This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist
Chapter 683 - 683: 683: Divine Game – Chaotic Blocks 74

[Illegal Construction] (Treasure): Allows you to create a 1:1 fake duplicate linked to your original body. The duplicate hides within your shadow and can be swapped with the original at any time, ignoring distance or spatial restrictions. The original then hides in the shadow while the duplicate takes all damage. You may have up to three different duplicates active simultaneously.

After reading the description, Rita grabbed B8017913 in a tight hug. "This is amazing, really!! Thank you!"

The moment she finished reading the item's effects line by line, she understood exactly why B8017913 had bought it.

A dozen possibilities were already flashing through her head—it could be used not only on her Divine Relics, but potentially on herself.

The description didn't say anything about the original or the duplicate being restricted to inanimate objects!

She hugged B8017913 tighter, spinning the little guy around in delight. "You've helped me out big time!"

B8017913 smiled slightly. "Oh."

"My god, how can there be a pet this perfect?!"

"Sure, your ID number isn't flashy, but that's only because your ability speaks for itself. You don't need vanity numbers to prove your worth!"

"I'm changing my home Wi-Fi password to your number. You deserve it!"

That line was lethal—B8017913's eyes crinkled instantly with a genuine smile.

While overwhelmed by the blast of emotional affection, it also found itself hoisted into the air by Rita. As B8017913 spun around once, it suddenly noticed—across the street, every single vendor from every food cart was staring in stunned silence.

Turning its head slowly, it saw that the mechanical vendors on their side of the street were all craning their necks to look at them. A few fat ducks with little backpacks had even stopped walking to watch.

B8017913 silently looked down, pretending not to notice.

It had left the Junk District for moments like this—pure, unfiltered joy. It refused to feel ashamed for experiencing it, no matter who was watching.

Even as Rita finally turned her attention back to the game machine fragments, she kept her arm around B8017913's shoulder, reluctant to let go.

Good news: there were now five game machine fragments listed in the Exchange. All the remaining lost pieces had finally surfaced!

Bad news: every fragment had a different price, each with its own strange requirements.

One only accepted attribute Blocks from the October Month Theme Park.

One wanted to trade for a shard called "Screaming Soul."

The last three were just absurd:

One priced at 50,000 Blocks.

One for 50 Event Gift Boxes.

One for a game reward with Early Exit rights plus 2,000g Blocks.

Two completely different pricing philosophies were at play—some clearly wanted to sell, while others seemed to have lost their minds.

Rita guessed the last three listings came directly from the original owner of the game machine. The moment they realized only three pieces remained, they probably had a meltdown and went dark-side.

And clearly, they knew someone was collecting these fragments and were trying to extort them. Even if they didn't profit, at least they could block others from completing the set.

Could Rita afford them?

Yes. It was pricey, but if she combined game rewards to offset the cost, it was just barely within reach. The seller knew that, too.

The 50,000 Blocks piece? That was a replica Rita had personally created—it was useless to her.

The 50 Gift Boxes? She could grab that using her 90% discount voucher, meaning she'd only need 5 actual boxes.

As for the one asking for an Early Exit reward plus 2,000g Blocks—Rita did own one. And she could afford the Blocks.

Even if she ended up needing her own Early Exit later, it wasn't a problem. Nivalis, who'd been farming the February Theme Park, had also earned one and even got a Blocks Duplication reward (though that one could only clone game item fragments).

So, technically, Rita could buy every one of the pieces. But she didn't want to.

She wasn't about to let someone manipulate the market and get away with it. If the divine game system was going to cover the cost difference on her end, so be it—but she wouldn't accept the blackmail price willingly.

Instead, Rita listed her Early Exit reward in the Exchange for two game machine fragments.

To avoid cheap copies, she made it clear she'd only accept the upper-left screen, upper-right screen, lower-right screen, or right joystick fragment positions.

It was a fair, genuine offer—one that any player desperate to leave early might take.

Whether the fragments came from a copied Block, a universal shard, or a direct purchase didn't matter. She'd only accept that deal.

She also didn't exclude the fragment positions held by the machine's original owner—because what if they'd duplicated theirs too?

She needed two pieces. For the remaining ones, she still had a universal fragment in hand. All she had to do now was figure out how to obtain one final piece.

After confirming there were no new owl fragments listed, Rita had a sudden thought and searched her own name in the Exchange.

Not only were there items for sale, but the listings were... unexpected:

[BS-Rita's Blood] (1 drop) – Price: 50g Blocks

[Elf Springwater] (1/3) – Price: BS-Rita's Head Block

[Lucky Antler] (1/1) – Price: BS-Rita's Head Block

Rita: ...Are they planning to use it as a soccer ball or a keychain?

And why so cheap?! What a bunch of tasteless freaks!

She closed the pointless search and started typing in keywords like "unbind" and "remove," trying to find anything that could lift item restrictions.

B8017913 waited patiently beside her. Time and patience were its strong suits. It calmly observed the players gacha-spinning nearby and watched the waddling duck-shaped Event Gift Packs.

Rita came up empty. She exited the Exchange and told B8017913 to keep observing while she walked over to the nearest amusement booth to ask the gingerbread clerk if she could buy a ticket in her current state.

The little gingerbread man rejected her flat-out: she was in a "restricted status" that blocked self-service purchases.

There went her last resort—sneaking into a game ahead of being summoned.

Back at the vending machine, she rejoined B8017913 and quietly watched the duck-shaped Event Packs and players trying their luck at the gacha machines.

Rita (whispering): "Did you ask them what their gacha requirements were? Once you know, are you locked in?"

B8017913: "Nope. You can still walk away before paying. But once the coin goes in—you're committed."

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