[{"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-488":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},1531845,1991,"Chapter 488: 487: Divine Game – Chaotic Restaurant 8","this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-488",488,"\u003Cp>Rita's eyes widened—Pine Bloom's status had changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had gained a weakness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Pine Bloom – Stage 15 – 100%┃100%┃Mind Like Still Water┃Taboo: To Be Forgotten by the World┃Weakness: Mirror Reversal]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mirror Reversal?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was a devastating combat weakness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she tried to move her left hand, her right hand would react instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she dodged left, her body would veer right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything would be flipped, as if she were moving inside a mirror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back when Rita trained at Golden Tree Withered Leaf, she had practiced fighting against mirror reversal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But overcoming reflexes was nearly impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It went against every natural instinct—even after completing the training, all she could do was barely dodge, never fight as she normally would.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What about the other two teammates?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Marmang-Crab – Stage 17 – 100%┃100%┃?┃Taboo: ?┃Weakness: ?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Black SpringMud Bears – Stage 15 – 100%┃100%┃Hates Maple Syrup. Hates Maple Syrup. Hates Maple Syrup┃Taboo: Crushing Teddy Bear Cookies┃Weakness: The phrase \"I'll turn you into a teddy bear cookie\" is an instant psychological break]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She still couldn't read Marmang-Crab's stats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Black SpringMud Bears… his entire profile was just red flags.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, from the moment she first saw him, she had been avoiding eye contact—afraid of getting dragged into whatever grudge he had with Maple Syrup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luckily, he was rational.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He understood Maple Syrup's personality and recognized the BS and Lania Kaia connection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead of taking it out on her, he had even warned her to stay cautious around Maple Syrup, lest she end up turned into a cookie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right now, his bear face was grinning—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had gained something from the battle!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marmang-Crab also looked pleased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita had a bad feeling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She sniffed the air, only to realize that the rich aromas of sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami—which had been lingering in the kitchen just moments ago—were fading rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time she noticed, they had completely vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She opened her status panel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A new debuff had appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Olfactory Loss] (02:00:00)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two hours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pine Bloom, looking completely unfazed, casually flicked her wings—sending the scattered metal pieces from the defeated mist creature floating over to Black SpringMud Bears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita returned to the kitchen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A new stat had appeared under Cleanliness and Mischief Score:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Revenue]: 17◆23◇\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She couldn't recognize the currency, but the game had unified all exchanges into this standard unit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The leaderboard had updated—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their team, led by Marmang-Crab, had climbed to 9,000+ place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the game's mechanics became clearer, the food street turned lively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Black SpringMud Bears left every few minutes, stirring up trouble to farm Mischief Score.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pine Bloom handled the register, while Marmang-Crab guarded the restaurant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita focused entirely on cooking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The olfactory loss affected her slightly, but it wasn't crippling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, worried that more unexpected problems might arise, she hurried to turn all their remaining ingredients into dishes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not every customer was as unreasonable as the mist creature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Pine Bloom didn't always have to use her warhammer to negotiate payments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most notably—\"Mirror Reversal\" didn't seem to affect Pine Bloom at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her warhammer still moved with precision, leaving afterimages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita could hear the powerful whooshing of air every time she swung it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her dodging remained as agile as ever, effortlessly evading enemy skills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, the weakness hadn't disappeared—Rita was certain of that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time she had transformed all the ingredients into a variety of small dishes and snacks, their restaurant's Mischief Score had surpassed 1,000, and their revenue had climbed to 89◆2◇.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Black SpringMud Bears returned from causing havoc, his HP down to just 15%, but his face was filled with satisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For once, the usual brooding weight on his bear-like features had lifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned to Rita, the only teammate he could communicate with, and shared intel:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Players have a minimum Mischief Score—no matter how much is stolen, it can never drop below 0.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if a restaurant's Mischief Score is drained too quickly, it will be forced to shut down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And there's a limit to how long we can cause trouble at any given restaurant—we can only stay for five seconds.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The huge Autumn Bear sat beside her, his height equal to her standing figure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After speaking, he placed some stolen ingredients in front of her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Here. Stole these. Make something with them. Can you make something sweet?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita was hungry too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite only three hours passing, their energy consumption was abnormally high, just like in the Abandoned Zone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn't refuse—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She couldn't add sugar, but she could use naturally sweet fruits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Pine Bloom never turned around—but every so often, a gust of wind would sweep a plated dish from the counter to a waiting customer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without looking, she would toss the received currency behind her—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perfectly landing it in a handmade wooden basket on the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marmang-Crab had left to farm Mischief Score.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita called over to Pine Bloom:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Pine Bloom, what do you want to eat?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pine Bloom tilted her head slightly and shook the piece of fruit jerky in her hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"More of this.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita glanced at the stolen ingredients Black SpringMud Bears had brought back and nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Got it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment she finished speaking, Rita moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the start of the game until now, she hadn't done many reckless things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there had been a few—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like stealing Mischief Score behind Marmang-Crab's back while he was out farming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her [Sinful Act] skill had already stacked three layers of lightning shields.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as she answered Pine Bloom's request, a vision flashed through her mind—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In two seconds, a dagger would slit her throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita's form blurred—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dense mist exploded within the restaurant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But just as the mist began spreading, something interrupted it—forcing her back into her physical form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, both Black SpringMud Bears and Pine Bloom reacted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A phantom bear claw and a pure white warhammer smashed into a small airborne figure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stage 17 player—Nuclear Flash Pear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two Stage 15 players versus a Stage 17 opponent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was not a fight Rita could participate in—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She instantly retreated to a corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before she could escape, an invisible force yanked her back into the battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pine Bloom had grabbed her by the back of the neck and pulled her forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing directly behind her, Pine Bloom's left hand gripped the warhammer, planted into the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her right arm wrapped around Rita, locking her in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her forearm pressed against Rita's throat, tilting her head just slightly upward—forcing her to look up at Nuclear Flash Pear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The enemy was charging a massive AoE attack, a shield protecting their body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Black SpringMud Bears had already given up attacking, focusing on stacking his own shields instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pine Bloom's face was close, her voice soft, almost playful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that exact moment, Rita's olfactory loss debuff expired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She smelled roses—Pine Bloom's scent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, Pine Bloom murmured sweetly into her ear—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"BS Rita~ Forgive my curiosity, but I just have to know—did you get your hands on Winter Sea Frenzied Shark's Bedtime Tale, too?\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1163,"2026-06-06T06:14:58.840Z",1,"novelbin.me","d16ff72bfbe9dadf9e9ff70f9b8603aa49bd8a107524ca8bdeb4d03cc15777dd","this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-489","this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-487",1404,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthis-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-cover.jpg"]