How to Survive Against Villains Chapter 197

Chapter 197 – The Path to Growth (2)

Lochter Felice – Five-Star.

Karl Bastain and Elton – Four-Star.

The rest of the group – Three-Star.

By Tobaron’s standards, Hunt’s overall strength was more than sufficient.

No—they were actually considered strong.

"But if we go up against Demtor, the situation changes completely."

The mages of Hell Gri were nothing like the enemies we had faced before.

They attacked like wolves, preying on any weakness—whether it was physical strength, morale, psychological instability, or even ntal resilience.

Compared to them, our group was sorely lacking. If we fought them now, the odds of winning were slim.

And in the end, we’d all die.

Because I understood Demtor’s power well, I could clearly see the flaws in my group.

Lochter was strong but lacked a weapon that could fully support his abilities.

Karl and Elton were competent at the Four-Star level, but their roles as assassins left them weak in defense.

The rest? No need to ntion.

And ? I still had plenty of weaknesses as well.

Four-Star.

That was my current strength, putting at roughly the sa level as Karl.

However, I had survival skills like Burst Strike and powerful equipnt such as The Ring of Blood and The Ring of Desire, making my survivability far superior to the others.

And I had Reto as my advisor.

But the rest of the group was completely unprepared for what awaited them in Hell Gri.

This was a case of power inflation happening too fast.

The story was progressing too quickly.

Chapter 1 hadn’t even properly ended, yet Chapter 2 had already begun.

If we clashed with Demtor now, there would be mass casualties.

We needed at least so level of preparation before fighting.

And the only ti to prepare was now, while the Slaughterer remained dormant.

After hearing my explanation, Heinz swallowed hard and nodded.

"So… our enemy isn’t just the Lord of Blyer?"

"When you gain sothing, you must also give sothing up. Since we've allied with all the witches, we can no longer avoid a confrontation with Demtor."

"Will the mages co to Tobaron?"

"As long as Ordor Forest remains intact, they won’t recklessly invade. However, they are an enemy we will have to fight eventually. That’s why we have to prepare now—this is our only chance."

"But Blyer’s army is still stationed at Beneta’s border. If Kal moves his forces after hearing about Elletor Fortress, we’ll be in trouble. We absolutely can’t hold out with our current numbers."

"Kal won’t attack the fortress so easily—not even he would dare provoke the witches."

After my battle with him, the Slaughterer’s forces were in a severely weakened state.

Right now, his priority was rebuilding his army.

He wouldn’t risk attacking Elletor and angering the witches.

"Only after negotiating with Demtor will he try sothing."

Kal would try to secure Demtor’s support as quickly as possible.

But things wouldn’t go as smoothly as he hoped.

Demtor was an alliance of mage towers held together by mutual interests.

With so many factions involved, negotiations would take ti.

I estimated it would take at least one to two months before a decision was reached.

And after that?

"Demtor will fully support Blyer."

Now that the witches were on the move, Demtor’s involvent was inevitable.

"And then… Demtor’s Stars will take action."

If we wanted to survive, we had to get stronger.

"Demtor… I didn’t realize things would escalate this far," Heinz muttered.

Until now, he had only been focused on Blyer.

He had been waiting for the right mont to strike.

But the situation had already grown beyond that.

The battle for Blyer had turned into a full-scale power struggle for Tobaron.

And in the shadows of that war, Demtor and the witches had joined the fray.

Before he knew it, Heinz found himself at the very center of the storm.

"Can I really manage the fortress on my own…?"

"You don’t have to carry everything alone. The witches support you from above, and Beneta supports you from below. When you arrive at Elletor Fortress, the Black Rose will be waiting. If you need help, rely on them—Beneta will back you up."

"How long do you plan to stay in the forest?"

"I won’t stay more than two months. Until then, I’m counting on you."

I patted Heinz’s shoulder and nodded reassuringly.

After letting out a long sigh, he turned toward the portal.

Fortunately, Heinz was a strong noble.

Once he regained his composure, he quickly took charge, rallying the knights and pushing forward with the evacuation.

"It’s a damn good thing he’s here."

Because of Heinz, I could leave the fortress in his hands and focus on training the others.

During the formation of the Anti-Blyer Alliance, Heinz had been one of its founding pillars.

He didn’t get much recognition in the novel because he was assassinated early on, but from what I’d observed, he was incredibly competent.

Especially when it ca to internal affairs.

[A plant can only grow as strong as the soil it's rooted in.]

"Must you always speak in riddles?"

[You need more people like that old man if you want to accelerate your growth. You require an environnt, ti, and conditions that will allow you and your allies to thrive.]

"What’s the real aning behind this advice?"

[You need more connections. The more people you gather around you, the more opportunities and turning points you will gain. Do you really think everyone can survive just by growing at a normal pace?]

"It’d be difficult. That’s why I’m trying to do sothing about it."

[You’ll find a way. I have no doubt.]

Reto wasn’t just talking about Heinz—he was also referring to the witches.

"Being an immortal definitely gives him a unique perspective."

He knew that powerful encounters were born from aningful connections.

Just like how I was using the witches to rapidly strengthen myself and my allies.

The portal remained active for two days.

With over ten thousand people to transport, the evacuation took longer than expected.

Moving them safely through the narrow portal required patience.

But now, after two days, the last group stood in line.

"This is the final batch."

About a hundred people remained at the portal’s entrance.

At the very end of the line, I spotted a familiar figure.

A bald head standing out like a sore thumb.

I let out a chuckle and walked over to Karl.

"What are you doing in line?"

"Can’t I go to the fortress too? I heard that old man Heinz sighing like crazy—he said they’re short on manpower."

"There are plenty of people at the fortress to help Heinz. You don’t need to worry about it."

"No! I’m absolutely necessary!"

