’s more like a prickly hedgehog—sharp on the outside, but not entirely unapproachable.

Although her distrust of humans runs deep due to the Great Witch Massacre, if given the chance, she isn’t soone hard to befriend.

She’s more like a simple, food-loving girl who enjoys pretty things.

This side of her has remained largely unknown because she is always protected by the high-ranking witches known as Dortas.

The Dortas were terrifying witches who turned rivers, fields, and mountains red with blood during the Great Witch Massacre.

Amidst them blossod a solitary black flower—Lily Base.

She’s a symbol of fear molded by prejudice, the reason so many people are terrified of her.

‘She’s introduced in Chapter II, so eting her right away might be tough.’

Even so, I couldn’t dismiss the possibility.

After all, Arcane also appeared in Chapter II, yet he ended up siding with Kal early on.

Just as Fenry obtained the Mana Belt and drew the attention of the Shadow King, Kal was recovering the power and opportunities I had stolen from him through Arcane’s help.

There was no guarantee that similar changes wouldn’t also happen in Ordor Forest.

As I opened the window to let in so fresh air, the moon erged from behind the clouds, casting its gaze upon .

It was ridiculously large.

The full moon was completely aglow, shining brightly.

The moonlight poured over Beneta, illuminating the entire territory to the point where torches were unnecessary.

I stared up at the moon absentmindedly.

Maybe it was because I had just been recalling details about Lily, the witch.

“The Witch of the Moon….”

The mont I saw the full moon, her divine na escaped my lips unconsciously.

With the Talent of the Full Moon, she was a jack-of-all-trades, proficient in every type of sorcery.

Her only penalty was ti.

The ti it would take for her potential to fully blossom.

Suddenly, I felt curious about her appearance.

In the novel, her beauty had stirred the hearts of many n, leaving a trail of bloodshed wherever she went.

Since she was still young at this point, maybe she wasn’t quite there yet?

Either way, she’s soone I must et at least once to uncover my divine na. And when I do, I’ll also confirm her appearance.

I shut the window, noticing a few petals scattered near Fenry’s face from the vase of flowers. They seed to have fallen from the flower arrangent.

[Don’t touch them.]

As I reached out to brush the petals off her forehead, Reto issued a stern warning.

[Have you forgotten the Shadow King’s blessing?]

“Is it dangerous?”

[It’s best to avoid her while the Shadow Lord’s consciousness is dormant—especially if there are shadows present.]

Under the lamplight, Fenry’s shadow was cast over the bed.

It seed I shouldn’t carelessly approach her when she was unconscious. Would the shadow attack if I did? Not being the type to risk my life out of curiosity, I stepped back.

“Don’t you have sothing similar? You should protect your host, you know.”

[Don’t I wake you up before you die?]

“…Ah, yeah. Thanks for that.”

I couldn’t expect too much from Reto. Every action he instructed to take inevitably led to pain. If I complained too much, I might end up “rewarded” with even more suffering. Better to keep my mouth shut.

With nothing else to do, I sprawled out on the bed.

Though my wrist had mostly healed, my fingers were still weak.

It seed it would take a bit more ti for the muscles and nerves to recover fully.

If this were reality, I’d be worried about permanent disability. But here, such injuries were treated like a re overnight inconvenience. I was becoming more like the people of this world.

My eyelids grew heavy and slowly closed.

How long had it been since I last slept?

Finally, after two weeks, I could enjoy a proper rest—

Rrrrrr….

[Wake up.]

…Ugh, damn it.

[You haven’t even mastered basic enchantnts, yet you think you can rest? You’re lazier than I thought.]

“…….”

Two weeks of sleepless training, and I was still being called lazy.

Do absolutes not need sleep or sothing?

Having Reto as my companion sotis felt less like luck and more like a curse.

No, it might very well be the source of all my misfortune.

Even without my wrist injury, there was no shortage of training awaiting .

I summoned the Ring of Blood.

Satisfied now?

The ring began draining my blood voraciously.

Everything around seed intent on tornting .

The training for mastering enchantnts continued throughout the night.

***

Five more days passed.

As expected, the rookie dwarf who had wrecked my wrist never returned.

With no additional help, we continued training with just six mbers. By the 20th day of training, I noticed a significant decrease in the number of hits I took.

I was beginning to familiarize myself with their attack routes.

The “Observation” Reto often ntioned was finally starting to shine. I could now visualize the trajectory of the six dwarves’ swinging clubs in my mind.

Thwack thwack thwack—!

“……Urgh!”

Of course, I was still surrounded and couldn’t dodge everything. But I avoided vital points, and the strikes I did take were more glancing blows, allowing to counterattack more effectively.

Wham—!

“Ugh!”

I finally succeeded in headbutting one of them square in the face. As he rolled on the ground clutching his nose, the others quickly stepped back, wary of getting too close. They’d realized by now that giving space only worked against them.

“Huff, huff!”

Panting heavily, I glanced around. My entire body was soaked in blood, but my clenched fists were brimming with strength. The pain was now familiar, and I no longer feared getting hit.

