This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist-Chapter 286: Nowhere to Retreat

Suspended in the currents within the giant whale’s body, dozens of palm-sized magical runes floated, numbering at least eighty. The interior was inscribed with complex symbols and patterns that Rita couldn’t understand.

Her internal alarms blared, but abandoning this was unthinkable. People couldn’t just stand still and wait for opportunities to come to them, could they?

She threw the unconscious body of a nearby alien species into the water. The creature drifted slowly toward the skeletal remains. This process took several minutes. Upon touching the skeleton, the creature was "absorbed," leaving behind only its empty equipment floating in the currents.

Rita repeated the experiment with different subjects. Some bore bleeding wounds, while others didn’t. Eventually, she confirmed the water currents would not actively attack unless provoked.

Flying to the whale’s tail using her Orbit skill, Rita kept her distance while attempting to use [I Want This, That, and That] on the skeleton.

Had it not been for the rare fruits she’d consumed in the dragon nest, which increased her theft range to over five meters, she wouldn’t have dared to make such a bold move.

Theft failed! Not Skill activation failed—the distinction was critical.

Rita’s instincts screamed at her to use Apparition and escape immediately, but it was too late!

One of the floating runes within the currents came alive, expanding a hundredfold and illuminating the entire area. Her Apparition skill was instantly sealed! The previously dormant water erupted into a massive hand, surging toward her with terrifying speed.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

In that moment, a single thought flashed through Rita’s mind: This is the second time! No wonder Apparition, an SS-tier skill, only sells for 10,000 gold. Cheap skills always have hidden flaws.

Nivalis rushed to her aid, unleashing a frost breath at the encroaching water. Rita switched to the I’m in a Hurry item skill, propelling herself five meters forward before transforming into a bird and slipping through the gaps in the watery hand’s fingers.

Just as relief began to set in, the Soul Catcher in her inventory suddenly flew out. The delicate white bone gently yet firmly clamped around the sparrow’s neck, pushing her back toward the massive hand.

The hand closed around her softly, cradling her like a fragile doll, and carried her into the whale’s body.

This was a double-layered trap!

A trap meticulously prepared for her arrival.

In her mind, Rita screamed to Nivalis: "Stay back! Use any long-range skills to weaken my contracts!"

Reverting to her human form, Rita immediately stowed her gear into her inventory and retrieved a wake-up potion hidden in a false tooth. She downed it, but its effects were insufficient. The moment she fell into the water, a heavy drowsiness overtook her. Inside the whale, several herbs combusted spontaneously, burning within the liquid.

The temperature around her dropped drastically. Her body and mind grew increasingly sluggish, but her natural and mental resistances began climbing steadily, increasing by 2 points each second.

Frantically, Rita pulled out one of the rare fruits she had brought from the dragon nest—an SS-tier item capable of curing abnormal statuses and restoring clarity. She only had two of these fruits, and their effects lasted merely five minutes. Swallowing one raw, she felt her energy return just enough to keep fighting.

Had it not been for the earlier wake-up potion, she might not have even managed to eat the fruit. Find exclusive stories on novelbuddy

Whatever Miyaas had prepared, the dragon fruit’s effects were working. The feeling of being frozen in body and soul dissipated.

At that moment, mechanical constructs hidden in the corners of the whale released metallic chains that flew toward her limbs and neck. Rita dodged several times but was quickly overwhelmed. Bound by the chains, her movements slowed further.

The chains didn’t harm her. Instead, they rotated around her wrists and ankles with mechanical precision, engraving runes onto her skin.

And then came the finale. The skeletal remains of Miyaas flared to life, with dozens of sea demon glyphs glowing simultaneously. A haunting melody filled the air, and Rita immediately gained seven or eight buffs, even as her max HP steadily increased.

Yet, this wasn’t a boon.

Her Passive Soul Resistance skill was triggered for the first time ever. The sensation was far stronger than when Brooks had attempted to read her mind.

Mental control?

Miyaaas, how can someone hailed as a "Thief God" be this utterly shameless?!

Outside, the Soul Catcher gave a glance of regret toward Nivalis before floating into the whale’s body and hovering near Miyaas’ skeleton.

Within the whale, magical arrays etched in glowing essence illuminated one by one. Runes carved into leather and parchment floated freely in the water, gemstones shone brilliantly, herbs combusted, and mechanical devices beeped and blinked.

Three of Rita’s most prized items turned gray: [Wrathful Moon], [Chávez’s Time], and [Magic Eye].

She immediately connected the Soul Catcher as the source of this calamity—it was the only link between her and Miyaas.

She recalled the three times she had used it for games. What if she had bound the Soul Catcher to her soul using a binding stone? The consequences would have been unimaginable.

Of the grayed-out items, the loss of [Wrathful Moon] hurt the most; it had been one of her escape tools.

Now she fully grasped why Miyaas had orchestrated the dragon scale and Jameson as key components of his plan. Not only were they used to manipulate her into finding him, but they had also served to disable Nivalis’ time-reversal skill.

With both [Wrathful Moon] and [Time-Stealing Dragon] neutralized, Rita had no escape routes left.

The water currents gently carried her closer to Miyaas’ skeleton.

Everything was ready. Rita, the key component of the ritual, was about to be placed.

In her mind, Nivalis’s voice broke through the haze: "I don’t have any curse or weakening skills! Quick, what else can I do?"

For once, her tone was serious, though she hadn’t lost her composure. Nivalis remembered Rita’s lessons: the more dangerous the situation, the calmer you needed to be. Panic only sped up your demise.

Nivalis unleashed a flurry of attacks against the whale’s exterior, aiming to rescue Rita. But Miyaas’ modifications to the whale’s defenses made them impenetrable.

Healing Miyaas was also out of the question. Even if her abilities could bypass the magical currents, reviving Miyaas would spell their doom.

Rita: "Try disrupting the whale’s patterns or freezing the water currents to slow them down!"

At that moment, fury flared within Rita, burning away her despair.

She despised reckless heroics, but she had never feared adversity.

Gulping down 10ml of Daughter’s Whiskey, she endured the 10% attribute penalty, though it barely made a dent in her predicament.

Why were these currents so potent?

She detected the unmistakable scent of seawater. Had Miyaas submerged himself in seawater all these years to weaken himself deliberately?

Was he guarding against [Moment of Reversal]? But how could he have such detailed information?