This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

B80234615: "Once it starts guiding you, it will lock onto the specific diamond mine it selects. The guiding light will last for 5 minutes, and during this time, players with a higher combat tier than you cannot mine the same diamond mine with you.

"The excellent version is slightly weaker; it won’t lock onto the mine, but it is stronger than the normal version. Like the custom version, its guiding light lasts for 5 minutes.

"But no matter which version you choose, you can only use it ten times."

Rita: "Any discounts?"

B80234615: "If you buy five custom versions, I can give you a discount. I’ll only charge you 9,500 diamonds."

Rita: "That’s great! Give me ten of the normal versions."

B80234615: "…"

After receiving ten normal pickaxes, Rita and Nivalis left the shop amidst B80234615’s grumbling glances. The first thing they did was look for an exit.

As they passed a stall that was closing down, Rita spent 10 diamonds to buy the vendor’s stall cloth, cutting it into a few large pieces. She draped it over herself like a giant cloak, and from a distance, she looked like a Death Eater, but up close, she resembled someone with mental issues.

But it didn’t matter; she used her disguise skill to transform into a proper-looking owl, complete with a pair of real orange-red wings. She even gave herself an ID — [Sugar].

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As she searched for the exit, she casually used [I Just Want to Improve So Badly] on passing alien players, picking pockets along the way. By the time they reached a dried-up well that seemed to be the only possible exit, Rita and Nivalis had accumulated 7 more diamond mines.

Rita immediately used Phantom Shift to return to the shop and found B80234615. She sold the 7 diamond mines for over 6,000 diamonds.

With diamonds in hand, Rita asked, "Is the dried-up well in the southwest corner the exit?"

B80234615: "That answer costs 100 diamonds."

Without hesitation, Rita handed over 100 diamonds.

B80234615: "No, that’s… 180 diamonds."

Rita paid the additional 180 diamonds without a word.

B80234615: "That leads to another game area."

Rita: "Should I go there?"

B80234615: "That answer costs 500 diamonds."

Rita’s actions with the diamonds were becoming increasingly smooth. She didn’t go through proper channels, and with her knack for earning diamonds, spending them didn’t feel painful at all. What mattered more was that she was pressed for time; the unease gnawing at her was overwhelming.

B80234615, surprised, collected all the diamonds and stored them in a place where even if time were reversed, they couldn’t be reclaimed. Then it answered, "That’s the Smelting Furnace. If your combat tier is below 10, you’ll die if you go in."

Rita: "Where’s the exit?"

B80234615: "50 diamonds."

After Rita handed over the 50 diamonds, B80234615 replied, "This special commercial area has no exit."

Without any more words, Rita pulled out 500 diamonds and stuffed them into B80234615’s hands, then grabbed its mechanical hand. "Please, stop panting and just tell me everything at once! How do I leave? What happens if I don’t leave?"

B80234615 weighed the diamonds in its hand, and a pair of crescent moons appeared on its eye display.

"Your perception is correct. When the number of online players in the special commercial area exceeds 6666, a special event called [Inspector’s Arrival] will be triggered. The inspector will audit all the players here and penalize them based on the severity and frequency of fraudulent actions. If you want to escape punishment… well, that’s another price.

"As for leaving, you can simply ask one of us machine shop attendants. One of our duties is to escort you out for free."

Rita: "… Why didn’t you tell me earlier?"

B80234615 collected the diamonds and replied, "You didn’t ask before."

Its mood above its head shifted to [Extremely Happy·Full of Achievement].

Then, as if by accident, B80234615 pressed something, and a circular hole appeared on the floor in the corner of the room. It pointed at the hole and said, "That’s the way out."

Normally, Rita might have exchanged a few more jokes with B80234615, engaging in playful banter, but she wasn’t in the mood now. She immediately flew toward the hole and looked down. The space inside was pitch black, offering no useful information.

But Rita, holding Nivalis, jumped down without hesitation. Just as she leaped, B80234615’s voice came from the hole: "Here’s a piece of intel for you: When you see a miner leader with a red beard, it’s best to just leave the game."

Rita looked up and shouted toward the hole, "Thanks! I’ll remember you, B80234615."

The tunnel was incredibly long, and Rita and Nivalis slid downward in the darkness. From time to time, Rita would flap her light wings, briefly hovering to slow her descent.

As they moved further from the hole, Nivalis asked curiously, "What if B80234615 is lying to us?"

Rita had considered this possibility, but the unease from the special commercial area far outweighed any doubts about B80234615. The mention of [Inspector’s Arrival] also helped explain the tension she felt.

Of course, it was possible that B80234615 was playing her, but Rita would rather take the risk of being deceived by B80234615 than stay in the special commercial area, surrounded by powerful players in a small marketplace. A chaotic situation there would be far too deadly for her.

However, Rita couldn’t say all of this. Since she hadn’t yet received the exit notification from the special commercial area, it meant she hadn’t truly left yet, which also meant that the things she and Nivalis said might still be overheard by B80234615.

Such a shameless person like Rita wouldn’t talk behind others’ backs, right?

Rita’s voice turned serious: "It won’t happen. B80234615 is a very sincere robot. It enjoys chatting and making friends. As long as I haven’t offended it, it won’t deceive us first."

Nivalis: "… Did you really just say that?"

The dragon was about to say something else, but the next second, a hand covered its mouth.

The owner of the hand spoke passionately, "Next time we enter a similar commercial area, we’ll look for robots with numbers similar to B80234615. They may not be as good as B80234615, but they certainly won’t be worse. Who would have thought that the divine battlefield could have sincerity and genuine feelings?"

Nivalis: "… Whoever you are, get off Rita right now!"