<<The universe cat has ascended>>

Warning: This chapter contains scenes of violence that may be disturbing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised.

When he reappeared, Amos found himself lying in the forest far from the manor. As soon as he stepped onto the soil, he lost control and fell to the ground, his limbs turning soft and slippery like noodles as if they had lost all their bones. The eyeballs in their sockets gradually shriveled and dried up, eventually falling out.

The backlash of his ability.

It was the first time Amos had experienced such a terrifying recoil. He was so weak that he could barely stand and struggled to pull another wild chrysanthemum from his pocket, crushing it in his hand.

Rich vitality burst forth from the flower, filling Amos’s limbs and eyes, but it also left his face as pale as paper.

Yet he felt no regret, even though he had used up one of the few remaining flowers that contained healing powers for his reckless actions.

He only regretted not being able to see the entire beauty of that flower.

“Ranen.” Amos whispered the name, as if closing his eyes, he could still see that beautiful, unique flower.

—-

A-Long’s body lay cold beneath the table; he hadn’t died at the hands of a ghoul nor from a mysterious spell.

Instead, he had died from a medical punch delivered by his own people.

The viewers in the live stream were laughing so hard they felt like dying.

[Medical failure, this is too real, haha. It went from a major success to a major failure—what a conservation of luck!]

[Thanks, streamer. I was really disappointed to miss this fight, but now I’m happy. I’m here to help you collect the bodies.]

[Quack doctor, quack doctor (Dumbledore shaking his head)]

Matcha Green Milk, who accidentally treated A-Long to death, felt quite embarrassed. She looked up at the other injured players, who all instinctively averted their gazes.

The battle round had ended, but the available activities were not over. In this game, skill points for healing were gained through successful attempts, meaning that to improve first aid skills, one had to use first aid more frequently, and to enhance combat skills, one had to engage in more battles.

With the fighting over, it was time to practice first aid, so the players began to rescue one another.

Accidents were bound to happen amidst all the saving and healing.

At the end of the battle with the mysterious man, before the remaining players excitedly surrounded him, Ranen had already exited. Only Karens stayed behind to clean up. He organized the players to escort the surviving guests to their vehicles, discreetly transporting everyone back to the Black Poker headquarters.

—-

By the time the players left, the inspection team finally arrived.

“What on earth happened here…”

By the time the inspectors arrived, the banquet scene was already deserted.

All that remained were countless bodies, severed limbs, pools of blood of varying sizes, and shattered glass—testaments to the hell that had once unfolded here.

The leader cautiously walked over to one of the corpses and squatted down to examine the marks on it. “Come take a look. What do you think about these bite marks, claw marks, and the movements?”

The others hurried over to inspect the traces on the body. One person hesitantly asked, “Ghouls?”

The inspection bureau had specialized training courses on identifying common low-level anomalies, with ghouls being part of the standard curriculum. This D-level anomaly was known as a model of efficiency among anomalies, and the bureau occasionally encountered them during investigations, so everyone quickly recognized it.

“Yeah, it’s not just this corpse; there are also traces here and here.”

The leader led them around the banquet scene, his expression growing more serious. “There should be quite a few ghouls here.”

To summon so many ghouls, even if they were D-level anomalies, indicated that the scale of this incident must be significant.

Furthermore, the leader was somewhat concerned about the apparent signs of aging on some corpses that didn’t match their ages, as well as the fine sand-like residue present at the scene, in addition to the bodies.

“Go look for any survivors.”

Unfortunately, they had arrived too late. Half an hour earlier, Ranen and Karens had already left. Before leaving, Edmund had taken special measures to conceal any traces that might be detected. Karens had also had someone pull all the living people present back to the Black Poker’s safe house.

As a result, this small team found no useful clues and could only temporarily use the police’s authority to cordon off the area around the villa for a slow search.

—-

On the other side.

After enduring so many twists and turns tonight, being pushed to the brink of life and death multiple times, and even experiencing a bout of PTSD, Ranen was mentally exhausted. After leaving the manor, he headed straight home, not wanting to deal with any lingering issues left by Edmund and Karens, and collapsed onto his bed.

