Chapter 71 | Survival Guide for the Otome Game's Villain

The group traveled through the forest for a long time before finally stopping in a small clearing. The trees were sparser here, allowing more of the gray light overhead to filter down, illuminating the entire clearing quite well. Marcus planted his shield into the ground and said they would rest here for a bit. Everyone found a spot to sit, Grace began distributing water, and Marcus pulled a neatly folded map from his breast pocket and spread it on the ground.

“Everyone, come take a look.”

Erich leaned in close. Marcus pointed to a marked area in the center of the map, tapping it with his finger.

“The snakefolk live in settlements on the third floor. There are several large settlements, and smaller ones are scattered throughout the forest. They clash over hunting grounds and water sources, but overall, they maintain a loose balance. Our trading partner is Corrosive Fang, the largest snakefolk settlement on the third floor. They occupy the absolute center of the third floor and built Corrosive Fang City there, which is our destination.”

Erich nodded to show he understood. Marcus added a few more precautions regarding their route, which were mostly about avoiding the patrol ranges of certain small snakefolk settlements and which areas had troublesome magical beasts. Erich didn't interrupt, his eyes glued to the map.

This map was much more detailed than he had expected. Aside from the terrain, it also marked the types of magical beasts gathering in each area, with small notes on the side listing their dropped materials. Things like the spore powder and sclerotia of the mycobeasts on the second floor were clearly marked. There was even more on the third floor: snakefolk scales, fangs, venom sacs, and several types of plants he had never even heard of, all followed by their uses and approximate purchase prices.

The more he looked, the more he felt like he had missed out. It turned out the magical beast ecology class offered at the academy was incredibly useful. He really shouldn't skip it in the future.

If he could even return safely, that is.

“Here, some skewered meat.”

Lilith had approached him at some point, handing over a freshly grilled skewer. Erich took it naturally.

“Thanks.”

“Why are you looking so seriously?” Lilith sat down beside him, taking a bite from her own skewer as she craned her neck to peer at the map. “Doesn't Morningstar Academy teach this? We learn this in our first year—magical beast ecology, common materials, dungeon geography. They're all basic courses.”

Erich was stumped. He couldn't exactly say they did teach it, but he just hadn't listened. So, he took a bite of the skewer, turned to Lilith, and said, “This is really delicious. Did you grill it?”

Lilith instantly puffed out her chest, raising her chin high. “That's right! I practiced for a really long time.”

She didn't press him further and instead began sharing her secrets for grilling, talking about how the heat had to be divided into stages and how the timing of flipping the meat was even more important than the seasoning. Erich listened, grunting in agreement now and then while his eyes drifted back to the map.

Lilith's voice gradually grew quieter. She had been forcing herself to stay energetic, but now that the meat was gone and the excitement had faded, she closed her eyes to recover her mana. She had thrown up once after entering the third floor and had been constantly maintaining a detection spell for security, which took a significant toll on her. Grace sat beside her, gently placing a hand on her back.

The break didn't last long. Once Lilith's complexion improved, Marcus stood up and called for everyone to keep moving. Before leaving, they cleaned their hands using a slime. The squishy creature swallowed up all the grease and meat scent completely.

There were slimes in the Abyss too, but they were much more aggressive and wouldn't obediently help people wash their hands like this.

They hadn't gone far when Nasha suddenly stopped. She slowly bent her body, her hand already reaching for the short blade at her waist.

Even without her warning, several figures emerged from the bushes ahead.

Their exposed skin was covered in grayish-green scales, their limbs were similar to humans, but their necks were topped with complete snake heads. Tongues flicked out from the gaps in their lips from time to time, making hissing sounds.

This was a squad of snakefolk.

Erich finally saw what these creatures actually looked like. There were about ten of them, holding spears and bows, with some carrying hunted beasts at their waists, looking like a hunting party.

Both sides halted. Marcus had already raised his shield in front of him, Grace and Lilith shrank into the middle, and Erich brought up the rear, gripping his sword and ready to strike.

The standoff didn't last long. The snakefolk opposite them exchanged glances, and their leader waved a hand. The entire squad began slowly moving to the side, seemingly intending to bypass them. Marcus's group also tacitly yielded to the other side, both groups keeping their distance, neither wishing to initiate a fight.

Just as Erich thought the encounter would pass peacefully, the leading snakefolk suddenly stopped. His gaze fell upon the pack on Marcus's back, his pupils slitting into thin lines. He turned and said a few words to the snakefolk behind him.

Erich couldn't understand the language, but the meaning behind the tone required no translation.

Immediately after, the dozen or so snakefolk in the squad dispersed and began flanking them from both sides. They moved quickly, as if they were long accustomed to this kind of coordinated hunting.

Marcus shouted, “What is the meaning of this?”

The leading snakefolk flicked his tongue and spoke in the Common Tongue, “Hand over what you have.”

“What we have?” Marcus tsked. “We are the Gray Fang adventuring party, here to complete a trade with Corrosive Fang. By doing this, do you wish to make enemies of the Adventurers' Guild and the Corrosive Fang tribe?”

No expression could be seen on the snakefolk captain's reptilian face, only his tongue tasting the air.

“As long as we finish you off here, no one will know it was us.”

The moment he finished speaking, the sound of sharp blades cutting through the air rang out from both sides simultaneously.

As if by prior agreement, Erich and Nasha struck at the exact same time from the left and right. Nasha's short blade was so fast it was a mere arc of light, and Erich's longsword was clean and decisive. The heads of two snakefolk hit the ground almost simultaneously, their grayish-green bodies standing for a split second before collapsing.

Grace was not slow to react either. She chanted softly, and an enhancement spell's glow spread from her hands, quickly enveloping every member of the party. Erich felt his body lighten, a warm current seemingly surging through his limbs.

Lilith was half a beat slower, but she reacted quickly. She raised her staff, and as she chanted, the surrounding trees suddenly came to life. Several thick branches whipped violently toward the nearest snakefolk, and vines burst from the ground to wrap around their legs, crawling up their bodies like serpents.

Two snakefolk tried to rush forward to attack her and Grace, but Marcus stepped up. Holding his great shield before him, he took the incoming spear thrusts head-on. The spear struck the shield's surface, and the sheer force of the recoil sent a tremor through the spear-wielding snakefolk, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood on the spot.

This was Marcus's Battle Scar ability. Among the adventuring parties capable of surviving in the dungeon, who didn't have a few trump cards up their sleeve?

In just a few short minutes, the snakefolk on the opposite side lay scattered across the ground, none left standing.

But rustling sounds echoed from the surrounding forest once more, coming from several directions at once, suggesting an even larger number of enemies than before.