This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist-Chapter 489 - 488: Divine Game – Chaotic Restaurant 9

A few seconds later, Marmang-Crab rushed back, having received the team death notification.

The restaurant was a mess.

Of the previously full table of dishes, only one-third remained.

On the floor lay the corpse of Black SpringMud Bears.

Lania Kaia Pine Bloom was calmly wiping her warhammer—

Not because she had taken damage. BS Rita had absorbed the hit for her.

But because, by sheer bad luck, the enemy's skill had countered the magical inscriptions on her warhammer.

The magic circuits had been severed—she'd need a specialist to repair it later.

The most absurd sight, however, was BS Rita.

She stood there, face a mix of shock, disbelief, and pure bewilderment.

Her expression screamed "I HAVE SEEN IT ALL."

Yet, despite that, she was laughing and clapping like a lunatic.

Marmang-Crab, still processing the chaos, asked in Sky-Crab language:

"What the hell happened?"

Rita kept laughing and clapping for a few more seconds—making absolutely sure she wouldn't trigger a rule violation—

Then, she pointed at Pine Bloom, utterly speechless for the first time in her life.

SHE HAD BEEN USED AS A SHIELD.

For the first time ever, Rita couldn't find the words.

She hadn't even bothered to turn off her passive skill [Bedtime Tale] in her personal settings.

There was no point—it was a survival ability.

What, was she supposed to die in front of Pine Bloom just to keep it secret?

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That would be the dumbest thing ever.

Pine Bloom, completely unfazed, simply smiled and cast a healing spell on Rita, instantly restoring her to full HP.

Then, her expression shifted—

From playful and amused to dead serious.

Without hesitation, she got to work, radiating a "We have important things to do" aura.

Rita was beyond furious.

She took deep breath after deep breath.

B80234615: "Damn, she's like an upgraded version of you. So infuriating."

Rita: "WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?! DO YOU THINK I'D EVER DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS?!"

B80234615: "My calculations say there's a 100% chance you would. Want me to tweak the data to make you feel better?"

Rita was about to retort—no, she wanted to yell at Pine Bloom.

But then, Pine Bloom glanced at the nearly empty serving table.

Not enough food.

Worse—all their ingredients had been stolen.

She pointed at the corpse of Black SpringMud Bears on the floor.

"Well, we're out of ingredients. Can we use this?"

—

In the revival room, where Black SpringMud Bears was selecting an S-tier skill for his respawn,

he suddenly shivered.

A very bad feeling crept over him.

—

Rita: "..."

All her anger vanished in an instant.

What the hell just happened?

Was it even possible to be mad when your teammate was THIS insane?

She had previously thought about the possibility of using a teammate as food—

But only in theory.

Even when she first saw Marmang-Crab and Black SpringMud Bears, she had jokingly thought "Wow, food supplies".

But she swore on her life—she had never actually considered cooking a sentient being.

—

And then she remembered Black Jade.

…She wasn't afraid of divine punishment, so she casually added an exception to her mental oath.

"That wasn't a sentient being. That was an SSS-rank skill carrier."

—

Meanwhile, Pine Bloom didn't hesitate for a second.

She even turned to Rita and seriously asked:

"Would it taste good? Can we make it into cookies?"

—

Rita refused to answer.

This hellish joke was too dangerous.

For all she knew, Black SpringMud Bears could still hear them.

And if he revived knowing what she said—

His first instinct would be to beat her to death.

—

With a perfectly neutral expression, she translated Pine Bloom's horrifying suggestion into Sky-Crab language.

Marmang-Crab, at least, took it relatively well.

The Marmang Undersea World was a place where predation was the norm—every species was just another link in the food chain.

But even for him, Pine Bloom's "turn a teammate into dinner" proposal sent a chill down his exoskeleton.

The friendly teamwork atmosphere from earlier suddenly felt like an illusion.

—

Just an hour ago,

Pine Bloom had made each of them a custom hat for decoration while waiting for customers.

Now, she was casually suggesting cannibalism.

—

Marmang-Crab's gaze shifted to BS Rita.

Her hat was gone.

Her clothes were in tatters, barely hanging onto her body after the earlier attack.

She was casting a cleaning spell on herself, wiping away the bloodstains.

And then—

Green leaves swirled around her.

Layer after layer, they wove together, forming a perfectly tailored, dark green robe.

The sleeves and pant cuffs were tightened, making it ideal for both cooking and combat.

The fabric bore elegant black patterns, subtly embroidered.

A light brown belt sat at her waist, equipped with slots for weapons and potion vials.

Pine Bloom had made it.

She, who was slightly taller than Rita, leaned forward, meeting Rita's gaze directly.

Smiling, she offered:

"Consider this an apology."

Rita touched the robe, reading the status information.

[Ballroom Formalwear] (Temporary): This garment contains Pine Bloom's custom ballroom rules. Whenever your HP falls below 80%, it will automatically activate the embedded healing skill, restoring you until the ballroom event ends. (Duration: 3 Starsea days.)

Rita's expression remained neutral.

She wanted to say something.

But in the end, she only smiled slightly and said nothing.

Pine Bloom wasn't offended.

Just as she hadn't cared whether Rita got angry about being used as a shield,

She also didn't care whether Rita accepted the apology or not.

She moved as she pleased, alternating between kindness and cruelty, impossible to predict.

Straightening up, she began discussing ingredient solutions with Marmang-Crab.

Somehow, she had produced a wooden basket filled with various currencies—the same basket she had secretly stashed away earlier.

—

Meanwhile, Rita translated the conversation as usual, but inside, she was chatting with her pet AI.

Rita: "Do you get the feeling that, ever since we met, she's been trying to train me?"

B80234615: "Yes. Definite signs of conditioning."

Rita: "Yeah… but why?"

B80234615 didn't answer.

It knew Rita wasn't looking for an answer—just thinking aloud.

After a moment of silence, Rita could only conclude:

"Maybe it's just her personality. Or maybe… it's because of Maple Syrup and Mistblade. Maybe she's just curious about me."

She sighed internally.

"It's like training a dog. Give a little reward, then a little punishment, then another reward—all carefully balanced.

Not too much, not too little.

Even when she had used me as a shield, she had clearly explained her reason.

She even sounded like she already knew my passive only takes 30% HP.

Like it was just a harmless prank between friends.

B80234615: "But you noticed it."

Rita: "Because she didn't hide it. She didn't care if I noticed or not."

B80234615: "…I suddenly don't want to process this anymore. My system is telling me this is a bad situation."

Rita: "..."

B80234615: "Lidian, is that you?"

Rita: "I'M FINE. SAY THAT AGAIN AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS."

B80234615: "Okay, Lidian. Just let go of BS Rita, and I won't call you that anymore."

Rita: "#@$%#@!!"