In a half-dreaming state, he seemed to hear the sound of the door opening and closing, but he was too tired, and with his trust in Ogre, he didn’t even bother to open his eyes.

He felt as if a large hand was gently stroking his forehead, and then he sank into a deep, sweet slumber.

Ogre stood at the bedside, leaning down to look at the person sunk into the bed. Silently, he straightened the rumpled blanket, took off Ranen’s shoes, and quietly observed him.

He reached out to stroke Ranen’s forehead, letting his hand slide down until it rested on the black butterfly on Ranen’s shoulder, which was pretending to be a decoration.

The Soul-Eating Butterfly trembled its wings, shivering beneath the palm, yet it stubbornly refused to move away.

Ogre kept his gaze on it until the butterfly became frightened and began to drop scales, at which point he withdrew his hand and stood next to Ranen without looking away. He waited until Ranen’s breathing became even before silently leaving the room.

He exited Ranen’s room, walked down a corridor, and then paused beneath the staircase.

It was a hidden door that almost blended into the floor. Ogre stepped forward to open the door, walked down a short flight of stairs, and entered the basement.

The basement was roughly the size of half a room and contained three unconscious individuals. If Ranen were there, he would have recognized them as members of the Black Poker from the tattoos visible on their wrists.

Ogre stood still, but the shadows at his feet spread out on their own, slithering like a snake searching for prey before drilling into the brains of the two individuals.

The two unconscious people let out pained groans as Ogre rummaged through their minds, but he found no trace of the mastermind behind it all. Somewhat disappointed, he murmured:

“The problem has been resolved, and you are no longer of any use.”

With that, the shadows receded from their minds, and at the same time, the two individuals’ bodies turned as black as paste, their flesh and bones dissolving until only faint scorch marks were left on the ground.

—-

In the dream, Ranen seemed to find himself in a misty place, standing on a platform.

It was a spacious platform, stretching endlessly as far as the eye could see.

Ranen gradually realized that he must be dreaming.

He looked around and was surprised to find that although there was no light, the mist did not obscure his vision, and he could see quite clearly.

A glowing white dot floated beside him, as if it wanted to lead him somewhere. Following the direction indicated by the light, Ranen saw a staircase leading upward. He followed the white light up to another platform, which appeared to be larger than the one below. In the center stood a stone table with two ten-sided dice and a clown mask.

The principle behind the formation of dreams is that some neurons in the brain remain active during the night. Typically, the things in dreams are quite vague because human memory cannot recreate a complete world in a dream.

However, the dice, the mask, and the surrounding environment felt too real. If Ranen didn’t remember that he had indeed fallen asleep, he would have thought he was once again caught up in some incident.

Being cautious, Ranen touched nothing and avoided the eager white light that rushed towards him, standing still in place.

He didn’t observe for long before a wave of drowsiness overwhelmed him. Unconsciously, he lost awareness and sank into a deeper sleep.

When he opened his eyes again, it was already the next morning.

Ranen woke up feeling refreshed, finally in the mood to reflect on the troublesome events of the previous night.

It was clear that the banquet had been a trap—one specifically targeting him. However, he hadn’t offended anyone recently, and there seemed to be no reason why he would attract the attention of someone from the mystical side.

The image of the corpses at the banquet suddenly turning into ghouls flashed through his mind.

The corpse-raising spell—it had a simple effect. In an environment filled with bodies, the incantation temporarily turned them into ghouls. Though they were weaker than actual D-level anomalies, their strength lay in their sheer numbers.

It was obvious that someone had cast the spell, and Ranen just happened to recognize it.

Because it was the signature spell of a certain notorious figure from his previous life’s forums.

Amos, who had dominated the top spot in the “Most Hated NPC” rankings since his first appearance. Known server-wide as a deranged villain, mastermind, and NPC destroyer.

He called himself a gardener, treating everyone he fancied as if they were flowers—tending to them, watering, fertilizing, pruning away the excess branches, all so he could admire them in full bloom.

