[{"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-496":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},1531853,1991,"Chapter 496: 495: Divine Game – Chaotic Restaurant 16","this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-496",496,"\u003Cp>The tentacle wrapped around her legs was tightening, and Rita could hear her bones creaking under the pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the octopus boss didn't kill her immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant she still had a chance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She explained, \"Because our boss here doesn't just like strong employees and quality ingredients—it also seems to have a preference for certain species.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For cleaning, it chose Marmang-Crab, a 17th-tier player ranked 1888 on the leaderboard. For ingredients, it picked TingoJE, an 18th-tier player ranked 67.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both players had aquatic features—one resembled a snow crab, the other a blue whale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marmang-Crab came from the Marmang Deep Sea World, and SkyCrabs naturally lived underwater, even though they could move on land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>TingoJE—while still alive—was always surrounded by water currents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the octopus boss? It wasn't hard to guess where it came from.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow crab, blue whale, octopus, jellyfish—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was starting to look less like a restaurant team and more like a family reunion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Except for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was the odd one out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then came that other player, the jellyfish-like one it had just grabbed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though that player was only 12th-tier, he was still stronger than her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wasn't going to sit around and wait for herself to be replaced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If a team had too many employees, the obvious solution was to kill off the extras.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And she wasn't going to be one of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finding [Chefs] was getting harder and harder. Other teams were hiding them, and just now, the octopus boss had to break a stealth skill to reveal this one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita concluded, \"I don't want to be eliminated. I'm competing for my position and defending my job.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, she activated her disguise skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her form morphed, transforming into a siren with a shimmering mermaid tail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She flicked her fin dramatically, turned to the octopus boss, and grinned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Boss, this is the real me! Give me a chance to shine.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marmang-Crab: … TingoJE: …\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Marmang·Crab]: I can't take this anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Tingo·JE]: Me neither.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Marmang·Crab]: This is shameless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Tingo·JE]: Exactly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Marmang·Crab]: But can you do better?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Tingo·JE]: No.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[BS·Rita]: WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita ignored them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn't know if it was because her words worked, or because her siren disguise was too convincing, or if the octopus boss was simply waiting to find a better chef to replace her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at the moment, it actually let her go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, a notification popped up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Ding—Congratulations! BS Rita has killed \"Potted Fortune.\" The player has chosen to use 2 S-Tier skills to purchase their second resurrection in this Divine Game. You have earned one random S-Tier skill as a battle reward.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Ding—Calculating drop… You have gained +9 Intelligence.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Battle reward calculated… You have received the S-Tier skill: \"Special Grade Chef? Special Grade Chef!\"]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…A Cooking Skill?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita momentarily forgot about the insane resurrection cost—her focus was on the cooking skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She eagerly opened her skill panel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Special Grade Chef? Special Grade Chef!] (S-Tier)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Effect: Upon activation, the character's sleeve will display a large, glowing \"特\" symbol (meaning \"Special\"). Any living being who sees this symbol will be compelled to exclaim: \"What?! You're a Special Grade Chef?!\" Skill Range: 100 meters. Skill Duration: 3 seconds. Mana Cost: 100 MP per use. Cooldown: 30 seconds. Rita: …?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>WHAT KIND OF STUPID S-TIER SKILL IS THIS?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait. Wait. WAIT.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita slowly turned to look at Marmang-Crab, who was completely absorbed in arguing in the battlefield chat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She activated the skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Chef's Aura!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, a dazzling golden glow erupted from her right sleeve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A massive \"特\" symbol materialized, radiating intense light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marmang-Crab—who had been mid-argument—whipped his head around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?! You're a Special Grade Chef?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it wasn't just him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within a 100-meter radius, across the streets, in the air, and in the surrounding buildings—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every single player turned their heads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?! You're a Special Grade Chef?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?! You're a Special Grade Chef?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?! You're a Special Grade Chef?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A chorus of voices in every language echoed the same stupid line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita tried to stay calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She forced herself to keep a straight face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She clenched her jaw, gritted through the pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the problem was…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This dumbass skill didn't spare her either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her gaze involuntarily snapped to the glowing \"特\" on her sleeve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before she could stop herself, the words spilled out of her mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?! I'm a Special Grade Chef?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…This was the longest 3 seconds of her life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>B80234615 decided to join in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?! You're a Special Grade Chef?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita: \"I am so disappointed in you. I thought you were my safe harbor.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>B80234615: \"This is fantastic. This is exactly what I wanted to see!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>3 seconds later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marmang-Crab stared at her in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every nearby player also stared at her in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita let her arm drop, sighed, then calmly laid down on the octopus's back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let's just pretend I'm dead.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the octopus boss and some tourists had remained unaffected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those cosmic beings were the real strong ones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The octopus boss's footsteps had noticeably sped up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was trying to leave this cursed area as fast as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita: \"This is a GOD-TIER skill. How is this just S-Tier?! It force-stuns every player in range, disrupts their actions, and even mind-controls them into speaking. It's practically an SS-Tier ability!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>B80234615: \"Glad you like it. Now please hide me deeper in your inventory.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the humiliation wore off, Rita actually started liking the skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was an amazing disruption and control ability!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure, it was embarrassing. Sure, it was short. Sure, it had no damage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But who cares?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even high-tier players like Marmang-Crab had been stunned for 3 whole seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With proper timing, combined with a defensive buff, this skill could be incredibly useful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marmang-Crab rapped his claw against her shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That… cursed skill—you got that from killing Potted Fortune, didn't you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only that, but she also told him about the death penalty increasing—how Potted Fortune had to sacrifice 2 S-Tier skills to revive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surprisingly, Marmang-Crab wasn't shocked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, he calmly said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, yeah, I've seen this before. Third death costs 3 S-Tier skills, fourth death costs an SS-Tier, and so on. By the seventh death, it's an SSS-Tier skill. By the tenth death—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You lose a God-Given Talent.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita's mind went blank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The tenth death costs a God-Given Talent.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She asked B80234615,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Have the 51 games you experienced with escalating death penalties… all used this system?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>B80234615: \"I was wondering when you'd ask.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1076,"2026-06-06T06:14:58.840Z",1,"novelbin.me","a33a449c2352d1a213882114f148380fb0c51a08ea08e26ce43f9f210bf0bb88","this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-497","this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-495",1404,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthis-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-cover.jpg"]