How to Survive Against Villains Chapter 81

Chapter 81 – A Host This Weak?

The awakening of Fenry Chaser's divine na in the story occurs much later.

It happens during a period when she loses everything, leaves Tobaron, and lays the foundation for her life in a new region.

An outsider. A different race.

In a brutal worldview where vigilance and exclusion are the norm, establishing a new haven is no easy feat.

Amidst such trials, a single ray of light erges—the awakening to 6-star power.

At that ti, the divine na granted to Fenry was The Great Tree of the Elves.

“This is much earlier than the original story.”

It seed that my interference had altered Fenry’s fate.

Surely, this isn't deeply connected to , right?

If I could see her bestowed divine na, I might get a sense of it. However, for now, I could only see an aura, with none of the rune symbols I had observed previously.

The runes seed to reveal themselves only when the "hunt" began.

Fenry had stopped moving and was holding several docunts in her hands.

“Nella thought you might need this.”

“Ah, you didn’t have to co all the way here yourself. Thanks…”

“Who said this was for you?”

The information I had requested from Nella—of course, that elf woman wasn’t going to hand it over easily.

“Don’t you have anything to say to ?”

“I’ll report on the big debt after eting with Sharbadin.”

“Hmm, you’re more perceptive than I expected.”

In the corporate world, you’re dead if you can’t read the room.

For a mont, I thought about negotiating with the Dark Rose she took, but I decided to leave it at repaying the life debt.

It also suited Fenry well, and after obtaining Retonicalus’s Heart, I couldn’t expect much from the blessing effect of the Dark Rose.

In monts like this, it’s better to give generously and aim for bigger gains later. I had a feeling that forming a blood pact with her would result in owing her a lot more in the future.

The information in front of was just one such example.

To prepare for the changed future, I needed the intelligence network of the Black Rose.

When I smiled brightly and extended my hand, Fenry handed over the docunts.

But then,

“Why aren’t you giving that last one?”

“This one’s the information I obtained myself.”

“In a blood pact, there’s no such thing as yours or mine, is there? Just hand it over already.”

“Do you know what’s written here? Just a few lines on this paper hold the value of a 900,000-gold ancient artifact.”

“…”

I might be shaless, but even I couldn’t just outright ask for that after hearing the value. Judging by the price, I could already guess what the information was.

Black market intel.

It was most likely the list of recently awakened divine-na holders.

After seeing Fenry’s awakening, I couldn’t help but wonder about the identities of the remaining ones.

Nella had said she could tell about three of them. Excluding Fenry, the other two must have been written on that paper.

“Nella promised that if I accepted the blood pact, she’d share divine-na information as well.”

“Is Nella the master? I’m the master. Who makes the decisions here?”

“Well, I’m just saying.”

Since hierarchy trumps all, it wasn’t like I could argue with Nella.

Judging by Fenry’s twisted personality, there was no way she’d hand it over willingly.

If I begged for it, I’d probably get smacked instead, so I stayed silent. Then, Fenry shook the paper slightly and approached .

She was smiling, but there was sothing subtle about it.

A scheming smile.

“Do you know how many people have awakened recently?”

“Isn’t it five?”

“Exactly. Excluding Arena, who’s dead, there are four left.”

“Are all four written on that paper?”

“Yes.”

“…Really?”

All four?

That ant she even knew the identity of the veiled holder.

Did the black market uncover that?

My curiosity deepened.

“Just tell what you want. You hate beating around the bush, don’t you?”

“Your true identity.”

“My identity? I showed you everything I had in Laup Forest, didn’t I?”

“Right, you showed . Almost as if you knew everything.”

“…”

“Think about it. Everything happened exactly as you said. Isn’t that strange?”

“I just got lucky.”

“Three months is plenty of ti to figure out what kind of person you are. You were after the heart from the very beginning, weren’t you? Even before we t.”

“It just happened to turn out that way.”

“No, you’re the one who set it in motion. The Mark of Life is proof of that, isn’t it?”

“No, that’s—”

“And the white butterfly summoning scroll used to take down Arena Huaton—do you think I wouldn’t know when you bought it?”

