How to Survive Against Villains Chapter 287

Chapter 287 – First ti in Hell Gri?

Thudududuk—

“Keuh, kuhugh!”

Between the screams that escaped, the parched earth was stained with blood.

The eyes of those soaked in blood were mostly wide open.

It was the reaction of encountering death amidst confusion and fear, the look of soone who died in an unexpected ambush.

“They’re better at running than I thought.”

“Is the cleanup done?”

At my question, Natasha brushed off her hands and nodded. The line of corpses that had fallen behind her all bore signs of having been taken down by spiritual body arts.

Looking over the corpses, Natasha clicked her tongue briefly.

“They’re quick-witted. How did they manage to flee so fast?”

We ambushed a group hiding in the woods.

But the mont we clashed, the thirty hunters didn’t counterattack. Instead, they chose to flee, scattering in all directions.

Because of their quick judgnt, cleaning them up took quite a bit of ti.

“That just ans they have an exceptional survival instinct.”

“Think the others will be the sa?”

“Most likely. Are you still planning to deal with them all on your own?”

She furrowed her brow and shook her head.

“No, chasing after cowards isn’t really my thing.”

“Then from now on, move together with the Black Roses.”

Natasha smacked her lips, then nodded.

What I had asked of her was to clear out a group of slave hunters lying in ambush.

At my gesture, one of the Black Roses brought out a map and spread it wide.

Several locations marked in red stood out on the map—sites where the Roses had identified ambush points used by the slave hunters.

The hunters had been lying in wait along the roads, preying on elves seeking the World Tree.

“This’ll take so ti to clean up.”

Our first task upon arriving in Hell Gri was to deal with the ambushing hunters.

However, having everyone focus on that would’ve been a waste of strength.

That’s why I brought Natasha.

She was familiar with the surrounding forest terrain, and she possessed overwhelming force capable of eliminating the hunters all at once.

She was the most suitable person for this task.

When I handed her the map, she asked,

“Kill them all? No prisoners?”

“Yes. Once the marked spots are cleared, expand the radius and keep moving.”

“You’re saying to kill anyone even lurking near the World Tree?”

“That’s right. And...”

When I whispered the next part of the plan into her ear, her eyes widened slightly.

“Do we really need to go that far?”

“It’s necessary.”

“Hmm... that’s a pretty rough thod.”

After killing all the hunters, the plan was to send their severed heads to Arthur.

With the number of slave hunters targeting elves growing, killing them all could result in hundreds of heads—but why were they needed?

As Natasha gave a questioning look, I gave a bitter smile and spoke.

“Why do you think the witches beca prey?”

“We’re not prey.”

“To the hunters, their targets are prey. Witches, elves, and all other non-human races—they’re all just prey. Do you know why?”

“It’s because no one retaliates. When the witches were taken by Demtor, what did the Ordor Forest do?”

At my blunt words, Natasha bit her lip slightly.

She had nothing to say.

Just as Arthur said, all they did was mourn the dead witches—Ordor Forest took no action.

Now she seed to understand what Arthur ant by ‘no retaliation even if you’re attacked’.

“So, we’re pushovers.”

“Kill them all. Gather their heads and send them to . We’ll send a warning to all of Hell Gri—that ssing with us ans death.”

“Why are you staring like that?”

“No reason. Just… it feels like you’ve changed a bit.”

It felt strange to hear soone who used to be a bit dim speak so calmly about death.

“If it could be avoided, I’d be the first to run.”

“But this ti, you’re saying we have to face it head-on.”

“Yes.”

“Should I send them to Aintrier?”

“Pack the heads tightly in one wagon and send them.”

“You talk about scary things way too easily.”

“I’m trembling inside, actually.”

Natasha gave a quiet chuckle and turned away.

After scanning her surroundings, she spoke again.

“One wagon might not be enough.”

“The more, the better.”

“All right. Leave this to .”

“I’ll count on you.”

Nodding firmly, Natasha led the Black Roses toward the next hunter ambush site.

After watching Natasha’s group disappear into the thick woods, we began moving again, leading our wagons onward.

Half a day had passed since we left the forest behind, and we had parted ways with Natasha’s group.

Drdrdrdr—

Several wagons sped across a vast open plain.

The caravan moved in a line of five sizable wagons, and combined with Hunt, the ghosts, and the Reefs, around sixty people were headed to Aintrier.

“Doing okay?”

“No, this is harder to handle than I expected.”

Sitting on the driver’s bench, I looked at Karl, who held the reins.

He was steering the wagon in the direction I pointed, but he had a furrowed brow, clearly struggling with the reins.

“It’ll take ti to get used to your new arm.”

“Training is the only answer, huh?”

“It’s a power controlled by will. You’ll get used to it soon enough.”

The arm gripping the reins was made of black skin—a spiritual body. It didn’t look human.

It gave off no sense of life.

“Can you feel anything?”

“You know that numb, tingly feeling when your arm falls asleep? It’s exactly like that. It’s hard to get a sense of it.”

“How about movent?”

“Feels like it’ll be fine once I get used to it.”

I watched Karl move the reins back and forth, trying to adapt to his new arm.

Spiritual prosthetic.

That was the biggest change he underwent upon reaching 5 stars.

“I was going to make you a new prosthetic, but it seems that won’t be necessary.”

