How to Survive Against Villains Chapter 79

Chapter 79 – I Want to Kill Him. Seriously.

The Dark Rose, crafted by Dorneth’s masterful hands, embodied the soul of a true artisan.

The obsidian stone imbued with power granted its bearer blessings essential for survival.

This remarkable artifact had saved lives—Sharbadin’s during the mimic altar incident, and mine during the fight with Dominic.

But now, Fenry had taken it without so much as a by-your-leave.

‘Well, technically, the Dark Rose was ant to be Fenry’s emblem once she reached the 6th Star.’

If events followed the original story, it was no surprise that the Dark Rose ended up in her possession. It suited her perfectly, after all.

However, with Sharbadin surviving, ownership of the artifact had shifted to .

Judging from Fenry’s behavior earlier, she clearly coveted it.

Understandable. The gem bore a striking resemblance to a black rose and ca with a powerful blessing. Anyone in her position would want it.

‘Should I demand another Mark of Life as compensation?’

No, that would be going against my principle of prioritizing survival.

ntioning the "Mark" at all would likely get killed.

The matter of the Dark Rose would have to wait. Technically, it wasn’t entirely mine—it had been gifted by Sharbadin as a token of gratitude. To transfer ownership, I would need his approval.

Fenry knew this, of course. Her ntion of a "big debt" earlier was her way of indirectly pressuring .

She was essentially saying: Go and get Sharbadin’s consent if you want it back.

Regardless of the Dark Rose, I needed to visit Dorneth anyway.

‘A pot of gold is right under my nose. If I don’t go after it, I’m not a bee—I’m a fly.’

I thought of the golden badge engraved with a hamr that Dorneth had gifted .

A one-ti pass to the forge of the Beneta family’s master craftsn, handed down through generations.

What kind of treasure might be hidden there?

The excitent welled up within , quickening my steps as I left the fifth floor.

I made my way down to the first floor in no ti and handed a contract to the effeminate male elf manning the counter.

“I’m here to collect my belongings.”

He glanced at chanically and spoke.

“Do you have the storage fee?”

“Take a look at this and ask again.”

“What is this?”

“It’s the contract proving that I’ve achieved financial freedom as of today.”

Fenry had stashed my bag in the first-floor storage, where the daily fee was an absurd 20 gold.

Three months and three days later, I had racked up a storage bill of 1,860 gold.

I couldn’t even claim my own bag as mine because I didn’t have the money to pay.

Not that I could bla Fenry.

“My bag!”

“…….”

Snatching it up, I imdiately opened it to check its contents.

Dominic’s research journal.

Donecolint’s witch’s necklace.

The Marsha family seal.

The golden badge engraved with a hamr.

The bracelet sealing Boom and a pile of violet mana stones—everything was still there, neatly packed.

Confirming the items were intact, I let out a sigh of relief.

Considering the value of these items, the storage fee was practically nothing.

Fenry could’ve easily pocketed these treasures and played dumb, and I’d have been none the wiser. I should’ve been thankful she kept them safe.

Now, it was ti to enjoy my newfound financial freedom.

Every ti I passed through the first floor on my way to the training grounds, I’d been tempted by the aroma of sweet treats but hadn’t had the ans to indulge.

Today, that was going to change.

“I’ll take one of every type of pancake you’ve got.”

“About the price…”

“Here’s the contract.”

This thing’s basically a black card, isn’t it?

Grinning ear to ear, I watched as a table was covered in a spread of pancakes.

During my ti here, I had discovered sothing extraordinary—elves were the undisputed masters of pancake-making on the entire continent.

Blue Rose even had a dedicated pancake shop on its first floor, and it attracted more custors than one might expect.

“Mm!”

The pancakes lted in my mouth.

I didn’t know who the chef was, but if I could bring them to the modern world, they’d dominate the entire dessert market.

Even the so-called "famous" pancake shops on social dia couldn’t hold a candle to this.

Whoever ended up hiring this chef would be one lucky bastard.

It seed my training routine, which had been consistent over the past three days, was about to change.

From now on, it was going to be pancakes before training, pancakes after training.

These pancakes were mine now.

***

In a hidden office within the Blue Rose building, Fenry Chaser set down an empty plate with a satisfied sigh.

“Now that hit the spot. I’ve been craving sweets like crazy these past few days.”

“Why didn’t you just buy so outside?”

“Why would I ruin my palate when I’ve got Nella’s pancakes right here?”

“Judging by your expression, it seems things went well?”

“Oh, they went well, alright. Except for the unexpected cost.”

“How much did it cost you?”

“900,000 gold… and my necklace.”

“…Your necklace? You actually gave that up?!”

“The information on the second Divine Power’s owner turned out to be ‘special.’”

Special.

It ant the information couldn’t be bought with money alone.

Nella, who had been clearing the dishes, leaned in close, her expression asking the unspoken question: Why would you go that far?

“It was too good an opportunity to pass up.”

“What kind of opportunity?”

“A chance to gain imnse power in a short ti.”

Through the bait, she intended to steal a collection of ancient artifacts.

But there was a critical unknown in her plan.

“What if the shadowy figure behind this turns out to be untouchable?”

“If they’re that powerful, they wouldn’t be asking for high-level artifacts—they’d want the absolute best. It’s a gamble worth taking.”

“Still, the Black Rose alone won’t be enough.”

