Rita opened her eyes and stared blankly at the ornate chandelier above.
Hadn't Rick left her to bleed in that dungeon's runic circle?
In an instant, her body reacted automatically. Years on the run had honed her instincts: no matter where she was or what the situation, her first move was always to get somewhere safe before thinking.
But nothing happened. Her body felt ordinary—completely normal.
At that moment, a familiar voice came from outside the door—one she could never forget. Her manager, Amelia.
Sitting up, Rita glanced around. A hotel room. A phone she hadn't seen in years sat on the bedside table. She picked it up. The screen read March 12, 22:00.
Her breath caught. She had been reborn. In the year before the game invasion.
No one knew it yet, but in just one year, all of Blue Star would be overtaken by a game called Starsea: Rift of the Beasts.
The game had arrived in Blue Star in 2088 to plant anchor points and link to the world. It had been beta-tested three times, each session lasting only seven hours. There had been no warning. Almost no one knew, but a few hundred people had downloaded it out of boredom or chance. The third beta leaked to a six-figure number of early players.
Those who experienced the beta either spent the rest of their lives regretting having played for just a few minutes or skyrocketed to success, turning from ordinary to extraordinary. Her little brother had been one of the latter.
February 22, 2:22 a.m., marked the first beta.
Rita didn't care about saving the world. Invasions of other species had drawn-out timelines. More people died at the hands of their own kind than from the invaders.
She changed into light clothes, memories of the last four years flashing through her mind.
Tomorrow, someone's life would change forever because of a game. Last night, she had been drunk-pushed by Amelia onto the bed of a company executive. She had fought back with sheer madness, scaring him off, but the consequence was endless scandal, being sent to every low-end party, and landing minor roles—maids or helpless girls getting slapped in scenes.
Rita pushed the door open. Outside, Amelia held a bottle, smiling too familiarly.
"Rita, one drink?"
Rita wanted to kill her, but survival had taught her patience and disguise. She smiled even warmer than Amelia did.
"No, my brother's in trouble. I need to go."
That excuse made it clear: she wasn't staying tonight.
In Amelia's mind, Rita was the ultimate doting sister. Half her acting income went straight to her brother. If he asked for something, she would drop everything. Amelia knew she had no hope of keeping her without claiming her whole family had died—but that was impossible. Rita had just seen her call her family yesterday.
Amelia inhaled deeply and forced a smile. "It's late. Wait here. I'll get the driver."
Rita nodded. She was still at the crew hotel. She had to get home. Less than three hours until the beta started, and she needed to stop Rick from playing the game.
In her previous life, Rick had already joined the beta, gaining powers unimaginable to ordinary people. He had kept it secret, watched her suffer in the entertainment industry, and used his earnings and resources to grow stronger.
For three years, he had disguised his actions, even when she was hunted. She had assumed he was innocent, only to find out moments before her death that he had been stripping her of her divine gift.
She hadn't let him profit either. She had endured bleeding agony to wait for the Behind the Curtain puppeteer to appear, ready to detonate her [Die Together] item and take everyone present with her.
In the end, she had realized she was just a villain in a story—an obsessed sister in love with Rick.
Enough. That's disgusting enough.
Once in the car, she handed the driver a thousand upfront.
"Two hours to get me home. I'll give another two thousand if you make it."
The driver's resentment about a late-night shift vanished instantly. He spoke formally, "Please fasten your seatbelt, ma'am."
An hour and forty minutes later, Rita sat pale in the passenger seat. They had arrived, barely breathing.
"What did you do before this job?" she asked.
The driver opened the POS. "Hearse driver."
Rita froze, then swiped 2500 and added, "Go to the convenience store across the street. Get a small bottle of Spirytus Rektyfikowany, 96%."
Money solved everything. The driver returned in under ten minutes with the vodka.
Rita had been reborn at 23:00. She reached home at 1:47. She poured vodka into a glass, filled another with water, and carried both to Rick's room. Two knocks, and the door opened. The useless snack hadn't slept.
Rita and Rick shared looks that made them both look flawless. She gave off a gentle, intellectual vibe. Rick seemed harmless, but his heart was darker than anyone's.
She handed him the vodka. "One shot! I'll make enough to buy you a villa soon!"
She wasn't foolish. Rick had almost always indulged her, unlike other parasitic little brothers online. He would wait for her to return home before eating, fulfill any request, and save all his pocket money to buy her a villa earlier this year—under her name.
Last life, she had been deceived, but this time, the truth was clear. Rick had taken everything he could, with Samuel and Scarlett helping him.
That villa that had once moved her to tears had been bought with her own money. What was she feeling? She immediately planned a bigger one for him.
A low-level exploitation was family-wide manipulation. A high-level one was a coordinated assault: one attacks, one heals, one serves tea. But this time, she still had time.
Rick wouldn't refuse her request, even at 2 a.m., even knowing she would knock herself out on vodka. He only frowned in concern. "Take care of yourself. Money isn't everything. We're a family."
Rita clinked her glass.
Rick drank it in one go, staggered, and fell. Total trust.
Her gaze hardened. She dragged him into the room as sounds from the master bedroom approached, likely Samuel and Scarlett. She closed the door behind them.
Rita sat on the sofa, phone in hand, eyes fixed on the time. The game lasted only seven hours. Tonight, she wouldn't leave. Even though Rick could drink until dawn, she couldn't take the risk.
In her past life, Rick had been unstoppable, claiming everything for himself. His Divine Gift was the only SS-level in Blue Star. Even after marrying into the Lopez family, their eldest daughter initially treated him like a pet, later became his follower, and ultimately set sights on her Divine Gift.