This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

Rita was beginning to realize that the gods were truly watching the game... and it seemed like they were watching quite intently.

The rabbit tossed the ingredient toward her and then sat down at the counter behind the cash register, ordering a few dishes. "Do your best," it said.

Rita took the ingredient to the kitchen, but her mind was already racing. What if the event loot boxes brought ingredients that were from species too similar to humans? It would be just like Hannibal all over again.

She stared at the ingredient on the table—it was about two meters long—and, unsure of what to do, decided to ask Octopus Bucket if she could practice her cooking skills in that mysterious space again.

Octopus Bucket shook its head, explaining, "I would let you practice, but it's on cooldown. A whole month."

At that moment, the rabbit suddenly spoke up. "Are you trying to go to the Time Station to practice cooking?"

Rita felt a sense of caution but didn't immediately reject the offer. Instead, she asked, "Do you have a way?"

The rabbit replied, "It's similar to the skills you know, but it's not as good as Octopus Bucket's. However, if you trade me your Orange-Red Light Wings, I'll help you."

Without hesitation, Rita rejected the offer. "Forget it."

She turned and went back to cooking, but the rabbit followed her. "Why?" it asked.

Rita couldn't shake the feeling that gods were quite gossipy. Since they knew about Sea Pony's trash talk, she didn't believe the gods didn't understand the significance of Orange-Red Light Wings to her.

Orange-Red Light Wings weren't just tied to Cheers and Drunkard skills; they were also the bond between her and Maple Syrup. She knew, no matter how hard she tried to act tough, that she couldn't erase the impact Maple Syrup had on her.

Maple Syrup was both a tyrant and an enemy, like a mother and a teacher. She had been a guiding force on Rita's journey.

And Maple Syrup's treatment of her wasn't just because of their ten years together at High Tower; it was because Rita had Maple Burn's Orange-Red Light Wings. If she lost them, Maple Syrup would never care about her again, no matter how high her rank would rise. She would become just like Marmang-Crab and Winter Sea Frenzied Shark—no longer special to her.

The rabbit seemed to know more than it let on. It not only knew the gossip, but also seemed to understand what BS Rita wanted.

It said, "What about the space where you can train your combat abilities? The time ratio outside is one day to one month inside. You can set the enemy's attributes and talents however you like."

Rita didn't respond, shaking her head as she worked on the ingredients.

The rabbit asked again, "What if this space can also simulate all the players in the world battlefield?"

Rita hesitated for a moment, but still shook her head.

The rabbit, like a devil tempting her, kept raising the stakes.

Marmang-Crab and Octopus Bucket slouched nearby, eavesdropping, while Sea Pony practically begged Rita to agree. "Are those wings really that special?!"

Rita nodded. "Yes, they're special."

The rabbit nodded seriously, then concluded on its own, "You've betrayed your own kind."

"No." Rita calmly replied.

She wasn't angry at the rabbit's accusation because she knew it wasn't true.

If Maple Syrup's health dropped to 1%, she would have no hesitation in shooting to finish her off. It would be an honor for Rita to personally kill such a strong enemy.

The rabbit asked, "Then why refuse? Are these wings more important than protecting your kind and the world after you get stronger?"

Rita almost got vertigo. How did the conversation escalate to protecting races and worlds?!

She didn't respond to the rabbit's question directly. After sensing its curiosity and malicious intent, she decided to turn the tables. "This isn't in the scope of restaurant business. If you want to know, you'll have to pay the price to buy my answer."

The rabbit stood on its hind legs, rummaged through its fur with its short front paws, and pulled out a small square—a skill icon. Unafraid of Rita snatching it away, the rabbit jumped onto the cooking table and handed it to her.

"This," the rabbit said, "buying your answer. Your choice earlier doesn't match your soul fire. In fact, it's almost contradictory."

Rita took the icon. It showed a cross, symbolizing rejection, prohibition, and error.

[Candy Crush] (SSS-level): Use this skill to mark a player. The mark lasts for 5 minutes. During this time, if the player uses any magic element three times, all related skills of that element are banned for 1 hour. The number of types of banned magic elements has no limit. Every marking costs 500 mana. At any one time, only three targets can be marked.

Rita was stunned by the rabbit's generosity. She asked, "Is it just for one answer?"

The rabbit answered, "Yes, but you need to satisfy me, or I will take it back."

Rita pushed the icon back and sighed, "This price is too low. The relationship and emotions between Maple Syrup and I are a secret you can't afford to buy."

Marmang-Crab and Sea Pony gasped in shock!

The rabbit was also stunned. It thought for a moment, then pushed the Candy Crush icon back and pulled out another item: a Golden Tree Withered Leaf.

Rita: "Ahhhh, do the gods really love melodrama this much? They believe in such a fake story?"

B80234615: "...Mostly, they didn't expect you to have no bottom line."

Rita: "Gods are so tacky!"

Rita maintained her composure, forcing a smile as she looked at the rabbit. "Fine, I really can't deal with you."

The rabbit frowned, touched itself, and said, "Did you use some sort of mental skill on me? The moment you made that gesture and said those words, I suddenly felt uncomfortable."

Rita expressionlessly grabbed the Golden Tree Withered Leaf, casually stashing the Candy Crush icon. "Do you still want to hear more?"

The rabbit didn't look back, raised a hand, and cast a skill that blocked sight and sound.

Rita gathered her thoughts and said, "There are many reasons…"

The rabbit interrupted, "Oh, then tell me one by one. What's your relationship with her?"

Rita felt like she was sitting in a village square. She helplessly brought the topic back on track. "Maple Syrup is the backdoor I've left for BS and myself."

Just one sentence, and the rabbit finally understood. It had been misled by Rita's erratic behavior and soul fire all along, thinking it could listen to some taboo gossip.

The rabbit teased her, "Didn't you say you'd integrate Lania Kaia into BS?"

Rita wasn't angry. Ideals were ideals, but reality was reality. "If the defeat becomes irreversible, I have to survive with the fire in Lania Kaia."

Every time Rita saw Maple Syrup, Mistblade, or Pine Bloom—these strong figures from Lania Kaia—then returned to BS, looking at BS's leaderboard, she felt a sense of helplessness.

She wanted to save a world, and she dreamed of it every night!

But her personality meant she always imagined every possible ending and prepared for it in advance.

If BS failed, then integrating BS into Lania Kaia would be a good ending.

Even though she had nightmares of BS's remnants struggling to survive in Lania Kaia, waiting for the invasion of a new world and becoming monsters in the eyes of otherworldly beings.

Furthermore, there was a new nightmare now—the Cosmic Wanderers.

She liked being a lone wolf, but that didn't mean she could ignore the destruction of her race. It was like living in seclusion in the mountains but never losing contact with the world.

The rabbit shook its head. "If BS loses, Lania Kaia and Maple Syrup won't spare your race just because they admire you."

"I know," Rita responded, understanding Maple Syrup's coldness and iron blood. "But Maple Syrup would compromise because of Maple Burn's Orange-Red Light Wings."

"Furthermore... the power Orange-Red Light Wings gives me is not inferior to the training space you just mentioned."