This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist-Chapter 1258: Brilliance Bullet

The rewards were plentiful, but the one that caught Rita’s attention the most was the chance to redraw Echoes of the Snowbound Realm.

The Player Relic was unique, inseparable from her like lightning itself. Using its skills did not require the item physically, and nothing about the relic limited her powers. It was like a signature creation Divine Game forced players to make—something that preserved their will even after death.

The original simple drawing had half of its skills sealed by her, while the offensive skills, though varied, were not irreplaceable. The most valuable part had been Flower of Deceit.

And even with such rough drawing skills and a basic story, she had created a skill of this caliber. Now, after everything that had happened—World Sigh in Starsea, everything in Quiet Mountain, the alternate timeline within Divine Instruction—her drawing skills had grown immeasurably.

She might never match a god who had spent countless years perfecting art, but compared to herself, it was a quantum leap.

Still, there was no way she would hand over the right to redraw her Player Relic to a stranger. Even if it meant a greater enhancement than she herself could achieve, she hesitated. She even suspected that Starsea, through this reward, might be trying to manipulate her growth—maybe it had its own logic, like The Mechanoids.

But drawing could wait. Time lines and little cookies came first.

Rita left Nivalis behind to help Smoke Tune with the BS renovations and headed immediately to Isolated Isle to find Lightchaser. Based on the divine talent words she had seen so far, only Lightchaser could open the path to other timelines.

Lightchaser had clearly remembered the hint "preserve only the most Brilliance timeline." Seeing her apprentice, she closed the Starsea chest in front of her and placed a serpentine gemstone brooch.

The moment it was fastened, a snake made entirely of black gemstones began to coil upward, sliding along her collar, then curling over her shoulders. Its scales sparkled in the sun, and when it passed over Lightchaser’s shoulder, it lifted its head and flicked its tongue at Rita.

The snake looked alive. Whether it was a tool or a magical artifact, its rank was certainly high.

Lightchaser snapped her fingers in front of Rita’s eyes.

"Focus. After we handle the timeline, you will have all the time you need."

Rita, who had never truly lost focus, said immediately, "I’m ready."

A familiar voice echoed in her mind. You are being watched...

The crown on Lightchaser’s brow lit up.

But before anything else happened, Rita stepped back.

"Wait!"

Lightchaser froze.

Rita took out the Gacha Machine, removed the revolver, cleared its marking, and instead marked the Foolishness Game.

The soul fire imprint on the Gacha Machine dimmed and transferred to the stock of the Foolishness Game.

Satisfied, Rita said, "Done."

Lightchaser gently tapped her apprentice’s shoulder with two fingers. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"I want my apprentice, BS Rita, to go to the most Brilliance timeline in the current Starsea."

Having encountered the undead Wildfire before, she was extremely cautious. She used Rita’s full name and performed a precise gesture.

You are being watched... You are being watched... You are being watched...

One... two seconds.

Even in the initial moments of stillness, both knew the result. But they held their breath anyway.

You are being watched... You are being watched...

A golden bullet fell from the sky, striking Rita’s head before rolling to the ground.

Even though she remained still, she could not help smiling, nearly missing such a perfect moment.

After a long pause, when the soul fire in Lightchaser’s crown fully burned out, she retracted her hand.

"It should be this way."

Rita moved to pick up the bullet but froze, expecting another domineering remark.

Instead, Lightchaser gave a faint smile, addressing her apprentice alone.

"I cannot imagine how it could be more Brilliance than this."

No detailed explanation, just a simple compliment—but her expression made it clear. She was not referring to herself. She was referring to her apprentice.

"Hmm~" Rita felt a rare flush of embarrassment. She bent down to retrieve the bullet, avoiding that sudden surge of warmth.

When she stood upright again, Lightchaser had resumed her usual cool, detached demeanor, turning her attention to her own matters. A light screen unfolded before her, its contents hidden from others. Perhaps a chat group, perhaps a shop interface.

Rita looked down at the fourth bullet she had obtained: Brilliance.

Brilliance (BS Rita)

"Brilliance, defined by disaster arriving ahead of time. Is it black humor, or the start of a miracle?"

The moment the Brilliance bullet was fired from Foolishness Game, the gun temporarily became a phone. Rita could use it to call a weapon belonging to someone in a backup timeline.

If the other party chose to answer, they could speak for five minutes. Each target could only be called once per day.

The bullet did not disappear when it struck a player. As long as the call connected, it returned to the revolver.

If no one answered, it vanished until the next time Rita acted against her instincts.

Rita froze in place, stunned.

Lightchaser glanced at her curiously.

"What did you get?"

Rita frowned, peering at the revolver as if it were a smartphone.

"A phone?"

It solved the problem of communicating with herself across timelines.

Previously, when she used reload on other players, she swapped two timelines. But with this, she summoned the other timeline’s individual to speak with her directly.

The problem?

The skill was almost cruel in its design. Brilliance looked useful—it didn’t vanish like other bullets—but who would answer a phone attached to a weapon?

Seeing Lightchaser’s puzzled expression, Rita briefly explained the phone function and the purpose of the bullet.

Lightchaser extended her hand firmly.

"Give it to me. I want to make the call."

Rita froze.

"Not a chance!"

Other beings might answer out of curiosity. Lightchaser? Impossible.

Rita could not even imagine her teacher holding a dagger to her ear and saying, "Hello?"