This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

As Rita watched the three Lopez siblings force smiles and raise their glasses to toast her, she sighed inwardly. Before coming here, she had planned to bring up the government's involvement, hoping to maintain some surface-level peace. But she hadn't been able to hold back her irritation. She had overestimated herself.

Still, seeing the Lopez siblings clearly seething inside while holding it all in gave her a sense of satisfaction. Even better, Rita glanced at Rick, who was dutifully pouring wine for Zoey. In her previous life, Zoey had often vented her frustrations on Rita. At times, Rita had felt like she was the one married to Zoey, not Rick.

But now, with her **God of the Culinary Arts** skill in mind, she suspected Zoey's irritation was being directed at Rick instead. After today's unpleasant encounter, Rick was probably in for a tough time.

The atmosphere between Rita and the Lopez family had torn slightly, but not completely. It wasn't an irreparable rift, just a small crack that could be patched over.

Once again, the room was filled with laughter and light conversation, as if the previous tension had never existed. Although, Rita didn't eat much during the meal. She picked at her food, eating only a few bites out of politeness. After some small talk, she excused herself and left.

Zoey, perhaps feeling guilty about the earlier awkwardness, not only had someone drive Rita home but also sent an entire carload of gifts afterward.

Even though Rita hadn't suffered any losses today, she still felt displeased. And when she was unhappy, she liked to stir things up for the Lopez family.

However, for this plan, she would need a collaborator.

Rita intended to profit from the early-game gear by selling it to the Lopez family, draining their gold reserves. Although she suspected the Lopez family had some connections on the alien planet, she doubted they had as much starting capital as she did to exchange for gear.

The reason she had rushed back to reality was for this very plan. While the Lopez family might be well-informed, only a select few people knew about her exchanging 200 grams of gold for 1 coin. As long as she acted quickly, she was confident she could trade each piece of green gear for 1 pound of gold.

The equipment she had carefully selected were all belts.

By February 22nd, when the game officially invaded, a factory near Los Angeles would mutate, and the belts produced there would all be **+2 Strength, +1 Agility** green-grade items. These belts would be extremely useful for players between levels 0 and 2.

The factory was quickly taken over by the government under a profit-sharing agreement, mass-producing green belts to supply the nation's players during the difficult early stages. Within half a month, the prices of belts in the market would plummet.

Although there would still be a temporary shortage, knowing there was a steady supply meant that players would prioritize purchasing gear for other body parts. Especially for those in Los Angeles, belts were never in short supply.

During those months, green gear of the same level could sell for as high as 1 coin, but belts would go for no more than 40 silver. After all, belts produced by the government sold for just 15 silver.

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Rita had bought 1,000 belts. Her goal was to get at least 1,000 pounds of gold from the Lopez family.

She couldn't help but think that robbing them directly would be faster.

Still, she had no intention of attempting a break-in at the Lopez family's treasure vault any time soon. If she could come up with countless ways to defend against invisible players, the Lopez family certainly had more. That vault was probably rigged with electric grids and all kinds of traps, ready to knock her out the moment she entered.

While she knew selling these belts right after the game's official invasion would net her even more gold, the Lopez family would likely catch wind of the factory mutation sooner than most. Who knew when they'd find out about the belt-making machine?

Selling 1,000 items and negotiating a deal would take time—too long, perhaps—and if the belt's value crashed, she'd lose her chance to profit and miss out on sabotaging Rick.

She wasn't worried about empowering the enemy. By mid-March, most players would have a green-grade belt, and everyone would be on even footing. It wouldn't give the Lopez family any significant advantage. In fact, she could use this to push them into exchanging gold, creating an opportunity for her to intercept and steal from them.

Rita turned invisible and used **Phantom Shift** to head to the airport, catching a flight to Vancouver. She transformed into a small cat, hid aboard the plane, and took a nap. Once she landed, she **Phantom Shifted** to a location she had scouted while buying weapons, then used **Disguise** to transform herself into a 2-meter-tall brawny man.

She tracked down a Hong Kong triad player and proposed that he act as the middleman in selling her gear, offering him three pieces of green equipment as payment.

The man readily agreed.

Rita handed him Rick's contact information. "This is the buyer I found. He's wealthy and a player. His wife's family can handle 1,000 pieces of green gear. I want 1 pound of gold for each item, and anything beyond that is yours to keep."

"Got it. Leave it to me."

…

After that dinner with Rita, Rick's life took a downturn.

Zoey wasn't the type to lash out with yelling or hysterics. Nor did she pick fights or get aggressive. She prided herself on being a well-bred, refined person, so when she punished someone, it was subtle but excruciating.

Rita had annoyed her, so Zoey made sure both Rita and Rick would suffer for it.

In the days that followed, Rick noticed that a lot of his personal information was being leaked online.

Despite being married to Zoey, Rick hadn't given up his career as a streamer. It wasn't out of ambition but because it was one of the few places where he held any real authority. In his little streaming world, people analyzed the luxurious decor behind him, praised his looks and gaming skills, and even discussed the price of a random water bottle he picked up.

No one knew about his physical flaws or subtly mocked his incomplete **Divine Gift**.

But lately, the public's attitude had changed.

His real name, which he had kept hidden during his streaming career, was now exposed. People had also discovered that he was Rita's brother and that he had "married into" a wealthy family. However, no one seemed to know exactly which family that was.

The sudden attention made him go viral.

But this wasn't the kind of fame Rick wanted.

Though modern society was more open-minded, with people celebrating the perks of marrying rich, there was still a portion of the population that ridiculed those who lived off others' wealth.

In reality, these taunts didn't bother Rick much. He had long come to terms with his situation. He knew exactly what he was after. The real problem was the Lopez family's treatment of him.

Previously, they had warmed up to him for reasons unknown. But lately, they'd grown cold again. At times, Rick felt more like Zoey's pet than her husband. In fact, he probably ranked lower than Zoey's prized border collie—and he wasn't wrong about that.

Ignoring the snide remarks in his livestream chat, Rick finished his game with a forced smile before logging off.

Just as he was about to shut down the streaming platform, he noticed a private message in his inbox.

[4289359285]: Interested in buying green gear? You know which game.

What a coincidence. He received thousands of private messages every day, yet today, this particular one caught his eye.

But Rick didn't find it strange. His luck had always been this good. Ever since he started cooking meals for his studio brothers, he had seemed unstoppable. He had secretly gathered quite a bit of intel on the Lopez family and had even started building his own faction, all without anyone in the Lopez family noticing.

Before marrying Zoey, Rick had planned to genuinely collaborate with her, using his good fortune to help her develop the family business and thus earn the Lopez family's trust. However, when Zoey joined the game and failed to include him in any of the important discussions, he changed his plans. Now, he intended to grow his own power within the Lopez family's shadow until he could stand on his own.

Lately, though, it felt like he was making no headway. At today's dinner, for instance, despite the game being the main topic of conversation between Zoey and his sister, Rick had barely been able to get a word in. If it weren't for Rita occasionally speaking to him, he would've been a complete outsider at his own family's table.

Rita paused for a moment before deciding not to shut down the software just yet.