How to Survive Against Villains Chapter 52

Chapter 52: Bring Jerky!

There is soone who once destroyed the Crystal Mimic and brought down the altar.

That person was none other than—

‘Dominic Huaton, that lunatic himself.’

If events continued to progress as they were ant to, this would eventually happen.

But not now.

As the experintal prisons were shut down, an enormous number of test subjects were dragged to this place.

Their numbers exceeded thousands.

Dominic would eventually convert them all into mana stones or chiras and then move on to target the Mimic.

‘I can’t give him the ti or opportunity to do that.’

If left unchecked, Dominic’s forces would double in strength. To prevent the slaughter of those captured and to deliver a significant blow to Dominic, the Mimic had to be dealt with now.

‘The problem is, the process of removing the Mimic wasn’t described in detail.’

In the novel, the focus wasn’t on how the Mimic was defeated but on the aftermath of its destruction. This was the stage that transitioned into a cascade of major events, culminating in the climax of the Hundred Hearts arc.

The rise of Kal Blazer and the fall of Beneta.

My goal was to stop that climax from happening.

‘The Mimic isn’t a monster that can be dealt with easily. Dominic must’ve been researching how to kill it for a long ti.’

I turned my attention to Dominic’s research journal.

To find out if the thod was recorded in the journal, I first had to break the seal placed on it.

I shifted my gaze to the pile of mana stones.

Fortunately, it seed like breaking the seal wouldn’t be too difficult.

“…What are you doing?”

Sharbadin’s puzzled expression reflected her confusion.

I could see why—here I was, carrying an armful of red stones and grinding them to dust with the hilt of my dagger.

“I’m trying to learn more about the monster.”

“The monster? But… Fenry is here now, isn’t she? Won’t she take care of it soon?”

She spoke with unwavering faith in Fenry’s abilities.

Sharbadin genuinely believed that Fenry would show up any mont and destroy the Mimic.

‘That would certainly be the best outco.’

It would be the ideal scenario for —not lifting a finger while Fenry took care of the Mimic. That was what I had been counting on from the start.

But after my brief encounter with the Mimic, I couldn’t help but feel that even Fenry might struggle against it.

‘Fenry isn’t a High Elf; she’s a Dark Elf.’

High Elves, blessed with innate magical power, could beco combat mages capable of devastating destruction.

This ant they had the potential for a decisive, magic-based strike against the Mimic, which was vulnerable to magic.

However, Dark Elves specialized in amplifying their physical abilities with magic. While they excelled in sustained physical strength, they lacked the kind of overwhelming power needed to deal with the Mimic’s absurd durability.

Although I didn’t think Fenry would lose to the Mimic, I had to prepare for the possibility that her attacks might not work.

“Just in case.”

After reducing the mana stones into a fine red powder, I scooped up a handful with both hands. All that was left was to sprinkle it on the book.

“…Thank you.”

“What?”

Sharbadin suddenly bowed her head and expressed her gratitude. I blinked at her, confused, as she awkwardly turned her head and explained herself.

It seed she was embarrassed about crying earlier.

“You ca to save … I feel like my thanks were too late….”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. Hahaha…”

Since I hadn’t cared much about whether she lived or died, I could only offer an awkward laugh.

My goal had always been sothing else, not her specifically.

Her warm, grateful gaze made feel a slight pang of guilt. She suddenly seed to steel herself, looking up at with resolve and biting her lip.

“If I survive this place, I’ll rember you as my benefactor.”

“...Benefactor?”

“Yes, I swear it on my na.”

An elf’s promise was no trivial matter.

And if that promise ca from Sharbadin, Dorneth’s beloved, its value was imasurable.

My awkward smile quickly gave way to a more serious expression as I clasped her hands firmly.

“I will never forget this promise.”

How could I possibly refuse?

Monts like this made wish I had so jerky—at least then I wouldn’t feel so guilty.

