How to Survive Against Villains Chapter 55

Chapter 55: The Lord of Beneta, Dorneth

The area around the altar began to be stained with the blood of the mimic.

As the stains deepened, the scent of victory grew stronger. But my expression darkened with every passing mont.

Snap!

“…Hah!”

The mimic, which had hesitated for a mont, suddenly flung its jaws wide open and then snapped them shut with terrifying force, right in front of my face. Though it retreated again, repelled by the intense light, my arm had nearly been severed just monts earlier.

The mimic, cornered and desperate, began to change its behavior. From that point onward, blocking its attacks beca a struggle. If it regained its senses and managed to devour whole, it would be over.

‘What kind of bullshit difficulty is this?!’

Even with Fenry Chaser at my side, I was still in a life-threatening situation.

Dominic hadn’t even arrived yet, and it was already this hellish?

Maybe I should’ve just humored the Mad Butcher and worked under him.

‘If I had thrown Kal a few crumbs about the future to prove my worth, I could’ve been living the good life by now.’

How did it co to this? Why was I suffering like this of my own volition?

Maybe things had been dood from the start.

“What are you doing? Block it!”

“D-damn it! The ti’s up already!”

It had been over 10 minutes since we began holding the mimic back—now we were at the 15-minute mark. That was five minutes longer than the window Fenry had initially requested. I’d been pushing myself to the limit, and my mana and stamina were nearly depleted.

“…Kuh, kuhluck!”

My breathing was ragged, my heart felt like it was about to burst out of my chest, and my whole body trembled as if I were a leaf in the wind.

Even so, I bit down hard on my lips until they bled and clung to the mimic’s ankle like a madman.

If the mimic escaped through the tunnel, we’d never catch it.

If I let go, it would be over. All that awaited us was starvation—and death. Because of that, I staked my life on blocking the mimic’s path.

It was sothing only I could do.

‘Damn it, do sothing!’

I cursed at Fenry as I glanced over at her. She was gasping for breath, her chest heaving—she looked as exhausted as I felt.

Fenry Chaser was strong.

But the compatibility in this fight was utterly atrocious. If our opponent hadn’t been a mimic but rather a human combatant, Fenry would’ve dominated the battlefield like a demon.

But this was a situation where the battle couldn’t be resolved quickly.

It was a war of attrition, and the one who tired first would lose.

Thankfully, our relentless attacks had taken their toll—the mimic’s movents were noticeably slowing down.

‘Die already, will you?!’

Even though the mimic’s body was covered in rotting wounds from the side effects of Sacred Power, it still flicked its tongue whenever it found an opening, trying to escape.

Its resilience was insane—truly absurd.

‘We need one decisive blow.’

We needed a single powerful strike that could reach deep inside the mimic’s body.

But we’d already used all the cards we had. We were exchanging glances, desperately trying to think of another way.

And then,

[Le…leave.]

“…What?”

A sinister voice echoed in my head.

No, rather than a voice, it felt more like a will—an alien will forcing its way into my mind.

[…Go to the exit… Leave.]

I flinched, steadying myself as I narrowed my eyes at the mimic.

It was standing there with its mouth agape, glaring at .

The mont the voice echoed, the mimic froze in place.

Was it… sending a ssage to ?

Fenry also hesitated in her attack. Even Sharbadin flinched, which ant the ssage had likely been broadcast to everyone in this space.

An exit? It was going to create an exit for us? What was that supposed to an?

Just as I was pondering the mimic’s ssage—

Wooouuung!

“……!”

The scenery in the cave began to distort like a TV screen glitching, then suddenly lit up as brightly as midday. Light was pouring in from the ceiling of the cave.

The three of us looked up, eyes wide in astonishnt.

The pit we had originally descended through reappeared before us.

The mimic had undone the barrier of its own accord.

Why would it suddenly release the barrier after holding out all this ti?

But that wasn’t the issue. Sothing about the atmosphere felt off—ominous.

