This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

Chapter 224 [Divine Gift] Huh? (A-Rank)

Shadow.Q smiled and said, "We've gotten stronger, and we've also patched up the vulnerability in the contract that allowed it to be reversed. The Black Jade incident is guaranteed not to happen a second time."

Zoey nodded, quietly lowering her head to flip through the catalog.

The room fell silent again.

Shadow.Q lowered her head slightly, sending a message to Meow.Q on her phone.

[Shadow.Q]: Is this how you always handle negotiations?

[Meow.Q]: Yep!

[Shadow.Q]: What's your secret to negotiating successfully without getting kicked out? — A genuinely curious sister looking to learn negotiation techniques

[Meow.Q]: Start with a downer, then end on a high note. I got inspired by you, you know. Remember when you negotiated with Rita? At first, you were pretty annoying. But later, when you softened your stance, the relief felt great, didn't it? Once the client feels at ease, everything becomes negotiable.

[Shadow.Q]: ?

[Meow.Q]: I start with a load of nonsense to confuse them, and just when they're annoyed and about to leave, bam! I lower my stance and explain things concisely, just like you did earlier. Doesn't that make the sincerity of "wanting to be friends" come across even stronger?

[Shadow.Q]: ...

[Shadow.Q]: Level 5 isn't quite enough. I suggest you spend a few more contribution points and ask someone at HQ to help you level up again.

[Meow.Q]: ?

Shadow.Q would never admit that she had influenced her sister's behavior.

Some people are just born aggravating. How could that possibly be her fault?

The catalog of beasts was a thick book, organized by Divine Gift rank, from C to A. Each creature's Divine Gift abilities were detailed, but there were no S-rank beasts like Black Jade. It was unclear if they simply hadn't been found or if the Special Affairs Bureau was withholding them.

In addition, there were three beasts whose Divine Gift abilities were labeled as unknown. Not even the Bureau's scouting skills could detect their abilities, making them akin to "mystery boxes."

[Koala] Green Wine (Level 11, 35.23%)

[Divine Gift] Huh? (A-Rank)

[Species] Koala

[Species Trait] Sleeping

When Zoey first saw this page, her initial reaction was to reject it. Although she wasn't sure why Lania Kaia had koalas, she did have a stereotype about the animal...

Then she saw the species trait "Sleeping," which only increased her distaste.

But after she read through the Divine Gift abilities, she couldn't bring herself to close the page.

[Divine Gift] Huh?

- Skill 1: Huh? (Passive) - If any target uses a skill on you without saying the skill's name out loud, the skill will have no chance of hitting you. (Note: If the main pet contract is signed, the contract holder can share this passive ability with the pet.)

- Skill 2: What Did You Say? - Using this skill creates an area centered on you with a radius equal to your level in meters. Within this range, all individuals will pause their current actions, their bodies freezing, and they will begin repeating the last thing they said. Duration: 5 seconds. Cooldown: 15 minutes.

- Skill 3: I'll Say It One More Time - Select a target and shout the skill name. For the next 5 minutes, the target can only use the skill you specify. (If the target doesn't know the skill, they won't be able to cast any spells for the next 5 minutes.)

- Skill 4: So Quiet, I Thought We'd Always Have Something to Say - Activating this skill renders all non-allied targets in combat unable to speak for 1 minute. Cooldown: 10 minutes.

Four skills — worthy of an A-rank. Unfortunately, the species trait [Sleeping] spoiled half the value.

[Sleeping]: Must sleep at least 18 hours per day. While sleeping, there's a chance of learning new skills.

In other words, it could only work for 6 hours each day. Considering it might need to be ready to fight at any time, the best approach would be to avoid disturbing it outside of work hours.

This work ethic and limited hours were touching on Zoey's last nerve!

The silver lining was that, lately, Zoey's nerves had been hit by various people and events so frequently that she'd almost become numb to it.