The clean, bare walls of my room felt like a new beginning. The stale energy of the old Issei was gone, boxed up in a black trash bag by the door. In the quiet of the night, my mind was anything but still.
A flicker of gold in my peripheral vision. The system interface, patient and constant.
**[ Active Quests: 2 ]**
**- Integration (Progress: 85%)**
**- N/A**
The Integration progress had jumped. Clearing out the room, making a definitive choice about who I would be here—it seemed the system counted that as significant acclimation. It was almost complete. But 'N/A' beside the second slot felt like a taunt. It was empty, waiting for a purpose.
That purpose came with the dawn.
The next morning, before the sun had fully risen, I was in the school gym. The memory of my new strength was a fresh, intoxicating feeling. I started with push-ups, the motion smooth and powerful, my body responding with an efficiency that still felt alien. Then sit-ups, pull-ups, a grueling run on the treadmill. I pushed until my muscles burned and my new lungs screamed for air, then I pushed further.
This wasn't just training. It was a ritual. A desperate prayer made of sweat and strain. Because underneath the burn, a single, terrifying thought played on a loop:
*Asia.*
The image was clear in my mind, a scene from a story I knew was truer than my own past. A gentle, kind-hearted girl in a nun's habit, alone in an abandoned church. Her sacred gear, a miracle of healing, would be the very thing that condemned her. Raynare would be there, a predator in the guise of a sister, her light spears meant for torture and theft.
Issei's memories held a vague, hormonal attraction to her. My own soul felt a fierce, protective surge. She was innocence in a world that devoured it. She didn't deserve the fate the original plot had written for her.
The thought of her, scared and betrayed, lit a fire in my gut. I grabbed a heavier weight, my knuckles white, and pushed.
*I won't let it happen.*
The thought wasn't a hope. It was a vow, sealed with the ache in my muscles.
As if the system had been waiting for that exact, crystallized moment of intent, the air in front of me shimmered.
**[ New Quest Generated! ]**
**[ Urgent Objective: 'The Nun's Salvation' ]**
**Objective:** Intervene before Raynare fatally wounds Asia Argento. Ensure her survival and safety.
**Success Reward:** 8,000 Points. Unlocked Purchase: [Rokushiki - Complete Set (Beginner Tier)].
**Failure Penalty:** Asia Argento's death. Permanent -50% Point gain on all future Quests.
My breath caught. 8,000 Points. The exact cost of the Rokushiki. It wasn't a coincidence. The system was offering a direct trade: a life for the power to protect more lives. The penalty was brutal, a constant reminder of failure that would cripple my growth.
This was no longer a vague goal. It was a mission with a deadline I couldn't see. Every rep, every contract, every second from now on was dedicated to this.
I finished my set, dropping the weight with a loud clang that echoed in the empty gym. I looked at my reflection in the mirror—not at the new muscles, but at the eyes staring back. There was no triumphant declaration, no internal monologue about campaigns. There was only a cold, hard certainty.
The path was clear. I had to get strong, and I had to get strong *now*. Not for some abstract future war, but for a single, smiling girl in a church.
The Marine Six Styles were the prize. But saving Asia was the goal. And failure was not an option.