Then, at a certain moment, when he felt the timing was just right, he would pluck them at their most beautiful.

Countless NPCs who trusted him as their closest ally ended up brutally betrayed. This person was highly skilled in disguise spells and always chose NPCs who were both exceptionally attractive and morally upstanding. It was obvious that these NPCs were also fan favorites on the player forums, but once they caught his eye, they were doomed.

How could the players tolerate this? It was fair to say that at least half of the heartbreak in the game could be traced back to Amos, and the rest, in one way or another, were also linked to him. In short, if something went wrong, throwing the blame on him was the safest bet!

Under the fury of countless players who had lost their beloved in-game partners, Amos had held the top spot on the “Most Hated NPC” rankings ever since his debut. Even up until Ranen’s transmigration, Amos had never been dethroned.

The thought that he might now be targeted by such a maniac made Ranen feel utterly terrible.

This is bad—really bad. Why hadn’t he heard of Amos ever being in Arkham before? Wasn’t this guy supposed to show up much later in the game?

Ranen bit his nails, his expression growing somewhat dejected after a while. But then again, something didn’t add up. Since he had transmigrated and knew this world wasn’t just a game, it meant that the NPCs here wouldn’t necessarily follow the rules of the game. They had their own lives, and the players were merely passing through.

Amos could have been active for a long time; it was just that, back then, the players’ levels were too low to notice him.

Trying to think more optimistically, Ranen reminded himself that it might not necessarily be Amos. Though necromancy was his signature spell, that didn’t mean other NPCs couldn’t use it.

He tried to comfort himself with this thought, but still felt uneasy. After all, there had been a theory on the player forums in his previous life: 

—When you think Amos might be around, you start seeing everyone as Amos.

With that in mind, Ranen decided to open the player forum and look for clues. The bonus pool quest was already completed, but there might still be remnants of the event left in the forum.

As soon as he opened the forum, posts about last night’s banquet flooded the screen. He clicked on one at random, only to see strange, writhing creatures and eerie howls filling the thread.

[Wuwuwu, my wife is so cool and absolutely stunning, I’m crawling back again!]

[I’m that butterfly, I also want to stick close to my wife~]

[Butterflies like flowers and beauties, and I like flowers and beauties too, so I = butterfly.]

[Wuwuwu, my wife’s counterattack was so badass!]

[Is no one praising the clown? Those fight scenes, weren’t they intense enough? Weren’t they cool enough? My new husband, wuwuwu.]

[Oh, we don’t call him the clown anymore. We all call him the bright and sunny boy (dog head emoji).]

[???]

[Isn’t he bright and sunny? Isn’t he cheerful? Look how happy he was! How sweet his smile was when he was brutally slaughtering enemies! (affectionate)]

Of course, some people were seriously discussing last night’s banquet:

[Is no one paying attention to the fact that this was clearly a Hongmen Banquet ^[1] Hongmen Banquet: banquet set up with the aim of murdering a guest; refers to a famous episode in 206 BC when future Han emperor Liu Bang escaped attempted murder by his rival Xiang Yu? It looks like the setup was specifically designed to trap Ranen, and the sudden appearance of the Soul-Eating Butterfly specimen seems to be part of the mastermind’s trap.]

[Hiss—did anyone notice the revival of the evil god? Could this be from the opposing faction?]

[It could’ve been a test. Otherwise, how could such a small setup harm the evil god?]

[But speaking of which, the organizers of this banquet seem a bit suspicious. Wasn’t this hosted by Black Poker? Isn’t Black Poker supposed to be Ranen’s faction?]

[An insider? A betrayal? But it seems like at least Karens is still trustworthy, as he’s been standing by Ranen the whole time.]

[Is no one curious about the clown by Ranen’s side? His performance in the fight was clearly not that of an ordinary person. I saw in another stream, the ghoul tore Baba Hao and the others apart, but this guy suddenly transformed.]

[Is there a possibility that he was originally one of Ranen’s followers, sent by Ranen to investigate this situation?]

[Hiss—I suddenly have a bold idea. Maybe, just maybe, the main storyline of Arkham’s beta test phase is Ranen’s faction versus an opposing evil cult?]

