This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

Rita had entered the dungeon at 3 AM and continued playing until 6 AM, finally wiping out the 300 troll soldiers in the troll camp. The most intense moment came when over 20 trolls cornered her, but she fought the urge to use **Phantom Shift** to escape. Instead, she activated **Master Archer's** **[Now I'm Scary Strong]**, transforming each arrow into a magic projectile.

With a few critical hits sprinkled in, she wiped out the squad in under a minute.

However, the drop rates in this game remained frustratingly low. Despite her Luck stat of 10, not every kill yielded loot. After killing 300 Level 3-4 trolls, Rita only managed to collect 27 silver coins and a pile of copper.

The camp still had a Level 5 troll boss and five Level 4 elite guards, but Rita was too exhausted. Another all-nighter had drained her. She planned to exit, grab some food, and rest before returning, even if it meant re-clearing the dungeon. After all, experience and practice were what she needed, and any kills were good for leveling up.

Upon exiting the dungeon, Rita received a friend request—from Rick. The game's new features allowed players to add friends, but given how common certain names were, finding the right person often required matching avatars or meeting in person. Rita's name wasn't particularly common, and it seemed Rick had scrolled through the list of avatars until he found her.

She accepted the request and casually glanced at her phone—17 missed calls.

Some were from Rick, and others from Zoey.

The game's sudden arrival had disrupted many people's plans. Most had assumed February 22 would be the fourth closed beta. No one expected the game to fully integrate into reality. Lopez's family had initially planned to enter the game to buy equipment and potions to arm their team, but now it was clear there was nowhere to buy from.

Those 900 belts and 1,000 beginner health potions Rita had previously sold them had instantly become invaluable.

Your next journey awaits at empire

Within the first hour of the game's integration, the Lopez family discovered dungeons under their various properties. The younger generation, familiar with gaming, understood that if this new reality functioned like a massive game, dungeons equaled wealth. A quick survey revealed 12 dungeon locations.

The Lopez family swiftly organized a team to explore the dungeons. However, the first group to enter lasted less than 10 minutes before dying. The Lopez family sent in another team to retrieve the bodies, quickly realizing there was no way to revive those who died. This newfound danger prompted them to proceed with much more caution.

After analyzing over a hundred dungeons under their properties using **Insight**, the Lopez family selected the lowest-level dungeon, a Level 2 one. Although it only allowed up to 20 players, the monsters were just Level 2, so the family figured a team of 20 could easily take them down, especially armed with guns and armor, even if they couldn't access in-game equipment yet.

But the monsters dealt significant damage. Even with armor, a single hit could shave off 40 HP, meaning two more hits would result in death.

Despite their cautious approach—advancing slowly and retreating to recover when necessary—the Lopez family couldn't ignore the need for potions. If they didn't want their subordinates to feel like their lives were being thrown away, they had to provide emergency supplies.

This small dungeon housed just over 100 monsters, but it still took three hours to clear. The reward? Less than 10 silver coins and no equipment drops. Worse, they burned through over 200 health potions in the process.

They were losing money.

Once out of the dungeon, the Lopez family analyzed the situation. To maximize profits, fewer than 10 players should enter each time. However, this meant they needed a steady supply of potions to ensure everyone survived.

The Lopez family had tried to recruit alchemists, but due to the recent theft from their treasury, most of their alchemical efforts had gone toward creating **Reveal Potions**. Their stock of beginner health and mana potions was running low.

Zoey and Mateo recalled Rita's promise to help Rick with **The Jones Family**, hoping Rita could assist them with both potions and equipment.

Rita listened to Rick's words silently.

There was no way she would provide more equipment. Selling them over 900 belts was the limit, and no other equipment slot had as exploitable a situation as the belts. Boots, while similarly mass-produced, couldn't reach the same level of price reduction as belts, making it harder to create another scheme.

She had been waiting for the Lopez family to come crawling to her for more supplies. Patiently, she responded, "As for equipment, I asked last night, but my contact said they don't have enough in-game currency. If you have some, I could try negotiating, but beginner health potions are easier. I can get someone to sell them to you for gold. But are you sure you want to buy now? Prices will be high.

It's not a good deal."

Rick had the phone on speaker, with Zoey and Mateo standing nearby. Glancing at their expressions, he pressed on, "What about the price for beginner health and mana potions?"

Rita replied, "If you use in-game currency, it's 5 silver per bottle. But if you're paying in gold, the last time I bought some, they were 100 grams of gold per bottle. Prices are definitely higher now. How many do you need? I can ask for you, or if you're in a hurry, I can give you three bottles right away."

Zoey, running out of patience, snatched the phone, keeping her voice as sweet as usual, "Rita, it's Zoey."

Rita stopped playing dumb and pretended to realize, "Oh! So it's for the Lopez family? You probably need a lot, right? How many do you need? I can talk to my contact or give you their number so you can negotiate directly."

Rita's straightforwardness took Zoey and Mateo by surprise. They had expected her to try making a profit as a middleman, gouging them in the process. Zoey sighed inwardly at Rita's perceptiveness, forcing herself to sound more patient as she replied, "That would be wonderful. Thank you so much. I owe you one."

Rita rattled off **Shadow.Q**'s contact number, adding a warning, "This is a contact from the Special Affairs Bureau. Doing business with them doesn't mean you have to join, and honestly, they're pretty reasonable."

After hanging up, Rita folded her arms, smirking as she waited. **Shadow.Q**? A legit businessman? No way—he was more like the king of conmen.

Sure enough, less than five minutes later, Zoey called back.

This time, her tone was disgustingly sweet, "Hey~ Sis~ Have you eaten yet?"

Rita froze.

Zoey had never called her "sis" in two lifetimes. The sudden shift felt incredibly creepy.

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