This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist-Chapter 622 - : Divine Game – Chaotic Blocks13
[Doll Buyer Rules]
The Doll Buyer has 1 minute to operate the claw.
The Doll Buyer may shake the claw machine once. During the 10 seconds following a full shake, all Dolls inside are unable to use skills or game items.
If the Doll Buyer fails to successfully grab a Doll before their time ends, they will be forcibly swapped with a random Doll from another claw machine.
If the Doll Buyer grabs an Overstocked Doll, the Doll will receive a reward of five times the machine number in Blocks and will become the new Doll Buyer.
[Hot-Selling Doll Rules]
A Hot-Selling Doll that reduces another Hot-Selling Doll's HP to zero will become a Temporary Overstocked Doll for 1 minute. During this time, they cannot be grabbed. The defeated Doll drops one random Block and will respawn in the same machine once their HP is restored.
If a Hot-Selling Doll is grabbed by the Doll Buyer, the Buyer gains five times the machine number in Blocks, and the captured Doll becomes the new Doll Buyer.
[Players may leave the claw machine only after being Doll Buyer three times or remaining as a Doll for over 30 minutes.]
[Claw machine game rules override general amusement park rules.]
The slide was long enough for Rita to hear the full set of rules on the way down.
The roles of Hot-Selling Dolls and Doll Buyers were fairly straightforward — one tried not to get caught, and the other tried to catch. Each had its pros and cons. Hot-Sellers were passive but could earn Blocks through combat. Buyers were active but risked big losses if they accidentally grabbed an Overstocked Doll.
The tricky role was the Overstocked Doll.
Overstocked Dolls were the three players with the most Blocks in a machine — usually the strongest or most skilled. But ironically, they couldn't earn Blocks by defeating others. The only way to gain Blocks was to get caught by the Doll Buyer.
They could issue "Doll Usage Instructions" — special conditions that, when met, caused any Doll in the machine to double in size and lose 50% Agility.
The trick was this: Overstocked Dolls wanted to get caught. So they had to disguise themselves using "Usage Instructions" or camouflage skills to make themselves look like attractive targets.
But if their instruction was too specific — only affecting themselves — it would be obvious, and the Buyer wouldn't fall for it.
If it was too broad — affecting too many Dolls — it'd look like a trap. Again, the Buyer wouldn't bite.
It was a delicate game. The Overstocked Dolls weren't enemies of the Hot-Selling Dolls. In fact, despite shaping their fate, they often served as a protective buffer.
What really caught Rita's attention, though, was the last line:
[Claw machine game rules override general amusement park rules.]
That meant even if a player fell below the Block danger threshold and was forced to restart from the lobby… they'd be returned to the claw machine again?
But there was good news too: HP wasn't locked inside the claw machine. That meant she could use [I Just Want to Improve So Badly].
While thinking this through, Rita slid out of the chute and landed in Claw Machine #3.
The moment she hit the floor, a voice echoed in her mind:
[You are now an Overstocked Doll in Claw Machine #3.]
She began flying and running around to assess the environment. Thirteen Dolls were currently giant-sized, but five began shrinking back to normal as she entered — meaning the previous Overstocked Doll's "Usage Instruction" had expired.
While moving, Rita issued her first command as an Overstocked Doll:
"I declare: Dolls should bring two pets to play the claw machine."
Immediately, speakers at all four corners of the machine rang out in a language she didn't recognize — probably some universal dialect. Then the message repeated in two other languages. The second one, thankfully, she could understand:
"Doll Usage Instruction: Dolls should bring two pets to play the claw machine."
In an instant, Rita's already bulky frame — from her Block count — doubled in size. Her movements turned sluggish and awkward.
No one else in the arena seemed to enlarge from her rule, but Rita couldn't help laughing.
This game suited her far more than she'd expected.
She'd gathered 68 Blocks from the pirate ship game alone, five of which were item fragments she sold for 120g. Most were odd-shaped, janky little Blocks. Even after building the potion bottle and paying the fees for herself, Nivalis, and the claw machine ticket, she still had over 170 Blocks on her.
But on the outside, she didn't look like she had the most Blocks. Her build was clean and precise, nothing about her stood out. No one would guess her stomach was hollow and stuffed full of Blocks.
Plus, she still had [Away from Home, Identity is Self-Assigned].
She tested [I Just Want to Improve So Badly] on a nearby Doll. Though the steal attempt failed, the skill still triggered.
Was it finally her time to shine?
She carefully observed the five Dolls with the most visible Blocks. After closing in, she shouted in Owlcrow language:
"I want secure and stable happiness!"
Then she selected the player trying to squeeze into the crowd of giant Dolls and triggered three consecutive Improvements.
Three Blocks appeared in her hand.
No item fragments, but Rita didn't mind. Still mid-air, she turned her back to the Doll Buyer and stuffed the three Blocks into her stomach cavity.
Just then, Nivalis and B8017913's voices lit up the group chat — they had both entered the game.
B8017913: "I'm in Claw Machine #1."
Nivalis: "I'm in 1 too!"
Rita: "Perfect. Work together — your skill sets complement each other."
Nivalis: "Huh? I don't have weaknesses. Didn't I tell you? I'm top-tier among the new-gen dragons."
B8017913: "Me neither. Ever since I signed with you, I've been trending on Mech forums. I'm basically a rising star in the machine race."
Nivalis: "Oh? So you guys call bonding with a player 'signing'?"
B8017913: "Yeah, that's what we call it."
Rita: …The most urgent thing for you two right now is to stop browsing BS forums so much.