I hadn’t expected this.

For her to dig up the illusion scroll…

If she investigated my past, she’d know I bought it a long ti ago. After all, the scroll had been purchased in none other than Beneta.

Traveling life-and-death situations with Fenry, it seed I had revealed too much about myself.

Just as I knew Fenry’s limits, she had started to notice the suspicious aspects of mine.

Still, she wasn’t my enemy—the butcher was.

And since we were about to form a blood pact, it was safe to say she was closer to being an ally.

I had to clear this misunderstanding.

While I was thinking of ways to do so, my silence provoked her.

“This is why I hate humans. Always scheming.”

“…Wait, hold on!”

In an instant, her presence vanished.

Though I couldn’t see her, I could feel her movents after reaching 4-star power. I braced myself and clenched my teeth.

She’s coming!

Thwack—!

“Kuhugh!”

A heavy kick shot up from beneath my crossed arms.

I blocked it, but the difference in strength was too vast to absorb the impact.

Her figure soared into the air,

Crash! Craaack—!

Smashing through the ceiling, I rolled onto the rooftop.

“Fuck, that hurts like hell.”

Coughing up blood, I leapt to my feet.

Thump—!

The pounding of my heart roared in my ears as my body flooded with energy.

Unlike three days ago, a massive moon hung in the night sky.

With shadows deepening, I instinctively punched at my own shadow with full force. My physical abilities had surpassed human limits since acquiring the heart.

Resilient and powerful.

And strong.

Boom—!

I felt the satisfying impact.

At the sa ti, fragnts of the roof scattered everywhere. Monts later, the ceiling caved in, and I landed back in the training ground below. Moonlight bathed the space, illuminating it completely.

A brightened arena.

“4-star?”

“You already knew, didn’t you? Didn’t you say you could tell by soone’s posture?”

“4-star is crossing the line. A guy who hit 3-star three months ago has no right to say that. You lied to , didn’t you?”

“I crossed the threshold just last night.”

“And I’m supposed to believe that?”

“You’re an elf. Can’t you tell truth from lies?”

“You know an irritating amount about elves. What else do you know?”

“Do you not trust ?”

“Would you trust yourself if you were ?”

Looking at the shadows cast around , I cursed under my breath.

This wasn’t the right opponent to clear up misunderstandings.

Damn cat.

Still, I couldn’t tell her the truth.

The truth I knew carried far too much weight.

“Are you going to kill ?”

“Nella says you’re indispensable. That we need to form a blood pact. But I can’t trust you. So, prove it.”

“…Prove it?”

In a world ruled by villains, there’s only one way to prove yourself.

Through strength.

This damn elf just wants to fight , doesn’t she? Or maybe just beat to a pulp?

There’s no way I could take her on.

The difference between 5-star and 4-star might seem small, but the two fight on entirely different levels.

Even if a group of 4-stars gangs up, they can’t take down one 5-star.

“Just say you want to beat up. Want to offer up my cheek?”

“Don’t make laugh. I’ve seen through your tricks. There’s a way, isn’t there? Don’t you sense anything looking at ? I am a divine-na holder, after all.”

“…”

Damn it, did she notice my unique ability?

Even though we fought together, I never revealed it to her. How did she figure it out?

“Divine Hunter.”

At her sharp words, my expression hardened. Gripping a dagger lying on the ground, I took a combat stance.

There was no use hiding it anymore.

She knew my secret.

However, judging from the atmosphere, it seed like she wanted sothing from .

‘If she really wants proof…’

I could feel Sacred Power surging within .

In fact, the mont I saw Fenry, the Sacred Power had already begun to react.

It was asking .

Would I hunt?

Once activated, could I stop it whenever I wanted?

The conflict didn’t last long.

There was no guarantee that all divine-na holders were enemies. So could be allies.

This was sothing I’d have to experience sooner or later anyway.

“I’ll hunt.”

The mont I answered,

Flash—!

Blinding white light spread around .

A radiant glow expanded, swallowing even the moonlight.

For a mont, the world seed to slow down. My senses sharpened, and my body surged with power.

An overflowing stream of mana.

