She had expected it—what couple doesn't sneak into the bedroom for a private chat?
The two of them sat on the bed, legs touching. Rita's mind was clear, calm, without a flicker of distraction. She began stealing.
Four consecutive thefts, HP dropping to 16%.
The people on the bed looked pale; the person under the bed looked even paler, almost corpse-like.
She downed a healing potion in tiny sips, afraid of making noise. HP restored to 76%. She continued munching on her dried meat.
Three more thefts followed. Her grin was nearly crooked with excitement. She realized her previous attempt at the game had drained her luck when stealing hundreds of times only yielded a few successes. Today, the results were spectacular. Not only had she stolen 2 points of Luck, she had also obtained an item.
[Chávez Set·Mask (1/3)] (A-tier) – When used, disguises your character panel information. Place it in your bag to activate. If the mask is dropped, the disguise fails. (Cannot be revealed by items below A-tier Insight. Each additional Chávez piece increases concealment level by 1.)
Rita's joy surpassed even the Luck gain. Unlike equipment, items could have a variety of effects. Some activated just by being in the bag, some required wearing, others had odd conditions—but none took up equipment slots and could stack with gear.
After ecstasy came a wave of caution. This was a set. If the mask could disguise panel information, perhaps there was also a Chávez Eye, or glasses—some Insight component?
She calmed her breathing and waited for the healing potion's cooldown.
Thankfully, the couple had only kissed—no more. Otherwise, she might have literally dug through the floor.
Perhaps luck was constant per day.
After stealing 2 points of Luck and an A-tier item, she remained under the bed for an hour. Whenever HP ran low, she ate or drank to recover. Once restored, she resumed stealing. At that moment, she truly understood the Thief God's philosophy: to love stealing as one loves life.
Finally, she stole 1 point of Charisma.
Rita was not disappointed. Luck and Charisma were attributes that could not be increased by points, making them extremely rare.
She continued until the young couple left the room. They soon all went out, presumably to eat. She had turned off her phone and stored it in her game bag, ignoring any calls.
Crawling from under the bed, pale and disheveled, Rita guessed her appearance would terrify Scarlett.
She had 16% HP left and didn't dare use another potion. Over the day, she had consumed over twenty Beginner Healing Potions and finished twenty pounds of dried meat. She felt like her face had swollen a bit.
Rita returned to her bedroom to sleep. She woke only after the happy family returned. She checked her talents. [Disguise!] was active. She used it to transform into the previous middle-aged man, changed clothes, then drank an invisibility potion and left the room.
The door creaked too loudly, so she left it slightly ajar, letting them notice when they might.
She headed down the stairs. The potion expired midway, but the Disguise still held. Calmly, she carried her toolbox out of the community.
Outside, she activated the Chávez Mask, changing her character panel. Her current real data:
[Character] Rita (Level 0, 0.001%)
[Divine Gift] Thief God (S-tier)
[Divine Gift] Immortal (SS-tier, incomplete)
[Race] Human
[Racial Talent] Undead Will | Feast
[HP] 100/100
[MP] 100/100
[Strength] 5
[Constitution] 7
[Intelligence] 10
[Agility] 12
[Luck] 10 (max)
[Charisma] 10 (max)
[Available Attribute Points] 0
She wasn't sure if others could see her Divine Gift skills, but she still modified them.
Post-Disguise, the panel displayed:
[Character] Rita (Level 0, 0.001%)
[Divine Gift] Broker (A-tier)
[Race] Human
[Racial Talent] Undead Will | Feast
[HP] 100/100
[MP] 100/100
[Strength] 5
[Constitution] 7
[Intelligence] 7
[Agility] 7
[Luck] 5
[Charisma] 9
[Available Attribute Points] 0
Her stats now seemed ordinary, but she kept Charisma slightly high. Even disguised as a beggar during her escape, she had earned more than others; presence couldn't be hidden. A charming person remained charming wherever they went.
She temporarily set her talent to A-tier Broker—useful but unobtrusive. If Thief God became public, she would be the enemy of every player, no one willing to see someone steal their attributes. Later, she would switch to a better Divine Gift via [Death Mimicry].
She stored the mask at the bottom of her storage box—the most valuable item she would keep for a long time.
On the way home, Rita reflected on every possible flaw since her rebirth on the 22nd. Every detail mattered.
The time between her rebirth and the game's beta was tight. She barely made it home in time. If Rick understood the game's significance, would he resent her?
She didn't care about his hate—but it affected whether she could continue hidden within the main characters' camp. Many opportunities could only be seen by them. Even a simple shared meal could lower their guard.
In the first two years post-invasion, Rick had occasionally brought her to secret dungeons controlled by the Lopez, Taylor, and White families. She gained valuable items. Even knowing dungeon locations now, solo entry would be difficult. Many treasures required dozens or hundreds of players to defeat bosses.
Reflecting, she understood how Samuel and Rick had earned her trust. Each benefit gained from her was preceded or followed by a small sacrifice: buying her a 30-million villa with her own money, or taking her to a dungeon that was ultimately controlled by the White family, giving her only usage rights.
Even when the three families united to hunt her, Rick had risked himself to warn her multiple times. Each narrowly avoided danger increased her trust in him.
But in hindsight, her near-death experiences were only after avoiding minor crises.
Should she give Rick a little bait? After the invasion, with her own strength and his trust, she could participate in Lopez family operations and cause chaos.
There were still two beta tests coming—the perfect chance to subtly inform Rick and simultaneously hinder him, gaining his trust while giving him nothing.
Would this allow Rick to make a comeback?
She knew the safest approach was to kill Rick immediately—but she couldn't bring herself to.
Reading novels, she had mocked protagonists who didn't first eliminate their enemies. Now, experiencing it herself, she understood: a single stab couldn't resolve the storm of hatred in her heart. Sometimes, letting the enemy die neatly was a gift to them.
She could let Amelia sink into a pit and leave her temporarily, but not Rick.
She didn't want to look forward; she wanted to look down—keep Rick under her boot, watch him suffer, repay him blow for blow.
And those three women, those five foolish brothers! Killing Rick would be easy, but she couldn't alone take on the Lopez, Taylor, and White families. The best approach was to infiltrate them, turn them against each other.
Yet the more she thought, the risk of Rick joining the beta early seemed too great.
There was a way…
Rick closed his eyes, trying to recall every skill, item, and potion he had ever known.