Kaelen (Elena's in-game ID) glided through the Undead capital's fog, her boots barely brushing the mossy stones. A pocket watch in her inventory ticked down—beta ended in 118 minutes. She'd no time for subtlety: a patrolling guard's coin purse vanished mid-step, a beggar's last copper slipped into her palm, all before their brains registered the theft. Her two-meter steal range felt like a gift—until a shrill scream cut through the air.A player in tattered leather armor stared at his empty hands, where a healing potion had been seconds prior. "Thief!" he roared, drawing a rusted sword. Elena didn't run—she activated [Shadow Veil], shifting into a hooded Undead merchant, and melted into the crowd. The player's shouts faded behind her, but her heart raced—[Shadow Veil]'s cooldown now flashed 27 minutes. Wasting it on a nobody was reckless.Three hours later, with beta ending in 57 minutes, Elena's inventory held a prize: a Level 30 purple-rarity bow, pried from an innkeeper's locked chest (she'd used a stolen lockpick, its metal still warm from the NPC's panic). She marched to the blacksmith, the bow slung over Kaelen's shoulder—only to freeze when she saw a player leaning against the smithy's door.It was Jax. His iron sword was gone, replaced by a wooden staff, but his username glowed bright. He narrowed his eyes at Kaelen. "That bow… I saw one just like it in the innkeeper's window yesterday."Elena's fingers tightened around her phone. In-game, Kaelen crossed her arms. "You gonna accuse every Undead with a bow of theft?" she typed.Jax stepped closer, his avatar's jaw set. "The innkeeper's dead. Throat slit. You think that's a coincidence?"Beta's clock ticked to 55 minutes. Elena couldn't waste time fighting. She tapped [Take One], targeting the pouch at Jax's belt—if she stole his coin, maybe he'd chase the money instead of the bow. A blue glow flickered… then died.Steal Failed!Penalty: 10% HP Lost. 30-Second Skill Lockout on All Theft Abilities.Kaelen's HP dropped to 90%. Jax's eyes widened—he'd seen the glow. "You are the thief!" He raised his staff, and a ball of fire sparked at its tip.Elena didn't wait. She shoved Kaelen past Jax, sprinting into the smithy. "1,000 gold for the bow—take it or leave it!" she typed at the blacksmith, shoving the weapon onto the counter.The blacksmith's hands shook. "It's cursed! The guard will—""Beta ends in 54 minutes," Elena typed. "Do you want to die with it, or sell it?"The blacksmith's shoulders slouched. He accepted the trade.Elena grabbed the gold, ignoring Jax's shouts outside, and sprinted to the Alchemy Trainer. 52 minutes left. She spent 200 gold to boost Alchemy to Intermediate, but the Trainer's words made her pause: "The invisibility potions? They're unstable—last 30 seconds max, and they burn your skin if you move too fast."She bought the recipes anyway. 49 minutes.The Gnome Engineering District reeked of sulfur. Elena paid 150 gold to learn Engineering, then dumped 300 gold on materials—20 gun sets, 500 bullets, 200 dynamite. But as Kaelen hammered metal into pistols, the clock ticked to 40 minutes. She rushed, skipping quality checks—by the end, her inventory held 20 rusted pistols (one with a bent barrel), 480 bullets (100 dented, likely duds), 180 sticks of dynamite (some oozing gray paste), and an Intermediate Engineering badge.Real-world time: 4:32 AM.A floorboard creaked behind her.Elena froze. She'd left Ethan's bedroom door ajar to listen for Olivia and Clara—but now, Ethan was sitting up, rubbing his eyes. His gaze fell on her phone, which lit up with Kaelen's inventory screen."Sis… what're you doing?" he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep.Elena's mind raced. She slammed the phone face-down, then forced a smile. "Checking the weather. You had too much to drink—want some water?"Ethan squinted at her. "Why's your hand shaking?"Before she could answer, Olivia's voice shouted from the hallway: "Ethan! I made hangover soup—wait, why's Elena in your room?" Her footsteps thundered toward the door.Elena grabbed her phone, shoving it into her jacket pocket, then helped Ethan lie back down. "I was just tucking you in!" she called, darting to the door. She blocked Olivia's path, holding up an empty water glass. "He's still sleepy—I'll bring him the hangover soup later, okay?"Olivia's eyes flicked past her to the bed. "Did I hear a phone? Ethan said you promised to buy him a new one—""Later!" Elena cut her off, edging Olivia toward the stairs. "Let's let him rest."When she finally slipped back into Ethan's room, her phone was hot in her pocket. Kaelen stood at the Undead Lord's Palace gates, and beta's clock showed 28 minutes left.The guards stared at Kaelen. "State your business," one rumbled.Elena typed fast: "The anchor points are failing. The Lord needs to know—now."The guards exchanged a look. "What's the code?" the other asked. "The Lord's messengers have a code."Panic flashed through her. She'd never heard of a code—last life, Ethan had snuck in through the sewers, not the front gates. Kaelen's HP dropped to 85% from stress (a new mechanic she'd never noticed—emotional tension drained vitality).Then she remembered: the innkeeper's dead body. A crumpled note in his pocket had read "Oroboros' Bane.""Oroboros' Bane," she typed.The guards stepped aside.The throne room reeked of rot. Oroboros the Fleshcarver sat on his bone throne, his armor clinking as he leaned forward. "Prove the anchors are faulty," he said.Elena's fingers hovered over the screen. 22 minutes left. She typed: "Send a guard to the eastern wall. The stone's cracking—you'll see."Oroboros snapped his fingers. A guard raced out. He tossed Kaelen a pouch: 200 gold. "Is that all?" Elena thought. She inched Kaelen closer—Oroboros was Level 50, his HP bar a solid crimson.18 minutes left. She activated [God's Heist].Skill Active: God's HeistAttempting to steal Oroboros the Fleshcarver's Talent…Warning: Target's Vitality Exceeds Yours by 400%. Theft Risk: 98%Detected: Target's Talent is SS-Rank. Theft Interrupted!Counterattack Triggered: Oroboros' Wrath.A wave of black energy slammed into Kaelen. Her HP dropped to 0% in an instant.Her phone exploded.Sparks burned her palm—she dropped it, watching as the screen melted. But something fell out: a tattered cloth bag (her in-game inventory) and a coin purse. And in her mind, a status screen bloomed:Player: Kaelen (Level 0, 0.002%)Talents: [Thief God](Max-Rank, 10% Damage—Skill Lockout: 1 Hour), [Immortality](SS-Rank, Damaged—Resurrection Cooldown: 24 Hours)Race: Human (?)Racial Abilities: [Undead Resolve], [Cannibalize](Passive: Now Causes 5% Self-Damage)Stats: Strength 5, Vitality 4 (Down 1 from Explosion), Intelligence 6, Agility 7, Luck 3, Charisma 1Ethan stirred again. "Sis… your hand's bleeding."Elena looked down—her palm was scraped raw from the phone's shrapnel. She grabbed a tissue, pressing it to the wound, then checked Ethan's phone. No trace of Warcraft: Rifts of Dread.Through the door, Clara and Olivia argued: "I told you we should've checked her room! She's hiding something!"Elena smiled coldly. Let them search. Her biggest prize wasn't in a room—it was in her mind.She tucked the cloth bag into her jacket, then glanced at the clock. Beta was over.But as she stared at [Immortality]'s "Damaged" tag, she knew: this was just the start. The next time she used [God's Heist], she'd pick a better target.And she'd win.
Chapter 4 - The Thief God’s “Thief”—Also Means “Robber”
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