Shifting to hunter mode, I scanned the surroundings. Black aura billowed from the location where she had hidden herself.

A hunter’s eyes reading the divine-na list.

Open Vision.

[Fenry Chaser – Shadow of the World Tree]

[Blessed Agility of the Dark Elf Tribe]

[True Dark Elf’s Clawvine Talons]

[Shadow Clan’s Sorcery]

“Shadow of the World Tree?”

Fenry’s divine na had changed.

While I had many thoughts looking at the list of attributes, I brushed them all aside to focus on one thing.

The hunt.

Proving myself ca first.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen next. Handle it yourself.”

“Stop acting cocky. Worry about your own life.”

As I locked my gaze onto her, Fenry slowly stepped out from the shadows.

In her hands were claws.

[True Dark Elf’s Clawvine Talons]

So that’s what the Clawvine was.

Her ancient artifact had been listed among her divine-na attributes. Like an ancient rune, it materialized into a tangible weapon through summoning.

Hoo―

Taking a deep breath, I readied my bow stance as she kicked off the ground and charged.

Hesitation would be the end of .

Leaping backward in a hurry, I focused on the runic letters floating around her aura.

I picked one as my target and released the arrow like lightning.

Sssaaah—

A faded arrow shot toward her like a hail of light.

Seeing the arrows, she zigzagged with incredible agility to dodge.

But my target wasn’t her.

It was her divine na.

Dodging the arrows of a divine hunter is impossible.

Flash—!

“...!”

The arrows vanished into thin air, only for light to explode from the aura surrounding her.

Fenry froze montarily, her expression shifting to shock before twisting her body in haste to dodge a shadow cast from the side.

Her movents were heavier than before.

She glared at with killing intent.

“...Damn it! You bastard! What did you do!?”

Instead of answering, I swung my dagger like a madman.

At 3-star, maintaining a seal had been overwhelming, but at 4-star, I could attack as well.

[Blessed Agility of the Dark Elf Tribe (Sealed)]

With one of her attributes sealed by my hunter’s arrow, I focused on her physical prowess.

Suppressing her Dark Elf agility with brute strength, I started to push her back.

However, it didn’t last long.

Ssskuk—

“…Shit. That’s one hell of a weapon.”

With one swipe, my dagger sliced like tofu. No matter how many weapons I grabbed and hurled, none could withstand a single hit. Eventually, I gave up on even trying to clash. Damn it, if a graze could take off an arm, how was I supposed to stand a chance?

Her cutting power was insane.

“Damn it all…!”

Covered in blood, I backed away.

Even with Fenry slowed, her attacks were razor-sharp. My body’s regeneration was reaching its limit.

Just as I paused to catch my breath and try a different approach, shadowy hands erupted from behind, binding .

It was shadow sorcery.

A mass of hands extended endlessly from my shadow, wrapping around and pinning in place.

Before long, my body turned black, bound and unable to move.

An overwhelming sense of pressure.

It was hard to breathe.

“Uaaaagh!”

Desperation made summon ancient glyphs, but they were ineffective against shadow attributes.

The golden light scattered uselessly.

“That’s all you’ve got?”

“...!”

I wanted to curse her as a dirty, rotten bitch, but my mouth was sealed shut.

“You were so desperate to obtain the heart, I thought you had sothing amazing up your sleeve. But is this it? You risked your life for sothing so trivial? After putting through hell?”

“Sothing so trivial,” she mocked.

Her sarcasm made my face contort with rage.

Retonicalus’s Heart wasn’t sothing trivial.

It was the main story’s power, sothing even the novel’s protagonist had given up on.

I wanted to scream it out loud.

I’d only had the heart for three days. If I had more ti, things would be different.

I wanted to confidently tell her that I’d soon be able to crush her.

But my shouts remained silent.

‘There’s nothing I can do right now.’

Just as I closed my eyes in despair at the crushing sense of helplessness,

[“Tsk. A host this weak?”]

“...?”

[“Devouring her wouldn’t be hard. It’ll take longer for you, though.”]

As if it could read my thoughts,

[“Let show you how to fight, Retonicalus style.”]

I heard a strange voice.