This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist-Chapter 1203: Divine Game, Divine Instruction 17

An hour later, the scores were tallied.

BS Rita, BS Mistblade, and Tiger Ear Kessa were tied at the top with fifteen points each.

Deceitful Bloom waved a hand generously. "One question each. BS Mistblade."

Mistblade did not care whether the others would hear the answer. She asked directly, "How do you raise a divine talent to the Starsea tier?"

Deceitful Bloom did not switch to private communication. The entire purpose of this game was instruction.

"A self-summary."

Her expression was solemn. That was the full extent of the hint she would give.

Mistblade sat down.

Foolishness turned to her own student. "BS Rita."

The question Rita had wanted most had already been asked, so she chose another.

"Where are the burial grounds of the gods who owned Wrathful Moon and Cat’s Ideal? If they are different places, I want to know where the owner of Cat’s Ideal is buried."

"In the Burial Grounds," Foolishness replied patiently. "But the Burial Grounds are vast. Larger than the Starsea archipelago where the gods reside. Each god’s specific resting place shifts. I cannot give you an exact location."

She paused, then added, "Be patient. You will have the chance to go there."

It was almost an open hint about the location of a future Divine Game.

Next was Tiger Ear Kessa.

"How can I make the weather above my head like BS Rita’s mutated companion lightning? Fully controllable. Capable of changing form."

"You may find the answer in the Burial Grounds," Foolishness said. "Or graduate from my class as soon as possible. I can recommend you to Mingwu. He can teach you."

The three rounds of questions concluded. Those who had asked and those who had only listened were equally satisfied.

Training resumed.

In every subsequent round, Foolishness and Deceitful Bloom added incentives for their own students. Sometimes an answer to a question. Sometimes a Flower of Deceit. Sometimes a toy.

Only when the Starsea began to reverse in the sky did the joint session finally end.

Aside from Deceitful Bloom’s brief interruption at the start, she had not interfered again. If not for the overwhelming scent of Flower of Deceit constantly reminding her, Rita might have forgotten she was standing on Deceitful Bloom’s island at all.

As before, the two gods walked slowly ahead along the parted sea of flowers. Ten students followed behind.

Halfway down the path, Rita felt something flick against the base of her spine.

She sighed and glanced sideways at Mistblade. "How old are you? Still hitting me with your tail?"

Mistblade ignored the jab. "What do you think a self-summary actually means?"

Rita shook her head. The words were clear enough, but the execution was not. It reminded her of that old line. One person celebrating under universal scrutiny.

Ash Cinders, walking nearby, said, "QM Rita’s ability is called Extra, right?"

"Yes. Extra. QM Maple Syrup’s demonic ability is Decay. QM Mistblade’s Quiet Mountain tier demon ability is Sinking."

Rita thought of what she had seen the day before in Quiet Mountain’s battlefield chat. "QM Frenzied Shark’s demonic talent has also reached Quiet Mountain tier."

"What’s it called?" several nearby players asked at once.

"Coffin Seal," Rita answered. "I don’t know the specifics yet."

No one asked how she knew. Everyone had their own secrets.

They split into small clusters, discussing the directions of their divine talents. Rita walked with Mistblade and Ash Cinders when she felt a tug at the corner of her clothes.

She looked down.

Nuclear Flash NightFury.

They had not interacted much. Aside from their cooperation in Card Swap, and two longer exchanges aboard the war cruise ship and during the trip to Nuclear Flash to recruit a vice-captain, they had barely spoken.

In Rita’s memory, Nuclear Flash NightFury had always been vibrant. A bright presence.

Her lavender hair changed styles every day. Buns, twin tails, even short hair conjured by skill. She loved life. She chased Pine Bloom around for fun and never felt embarrassed about teasing a fifteenth tier newcomer despite being top three on the ladder.

But now she was quiet.

During joint training, conversations flared up constantly. Someone would throw out a ridiculous topic and others would pile on. Even Maple Syrup occasionally joined in.

NightFury spoke less than Maple Syrup.

She did not sulk. She simply had no expression. She stood on her chair and trained seriously.

Rita met her gaze. "What’s wrong?"

Those deep violet eyes looked back at her.

"If you had to summarize me, what would you say?"

In that instant, Rita understood.

Back on the war cruise ship, her expression must have given something away. Perhaps NightFury had not been certain what she saw when she hurled a NightFury at Rita to knock her out of the captain’s office. But Rita’s attitude had confirmed it.

She knew.

Now, in her confusion, NightFury had come to ask the one alien who had glimpsed her past.

Rita did not want to answer a question that heavy.

"Why not ask Nuclear Flash Guava?"

"I did," NightFury said. "Her summary was wrong."

Rita opened the battlefield chat and quickly found Guava’s answer.

Pain.

Was that wrong?

Rita did not know. She walked in silence, brow furrowed.

NightFury nudged Mistblade aside with her hip and walked beside Rita, gripping the hem of her clothes, waiting.

"You should ask a god," Dawn Cicada said. "They know everything."

NightFury shook her head. "They know everything. But they don’t understand."

Up ahead, both Foolishness and Deceitful Bloom’s expressions shifted slightly. They did not turn back to argue. There was no point.

Then NightFury finished her thought.

"I don’t want a spectator’s answer."

Rita’s voice softened. "To Fruitling, I am also a spectator."

"Every time you look at me, I know you don’t see yourself as one. You’re the only player who broke free of the Invasion Sequence. But you were inside every Invasion Sequence. So how would you summarize the part of me you saw?"

She held onto Rita’s clothes all the way to the edge of the flower island.

Her small hand slowly loosened.

Before it could fall, a warm hand caught it.

Rita crouched in front of Fruitling and pulled the seasoned Starsea warrior into a gentle embrace. She patted her back once and said,

"Hollow."