"Are you scared because of what I said last night?"

"W-What?! You think I, Karl, would be scared of sothing like that?! I just feel bad for the old man, that’s all!"

Karl’s reaction was… amusing.

Despite his loud protests, the way he kept glancing nervously at the shrinking line showed how desperate he was.

He knew that once the last person stepped through, the portal would close.

And if that happened—he’d be stuck in that damn Ghost Forest.

“Can’t I just go? Please?”

“You’re going to get stronger, Karl.”

“Fuck that! You do it instead!”

His heart pounded violently.

The intuition he thought was broken had suddenly returned, ringing danger alarms at full force.

Whatever thod I had in mind for getting stronger—he could tell it wasn’t normal.

He needed to run.

"Let go of ! I’m the Master, damn it!"

"And above the Master is Hunt, isn’t it?"

“…Do you all want to go to the Ghost Forest? That horrible place?”

“We’ll see for ourselves.”

“No, I saw it in a dream! That place is hell!”

He struggled, but there was no escape.

With a single gesture from , his escape attempt ended imdiately.

Elton grabbed him by the back of the neck, while the others restrained his arms and legs.

Karl flailed and scread, but no one paid him any attention.

…Well, almost no one.

“Boy, what the hell is wrong with that lunatic?”

"Oh, you’ve arrived?"

Samuel Barber had stepped out of the portal.

His face was visibly exhausted from maintaining the portal for so long.

His appearance was even worse—his once-dashing suit was now a shredded, dirt-covered ss.

I scanned his tattered clothes, and he let out a miserable sigh.

“This was a limited edition… I only had one of these. Not sure if it can be repaired.”

“At least wash up.”

“There’s no running water at the fortress.”

“Shall I close the portal now?”

“W-Wait! Hold on!”

Karl’s desperate cries were ignored.

I gave Samuel a nod, and the portal faded back to blue before vanishing into thin air.

“Phew. Ti to settle paynts.”

Samuel rummaged through his bag and pulled out a small pouch.

Inside were brown Twilight Leaves.

I nodded, then closed my eyes and slowly infused them with Sacred Power.

I made sure to make the process look impressive.

The more valuable Samuel perceived this ability, the less bitter he’d feel about our deal.

After a mont, I handed the now golden-hued pouch back to him.

His eyes glead with satisfaction as he tucked it into his bag.

“You said the effect might wear off, correct?”

“Yes. I don’t know how long it lasts exactly, so feel free to co back anyti. I’ll be staying in Ordor Forest for a while.”

“Ordor Forest… This place is terrifying. Be especially careful around Elder deia.”

“Haha…”

Being forcibly dragged out of the forest by her magic must have left a lasting impression.

Like with Lily, it seed Samuel and the witches didn’t get along very well.

“Well then, I’ll be seeing you, boy.”

“It’s Alex.”

“Boy sounds more fitting. Boy.”

…He was holding a grudge.

Guess he was the type to sulk over things.

“You should rest for a day. You look exhausted.”

“I am tired, but I have an urgent contract. I need to leave now.”

“Who summoned you?”

“The Black Market. The Hell Gri branch, specifically.”

The Black Market’s Hell Gri branch calling for a courier…

The timing was suspicious.

I grabbed his shoulder before he could leave.

“Do you know why they’re urgently calling for you?”

“They haven’t told yet. And once I take the job, I’ll have to abide by the Oath of Silence.”

“I see. Well, I’ll see you again.”

For now, there wasn’t much I could learn.

But when Samuel ca back, I’d dig for details.

Even the Oath of Silence had its loopholes.

Samuel left the garden.

With the portal closed, only my group remained.

"Alright, it's ti for us to move as well."

Everyone tensed.

They didn’t know the exact details yet, but they did know we’d be staying in the Ghost Forest to train.

I looked around at them, then retrieved a pouch from a nearby rock.

And I poured its contents onto the ground.

Clatter—

Small, round objects rolled across the dirt.

They were black fruits, about the size of walnuts.

This was the Fruit of the Departed—sothing I had negotiated with Elder deia to obtain.

There were exactly ten.

One for Karl, one for Elton, and one for each remaining mber.

I had planned this from the start.

"Once you enter the Ghost Forest, keep one of these in your mouth at all tis. You don’t need to do anything. Just endure for about fifteen days."

Karl imdiately understood what that ant.

Ghosts.

An ungodly number of ghosts.

Being surrounded by them and surviving for fifteen days…

It sent a chill down his spine.

"L-Let’s be honest. What’s the actual death rate for this training?"

“Ten percent?”

“…Fucking hell. Ten percent?! That ans one of us could die!”

“You’ll be fine.”

“We’re not fine!”

Just as Karl was about to stir up rebellion, the witches erged from the trees.

Their icy gazes imdiately silenced him.

I bowed my head toward them.

“I’ll be leaving them in your care.”

The witches nodded and began dragging my teammates away, one by one.

Karl’s voice was pitiful.

“…Should I follow?”

“Yes. Safe travels.”

His face drained of color as he was dragged away.

And with that, their training began.

If they survived, they’d gain imnse rewards.

Training in the Ghost Forest wasn’t sothing that could be done anyti—it required specific conditions and timing.

Now was that ti.

"Ah. I almost forgot."

"What?"

Lochter, the only one still standing beside , asked curiously.

I scratched my head.

"Karl and Elton actually have to last a month, not fifteen days. I forgot to ntion that."

“…A month?”

"They’re Four-Star. Their training has to be harsher."

“…What kind of training is this?"

"Ask them when it’s over."

I flicked my fingers through my hair and smiled.

"You’ll probably forget the answer soon enough."

“…?"

The Witch’s Forge.

Even Lochter would be left speechless.

Now, it was ti to forge his weapon.