How to Survive Against Villains Chapter 187

Chapter 187 – At This Rate, We’re All Going to Die

Domino ga.

When you knock down one end of a row of standing dominoes, they fall in succession like a cascading wave.

Of course, to witness the grand finale, each piece must be placed at perfect intervals. But if sothing disturbs them before completion, everything could collapse prematurely.

"They said the story was being revised."

I recalled the mont before I was thrown into this world.

Just before I passed out in the company restroom, I had read a revision notice on the screen.

Novel: When Villains Get Stronger.

A world spiraling toward destruction at the hands of villains.

That was the finale I knew.

The novel, which had started with its first chapter, had grown like a chain of dominoes, and now, it had reached the point where 'destruction' was in sight.

But whether it was divine whim...

Or simply the desire to rearrange the dominoes differently...

'Soone might have tampered with it.'

The dominoes, ticulously set up until the brink of the finale, had disappeared.

And a new first piece had been placed.

'That would be .'

An assassin, marked for the first kill by Kal Blazer, the initial protagonist.

But that assassin survived—causing a shift in the story.

At first, the changes were minor.

But now, things were different. The shift had grown so significant that it could alter the fate of an entire region.

'Even Hell Gri’s fate will change.'

The flow of the story is closely tied to each region. In other words, the events I once knew and the future I now face will unfold in completely different ways.

And that was how I was surviving.

'Soday, my finale will co too.'

Soone had set as the first piece and would eventually push , sending the dominoes tumbling.

Of course, if I died before that happened, there would be no finale.

Or perhaps… that in itself was the finale.

I had no intention of being dragged along passively.

'If I gain enough power soday...'

Then there was no rule saying I couldn't beco the hand that controls the falling dominoes.

I didn't know how the finale would unfold, whether I would witness it or beco the one who shapes it.

For now, survival was my priority.

***

"Do you want more?"

"No."

Lily set the empty bowl down with a sullen expression. She had satisfied her hunger, but the taste hadn't been to her liking.

"It’s too bland to eat."

I scratched my chin awkwardly.

Not exactly sothing you'd expect from soone who had just polished off fifteen bowls.

Lily, having scraped her bowl clean, smacked her lips and asked ,

"When are you going to cook sothing good?"

"If we had the right ingredients, I’d cook until you were stuffed. But right now, all we have is wheat…"

The supply wagon loaded with food had been destroyed, leaving us with nothing.

So for now, everyone was making do with wheat porridge to stave off hunger.

I glanced at the long line of people waiting by the massive cauldron.

Though the rich aroma brought smiles to their faces, there was a sense of longing in the air.

'If only we had salt…'

A simple addition, and this al could have been far more satisfying.

Yet, the people were simply grateful for a full stomach.

It was a heartwarming sight.

Lily, however, clearly felt no such sentint.

Even after fifteen bowls, sothing was still missing.

She wanted to eat my cooking.

"Just wait. I'll find so ingredients."

"Don’t go too far. If you disappear, everyone here will die."

"I’ll be quick."

Sothing seed to occur to her.

Lily scanned the lush garden around her, then vanished sowhere.

I, on the other hand, looked for Keros.

Having him nearby gave a sense of reassurance.

I found Keros barking loudly atop a small rock.

"What are you barking about?"

If Reto were here, he could have told .

But right now, he was in a deep sleep, cursed by a divine na.

Last night, Lily had inford of the changes in my divine na list.

The little Shiba Inu kept barking at the top of his lungs, but since I already had a plan, I figured as long as I stayed nearby, things would be fine.

"Up we go!"

I perched myself against a tree trunk and checked my condition.

It had been a full day since entering the witch’s garden.

With the peaceful atmosphere aiding my rest, my recovery had been swift.

If I could just rest for three more days, I'd be back at full strength.

After finishing my bowl of porridge, I took a mont to observe my surroundings.

For once, there was peace.

The lively chatter and bustling atmosphere felt pleasant.

After instructing Heinz to allow everyone to relax, the people were finally enjoying the garden without hesitation.

Beneath the warm sunlight, the beautiful scenery of the garden spread out before us.

The gentle breeze carried the sweet scent of flowers, clearing my mind.

It was the perfect day for a picnic.

***

"Woof! Woof!"

"You damn mutt, shut up already!"

"Woof!"

"So noisy!"

Karl, who had been chatting with Lochter, threw a dagger at Keros.

Keros nimbly leaped aside, dodging the dagger, and barked again.

Karl, seemingly giving up, shook his head and returned to talking with Lochter.

Lochter had asked him to check on the resonance ability—one of the Heroic Companion's skills.

Watching the two interact felt strangely nostalgic.

"The butterfly effect really is sothing."

Had the story followed its original course, Lochter would be on the run, having lost an arm to a traitor.

Karl, anwhile, would have t Kal in Etor and chosen the path of a villain’s companion.

But now, their fates had changed because of .

Lochter had beco a hero of Tobaron rather than a rebel leader.

Karl had beco a hero’s companion, supporting Lochter.

The sa went for Elton and Karl’s group.

They had all gathered under the na Hunt.

"Does this an Hunt finally has a foundation?"

Back when I left Beneta, Hunt had been nothing more than a na.

A fictional organization created rely to give the appearance of a blood pact.

But now, with Lochter and Karl under its banner, it had beco the foundation for the anti-Blyer alliance.

It was growing.

I recalled my divine na list.

[Arthur Clayton - Divine Hunter]

[Third ntal Barrier]

[The Siren’s Hymn]

[Heart of Retonicalus (Assimilation Rate: 30%)]

[Guide of Non-Humans]

[Ring of Desire (Survival)]

[Leader of Hunt (3)]

Two things stood out to .

First, the increase in my heart’s assimilation rate.

