How to Survive Against Villains Chapter 27

Episode 27 – The Power of the Ancient Glyph

Puk—

The dagger infused with Divine Power pierced through the chira’s thin hide with ease.

Chiras with psychic abilities had weak physical defenses, and I exploited that weakness thoroughly.

“Hiick!”

When the chira died, the bandits who had been trapped in a hypnotic sleep spasd awake. They looked as if they had woken from a nightmare, but I ignored them and extracted the Biological Mana Stone before leaving.

‘That’s ten so far.’

I had only ambushed chiras that fell for the bait, so the hunt had been smooth and easy.

As I stowed another red gemstone into my bag and looked for my next prey, I froze.

The atmosphere had shifted.

The endless screams had stopped, and the monstrous roars that filled the forest had vanished.

No… they were growing distant.

‘The chiras are retreating.’

It was clear that the collection process had been completed and the order to withdraw had been given.

I could see the remaining chiras moving in one direction.

That ant they were dragging the captured bandits outside the magic circle.

‘How are they getting out?’

Curious, I imdiately followed the trail left by the large chiras. I needed to see it with my own eyes.

Tracking them wasn’t difficult, as their trail was massive.

When I saw that the tracks led out of the forest, I stopped holding back and dashed across the forest at full speed.

A short while later, I crossed a river that ran through the forest. But as I reached the other side, I scowled.

‘The trail ends here.’

The tracks cut off abruptly, as if sliced away with a blade.

‘Is this magic?’

I carefully examined the remaining traces but couldn’t find any continuation of the path. It was as if everything had vanished into thin air.

I knew nothing about magic, so understanding the workings of the magic circle was beyond .

I decided to find a place to hide nearby and observe the situation.

But then—

“...!”

The mont I took a step to the side, the scenery distorted, and I was transported to another space.

It was the result of stepping on the boundary of the magic circle. It seed I had been moved to another area.

However—

“Goddamn it…!”

As my surroundings changed, countless arms sward toward .

Dozens, no—hundreds of human arms.

What the hell is this?!

I swung my dagger in desperation, but there were far more arms grabbing at than I could cut.

The hands clamped down on my arms and legs, yanking with terrifying force. So wrapped around my neck and waist, squeezing tightly. I thrashed and struggled violently.

“Kraaaagh!”

I fought with everything I had, but there was no shaking them off. At the sa ti, I was pulled into a squirming jelly wall.

No matter where I looked, all I saw were walls of gelatinous sli.

It was a giant sli, dragging countless human arms within its body.

I was screwed.

That thought hit the mont the sli swallowed whole.

Splash—!

As I sank inside, I felt as if I had been plunged into a swimming pool. I floated aimlessly, just like I would in water—but the real problem was that I couldn’t breathe.

I can’t breathe!

“K-Krrugh!”

Thick liquid flowed down my throat, its foul taste making gag.

Worse still, the more of it I swallowed, the more my body grew numb.

I thrashed with all my might, but all I managed to grab were other bandits floating alongside .

And then—

“……!”

I locked eyes with one of the bandits. His pupils shifted sluggishly, revealing that he was still conscious, though his body was paralyzed.

That was when it hit .

‘This is the worst possible situation!’

If I ended up eting Dominic like this, there would be nothing I could do.

I would die paralyzed, just another lab rat sacrificed for his experints.

A suffocating sense of dread overwheld .

Even as my senses began to fade, I flailed desperately, struggling to survive.

Then—

I saw it.

The glyph engraved on the back of my hand.

The Ancient Glyph.

I squeezed my eyes shut and summoned the glyph’s power.

It was the only power I possessed—and the only thing I could rely on in this dire situation.

I hadn’t activated it with any specific purpose. It was an act driven purely by the instinct to survive.

Wuuuuuuuuung—!!!

The mont the back of my hand glowed with golden light, the viscous liquid surrounding began to swirl.

A golden wave radiated outward.

The glowing wave spread through the giant sli’s body, and soon the entire creature shimred with golden light.

Glurp—!

The sli’s body convulsed violently.

The sluggish movents of the giant sli abruptly ceased, and the massive creature began twisting in pain.

All of its human arms trembled, convulsing uncontrollably as if it were wracked with unbearable agony.

Kieeeek!!!!

With a horrifying scream, the sli’s body began to dissolve. The jelly walls lted away, vomiting up everything it had swallowed.

A torrent of thick liquid poured out, along with the humans trapped inside.

“Uwaaaaagh!!!!”

Among them was .

I hit the ground hard, groaning as my body twisted in discomfort. Though I was conscious, the paralysis hadn’t fully worn off, making it difficult to move.

Slowly, sensation returned to my limbs.

If I waited a little longer, the paralysis would fade completely.

Please, let survive this.

Kiaaaaak!

“......”

Just as I thought things might settle down, a black shadow swooped toward , riding on a gust of wind.

