This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist-Chapter 490 - 489: Divine Game – Chaotic Restaurant 10

Before Marmang-Crab and Pine Bloom could finalize a plan, Black SpringMud Bears suddenly revived.

The corpse on the floor opened its eyes.

The first thing Black SpringMud Bears saw after regaining consciousness was Pine Bloom holding a knife over his stomach, casually gesturing with it as she spoke to BS Rita and Marmang-Crab.

Sitting up, his wounds fully healed, he pointed at Pine Bloom, his voice calm as he asked in Autumn Bear language, "What was she saying just now?"

Rita hesitated.

She had just asked if Autumn Bear skin would make a good material for boots for her and Marmang-Crab.

There was no way she could say that out loud.

Before she could come up with a lie, Black SpringMud Bears added casually, "I have a lie-detection skill."

Rita slowly, in perfect Autumn Bear language, said, "She was asking if she could use Autumn Bear skin to make a new pair of boots for Marmang-Crab."

Pine Bloom's lips curved slightly. Her mechanical race chip understood Autumn Bear language, but she didn't expose Rita's translation choice.

Black SpringMud Bears didn't dwell on it either. He had more pressing concerns and immediately shared information. "The cost of revival isn't too bad. Just one S-tier skill or three A-tier skills."

Neither Pine Bloom nor Marmang-Crab reacted much. To high-ranking players like them, the difference between one S-tier skill and three S-tier skills was insignificant. S-tier skills were to them what B-tier skills were to Rita.

Rita, on the other hand, felt relieved. If dying wasn't as costly as she had feared, that meant she could afford to take a few more risks.

With their team back at full strength, the restaurant resumed operations.

Marmang-Crab stayed behind to guard the place, while Rita moved to the front to serve customers. Pine Bloom left to steal ingredients and farm Mischief Score.

Black SpringMud Bears had planned to go with her, but Pine Bloom had another idea.

"Right now, everyone is fighting over ingredients. But once supplies start running out—either from being stolen or destroyed—players will start flocking to the supply hub. You'd be better off going now before that happens."

It made sense, so Black SpringMud Bears memorized the map and set off.

For the past four hours, Rita hadn't eaten. She had been preparing food before the assassination attempt, and now that everyone had left, she decided to find a way around her game restrictions.

She turned to Marmang-Crab for help. "Senior, can you do me a small favor?"

Marmang-Crab's eyestalks twitched, but he didn't refuse. "What is it?"

Rita pointed to a yellow fruit on the table. "Just cut this however you like, then drizzle some yuzu juice over it."

She could only eat food made by her teammates, and since she was restricted to a vegetarian diet in this game, a simple fruit salad was the easiest solution.

Marmang-Crab prepared it for her, then casually said, "I need a soup that's both sweet and salty."

Rita nodded. "Any preference? Meat, seafood, or vegetable-based?"

"Seafood."

The two of them sat behind the counter, eating while keeping an eye on the restaurant. Occasionally, they even chatted.

Marmang-Crab was, in many ways, an interesting crab. Just like when she had first encountered him in a kart-racing game, he didn't have that condescending attitude some strong players had toward weaker ones.

Thinking about it, she realized that even Pine Bloom and Black SpringMud Bears hadn't been outright hostile toward her. They treated her as a functional part of the game, but they hadn't ignored her or bullied her.

She couldn't help but vent to B80234615.

"Honestly? I don't think I got that unlucky with my teammates. They're not bad… okay, Pine Bloom aside."

"That's because it's you. If you were just a Stage 7 nobody, this would be a different story. Do you really think they're naturally nice people?"

"Huh?"

"Have you not realized how famous you are in the World Battlefield?"

"Explain."

"You rose to power at an alarming rate. No one else has climbed to Stage 7 so fast, earned a title, stolen Winter Sea Frenzied Shark's talent, and gotten entangled with Maple Syrup and Mistblade in just a few games."

"There are no fools here. Everyone knows you'll be standing at the same level as them soon. No one will underestimate you anymore."

"In a cooperative game, they won't randomly trample your dignity."

Rita finished the thought herself. "And in a competitive game… they won't take me lightly either, right?"

"Your clarity of thought never ceases to impress me."

Before Rita could respond, a massive, mountain-sized creature resembling an octopus approached the counter. One of its tentacles pointed at Marmang-Crab. It spoke in a deep, garbled voice.

B80234615 translated immediately. "Is it for sale?"

Rita was tempted to sell Marmang-Crab on the spot.

But that wasn't her call to make, so she translated for him instead. "It wants to buy you."

Marmang-Crab let out a cold laugh. Then, from his relaxed, sprawled position, he suddenly stood up, prepared to crush the customer on the spot.

But then—his detection skill activated.

The results came back.

The octopus' combat power was equivalent to Stage 19.

Marmang-Crab froze.

A second later, he sat back down, smiled goofily, and said, "Reject it for me. Politely."

Rita relayed the message, picking up the language from B80234615 on the spot. She responded in not-so-fluent speech, "Sorry, it's not for sale."

But the customer ignored her response and asked again.

Rita refused again. She could tell that this customer wasn't backing down, and if it kept asking, she would eventually violate her game rules.

She whispered to Marmang-Crab, "Maybe… you should just go with it?"

Before he could explode, she quickly added, "I'll take the money here, and you can just run away once you're 'sold.'"

Marmang-Crab glared at her. "Why don't YOU go with it?!"

Rita scoffed. "It's not trying to buy me!"

The moment the words left her mouth, another tentacle suddenly pointed at her.

Marmang-Crab perked up immediately. "Hey! Did it change its mind? Is it trying to buy YOU now?"

B80234615 updated her. "It's asking if it can buy Marmang-Crab… with you included as a free bonus."

Rita blinked. "Excuse me?"

New n𝙤vel chapters are published on novelbuddy.cσ๓.

She turned to Marmang-Crab. "It wants to buy you… and get me as a freebie."

Marmang-Crab didn't hesitate for a second. "Tell it—no need to buy me. It can just take you for free."

Rita's face twitched. Just as she was about to yell at him, a smooth, chilling voice spoke in Sky-Crab language.

"That's acceptable."

Both Rita and Marmang-Crab froze.

A second later, a tentacle wrapped around Rita, binding her from shoulders to ankles.

Before she could react, she was hoisted onto the octopus' back.

Rita: "???"