This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist-Chapter 777: Divine Game: Card Swap 26

Following the kangaroo was a humanoid being entirely made of vines.

It looked gentle, with a kind gaze and a warm smile, quietly trailing the kangaroo—who was about the same height—while handing out woven vine backpacks to each cub.

When Rita received hers, she was stunned to discover—

It was actually a 32-slot spatial backpack! 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

And it was already filled with stuff.

There were three full sets of school uniforms for each season—spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The base color was white, but the robes, cloaks, and even the boots were embroidered with gold-threaded hidden patterns.

The size and cut looked tailored perfectly for her—

So fast... was all this prepared in advance?

She instinctively turned her head toward the parked mini-motorbike behind her.

At that moment, it transformed into mech form, and took a backpack from the elven teacher.

Rita couldn’t help but wonder—what kind of school uniform would a mech wear?

Other items included a pale blue crystal card, labeled: Meal Card (Moonlight Marsh use only)

And a small wooden token: Dormitory Key (November)

November?

Rita figured that must be the name of a dormitory district.

The moment the awakening ended and only the cubs qualified to enroll remained, the silencing spell over the area had been lifted.

Now, soft whispers filled the air.

Rita leaned in and asked Mistblade, "What dorm month are you? Mine says November."

Mistblade opened her palm, showing her token: "Same—11!"

Maple Syrup chimed in from beside them: "Me too."

After a quick round of comparison, it turned out all the cubs were November dorm students. Must be the dorm block assigned to this batch of freshmen.

Once the backpacks had been handed out, the elven teacher made an announcement—

They were free to go home.

Classes would officially begin on August 1st.

Today was only the first day of the Awakening Period. Over the next ten days, more cubs from across the land would arrive and undergo their awakening trials.

Moonlight Marsh didn’t charge for awakenings—even if you didn’t qualify for enrollment, simply awakening your divine gift could change your life.

As the crowd of cubs followed the same path out, the more outgoing ones had already begun networking, eager to meet future classmates.

Mistblade was still riding a high.

She bounced beside Rita, holding her hand, her tail swinging wildly behind her.

She asked Maple Syrup, "Where are you staying?"

"Fondant Inn in the North District. What about you?"

"I’m crashing with Rita and her teacher in the West District. If you’re ever over there, come find us at Burrowbug Tavern!"

Most cubs were in high spirits, but there were exceptions.

Rita was one of them.

Aside from responding occasionally to Mistblade or Maple Syrup, she was mostly quiet.

Outside the Moonlight Marsh, the crowd had dispersed. But parents who were still waiting wore expressions of joy and pride—

Because if their cub hadn’t come out yet, that meant they had qualified to enroll.

A divine gift ranked A or higher...

Was enough to break class barriers—to change a family’s entire fate.

The dappled sunlight faded as the cubs exited the forest’s shadow.

Most of them dashed toward their waiting families.

Mistblade didn’t expect anyone.

But Rita... still did.

She stood still, scanning from left to right, then right to left.

Twice. Three times.

In that moment, she looked just like the Rita Mistblade had first met under the bridge back in Gilane.

"You’re not gonna cry, are you?"

A familiar voice dropped from above.

Rita’s head snapped upward.

There, still in disguise, Lightchaser leaned against her flying bike, chin in one hand, staring down at her with a serious expression.

Rita’s whole face lit up.

She soared into the sky with a grin.

"You came to pick me up?!"

Lightchaser winced, rubbing her ear at the volume.

Since when did this cub start shouting in public?

Halfway through her flight, Rita remembered Mistblade. She dropped back down, scooped her up, and carried her into the air.

Ever since losing most of her baby teeth, Rita didn’t like laughing too much—especially not with her mouth open.

But now? She had completely forgotten about it.

She dumped Mistblade onto the back seat and then buzzed around Lightchaser, circling the bike excitedly.

"I got in! I got S-rank! I thought you wouldn’t come pick me up! Aren’t you super busy? You sure this isn’t just on the way?"

Mistblade was seriously tempted to lend her tail over for support.

Lightchaser, fed up, grabbed Rita by the collar and flung her into the back seat.

With a twist of the throttle, the bike roared into the air and headed west.

The wind carried her voice over her shoulder:

"What was that face you made earlier?

Were you about to cry?"

"No! Absolutely not! Haha! Don’t be ridiculous!"

"...You better not have. Or I’ll throw you back into the arena for a month!"

...

It wasn’t until the next afternoon, on the way to Trash Street, that Lightchaser finally asked:

"So, what’s your divine gift?"

As she spoke, three strings of energy formed around them—floating like musical lines in the air.

It was her usual privacy spell, used when teaching during walks.

Rita surged ahead a little, then turned and flew backward, facing Lightchaser as she moved.

"My divine gift is called Summer Snowman."

She listed all five skills, watching her teacher’s face carefully.

But even after going through every single one, Lightchaser didn’t show any sign of disappointment or regret.

She just looked... relaxed.

Rita asked cautiously:

"Can I still be your apprentice?"

The elf’s gray-blue eyes flicked lazily downward.

She yawned and muttered: "Barely."

They walked on.

Just as they stepped into Trash Street, Rita tugged on Lightchaser’s cloak clasp, making her stop.

Lightchaser turned with a questioning look.

Rita leaned in close and whispered,

"I didn’t awaken a wicked divine gift... but I did get a skill.

One that only appears when paired with sin."

That was all she said.

Lightchaser looked at her, and a sly smile crept into her eyes and lips.

With an almost teasing lilt, she asked,

"So? Gonna tell your dear teacher what it is?"

"No," Rita replied firmly, locking eyes with her.

"I just wanted you to know... I have one."

"You’re not afraid I’ll be disappointed in you? I am your teacher, you know."

"You’re the one who said:

’We never tell anyone what our wicked divine gift skills are.’

I figured... this one counts too."

Lightchaser’s grin turned genuine.

She clicked her tongue with mock regret.

"Tsk.

What a shame.

I already picked out a nice hook to hang you on."