This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

To be honest, Rick didn't know what Eleanor's Divine Gift was, nor did he particularly care.

Originally, Rick had planned to sneak into the Shen family's house under cover of darkness, use an item to get rid of the child Scarlett was carrying, and then leave. But as he stood at the entrance of the alleyway outside Eleanor's courtyard, he had a strong, dangerous feeling—like a sixth sense warning him that this wasn't the right time for mischief.

The last time he'd had such a feeling… well, truth be told, he'd been having it a lot recently. Every time he thought about doing something bad related to Rita.

Rick trusted his luck and intuition, so he backed off.

Eleanor's house was brightly lit at this hour.

Wearing a white apron, Eleanor was kneading dough. Around her house, on the windowsills, roof, and even beside the well, stood Special Affairs Bureau players tasked with protecting her. Inside the side rooms, a couple of colleagues were resting, waiting for their shift to start.

Eleanor was a national treasure—officially recognized as the only known player in the country with an A-Grade Divine Gift that could increase other players' attribute points. After the game invasion, her culinary skills materialized into a real-world master-level cooking ability, with her experience bar nearly maxed out, just one step away from reaching epic-level. Explore more stories with empire

It was thanks to this combination of extraordinary culinary skill and her Divine Gift that Eleanor became one of the most valuable assets in B City. Even though she had hidden for nearly half a year after the game invasion, she eventually sought out the Special Affairs Bureau after the Pet Rankings were revealed.

The B City Special Affairs Bureau immediately assigned five high-level players to guard her in rotating shifts, and they even took on the responsibility of helping her level up.

**[Divine Gift][Off Duty, Transformed into a Master Chef](A-Grade)**

- **Skill 1: Golden Laughter**: When you earn a sum of money that makes you laugh with joy, the food you prepare within the next hour, if scored above 98, will have a chance to grant the eater additional attribute points. The more the eater enjoys the dish, the higher the probability of increasing their attribute points. (Can only be triggered once per day per target).

- **Skill 2: Timing is Everything**: You can create a container that lasts up to 72 hours. Within this container, time flow can be adjusted at will, based on the size of the container and the caster's mana. The container's maximum length, width, and height (in cm) cannot exceed your highest attribute value, and the minimum size cannot be lower than your lowest attribute value.

The range of time flow adjustments depends on the caster's intelligence.

- **Skill 3: "I've cooked all this, and now you want McDonald's?"**: When you ask this question, any teammate who shouts, "I only eat Grandma's cooking!" with a volume exceeding 80 decibels will receive the chef's blessing, doubling their highest attribute for the next five minutes.

However, if someone shouts, "I just want McDonald's!" with a volume exceeding 90 decibels, everything you throw for the next five minutes will explode, dealing magic damage based on your intelligence. (Cooldown: 30 minutes).

- **Skill 4: God of the Culinary Arts is Nonsense (Passive)**: When you use equipment or tools previously used by the God of Culinary Arts, your emotions become so stirred that for each equipped item, you can choose to double one of the following stats: HP, Mana, Strength, Constitution, Intelligence, or Agility (Limit: 0/3).

This was Eleanor's Divine Gift—exceptionally versatile, with skills to increase attribute points, special creation abilities, and even combat applications.

On the rooftop, one of the guards jumped down and walked to the well, reporting to the squad leader, "A guy named Rick was standing at the entrance for quite a while."

The squad leader nodded. "That's Eleanor's grandson."

The Lopez family, tracing Samuel and Scarlett, had followed the trail to Eleanor. Of course, the Special Affairs Bureau, responsible for protecting her, was aware of this. But for now, they simply assumed Rick was looking for his parents through Zoey's resources.

As for where Samuel and Scarlett were...

The same guard, now back on the roof, glanced at the figure tied up under the eaves—Samuel.

"Hey, you're down to 30% health. Don't forget to heal."

Samuel, who had been strung up on the roof every night since arriving at his mother's house, calmly sniffled and replied, "Still kicking."

He pulled out a cold, healing rice ball and started munching on it.

The position on the roof was perfect. From here, Samuel could see the entire courtyard and keep an eye on Eleanor in the kitchen.

Naturally, Eleanor could also see him.

As she flipped the patties in her pan, she glanced mockingly at Samuel's pitiful state.

He really was the spitting image of his father, though his father's tricks—acting pitiful for food or to make her laugh—were much more endearing. Samuel's tactics, on the other hand, were full of calculation, and Eleanor wasn't buying it.

She clearly remembered the look in Samuel's eyes when he found out the Special Affairs Bureau had assigned her personal guards.

Would any mother in the world dislike her own child?

Eleanor didn't know about other mothers, but she didn't like Samuel.

When she had mentioned remarrying all those years ago, it was a final chance for Samuel, a way to put distance between them. She couldn't stand living under the same roof with him, even if he appeared to be a dutiful son who treated his wife and children well.

She had overheard how Samuel taught Rick.

—"Those kids mock you for always trailing behind your sister, for running to her when you get bullied. Does that bother you?"

—"I want to play with my sister. I want her to protect me, but I don't like being laughed at."

—"Good. You dislike those mocking voices, but you enjoy being protected by your sister. Have you ever thought that you could use her as a weapon to teach those people a lesson? Your sister is outstanding—she can be both your shield and your sword."

At that moment, Eleanor had felt a chill down her spine.

She knew that Avery's situation had completely twisted Samuel's personality. Whenever he looked at Rita and Rick, he saw Avery and himself.

Leaving B City had been for the best. She couldn't watch over everything Samuel said to Rita, so it was better for them to be apart. At least then, he might cool off and recognize that Rita was his daughter, not his sister Avery.

Eleanor turned her gaze away from Samuel and focused on the patties, now perfectly golden and crispy. She placed them on a plate, enjoying the sizzling sound the tongs made when they touched the crust. The patties were golden brown, with slightly charred edges, and inside, the filling of meat and bamboo shoots peeked through.

Carefully picking through the five patties, Eleanor selected one and sealed it inside a food box.

It was a simple dish—just like something you might find on a street corner. But this particular patty had a rating of 100!

She then picked out two more, placing them into a separate box. These patties had a rating of 99.