This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

Rita managed to have a relatively peaceful meal. When Samuel wanted to, he could be the perfect father—gentle, considerate, generous, and respectful of his daughter, listening attentively to her every word.

Scarlett, carefree as ever, asked directly if Rita could take her to see a dungeon.

Rita, sipping her soup without lifting her head, responded, "Do you even know how much it costs to enter a dungeon nowadays?"

Curious, Scarlett asked, "I heard it's tens of thousands for a ticket. Is that true?"

Recently, dungeon-related news had been everywhere. The hottest topics were still **Divine Gifts**, followed closely by dungeons, with skills, gear, and potions trailing behind.

Since the game merged with reality, everyone in the world had become a player. Although there was initial chaos, the authorities acted quickly, swiftly handling those causing trouble and publicly announcing the existence of dungeons to shift the public's focus.

Got energy to cause trouble? Take it to a dungeon—you might even earn loot and gear.

Dungeons that appeared in public areas were managed fairly by the **Special Affairs Bureau**. They operated like restaurants—people would line up with their IDs, and when their number was called, they entered. If you wanted to team up with friends, you had to line up together. No matter how long you stayed inside, once you left, you had to queue again.

The smaller dungeons could hold up to 20 people, with 19 spots for regular citizens and the last reserved for an official. This wasn't just for security; it was also to prevent people from hogging the dungeon or refusing to leave.

Each player's ID was verified for these public dungeons, making it impossible for scalpers to hold spots.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

However, for dungeons that appeared on private property, the owners controlled access. Some people kept them hidden for family and friends, others leased them to the government for rent, while others monetized the entry, charging steep ticket prices.

These tickets were going for crazy amounts, even more than the hottest concert seats.

But it wasn't tens of thousands—three beginner healing potions or three silver coins could get you in.

Rita explained, "It's three healing potions or three silver coins per entry. If you've got that, I can take you for a tour, but forget about fighting. You won't last, and a single scratch could take off 40 or 50 HP."

Scarlett immediately lost interest. "Never mind, then."

She knew her daughter too well—Rita would definitely pay for her, but she was as stingy as Scarlett herself.

Rita didn't bother with what they thought. After dinner, she hurried them out the door.

"So annoying," she thought, "Why do they live so close?"

She started pondering when she should deal with those two. They were becoming useless, and with the game fully integrated into reality, getting rid of someone quietly would be easy. As she watched Samuel and Scarlett's retreating figures, her thoughts darkened.

How should she do it? Could she make it look like Rick's fault? Or use their deaths to sow discord between Zoey and Rick? Were there any skills that could curse someone by sacrificing their relatives? Discover more stories at empire

Scarlett shivered and looked around, asking her husband, "Do you think someone knows we have potions and is targeting us?"

Samuel frowned, realizing it wasn't impossible. The two quickened their pace, heading home.

On the way, Samuel reflected on his recent actions. Whether it was giving them potions or helping Rick handle the **Jones Family**, it was all Rita's doing lately. It wasn't enough. Rita was pretty easy to manipulate—if you made her feel moved, she'd open her heart to you. But if you neglected her for too long, she'd start thinking too clearly.

He figured he'd talk to Rick about it.

When Samuel shared his thoughts with Rick, Rick wasn't too concerned. The worse things got for him at the **Lopez** house, the more he realized how good Rita had been to him. Genuinely, he said, "Dad, there's no need to worry. That's just how she is—stingy, sure, but she wouldn't forget about us if something big came up. The price was probably too high for her to mention."

Samuel thought back to how it was Rita who had first told them about the game. Maybe he didn't need to worry so much. His daughter was still useful and caring, after all.

Rick continued, "The top ten on the leaderboard are all from the **Special Affairs Bureau**, and her **Divine Gift** is pretty useful. She's probably being power-leveled by them. There's no way we could get in on that."

Samuel nodded. "Alright, as long as you're aware. By the way, did you fire that guy from your workshop? Why keep someone with a dirty disease around? You don't want to get infected."

Rick gripped his phone tightly. Mumbling a few acknowledgments, he quickly hung up, afraid he might lose control if he stayed on the line. What scared him more was the thought that Zoey might walk in at any moment and overhear.

Over the past few days, Rick had keenly sensed that something was off with Zoey. Her emotions—disbelief, despair, anger, and fear—were all too familiar. Last night, Zoey barely slept. Rick could feel her watching his back all night long.

At one point, Zoey had even pulled down his pants to inspect him. Then, he heard her cold laughter echoing in the room—a mixture of disdain, betrayal, and mocking fury.

It made Rick want to jump out of bed, but he forced himself to stay still.

This morning, the same player who had **Insight**'d his **Divine Gift** came to their house again. Rick knew this time, they were checking for the **unknown curse** next to his name. After the player left, Zoey sat alone on the couch for a long time.

Using the excuse of practicing his cooking, Rick escaped to the kitchen, where he took Samuel's call.

After hanging up, Rick calmly continued cooking. He flipped the steak, brushed on some honey glaze, and hummed a little tune.

In the reflection of the kitchenware, he could see someone standing not too far away, watching him.

Zoey didn't like strangers in her space, so unless she needed something, the only people around the house were her and Rick.

Forcing down the dread rising inside him, Rick continued playing the role of the gentle, innocent man.

That night, Zoey suddenly hugged Rick and said she wanted a baby.

In that moment, Rick's heart went cold, but at the same time, he realized just how perfectly matched they were—a match made in heaven.

He knew exactly what Zoey was thinking. She wanted to infect him first and then frame him for giving her the disease. That way, she'd tie him down, using his guilt to control him, forcing him to work for her. Together, they could leverage his luck and her power to slowly manipulate the entire **Lopez** family.

After all, he'd been thinking the same thing.

There was no way she'd let anyone in the **Lopez** family find out about this. Just like he wouldn't dare let the **Wilson** family know.

They were truly a match made in heaven.

Rick embraced Zoey with feigned joy, lovingly kissing her hair. "That's wonderful."

Go to hell.