“If you can make sothing better than this, I’d consider it.”

“That’d be difficult. The maker might be different next ti.”

“Maker? Who?”

“Dorneth.”

“The Master Artisan Dorneth? That’s insane.”

Karl looked at with shining eyes, but I shook my head.

I hadn’t revealed anything about Dorneth yet—intentionally.

‘She probably wants to keep the truth hidden too.’

Sharbadin had said it when handing over the loot.

The gear of Harkman Oleve had been directly worked on by Dorneth, the Master Artisan.

But I knew the defect of the “Oath Shield.”

‘Dulling Effect.’

In exchange for becoming the shield’s master, Dorneth had lost her senses, making it difficult for her to continue crafting as a Master Artisan.

But since she even kept that a secret from and Fenry, it seed she intended to keep it under wraps.

For now, I’d play along with Sharbadin’s plan.

Using Dorneth’s na would only boost the value of the loot—benefiting .

Hiiiiiiing—!

A day passed, and Karl had grown more comfortable using his spiritual prosthetic. The previously fast-moving wagons slowed their pace.

Karl held the reins steady and looked around.

At first, only a few people could be seen in the direction we were heading. But soon, more and more appeared.

Unlike the quiet around the World Tree forest, we began seeing noticeable inflows of people as we entered deeper into Hell Gri.

“I was a little worried, but it seems we found the right way.”

“Did you doubt ?”

“Well, it’s your first ti in Hell Gri too, isn’t it? Of course I’d be unsure.”

There were rchant caravans pulling wagons, rcenaries, and travelers in view.

Scanning the crowd, Karl looked at .

“This place seems normal. Just regular people.”

“What were you expecting?”

“A lawless land where you draw your sword at the sight of anyone.”

“You’re half right, half wrong.”

“Huh? What does that an?”

“This place isn’t a lawless land.”

When I pointed toward the direction the crowd was moving, Karl let out a short exclamation.

A massive wooden wall filled the horizon in the distance.

Was there a city beyond that wall?

Karl, eyes sparkling, asked ,

“Is that Aintrier?”

“No. The city lies in the heart of Hell Gri. This is just one of the safe routes leading to Aintrier.”

“Safe route?”

“You’ve heard of it—the Kenline River.”

The Kenline River was one of the continent’s largest rivers, a vital artery.

Within Hell Gri, it was the only reliable water source and also served as a natural boundary between two regions.

Those two regions represented “abundance” and “poverty.”

Demtor and Pri Root.

The Kenline River flowed along the boundary of these two territories.

The free trade city, Aintrier, was built atop that river.

“So, you’re saying there’s a massive river beyond that wall?”

“Exactly.”

“Now I’m curious. What does it look like?”

Eager to see the grand view of the Kenline River, Karl guided the wagon toward the gate in the wall.

However,

“Turn that way instead.”

At my signal, Karl looked puzzled.

“Why?”

“There’s sothing we need to do before crossing the wall.”

I pointed to a small forest slightly off from the wall. Karl looked up at the wall longingly before turning the wagon toward the woods.

Hiiiiing—!

All five wagons ca to a stop in a wide clearing.

After I got off the wagon, Karl and Lochter also appeared behind . Peeking through an open window, I saw Lily and Keros both sleeping in a big X-shape, snoring loudly.

At the sight, Karl gave a dry chuckle.

“Whether it’s a witch or a mutt, they only wake up when it’s alti.”

“I’m thankful as long as they stay quiet.”

“Is that so?”

I gathered everyone inside the wagons.

From the remaining four wagons, ghosts began stepping out one by one. Behind them, the Reefs appeared as well.

About a dozen per wagon stepped down and lined up behind the ghosts—this ti with noticeably changed attitudes.

Even Ravitan, standing behind the ghosts, had the sa deanor.

They had fully accepted the ghosts as their superiors.

‘Looks like discipline is starting to take shape.’

The ghosts, having grown through spiritual training, had reached the edge of 4 stars. With their assassin-like aura and skills, they were more than capable of leading the Reefs.

“Lochter, take this.”

I handed Lochter a map.

It was a map of the path to Aintrier. The drawing was simple—just a long line following the Kenline River.

“Lily and I will travel by boat. Everyone else, follow this path to reach Aintrier.”

“By wagon?”

“Yes. Use the wagons. We’ll need them to carry the loot. It’ll be the bait.”

“...Bait?”

At Karl’s question, I looked around us.

Then sumd it up with one word.

“Live combat.”

I rembered what Karl had said earlier about drawing swords at every turn in a lawless land.

Hell Gri is a lawless land—just as Karl imagined.

Except for a few safe routes and cities.

The gate at the start of the Kenline River was part of a safe route that provided river access to Aintrier.

But what about traveling along the riverbank on land?

In the wild, riverbanks are pri hunting grounds for predators. Prey gathers near water.

A lawless land, plain and simple.

It was a dangerous road—tough and grueling. But for the ghosts and Reefs who would operate in Hell Gri, it was essential experience.

“...What about ?”

At Karl’s question, I shook my head.

“You need to learn too.”

“What about you?!”

“I’ve got other business.”

I drew a firm line, my expression hardened.

I didn’t plan to suffer along with them. But 5-star Karl and Lochter needed to go through it at least once.

They needed to understand just how much of a living hell Hell Gri really was.