I snapped my wrist and swung the whip wide, striking with precision and utterly destroying the scarecrow.
CHAPTER 7
But before I could catch my breath, a circular disc flew down from the ceiling.
Clang!
I lashed out with the whip, shattering the disc into countless fragments that scattered in all directions.
Spinning the whip over my head like a rhythmic gymnast’s ribbon, I formed a membrane of protection.
Rattle-rattle-rattle.
The tiny shards, no bigger than fingernails, rained down like a storm, but not a single piece touched me thanks to the whip barrier.
“Haa… haa…”
Breathing heavily, I let the whip droop to the floor.
“I did it.”
Gripping my fist tight in a rush of exhilaration, I savored my success in defeating the highest-level scarecrow.
Ding!
A cheerful notification sound chimed.
Excited, I opened the alert window.
Notification! Congratulations. You have completed the quest.
You have received a reward. Physical Synchronization Rate has increased by 0.3%.
Current Synchronization Rate: 38.9%
“…What? Only 0.3%?”
My face twisted in frustration at the measly reward.
“It’s the highest difficulty! Shouldn’t I get more than this? This is ridiculous.”
I glared at the system window and let out a stream of complaints.
When I first succeeded at a lower difficulty, my sync rate had gone up nearly 1%.
But now, even after beating the hardest challenge, I only get 0.3%?
At the very least, they could’ve given me 0.5%.
I seriously suspected this damn system was messing with me on purpose.
Sigh.
Still, I had to admit that, aside from today’s reward, the training quests had helped me tremendously.
They taught me what mana was, how to feel it, and how to use it practically.
Without that step-by-step support tailored to a modern person like me, I wouldn’t have been able to adapt to Kiana’s body so quickly.
Even so, the reason I reacted so sensitively today was simple: anxiety.
“Things aren’t looking good.”
Evan had disappeared like he was playing hide-and-seek.
Leon and Clark had returned much earlier than scheduled.
Josephine was a ticking time bomb.
And as for me—I had no idea when the duke would issue a new command or when I’d be ordered to leave the family.
To make matters worse, even the rapid progress of my sync rate had begun to stall.
I could feel it in my bones—everything was starting to spiral in the wrong direction.
“I’ll have to move up the plan.”
Aside from Evan, I had a separate plan in mind.
It involved the personal artifact of Sybilla, one of the original story’s male lead’s companions and a famed reverse-alignment mage: the Rune Armor.
I intended to claim it early as an insurance policy.
“If she’s not going to use it, shouldn’t the one who needs it take it?”
In truth, the Rune Armor’s performance didn’t quite live up to its name.
That’s why even Sybilla barely used it in the second half of the story—it was a tragic piece of gear.
Still, there was no doubt that I needed it badly right now.
“The guardian beast of the temple is a bit of a problem, but…”
Even if I couldn’t unlock its full potential yet, I wanted to retrieve it after pushing my sync rate past 40%.
From 38.9% to 40%. It was only a 1.1% difference on paper, but every decimal change in the leading digit significantly improved mana handling.
“There’s no time to hesitate anymore.”
My life was a collection of death flags, after all.
Wishing to survive without risk was laughable.
“Whether I die this way or that way, it’s all the same.”
Yeah. I’d go.
To the ancient temple lying beneath the capital of the Silas Province.
5.
If you read romantic fantasy novels, there’s one cliché you’ll always see:
An organization that sells information to paying customers.
A so-called Information Guild.
Naturally, this fantasy novel had its own version too.
“Young lady, here’s what you requested from the Thieves’ Guild.”
I nodded and took the envelope.
The Thieves’ Guild—just another name for the Information Guild as we know it.
I opened the top of the envelope and pulled out the contents.
The underground sewer map looked like a maze. Its branching paths twisted and turned, almost painfully complex.
‘If I’d gone in blindly, I’d have gotten hopelessly lost.’
I now understood why heroines in stories always relied on the Information Guild. It was just too efficient and convenient.
“Young lady, it’s time to go.”
I nodded and headed for the annex.
From there, I took a carriage to the slums.
Once at the destination, I handed out food to the poor as usual.
‘Will he show up today?’
But contrary to my hopes, Evan didn’t appear, even after all the bread had been distributed.
‘Of course not…’
I smacked my lips bitterly.
Saying I wasn’t disappointed would’ve been a lie.
But I tried my best to ignore it.
“Everything’s cleaned up, miss.”
Without delay, I got back into the carriage.
Today, I didn’t have time to dawdle.
In the original story, Sybilla’s natural mana affinity allowed her to find the ancient temple in the sewers with ease.
But I didn’t know the first thing about magic.
I would have to rely on the map and physically navigate the dark, damp sewer tunnels.
“Tell the driver to stop at the alley between that general store and the antique shop.”
I checked that we were near the central plaza of Silas and gave my instruction.
Soon, the coachman brought the carriage to a halt at the spot I specified.
‘…It looks a bit chaotic outside?’
Looking out the window, I saw knights questioning pedestrians in the plaza—something I’d never seen in this district before.
“Shall I go check what’s happening?”
“No, forget it.”
I was barely managing my own situation. I didn’t have the luxury to care about someone else’s.
“Tell the coachman I’m going to watch a gypsy acrobatics show. No interruptions.”
“Yes, miss. But… may I accompany you?”
Tia asked cautiously, watching my expression.
I didn’t mind bringing along a skilled assassin like her—not with magical beasts involved.
But—
‘She wouldn’t be able to enter the temple with me anyway.’
The ancient temple was designed to activate a lockdown mechanism if more than one outsider entered.
“I’ll go alone.”
“…Understood. I’ll wait here.”
Tia carefully opened the carriage door on the side opposite the plaza after scanning the surroundings.
I darted into the alley, keeping an eye out for any spies my half-siblings might’ve placed.
‘The iron door next to the fourth alley.’
I dashed past three alleys, recalling the original story.
When I reached the fourth one, sure enough, I saw the rusty iron door.
“Huh?”
It was slightly ajar—strange.
In the novel, it had been locked when Sybilla entered the sewer.
“Forget it.”
Considering the original timeline was over four months behind my current one, I could account for minor discrepancies like this.
Creeeaak.
I opened the door and descended the spiral staircase.
Thanks to some cheap glowstones embedded in the wall, I had no trouble walking.
At the bottom, I came to a three-way fork.
I checked the map and determined the correct path.
“Right from here.”
Following the sewage path, the stench pierced my nose.
The moist underground air was suffocating, and the rats crawling around were unnervingly huge and grotesque.
After passing through over ten intersections and growing disoriented, I finally stopped.
“It should be around here…”
I examined the wall and spotted a number hidden under layers of grime.
2-7.
I had arrived.
Fumbling slightly, I felt along the wall.
“Found it.”
A brick covered in faded moss.
I pressed it with all my strength.
A pure white light burst out between the bricks, forming a glowing magic circle in midair.
It was a teleportation gate to the ancient temple.
“Okay, stay calm.”
Carefully, I stepped into the magic circle.
“Ah? Ahh!”
A strong force yanked me in, sucking me through as if someone had pushed me.
On the other side, I stumbled into a space entirely different from the sewer.
Ding!
A system notification chimed.
Notification! You have entered the ‘Forgotten Ancient Temple.’
You are the first to discover the ‘Forgotten Ancient Temple.’
First Discovery Bonus Granted.
Your Physical Synchronization Rate has increased by 1%.
Satisfied with the unexpected bonus, I looked around.
“It really does look like a library reading room.”