[Think about it. Do you remember the initial player kidnapping cases? Back then, Karens led the players to wipe out a few small gangs, but that doesn’t explain much. How could those small fry know Ranen’s identity? They didn’t even have anyone who knew magic or anything. They weren’t qualified to be Ranen’s opponents.]

When Ranen saw this comment, he couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

He remembered the rather ridiculous player kidnapping case. He hadn’t bothered to ask Karens how he handled it, only vaguely recalling that Karens wanted to sweep it under the rug. However, the players definitely wouldn’t let go of the clues, so Karens took advantage of the situation and framed a small gang.

Since that gang was involved in shady activities like selling illegal substances, Ranen didn’t pay much attention at the time, thinking the matter was resolved.

He hadn’t expected it to resurface now.

[So, is there a chance that what happened yesterday is the same type of situation as the kidnapping case? The player kidnapping might have just been to identify the target, and last night’s bloody banquet was a test.]

[Test for what?]

[Not sure, maybe to test Ranen’s abilities. I’m increasingly convinced that Black Cat’s earlier theory is true: Ranen might still be in some sort of restricted or sealed state. They could have been trying to confirm this!]

[Hiss—so that mysterious figure in black might be from the faction that sealed Ranen?]

[Very likely.]

[I bet they’ve got an even bigger scheme coming soon!]

That sounded quite convincing, Ranen thought as he read, but in the next moment, he froze.

Wait a second—he isn’t sealed at all.

Great, after spending too much time on the forum, he almost got brainwashed by all the speculation.

As he kept scrolling, he saw posts analyzing his abilities. For example, some speculated that the Soul-Eating Butterfly’s attachment to him might imply that evil gods have a certain attraction to anomalies, which could explain how the evil god’s followers came to be.

There were also players with incredibly sharp eyesight who noticed that Edmund’s eyes changed color at the end, speculating whether it was another form of divine descent.

Ranen rubbed his forehead and quickly closed all these posts. He used the forum’s targeted search function to look up the keyword “bonus pool quest.”

A lot of posts came up, just as Ranen expected. After the Soul-Eating Butterfly revived, the quest ended, and when it closed, many players submitted the clues they had uncovered, receiving a portion of the reward.

Yes, although it seemed like the players didn’t have much involvement in the quest, it was mainly because they were busy investigating the origins of the butterfly specimen. The Baba Hao squad was lucky enough to encounter Edmund in front of Ranen’s psychological clinic, which led them to new clues, but other players didn’t come up empty-handed either.

Through these posts, Ranen finally pieced together the whole story.

As Baba Hao and his group had found out, someone had been raising this butterfly, likely influenced by the Soul-Eating Butterfly itself, constantly switching owners and providing the nutrition needed for the butterfly’s resurrection.

The first victim was the owner of the villa, but since it was the first crime, the thugs messed up. They didn’t wait for the villa owner to weaken and die; instead, they barged in, resulting in a murder.

Afterward, the butterfly changed owners several times, but none of them lived long.

The players thoroughly investigated the matter, and on the surface, it seemed the butterfly incident had little to do with Amos.

So, it turned out the root of this issue still lay with the Black Poker…

Ranen wasn’t the type to take things lying down. Although he could be cowardly at times, he wasn’t going to let it slide when someone plotted against him. Determined to get an explanation, he immediately grabbed Ogre and headed to the psychological clinic. Then, with a fiery attitude, he called Karens.

He had already made up his mind to demand an explanation from Karens, as this incident was inextricably linked to the Black Poker from beginning to end. However, the moment the call connected, Ranen heard a phone ringing outside the clinic door.

Karens was right outside, seemingly just arriving. When he walked in, there were dark circles under his eyes. He was still wearing the same suit from last night’s banquet, and Ranen could smell a faint mix of alcohol and blood on it, knowing that Karens hadn’t rested since the previous night and hadn’t even changed clothes.

As Karens entered, the clinic door was still open, and curious players were peeking inside. Ignoring their gazes, Karens knelt on one knee before Ranen.