A winged serpent hovered above , sniffing at my body, as if debating whether to swallow whole.

The stench of the sli still clung to , and the serpent seed uncertain whether I was worth eating. My blood ran cold.

This is fucked.

Should I detonate a Boom spell and take it down with ?

No. My survival instinct was too strong for that. I couldn’t give up so easily.

I clenched my fists tightly, preparing to fight with whatever

strength I had left—when I sensed soone’s presence nearby.

Turning my gaze, I spotted a rugged-looking middle-aged bandit standing just three steps away.

His face was scarred and twisted with pain, and he was muttering sothing under his breath.

What... what’s he saying?

“...Light?”

His eyes flicked urgently to the back of my hand, pointing at it with a shaky finger.

Ah, I forgot about this.

In the chaos, I hadn’t even thought about it.

Could this light be the reason I survived?

Flash—!

The golden light flared again from the glyph on my hand. Though the glow was weaker than before, it was still enough.

Kiaaaaak—!

The chira serpent recoiled violently, twisting its body in pain, and soared into the sky, disappearing beyond the forest.

I stared at the golden magic circle radiating from my hand, blinking in disbelief.

...It seems I’ve discovered the power of the Ancient Glyph.

Rustle— Rustle—

...Another one?

I turned toward the sound of bushes shaking. More chiras were approaching, drooling at the sight of .

Do they think this place is so kind of gourt restaurant?

The middle-aged bandit and I locked eyes, and he nodded furiously.

I quietly raised the back of my hand.

The stormy night finally passed.

The forest was now eerily quiet, with no sign of the chiras. It seed the collection process had ended.

“Ugh!”

The paralysis had worn off.

I was the first among the fallen to recover—likely thanks to the light of the glyph.

The bandit closest to began to stir shortly after.

“Urp—!”

Both of us vomited up the contents of our stomachs, expelling everything we had eaten earlier.

After emptying our guts, our minds cleared sowhat.

“...Shit, it’s like I drank an entire bottle of fernted fish sauce.”

I had nearly died after triggering the magic circle—only to end up trapped inside a sli.

I shook my head, slowly rising to my feet. My stomach still churned, but I felt no serious injuries.

I glanced around and saw the giant sli’s remains oozing across the ground.

The severed arms embedded in the sli lay still, looking grotesque like a macabre graveyard.

I rummaged through the sli’s corpse with my dagger and eventually extracted a Biological Mana Stone from the jelly-like remains.

Unlike the usual red stones, this one shimred with a violet hue.

The aura it emitted suggested it was of higher quality than the red ones.

I stashed the stone in my bag and checked on the bandit, who was still coughing up sli.

About twenty bandits had been paralyzed by the sli’s toxins, but this one was the first to recover.

What caught my attention was his appearance.

He’s missing an arm.

His upper body was exposed, covered in scars so severe that it was a miracle he had survived.

His left arm had been severed almost to the shoulder, yet the wound had healed—though poorly. His life must have been a brutal struggle.

For a bandit, he’s been through so serious shit.

Now ca the real question.

What do I do with them?

Although I had escaped danger using the glyph’s power, these bandits had witnessed everything. Even the one-ard bandit had reminded of the glyph’s importance.

They had seen the light repel the chiras, aning they knew my ability was effective against them.

...Do I kill them all?

For safety’s sake, killing them would be the smartest move.

The ability I had shown was too unique.

If word got out, it would certainly bring trouble.

But—

Fuck, that’s easier said than done.

Stabbing the hearts of helpless n, twenty of them at that.

Even for soone like , the thought was too close to being a psychopath.

I had to decide before the rest of the paralysis wore off.

“H-Hey.”

Just then, the one-ard bandit staggered to his feet, wiping his mouth.

He looked to be in his forties, and there was sothing in his gaze that set him apart from ordinary n.

I need to deal with him first.

But the mont our eyes t, a sense of unease crept over .

This guy—he was stronger than .

Instinctively, I drew my dagger, and he responded in kind, pulling out his own blade.

That’s when—

“…Who the hell are you?”

His eyes were fixed on the dagger I held—and mine were locked on his.

The worn hilt bore a faint but familiar mark.

‘A howling wolf insignia.’

The faded mark was identical to the one on my dagger.

My dagger was a weapon once used by the leader of Crux, the assassin organization.

Only mbers of Crux carried such daggers.

What the hell is a Crux assassin doing in a place like this?

“Who’s your superior?”

The mont the question left his mouth, I moved.

With the paralysis still affecting him, this was my chance to strike first.

But he was faster.

BEEEEEEEP—!!!

The bandit pulled a whistle from his pocket and blew it sharply.

“Shit!” I cursed.

He wasn’t alone.

That sound—it was the ergency signal used within Crux.

He had just summoned his comrades. Which ant...

There are more Crux assassins nearby.

And the fact that he carried a whistle ant—

‘He’s at least a squad leader.’

My heart pounded harder.