This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist
Chapter 758 - 758: 758: Divine Game – Card Swap 7

With a polite smile to the hunter, Rita said, "Please wait a moment," then turned away and waved her teammates over. Three little heads huddled together in a tight circle.

"We can go buy ingredients from the herb shop and brew the potions ourselves," Rita whispered. "We'll just make a little less profit."

Fat Goose and Mistblade nodded. "Works for us."

They turned back around and told the hunter, "We'll deliver tomorrow. But you'll need to pay an 80-gold deposit today."

The hunter didn't accept the price outright. After some haggling, they settled on 135 gold total, with 60 gold as the upfront deposit.

That bit of pushback completely dissolved the last sliver of doubt the kids had.

Only a serious buyer would negotiate like that.

They agreed to meet the next day at the gem shop to exchange the potions and remaining payment. After parting with the hunter, the three raced to buy materials and sprinted out of town.

On the way, Rita said to Mistblade, "You'll be in charge of brewing the Strength potions. Can you handle that?"

Mistblade nodded eagerly, her face lighting up in such a wide smile that Rita finally noticed the pair of tiny fangs peeking out. She was probably losing her baby teeth—several were missing—which shattered her usually composed, mature appearance. She looked incredibly cute.

Fat Goose bounced beside them. "What about me?! Can I help too?"

Laughing and chattering, the three kids returned to their hideout.

At the ripe old age of ten, they were already laying the foundation for their future business empire.

Rita made a mental note to put this in her future memoir—whether she returned home or made it big in this world.

By the riverside, they had just set up the cauldrons when a figure stepped into view.

All three jumped in surprise. When they saw who it was, they relaxed—only for a wave of dread to immediately crash over them.

It was that treasure hunter.

Why had she followed them?

Arms folded, the hunter watched with amusement as the kids' expressions twisted into panic and wariness.

Yes, they were smart. And that was exactly why she had played along—just enough to get them to drop their guard. She was worried they might notice something off and refuse to leave the safety and order of the town.

But in the end, they were still kids. Smart, yes. But inexperienced.

The soil on their clothes could only be found in the Bosflet Highlands. The bits of grass stuck to them grew only along the riverside. And their so-called "mentor" who sent them out to "gain experience"? That was the weakest lie of all.

Lightchaser looked over at the two kids working at the cauldrons—one was a Moon Fox, the other an Oak Owl?

Both rare races, and both capable of brewing basic potions. They'd fetch at least 800 gold each on the black market, maybe more because of their species.

And the Candlebeast organizing herbs—if he really could turn spoiled food into magical food? That was a whole other kind of valuable.

As Lightchaser appraised her goods, Rita subtly began to back away, slipping a vial into each of her teammates' hands behind her back.

"Drink this," she whispered. "We run on my signal."

They didn't need her to say what it was—they already knew. They had long suspected that Rita's alchemy skills went far beyond the two potions she'd demonstrated.

It was a Basic Flight Potion. Lasts two minutes. Short, but enough.

Lightchaser drew her longsword. Even against children, she wouldn't lower her guard.

"Run!" shouted the little Oak Owl.

The Moon Fox and Candlebeast raised their bottles and drank in one gulp.

Flight potions?

Lightchaser's eyes lit up.

Any kid who could brew that was worth at least 2,000 gold.

She slammed her sword into the ground.

Instantly, five invisible barriers erupted into place—front, back, sides, and overhead.

The kids crashed headlong into the top barrier and were flung back down to the ground.

With a stomp of her heavy boots, an invisible force locked them to the ground. Their midair escape was cut short.

In a blink, Lightchaser stood before them. Her sword slashed—not to kill, but to disable. The hilt struck each of them at the base of the spine.

A sickening crack. Their legs went numb.

Next, her blade flicked sideways, slitting the tendons in both of their wrists—left and right.

All three cried out in pain, but only for a second. They bit their tongues, choked it down.

Even Fat Goose, usually the first to bawl, stayed silent.

They just stared up at the hunter, hate burning in their eyes, memorizing every detail of her face.

The injuries weren't fatal. But they were effective. None of them could move now.

Only after verifying that all three were fully incapacitated did Lightchaser walk over to their bags. She kicked them aside, cut them open with her blade, and let the contents spill onto the dirt.

Potions, magic food, scattered everywhere.

Her boots crunched over gravel as she walked to a seemingly ordinary spot by the river. She swept her blade once, revealing a stash buried under the stones—more potions, more food.

She chuckled.

"Shame," she said. "I thought I was looking at a bright, shining future."

This really was a great spot. Quiet. Isolated. No one ever came here.

With her longsword still embedded in the ground, she crossed her arms and rested them on the hilt, gazing down at the three kids.

Then came the questioning.

"You. You can turn food into magic food?"

Silence.

She swung her blade lightly. A shallow cut appeared on each child.

Three strikes—precise, non-lethal, excruciating.

Fat Goose buried his face in the dirt, not wanting anyone to see his tears.

Rita and Mistblade clung to each other, faces scrunched up in defiance. Their mouths looked like shriveled-up old ladies'.

"Oh for the love of—seriously?" Lightchaser muttered in disgust. Any admiration she'd had for their wit and courage vanished.

Smack. She clapped a hand over her own eyes in exasperation.

"I'm not the bad guy here, okay? Could you stop looking at me like I am?

"What, you think showing off your value was gonna lead to happy endings?

"You know how many people are watching you after you paraded your potions and food all around Gilane?

"I paid 2 gold just for your info, by the way."

She was talking more to herself now, annoyed and frustrated.

Each time she spoke, her sword lashed out again—three more slashes, three more lines of pain.

"You shouldn't be trying to act tough right now. This isn't bravery—it's just a performance to make yourselves feel better."

"You think this matters? That you'll remember this moment someday and go, 'Wow, I was so cool back then'?"

"Wrong. If anything, you should be trying to trick me, distract me, stall me. Anything but this silent hero act."

"When you're in a desperate situation, you do whatever it takes. Throw away your pride, your shame, your moral high ground—just focus on solving the damn problem."

"You've got two options: figure out a way to fight back and kill me… or figure out a way to talk me out of selling you."

"Enough with the melodrama, kids. Don't test my patience."