This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

Shadow.Q could tell that Rita was "teasing" Nivalis, but she didn't pry into the details. Instead, she casually commented on the new markings on Rita's forehead. "Did Nivalis draw that for you again? The design looks different this time. Is it still a guaranteed critical hit on the seventh strike?"

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Rita glanced at the mischievous Nivalis. "I'm not sure."

Rick, who had been quietly listening nearby, asked, "Is she going to help us today?"

Zoey also looked at Rita with anticipation.

Rita turned to Nivalis, and Nivalis played along, dramatically turning her head away, saying, "I'll only help *you*—no one else~~" With that, she flew off, leaving the rest of the group behind.

This was part of the plan Rita and Nivalis had worked out in advance. Nivalis' passive ability, **queencard**, from her **Frozen Throne** talent, meant that as soon as she entered combat, all ice-based skills from the players would be disabled. Worse, she would perfectly counter Aaron's **Breath of Winter** ability. So, they agreed it would be better for Nivalis to stay out of the fight.

Rita watched Nivalis fly off and sighed helplessly. "There's nothing I can do. I've only known her for a month. Honestly, I'm surprised she's willing to help me at all."

Both Zoey and Rick, thinking in unison, realized this was one downside to a **mutual** contract. If Nivalis had been bound by a **master-servant** contract, she wouldn't have dared to go against or harm her master, as the contract would punish her.

Shadow.Q wasn't bothered by it, either. After all, as Rita said, she and Nivalis had only been in a contract for a short time.

Meanwhile, Nivalis wandered around the dungeon, flying by to take a distant look at the dragon. "Hmm, a fake dragon, and it's all dark and ugly," she remarked to herself. Finally, she found a large, leafy tree, rested on a branch, and gently removed her egg-shell hat before pulling out some snacks and a game console Rita had prepared for her.

Nivalis' gaming skills were about as terrible as Apache's talent for writing romance novels—abysmally bad, and she hated being criticized for it.

…

The dungeon run proceeded much like last time. The players first cleared out all the small mobs and mini-bosses. Rita noticed that many of the players seemed much more coordinated than before. Whether it was understanding each other's skills or the smooth transitions during combat, their teamwork had improved, as if they had spent the last half-month perfecting their strategies.

They still spent a lot of time getting through the dungeon. Though they could have used transportation, with the number of people and the complex terrain, it wasn't practical. Bicycles, scooters, or electric vehicles wouldn't be faster than just running, and cars would get stuck on the terrain.

After a break to heal and eat their best food buffs, they finally engaged the dragon.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

This time, the Special Affairs Bureau came prepared with a range of powerful items—antiques that had become strong artifacts after the game's invasion, and modified hybrid combat machines that bridged the gap between technology and magic. Although these machines were still primarily modern technology, the inclusion of certain artifacts made them formidable in battle.

As the players on the ground fought, some aerial combat planes bombarded the dragon from above.

Rita quietly murmured to Shadow.Q, "Feels like this is a performance test for those planes, isn't it?"

Shadow.Q remained unfazed. "Don't you try to sow discord between the Special Affairs Bureau and the players."

As the team grew more synchronized, they began performing at their full potential. A player from the Bureau wielded a legendary shield, pushing their defense to the limit. Three tanks alternated in taunting the dragon, ensuring that aggro never dropped.

They even had a team of 20 players capable of aerial combat. Whenever the dragon took flight, they followed it into the air alongside the combat planes, forcing it back to the ground.

An hour into the fight, the team was still in good shape, but the dragon was getting angrier. It ascended into the sky and began spewing poisonous mist at the players, targeting the healers first and then spraying the melee fighters. It even used its tail to try and swat the combat planes and flying players.

A sharp-eyed player noticed something: after releasing the poison mist, the dragon hadn't attempted to devour any players. The mist seemed to have some kind of casting condition or side effect.

About 70% of the players were caught in the mist and became poisoned. Their health began draining at a rate of 1% per second, and the poison lasted for two minutes—a total loss of 120% of their health over that time. Worse, there weren't enough anti-venom abilities to counter the dragon's toxic breath.

Even the players who took antidote potions saw no effect. Without intervention, many would die before they could escape the poison's reach.

If not for Zoey's **Prayer** skill, which was an S-ranked **Divine Gift** healing ability, the team would have collapsed. Though the skill drained 10% of her mana with each use, it allowed her to heal while still fighting the dragon.

And despite losing a significant portion of her stats due to the past events, she had acquired some new gear to make up for it, keeping her at the heart of the healing team.

Seeing the situation worsen, with the dragon flying above spraying poison at Zoey and the other players struggling to survive, Rita knew she had to act. She dashed over to the female commander in charge of the ranged group and stated directly, "I have a skill called **Fountain of Light**. It summons a well, and the water that flows from it restores 1 HP per milliliter.

It lasts for three minutes and has a cooldown of 25.5 minutes. As long as the well remains, the water is effective."

The female commander's eyes widened at the sound of such a powerful skill. A three-minute well that healed continuously, combined with a short cooldown? This was a perfect support skill for a boss fight.

She didn't blame Rita for not mentioning it earlier. Instead, she admired her for not recklessly using it without proper timing. After all, powerful skills deployed at the wrong time were often worse than useless—they could disrupt the entire strategy.

The commander gave Rita an approving look, "Got it. Wait for my signal."