On the way there, Rita even considered waiting for Rick to download the game before taking him down. That way, a year later, when he realized the game's significance, the regret would crush him.
But she quickly crushed the thought. She couldn't take that risk.
What if she was even two minutes late and he drew a talent? Then the one suffering would be her.
Tonight, she would stay in Rick's room.
2:22
As soon as the clock hit that number, Rita opened the app store and searched for Starsea: Rift of the Beasts. The red moon icon on the app brought her a strange sense of reassurance. This life would be different.
Every second counted. She didn't know how many people were playing tonight, or how long the early beta players had dominated the game last life. All she knew was that every minute was precious.
Skipping the opening animation, she entered the character creation screen.
Perhaps due to the game's power, the default character already resembled her about 80 percent. She couldn't let it be so easy—she had plans in this game. She tapped randomize until a face appeared that didn't look much like her and stopped. She typed in a name: Idontcare.
The game's world was high fantasy. Different races and factions existed, and though they were often at odds, they united to invade Blue Star.
Humans couldn't become other races, but Rita still carefully chose her character's race. Each race came with a talent, and she wanted to see if she could steal a racial talent through her in-game character.
She had killed members of many races before, but none made her hesitate like the undead.
Undead were one of the few races with two racial talents:
Undead Will: The lower your HP, the stronger your will. Below 5% HP, all attributes double. Below 1%, attributes double again.
Feast: Consuming flesh restores health.
The first was nearly unstoppable in a losing fight. If someone reduced her HP below 5%, she would double her stats once. If they then dropped her below 1%, she would double again. Facing undead, if you couldn't finish them after dropping their HP below 6%, they could explode into a fourfold stat monster.
Feast allowed her to recover even after all healing skills and potions were on cooldown.
In her past life, she had often been weak and helpless, almost ready to die. If she could eat flesh to heal, how hard would she be to kill?
After selecting Undead, the character looked paler and thinner.
In a world with a mature combat system invading Blue Star, survival chances were naturally given. On the day of the invasion, every human received one chance to draw a Divine Gift. This was also something every non-human received at birth, a measure to balance the world and a key reason Blue Star humans rose to resist the invaders.
After creating her character, Rita had her chance.
The screen became a starry sky. Though small, as if on a phone screen, she felt as though she were standing beneath an infinite universe. She tapped a point. Stars shot toward her like meteors, and the screen crackled.
[Acting] A-tier
You can impersonate anyone. If you successfully convince 10,000 people you are that person, kill them and absorb everything. They become part of your character roster, and you can switch into their life at will. No item or skill can detect it. You can remove this impersonation, but after three times, the character disappears.
Skill 1: Life Is Easy: Store up to three impersonation roles.
Skill 2: I Am the Leading Lady: Mimic skills you've seen with 20% of the original power.
This had been her Divine Gift last life.
It was why the Lopez, Taylor, and White families had hunted her and why she had survived for so long under their pursuit. A-tier, but in skilled hands, its effects rivaled S-tier. For nobles, it was a tool to replace heads of families or even city rulers.
This time, she wanted better.
Rita deleted the account and recreated her character. It wasn't reckless. Last life, a hardcore player had said he had deleted and recreated his beta character multiple times to get the talent he wanted. Time was secondary to the right talent.
She repeatedly created characters, drawing talents, deleting those she didn't like.
Many tempted her:
[Broker] A-tier
Introduce buyers and sellers and earn a 5% commission.
Skill 1: Free is Expensive: If both parties trade items, 5% chance to convert the item into your character skill.
Skill 2: Make Friends: If a deal bypasses you, the lower-value item goes to your inventory.
[Refinement] A-tier
Enhance an item's level. Once every 30 days.
[Nimble Hands] A-tier
Steal anything—items, attributes, even talents. One chance per person. Avoid greed to not be caught.
Skill 1: This Looks Familiar: 10% chance to steal an item, 5% chance to steal 1 attribute.
Skill 2: Alter Fate: 0.05% chance to steal a talent.
Rita lingered on Nimble Hands the longest.
It was tempting. She had killed enough people in this invasion; theft seemed trivial. But it was risky—other players would target her, and this skill wouldn't truly change her life.
After over ten attempts, she finally tapped a star, and the moon rushed toward her.
A voice echoed directly in her mind: Greedy, restrained, skilled in disguise—you are worthy to walk as Thief God in this world.
[Thief God] S-tier
Steal anything—items, attributes, talents, even life. A true thief rejects greed. Thief God loves stealing as much as life itself. You can use this skill repeatedly on the same target, but each time after the first costs 20% HP.
Skill 1: I Want This, This, and This: 20% chance to steal an item or 1 point of highest attribute. Cannot target weaker beings.
Skill 2: Thief God's Theft: Gamble your title to steal a Divine Gift. One use in a lifetime. Fails if the gift is above S-tier.
Skill 3: Disguise!: Summon an alter ego. Change appearance, body, and scent for 1 hour. Cooldown 6 hours.
Skill 4: Huh, Where Did That Go? Passive: Targets forget what they had for one day after a successful theft.
Rita didn't hesitate.
Five minutes ago, she wondered if being a thief was bad.
Five minutes later, she knew she had to have it.