This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist-Chapter 1201: Divine Game, Divine Instruction 15

Every time control was contested, even slightly, the sigils would crack under the strain. Neither side understood restraint yet. The round tables kept emitting soft bursts as fragments shattered and reformed.

No one needed Foolishness to teach them this. Rita and the others instinctively learned to maneuver their sigils away from the threads of opposing magic.

There was a crucial difference between drawing a sigil from scratch and dismantling an existing one. If she drew her own, three to five fragments would barely produce an E rank skill. But when she extracted pieces from a fully formed sigil and recombined them, the new skill inherited traces of the original’s structure. Its rank and destructive power rose dramatically.

At that moment, five fragments twisted and fused in Rita’s palm. When their magic finally linked, an S rank skill took shape. Those five fragments had come from just three S rank skills.

If this path continued, then one day, dismantling and recombining SSS rank sigils with dozens of fragments might unleash power far beyond SSS rank. Or create something entirely new.

And here, that was only one application.

At the highest level, this technique could forcibly merge two complete sigils. Even if the fusion lasted only a split second, that was enough to use it.

With enough training, one could assemble freely. The fifty thousand formulas Foolishness had given them were her own experiments. Rita and the others could reach that level too.

Nivalis, B80, and Sea Pony stood by the table.

Nivalis yawned. "Ten minutes already, right? No one’s succeeded once?"

B80 replied, "Correct."

The imagined battle between Foolishness and Deceitful Bloom was unfolding in miniature before them. Endless tug of war. No injuries. Perfect counterplay.

Sea Pony’s eyes gleamed with excitement. It floated to the end of the table, directly facing the two gods seated at the head. It spread its arms, inhaled deeply, and shouted word by word:

"Skill issue!!!"

With its word limit, it chose efficiency.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.

All five tables exploded at once.

Nuclear Flash NightFury, standing on her chair, hurled something at Sea Pony. "Get lost!"

Across from her, Maple Syrup and diagonally across, Rita both leaned back at the same time, narrowly avoiding a surprise flying sphere. To guard against further attacks, they instinctively hid their hands beneath the table. The underside was solid. No risk of sneak attacks from below.

That was when Ash Cinders made her move.

She leapt onto the table, crouched low, pressed one hand against the surface, and flung out five red threads from the other. They shot under the table and pierced the sigil Rita had just completed in her hidden palm.

The skill had formed seconds ago.

It was stolen instantly.

Rita snapped upright in a sit up and stared at Ash Cinders, still crouched on the table.

"Back in Moonlight Marsh," Rita said, "if a student stood on a table during lunch, you’d drag them down. Remember?"

A glowing "1" lit up on Ash Cinders’ chairback.

She returned to her seat, back straight, hands folded neatly on the table. "We’re not eating anymore."

"I told you she’s still a kid," Dawn Cicada said.

Rita suddenly asked, "Is a fifty six year old elf considered an adult?"

"Not even close," Dawn replied. "Elves mature at one hundred."

Rita slammed the table. "That explains it. She’s underage!"

Ash Cinders narrowed her eyes. "Are you talking about Lightchaser, or about me?"

Rita waved both hands. "Obviously Lightchaser."

Maple Syrup spoke flatly, "Even if you’re an adult, you’re not any better. And your lifespan’s probably longer than an elf’s now. By that logic, you’re underage too."

Rita reminded her, "We’re supposed to be in a cold war."

"Yes," Maple Syrup replied. "But that doesn’t stop me from escalating verbally."

Mistblade’s gaze remained fixed on the sigil in Dawn Cicada’s palm. Casually, she said, "So? Are you satisfied now?"

The three middle tables went silent.

TingoJE asked Kessa across from her, "Why did she have to say that? It was fine."

"You could say it louder," Kessa replied. "Make it worse."

Immediately, BS Crab turned to Fury Prayer. "So is BS Mistblade asking whether Lania Kaia Maple Syrup would kill BS Rita again?"

Fury Prayer closed his eyes briefly. "Did you pick up Tiger Ear Kessa’s line and run with it?"

In that blink, red threads from Crab’s claws slipped into his sigil and seized control.

Fury Prayer stared down in disbelief.

Outplayed by a crab.

Deceitful Bloom set down her glass and flicked her fingers for a refill. "Is your class always this lively?" 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"More than this," Foolishness replied.

Though chatting, both gods were watching Maple Syrup’s face.

A few Flower Crown Murder petals drifted overhead. Red curls brushed Rita’s shoulder. Shadows of blossoms passed over Maple Syrup’s features, softening her expression.

Foolishness thought of Rita’s earlier words.

"Stop asking meaningless questions. Stop saying but. The bell has already tolled. It doesn’t matter."

Years ago, she had felt the same.

So many conflicts. So many grudges. Once The Bell Tolls, they blur.

Uncharted Star Sea was always like this.

Beside her, the Vineborne goddess rose.

Hands clasped behind her back, Deceitful Bloom strolled toward the tables. She did not approach her own students. Instead, she walked down the row of Foolishness’s apprentices.

Foolishness tapped the table lightly with her fingers like playing piano keys, but did not stand.

In some ways, Deceitful Bloom and Rita were alike. Just as Rita had not stolen the Foolishness Game when she saw it in the workshop, Deceitful Bloom would never reclaim her racial trait while Rita’s power was suppressed.

Foolishness lifted her wineglass to hide her smile.

"Such strong pride. Must be exhausting."

It suited both of them perfectly.

The wine red figure passed slowly within the peripheral vision of every student in Foolishness’s class.

She stopped between Rita and Lania Kaia Maple Syrup.

The floral scent thickened, filling the air. Silver hair brushed Rita’s shoulder.

Then a voice, light with amusement, sounded beside both Rita and Maple Syrup.

"So? You never answered Mistblade’s question. Are you satisfied now?"