This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

Chapter 207 Impossible Not to be Tempted

Rita watched as Rick's head quietly lowered, seemingly focused on his meal, but she knew this was his habitual way of hiding his expression.

*Is he interested?* She mused. *Of course, he couldn't help but be.*

The reasons Zoey wanted the Flood Dragon all applied to Rick as well: to grow stronger, gain control, and confront his hidden enemies. Rita only needed to subtly ignite this spark of interest, and soon, it was clear her words had sparked a wildfire in Rick's mind.

*"What's a contract? If I get the Flood Dragon, I can make it restrain Zoey and force her to alter the terms."*

*"So what if my attributes and life points were reduced? Would she dare gamble with her own life?"*

*"Sure, Zoey promised to find me a dragon after this... but what if it never happens?"* Rita seized this line of thought, gently nudging it further.

*"What if she doesn't fulfill her promise? A Flood Dragon alone costs 300 'Songs of Hope'—would Zoey really be willing to pay that much for me?"*

Rick's thoughts continued:

*"Exactly... would Zoey really go that far for me? Even if she keeps her word, she could still put it off for years."*

*"Only what's in my own hands is truly mine..."*

*"I heard even Nivalis's dragon dung can be sold for money—what about a Flood Dragon's blood and scales?"*

*"A Flood Dragon... it had to be a Flood Dragon... is this destiny's way of telling me that gaining this dragon is my chance to become a dragon myself?"*

Rick's mind raced faster, his unease growing, and he blamed this restlessness on how long it had taken him to reach this realization.

Meanwhile, Rita sipped her bottomless coffee mug, sipping to restore her mana as she listened to Rick's thoughts. Hearing him say, *"It's my time to become a dragon,"* made her nearly choke on a small burst of laughter.

*That level of self-assuredness... she wouldn't have dared push his thoughts in that direction, fearing he'd snap back to reality from cringing at his own bravado.*

*Just how many male protagonist novels had he eaten up to develop thoughts like these?*

The battle continued until 2 a.m. on the 16th. When the Flood Dragon's health finally hit 30%, it suddenly sealed off all the air within a thousand-meter radius—a move no one expected.

But this time, when the male and female commanders issued the retreat order, they instructed everyone to retreat to the dungeon entrance but not to leave.

As Rita and the others made their way to the dungeon entrance, they could finally breathe again, but everyone was out of healing resources. Even Rita's *Fountain of Light* was on cooldown.

The female commander called, "Team A, head out," and she patted Rita. "You're out too."

Rita was confused but followed "Team A" out. Stepping outside, she was momentarily stunned.

Outside stood hundreds of people. As soon as Rita and Team A emerged, healing spells rained down on them, followed by various buff spells. In less than a minute, they were fully restored, and Rita and Team A returned to the dungeon while the next team emerged to be healed.

Back in action, Rita asked Shadow.Q, "Was this tactic prepared in advance?"

Shadow.Q nodded. "Yes, we didn't expect to use it this early, but today, there's a good chance we might win."

This tactic wasn't solely designed for the Flood Dragon. Now that levels 11 and 12 dungeons had been unlocked, this method had helped conquer them one by one.

Rita didn't bother asking why they didn't lure the Flood Dragon outside. She had swept her gaze over the support players outside; they were all below level 7, and many lacked complete gear. If they couldn't dodge the Flood Dragon's ultimate moves, they'd be wiped out instantly.

Only by having elite players at the forefront with support behind could they minimize casualties.

Using this almost "cheat-like" tactic, the Flood Dragon's health quickly dropped to 10%.

*—"Health at 10%, Mana at 17%, Weakness and Paralysis ended, Lockdown state over, Doom Curse at 27 seconds remaining, Bleeding state at 12 seconds remaining."*

The player monitoring the battle loudly reported the Flood Dragon's status.

Several players were severely injured and near death, so Shadow.Q teleported them to the dungeon entrance, where they were immediately tended to by waiting healers outside. The dungeon's locking mechanism prevented non-combatants from entering once the fight began, so support players couldn't join the battle directly.

"Zoey, prepare yourself!"