Ranen was startled, almost instinctively wanting to step back. He glanced at Ogre, who was tall enough to handle two of him.

Ranen kept a stern expression and straightened his back, accepting Karens’s kneeling gesture.

Outside, the players seemed to be excitedly discussing something, but Ranen had no interest in letting them watch the show. He had Ogre close the door.

“The setup last night—it was your Black Poker, wasn’t it?” Ranen tried to mimic the demeanor of the powerful figures he remembered, doing his best to imitate their tone.

Karens, head lowered, responded, “It was Joel, the former leader of Black Poker, who acted on his own to arrange the trap. He also died at the manor last night. I’m currently managing Black Poker in his place, and after the incident, I conducted a thorough investigation within Black Poker. Most of the members were just as unaware of the banquet’s true intentions as you, but I found this in the leader’s office.”

He handed over the investigation report and the discovered evidence. Ranen took it, finding it to be a voice recorder. When he pressed play, a voice recording began.

“…Who are you… How did you get in?”

The recording quality wasn’t great, perhaps because the speaker was far from the microphone, making it hard to make out the words. 

However, it was clear that there was indeed another mastermind behind the scenes, and the Black Poker leader had merely been a pawn.

After Ranen reviewed the report and listened to the recording, before he could say anything, Karens knelt with both legs and raised his head, saying, “Joel is dead, and I’ve dealt with all the members who cooperated with him. From now on, Black Poker is at your command.”

Ranen had heard similar words from Edmund before, and Karens’s attitude was now clear. He was willing to follow Ranen, and Black Poker would become Ranen’s faction, his vassal.

However, this was never Ranen’s original intention. To put it bluntly, he just wanted to know who was targeting him.

But it seemed that this game of pretending to be an evil god would have to continue for the time being.

Ranen wasn’t entirely unaware of the abnormality within himself, but without real power in his hands, he still felt a sense of vulnerability.

In the end, Ranen didn’t accept Karens’s offer of allegiance. Karens, however, didn’t seem angered by this and merely continued to report his follow-up actions.

When Ranen heard that the police had arrived to seal off the scene half an hour after they left, he felt a wave of fear. If they had stayed any longer, they might have run into them.

Wait a minute, the people they left behind…

Seeming to understand Ranen’s concern, Karens promptly said, “Not long after I left, I had them transported back to Black Poker’s headquarters. I’ll speak with them thoroughly and ensure they don’t have a chance to reveal your identity.”

Ranen breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, he realized how convenient it was to have a faction backing him—of course, that was assuming he truly had the power Karens and the others believed he did.

Seeing that Ranen still wasn’t saying much, Karens didn’t get discouraged at all. After reporting the handling of the current situation, he excused himself.

After sending Karens off, Ranen let out a small sigh of relief. At least for now, he didn’t have to worry about the Investigation Bureau finding out his identity.

Wait, he isn’t an evil god to begin with, so even if they do find him, nothing will happen!

…Probably.

Suddenly, Ranen remembered something and quickly turned to look at Ogre.

Crap, would his roommate misunderstand him as being part of a cult? Ogre had been so quiet earlier that Ranen almost forgot about him.

“Ogre, listen to me, I’m not lying…” Ranen started, but his voice gradually grew softer. “Okay, maybe I was lying. I’m not really an evil god, but if I don’t say that, we might run into trouble.”

Ogre, however, didn’t seem to care. Even though he had been dragged out of the house so suddenly, he wasn’t angry at all. His temperament was completely at odds with his appearance. With his fluffy hair and large build, Ranen couldn’t help but get the impression of a gentle Tibetan mastiff.

“It’s okay, I believe you, Ranen.”

Ever since Ranen had been inexplicably cornered by players, it seemed like Ogre accepted any explanation Ranen gave without question.

Ranen sometimes felt grateful for Ogre’s unwavering trust, but at other times, he worried that Ogre was a bit too naive.

Sigh, what should he do about a roommate who is so innocent? He could only take on a bit more responsibility.