It had risen from 25% to 30%.

I had thought this was linked to physical growth, but it wasn’t.

'Retonicalus’ assimilation rate is tied to divine nas…'

When my Burst Strike count had increased from five to eight, Reto had said that my “vessel” had grown.

My physical growth had stalled at four-star.

That ant my vessel had expanded in only one way.

Through my divine na list.

I focused on the newly added divine na—

[Leader of Hunt (3)]

'When my divine na list grows, so does my vessel.'

The Heart of the Immortal and the Growth of Divine Nas

It seed that the Heart of the Immortal was connected to the growth of divine nas—just like how awakening as a Divine Hunter increased the number of Burst Strikes.

In other words, to grow stronger and survive against the villains, I had to keep expanding my divine na list.

But how had I increased it so far?

- By killing Donecolint, I obtained [The Siren’s Hymn].

- By killing Arena Huaton, I obtained [Heart of Retonicalus].

- By preventing Beneta’s downfall, I obtained [Guide of Non-Humans] and [Ring of Desire (Survival)].

- And now, through securing victory in this latest power struggle, I had obtained [Leader of Hunt (3)].

Every addition to my divine na list had co as a result of a major event within the story’s revision.

That ant, to keep expanding it, I had to steal divine nas amidst major conflicts—kill the main villains and save the heroes who were ant to die.

That was my only way to survive.

***

“Um…”

“Hm?”

“May I sit down for a mont?”

I had been deep in thought when Heinz approached, carrying his bowl of porridge.

Whenever Lily was around, he would avoid , but the mont she was gone, it seed he had been waiting for an opportunity to co over.

He was the only one, aside from my companions, who knew Lily’s true identity.

Ever since he learned the truth, his attitude toward her had noticeably changed.

Fear and apprehension.

A human’s natural reaction to seeing Lily for what she truly was.

“Go ahead.”

I gestured with my chin, and he sat down beside .

“Any issues among the people?”

“No, everyone is resting peacefully.”

“That’s good. We don’t know when we’ll have to leave, so tell them to rest as much as they can while they have the chance.”

“Understood. However…”

Heinz set down his bowl and looked at .

His aged face was full of worry, but he hesitated to voice it.

A noble like him would understand better than anyone the dangers of this forest.

As soone responsible for leading a large group of people, his concerns were understandable.

I suddenly realized I might have been too indifferent.

“Do you trust ?”

“I do.”

“Then stop worrying and focus on resting. Once we reach our destination, you won’t have the luxury to rest even if you want to.”

“Can I ask you one thing?”

“Go ahead.”

“Where exactly is our final destination?”

Ah.

Had I never told them?

Well, to be precise, I hadn’t had the chance.

I had been unconscious.

I smacked my lips before slowly answering.

“Elletor Fortress.”

“...What? But isn’t that a place where humans can’t reside?”

“Why wouldn’t they be able to?”

“Because the witches wouldn’t allow it—”

“And where are we right now?”

This was Ordor Forest.

A forest of death, where survival was impossible without the witch’s permission.

If we could leave here safely, then Elletor Fortress could be used as our base.

A stronghold was necessary to formally declare the anti-Kal alliance across the entire region and begin gathering forces.

I had already set my sights on Elletor Fortress for that purpose.

A massive, abandoned stronghold, emptied due to the influence of Ordor Forest.

To claim it, I would ultimately need the witches’ approval.

Heinz let out another deep sigh.

His concern was clear—would the witches even allow us to live?

Considering our surroundings, it was hard to imagine they would just let us be.

“Are you sure this is okay? We’re following your orders and resting, but…”

“It’s fine.”

“But still…”

Heinz feared what would happen if the witches saw this place.

This was the Witch’s Garden.

And it was quickly being destroyed.

The children were digging up the earth to play.

Since yesterday, trees and plants—ticulously maintained—had been chopped down for firewood to cook als.

With thousands of people trampling through the garden, there was no way it would remain intact.

“Woof! Woof!”

As the destruction worsened, that little dog’s barking had beco more frequent.

It was obvious that he was warning us.

Heinz was growing anxious at the sound, but I remained indifferent.

“Honestly, I thought they’d show up the mont we started wrecking the garden, but they’re surprisingly patient.”

“...What?”

“How much food do we have left?”

“About two days’ worth…”

“Then they’ll co within that ti. If they don’t, the garden will be ruined even further.”

Just then, Lily reappeared.

She approached confidently, leading a group of our people.

It seed she had taken them sowhere.

"...What the…"

I let out a wry chuckle as I saw what they were carrying.

Slung over their shoulders were animals from deep within the garden—blue-horned deer.

Did they seriously hunt those deer?

Those were probably Elder deia’s cherished creatures.

Lily… that witch was completely out of her mind.

Keros began barking urgently.

“You damn mutt! We’ll give you so venison, so shut up already!”

Even Karl’s shout did nothing to stop him.

No—Keros wasn’t just barking anymore.

He was howling.

At that mont, my heart pounded violently, and I heard Reto’s voice.

[So noisy.]

“You’re awake?”

[That one hurt a little.]

…Hurt?

He described a divine curse as just hurting a little?

Truly, an immortal was on a different level.

“What’s Keros saying?”

[Hm… I’ll let you hear it yourself.]

“Huh?”

Then, Keros’ howls began to translate in my head.

[P-please stop! At this rate, we’re all going to die! I’m telling you, we’re all going to die! I’m so scared…!]

"...This is insane."

Looking at the devastated garden, it was clear—Keros was terrified of Elder deia.

But why wasn’t she showing up?

Was she waiting for the right mont?

Then, Karl suddenly scread.

“U-ugh! T-the deer’s head…!”

Looks like that old hag wasn’t one to sit back quietly after all.