This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist-Chapter 377: The Game of Gods: Painting Contest 8

Rita examined the item she received:

[World Graveyard - Red Airplane ①]: Belonging to the Black Spring Civilization. Players from other civilizations can only use it as a ticket.

Another World Graveyard item, and in a different form. Was this some kind of strategy game? Or a cultural artifact of the Black Spring Civilization?

She leaned toward the latter. Otherwise, how could such a ticket system work to differentiate access levels? She was unsure if it granted honor points, as no notification had appeared.

Nivalis asked, "Did you get any rewards? I did!"

Rita, surprised, asked, "You did too?"

She had suspected as much when she noticed the shared experience split earlier. The confirmation brought her joy. Rita didn’t mind her experience being shared—it was better for Nivalis to grow alongside her, amplifying their combined strength.

Her decision to contract Nivalis was paying off in ways she hadn’t imagined. Initially, she had only hoped for a companion who wouldn’t hinder her or throw tantrums. But Nivalis had far exceeded her expectations, proving to be a reliable and obedient ally at crucial moments, never wasting time with doubts or unnecessary questions.

"Yes," Nivalis replied. "From the kill reward. I got 4.7% experience and an S-rank skill, Air Slash. But I violated a game rule and lost 5 attribute points."

Rita’s happiness faded into seriousness. If kill rewards yielded 10% experience total, it likely meant death penalties would result in similar losses—whether in experience or something else. Moreover, she and Nivalis were treated as one entity, sharing both rewards and punishments.

She turned her attention to her new skill, [Air Slash]:

[Air Slash] (S-rank): Allows the user to manipulate air with every part of their body. Each movement releases a massive air blade. Consumes 3,000 mana per second. Damage scales with Intelligence. No cooldown.

The mana cost was staggering. With her current pool, just one second of use would drain nearly 8% of her mana. However, its lack of a cooldown made it an exceptional close-combat skill.

This realization was unsettling. If pets like Nivalis could gain such S-rank skills, what kind of reserves would the pets of top-tier players possess? Rita reminded herself not to underestimate any pets in the battlefield.

And since skills gained in the World Battleground could be used immediately, the incentive to hunt other players was enormous.

She crouched in a corner and unfurled the canvas showing the lizard alien she had painted. The image depicted him in his trench coat, but there was no red visible. What rule had she violated?

Opening the leaderboard, she noticed it had shifted to display Completion Rankings instead of power levels. The current count was 12,931 players, with Rita ranked 1,695.

1695 - BS·Rita - 3.6%

The painting contained 11 aliens, yet completing one only yielded 3.6%. She quickly deduced that the background, the ship, and the more powerful aliens in the painting were likely key to higher completion percentages.

At that moment, another game round ended.

A second solid star appeared on her screen. She now had two.

One more round to go.

Yet, her mood was far from optimistic. Winning three rounds meant being forcibly ejected from the battleground. If she exited at the same time as the other aliens, especially Frenzied Shark, survival seemed improbable. Worse, her progress was unlikely to align with Mistblade’s.

Even if their timings matched, Mistblade no longer needed her. All the translation work was done. For this segment of The Game of Gods, she was dispensable.

The new game began, and this time, the icon above her head was a red heart.

As usual, she avoided the battlefield, allowing her mana to recover while scavenging fruits in the oasis. Though most had been snatched in the first round, a few were overlooked.

However, this time, the hearts lost. The game ended quickly.

In the fourth round, she was the Flagbearer again. Find your next read on novelbuddy

Why? Had her luck shifted without her knowing? Or was there another reason?

She looked up at the red light beam behind her, shooting skyward, and saw Frenzied Shark racing toward her along the beam’s path. Her heart sank.

He pointed toward a corner, indicating where the throne should land.

Victory was guaranteed, but Rita wasn’t relieved. Instead, a sense of foreboding weighed heavily on her. Her primary concern now was how she would survive after being ejected from the battleground.

The fourth round would likely end with her and Frenzied Shark leaving the oasis together.

Nivalis voiced the same worry: "How will we survive outside?"

Rita replied grimly, "Prepare for the worst. If it’s unwinnable, return to the space immediately. I’ll kill myself and take the exit penalty. It’s the most cost-effective option. Don’t stay; it’s not worth it."

Nivalis hesitated but eventually nodded. "Understood."

The throne solidified, and the second red beam rose. Rita turned to Frenzied Shark. "Are we heading to the Blue Throne?"

"Let’s go," Frenzied Shark replied, escorting her toward the blue light. As they flew, he asked, "How many languages do you know?"

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"669," Rita answered.

"Translate my game rules when we’re out," Frenzied Shark said. "I’ll protect you for a while."

"Deal," Rita agreed.

She had no leverage to negotiate. Frenzied Shark wouldn’t escort her to another oasis after their transaction. And despite his seemingly amicable demeanor, his mere presence gave her an overwhelming sense of dread.

The idea of killing herself to escape flickered briefly but was quickly dismissed. She couldn’t accept defeat—not yet.

Following Frenzied Shark was surprisingly smooth. Though the Blue Team had a group of high-tier players protecting their Flagbearer, none dared block Frenzied Shark’s path.

Soon, her third star lit up.

Instantly, Rita was ejected from the battleground, flung uncontrollably beyond the shield. She spread her wings to stabilize herself mid-air.

Before she could act, an invisible force seized her neck, draining her mana to zero—it was Frenzied Shark.

The move halted the aliens who had considered following her.

Frenzied Shark carried her and Nivalis for several minutes before descending. The air currents dragged her down alongside him.

As Frenzied Shark landed heavily, gray thorns erupted from the desert, forming a nest-like structure around them.

The thorns’ surface revealed text:

[Hate Thorns], Frenzied Shark’s pet.

Frenzied Shark casually tossed Rita and Nivalis to the ground. The thorns grew rapidly, blocking out the sky. Some encircled Rita, while others pinned Nivalis, holding her firmly in place.