—-

Karens stepped out of Ranen’s psychological clinic and ran into players loitering outside.

Sometimes he genuinely admired the determination of this group of people. They spent an entire day doing nothing but waiting outside, as if seeing Ranen for just a moment meant everything to them.

Perhaps this is what faith is—something he might never understand.

Karens took a distant glance but did not approach the group. Although he had decided to serve the evil god, he didn’t want to become a follower like them; at the very least, he didn’t want to surrender his heart and beliefs.

If he had to name something important, it would only be the city where he lived.

Karens grew up mingling in gangs and on the streets. He was the child of a lower-tier gang member and a prostitute, enduring discrimination and abuse from a young age. Under the guidance of his jerk father, he joined a gang. One would think someone like him would harbor a cynical attitude, but Karens did not.

He was very clear about his bad birth, but he did not become world-weary. Instead, he worked hard to learn the rules here and leveraged those rules, along with his own talents, to thrive.

This city was awful; the shadows and darkness beneath the steel forest silently swallowed some people whole. Yet, it wasn’t entirely terrible because people like him relied on that darkness as a refuge.

Therefore, even after witnessing the hellish side of life, Karens had never entertained the idea of escaping this city.

This was his hometown, after all. No matter how much it treated lives like weeds or how filled it was with unknown dark forests, this was the place where he was born and raised. Where else could he possibly go?

He wanted more than anyone to maintain Arkham’s original ecosystem. He never viewed gangs as the city’s tumor; rather, even if they were toxic, they had long since become integrated into the city’s veins, forming part of the darkness while also upholding order within it.

“Boss.” A younger gang member interrupted Karens’s thoughts. He snapped back to reality, recalling that he had become the leader of the Black Poker, and replied with a slight nod.

The younger member noticed Karens’s poor expression and spoke impatiently, “You personally came here, and that guy really doesn’t know his place. Should I…”

Before he could finish, he saw Karens’s expression suddenly darken. “Shut up. Take him away.”

The younger member was startled. Before he could plead for mercy, Karens’s other subordinates quickly covered his mouth and dragged him away.

To maintain confidentiality, Karens did not reveal Ranen’s identity to anyone, and of course, no one knew why he came to the psychological clinic this time.

Yet, even after being rejected by Ranen, Karens had no intention of giving up.

After Ranen and Karens parted ways last night, Karens quickly returned to the Black Poker’s headquarters. Seizing the opportunity presented by the leader’s death, he took control of most of the remaining subordinates and power. Given that so many people had died during the banquet, it was impossible to suppress the fallout. The cunning Karens brought the remaining survivors to his territory and, once they woke up, he quickly leveraged Ranen’s name to intimidate them and rally them together. Several organizations united during the chaotic situation, managing to consume most of the spoils.

This meant that, aside from Ranen himself, the Black Poker and Ranen were already seen as part of the same team by other factions.

Karens felt anxious about when Ranen would discover what he had done and impose punishment. This was why he had come here today, hoping to solidify his plans.

Even if Ranen had rejected him, he would not give up. As long as he could prove that the Black Poker was useful to Ranen, he believed that even if Ranen did not acknowledge them, they would not be easily destroyed.

With mixed feelings, Karens stuffed his hands into his pockets and gradually moved away from the clinic, passing by a young man with freckles.

Karens felt a flicker of recognition and instinctively turned to look back, but all he saw was the young man’s somewhat frail figure.

Why does this figure look a bit familiar?

The disciple with the clown makeup had vanished since that night. It is unclear whether he is still following Ranen’s orders, wandering somewhere in Arkham to carry out some dangerous and deadly tasks.

Karens had briefly thought that the figure resembled the crazy clown, but recalling the introverted and timid demeanor of the freckled young man as they passed each other, he shook his head and got into his car to leave.

—-

Ranen had finally sent Karens away when he heard the tinkling of wind chimes at the door. Turning his head, he saw a lean young man with freckles.

Edmund.

His first true patient.

Ranen found it hard to articulate his current feelings, but one thing was clear: when he faced a crisis at the banquet last night and saw Edmund swoop in like a cavalryman to take down all the ghouls, he had genuinely felt happy and even moved.

