This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

Rita fought the urge to ask, "Is what’s outside the program good or bad?" She pressed down her curiosity and quelled the ripples of emotion stirring inside her.

The softness she felt toward L4327777 earlier seemed like a mere illusion, a wrong note played in a symphony. It was almost cruel—she had softened toward L4327777 because, at that moment, it was pure and flawless, like newly sprouted grass by the roadside, like freshly fallen snow. But now, L4327777 seemed more like a withered tree that had suddenly gained a sense of intelligence.

This triggered Rita’s wariness.

She quickly brought the conversation back on track, asking, "How do I leave?"

L4327777 responded, "The dry well in the western corner of the market."

Rita’s thoughts stirred. She fixed her gaze on L4327777, her tone still neutral and unreadable. "Isn’t that the way to the smelting furnace?"

L4327777 replied, "That well is an entrance to the 666~1222 special commercial district. This is the 3333 special district. The exit from here is that well."

It then looked up at Rita’s eyes. "Do you trust me?"

Rita was already flying toward the western corner, confident in her Master Thief Dragon skill and the room to make mistakes.

Divine Game didn’t like players using time manipulation to control rewards and penalties, as that made the game feel like cheating and ultimately less fun. However, the game didn’t prevent players from using time skills to survive in the world’s battlefields.

Thinking back to how B80234615 had warned her about the lying aspect of time manipulation before she used it, and recalling how unclear the limits and permissions of these robots were, Rita decided to ignore her doubts. There was also a rule against lying to robots, so she answered honestly, "I don’t trust anyone, but it’s fine. I have time manipulation; I can give it a try."

L4327777 struggled to keep up with Rita, running behind her. It looked up at her as she flew low: "Really?"

Rita sighed inwardly. She couldn’t understand what she had done to cause L4327777 to change so much. It was even questioning the validity of its emotions now!

What a dangerous habit to develop.

Without looking back at L4327777, Rita continued, asking, "If an Inspector arrives, how do we avoid the interrogation?"

L4327777 obediently replied, "Before the Inspector arrives, submit 50% of the diamonds you have."

"Is that how it is in every commercial district when facing an Inspector?"

"Yes!"

Rita casually replied, "Thanks, L4327777. I’m in a hurry, I’ll leave now. You can go back."

L4327777 stopped in its tracks, standing silently and watching Rita fly farther away. Its eye screen dimmed, like a phone entering standby mode.

But in the next instant, its eye screen lit up with an orange glow, as if someone had struck a match in the darkness, illuminating the space. It stared at BS Rita, who hovered in front of it, one leg casually hanging while the other was slightly bent. Her light wings unfurled behind her, her expression uneasy and frustrated as she spoke, "I’ll take you to the market’s western corner. Want to come?"

L4327777 eagerly responded, "Yes! Yes, I want to play!!"

Rita scooped up the robot and flew out with it.

"Can you return by yourself?"

"I can! BS Rita, are you coming back just for me?"

"Yeah, but it’s not a big deal because I didn’t give anything—no time, nothing."

Rita didn’t realize it, but her tone had shifted into the one she used with Nivalis. She gave the rawest, most brutal truth, without any pretensions. She didn’t believe in creating false emotions or cheap sentiment. Even if this encounter had lasted less than an hour, she wouldn’t indulge in meaningless words.

L4327777: "My algorithm tells me you gave emotional effort."

Rita: "Maybe."

In just two minutes of Rita’s fast flight, they arrived at the dry well.

She set L4327777 down and quickly said, "Goodbye," before jumping into the well without looking back.

However, the moment she left, she immediately cast an illusion spell and used Phantom Shift to return to hover above the dry well. She looked down at L4327777, which was standing by the well, staring downward, its antennae gently swaying.

L4327777: ???

Battery: 84% | Missing You | Happiness? | Program Malfunctioned

Taboo: Hard Work | Weakness: Battery Drain

Rita quietly turned away.

As expected, only seven or eight seconds later, she saw Winter Sea Frenzied Shark approach. With a powerful kick, it sent L4327777 tumbling away before jumping down the dry well.

Rita: …

What a sneaky move!!!

She waited a moment longer, then flew down, pulling L4327777 up from the ground, asking, "Why aren’t you getting up?"

L4327777: "BS Rita?!"

Rita: "Hmm… are you hurt?"

L4327777: "No. Are you here to find me? Do you want to stay and be my friend?" Your next read awaits at NovelBin.Côm

Rita: "No, I’m here to avoid someone. Are there other exits here?"

L4327777, whose head was a half-circle with only its eye screen and mouth, displayed a disappointed expression. "It’s okay. I can help you switch areas. Which one do you want to go to?"

Rita didn’t hold back. "Area 11!"

L4327777 moved to the edge of the dry well and rearranged some bricks. "All done."

Rita jumped into the well again. "This time, I’m really leaving. Goodbye, L4327777. I’ll remember you."

L4327777: "Me too."

Rita once again experienced the same feeling she had when leaving the 1211 special commercial district, except this time she wasn’t with Nivalis.

The moment she exited the tunnel, she received a game reward.

Congratulations, player! Task Completed: Diamond Master

You invested in L4327777 and helped it achieve 21 successful profits, ranking 263,687th in the special district’s historical leaderboard.

You’ve received the following rewards: Three Random Rules Unlocked

Rita looked at the three newly unlocked rules:

Rule 1: Every 12 hours, a mechanical race must be eliminated. Rule 10: Forbidden to enter Area 19. Rule 11: Forbidden to perform divination for mechanical races.

After memorizing the new rules, Rita’s attention shifted back to her leaderboard ranking.

Last time, she had ranked high without noticing any issues, but this time was different.

263,687th.

That number was too high. She remembered Mistblade Moon Emperor had once said she had never played a game with repeated players.

So, what did this leaderboard mean?

Had more than 200,000 players visited this district?