CHAPTER 837: 837: DIVINE GAME – CARD SWAP 86

After SSS-class attack training that day, Rita was walking to the cafeteria with her friends. Mecha had officially joined their squad and was rolling along beside them on autopilot.

Mistblade asked, "That bell really can’t come off? You almost missed SSS-class today because of it."

At the start of the semester, few dared to attack her—not just because of her strength, but because her double Divine Game championships earlier in the year had given Moonlight Marsh a massive points boost. Thanks to her, the academy managed to hold onto its place as the ninth-ranked of the Nine Magic Academies in July’s rankings, narrowly avoiding being replaced by Cliffside Below.

That crisis solved, Mistblade had even rewarded her with 1,000 credits in public.

Rita had to repeatedly insist that she welcomed challenges and would never retaliate against anyone for defeating her before classmates gradually started working up the nerve to attack.

By now, nearly everyone in school knew the rule of the bells: if they rang, Rita would suffer a random negative state. Sometimes she changed race, sometimes one of her stats was halved, sometimes she lost the ability to fly.

So whenever class divisions happened, every hopeful SSS-class student targeted her bells.

And just as she’d promised, Rita had never once taken revenge afterward. Which only encouraged more challengers—after all, who didn’t want the glory of beating the Divine Game champion?

Rita said, "I can’t take them off. The moment I do, Lightchaser will know."

Maple Syrup asked, "How much are those bells worth, anyway?"

She didn’t need to ask about their effectiveness. Just watching Rita was proof enough—her movements were quieter and sharper than ever, without relying on any stealth skills.

The scariest moment? She’d once tailed Fat Goose for five straight minutes, and he was still asking, "Where’s Rita?"

Rita said, "Do you want one? Lightchaser gave mine to me. I could ask for you. Probably under 500 gold each."

Maple Syrup shook her head. "I don’t need silence in my fights. I mean, you should consider bulk ordering from Lightchaser. Then, when you sell your snowmen and liquor, sell bells on the side. Loads of students are asking about them."

Rita: !!!

That night, she wrote a letter to Lightchaser. After two pages of shameless flattery—"Great and glorious Lightchaser, may your brilliance outshine the stars"—she ended with: Teacher, could I perhaps learn how to craft such magnificent bells?

The next afternoon, just after finishing art class, Rita was sitting at the table with Maple Syrup, discussing why Reyhana’s瓦 was silent, when Mistblade sat down beside her with a glass of milk and said, "GodDraw77 wants you in her office after lunch."

No class rewards were scheduled lately.

Divine Game was still a while off.

Even the Flame Festival hadn’t arrived yet.

Rita racked her brain but couldn’t think of any reason.

A few hours later, she staggered back to the dorm, face swollen and bruised.

Mistblade, watering flowers on the treehouse platform, nearly dropped her watering can when she saw her. "What happened to you?!"

Rita choked with rage. "Lightchaser asked GodDraw77 to beat me up—said I should focus on preparing for Divine Game instead of messing around. Owing more money won’t kill me, apparently."

It was hard to argue with that. Mistblade muttered, "GodDraw77 actually did it..."

Rita punched the air furiously. "Those two are in cahoots—birds of a feather, thieves in the same den, snakes in the same pit!"

...

The night before the October Flame Festival.

On her way home, Lightchaser told herself: If there’s another line of students sitting at my doorstep like last time, I’ll turn right back around. Absolutely.

But when she reached the house, there were no voices. Only her student, dangling upside down from the chimney. A silencing rune covered her mouth, but her eyes were darting desperately, signaling frantically.

Lightchaser: "What did you do now?"

Only one person would do something like this: Wail.

Rita wished she could scream: Check your messages!

Right then, Wail kicked Lightchaser’s door open and stepped out, her expression icy. "Tell her to hand the gold back while she still can."

Lightchaser: !!!

Her gray-blue eyes lit up. She glanced at her hanging apprentice. Could it be?

Rita nodded furiously: Yes yes yes! Exactly what you’re thinking! She stole gold from Wail again! This is her last chance—she’s already pulled it off ten times. There won’t be another.

The lure of gold was irresistible. Lightchaser flicked open her interface, quickly checked the private message from her student, then straightened her posture. Her aura rolled out, vast and dangerous as the deep sea. Slowly, she drew her longsword and said coldly, "Teacher—you taught me yourself. What’s earned through skill doesn’t need to be returned."

Half an hour later, Rita was hanging beside her, both of them swinging from Wail’s bindings.

So much for "no one in Kasilanar can beat me," huh?

Lightchaser caught the look her student gave her. Too lazy to explain, she shut her eyes and pretended to sleep.

It hadn’t even been a true fight—she hadn’t used half her skills. And Wail just happened to have a perfect counter to her.

Rita was about to speak when it hit her. Wait—how could she waste such a chance?!

The restraints held her, but her hand could still reach into her bag. She pulled out a snowman she’d made before her hiatus—the one that had [Crime Simulation] sealed inside.

She crushed it, activating the skill over the front yard where Wail and Lightchaser had just fought.

It was her first time using it. In an instant, glowing words filled the air: the names of all the skills used. By focusing on a name, she could see its description.

Her eyes widened. This ability was far stronger than she’d imagined.

But it had limits. Once she simulated a skill, it took up a slot. To simulate another, she’d have to abandon the old one.

In that sense, it wasn’t as versatile as her [Send Me the Link].

Still, she quickly spotted the one that had tripped Lightchaser up.

[Lucky Number] (SSS): Roll a six-sided die to determine your lucky number for the day. For the next 10 minutes, any incoming attack linked to that number is completely nullified and instantly reflected for double damage. Each use temporarily consumes 1 Luck, which recovers in 3 hours. Cooldown: 1 hour.

That was it!