This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

"This relic likely contains part of a Divine Game rule system. That's why it operates autonomously—and craves games."

Rita silently added in her mind:

And it's ridiculously powerful, packed with versatile skills.

This was Miyaas's finger bone... The thought made Rita unconsciously brush her right eye.

Every time she stole moonlight from the World Battlefield, was she also sneaking away fragments of the game's hidden rules?

She shook the thought off and continued examining the finger bone. Nothing seemed off.

Besides, the deal was fair enough—she could still use the three SSS-tier skills she pledged, as long as she played a round of Truth or Dare each week. If she skipped a week, then she'd lose them.

Once she confirmed that it didn't even have to be her personally playing the game each time, she calmly selected three important but not irreplaceable SSS skills and pledged them to [Soul Catcher], gaining a fourth game skill slot in return.

Then she launched another round of Truth.

The siren's voice drifted back with a new question:

"If all Divine Game players in Lania Kaia promised that if you quit the Divine Game, they would halt all invasions into BS for 300 years, letting BS develop peacefully, would you accept?"

Rita went still.

She thought back on all the Truth rounds she'd faced since obtaining [Soul Catcher]. Compared to the dares, she'd always preferred Truth—it felt less taxing.

But these Truths… these questions…

Some of them pierced so deeply, it was like a blade pressed directly to her heart.

Each one crafted to push her to some extreme, to confront herself at the very edge of reason.

As if tricking her into giving a "bad" answer would somehow invalidate all the goodness she had shown before.

She gripped the bone tighter. The runes etched on it sparkled in anticipation, like a gleeful child watching a player squirm.

The bone didn't rush her. It was savoring the moment—the thrill of exposing truth, of making a player face who they really were.

At last, Rita answered.

Her voice was rough, tight—but firm.

"No. I won't accept. I choose the Divine Game."

It was as if every answer she gave wiped away another smear of fog from the mirror, revealing her own reflection more clearly.

"If this kind of offer were ever made, it would mean that the benefit I bring to BS outweighs 300 years of peaceful development."

A justification, maybe.

But then her tone shifted.

"Even if it were 500 years, or a thousand, or forever—even if they promised never to invade again—I still wouldn't accept."

"There is nothing, no being, no deal… that could make me give up the Divine Game."

Her voice softened, the passion faded, and her face became unreadable. Not heavy, not determined—just calm. Like she was stating a fundamental law of the universe.

She had spoken her truth.

The bone loosened its grip and rewarded her with a new skill:

[One Cold] (1/1): Every being within 100 meters of you—except you—will immediately catch a cold, sneezing once per second. Duration: 2 hours.

A very solid reward. It was essentially a stealth breaker—perfect for games involving hiding or pursuit. A definite keeper.

Rita clasped the bone again for another round—this time, a Dare.

"Seek out a Divine Game player from Lania Kaia and negotiate a ceasefire between Lania Kaia and BS."

A pipe dream. BS didn't have the authority to negotiate anything—not now. Even the hypothetical peace offer in the last Truth was absurd.

She opted to skip the game and claim the reward directly:

[One Raise] (1/1): Instantly increase your current wealth or any single work-related achievement by 20%.

Even better than [One Cold]. If timed right, this could be a game-ender during the Divine Game.

Rita played with the finger bone in her hands, her mind drifting to Miyaas and the game he must've played.

Were his rounds of Truth or Dare just as ruthless, just as revealing?

Had he, too, been reduced to a wreck by the questions?

She couldn't tell if she regretted missing his game—or was grateful to have avoided it.

…

23:45 BS Time.

Wearing a white-and-red magic robe from a recent event bundle, Rita assembled [World's Grave Forest: Decision] and placed it into a bottle-shaped World Graveyard as her entry ticket.

—[Welcome BS player Rita to the World Battlefield.]

—[You will participate in Divine Game #24269.]

—[World Graveyard 4-Character detected. You may bring one item.]

—[World Graveyard 9-Character detected. You may bring one item.]

—[World Graveyard 5-Dot detected. You may bring one relic.]

—[World Graveyard 8-Dot detected. You may bring one relic.]

—[World Graveyard East Wind detected. You and your pet may each unlock one skill.]

—[World Graveyard 1-Bamboo detected. You may bring one same-race teammate.]

—[Your key: 3-star – World's Grave Forest: Decision. Unlocks: Legendary Prologue, War Horn.]

—[Please choose two divine-talent skills and three general skills for both you and your pet.]

Business as usual—she picked divine passives that devoured the most power:

[Absurd Story] (reflect damage) and [Bedtime Tale] (defense)—both always-on.

From the key and side tiles, she could pick four more skills:

[Click, Locked], [Absolutely Awake], [Fourfold Spring], and [Repay].

Two passives, two utility/active skills—all extremely useful.

She'd made sure to steal moonlight from Lania Kaia again before entering, though it didn't measure up to what she used to get from the tower.

Her energy reserves were decent—13,891 remaining Arcane Points, with two-thirds of her Moon Sand still stocked.

That said, she'd conserve energy wherever possible.

Nivalis could sort herself out—Rita left her to her own planning.

As for B8017913, Rita cherry-picked several support, healing, and escape skills from its library.

Then she sorted through her gear.

She chose [Plush Collar], [Lonely Antenna Baby], and [Soul Catcher] as her must-carry relics—those were locked in.

For her final item slot, she picked [Magician's Wisdom Tooth]—otherwise, these rare relics and toys would be hard to store securely.

After all, two of them were perfect-tier relics, and the third had such a bizarre effect that she couldn't risk tossing it into a temporary pouch.