When I stomped forward with one foot, the dwarf directly in front of took a step back.

For the first ti, the right to attack was mine.

I’m coming!

[Stop.]

“…What?! Why?!”

[Have you forgotten the essence of this training? If you don’t get hit, it’s aningless.]

Damn it, this training was pure madness.

Still, I couldn’t complain, as I could feel myself growing noticeably stronger in a short ti.

The relentless barrage of attacks over the past 20 days had ingrained in an instinctive understanding of how to dodge, block, and counter.

The likelihood of sustaining a fatal injury had significantly decreased.

My body was growing stronger the more I got hit—how sad.

“Will we add another person to the group…?”

[Six is optimal. Adding a seventh would dull the attacks. Dwarves seem to lack a proper concept of coordinated strikes.]

“…Then?”

[What about the change?]

He asked about change again.

It was a question Reto posed to at least once a day.

What kind of change was Reto expecting from ?

“Stop with the riddles and at least give a hint, will you?”

[One of your recent worries will disappear.]

“My worries?”

[The Ring of Blood.]

The mont he said that, I realized what Reto ant.

The change he was expecting would make that possible?

I glanced at the pristine bracelet on my wrist.

Lately, my main concern had been about maximum output.

I’d been trying to figure out how to boost the Ring of Blood to its maximum power in a short ti. To achieve that, I’d need to accelerate the blood-draining process. Reto was saying that completing the first stage of my physical evolution would solve that issue.

While I was lost in thought, staring at the Ring of Blood, Reto announced the end of the training.

[Further training is aningless. If you can’t achieve change through training, you’ll need a “catalyst.” Focus on other disciplines.]

“A catalyst? What kind of catalyst?”

[In human terms, you might call it a ‘mont of realization.’ I don’t know. Realizations are your responsibility, not mine. This is as far as I can take you.]

The club training, which usually ended at sunset, was finished earlier, around lunchti.

“…Is the training over?”

“For now.”

When I nodded and announced the end of the training, the reactions among the knights were varied.

Relief, joy, even gratitude… but wait.

Why does one of them look disappointed?

Did they actually enjoy hitting ?

I made a ntal note to rember that dwarf’s face.

“Thank you for participating in the training without complaints.”

“We are knights. If the lord commands it, we obey.”

Of course, despite their words, they looked at with expectant eyes.

Were they hoping for a reward?

As if I didn’t know.

Suppressing a smirk, I retrieved the large basket I had hidden in the shade.

Normally, I’d open the basket after training ended. But since we finished early today, I decided to treat them to lunch.

“Whoa!!!!!!”

As soon as I opened the basket, the dwarves cheered and gathered eagerly around it.

Inside were unique dishes they couldn’t find in this world.

Ever since the people in the castle had shown great interest in sandwiches, I’d been brainstorming what food to prepare for the knights.

Though they were rely assistants following orders, they’d been sweating half the day for my sake.

I wanted to personally show my gratitude.

Thanks to Sharbadin, I’d gained access to the castle kitchens, where I’d spent the past few days preparing these dishes. Today was the mont of truth.

“Hahaha!”

“This is why I co here!”

“Let’s eat and die happy!”

‘Their reaction is a bit overwhelming….’

Their excitent was palpable.

I laid out a mat and spread the food across it. With bright expressions, they raised their mugs of beer.

These were classic campfire dishes ant to go with beer. What’s beer without snacks, after all?

Barbecue, kimchi stew, spicy sea snail salad, crispy fries—you na it.

Of course, the recipes were only similar, as the ingredients here were from this world, so the taste wasn’t exactly like what I knew from Earth.

But they ate it enthusiastically, stuffing themselves without pause.

Gulp—

I sipped my own beer, moistening my throat.

The beer was lukewarm.

Cold beer is life, but since I couldn’t use magic, I had to settle for this.

The atmosphere was relaxed, and we even exchanged lighthearted conversations.

“I’ve seen the lord’s awakened trait, Frost. Isn’t it amazing how he can freeze any opponent with a single strike? You must have awakened a trait too, right? Sothing physical, I’d bet.”

The dwarves’ gazes flickered with envy.

Through our conversation, I learned sothing unexpected—awakened traits were far rarer than I’d initially thought.

The six before were all three-star knights, yet none of them had any traits. That gave a sense of just how extraordinary it was to awaken a trait.

Even their captain, Natone, was the sa.

He was a five-star knight with no traits.

“Guess I’m just lucky.”

That was a lie.

My luck was garbage.

But since I had awakened a trait, I had to play along and acknowledge it, even if it was with a forced smile. Complaining might actually get clubbed.

However, the dwarves mistakenly believed my trait was physical in nature, which wasn’t true.

Na: Alex.

A fallen noble of the House of Marcia.

An expert in daggers and crossbows, and an awakened trait-holder who wields a special light.

This was the fake identity I’d spread outside of Beneta, through the Black Roses.

It was bait ant to confuse the Butcher.

But considering how clever he was, I wasn’t sure how long it would work.