This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

As they left the perfumer, Shadow.Q casually asked Rita and the little dragon perched on her shoulder, "So, can dragon tears be sold?"

Nivalis wagged a claw in exaggerated disapproval. "Dragons do not cry."

Rita pulled out a glass vial no larger than her pinky. "She's telling the truth. No tears, but I've got a little dragon snot if that's worth anything."

Nivalis flew up to Rita's face and pressed her forehead against Rita's, fuming. "You dare insult the greatness of dragonkind!"

With Nivalis so close, her tiny stature forced Rita's eyes to cross. She quickly closed them. "Fine! Let Special Affairs Bureau trade for some limited-edition figurines. You can't get dragon tears, but they can."

Nivalis immediately turned to Shadow.Q with wide, hopeful eyes. "Will this much snot be enough? If it's tears you need, I can squeeze some out. I'm a very emotional dragon!"

Rita & Shadow.Q: …

After handing Nivalis over to Shadow.Q to choose her toys, Rita made her promise not to agree to anything without consulting her. Once Nivalis agreed, Rita headed off alone to teach her class.

A New Mission

After class, Shadow.Q didn't send Rita home as usual. Instead, she invited her to a small conference room. Once seated, Shadow.Q got straight to the point.

"We know your true strength far exceeds what you've shown. Are you interested in taking on a mission?"

Rita raised an eyebrow. Does the Special Affairs Bureau really lack manpower? She couldn't imagine Shadow.Q being this formal just to recruit her for a dungeon raid. "A mission? Are you short on people?"

"This is a completely optional mission," Shadow.Q assured her. "There's no moral pressure here." She paused before explaining further. "Have you ever wondered why, despite the 14th-level dungeons unlocking, we haven't asked you or Nivalis to help clear them?"

Rita nodded. "I have." But she hadn't been overly concerned. Similar issues had arisen in her past life, and while people were initially alarmed, the SAB had somehow managed to keep things under control. After all, Blue Star had survived three years.

Shadow.Q continued, "That's because you alone couldn't change the current situation. Dungeon unlocking is outpacing player leveling. The 14th-level dungeons have already unlocked, and the 15th-level dungeons will follow in a few days. The Divine Gift we use to seal dungeon gates has its limits.

"What's worse, one of our players captured by the Vice Governor of Dark City managed to use their Gift to extract critical intelligence and send it back to us.

"On three specific dates next year—February 22nd, June 6th, and October 10th—new dungeon gates will appear. If that were all, it would be a boon for players, providing more resources to grow stronger.

"But the problem is this: existing dungeons will upgrade too. Already unlocked dungeons won't reset or relock when higher-level creatures emerge. Once unlocked, a dungeon refreshes every seven days, and the creatures within are no longer bound by the original dungeon's level cap. This means a 13th-level dungeon could spawn creatures at level 20 or even 30."

Rita asked, "So this mission relates to fixing that problem?"

"Yes." Shadow.Q explained, "Through an S-rank prophecy Gift, we've identified a solution. In Eternal Night Fortress, there's a tower with a clock beneath its peak. This clock, known as [Fickle Fate], governs the flow of time for all things.

"One of our artists has a Gift that allows them to bring S-rank artifacts to life if they can capture every detail in a drawing. With this, we could use part of the clock's power to rewind the timers on all unlocked dungeons, sealing them anew.

"But there's a catch: the clock's hands. The artist cannot replicate what's inside the hands."

Rita tilted her head in confusion. "What's inside the hands?"

Shadow.Q sighed. "Even the second hand pauses occasionally, making it possible to match the timing with the drawing. But the contents of the clock hands are fluid, constantly in motion, making perfect synchronization impossible."

Rita's expression turned peculiar. Shadow.Q noticed and asked, "What's on your mind?"

Rita's instincts kicked in. She couldn't hold back. "Why don't we just steal the whole clock?"

Shadow.Q looked regretful. "We've checked. The clock is bound to the tower. It can't be removed."

Rita nodded in understanding. "So, what's my role? Am I just helping the artist boost their luck?"

"Not just that," Shadow.Q said. "The contents of the clock hands aren't part of [Fickle Fate] itself. The oak owls use the clock hands as storage. We need you to figure out how to empty them—at least the second hand.

"We know you don't like working with others. That's fine. You can operate solo. We're simply adding another possibility to ensure success.

"We'll provide you with the best tools, equipment, and even skills. These can also serve as rewards upon mission completion. Find more to read at My Virtual Library Empire

"So, are you in?"

Rita was curious how the SAB had handled this in her past life. After all, Peach Moon Emperor, the oak owl royal guarding the tower, wasn't just any noble. Even if he wasn't their king, his rank was undoubtedly high.

But for Rita, there was little hesitation. She needed Moon Sand anyway.

"I'll take the mission," Rita said decisively. "However, any tools or equipment I use will be returned afterward. I'll cover my own expenses and losses. I'll also bring Nivalis to assist. But I have one condition:

"If I obtain the contents of the clock hands, they belong to me. If you get them with my help, we'll determine my share based on my contribution. This must be written into the game contract."

Shadow.Q countered, "If you succeed but rely on our help, you'll need to share the contents for research, based on our players' contribution."

Rita hesitated. On principle, she didn't object. If she could share materials with Hecipah, why not with the SAB?

But the negotiation wasn't that simple.

This mission had started with the SAB seeking her assistance, and she'd already agreed to forgo their promised rewards in exchange for pursuing the Moon Sand.

In matters of morality, she ought to help for free. But a mission was a mission. Mixing obligations with compensation was as ridiculous as talking about dreams during salary negotiations.

Rita's expression turned serious. "In that case, I won't waive the initial rewards you promised. Every tool, piece of equipment, and skill I use will be included as part of the deal."

Shadow.Q's eyes narrowed slightly. "You seem to know what's inside those clock hands."

Rita smirked faintly. "Not much. Just extremely high-grade alchemical materials."