This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

Shadow.Q smiled and said, "We've gotten stronger, and we've also patched up the vulnerability in the contract that allowed it to be reversed. The Black Jade incident is guaranteed not to happen a second time."

Zoey nodded, quietly lowering her head to flip through the catalog.

The room fell silent again.

Shadow.Q lowered her head slightly, sending a message to Meow.Q on her phone.

[Shadow.Q]: Is this how you always handle negotiations?

[Meow.Q]: Yep!

[Shadow.Q]: What's your secret to negotiating successfully without getting kicked out? — A genuinely curious sister looking to learn negotiation techniques

[Meow.Q]: Start with a downer, then end on a high note. I got inspired by you, you know. Remember when you negotiated with Rita? At first, you were pretty annoying. But later, when you softened your stance, the relief felt great, didn't it? Once the client feels at ease, everything becomes negotiable.

[Shadow.Q]: ?

[Meow.Q]: I start with a load of nonsense to confuse them, and just when they're annoyed and about to leave, bam! I lower my stance and explain things concisely, just like you did earlier. Doesn't that make the sincerity of "wanting to be friends" come across even stronger?

[Shadow.Q]: …

[Shadow.Q]: Level 5 isn't quite enough. I suggest you spend a few more contribution points and ask someone at HQ to help you level up again.

[Meow.Q]: ?

Shadow.Q would never admit that she had influenced her sister's behavior.

Some people are just born aggravating. How could that possibly be her fault?

The catalog of beasts was a thick book, organized by Divine Gift rank, from C to A. Each creature's Divine Gift abilities were detailed, but there were no S-rank beasts like Black Jade. It was unclear if they simply hadn't been found or if the Special Affairs Bureau was withholding them.

In addition, there were three beasts whose Divine Gift abilities were labeled as unknown. Not even the Bureau's scouting skills could detect their abilities, making them akin to "mystery boxes."

With luck, these beasts could potentially be S-rank, or even SS-rank, which would explain why they couldn't be analyzed by the Bureau. However, this was unlikely; even Nivalis's Divine Gift level could be scouted.

On the downside, it was possible that these beasts had lower Divine Gift ranks and unremarkable abilities, with only a strong concealment skill keeping their information hidden.

Each of these three beasts was priced highly, as the ability to evade detection by the Bureau alone was already quite powerful.

When Zoey first signed the contract, she and the Bureau agreed that if the Black Jade contract failed, the Bureau would find her a replacement beast of equal level. Zoey had wanted to push for a stricter clause, requiring a Divine Gift rank at least equal to Black Jade's. Unfortunately, Shadow.Q had rejected this.

The reasoning was that, aside from Nivalis with its SS-rank, the highest Divine Gift rank among pets on record was only A-rank. If the Bureau were required to provide a beast with a Divine Gift no lower than Black Jade's, fulfilling the contract would be almost impossible. Delays would be disadvantageous for both Zoey and the Bureau.

If Zoey demanded a Divine Gift rank equal to or higher than Black Jade's, a no-time-limit clause would have to be added, meaning she'd have to gamble on a future possibility rather than immediate strength.

At that time, Zoey didn't hesitate to choose the latter, prioritizing immediate growth over uncertain future gains.

Even now, with the worst-case scenario realized, Zoey didn't regret her decision. There was only a bit of disappointment.

Zoey asked, "There really aren't any S-ranks?"

Shadow.Q replied, "No, this is everything the Bureau can offer. You can see for yourself that even A-ranks are scarce. It's just like our own Divine Gifts; A-ranks are rare, and S-ranks are practically nonexistent."

After saying that, she added, "We also can't access the information in private instances. If there's something you want from The Lopez Family instance, the Bureau can assist."

The Lopez Family's instance had already been cataloged by Matthew, and after their brief falling-out, he even had Theodore personally send Zoey information about the available beasts for her to choose from. However, Zoey was not satisfied.

She knew that wasn't the full list. For instance, she was aware of a 14th-level giant lizard in one instance, yet it was missing from the catalog Theodore provided.

This omission made it clear that Matthew didn't truly want her to reach her full potential. If Zoey advanced in both offense and support, it would directly threaten his and Mateo's positions.

Zoey fell silent and continued her selection, quickly discarding the support beasts, even if they were A-rank.

After nearly an hour of deliberation, she turned the catalog around and pushed it toward Shadow.Q. "I want this one."

Shadow.Q and the others looked at the open page. Zoey had spent a long time studying various beasts, repeatedly comparing a few by holding her finger on one page while flipping back to another, then eliminating options one by one. But this page, she never fully closed; her finger rested on it, and she kept coming back to it. Enjoy new adventures from empire

[Koala] Green Wine (Level 11, 35.23%)

[Divine Gift] Huh? (A-Rank)

[Species] Koala

[Species Trait] Sleeping

When Zoey first saw this page, her initial reaction was to reject it. Although she wasn't sure why Lania Kaia had koalas, she did have a stereotype about the animal…

Then she saw the species trait "Sleeping," which only increased her distaste.

But after she read through the Divine Gift abilities, she couldn't bring herself to close the page.

[Divine Gift] Huh?

- Skill 1: Huh? (Passive) - If any target uses a skill on you without saying the skill's name out loud, the skill will have no chance of hitting you. (Note: If the main pet contract is signed, the contract holder can share this passive ability with the pet.)

- Skill 2: What Did You Say? - Using this skill creates an area centered on you with a radius equal to your level in meters. Within this range, all individuals will pause their current actions, their bodies freezing, and they will begin repeating the last thing they said. Duration: 5 seconds. Cooldown: 15 minutes.

- Skill 3: I'll Say It One More Time - Select a target and shout the skill name. For the next 5 minutes, the target can only use the skill you specify. (If the target doesn't know the skill, they won't be able to cast any spells for the next 5 minutes.)

- Skill 4: So Quiet, I Thought We'd Always Have Something to Say - Activating this skill renders all non-allied targets in combat unable to speak for 1 minute. Cooldown: 10 minutes.

Four skills — worthy of an A-rank. Unfortunately, the species trait [Sleeping] spoiled half the value.

[Sleeping]: Must sleep at least 18 hours per day. While sleeping, there's a chance of learning new skills.

In other words, it could only work for 6 hours each day. Considering it might need to be ready to fight at any time, the best approach would be to avoid disturbing it outside of work hours.

This work ethic and limited hours were touching on Zoey's last nerve!

The silver lining was that, lately, Zoey's nerves had been hit by various people and events so frequently that she'd almost become numb to it.