I used the snap of my wrist to swing the whip forcefully, and with precise strikes, the dummies shattered into pieces.

Then, without a moment to catch my breath, a circular plate flew from the ceiling.

Snap! I extended the whip and struck it down, causing shattered pieces to scatter in all directions.

I swung the whip again around my head as if I were doing ribbon gymnastics, creating a film of protection, and hit a series of incoming flying plates.

Thuk. Thuk. Thuk. Tiny, shard-like fragments rained down like drops, but they couldn’t touch me as the whip shielded my body.

“Haa, haa.” I panted heavily and laid the whip out on the ground.

“I did it.”

I clenched my fist tightly in the exhilaration of successfully defeating the dummy at the highest difficulty level.

Ding~! A cheerful notification sound rang out. With an excited heart, I checked the notification window.

『System Alert! Congratulations! You have completed the quest!』

『Current Physical Assimilation Rate – 38.9%』

“…What? Just 0.3%?”

My face crumpled in disappointment at the meager reward.

“You said it was the highest difficulty, right? Couldn’t you give me more? So stingy.”

I complained while glaring at the system window. Back when I first successfully defeated a higher difficulty level, my assimilation rate increased by nearly 1%.

‘But now, after successfully defeating the highest difficulty level, I only get a meager 0.3% increase? They could at least bump it up to 0.5% if they can’t do more.’ I strongly suspected that this darn system might be trying to mess with me maliciously.

Sigh. Okay, aside from this reward, I had definitely reaped the benefits from the training quests I had completed so far. Understanding what mana was, how to sense it, and how to use it in practice had not been easy to grasp and acquire with my modern knowledge. If it hadn’t helped me adapt so quickly to Kiana’s body, I would have struggled more.

Nevertheless, the reason I reacted so sensitively to today’s reward was that I was impatient.

‘The situation isn’t looking good.’ Evan remained hidden as if playing hide and seek, while Leon and Clark returned earlier than expected.

Josephine was a ticking time bomb, and I, too, didn’t know when I would receive the Duke’s orders and leave.

In the midst of all this, even the rapidly rising physical assimilation rate was dampened.

It felt as if everything was moving faster than I had expected and was going in a bad direction.

‘I need to move on with the plan.’ Aside from Evan, I had one plan in mind that I wanted to put into action.

In the original, one of the members of the male lead’s party, Sybilla–acclaimed for their formidable magical prowess–possessed a unique artifact, a Rune Armor.

The plan was to swiftly acquire it as insurance.

‘From someone who has it but doesn’t use it… it’s better if someone who really needs it has it, right?’

In reality, despite its name, Rune Armor’s performance was not that great. For this reason, from the mid-to-late stages of the story, it became a pitiful piece of protective gear that Sybilla rarely used.

However, there were no objections to the idea that it was an item that I absolutely needed now.

“The magical creatures protecting the temple are a bit troublesome but…”

‘Even if unlocking the full potential is a stretch, I want to surpass a physical assimilation rate of 40% and find it.’

With a difference of only 1.1% between 38.9% and 40%, it might seem like a small change numerically, but it significantly improved my mana utilization ability each time the first digit changed.

‘I can’t afford to hesitate any longer. After all, isn’t my life now a collection of death flags?’ The very thought of wishing to live without risks seemed laughable.

“Whether I die this way or that way, it’s all the same, isn’t it?” I wanted to scream.

‘Yeah, let’s go now.’

To the ancient temple slumbering beneath the Syllas Capital.

* * *

There is always a cliché setting in every rofan novel: a group of people that provides information to customers in exchange for money.

It was commonly known as the Information Guild.

This cliché setting also appears in fantasy novels without fail.

“Milady, here are the contents you commissioned from the Thieves’ Guild.”

I nodded and received the envelope.

Thieves’ Guild. The name seemed different, but it was essentially the same as any information guild we all knew.

I opened the envelope and shook out its contents. The underground waterways’ blueprint was like a maze. The branching, interconnected passages were so complex that it would be easy to get lost.

