Daily Rewards! Transmigrating into a novel as a side-character!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The wolves charged forward in unison, their paws pounding against the forest floor as they closed the distance.

Slash!

My blade cut through the first wolf's neck in a single clean motion, separating its head from its body before it could even register the attack.

HOWWWWWL!

The remaining wolves let out piercing howls of rage and alarm as their packmate fell, but I was already moving past the corpse.

Clang! Scrape!

The second wolf's claws scraped against my sword as I deflected its lunging attack, using its own momentum to spin it around. In the process, its claws broke completely, it was unable to handle the repercussions of the collision.

Slice! Thud!

My blade found its spine in the same fluid motion, dropping it instantly to the ground.

Growl! Snap!

Two more wolves tried to flank me from either side, their jaws snapping at empty air as I flowed between them like water in a river stream.

Slash! Slash!

Both heads hit the forest floor simultaneously, their bodies collapsing in twin sprays of blood.

HOWWWWWL! HOWWWWWL!

The remaining wolves, realizing they were outmatched, began to retreat with terrified howls echoing through the trees.

Whoosh!

I continued forward without pause, leaving the carnage behind me as if it had never happened. My boots splashed through puddles of blood as I maintained my supernatural speed through the forest.

The entire encounter had lasted less than five seconds. These Noble-rank beasts were nothing more than minor obstacles on my path.

Rustle! Snap!

Branches broke as I blurred past them, my focus entirely on the hidden shrine that awaited me in the distant valley.

After about ten minutes of traveling at enhanced speed through the increasingly dense forest, I encountered another obstacle in my path. This time it was an Elite-rank beast - also a wolf, but this one was notably different from the pack I had just eliminated.

A lone wolf... interesting.

Most wolves were pack hunters by nature, so finding a solitary Elite-rank specimen suggested this creature had either been exiled from its pack for being too aggressive, or it had grown powerful enough that it no longer needed the support of lesser packmates. Either way, it represented a more significant threat than the Noble-rank wolves I had just dispatched.

The beast stood nearly as tall as my chest, its dark fur rippling with barely contained power. Its eyes held an intelligence that the previous wolves had lacked, and I could sense the concentrated aura of Elite-rank strength radiating from its muscular frame.

Growl...

It didn't immediately attack like the others had. Instead, it studied me with the calculating patience of an apex predator, trying to determine whether I was prey or threat.

I didn't give it time to complete that assessment.

Whoosh!

I charged toward it with explosive speed, my speed allowing me to close the distance before it could react properly.

THUNK!

With one precise strike aimed directly at its skull, my sword penetrated through bone and brain matter. The Elite-rank wolf collapsed instantly, its powerful body hitting the forest floor with a heavy thud.

Before continuing on my journey, I took a moment to collect some of its blood in a small vial I carried. Since I no longer had easy access to beast blood from the outer forest areas around the city, I had decided to gather samples whenever convenient opportunities presented themselves.

Drip... drip...

The crimson liquid filled the container as I worked quickly and efficiently.

Continuing down my intended path, I navigated through increasingly tree-dense terrain. The trees grew larger and more gnarled, their branches forming a thick canopy that filtered the sunlight into an almost mystical green glow.

Eventually, I found what I had been searching for, an ancient ruin that seemed to match perfectly with my memories from the novel.

The structure was partially covered by centuries of plant growth, with vines and moss creating natural camouflage across weathered stone surfaces. Carved gargoyles perched at the corners of the entrance, their stone faces held the expressions of vigilance. Various other mystical beast statues surrounded the entrance, dragons, phoenixes, and creatures I couldn't immediately identify, all rendered in exquisite detail despite their obvious age.

Rustle...

This seemed to be exactly what I was looking for, but one question remained in my mind: was this ancient ruin actually part of the official examination, did it have the crests as a reward or not?

Although I wasn't entirely certain, I was about to find out.

I stepped through the entrance of the ancient shrine, my footsteps echoing softly in the enclosed space as I crossed the threshold into the mysterious interior.

The hallway stretched before me, surprisingly spacious despite the ruin's exterior appearance. The architecture was clearly ancient, with carvings along the walls that seemed to shift slightly in the dim light filtering through cracks in the stone ceiling.

Tap… tap… tap…

My boots against the stone floor were the only sounds breaking the profound silence that filled this sacred space.

The corridor was mostly empty except for multiple statues positioned at regular intervals along both walls, and a prominent altar situated directly in the center of the far end. Each statue depicted different warriors in various combat poses, their stone faces frozen in expressions of determination and skill.

I glanced at each statue carefully as I moved deeper into the shrine, studying their craftsmanship and positioning. To a casual observer, they would appear to be nothing more than decorative elements, ancient artwork meant to honor forgotten heroes or commemorate historical battles.

But I wasn't fooled by their seemingly lifeless appearance and apparent lack of any vital energy.

My knowledge from the novel told me exactly what these statues truly represented, and what would happen once I initiated the trial sequence.

Drip…

I knew that the moment I allowed a single drop of my blood to fall onto the central altar, I would be facing these statues in combat.

They weren't mere decorations, they were guardians, magical constructs designed to test anyone seeking to claim the Royal-rank secret art hidden within this shrine.