Just as Rita was debating whether to trade for a fourth chance, the game ended. Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by novel~fire~net She had never found Lightchaser. But she wasn’t surprised. If Lightchaser wanted to hide, no expression, no trace of skill would ever give her away. Blue-striped Bluru sighed at the remaining kapybaras, then turned to slip underwater and wait for new bait. But before she could dive, the pale-pink mantis seated beside White Bear called out. "Apprentice, wait." Rita didn’t look back. "Busy." Curious what Foolishness wanted, White Bear spoke almost on instinct. "...Wait a moment." He knew her well. If he spoke, she would likely stop. Anyone who had ever helped her or treated her kindly had a special place in her heart. Hearing White Bear’s voice, remembering how he had guided her through a skill in last year’s Divine Game, she stopped and turned. "What is it?" Ignoring Drummer’s laugh from nearby, Foolishness asked, "Do you really think your teacher would tenderly reveal herself for you to find?" Unbidden, a scene flashed through Rita’s mind. A kapybara cast one of Lightchaser’s spells. Blue-striped Bluru pounced, hugging its head and shaking it in delight. "Hahaha, teacher, you gave me a chance on purpose, didn’t you? I knew it, Lightchaser is the most perfect teacher in the world!" Then the kapybara swatted her repeatedly with its tail, shaking its head in feigned impatience until it flung her off. Rita shuddered at her own imagination, disgusted. "No. My teacher would never do that. She doesn’t like losing. If I found her with my own skill, she’d be proud. But she wouldn’t lower the difficulty just to indulge me. We each have our own game to play." The Orchid Mantis pressed on. "So you don’t think it’s foolish? Knowing she wouldn’t reveal herself, knowing you couldn’t possibly succeed if she wanted to hide, yet you still threw yourself into this game. For you, failure was guaranteed." Blue-striped Bluru stared up at the mantis in silence. So did Lightchaser, watching from the audience. The Orchid Mantis continued. "And yet you still found a way to rally every apprentice. They got what they wanted. Most reclaimed their skills. And you—the one who thought of it all—got nothing." Rita answered without hesitation. "But it was fun. Isn’t that what a game is for?" Just like the teachers who revealed themselves, they too were enjoying the rare moment in their own way. The Orchid Mantis sighed. "You’ve been arrogant since you were a child." Not even my teacher—who are you to judge me? Rita frowned, but spoke calmly. "One skill doesn’t make or break my path to GodDraw77. It’s long and brutal, and no single gain changes that. "And if the others lost a skill, it wouldn’t make my road to victory any easier. They’re all strong. Even without me, someone would’ve figured out the kapybaras’ attack trigger." The Orchid Mantis was quiet for several seconds, then smiled faintly. "Fine. You’ve convinced me." Rita gave a small, satisfied nod, but before leaving, she muttered, "And stop calling people arrogant all the time. It’s rude!" With that, Blue-striped Bluru vanished into the waves. Foolishness stared in disbelief. He didn’t believe BS-Rita hadn’t guessed their identities, yet she dared to speak that way... Little BS-Rita really had guts. Deceitful Bloom: "So rude!" Boiling Orange: "So rude!" Two more hours of fishing, and Rita had lost hope of reclaiming her relics or key skills during the regular rounds. She had recovered every sub-S-rank skill. Seven remained unfound. And two of the most vital—Cat’s Ideal and I Just Want to Improve So Badly—were among them. Still, there was good news. She had fought the Anglers’ Alliance again. The reward matched her victory during Chumming Time: her permanent Blue-striped Bluru trait upgraded again. Blue-striped Bluru (active until sunset): You sense incoming attacks just before they land. In critical moments, you can merge with any nearby object for six seconds. Cooldown: one minute. The applications were much broader now. At last, at three o’clock, the notification she had been waiting for arrived. [From the Mysterious Anglers: Gift—All or Nothing] [Divine Game will send a challenge request to the most important being in each apprentice’s life. These temporary teammates will decide whether the apprentice participates.] [If they agree, their soul-flame will be manifested into a physical form at least ten meters long and cast into the sea. Apprentices must find and correctly identify it before the game ends.] [Special Mechanic: If you have previously seen your teammate’s soul-flame, it will be split into three and scattered. Other apprentices cannot destroy or move them.] [Failure: the teammate permanently loses their soul-flame and will never again learn any skill.] [Success: the teammate receives a divine gift—an SSS-rank skill deemed most fitting by the gods. The apprentice receives all remaining bait and an additional gift from the mysterious anglers.] [The game begins in five minutes. During it, a level 100 Mosasaur will be released, hunting only the participating apprentices.] And the risks weren’t equal. For the apprentices, failure meant only death in-game—elimination. But for those outside, it meant permanent loss of their soul-flame. In this so-called All or Nothing game, it wasn’t the apprentices who truly gambled everything. It was the ones asked to decide for them. Within seconds, most apprentices were already moving again. No need to wait—they knew no sane ally would accept. Not worth it. No SSS-rank skill outweighed the soul-flame. No rational being would risk it. Not for a mosasaur when the strongest apprentice here was only level 35. But Rita stayed where she was. She wanted to play. And deep down, she knew Lightchaser would say yes. That mantis had no idea what arrogance really was. Lightchaser would agree, because even without a soul-flame, she would still kill whoever she wanted. Blade in hand, stats intact, techniques in her bones—who cared if they weren’t called "skills"? But "an SSS-rank skill deemed most fitting by the gods"? Lightchaser would want to know. And yet... Rita couldn’t help but wonder. If it weren’t her playing, if it were someone else... would Lightchaser still accept? Would she risk everything, just to satisfy her own curiosity?