This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist-Chapter 1139: Divine Game: Quiet Mountain 22

The golden lightning dagger blocked a two-finger-wide long sword.

Two pairs of identical eyes stared at each other across the weapons.

QM Rita narrowed her eyes slightly. "You came to find me?"

Again, the same words. Rita had heard them countless times already. She flicked her wrist, sending QM Rita’s long sword flying.

After hearing about the existence of her other self, she had imagined countless scenarios of meeting QM Rita—an encounter in the main city, a chase outside the city, or a confrontation in the Demon Game.

But she never expected it to end up like this. She had used up two Demon Game sessions, proactively seeking out the other her within the game.

So this is what her other self was like.

She felt Pine Bloom’s sense of helplessness; when facing QM Rita, there was no room to fight back. Even without using [Whale Fall in the Wind], QM Rita could defeat her again and again, pinning her to the ground with nothing but combat skills and SSS-level abilities.

But QM Rita was Quiet Mountain’s best teacher.

Because only QM Rita was strong enough, cruel enough, and still hesitant to kill herself.

Because only QM Rita could push her pride to the limit. The very existence of the other her made it impossible for Rita to find any excuse for her own weakness.

And in this clash, the passive effect of [The Ship, Prologue, Rhapsody] continued to activate.

"When you swim against the current to face an opponent stronger than you, you will enter a state of delirium, recording, analyzing, and learning your opponent’s combat techniques and experience, for your own use."

Ever since finding QM Rita, every time a Demon Game began, Rita would bypass any locations that could trigger tasks and head straight for QM Rita.

The Demon Game had become a learning game.

Although she couldn’t comprehend god-level skills when facing QM Rita, she often picked up combat techniques from the other her.

If each entry and exit from the game took three seconds, how many times could she play the Demon Game during a 24-hour time stop? How many times could QM Rita personally tutor her one-on-one?

28,800 times.

And each session of tutoring lasted at least three days.

Because the length of this Demon Game was particularly long, QM Rita fought with her for three days before leaving to complete a task.

At that point, Rita would also go on to complete her own task. What was the difference between killing Lightchaser for the first time and killing Lightchaser for the 28,800th time?

There was no difference. Just like Nivalis had told her many years ago, the first pain and the ten thousandth pain felt the same.

Each time, Rita told herself that this was a fake Lightchaser. But the Demon Game could twist her perception when assigning tasks, making her believe this was the real one and clearly perceiving the choice she had made.

...

The sixth Demon Game, the evening of the 7th day.

The more Rita fought QM Rita, the more she realized just how big the gap between them was. But after experiencing 115,200 cycles of the Demon Game, that gap had been significantly reduced.

Rita might be a little unhinged mentally, but she had also been massively strengthened!

She had burned through her good mental health, fueling her combat abilities.

She could now predict QM Rita’s movements and combat patterns completely. To defeat her now, QM Rita would have to use the demon relic [Nightmare Cage] and several fixed skills that Rita was temporarily unable to resist.

The golden lightning dagger had transformed into a longsword, rather than QM Rita’s long knife. Perhaps this was the last trace of her sanity—she couldn’t allow herself to become a copy of QM Rita.

Vines were scattered everywhere. While in class, her vines were helping her absorb the energy from the Demon Game.

The process was slow, increasing only 2 points of attributes every few hours. But with this time stop, it added up to 140,000 Demon Games.

Each Demon Game lasted at least 7 hours, and at most 8 days.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that if you asked Rita about "Scarlett," "Rick," or "Zoey" right now, she would ask, "Who are they?"

If 21 days can become a habit, what about 140,000 times? Now, Rita’s brain likely only retained a few keywords.

6:00—time stop—QM Rita—battle—task complete.

This was the true battle machine.

Her four main attributes had surpassed 100,000, matching up with old-school players like DawnCicada and Tingo Autumn Deer.

But for world-leader-level players, attributes were the easiest resource to increase. As long as the full potential of a race’s abilities was gathered, increasing them was effortless. Rita’s biggest gain had been in combat techniques.

Perhaps it was just her illusion, but after the long 6th Demon Game, Rita felt the Order Badge in her hand had become lighter and more transparent.

Sitting quietly in the corner, hugging her knees, wearing the Antenna Baby, she looked like a mushroom after the rain, waiting for the next 6:00.

In the pet space.

[Nivalis]: What should we do? Should we go out and check on Ash Cinders and the others?

[B80234615]: Did you forget that the last time you went out, she almost chopped you? I think she’s already starting to forget who you are.

[Nivalis]: Why is it that in those cultivation novels, the protagonist can be locked up for hundreds of years with no problem, but she’s going insane?

[B80234615]: You’re the one who’s going insane! She’s been playing the Demon Game for nearly a thousand years combined. If it were you, you’d be lost too.

[Nivalis]: What should we do? We’ve got to take her antenna off somehow. Mistblade didn’t even see her when she came by.

[B80234615]: Wait a bit longer. It’s probably not a bad thing that she’s getting stronger... maybe.

...

When the urgent notification from Uncharted Star Sea sounded, the gods appeared in the temple.

Not all the gods had arrived yet, but as soon as some of them appeared, Uncharted Star Sea immediately issued the command.

[I need one of you to go to Quiet Mountain and protect BS Rita.]

Even the seasoned gods and players present showed signs of surprise.

Ashveil spoke excitedly, "It’s been exposed! Just say it, is she the daughter of Uncharted Star Sea?"

[She’s been using time stop to play the Demon Game, causing it to run over a hundred thousand times in a short period. She’s exhausted most of the energy accumulated from the previous Demon Game epochs. Quiet Mountain had to urgently modify the rules of the Demon Game. As a special player who discovered this bug, she will receive compensation according to the rules, but Quiet Mountain won’t let her off.]

"Didn’t the Demon Game try to kill her?"

[At first, it might have, but later Quiet Mountain wanted to capture her more.]

[She can’t enter the next Demon Game. Quiet Mountain will directly bind her. I need one of you to find her, stop her from entering the game, and make her destroy the Order Badge herself. In the second half of the game, protect her. Don’t let Quiet Mountain take her away. Her condition is special right now.]

[If you bring her back, I can temporarily seal her memories from the Demon Game, except for the combat skills, through Divine Game. She’ll gradually digest them.]

A short conversation packed with a massive amount of information.

What does it mean to use time stop to play the Demon Game, to run it over a hundred thousand times, and to cause Quiet Mountain to modify the rules for her? And Quiet Mountain wants to capture her?

Deceitful Bloom: "... So why didn’t you just issue her a task directly?"

[I’ve tried. Quiet Mountain interfered with that. This is their domain.]

[But long ago, in the era when Uncharted Star Sea won, I left behind a hidden door. It can let one of you descend into Quiet Mountain, but your state will temporarily revert to the condition you were in when you first entered Quiet Mountain after the first bell tolled.]

Boiling Orange spoke up, "I’ll go."

[No, you need to be stronger. Otherwise, you won’t stand a chance against her now.]

Boiling Orange: "???"

Foolishness stood up and adjusted her clothes. "I could just about manage."

[No, you need to be more charming, to coax and deceive her.]

Foolishness: "???"

[What? Deceitful Bloom is willing? Uncharted Star Sea thanks you for your efforts.]

Deceitful Bloom: "???"