[{"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-498":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},1531855,1991,"Chapter 498: 497: Divine Game – Chaotic Restaurant 18","this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-498",498,"\u003Cp>After their little exchange, B80234615 spoke again. \"You really aren't afraid, are you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita answered without hesitation. \"No, because this kill-reward system must have other limitations, doesn't it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, if players could just keep farming a single target for their skills—even their God-Given Talents—this game's death penalty system would create an insurmountable power gap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The strong would rise to the top, while the hunted would be killed into permanent irrelevance, left with no qualifications or confidence to even enter the World Battlefield again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The food chain had its balance. Exclusive game rules restricted mindless slaughter, but they still allowed competition between players of similar power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Take herself, for example.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she went all out, she could forcefully take down a 10th-tier player.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under special circumstances—like with Potted Fortune, who had been immobilized by Octopus Boss—she could even seize the moment and kill a 12th-tier opponent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wasn't the strongest, but she wasn't weak either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she abandoned all objectives and just focused on killing one player repeatedly, her gains would far outweigh any standard Divine Game rewards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was completely unreasonable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes,\" B80234615 confirmed. \"But I can't tell you exactly what the restrictions are. You'll have to figure them out yourself—I can only clear the fog once you reach the right conclusion.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita smirked. \"Oh, so you're basically a 'like' button? Just here to confirm when I'm right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>B80234615 sounded mildly exasperated. \"You know, if you actually think about it, I'm pretty useful.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita pretended to ponder. \"Hmm… yeah, I guess I'd have to think really hard to see that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though she took a jab at it, B80234615 could tell she wasn't actually mad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe she was a little disappointed, but she wasn't angry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nivalis had been right about her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She's always pointing out what's great about others—like every strong player she meets has some shining quality in her eyes. God, this damned 'admirer of strength' bird.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But she doesn't see how amazing she is herself. The moment you help her, she remembers your kindness.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Even if you can't help her, or if you make a mistake that costs her something, she won't hold it against you. She'll make her own judgment. And once she chooses you, she'll own every consequence of that choice.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She's proud—whether for better or worse, she'll always take full responsibility for every decision she makes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Nobody else gets to decide her fate for her.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>B80234615 observed its emotional panel—a section it had never paid much attention to before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The latest fluctuations were recorded in numbers:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>0.7—1.2—2.3—0.8—2.1—3.3—1.5—0.3—2.9\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a maximum value of 100, these tiny spikes were barely anything in comparison. So weak that if it hadn't seen the panel, it wouldn't have even realized—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh. So I actually felt something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next to the numbers were simple labels for those emotions:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frustration. Annoyance. Happiness. Concern. Curiosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It tried to relive those moments, but it couldn't quite grasp them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just talking with her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So why was it different?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had spoken to countless people over hundreds of years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet here, it saw a calculated reason appear in its system logs—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Pet. Friend.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time for Registration\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Potted Fortune permanently \"optimized\" from the team, no new players had been recruited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment the registration phase began, a system prompt popped up in front of Rita and Marmang-Crab.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Would you like to form a team with Marmang-Crab and Octopus Bucket? Yes\u002FNo]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Would you like to form a team with BS Rita and Octopus Bucket? Yes\u002FNo]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita stared at the name \"Octopus Bucket\" with an odd expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was the evolved form of an Octopus Bucket supposed to be?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…Though, honestly, it kinda did look like a bucket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Potted Fortune hadn't been a light blue color, she might've genuinely wondered if Octopus Boss was only choosing teammates that had red on them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both she and Marmang-Crab turned to check, and sure enough—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Octopus Boss also had a selection screen floating in front of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All three confirmed \"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately, a role designation appeared above Octopus Boss's head—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Cashier]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…So it had chosen its own position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And unlike before, now that they were officially a team, Octopus Boss actually shared its plan with them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We need more ingredients and seasonings,\" it said. \"Chef, what do you require?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chef Rita instantly listed off a long chain of ingredients, spices, and vegetables.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She said she was going to make 18 dishes, and she meant it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, TingoJE was still trash-talking players in the world chat while gathering info.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, this Divine Game had a real twisted sense of humor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If a player died normally, they had to revive immediately—like how Black SpringMud Bears and Potted Fortune had respawned so fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if a player became \"food\", their consciousness stuck around—they could still use chat, still interact, still watch whatever happened to their corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>God knows what their reaction will be when they see themselves getting served.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Octopus Boss, now moving far faster than before, sped down the food street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In seconds, they had crossed more than half of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the first time, Rita saw the end of the street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was nothing but a glowing stone tablet, engraved with foreign symbols she didn't recognize.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn't dwell on it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, she focused on their immediate needs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If possible,\" she requested, \"gather extra ingredients and seasonings. If we have time, I want to practice.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Octopus Boss abruptly stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Practice?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before she could reply, everything went dark—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when she blinked, she was somewhere else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A brightly lit room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tables full of kitchen tools and ingredients.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And floating in the center—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A levitating TingoJE.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn't need an explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a training space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A place where she could practice cooking without wasting resources.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her gaze landed on a timer in the corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>71:59:58\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time flowed differently here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Octopus Boss's voice echoed through the room. \"Three days. Enough?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita planted her feet in the kitchen's center.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, she rattled off a list of alchemy materials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Can you bring me these as well?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I can. I'll find them outside. Don't disappoint me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dozen different alchemy components appeared on the counter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita's lips curled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I won't. I won't disappoint you—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Or myself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who said alchemy and cooking couldn't be combined?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had been limiting herself by separating disciplines.\u003C\u002Fp>",1051,"2026-06-06T06:14:58.840Z",1,"novelbin.me","f4e04005a025f296827d7fd4442b440a8de6c694f9aa2b708f29e4db46ddccd7","this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-499","this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-497",1404,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthis-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-cover.jpg"]