This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

When she first topped the wealth leaderboard in May, her assets were only at 52,339 coins. Three months later, even after spending on equipment, items, and pet scrolls, and despite Rick's constant mooching, she had broken past 53,000 coins. And this didn't even count her unclaimed profits from the *Wheel of Fate* crystal, which amounted to a significant sum.

The second position was still held by Special Affairs Bureau's treasurer. His rank fluctuated hourly, sometimes jumping to first place before dropping again. Scrolling down the list, nearly every profile had a small symbol added in the top corner—representing their faction, whether domestic or foreign.

Individual players were few and far between, with only two others outside the top 90, apart from the anonymous number one.

Surprisingly, Rick and Zoey, who had been prominent in the leaderboard in the previous life, were nowhere to be found.

By 3 p.m., Rita had shipped all her orders and was about to head to training camp when she received a message from Rick.

**[Rick]:** Sis, we're planning to raid the dragon in two days. Can you help us?

**[Rita]:** Of course, but my dragon still doesn't listen to me. Even if I bring her into the instance, she won't fight.

It took a while for Rick to reply.

**[Rick]:** That's fine, sis. We still need one more person.

**[Rita]:** Who's contracting the dragon—you or Zoey?

**[Rick]:** We decided Zoey will contract it first.

**[Rita]:** Wow, you're really spoiling her! But listen, this is life-threatening, so I expect to be paid. I'm not saying I need the same reward as everyone else, but at least half.

**[Rick]:** Half? No way, you're getting the same. Zoey has a skill that might increase people's stats, but it only activates once every 30 days. She said you could join the group—300 chances in total.

Rita was stunned by Zoey's generosity. Was she really going to benefit so much from Zoey?

**[Rita]:** Little brother… Tell me honestly, do I just need to fight in the raid? I don't have to do anything else, right?

**[Rick]:** Sis~ Just bring some high-level landmines and poison, okay? Zoey considers you family.

**[Rita]:** Fine, I'll come.

Rita wasn't concerned about who would end up contracting the dragon. She trusted Rick's cunning—if he wanted it, he'd find a way. Besides, she planned to adjust their luck when the time came.

Her real curiosity lay in who Zoey would bring to the raid. It wasn't about worrying if they'd die—anyone accepting Zoey's deal had surely prepared for the risks. Rita had carried enough burdens in her past life, and this time, she wasn't shouldering anyone else's blame.

In the game forums, there were no posts from Rick or Zoey recruiting players, and they wouldn't turn to the Lopez family. The most likely partner was the Special Affairs Bureau.

**[Rita]:** Are you guys collaborating with Zoey for this 12th-level dragon? 300 instances of *Hope's Song*?

**[Shadow.Q]:** Oh, slow on the uptake, aren't you?

**[Rita]:** That boss-level beast is formidable, and it's level 12.

**[Shadow.Q]:** Don't worry, if we can't beat it, we'll run. A third of our team has Divine Gifts that enhance mobility.

**[Rita]:** … You're not seriously trying to help them contract the dragon, are you?

**[Shadow.Q]:** Oh, we are! Seriously trying to survive, that is.

**[Shadow.Q]:** We're like two hearts beating as one—don't go tattling, okay?

**[Rita]:** I'm just looking for escape tools. I'm helping out too.

**[Shadow.Q]:** Don't worry, stick with me—I'm going too.

Rita then remembered that Shadow.Q's Divine Gift was all about escape, and it was an A-grade ability.

Indeed, her skills were extremely practical and memorable. Rita had *Insight* into hundreds of Divine Gifts, but few left such a lasting impression. Shadow.Q's was one of them.

**[Divine Gift] Grace Never Goes Out of Style (Grade A)**

- **You don't like running away. You're just more cautious than others, more sensitive to danger. And of course, you live longer.**

1. **Sweating Bullets (Passive):** When your health falls below 60%, you enter a state of "sweating bullets." In this state, your agility increases by 200%, and your movement speed increases by 150%.

2. **Grace Never Goes Out of Style:** Activating this ability enters you into bullet-time for 30 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

3. **Don't Say I Never Thought of You:** Allows friendly targets in a selected area to teleport instantly to a location within your sight. The size of the area is determined by your Intelligence. Cooldown: 5 seconds. (Note: If the target destination isn't clear, there's a chance of an accident during teleportation.)

4. **There's a Motorcycle in My Throat:** When using a raspy voice, for each word you speak, your agility increases by 1 point. The duration (in seconds) of the effect for each word is equal to your Intelligence.

Rita couldn't help but imagine Shadow.Q escaping while spitting out rap lyrics in a raspy voice.

Classy. Too classy. She was already looking forward to it…

She absolutely had to record it.

...

The dragon raid was set for August 22. In the days leading up to it, Rita focused on her lessons in Lania Kaia and training with the Special Affairs Bureau, while also studying the map of Moonlake City. She planned to head there right after the raid.

As for her rank dropping to 23 on the leaderboard, she didn't care. To her, stats were the real measure of power. If not for the need to match Nivalis' level for the contract, she wouldn't have grinded through so many instances before fighting Nivalis. Your next read awaits at empire

On the 22nd, Rita arrived near an amusement park, wearing ordinary gear and weapons, as per Zoey's message. Only a few familiar faces were there: Zoey, Rick, Ezra, Aaron, and Lincoln. The Special Affairs Bureau team hadn't arrived yet.

When Rita showed up, the group was visibly surprised. She now sported three deep blue claw marks on her forehead—the middle one was about 3-4 centimeters long, with the other two slightly shorter. These marks weren't like ordinary scars; they resembled magical runes. Far from detracting from her appearance, they gave her a dangerous, mysterious aura.

Rita pointed to the magical markings and said, "Nivalis doesn't want to fight, but she drew these for me. I'm incredibly powerful today."

Each statement was true on its own, but together, they led people to conclude that Rita had gained part of a dragon's strength through her bond with Nivalis. She had even used her *Disguise* skill to boost her visible stats.