This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

Surely, you didn\'t marry into the Lopez family just for their gold, right?

In her past life, after gaining some fame through her **Divine Gift**, Zoey had constantly tried to set her up with several unsavory members of the Lopez family. But Rita, having seen the kind of life Rick was living in the Lopez household, had no positive impression of the family.

If it weren\'t for the fact that Sanchez and Camila Taylor entered the picture later and the White and Taylor families\' power balanced against the Lopez family, Rick\'s status and treatment would have been much worse.

And besides, the people Zoey introduced? Rita would never agree. After rejecting Zoey\'s proposals multiple times, Zoey got it in her head that Rita must have feelings for Rick.

What a filthy imagination!

---

At 8 p.m., the portal activated on time, and people lined up one by one to go through. Each person had to wait two minutes after the previous one before they could cross.

Stepping through the blue light, Rita found herself in a dimly lit room with only a single candle flickering in the corner. Two people stood inside: a short-haired woman and the man in the military uniform who had addressed the crowd earlier. The man had now changed into a gray robe, and the short-haired woman waved at Rita, motioning for her to approach.

"Come over here. Time to turn you into a little animal."

Rita eyed her warily. "Where are the others? No way they got turned into animals and left the city that fast, right?"

The short-haired woman smiled and stepped aside, revealing a small glass box filled to the brim with cockroaches. They were piled on top of each other, crawling over one another in a frantic attempt to reach the top.

**This is what they meant by \'cute little animals\'?!**

Wait a second… what were Shadow.Q\'s exact words? **"We can turn you into adorable little animals."**

Rita was stunned.

**I\'m the great, reborn protagonist of a revenge novel... and this is what you\'re offering me?!**

The short-haired woman spoke in a gentle tone, "Come on now."

Rita took a large step back. "Hold on! I, uh… I have my own item that lets me turn into a cute animal. A *real* cute animal."

No worries, she had plenty of trump cards. No one knew how many cute animals she could turn into! The whole point of having hidden cards was to ensure her life was easier!

Rita raised her hand, signaling the short-haired woman to stop approaching. "Can I transform myself?"

The woman, looking somewhat disappointed, stepped back. "Of course."

Just as Rita was about to transform, she paused. "Wait a minute—if I do it myself, do I still have to pay the 5 skill crystals for the transformation service in my loan contract?"

The woman smiled, clearly realizing that Rita must have traded a skill use to enter the game. "The 5 skill crystals mainly cover the escort service out of the city. The transformation into an animal is just a complimentary perk."

Rita gritted her teeth. **Alright, fine! You\'ve got a ton of tricks, but I\'ll remember this!**

She transformed into a chubby cow cat, padding over to the corner of the room. There, she noticed a black dog sitting, staring at her with an oddly sympathetic and understanding gaze.

Rita: "..."

It didn\'t take long for Rita to realize why it was taking so long for people to cross the portal. Nearly every person had to go through the same cycle of shock, disbelief, resistance, and eventual reluctant acceptance when they found out they\'d be turned into cockroaches. Only a select few, probably repeat customers, remained calm and composed throughout the process.

Whenever someone spotted the black dog and cow cat sitting in the corner, they would inevitably give them a sour, envious look before continuing.

Rita waited patiently, taking in the atmosphere of the otherworld. The air here seemed to pulse with magical energy.

Since becoming a player, she had always been able to sense the energy within her body, even feeling the magic flow through her when using skills. But those sensations had never been as clear and vivid as they were now.

It was as if the fog covering the lens of the world had been wiped away, making everything sharper and more defined.

Rita even felt as though she could cast **Ice Flower Seal** instantly, without any incantation.

One by one, players passed by Rita, but she didn\'t use her **Thief God** skill. In the early days after her rebirth, she would have stolen from anyone, even a passing dog. But after stealing Rick\'s **God of the Culinary Arts** gift, her anger had diminished significantly. There were plenty of enemies out there, especially from the Su, Liang, and Han families.

She didn\'t need to target people who had done her no wrong.

After what seemed like a long wait, everyone was finally ready. A ginger cat—who turned out to be the short-haired woman—joined the group next to Rita.

The military man had already stored away the cockroach box and used an item to transform himself into an undead. Leading the two cats and the dog, he stepped out of the room.

The streets of the Dark City were filled with all kinds of strange beings—trolls, blood elves, dwarves, and goblins. Nobody paid any attention to a few ordinary pets.

The group quickly made their way out of the city, with Rita sticking close to the leader as they navigated past wolves, goblins, and other low-level creatures\' territories. After a long journey, they finally arrived at a large tree some distance from the Dark City. From here, only the spires of the undead palace were faintly visible.

**Chávez\'s Pocket Watch** once again proved its worth, as words appeared in front of Rita\'s eyes: **"A magically modified dwelling."**

The leader knocked on the tree, muttering a password. A flash of light appeared beneath their feet, and a few seconds later, a door materialized on the tree\'s trunk. A bespectacled man opened the door, allowing the group inside.

The space inside had been enchanted to appear much larger than the outside. It resembled a football field, complete with two rows of tents—nearly a hundred in total, at a quick glance.

The ginger cat transformed back into the short-haired woman. She turned to the cat and dog behind her. "This is our base. You can come here to make your loan payments."

**Such a cold statement.**

Rita, feeling a bit silly, nodded her cat head. Realizing how ridiculous she looked, she transformed back into her human form, adjusting her mask and cap. "Are there any other services here?"

The short-haired woman pulled out the cockroach box again, releasing the bugs one by one and turning them back into human form. As she worked, she addressed everyone: "If you find you can\'t survive here, you can come back and work with us. Of course, that means you\'ll need to follow orders. As for other services, here\'s a price list."

Rita took the list from the bespectacled man. It was filled with various charges—from healing and lodging to potions and disguise services. There was even a service for helping people who got lost find their way back to the camp.

The scariest part? At least half of the prices listed said **"Negotiable."**