[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist":3,"chapter-this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-1382":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1533193,1991,"Chapter 1382 1382: 1382 One of the Forgotten Races","this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-1382",1382,"\u003Cp>Ever since BS Rita started painting the world fragments as puzzle pieces, players constantly gathered around her whenever she appeared on the ship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But most of the time, nobody could tell which world she was currently working on just by looking at the races sitting nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Partly because too many people came to watch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But more importantly, because most worlds and most races had never survived until the end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ever since Rita began designing the massive puzzle draft, the little robot that used to follow Nivalis everywhere and attend classes with her had stopped leaving BS Rita's shoulder entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Deceitful Bloom loved holding the enormous blueprint covered in puzzle outlines and densely packed world names, studying it over and over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita suddenly paused mid-stroke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she frowned in annoyance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I missed a world.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deceitful Bloom replied immediately,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You didn't. I checked it several times already. Nothing's missing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita turned toward B80 and smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Scrap Zone is missing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>B80's tiny dot eyes widened larger and larger as it murmured blankly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Scrap Zone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the endpoint of The Mechanoids.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the place where she had first taken B80 away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Exactly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita looked at it softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why shouldn't your world be included? Of course it should.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We visited the Scrap Zone in every timeline looking for you...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked regretfully at the three worlds she had already finished painting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she took the blueprint from Deceitful Bloom's hands and said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There's still time to adjust it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I was already regretting that there were only 9,999 puzzle pieces anyway. I even had to enlarge some sections slightly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But now... ten thousand is perfect.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then her gaze froze on the blueprint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her heartbeat skipped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And she could clearly feel the breathing of the Deceitful Bloom beside her slowing ever so slightly as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>B80 raised both fists high into the air excitedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Scrap Zone! The Scrap Zone!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita had long grown accustomed to B80's emotions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew those reactions came from calculations telling it that happiness was the correct response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they were so realistic that she often forgot B80 was not truly alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She repeated softly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah. The Scrap Zone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint smile and a quiet sigh colored Deceitful Bloom's voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I almost forgot.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It never even occurred to me that The Mechanoids are actually one of the countless races too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, every voice on the deck vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wind disappeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So did the distant sounds of conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time had been stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Rita and Deceitful Bloom remained unaffected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But neither of them spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both were still lost in their own spiraling thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long while, Deceitful Bloom finally spoke first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I should've realized sooner...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You noticed something strange, didn't you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You suspect B80?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita answered quietly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I suspect all of The Mechanoids.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pruning timelines that lacked enough Brilliance felt too subjective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like judging whether a story was good or bad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Living beings with emotions could never evaluate things that cleanly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet every time the bell rang, entire timelines were cut away with perfect precision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like deleting faulty programs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or erasing redundant code according to some hidden algorithm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That kind of mechanical behavior...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That almost computational logic...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was difficult not to connect it to something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And more importantly...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who else could monitor players constantly at close range?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, the other beings inside the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>NPCs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone who participated in Divine Game saw them constantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They always seemed to have existed there already.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As though they were simply part of the world itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like furniture in a house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or paintings hanging on walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They craved living beings and Soul Fire with obsessive hunger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when they looked at players, it resembled lower lifeforms gazing at beings from a higher dimension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only today, when she suddenly wanted to create a world piece for B80, did she feel as though she had awakened from a nightmare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thought flashed through her mind:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why couldn't it be The Mechanoids?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Players like them acted as participants inside the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then who exactly were The Mechanoids, the ones acting as NPCs?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, Rita did not deny Deceitful Bloom's guess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because she truly did suspect B80 too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back when Y128 came to BS, it had struggled for a long time trying to locate her because it was unable to connect to the BS network without permission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when Rita traveled through timelines with B80, B80 could freely connect to every network in every world regardless of what form those networks took.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita slowly explained all her suspicions before finally asking,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A long time ago, when I first met B80, it said The Mechanoids were created by gods.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm not questioning whether that statement was true.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I want to know the history as you understand it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deceitful Bloom's fingers brushed slowly across the lower right corner of the painting, passing over one familiar world after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her expression grew increasingly grave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As far back as I can remember, everyone already said The Mechanoids were created by some god.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Even Divine Game itself said so.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But who exactly created them?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There was never a clear answer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The factory that produces them is located not far from Foolishness's Toy Palace.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As long as enough resources and materials are supplied, new Mechanoids appear automatically.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She let out a bitter laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The great strike was ridiculous, wasn't it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But precisely because we never truly regarded them as important, we tolerated them from such a superior position.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"After all, if we wanted to, we could crush them at any time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's why the Scrap Zone exists.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more she spoke, the more obvious her frustration and realization became.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the answer appeared, every clue suddenly seemed painfully obvious in hindsight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They were always special.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They appeared weak, but they never completely went extinct in any era.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"At the end of every era, we gods would sleep for an extremely long time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We only awakened again when the first world entered Divine Game.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And every time a new era began...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"All the Mechanoids abandoned in the Scrap Zone during the previous era disappeared.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As though they had been automatically cleaned up.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita lifted B80 from her shoulder and held it before her eyes, studying it carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who would ever suspect the NPCs?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But then why did L12187777 awaken a divine talent because of me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are there many Mechanoids like that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Occasionally one appears each era.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deceitful Bloom paused before continuing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"One awakened because of me once too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...But when I woke up in the next era, I couldn't find it anymore.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita asked heavily,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Was it assassinated by... you know who?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...No.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deceitful Bloom calmly changed the subject.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The little robot was still there when we buried her.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So are you still adding the Scrap Zone into the painting?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Now I definitely have to.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If they're truly one of the countless races, then the painting would be incomplete without The Mechanoids.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deceitful Bloom agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But something else concerned her more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It formed a contract with you, didn't it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Should I help stage something with you sometime?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We could break the contract without openly turning against each other.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No need.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita gently placed B80 back onto her shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If contracts are connections and restraints, then those connections work both ways.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We'll leave it as it is for now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she suddenly noticed Deceitful Bloom staring at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Vineborne had been watching her silently for quite some time now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita could not help asking,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why are you staring at me like that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deceitful Bloom asked quietly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why aren't you upset?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why aren't you angry?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It lied to you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita: \"???\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Vineborne's tone sounded calm and composed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But somehow, Rita could still hear the faint trace of accusation hidden underneath.\u003C\u002Fp>",1297,"2026-06-06T06:15:33.929Z",1,"novelbin.me","d7d8f3615438884a392ec4a174f14ee101be3afbda1f94b883b1dcbee7f987e2","this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-1383","this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-1381",1404,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthis-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-cover.jpg"]