This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist
Chapter 775: Divine Game: Card Swap 24

Chapter 775: 775: Divine Game: Card Swap 24

Even before landing, the two cubs could already feel the difference.

The closer they got to Moonlight Marsh, the more transport vehicles they saw in the sky—most of them packed with young cubs.

Rita turned to Mistblade.

"Is my hair okay? Is it messy?"

Mistblade took the question seriously. She even flew behind her friend to check the back of her head, fussing with her hair a bit before giving the verdict:

"Perfect. You look awesome. How about me? My ears? My tail? Do I look cool?"

Rita gave it the same level of attention.

"Absolutely! You look amazing!"

After grooming each other’s fur, they moved on to straightening each other’s clothes.

Lightchaser watched all of this with amusement.

Just before the vehicle landed, she activated a transformation skill in front of the two cubs—still a tall elf, but her facial features, build, clothing, and even weapon had all changed completely.

When the cockpit opened like wings unfolding, she led the two cubs out with a hop.

From behind came two synchronized gasps of awe:

"Wow..."

They’d arrived early—but thousands upon thousands of cubs and guardians were already there.

There were too many beings gathered in one place, so the mech transport could only drop them off outside the central area. From there, they still had to walk over a kilometer to reach Moonlight Marsh.

But even from the transport, they’d already caught sight of the academy.

It was a forest within the city.

There were no signs, no banners—just a massive tree, stretching hundreds of meters tall into the clouds. Its branches spread like an endless web of budding limbs. It wasn’t so much a tree as it was a living canopy, a giant umbrella made of nature.

As if it had tried to grow skyward but was stopped midway, and so kept expanding sideways, unable to stop its instinct to grow.

Everything beneath that canopy belonged to Moonlight Marsh.

And that tree—it would shelter all its students.

The moment she laid eyes on it, Rita felt an unshakable thought rise in her heart.

She suspected that the cross-section of that tree trunk might be larger than all of Gilane.

Its blossoms were pale pink, glowing softly in the breeze. The air carried a scent of mixed flowers and fruit that made her dizzy with wonder.

Beside her, Lightchaser stood with arms crossed, silently gazing up at the tree.

After a short while, a few instructors in uniform flew overhead and announced the start of the queueing process. They scattered to manage the flow, guiding the young ones toward the academy.

Lightchaser chose a queue and began walking, with the two cubs trailing behind.

The line moved fast—people kept walking forward without pause.

Rita held tightly onto Mistblade’s hand, and with her other hand, she grabbed Lightchaser’s cloak. She didn’t want to get lost.

Within minutes, they passed under the giant tree’s shade.

That’s where Lightchaser stopped.

Or rather, she was stopped—all adults had to remain behind.

She gave them a light push forward.

"Go."

Rita looked up at Lightchaser’s eyes. Her lips moved. She wanted, once again, to ask the question that had haunted her for weeks:

What if my divine gift isn’t a wicked one? What then?

She’d tried to ask it so many times before. It always got stuck in her throat.

And yet—at that very moment, Lightchaser unexpectedly bent down. Just like back at the arena, when she’d asked if Rita wanted to become her apprentice.

She looked her in the eyes and asked:

"What are you afraid of?

Afraid you are... or afraid you’re not?"

Rita’s eyes widened.

Lightchaser chuckled, stood back up, and gave her a firm push on the head.

"Good luck."

Then she turned and left—no hesitation.

As always. That was just how she was.

Mistblade tilted her head, eyes full of doubt and concern.

"So... is she a good person or a bad person?"

She’d heard from Rita about how Lightchaser dumped her in the gladiator ring after teaching her a few tricks.

To Mistblade, that was beyond cruel.

Her words dragged Rita out of her thoughts.

It sounded so familiar.

She used to ask her parents the same thing when watching dramas with them: Is this character a good person or a bad one?

Back then, her parents never gave a straight answer right away.

She hadn’t understood why.

Now... she kind of did.

It was hard, impossible even, to label Lightchaser.

So Rita did what Lightchaser always did when she didn’t want to answer a question.

She shut it down—swift and final.

"Let’s go."

Hand in hand, they walked into the forest with the other cubs.

Above their heads, the branch-web canopy let beams of sunlight filter through in scattered patches.

Beneath the giant tree felt like another world entirely—a fully self-sustained ecosystem of towering plants, strange animals, blooming flowers.

Some of the bizarre plants would dance when a cub passed by. Others produced violin-like sounds by vibrating their stalks. A few even leapt onto the cubs’ shoulders, playing like pets.

Every plant and flower they passed extended a branch or leaf, gently pointing the way forward.

It was like stepping into a storybook.

There was no talking hat. No tail-wagging rituals. Not even the dramatic tests Rita had imagined along the way.

They hadn’t walked long when they were stopped by a fruit tree.

Tiny thumb-sized forest sprites fluttered around, handing out glowing fruits to each child.

Once picked, the fruit would glow more intensely in each cub’s hands. The skin would turn transparent, and light would swirl within—creating symbols, patterns, or entire glowing scenes inside.

Each cub only got one.

Eat it, and your divine gift would awaken.

If the gift ranked A or higher, the cub would proceed deeper into Moonlight Marsh to meet with a teacher.

If the gift ranked below A, they’d have to turn back the way they came.

Tens of thousands of cubs, yet not a sound.

Not because they were polite—because this place was under a silence spell.

Rita tried to whisper to Mistblade several times before giving up.

The fruit looked a bit like a berry from Earth—same size, same color. No picking involved. The sprites handed them out directly.

When Rita received hers, she saw an image inside: a full moon, with dangling stars like charms.

But she didn’t eat it right away.

Instead, she walked over to a teacher nearby and signed: Can I take this fruit with me and eat it later?

The answer was no.

Once removed from Moonlight Marsh, the Awakening Fruit would become invalid.

Mistblade had already eaten hers. Her expression changed subtly for a second... and then her ears and tail suddenly stood up tall.

Her eyes sparkled.

Pure joy.

Rita guessed her friend must have gotten a pretty strong divine gift.

She pointed her toward the teachers, gave a wave—and then walked away from the crowd.

If it turned out to be a wicked divine gift, she’d leave immediately.

Return to Lightchaser.

Like flipping a coin—you knew the answer the moment it was in the air.

She popped the berry into her mouth.

And just like that... she got her answer.

"What are you afraid of?

Afraid you are—or afraid you aren’t?"