“Then I’ll handle it personally.”

“…Understood.”

Nella stopped pressing the matter.

If her Master was this confident, it ant she believed the plan was feasible. After all, when it ca to infiltration and stealth, Fenry was unmatched.

“So, did you bring back what I asked for?”

“Not as much as you hoped.”

“Do you still think it was a waste of money?”

“Not anymore.”

With a wave of her hand, Fenry dismissed the presence of her guards, sending them to a distance. Once the room was empty, she began revealing the Divine Power information she had obtained from the Black Market.

Her words floated through the silence.

A few monts later, Nella exhaled deeply, as if a weight had been lifted.

“Unlocked. Now we can finally talk.”

“Anything I ntioned you didn’t already know?”

“Nothing yet.”

For a Seer of Divine Powers to freely discuss them, a specific process had to be followed.

Only information acquired through external sources could be shared within the limits of the Seer’s own understanding.

This was why Nella had insisted Fenry retrieve the information, even though she already knew much of it.

“As you know, my Divine Power is ‘The Shadow of the World Tree.’”

“How did you interpret it?”

“The restoration of the elves’ holand.”

Fenry let out a low groan. The weight of such an interpretation, even for soone as bold as Fenry, was heavy.

“Beneta and the Black Rose are bound by a Blood Pact. Unlike humans, interspecies Blood Pacts aren’t taken lightly.”

“So, you think Dorneth and I awakening our Divine Powers on the sa day is connected to this Blood Pact?”

“Dorneth’s Divine Power is ‘The Shield of Tobaron,’ which could be interpreted as Beneta gaining sothing it must protect.”

“Sothing to protect? You think that’s the World Tree?”

“That’s my interpretation.”

“There’s no World Tree in Tobaron.”

“There’s no World Tree anywhere on the continent. It could be a taphor for an elven sanctuary or a reference to the mythical World Tree itself.”

“How do we figure that out?”

“The Guide will show us the way. That person will lead us to the World Tree.”

The Guide.

The mont she heard that word, Fenry thought of him.

Arthur Clayton.

Now she understood why Nella was so determined to forge a Blood Pact with that one human.

“What makes you think he’s the Guide?”

“Because the day you saved him was the sa day you and Dorneth awakened your Divine Powers.”

“…Goddammit.”

“His connection to your Divine Power is undeniable. He must stay by your side.”

Fenry let out a short curse.

If that was true, then she was now fully entangled with him. And after what she’d seen at the Black Market, the situation felt increasingly dire.

“What’s the problem?”

“The problem is, if this goes wrong, we’ll have more enemies than I can count.”

“…What?”

“Before I arrived here, I was debating whether to kill him or use him. The idea of actually keeping him around never crossed my mind.”

“He’s the Guide. He must not die.”

“…Why am I even thinking about his death?”

“Because the path ahead looks thorny?”

Fenry rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on.

He must not die.

[Do you want to save ?]

The mory of his smug face popped into her mind, along with the events of that fateful day when she invoked the Mark.

Should I have just killed him back then?

All the trouble she’d gone through to save him had now spiraled into sothing far worse than the Mark of Life.

Arena Huaton?

That monster was nothing compared to the storm that was brewing.

“Aren’t you curious about the second Divine Power’s owner?”

“I only know their Divine Power, and that’s enough to drive crazy.”

Fenry hesitated before revealing the na of the second Divine Power.

“The Divine Power… Hunter of Divinity?”

Nella repeated the na several tis, her expression unreadable.

It was the most ominous Divine Power she’d ever heard of. Depending on how it was interpreted, it could signify soone who hunted the bearers of Divine Powers.

“Is that all the information we have?”

“That’s all. But one thing’s clear: no one knows this person’s na.”

“…A figure shrouded in this much mystery. How intriguing.”

“Right? For a mont, I thought about how much I could profit from this. But now? Damn it!”

The frustration was overwhelming.

During the battle with Dominic Huaton, when Arthur had been gravely injured, she recalled his muttered words.

[…Hunter of Divinity.]

The mont she read the note from the Black Market, she realized the identity of the second Divine Power’s owner.

Only she knew the na of this shadowy figure.

Hunter of Divinity—Arthur Clayton.

And a being who hunts the bearers of Divine Powers.

Arthur had fought alongside her to kill Arena Huaton, a bearer of Divine Power.

His Divine Power was real.

‘If I sold this information, what could I get in return?’

For the bearers of Divine Powers, this was the ultimate intelligence.

Its value was incalculable.

Fenry glanced at Nella.

She had revealed many details about Arthur, but Nella hadn’t pieced it all together yet.

Instead, she muttered, “We’ll need to investigate the Hunter of Divinity discreetly.”

She hadn’t made the connection.

Perhaps it was her lack of combat experience or her tendency to see Arthur only as a Guide.

Was this a good thing?

“What’s so good about it? That bastard must’ve been my mortal enemy in a past life.”

“…?”

Fate truly had a twisted sense of humor.

Feeling the stress, Fenry’s craving for sweets returned.

“Bring another pancake.”

“We’re out.”

“…What?”

“The contractor took them all earlier.”

“…The contractor?”

Nella shrugged and gestured upward.

Fenry’s mouth hung open for a mont before her face contorted in rage.

“That goddamn bastard…”

Arthur Clayton.

She wanted to kill him.

Seriously.