That damned Fenry. She hadn’t eaten all the jerky, had she?

“Is there anything I can help with?”

“If you hear loud thuds, let know imdiately. It ans that thing is nearby.”

“Understood!”

Elves had exceptional hearing, so I could trust her with this task.

She pressed her lips together and closed her eyes, her ears twitching attentively.

Her serious expression struck as rather adorable.

‘She’s definitely beautiful.’

If she looked this stunning after days without bathing and covered in blood, how breathtaking would she be when fully cleaned and dressed?

Could it really have been her looks alone that stole Dorneth’s heart?

‘What am I even thinking?’

Shaking off my stray thoughts, I focused on the book.

I opened the first page and carefully sprinkled the red powder over the blank paper.

Monts later, the powder was rapidly absorbed into the page.

[My lord! The key to breaking the seal is bio mana stones!]

I recalled these words from Elder Rengua, the shaman’s leader, when he unsealed the research journal for Kal.

Voom—!

A faint red light shimred on the book’s cover, and soon, words began appearing one by one on the once-blank page.

The first sentence exuded a sense of sorrow and bitterness:

[I abandoned my humanity for vengeance. That day… I will never forget it. Bersen Clarke! That demon, the one called a Grand Duke, what he did to my daughter…]

The sentence cut off abruptly—the first page had been burned by Fenry, leaving the middle of the passage unreadable.

It seed the research journal was written in the format of a personal diary.

I frowned and was about to turn the page when—

“It’s coming closer!”

Sharbadin’s urgent voice interrupted , warning of the Mimic’s approach.

Thud—!

The ground trembled, and suddenly, the Mimic descended into the center of the blood pool.

We quickly retreated to the edge of the pool.

Grrraaaahh—

Its sheer size—like that of a 25-ton truck—was matched by its terrifying speed and near-indestructible durability.

It was undoubtedly a troubleso opponent.

Apparently done hunting, the Mimic began shedding mana stones from its body and producing violet mana stones once again.

Then it disappeared as suddenly as it had arrived.

Thud—

Once.

Thud—

Twice.

Thud— Thud— Thud—

Three tis, four tis, five tis.

At regular intervals, the Mimic repeated the exact sa actions. It was almost as if it wasn’t acting on instinct but following orders.

“As long as it doesn’t make any special moves near us, I think we’re safe for now.”

“Are… are you sure?”

“You can trust . This place is safe.”

As long as we had a way to counter the mana stone’s energy, the altar was the safest place to avoid the Mimic’s attention.

Without the ability to escape or outrun the Mimic, heading into the corridors was tantamount to suicide.

‘If Sharbadin’s words are accurate, there’s no need to search for Fenry.’

The Mimic seed cunning enough to lure prey it found difficult to hunt back to the altar.

For a monster like Fenry, not just difficult but outright threatening, the Mimic had no choice but to direct her toward the altar.

‘If she detects the necklace’s location, she might arrive even sooner.’

I fiddled with the necklace.

If she were in the sa space within the barrier, it might still be possible for her to sense the location spell on the necklace.

From this point forward, my job was to hold out.

‘It looks like I won’t have ti to be bored.’

I glanced around and let out a bitter chuckle.

The blood pool, the grotesque corpses, and the eerie piles of mana stones…

In this nightmarish environnt, I had no choice but to pass the ti reading.

At least I wasn’t completely alone.

“Hungry? Just hang on a bit longer.”

That damned woman who took the jerky would show up eventually. In the anti, I needed to find a way to destroy the Mimic.

I let out a short sigh and focused on the research journal.

***

In this sealed-off space, where neither sun nor moon existed, it was impossible to track ti.

But I was certain more than a day had passed since I arrived at the altar.

Grumble—

“...”

I was hungry.

It felt like my stomach was clinging to my spine.

Had it been just a day? No, this hunger felt like I hadn’t eaten in two, maybe even three days.

“I didn’t plan for this.”

