In the original work, that bastard captain, Dorina Diweier, came from a martial family. He was talented, but obsessed with pleasure and rotten to the core, so his family was deeply disappointed in him. That was why, when the protagonist later came to settle the score, his family couldn't even be bothered to back him up.

That bit of setup appeared absurdly abruptly in the original, and it was brushed past in just a few lines. Why?

Because by that point, the original had already become self-contradictory. The captain's family would play a major positive role in the middle and later parts, and one of the protagonist's harem members was from that family too. They couldn't let the protagonist become enemies with the whole house... so they forcibly added the setting that "the family had already given up on Dorina and wouldn't protect him," cutting the captain off from the rest of the family by sheer author fiat.

Mapped onto Torina's current situation, that meant—

"...If I don't step it up, I'm gonna become the family's discarded daughter? No share of the inheritance for me?"

Torina crumpled the letter into a ball and threw it away. Out of sight, out of mind. But reality wasn't going to change just because she threw a little tantrum.

Her family—House Dewell—was, just like in the original, a martial house. Her brothers and sisters had either gone to military academy, joined the army, or struck out on their own as mercenaries. As for her, she'd only formed an adventuring party to scrape together practical credits for the academy. She'd never seriously managed it...

If she wanted a share of the family assets, then she had to produce results fast and prove herself. So the adventuring party had to stay, and she couldn't lose her title as captain either.

The team disbandment plan had died a dignified death.

Were there any other options?

"Going by the original, the protagonist came to Amana Forest as an adventurer to get a key from the boss, one that leads to the ruins. Inside the ruins is her first cheat... So what if I drive her away before she fights the boss?"

No. That wouldn't work either.

Even if she drove her away, there was no guarantee Mylora wouldn't use the system's help to take some crooked route and sneak off to fight the boss herself. Or maybe she'd just give up on this boss and go look for another cheat instead. The original had more than one, after all... Not only would that fail to eliminate the hidden danger of her coming back later and slaughtering everything, it might even intensify her hatred ahead of time.

Or... should she just kill her now?

No, no way. Torina had lived two lives as a civilized person. That was going too far. Besides, she and the team members really had gone too far themselves. She couldn't completely cut herself off from who she'd been before.

"In that case... the only option left is to placate Mylora."

Placate Mylora. Build a bond with her. Make her feel like she belongs in the team, and avoid the quitting-the-party plotline. That was the ideal development.

Could she do it?

She could only try.

But Mylora wasn't the only problem Torina had to face.

As the original protagonist, she had a "system" on her, like one of those old grandpa mentors living inside a ring.

Except this "grandpa" wasn't very human.

At the same time, in Mylora's room—

Mylora was wiping down her weapon.

No matter when, you couldn't slack off on maintaining your gear. That was basic professionalism for an adventurer. And focusing on repetitive mechanical work could also help her temporarily distance herself from her restless, gloomy emotions.

Restless. Gloomy.

Those feelings had been building ever since she joined the adventuring party, and now they were close to the limit.

Just seeing them annoyed her. Just thinking about them made her angry. If not for the convenience of entering and leaving the maze-like Amana Forest, and if not for the system's guidance, she would've never wanted to stay here any longer!

At first, she'd also wondered—

Was she the one more at fault?

The way they constantly mocked her and pushed all the dirty work onto her was awful, sure. But her own strength really hadn't grown yet. If she just worked obediently, then at least she could contribute as support. And as for her relationship with her teammates... if she'd communicated with them earlier and been friendlier, maybe a lot of this could've been avoided?

That was what she'd originally thought.

However—

[You are someone destined to become a peerless phoenix among the mighty. You are qualified to receive my help and obtain invincible power! How could someone fated to become a supreme powerhouse ever be wrong? And even if you were, then it would be your teammates' fault, the fools' fault, the world's fault! Why bow your head to these clowns? Listen to my advice more and stand tall! Once you obtain supreme power, you can slap their faces hard and humiliate, crush, and utterly slaughter these disgusting pests!]

Whenever she started to feel lost, whenever she began reflecting on herself, that mysterious friend of hers would "guide" her at once. After so many times, she'd gradually accepted it without even noticing.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Mylora? Are you... asleep?"

"...Ji Xue?"

"Mm. I went out this afternoon to buy medicine for injuries, and I heard they all ganged up on you? I was really worried... Can I come in?"

"............Come in."

A black-haired girl around her age pushed the door open and entered.