‘If I had ventured out blindly, I would have ended up lost. I understand why heroines turn to the Information Guild now. It’s so efficient and convenient.’

“Milady, it’s time for you to leave.”

I nodded and headed to the annex. From there, I took a carriage to the slums. Upon arriving at my destination, I distributed food as usual.

‘Will he come today?’

Contrary to my expectations, Evan didn’t show his face even as the food was running out.

‘I guess he won’t.’ I had to admit that my mood was spoiled. If I said I wasn’t disappointed, it would be a lie. But I tried not to dwell on it.

“I’m done with the preparations,” Tia announced.

We were ready to depart, and I quickly got into the carriage. There was no time to waste today.

In the original story, thanks to Sybilla’s natural affinity with mana, she easily found the ancient temple in the underground waterways without getting lost.

In contrast, I knew nothing about using magic. I had to navigate through the dark, damp underground waterways using the blueprints and rely on my own physical abilities.

“Tell them to stop the carriage in front of the alley between the general store and the antique shop.”

I gave the order after confirming that we had reached the square near the center of Syllas Capital.

A little while later, the coachman stopped the carriage at the location I had specified.

‘…It seems a bit chaotic outside?’ As I looked out the window, I noticed knights who were not usually seen on the streets interrogating passersby in the square.

“Should I find out what’s going on?” Tia was ready to follow my command.

“No, it’s fine.”

I had enough on my plate, and I couldn’t afford to pay attention to other people’s business.

“Tell the coachman not to let anyone interfere, as I will be seeing the acrobatic practice over there.”

“Yes. But Milady… Can I accompany you?” Tia asked carefully, looking for my reaction.

Taking her along, especially since she was a skilled assassin, didn’t bother me at all, considering the emergence of magical beings and all. However…

’I can’t take her to the temple.’

The ancient temple was designed to activate a security mechanism when more than one outsider intrudes.

“I’ll go by myself.”

“…Understood. I’ll wait here.”

Tia looked outside and quietly opened the carriage door on the opposite side of the square.

Checking both sides, I quickly darted into the alley to avoid the watchful eyes of any potential spies who might have been assigned to follow us.

‘The iron door next to the fourth alley.’ Recalling the original story, I passed through three alleys quickly. When I arrived at the fourth alley, I saw the rusty iron door.

“Huh?”

The slightly ajar door puzzled me. In the original story, the door was locked when Sybilla unlocked it to enter the underground waterways.

“Let’s not worry about it.”

Considering the significant time gap of over four months between now and the original story, I took this kind of variable into account.

Creeaak I opened the iron door and descended the circular staircase. Thanks to the cheap glow-in-the-dark mana stones embedded in the wall, I had no trouble walking.

As I descended the stairs, I reached a three-way intersection. After comparing it to the blueprint and verifying the direction, I decided.

“Turn right.”

Walking along the sewage canal, a foul odor stung my nostrils.

The underground’s characteristic dampness was uncomfortable, and the large and creepy rats that appeared here and there were enough to give anyone the shivers.

As I passed through a dozen intersections and my sense of direction began to blur, I finally found it.

“It should be nearby.”

I paused for a moment and examined the wall. In the darkness, I spotted numbers buried in grime.

2-7. Arriving at my destination, I groped the wall.

“Found it!”

The bricks were covered in moss to the point that they had lost color. I pressed one of them with all my strength.

Suddenly, a white light burst out from between the bricks, forming a magic circle in the air. A teleportation circle leading to the ancient temple had appeared.

‘Phew, stay calm.’ I cautiously placed my foot into the magic circle.

“Huh? Whoa!”

I was pulled into it as if something had grabbed me. It felt like being pushed, and I emerged from the opposite side of the magic circle.

I found myself in a completely different space from the sewage canal.

Ding-! The system notification sounded.

『System Alert! You have entered the ‘Forgotten Ancient Temple’』

『Physical Assimilation Rate has increased by 1%』

I looked around, satisfied with the unexpected reward.

“It really looks like a library reading room.”