Especially Fenry.

Her resolve seed to falter.

I shouted urgently, “We need to attack now!”

“……”

Fenry didn’t move.

She glanced between Sharbadin and the now-revealed pit before shifting her gaze toward .

Her expression was clear—why bother fighting anymore?

Her goal wasn’t to kill the mimic but to rescue Sharbadin. Now that an exit existed, was there any point in continuing to fight?

The worst-case scenario I had feared had arrived.

Killing the mimic alone was impossible for .

“We don’t know what threats might be waiting up there! It could be a trap!”

“The pit is real.”

“What if Dominic has already arrived—!”

“Outside the barrier, we won’t face any major risks.”

With shadow magic, we could evade most dangers. The barrier had been like a cage trapping us, and now the mimic had opened the door.

At so point, Fenry had dispelled her shadow crow and began slowly moving toward Sharbadin.

‘…This is screwed!’

Just when I thought things were going well, another variable had reared its head.

The mimic seed oddly calm now. Was it really letting us go because it was threatened? It felt like there was an ulterior motive. Either way, the situation wasn’t in our favor.

‘If I don’t kill the mimic, I can’t progress to the next stage.’

The mimic’s death was the key to triggering the next part of the successor’s trial.

The mimic had been an ordinary monster once, but it had evolved into a Crystal Mimic by absorbing an ancient power it had devoured long ago.

That ancient power—the Authority of Retonicalus, the Heart of the Immortal.

The mont the ancient power within the mimic awakened, the trial for inheriting the Authority would begin.

That trial revolved around combat.

‘Without stealing victory, there’s no way to obtain the heart.’

This trial was one I couldn’t hope to clear with my abilities alone.

Even Kal, the protagonist, had given up on this power—what hope did I have?

It had to be claid by Dominic in a direct confrontation.

One hundred hearts.

To gain that power, Dominic had abandoned his humanity and spent years preparing. He would undoubtedly co rushing to this trial with bloodshot eyes.

This was the timing for it. But Fenry was the problem now.

“Fenry!”

“Stop wasting your energy and get moving,” Fenry said coldly, her gaze indifferent as she supported Sharbadin.

The pit was only about five ters high—a height that could be cleared with a single leap.

I rubbed my forehead in frustration.

The Mark of Life.

If I activated the mark and charged at the mimic, Fenry would have no choice but to fight alongside .

But the aftermath would be a problem.

Fenry might harbor resentnt or suspicion toward my actions later on.

‘And I’ll lose my trump card against Arena Huaton.’

Given the circumstances, following Karl’s teachings and retreating seed like the best option. As long as I survived, there would be other opportunities.

Maybe I should just be satisfied with ensuring Sharbadin’s safety.

As I wrestled with this internal conflict, a voice rang out from above the pit.

“…Huh?! Am I seeing things? Is that an illusion?”

“It’s not just you—I can see it too. Isn’t that Sharbadin?”

“You see her too? Then that really is Lady Sharbadin, right?”

“There was nothing there just a mont ago!”

“Is it a trap? This place is a mage’s lair, after all.”

Hearing the sudden chatter, I looked up. Several heads were peeking over the edge of the pit, looking down at us.

Thick necks, bushy beards, and short statures that contrasted with the enormous war hamrs they carried.

“Dwarves…?”

The word slipped quietly from my lips.

As the dwarves began appearing around the pit, they all looked startled by the sight of us—but every single one of them had their eyes fixed on Sharbadin.

However, they remained cautious, wary of potential traps, and didn’t make any reckless moves.

“Sir Natone!!!”

At that mont, Sharbadin recognized one of the dwarves and cried out his na desperately.

Sir Natone.

The na of the captain of Dorneth’s royal guard.

Her shout was the spark that set everything into motion.

Natone sprang to his feet, lifted his massive war hamr, and leapt into the pit.

“Sir Natone is moving!”

“…That really is Lady Sharbadin!”

