This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

On the morning of March 1st, Rita left her villa, drove around for a bit, and entered an office building. She activated her **Hunter's Eye** skill to lose the red dot following her closely. After reaching the 26th floor, she found a quiet corner and left the Blue Star.

The building belonged to the White family, and in the far corner of the 27th floor, there was a hidden dungeon. In her previous life, it took the White family a month to discover it. During that time, a few companies in the building had secretly been using it, keeping it hidden.

Eventually, their greed led to a conflict, and when the situation blew up, the White family stepped in, harshly dealing with the companies to warn others not to mess with their property.

Rita hoped that the people from the Lopez family following her would find it.

As for whether Lopez would sell her out and cooperate with the White family? Rita thought it unlikely. This was a level 1 dungeon, easy to cash in on immediately, and the Lopez family wouldn't pass up the chance.

Even if they did sell her out to collaborate with the White family, as long as she wasn't caught red-handed, the White family wouldn't dare move against her, especially since she had ties with the **Special Affairs Bureau**.

In just a few days, her mentor **Apachi** had made significant progress, thanks to the blood sample she had provided. Specifically, Apachi had developed a variety of poisons.

As for a cure…

"We need more data samples; I'll need to conduct further experiments to draw any conclusions," Apachi said, having recently purchased a batch of white monkeys for testing.

The good news was that based on Apachi's knowledge of all known formulas, none could cure the **Unknown Curse**. When Rita heard this, she felt reassured. As she helped Apachi with some tasks, she noticed her mentor seemed to be in a good mood today. So she handed over a pack of cigarettes before asking, "Mentor, can I ask you something unrelated to alchemy?"

Apachi took a whiff of the unfamiliar cigarettes and responded, "Ask."

Rita asked, "Someone wants to use a magic formation to steal my **Divine Gift**. Is there a way to stop them?"

As she spoke, she drew the formation from memory for Apachi to see.

Apachi glanced at it, then let out a bold, arrogant laugh, "Who said this has nothing to do with alchemy? There's no problem that alchemy can't solve!"

Thinking of the time Apachi referred to **Wheel of Fate** as a "six-hour rental room," Rita's eyes lit up, and she asked eagerly, "Can alchemy enhance a **Divine Gift**?"

Apachi lit a cigarette with a snap of her fingers, took a deep drag, and said, "What was your unrelated question again?"

Rita blinked, confused for a second, before pushing the formation drawing forward with her small, green goblin hand. "Someone wants to use a formation to steal my **Divine Gift**. What can I do to stop them?"

Apachi began lecturing seriously, "Oh, this formation involves demons and equivalent exchange. The higher the level of the **Divine Gift** being stolen, the greater the price the user pays. These three symbols represent magic, blood, and soul, meaning the thief must offer these as payment to the demon. The marks in the lower right indicate the quantity involved.

Judging by the numbers here, the **Divine Gift** they want to steal is at least S-rank."

Rita didn't hide anything. "I saw this in a divination vision. That person does indeed have an S-rank **Divine Gift**." She then placed 2,000 gold coins in front of Apachi. Continue your adventure at empireNôv(el)B\\jnn

Without batting an eye, Apachi took the coins. What she appreciated most about Rita was that she knew knowledge came at a price. Usually, she would pay with cigarettes or alcohol—small luxuries that were rare but inexpensive. But this time, Rita was dealing with serious, secret knowledge and didn't try to exploit their mentor-student relationship. Instead, she paid upfront and generously.

Apachi admired that.

Apachi quickly outlined three methods for stopping the **Divine Gift** theft.

The first method involved making a deal with a demon first, using one's **Divine Gift** as collateral. Not only could this grant the user something they desired, but if someone tried to steal the **Divine Gift**, it would provoke the demon, and the thief would be dealt with.

The second method was alchemical: creating a potion that would infuse one's soul with holy light. This would not only enhance their affinity with light magic but also make it impossible for demons to touch their soul.

The third method, of course, also involved alchemy. Apachi made Rita loudly repeat, "Alchemy can do anything!" twice before continuing, clearly enjoying the moment.

The third method was a cursed alchemical artifact called the **Heart of the Undying**. This master-level creation required sacrificing part of one's **Divine Gift** to gain the curse of immortality. The first undead was rumored to have been created this way. Nowadays, undead beings no longer possess true immortality, but the artifact still has value.

It's highly sought after, as many fear death more than anything.

Once part of the **Divine Gift** was sacrificed, even if someone tried to steal it, they wouldn't be able to take the whole thing. And most importantly, no one, not even demons, could attempt to steal from the same person twice. The thief would only receive an incomplete **Divine Gift**, and they would still have to fulfill their promise to the demon.

Two thousand gold bought a lot of information, even on Lania Kaia. Not only did Apachi explain the methods, but she also provided Rita with detailed instructions for each one.

The system chimed:

- **Ding!**

- **Apachi has taught you demon knowledge: Dark Deals.**

- **Apachi has taught you the master alchemy recipe: Word of Redemption.**

- **Apachi has taught you the master alchemy recipe: Heart of the Undying.**

Seeing the term "master-level alchemy," Rita quickly gave up the idea of crafting the artifact herself. She asked if Apachi had any **Heart of the Undying** or **Word of Redemption** in stock.

Without hesitation, Apachi pulled out a bottle of golden potion. "499 gold," she said. Then she produced a heart-shaped black gem. "1,999 gold."

Rita: "…"

"You've been corrupted."

These people from Lania Kaia, they've gone bad.