This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

"Why did BS-Rita shout 'Call me Captain!' at the sky? Isn't she embarrassed?"

"What's Deceitful Bloom's opinion on this?"

"Deceitful Bloom was clearly here first!"

"Exactly! Why is BS-Rita trying to steal the spotlight?"

"Wasn't Spring Deity actually the first one?"

"Spring Deity doesn't count, they're not from our side."

"It's not that big a deal. The fact that she shouted 'Captain' out loud just proves she figured out the 'Deceitful Bloom' part—but she doesn't know about 'Captain' yet."

"Is that… really how you spin it?"

"Is that… really how you spin it?"

"Is that… really how you spin it?"

"...Can you all just shut up already?!"

———

Back near the BBQ stand across from the Ferris wheel, Nivalis had restarted her Bumper Car and pirate ship rental business.

She only left the booth when Rita, Mistblade, or Pine Bloom triggered another cabin explosion—

But honestly, after enough explosions, she got tired of snapping pics.

Especially since Rita started striking dramatic poses while flying out of cabins, clearly too greasy, lost all sense of her humble beginnings.

Nivalis took a few photos, then stopped. It wasn't the same anymore…

But that was twenty minutes ago. It was now 9:05 PM.

Rita had been playing the Ferris wheel game for over an hour. Pine Bloom and Mistblade had long since exited and were now sitting on a bench sipping coffee and eating dinner.

Strangely, they both looked incredibly refreshed, glowing even—

In fact, every player who left the Ferris wheel seemed that way. Was there some kind of buff?

Just as Nivalis had that thought, one of the cabins expelled a small black ball.

Behind it, fireworks exploded in the sky.

That was the signal for completing the game!

Nivalis waved to her waiting customers and dashed off. She'd recall the Bumper Cars and pirate ships within a minute.

Behind the cart, the little gingerbread man leapt down—

Only to pop up a moment later, startled.

Unseen by the players, a little Block person bolted out from behind the food truck, clutching a whole skewer bundle, sprinting to catch up with Nivalis, who was jogging in place to wait for it.

Rita shot out of the Ferris wheel. The ancient curse she'd applied upon entering the game was lifted. All her artifact skills deactivated.

She immediately reverted from a massive, golden rogue avatar into a huge Block sphere, wobbling slightly as she landed and shedding the black smoke and ember effects from the cabin explosions.

A breeze blew by, snatching several Blocks from her surface.

That was the participation fee for the 8–9 PM and 9–10 PM sessions.

[Playtime reached 1 hour. Unlocking new item/artifact.]

["Sleeping Dragon Horn Fragment" has been unlocked.]

["Sleeping Dragon Horn Fragment" has been granted.]

Rita accepted the horn fragment. Once she confirmed her essential items hadn't been taken, she relaxed.

Then she noticed her new buff—I'm Doing Just Fine—and sighed.

This Ferris wheel game was so manipulative. It made sure no one outside could tell how draining it really was. Even players who left with just 1 energy point still looked fresh and energized.

She opened her mouth toward Nivalis and B8017913, who were sprinting toward her.

"Quick! Ah—"

Nivalis shoved a skewer into her mouth mid-run, but her attention was already drawn to the tiny Ferris wheel spinning in front of Rita's face.

Rita scarfed down three skewers in a row. Her energy had dropped to 5 and only now clawed its way back up to 20.

So close…

She had nearly starved to death.

But it was all worth it.

The moment she left the Ferris wheel, the game notifications flooded in.

[Congratulations to Player BS-Rita for entering the Ferris Wheel Game Global Rankings]

[Rank 1: BS-Rita | Win Rate: 96% | Game Rating: 99.5]

[Game Rating calculated based on performance, duration, power gap with co-players, Blocks acquired, and duel win rate.]

[Reward: Limited Edition Ferris Wheel x1]

[Note: If you fall out of the top 10 before the game concludes, the Ferris Wheel will be revoked.]

[Achievement Unlocked – "How Could You Not Be Obsessed": First player to hold top rank in three different game events]

[Achievement Unlocked – Hidden Easter Egg "Top Player": First player to reach top 10 in three game event leaderboards]

[Reward Options – Choose Two of the Following:]

• Universal Fragment

• Double Return

• Blocks Conversion

[Universal Fragment]: Can be exchanged for any fragment of any game item. Manufactured by Divine Game.

[Double Return]: Return an unlocked item to the original world. It will no longer drop in the current game. Usable twice.

Tempting.

They were both clear upgrades to Blocks Tracker and Forced Return.

But Rita's eyes landed on the third option:

[Blocks Conversion]: Select a portion of your Blocks and convert their contained attribute values directly into your own stats. The Blocks used will be destroyed. Duration: 30 minutes.

The moment she read that, her heart stirred—

But then doubt crept in.

When players die and restart, they lose some attributes, which are redistributed into their lost Blocks…

But what if you never die?

Does that mean those gained Blocks won't affect you at all?

That their original owners still retain the essence, and you've merely "borrowed" the stat?

No…

The Divine Game wasn't that kind.

It wouldn't turn hard-earned rewards into a joke.

Too many thoughts swirled in her head.

It was hard to make a decision.

Feeling the eyes of players around her—shocked, confused, some downright suspicious—Rita flapped her little wings and flew upward.

"Let's go," she said.

She had three minutes to choose her rewards. Better to decide somewhere else.

Plus, she needed to hurry and buy back her missing Soul Catcher and Plush Collar fragments—lost during the countless cabin explosions.

At that moment, BS-Rita looked like a giant ball, surface jagged and uneven, nearly 1.5 meters in diameter. A pair of tiny glowing wings stuck out from the back.

Compared to her oversized form, the wings looked like two glowing chicken wings.

Around her waist—if you could call it that—hung a row of assorted weapons.

Not far away, Pine Bloom and Mistblade sat on a bench, organizing their Blocks and recovering from the mental trauma of the game.

"…"

Just as Mistblade opened her mouth to speak, Pine Bloom cut her off:

"Lots of species have wings. And those are Maple-blooded wings. So technically, Maple Syrup should be the one crying, not me. Anyway, just don't say anything. I've moved on. Constantly obsessing over it is pathetic. No one would think she's an Oak Owl unless she opens her mouth."

Mistblade closed her mouth.

Pine Bloom: "…Actually, maybe say something. Anything."

Mistblade waved her hand and said, "Pine Bloom, please sit."

So polite?

Pine Bloom, who had just stood up to sort her Blocks, blinked and sat back down in confusion.

"What was that?"

Mistblade's expression grew more somber.

The phrase itself was harmless. So why didn't Pine Bloom get mad?

Maybe… she had overthought it.

She replayed BS-Rita's expression, tone, posture when she said that line—

Nope. It wasn't the words.

It was BS-Rita.

She just had a way of making normal things sound weird. And extremely punchable.