Of course, that feeling lasted only until Edmund knelt before him, offering his faith.

After being betrayed once again, Ranen had the following six points to express: …

He couldn’t understand it. A perfectly normal young man, why would he go down this path? And he didn’t say anything particularly influential during treatment, so why has this guy suddenly become his follower?

Ranen sent Ogre out and halted Edmund’s attempt to bow. He fixed a serious gaze on Edmund, watching him until the young man’s face showed panic before finally averting his eyes.

“Edmund… why do you believe in me?” 

“Because you, my Lord, are the only one who affirms me, believes in me, and guides me to accept my existence,” Edmund said without hesitation. His gaze toward Ranen was no longer shy; instead, it was filled with warmth and sincerity. “You are my pillar, and your commands are the direction in which I move!”

There was one thing Edmund didn’t voice: that Ranen’s presence brought him peace.

It was as if a wandering traveler had found his way home, or a lost ship had discovered the lighthouse that guided it.

Ranen’s words comforted Edmund, and this comfort gave him the courage to endure in this terrible world.

Ranen immediately felt a greater headache coming on.

How has he not realized he has such great charm? Ah, wait…

He suddenly remembered that his charm was indeed quite substantial. According to tabletop RPG terminology, he was approaching the human limit. He had experimented before; it had become relatively easy to hypnotize targets when they were in a state of chaos or fear…

So, Edmund’s change was not entirely incomprehensible. He might have been speaking normally, but the influence from someone with issues in their heart was likely more complicated than it appeared.

Realizing that all of this was his fault, Ranen felt utterly defeated.

It was as if the ethics of being a psychologist were condemning his conscience.

After a while, Ranen managed to find his voice again. “…Why did you suddenly appear there? And with clown makeup on?”

Edmund thought for a moment. “Last night? At that time, I broke through the first layer of the Dream Rift with your help, and I felt that my physical abilities had improved. The clown makeup might be a manifestation of that ability. As for why I was there…”

He scratched his head. “I guess it was instinct? I vaguely sensed you were in that direction and didn’t think about anything else, just wanting to be by your side.”

Instinct…

Ranen didn’t know how to respond, but before that, there was something even more worthy of his attention: “The Dream Rift?”

“Yes, the Dream Rift is the name used internally by the Inspection Bureau for that fog-filled space within the dream. Other places might have different terms for it,” Edmund explained. “However, the Inspection Bureau has likely researched this route more deeply, so this name is currently the most recognized… What’s wrong with you?”

At that moment, Ranen was in a state of deep shock.

Wait a minute, the Inspection Bureau—the official investigator organization that looks into bizarre incidents and combats evil gods? Edmund is from the Inspection Bureau??

In an instant, Ranen envisioned the place being surrounded by Inspection Bureau agents, launching various investigations, and him being expelled from Earth.

Ah, he already said he wasn’t an evil god! Don’t just assume he is one!

With so much new information flooding in, Ranen felt a bit disoriented. Wait, if Edmund is from the Inspection Bureau, then his previous visit for psychological treatment wasn’t just a simple workplace conflict as he imagined? No, if Edmund is from the Inspection Bureau, how could he believe in an evil god? Even though he isn’t an evil god, it seems Edmund views him as one….

In short, he turns a member of the Inspection Bureau into his own follower?

Noticing that Ranen’s expression was off, Edmund hurriedly said, “Please rest assured, I haven’t revealed your existence to them… um, to be precise, they don’t believe me… I’m really sorry! I will do my best to keep your existence hidden!”

Ranen opened his mouth, unsure of what to say, and simply responded with an “uh-huh.”

Bad news: he might have caught the attention of the Inspection Bureau.

Good news: so what if they notice him? He isn’t an evil god.

Good news: there is an insider in the Inspection Bureau.

Bad news: that insider firmly believes he is an evil god.

The universe cat has ascended.jpg ^[2] https://memeprod.ap-south-1.linodeobjects.com/user-template/3562a3541bf9ca21b2515ed552f71626.png