[{"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-283":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},1532272,1991,"Chapter 283 If It Were You, Where Would You Set the Trap?","this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-283",283,"\u003Cp>Rita, now practically broke, started experimenting with her new skill, [Moment of Reversal]. She asked Nivalis to attack her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately, she sensed she could exchange any single attribute between herself and Nivalis—whether it was a Divine Gift skill, health points, or mana. However, she could only select one term at a time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, swapping the names of their Divine Gifts wouldn't change the associated abilities. But she could exchange Skill 1 of her Divine Gift with Skill 1 of Nivalis's.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Black Jade's original form was just a \"lucky little snake,\" his current Divine Gift must have been meticulously cultivated through countless calculations and schemes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She also discovered a hidden condition within [Moment of Reversal], cleverly hinted at by its name. The skill required the user to be at a disadvantage before activation; otherwise, it wouldn't trigger the \"reversal.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, after being attacked by Nivalis, she could use the skill at any time. However, if she drank a Daughter's Whiskey, causing her attributes to skyrocket far beyond Nivalis's, the skill would become unusable unless her health dropped to a critical level, putting her in a disadvantaged state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking back on the day Black Jade was cornered by a hundred-player team, she realized that the circumstances allowed him to reverse the contract with Rick. Black Jade's overall situation was at a disadvantage, enabling him to use the skill to exchange identities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this discovery, Rita felt a sense of relief. One more problem solved. She decided to reward herself by personally preparing a meal for the backyard cats, something she hadn't done in ages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Nivalis gathered the cats in the backyard, even teaching them to wash their bowls using the sensor-activated faucet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Rita stirred the meat soup, the laughter and play outside contrasted sharply with the quiet of her kitchen. The peace offered her a moment to reflect on her journey from encountering Jameson to the present.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jameson had been truthful, but what he knew might not have been the whole truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Whale's Secret\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What exactly lies inside the whale?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If there was a trap in the whale's body, why didn't Miyaas set it in the ship's cabin instead?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was the dragon scale disrupting his plans, or was the whale's body a deliberate part of the scheme?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jameson's role couldn't be that simple. And why did Miyaas specifically need the dragon scale?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita retrieved the container holding Miyaas's remains and tried listing it on the in-game auction house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The auction house displayed the item as:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[A whale containing numerous treasures and artifacts]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What's more, an alert popped up indicating that, after the 48-hour listing period, the item could only remain in the auction house for 8 days and 17 hours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would it disappear after that? Or something else?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She frowned and tested listing Jameson in his box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, no expiration message appeared. However, it was surprising that Jameson could be sold at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She carefully put the two relics back in her inventory. She wanted to look for dungeons related to Miyaas, but considering he shared her [Thief God] abilities, he'd never leave a high-profile trail. Finding a dungeon tied to him among tens of thousands of options would be nearly impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Web of Doubt\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each step seemed logical at first glance, yet under scrutiny, every stage felt like it could hide a trap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sensing Rita's unease, Nivalis left the backyard and flew to her side. \"What's wrong?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's all too smooth,\" Rita murmured. \"Don't you think everything has gone suspiciously well?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nivalis looked genuinely shocked. \"This is what you call smooth? Just finding the siren script on the fishing boat was a headache, not to mention locating Soul Catcher. Then there was exposing Jameson and Miyaas's traps, getting the dragon scale, and capturing Miyaas's remains.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing it laid out like that, the journey did sound arduous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There had been battles, rewards, and moments of triumph. And those victories filled her with a sense of accomplishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But weren't those the very things that dulled vigilance?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt like a game designed specifically for her—a trail where every step offered some benefit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like how Jameson's \"flawlessness\" became his greatest flaw, Rita now began to doubt Miyaas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Perfect Trap\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A royal sea creature. A thief capable of stealing a dragon's scale without being discovered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every twist and turn felt scripted. Jameson's intricate schemes, Miyaas's timed manipulations, the layers of connection between The White Family and herself—all of it seemed too well-crafted. Your journey continues on My Virtual Library Empire\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was as though countless threads were weaving a net to entrap her completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where would she set the trap if she were Miyaas?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not at the obvious places where enemies might suspect it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, the most dangerous trap would be hidden in plain sight—somewhere unassuming, even comforting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would be concealed at the point where the prey didn't yet realize they were being hunted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would be in the beginning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soul Catcher\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita's eyes snapped open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soul Catcher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the first step—the first item she acquired without suspicion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The process of obtaining it had been seamless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the time, Miyaas's identity and intentions were still unknown to her. To Rita, it was just a \"normal grave\" with faint ties to sirens. It shouldn't have been overly tied to Lania Kaia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had it not been for Black Jade's unexpected arrival on Blue Star, she would have instinctively relied on Soul Catcher, believing it to be an infallible artifact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, something without its own consciousness or agenda seemed trustworthy—who would suspect a \"neutral\" item?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even now, her first major decision had relied on Soul Catcher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita finished cooking the meat soup and set it out for the cats. Without hesitation, she and Nivalis activated their invisibility and returned to Jameson's graveyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, she meticulously searched every corner of the cemetery, layer by layer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It took nearly five hours, but she finally found it—hidden within the intricate carvings behind Jameson's tombstone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Breaking the relief revealed a cluster of metallic runes embedded inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of the metal striking the stone floor felt like a weight falling onto her chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Lingering Puzzle\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita wasn't well-versed in magical runes; they were primarily used in enchanting and tailoring. She sketched the symbols and posted an anonymous inquiry on the game's forums.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before she even made it home, her phone buzzed with responses.\u003C\u002Fp>",1066,"2026-06-06T06:14:58.838Z",1,"novelbin.me","68d7872f891b98b1760b37278700944156e2de5a47f5e2f5dcd2dba48aadc435","this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-233","this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-232",1404,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthis-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-cover.jpg"]