This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist-Chapter 1141 Divine Game: Quiet Mountain 24

QM Rita asked the same question, but SmokeTune remained silent for a long time, unable to answer.

In the image, SS Rita’s eyes were still sharp and focused, but there was no visible emotional fluctuation. More importantly, she could hold her own against QM Rita for a good ten minutes without faltering.

Her stance, the angle of her strikes, the steps she took, and even the battle techniques that had clearly been formed—these were all strikingly similar to QM Rita’s.

QM Rita wasn’t surprised by SmokeTune’s silence. The sudden and strange changes had initially led her to believe that this was just a new trick the Demon Game was playing to stimulate her.

Then came the third and fourth scenes...

SS Rita remained quiet, but that silence slowly crept into her soul.

It wasn’t until the fifth scene that SmokeTune finally gave her conclusion: "She’s suppressed all of her humanity."

This was an indirect admission that the Rita in the images was indeed SS Rita.

Even though the growth of SS Rita’s combat skills seemed unnatural, after watching five continuous scenes, anyone could see SS Rita’s purpose.

She was treating QM Rita as a teacher, absorbing everything she had to offer.

From the fourth scene onward, SmokeTune could tell that QM Rita had started to entertain the thought of killing her counterpart. No longer playing games, she genuinely wanted to end SS Rita’s life. But she couldn’t.

And SmokeTune’s answer turned out to be the same as QM Rita’s.

QM Rita had strung these five game scenes together not to show SmokeTune, but to review her own actions. SmokeTune was just the bored audience she had invited along.

The eyes of the mask, identical to SS Rita’s, closed.

She was thinking about how SS Rita had done it.

If SS Rita could no longer feel pain, why hadn’t the Demon Game changed?

Was it because, like Maple Syrup, SS Rita was still frequently gaining skills, and the Demon Game deemed her a valid player? Or was it because Quiet Mountain wanted her?

No, rather than guessing here, it was better to go find the answer herself!

The tip of her blade dragged across the floor and slid back into its sheath. A flash of light shot out, striking BS SmokeTune and knocking her unconscious.

Ensuring that SmokeTune couldn’t notify the other Uncharted Star Sea players, QM Rita disappeared from the cell.

---

Game Day 7, 9 PM.

Lightchaser arrived at the tree tower, the location Ash Cinders had given through a coded message.

She had passed by earlier in the morning after Mistblade had searched and left. She had come to Forest Sea for the Order Badge in BS Rita’s possession—every player heading to Forest Sea was hoping for an early Demon Game experience.

But since she couldn’t find BS Rita, she continued her search for the Order Badge within the city.

Now, QM Mistblade and Quiet Mountain JE had obtained the Order Badge, so she shifted her focus to Quiet Mountain Maple Syrup.

Ash Cinders had originally planned to return in the afternoon, but new developments and clues had forced her to set that plan aside.

She would see Rita after the game ended anyway—her apprentice wasn’t a helpless child.

After all, their mission was to destroy the Order Badge, not to guard BS Rita.

She was smart, capable, and always preferred to solve her problems on her own—asking for help was harder than killing her... She’d be fine.

This game wasn’t one where you couldn’t be resurrected.

Lightchaser stood beneath the tree tower. At that moment, she unexpectedly thought back to a day before the Quiet Mountain game had even started. For a while, her apprentice used to bring BS Rita to Isolated Isle to bask in the sun. Every time they did, the apprentice would make sure to soak up some sun too.

She chose the rooftop of her small house as their sunbathing spot, often using her dragon’s body as a pillow.

That day, Lightchaser had just finished organizing bills when she saw the apprentice lying on her rooftop, pretending to be a dried fish. She had planned to ask when her student intended to repay her tuition fees and living expenses.

But then, seeing the endless drizzle above her apprentice, she was reminded of a moment from the Time River, so when she spoke, her question was something else entirely: "What was the name of your divine gift before your evolution?"

"Huh? Didn’t you investigate this earlier, teacher?"

"Mm."

"Is it because I wasn’t strong enough for you to consider me important then? ... Hey, don’t move your foot, those are Ash Cinders’ new boots! *One-Person Party*, my previous divine gift was called *One-Person Party*!"

A very clever divine gift.

Thinking of this, Lightchaser decided to head to the wooden house in the tree tower to find her apprentice. If she couldn’t find her, she’d stay the night and head to Forest Sea tomorrow to investigate the statue there.

Just then, the night wind picked up, bringing with it a faint floral scent.

Lightchaser turned around, and as she did, the dagger was already in her hand. A figure stood just a short distance away.

A person stood there, with a longbow made entirely of flower petals slung across their back. They wore dark leather armor, a black hooded cloak embroidered with silver dark patterns, and a wide metal belt that held several unidentifiable tools. Tight pants and black over-the-knee boots completed the ensemble.

As Lightchaser glanced over, the hunter raised a gloved hand, removing their hood. This motion revealed vines wrapped around their wrists. Silver hair, like a galaxy, cascaded down, and a long tassel earring on their right ear swayed in the breeze, glowing in the moonlight. The red eyes locked onto her, and the person smiled slightly.

"Nice to meet you, I am BS Rita’s cooking teacher."

The elf remained silent for a long moment before finally muttering, "Hello, I’m her mentor."

Deceitful Bloom: "...So, this is how we’re playing it, huh?"

Well, she was in a hurry. In the next instant, Deceitful Bloom vanished down the long street.

Lightchaser, who was about to leave, immediately followed. She knew who the other person was after. She didn’t recognize this Vineborne, but the title of "cooking teacher" was one only her apprentice, herself, and Ash Cinders would know.

She had a vague idea of who this "cooking teacher" might be, but the information was still too little to be certain.

Either way, since the person approached her, she had to keep an eye on them.

But the moment she stepped into the wooden house, Lightchaser felt herself being targeted by a dangerous presence.

All her defense skills were activated immediately, and Lightchaser entered battle mode.

In the next moment, as a golden sword flashed, a figure became visible.

[Antenna Baby] "Invisible, inaudible, untouchable, untraceable." This perfect item’s only flaw was that she had to remove it if she wanted to fight.

In just a few seconds, the room was filled with the sound of nearly a hundred bolts of lightning clashing with the dagger. Lightchaser’s expression became grim as she was forced to retreat under the pressure of the golden lightning sword. She hadn’t been this badly off in a long time.

But the elf didn’t waste time waking up the apprentice. The apprentice’s eyes were eerily empty, clearly in a bad state.

A minute later, all her shields were shattered, and her health dropped to 63%.

It was then that Deceitful Bloom finally made her move. The longbow, which she hadn’t noticed she was holding, appeared in her hands, with vines as arrows, and a wisp of mist condensed into a bowstring.

Just as BS Rita’s sword was about to strike Lightchaser’s vital point, the first arrow shot out. But it was immediately knocked aside by BS Rita’s sword without even a glance.

However, the next second, the vines on BS Rita grew rapidly, transforming into chains that bound her completely. The Flower of Deceit tricked BS Rita’s vines, making them mistake her for the enemy.

The arrow that had been knocked down turned into a red mist, quickly entering BS Rita’s head.

The golden sword shattered, turning into a golden rain. The apprentice, who had just been trying to kill Lightchaser, collapsed. As she was about to fall, a hand, clad in a three-fingered glove, caught her around the waist.

Lightchaser withdrew her hand, coldly gazing at the Vineborne before her.

Deceitful Bloom let go of the apprentice’s waist and let her limbs dangle on the floor. The Vineborne shook the unconscious apprentice, making her limbs sway with every movement.

The Vineborne chuckled with satisfaction. "Seems like, for now, only I can control her, right?"