I had expected Fenry to find the altar quickly, but she was taking much longer than I anticipated.

“It’s okay.”

The real problem was Sharbadin’s condition.

Prolonged starvation and dehydration were taking a severe toll on her body.

She hadn’t looked great when I found her, but now she could barely stand without support.

Her anxious expression showed that she, too, understood her precarious state.

“Shouldn’t we go find Fenry?”

“No. Leaving this place would be dangerous.”

“But what if Fenry is in danger…?”

Danger? Fenry?

What were the odds of Fenry getting eaten by the Mimic?

‘That’s about as likely as a dragon hatching from a wyvern’s egg.’

The Mimic’s attacks were certainly powerful, but its simple and predictable attack patterns wouldn’t be enough to harm Fenry.

It was simply impossible.

“What are you so worried about? She’s more likely to…”

[Eat all the jerky by herself while laughing at .]

[You’d better hope Sharbadin survives, or you’ll be fasting for a fortnight.]

Knowing that venomous woman, she was more likely to delay her arrival just to spite . I couldn’t let my guard down around her.

“...Excuse .”

Her labored breathing caught my attention.

She was at her limit.

Unlike , who had only been starving for a day, Sharbadin had been battling hunger, fear, and thirst for far longer.

Her gaze drifted toward the blood pool.

Her conflicted expression betrayed her thoughts.

The desire to resolve her suffering with what lay before her was palpable.

“Have you drunk from it before?”

“While fleeing… I drank it by accident.”

She smiled bitterly at my question.

I, too, had tasted the blood pool once before. People often say that drinking blood can revive a dying person, and it seed to help.

If I were in her shoes, I would have done the sa to survive.

“After that, I never drank it again. The people who ca with are buried in the pool.”

“Ah…”

“But I have to survive. I made a promise to those who died for . I have to escape and let the world know about their sacrifice.”

I gazed at her silently.

The pool of blood carried the traces of those who had sacrificed themselves for her.

I couldn’t begin to comprehend the anguish of soone forced to drink from such a pool to survive.

The desperate survival Sharbadin had endured wasn’t sothing described in the novel.

‘And neither was the grueso death she almost faced.’

Experiencing it firsthand made realize how vast the gap was between fiction and reality.

Sharbadin bit her lip hard, reaching for the blood pool with trembling hands.

Should I stop her?

But if I did, she might not last much longer.

As I hesitated,

Boom—!

“...!”

A heavy crash echoed from one of the corridors.

The ground shook from repeated impacts—two, three, four tis.

And then,

Grrraaaaahhhh—!

Even the Mimic’s cry could be heard resonating through the space.

The sound was different from anything I had heard before. It sounded almost… pained.

Sothing had clearly changed with the Mimic.

What could have caused such a shift?

I grabbed Sharbadin’s wrist before she could drink.

“Drinking sothing bad will make you sick.”

“...Oh.”

“Just hold on for a mont longer.”

I smiled at her gently before inhaling deeply and shouting with all my might.

“Damn you, Fenry! Bring the jerky!”

My voice echoed loudly throughout the altar.

It was a crazy move, but it worked.

The mont the shout rang out, a strong wind rushed in from one of the many corridors.

Monts later, an all-too-familiar voice called out from behind .

“What did you just say?”

Her tone was unsettling, but I couldn’t have been happier to hear it.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“I swear I heard sothing about jerky and a crazy woman?”

“I never said ‘crazy woman.’”

“...”

“Well, whatever the case, you ca because you heard my voice, didn’t you?”

“That’s right.”

I turned around slowly.

Standing there was a woman brimming with a sharp, cat-like hostility, her stance as prickly as an angry feline.

In her hand was a smoking pipe.

She exhaled a puff of smoke in my direction before her gaze shifted to Sharbadin.

Her sharp deanor softened as she spoke.

“You managed to survive… and you even managed to save her.”

Fenry Chaser.

She had finally found us.