[{"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-491":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},1531848,1991,"Chapter 491: 490: Divine Game – Chaotic Restaurant 11","this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-491",491,"\u003Cp>Marmang-Crab leaped onto the table, his voice booming across the restaurant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita wasn't the least bit moved. She could already guess exactly what that crab was about to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Give us the money!!\" Marmang-Crab roared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita scoffed. She knew it. Not a single soul in this restaurant had a shred of integrity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was about to use Master Thief Dragon to escape, planning to rewind time and hide in the kitchen before customers arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before she activated her ability, she cast a skill on the octopus-like customer carrying her—[I Just Want to Improve So Badly].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until now, she hadn't used this skill on any of the customers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These cosmic beings were too unpredictable—some were formless, others radiated toxic energy from a distance, and some didn't even display basic information like health or mana.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When stealing, the most important thing wasn't just getting the loot—it was getting away afterward. And right now, she had nowhere to run.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had been holding back to avoid drawing unnecessary trouble to the restaurant. If she wrecked their business, the other three teammates would absolutely hunt her down for payback.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, she had nothing to lose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for time manipulation…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was where B80234615 came in handy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More than once, while she was busy working, B80234615 would suddenly warn her, \"The timestream just rippled. Someone used a time skill.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it wasn't rare. The game had only been running for half a day, and it had already happened over twenty times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With so many high-level players in the same area, it was inevitable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though time skills were incredibly rare, with tens of thousands of divine players gathered in one place, the number of users wasn't small.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn't even have to bet on it—just like what had happened in her fight against Jameson. Back then, too many time abilities had been used at once, creating a chaotic timeflow that eventually locked out all time skills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That scenario was bound to repeat itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>B80234615 had been invaluable in helping her track these fluctuations. The only downside was that it refused to reveal which players had time abilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This concerns the privacy of Divine Game players,\" B80234615 explained. \"I can't give you a direct list. However, when you encounter divine players, I can help you scan their information and provide knowledge about the World Battlefield. But I can't just hand you names. Do you understand the difference?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One option was directly sharing a database. The other was searching through available data when necessary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She asked, \"Even though you're my pet now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Even though I belong to you now,\" B80234615 replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Great. That's just great.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>B80234615 simply responded, \"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the very least, this meant that other mechanical race chip users also couldn't access her private information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the fact that B80234615 could detect when time abilities were being used in her vicinity was already a huge advantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just from this, Rita had decided—unless absolutely necessary, she wouldn't use her time skill. The less she used it, the shorter the duration of any time-lock penalties in case of another timeflow disruption.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But right now was absolutely necessary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She attempted [I Just Want to Improve So Badly] nine times in a row—but every single attempt failed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That almost never happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was clear that something was interfering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita didn't mind, though. The robe Pine Bloom had given her was constantly healing her, so it wasn't like she was losing anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Marmang-Crab had already started counting the money. Holding a handful of ancient-looking fossils, he carefully confirmed that they were valid currency that could be registered in the restaurant's revenue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Satisfied, he waved his claw at the octopus customer. \"Please come again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A moment later, Marmang-Crab was also tied up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…Huh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita was about to abandon her skill and activate Master Thief Dragon when B80234615 spoke up in her mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The timestream has rippled again. Not just once.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She paused. \"You mean multiple people are using time skills at the same time?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not just multiple players—some are using it repeatedly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How many players just used time skills? What's the highest number of times someone used it in a row?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In the last ten seconds, 31 players activated time abilities. The highest repeated usage by a single player was seven times.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita's thoughts moved at lightning speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She immediately abandoned the idea of using time skills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something major was happening. That many high-level players wouldn't all be rewinding time at the same moment unless the situation was critical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, it was possible that some of them were clueless—players who had never encountered a timeflow disruption before and didn't realize that messing with time too much would trigger consequences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the odds of that were slim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the first few hours of the game, players had been extremely conservative with their time abilities. In total, time skills had only been used a little over twenty times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now? Over thirty in just ten seconds?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had to assume the worst.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita completely relaxed, deciding to just ride this out with the octopus customer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it hadn't eaten her immediately, then she still had room to maneuver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And besides, Marmang-Crab was here too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turning to the crab, now tied up beside her, she smiled. \"What a coincidence. Shouldn't you be asking for money too?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marmang-Crab, who had been cursing nonstop, froze for a moment—then immediately yelled at the octopus, \"PAY UP! THROW THE MONEY ON THE TABLE! OR I'LL DIE RIGHT HERE IN FRONT OF YOU!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The customer, already several meters away, suddenly stopped walking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, to Rita's utter shock, it actually turned back and dropped some money on the counter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only that, but it even set up a protective barrier around the payment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A silver thread rose from the shield, linking itself to the painting on the restaurant wall—a picture of a crab and a little human figure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>B80234615 quickly explained, \"That barrier can only be opened by the creator of the painting.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Rita processed this, she started to get a feel for the octopus customer's personality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She decided to test something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Switching to Sky-Crab language, she asked, \"Senior, since you've taken me with you, does that mean I'm your employee now? Shouldn't you pay me a salary?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marmang-Crab stared at her with an expression that could only be described as pure bewilderment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The octopus didn't respond right away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, after a few seconds, a small pouch of fossil currency floated into Rita's hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, the tentacle wrapped around her loosened slightly, only restraining her legs now while freeing her upper body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Catching the bag, Rita confirmed her suspicions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This customer was stubborn and domineering, but it wasn't completely unreasonable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it probably wasn't planning to eat them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marmang-Crab snapped out of his shock, instantly raising his claws and shouting:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"BOSS—!!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1141,"2026-06-06T06:14:58.840Z",1,"novelbin.me","af5631dbe842aba64671c369718c5e4dabc0ad336b2aab3264321741d9e596ab","this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-492","this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-490",1404,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthis-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-cover.jpg"]