Her features were perfectly balanced, enough to fulfill every image the words "Eastern beauty" could evoke. Her hair was extremely long; even braided, it still hung down to her calves, black as the night itself. Even during rest hours, she still wore a belt with a scabbard hanging from it. Inside was a sword in the style of the Eastern Kingdom, light and graceful at a glance.

The girl—Wenren Jixue, from the Eastern Kingdom—started asking after her the moment she came in. Like Mylora, she was also from a commoner background, and she was the only person in the team who was relatively friendly with her.

"They really went too far, but, but do you maybe want to try talking things out properly with the captain?" Ji Xue suggested. She always sounded a little flustered when she spoke.

"Well..."

[No need to speak nicely to her. Just use the lines I recommend. I am loaded with a vocabulary database commonly used by the strong. It is absolutely powerful and efficient.]

So Mylora said—

"...No need. There's no point getting close to people that shortsighted and snobbish."

"But you should at least try..."

"No need. I repay kindness, and I repay grudges. Since they've treated me this way, they've already chosen death."

"'Chosen death'? What kind of nonsense is that... Stop copying the weird protagonists from weird books. That's such an aggro line."

"And you—thank you for your concern. I will remember today's kindness, and when I become a supreme powerhouse in the future, I will repay it a hundredfold."

"I'm not helping you because I want repayment... But if this keeps up, you'll get kicked from the team, okay? You know we're a formally registered adventuring party with the guild. Personnel changes get recorded. If you get thrown out like this... your record probably won't look very good. It'll affect your chances of joining your next party."

"Those who would achieve great things cannot be shackled by trifles. The strong speak through strength. As long as one is powerful enough, all factions will come flocking on their own."

"Uh..."

"But you're not strong either"—Ji Xue had to use a huge amount of self-control to keep herself from saying that out loud.

"Anyway... Mylora, don't force yourself too hard, okay? You're always welcome to talk to me. I can also try my best to speak up for you..."

"I appreciate the thought."

"............"

Ji Xue knew Mylora hadn't really taken her kindness to heart. There was no point staying any longer, so she had no choice but to leave.

After she left, Mylora locked the door, shut the window, drew the curtains, and after confirming no one would approach for the time being—she gently brushed the ring on her little finger.

At once, a humanoid figure made of mosaic blocks floated out of the ring. Its body flickered indistinctly, like some kind of hologram on the verge of breaking down.

[Beep beep—The current time is 22:41:07. Good evening, my master.]

It spoke. Its voice was neither male nor female, mixed with harsh static.

"System, have you calculated the location of the lord room in Amana Forest yet?"

[It can be determined to be in the swamp on the southeastern side of the labyrinth.]

"That's too vague. Can you be more precise?"

[The currently gathered intelligence is insufficient. Further analysis of the lord's coordinates is not possible.]

"Why isn't it done yet? I've been helping you gather intel this whole time, haven't I? The last time we went into the labyrinth, I followed your instructions to scout the environment, and that's why they accused me of abandoning my post!"

[Acting with the team can accelerate the speed of intelligence gathering, but it is still affected by multiple uncertain factors.]

"More importantly, are you sure the key to opening the 'Cedrion Mage Tower' is with the lord of Amana Forest?"

[Confirmed. My database does not lie. To help you succeed, I will provide the most efficient advice, because I am—]

"'The perfect tactical advisory system derived from an ancient civilization.' You've said that countless times already."

[Through regression analysis of panel data, I will soon complete coordinate calculations and locate the lord.]

"Really? Great! Then I'll hurry and make preparations over the next few days—"

[As your advisor, I suggest that when the time comes, you offer counsel to the captain and have the entire team go together. Therefore, you should remain with this team at least until the lord is defeated.]

"...Why?"

[Because right now, you are likely not a match for it alone. Even with my assistance, your chances of victory are not high.]

"But if too many people go, they'll definitely snatch up the lord's treasure before I can get my share."

[That will depend on your performance. When the time comes, I will certainly help you, because I am—]

"'The perfect tactical advisory system derived from an ancient civilization.' Stop repeating it..."

Mylora touched the ring again and ended the conversation.

She washed up a little, imagined the beautiful future where she'd open the mage tower, gain power, return, and slaughter everything in her path, then drifted off to sleep.

And the system—

([Excellent. Being isolated and pushed out can quickly temper your character and willpower. Every suggestion I give is for your own good.])