This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

The female commander quickly informed the ranged group to gather near her and gave clear instructions: "Prepare containers! There will be healing spring water soon. Each milliliter restores 1 HP. Everyone, fill up and drink by the side—only 3 minutes."

She then relayed the message to the melee group's leader, "Once I give the signal, healers will focus all their efforts on healing the melee fighters for 3 minutes. Flight team, can you get the dragon down in that time? Any issues?"

Receiving a confident response from the flight team, she shouted to the entire raid, "I'll count down from three. On my signal, Rita will use **Fountain of Light**. Healers, focus on the melee. Flight team, get airborne."

"3—"

"2—"

"1—"

At the end of the countdown, Rita activated **Fountain of Light** near the commander, and instantly, a spring well appeared, its waters continuously flowing out.

"Quick! Ranged DPS with mobile casting, help the healers and grab some extra water!" the commander shouted.

The male commander echoed, "Melee with teleportation skills, go grab some water too!"

The ranged players hurriedly drank their fill and returned to their spots with extra bottles for their teammates. The melee fighters managed to heal while continuing the fight, their HP rapidly refilling.

The group endured the 2-minute poison debuff successfully.

Shadow.Q marveled, "That's a great skill, easily an A-grade."

Rita nodded, "Yeah, I picked it up at an auction in Lania Kaia." If it weren't for its cumbersome use, it would be comparable to the **Emerald Feast**.

Shadow.Q agreed, "Definitely worth the investment."

While **Fountain of Light** only restored 1 HP per milliliter, when you calculated its total healing over 3 minutes, it was like a fountain of endless healing, a massive amount. The only thing preventing it from being S-ranked was the need to scoop and drink the water.

Shadow.Q's mind raced with ideas, like distributing long straws before a fight so players could just suck directly from the well during combat…

Or maybe some kind of sprinkler system? Just spray the water over the players like a car wash…

Two hours into the fight, the two commanders gave the call to start withdrawing.

Technically, they could continue battling and potentially down the dragon after another ten or so hours with some losses, but it wasn't worth it.

Their reason was legitimate: they were running out of potions and food buffs, and the combat planes were running low on ammo.

Zoey was left exasperated, **It's always harder when it's not your own team...**

As the retreat was announced, Rita blew a whistle toward the sky. By the time the group had withdrawn to the dungeon's entrance, Nivalis was already waiting for her near the dungeon portal. She flew onto Rita's shoulder as they exited the instance together.

In the air behind them, the dragon continued to pursue the retreating players, but upon seeing Nivalis, its eyes widened in shock: **A dragon! A real dragon!**

The black-scaled dragon hovered in mid-air, shrouded in mist, swaying gently with the breeze, watching in silence as the players left. It couldn't help but feel drawn to this new dragon—it needed the blood of a true dragon to complete its transformation.

The players regrouped outside the dungeon and made their way to the pre-arranged meeting spot, which had already been prepared for Zoey to perform her **Song of Hope** as promised.

Zoey wasn't one to back out of a commitment, so she agreed without hesitation. She even contacted the <Unnamed> guild to remind them that it was time to fulfill her deal with them. If the timing had worked out, she would have even called over Han Shi to get it all done in one go.

Rita, having heard **Song of Hope** on the 23rd, wouldn't benefit from it again for a month. Still, she played along, looking genuinely excited.

And, of course, she shamelessly hitched a ride with Shadow.Q.

Rick, meanwhile, felt like he'd barely finished talking to Aaron when he realized Rita had vanished. He had no choice but to send her a private message.

**[Rick]: Sis, that skill of yours was amazing!**

**[Rita]: Special Affairs Bureau work pays off. Maybe you should try working with them? As long as your Divine Gift is unique, they'll know how to make good use of it.**

Rick immediately thought of the **Honor Board** and the public recognition Rita had received.

**[Rick]: Sis, that Honor Board thing—what did Special Affairs Bureau give you as a reward?**

**[Rita]: An A-grade skill book, 1000 honor points, and 30 opportunities to gain attribute points.**

**[Rick]: Was the A-grade skill book the Fountain of Light?**

**[Rita]: No, I earned **Fountain of Light** from a mission before.**

**[Rick]: Sis… I feel like you're getting further and further away from me.**

**[Rita]: What are you saying? When have I ever not helped you when you needed it?**

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**[Rick]: Heh, you're the one I trust most now. Sis, you've been so good to me.**

**[Rick]: Sis, I hope I can be your little brother again in my next life!**

**[Rita]: Try cursing me again, and see what happens!**

Not wanting to waste more time on Rick, Rita turned her attention to Shadow.Q, as the car now held just the two of them.

"So, how are things over in Lania Kaia?"

Shadow.Q didn't hide anything. "Over seventy people have been captured. We know they're still alive, but the details are unclear. Beyond that, the treehouses have been cleared out. Anyone capable of surviving there has scattered, and those who couldn't manage returned."

Rita thought for a moment. "By our contract, I need to tell you how to convert gold into in-game currency by the end of December. Do you think you'll still be able to enter the city by then?"

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"It's hard to say, but we're already working on new plans. Since the game invaded, fewer people have been going to Lania Kaia anyway. Most were going there initially to level up because they didn't know the game would come to Earth. But now that leveling on Earth is faster, it's different. The real loss is the resources that are now cut off."

Rita casually continued the conversation, probing for more information without making any commitments. She couldn't be too eager.

As the car pulled up to the concert venue, Rita looked at the building, momentarily stunned. The last time she had been here, it wasn't this big.

From the sounds within, it seemed like the place was already full…

Shadow.Q confirmed, "It's been expanded. It can hold up to 100,000 people now."

Rita was speechless. "You're having Zoey sing in front of a crowd of 100,000?"

"Of course! It's a rare opportunity. If we could bring in Special Affairs Bureau agents from all over the country, we'd have way more than just this number."

Rita gave her a sideways glance. "You're planning on turning this into a national tour for her, aren't you?"

Shadow.Q corrected her with a straight face, "It's not a tour—it's a blessing! Choose your words carefully!"

Rita: …

She couldn't help but wonder what Zoey's thoughts were at the moment. **She's practically debuting as a pop star at this rate!**