NOVEL NEXT chapter 3 - God’s Theft
The book titled God’s Third Hand opened on its own. On the yellowed pages, text began to surface—a usage guide.
Zhou Su scanned the words with remarkable speed—almost ten lines at a glance. The information wasn’t entering through his eyes, but directly into his soul. Through that reading, he understood the abilities of the crimson book. They fell into three categories: God’s Theft, Theft of Fate, and Mystery Shop.
His gaze swept the room. About five minutes later, he found the charred corpse in a corner. He walked toward it. When the distance between them was less than three meters, he focused, and the crimson book emitted a faint white glow.
The pages turned themselves to a new leaf. Black text appeared slowly:
【God’s Theft activated. You have successfully stolen “Charred Skin” (White-Common).】
【Charred Skin: Skin taken from a charred corpse, containing faint ghostly force.】
【Choose: “Fuse” / “Recycle”?】
【Fusion Effect: Gain a small amount of ghostly force.】
【Fusion Defect: Skin carbonization and soul erosion.】
【Recycle Price: 2 Dusk Crystals.】
“So it worked.”
Zhou Su felt a small surge of satisfaction. The activation requirement for God’s Theft was lower than he expected. God’s Theft only worked on malevolent spirits, demons, and similar beings. Success was not guaranteed; it depended on factors such as the target’s strength, degree of proximity, and his own stealth and timing.
The moment the theft succeeded, the charred corpse erupted in fury, lunging toward him—but stopped at the edge of the flame, its pitch-black pupils filled with violent resentment. Zhou Su exhaled slightly. Each activation of God’s Theft would inevitably draw the target’s hatred—fortunately, the torch’s fire protected him.
He looked at the page again. Next to the text was a photograph, showing the stolen charred skin. He tapped the image with his finger. The picture vanished—and the charred skin appeared in his palm, cold and unnatural.
God’s Third Hand possessed a spatial storage function—but only for items acquired through theft.
Zhou Su thought for a moment. He saw no real benefit in fusing the Charred Skin, so he selected recycle. As expected, he obtained 2 Dusk Crystals.
The book turned another page. This time, the paper was not yellow—but golden.
【Current Items: Spirit-Mountain Willow-Leaf Water ×1, Heart-Clearing Jade Pendant ×1, Stove-King Oil ×1.】
Mystery Shop was one of the book’s abilities. At the start of each month, it refreshed 3–5 items available for purchase with Dusk Crystals.
【Spirit-Mountain Willow-Leaf Water (Blue-Common)
Description: Rainwater collected from the Immortal Willow of Spirit-Mountain. Clears vision, soothes the mind, dispels mental contamination.
Price: 120 Dusk Crystals.】
【Heart-Clearing Jade Pendant (Blue-Rare)
Description: Once activated, dispels invasive heart-demons. Each use consumes a portion of its energy; when depleted, the pendant shatters.
Price: 380 Dusk Crystals.】
Both items required over a hundred crystals. Zhou Su had only 2—utterly out of reach. He was about to give up when the last item caught his attention:
【Stove-King Oil (White-Rare)
Description: Slightly enhances the effect of spiritual fire. Only effective on low-tier spiritual flames.
Special Price: 2 Dusk Crystals.】
The Mystery Shop sometimes displayed special-offer items—buying them was almost always a net gain. Without hesitation, Zhou Su purchased Stove-King Oil.
A small white porcelain bottle appeared in his hand. When he uncorked it, a faint floral fragrance drifted out. There were about 100ml. Using it all at once seemed wasteful. He carried his torch to the kitchen and carefully poured the oil into a high-pressure spray bottle.
He tried to store the spray bottle in the book, but failed. Even though it contained Stove-King Oil, it was still classified as a non-book item.
“Time to test the Lychee-Wood Torch itself.”
A single torch burned for two hours, but ordinarily, there would be many ways to prolong a flame. Zhou Su doubted the Blood Moon would leave such a glaring loophole.
A drop of peanut oil fell onto the torch—no flare. A tissue near the flame did not ignite.
“…So it isn’t physical fire.” The Lychee-Wood Torch’s flame resembled illusory fire—material methods could not extend the burn time.
The lighter from the Blood Moon mark was just an ordinary, well-made lighter. He still couldn’t understand how a physical spark became illusory fire.
Torch in hand, he returned to the living room. The cold, malicious aura acted like a compass—he located the charred corpse immediately. His body trembled—not from fear, but excitement. He wanted to test one thing: Could malevolent spirits be killed?
This wasn’t unrealistic speculation. The charred corpse hated him deeply after the theft, yet still did not dare cross into the firelight. Which meant one thing: illusory fire could seriously wound—perhaps kill—it.
Before, he hadn’t considered it. But after acquiring Stove-King Oil, his confidence expanded. The Blood Moon had turned Blue Star into a Trial Field. A trial implied evaluation. Zhou Su understood that the world was about to change. To control his fate, he would have to do more.
He constructed a simple tool: drilled a hole in the bottom of a plastic bucket, threaded a rope, and hung it upside down. Staring at the charred corpse in the shadows, he controlled his breathing. Too much excitement could disrupt movement. Once his heartbeat steadied, he acted. He thrust the torch into the bucket.
Even though it was illusory fire, it could still be obstructed—something he had already tested.
The firelight vanished from around him. Darkness descended. Immediately, intense malice and choking blood-scent surged forward. A twisted ghostly face appeared before him. A normal person would have collapsed in terror. Zhou Su remained expressionless—only mildly surprised by its speed.
He pulled the torch from the bucket. Gold firelight flared back into existence. The charred corpse shrieked, retreating, fury burning in its gaze. It needed only one moment to pierce his heart—but the firelight forced it back.
Zhou Su did not let it escape. He surged forward and drove the torch into its chest. The flame ignited its body. The charred corpse howled in agony, staggering backward. «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» “Inside the firelight, it can’t use that sudden vanishing ability.”
His eyes brightened. The greatest uncertainty was gone. Confidence surged. He closed in again. With his left hand, he raised the spray bottle and pressed the trigger. A mist of Stove-King Oil coated the charred corpse.
The next moment, he witnessed true fuel on fire.
The golden flame roared upward. Zhou Su was also touched by the blaze, instinctively stepping back—but quickly realized it was harmless to him. The flame was targeted at malevolent spirits, not humans.
The charred corpse screamed. Zhou Su advanced, continuing to spray. The banishing fire surged higher. The charred skin peeled and dissolved. Then—Zhou Su suddenly stopped. He didn’t want to waste more oil. Because he felt death.
Not metaphorically—a precise perception.
This was an ability bestowed by God’s Third Hand. When a target approached death, Zhou Su could sense it clearly.
The charred corpse collapsed and disintegrated into ash. The crimson book appeared, pages opening—displaying a new photograph and information.
This was Theft of Fate. It could only activate when the target was killed by his own hand. This type of theft yielded high-quality materials.
【Right Hand of the Charred Corpse: A hand containing weak ghostly force.】
【Choose: “Fuse” / “Recycle”?】
【Fusion Effect: Right hand gains “Ghost-Claw Blade” and “Ghostforce Erosion.”】
【Fusion Defect: Right hand will become charred. The effect is difficult to reverse. Those with weak minds will suffer continuous mental erosion.】
【Recycle Price: 80 Dusk Crystals.】