“Inform the lord imdiately!!!!”

The dwarves erupted into a frenzy.

So followed Natone into the pit, while others rushed off to alert their lord.

The arrival of the dwarven knights.

As I watched them, a thought flashed through my mind.

Dorneth’s army must have arrived here before Dominic. And Dorneth himself must be nearby, searching for Sharbadin.

There was no room for hesitation.

“The monster is trying to eat Lady Sharbadin!!!!”

I shouted at the top of my lungs as I threw a dagger infused with energy at the mimic. Unlike before, the dagger managed to pierce the mimic’s tough hide slightly before bouncing off.

The Sacred Power had weakened its steel-like skin, allowing the attack to land.

GRAAAAAAAGH—!

The mimic, writhing in pain, roared like an enraged bull. As Sharbadin scread and collapsed, the dwarves’ faces flushed red with fury.

“How dare…! A piece of scrap tal!”

“Kill it!!!”

“UAAAAAAAH!”

The heavily ard dwarven knights charged at the mimic the mont their boots hit the ground.

Their war hamrs swung with devastating force.

BOOOOM—! Bang! Bang bang!

Deafening explosions echoed as the dwarves surrounded the mimic and began rcilessly pumling its body. Under their relentless barrage, the mimic thrashed in agony.

Their attacks were clearly effective.

Sensing the terror of its imminent demise, the mimic began to flail wildly. The dwarves raised their shields in unison.

KANG—! KANG!

“……Ugh!”

“Kuugh!”

Despite their defenses, so of the dwarves were knocked to the ground by the mimic’s attacks. Its fangs were sharp and vicious, but they weren’t enough to completely pierce the dwarven armor and shields. The fallen dwarves quickly got back up and charged at the mimic again.

“Clever bastard.”

As the situation began to turn in our favor, Fenry cast a sharp glance before stepping forward.

I clicked my tongue in irritation.

“Damn elf. Now she gets involved.”

Clearly, she was joining the hunt now to claim credit later. That sharp-witted elf had always been cunning about these things.

‘Still, what a monster this mimic is.’

Even with Fenry’s shadow magic slowing its movents, and over a dozen dwarven knights beating it senseless with war hamrs, the mimic continued to endure.

‘It must be because of the Immortal’s power.’

If it had absorbed part of Retonicalus’ Authority, that would explain its ridiculous resilience.

The Immortal’s power ant it couldn’t die easily.

But the mimic was not a true immortal.

[Contractor… Contractor…!]

The mimic’s will spread out into the space around us.

Fear, pain, and desperation laced its cry.

Contractor?

The mimic was calling out to soone.

“…Shit, so that’s what it was.”

It must’ve undone the barrier to send a distress call to Dominic.

If that’s the case, Dominic now knows what’s happening here.

Things just got a lot more urgent.

We needed to kill this Crystal Mimic and escape imdiately.

GRAAAAAAAAAGH!

“Evade it!”

“……Damn it!”

The mimic’s massive body launched into the air. Using its tongue, it propelled itself upward, trying to escape the pit entirely.

I hastily summoned a glyph, but the mimic avoided the light and soared upward.

“No, no, no!”

It was trying to flee, not through the tunnel, but to the surface?

This was an entirely unexpected move.

Once the mimic escaped, catching it would beco nearly impossible.

As everyone stared helplessly at the escaping mimic, sothing happened.

A dwarf erged above the pit.

He gazed down at the soaring mimic with cold eyes, then slowly raised a massive war hamr.

The hamr’s surface began to frost over, quickly encased in shimring ice.

A giant blue hamr.

“Th-the Frost Hamr!”

I recognized it imdiately.

No, everyone did.

Sharbadin shouted with a tearful expression.

“Dorneth!”

The Lord of Beneta.

“You bastard!!!”

BOOOOOM—!

Dorneth smashed the mimic with the Frost Hamr just as it reached the edge of the pit.