This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

Chapter 20: Don’t Get Too Cocky

Rita focused and sensed several distinctive landmarks, estimating that her maximum teleportation range was 10 kilometers. Her intelligence stat was currently at 10, and since all magic-based skills were influenced by intelligence, she figured that as her intelligence increased, so would her teleportation distance. But no worries—she could simply cast the spell multiple times if needed.

She opened her eyes and raised her hand—*Phantom Shift*!

Rita appeared in Rick's hotel room, where he was still hunched over, his head buried in his suitcase. To be cautious, Rita attempted to use her theft skill on Rick.

—*Skill cannot be used!*

Rita sighed in relief and used *Phantom Shift* again to leave. She needed to pull off one more devious act; otherwise, it would feel like she hadn't fully taken advantage of this scumbag.

Still in her Phantom Cloak, Rita appeared outside the Aids Control Center, waiting for someone to arrive while checking her character panel. Upon seeing that *The Thief God's Theft, Which Can Also Be Robbery* was still available, she finally relaxed. Unfortunately, she couldn't keep abusing the skill in the game by stealing, dying, and stealing again.

Beneath her **Immortal** divine gift, a new divine gift had appeared.

**[Divine Gift] Master Archer (A)**

You were born to shoot; all ranged weapons feel like an extension of your arm. The moment you pick them up, you can slay gods. A true master archer doesn't need to try—they're just naturally strong.

**Skill 1**: *You're Too Weak (Passive)*: In combat, you can instinctively detect an enemy's weak points.

**Skill 2**: *Guaranteed Critical! (Passive)*: The number 7 has magical properties. Any shot connected to the number 7 will result in a critical hit.

**Skill 3**: *I'm Getting Serious (Passive)*: If you aim at an enemy for more than 3 seconds, the shot is guaranteed to hit, even if blocked. The projectile will persist until it either lands or is destroyed.

**Skill 4**: *Now I'm Scary Strong*: Activate this mode, and each arrow/bolt/bullet you fire will randomly be imbued with ice, fire, or lightning magic. Consumes 10 mana per second. After activation, this skill enters a 5-minute cooldown once deactivated.

Rita gasped. It really was a gift that required no effort to be strong—three out of four skills were passive. Not a single one was wasted. Skill 1 would enhance her combat abilities, regardless of whether she used a bow. Skill 2 meant that every seventh shot would be a guaranteed critical hit—a game-changer in battle. Skill 3?

Homing missiles, basically. And Skill 4 was a burst skill that made her even more formidable.

Rita carefully inserted the needle into Rick's hand, injecting the tainted blood slowly. Three injections later, she felt a deep sense of satisfaction. Her mind was at peace once more!

Just for good measure, she tried to steal something again—*Skill cannot be used*.

Rick was still an ordinary person.

Even better.

"Don't get too cocky, Rick!"

Satisfied, Rita returned to her villa. After destroying the syringe, she considered how to dispose of the severed arm and ear in her inventory. She had planned to feed them to some monsters in the game, but she hadn't had a chance since she'd been so busy. Neither a crematorium nor a pig farm seemed suitable—she didn't want to involve innocent people.

In the end, she decided to burn them somewhere remote.

No time to waste—she was still under disguise.

Using *Phantom Shift*, Rita teleported to a beach she had visited during a previous film shoot. At this hour, the beach was deserted; it wasn't the right time for any late-night escapades. She placed the severed arm and ear on the ground, removed the ear stud from the ear, and buried them along with ten packs of explosives. Then she lit the fuse and *Phantom Shifted* a hundred meters away.

After the explosion, Rita returned to the blast site. She gathered up the remaining meat chunks and bones, piled them up, and blew them up again.

Finally, she scooped the ashes and debris into a metal bucket, walked to the shore, and dumped everything into the sea.

Relieved, she thought, *Killing someone only feels good for a moment, but revenge feels good every day.*

Playing with the ear stud by the sea, she felt utterly content. The ear stud was a token that could trigger a chain of quests, and completing them would grant the top-tier healing magic that could cure any ailment and restore 70% of health with a single use. She had even searched for that top-tier healing spell in the auction house but hadn't found it.

After reducing part of her enemies to ashes, Rita returned home to sleep. She was about to drift off when she realized, *Damn, why didn't I just use Magic Missile?!*

She had completely forgotten she was a mage now!