[It seems like… he really is an evil god.]

Ranen also knew that time was tight, and it was clear that they didn’t have much time to hesitate.

He glanced at the others present—one seasoned psychopath, two players, and one who was still stuck in a state of ‘madness.’

It seemed that there wasn’t much room for choice for someone who could become the director.

Besides, it was just a temporary position as the acting director of the dreamscape. Once the main mission was over, this temporary instance would disappear, and his university diploma would never really make him the director of Arkham Hospital in reality.

Thinking this way, Ranen’s original mental burden disappeared.

Under everyone’s gaze, he stepped forward. “I guess the conditions for electing the acting director are now in place?”

First, Arkham’s chaotic situation.

There was no doubt about this—never mind the chaos, Arkham was practically on the verge of collapse.

Second, the chaos within Arkham Hospital.

Thanks to the players’ enthusiasm and the fact that Luke had released all the patients from the third-floor wards, the conditions were already met.

The patients and doctors/nurses stood together, silently watching Ranen.

Although it was a temporary election, the process still had to be followed.

Ranen motioned for Archie to step forward:

“Then I will run for the position of acting director of Arkham Hospital. Who is in favor? Who is against?”

Archie stood by his side, casting a murderous glare over any potential dissenters.

The patients shrank back, afraid to speak, while the doctors and nurses exchanged uncertain glances.

The election process still had to be followed. Ranen paused for a moment before saying, “If anyone has objections, feel free to bring them up. Let me clarify one thing: once I take office, I will reinstate the previous vacation and work schedule.”

The chief doctor’s eyes clearly brightened.

“Of course, I will also remain here during my tenure.”

The nurses and caretakers’ eyes lit up.

Finally, Ranen looked toward the patients on the third floor and the ‘director’: “If I become the director, I will clear the injustice from that incident that happened in the hospital.”

Old Luke scoffed, and Black Cat commented in the chat: [Even if it’s all an act, even if the purpose is for faith, in the minds of those doctors and patients, he’s a savior.]

The chat quickly filled with:

[Lord of Chaos, Savior]

[It’s normal. Desperate people born in the mire will grasp even a spider’s thread extended by a god of chaos, clinging to it unto death.]

[Fanaticism often arises from this.]

The patients stared at him, raising their tentacles.

The Acting Director clause took effect.

The blue-and-white striped patient clothes Ranen was wearing disappeared, replaced by a white coat familiar to the doctors, complete with a name tag.

[Acting Director Ranen]

At the same time, the chain tattoos on his body gradually faded. Ranen closed his eyes, confirming that he could now enter the Dream Rift at any time.

The players cheered, while the patients, not fully understanding, still followed suit in celebration.

Everyone was happy—except for the ‘director,’ who looked as if he might turn to stone on the spot.

This was because the patients from the third floor were now staring at him, ‘friendly’ tentacles waving, as if inviting him to ‘play’ together in the future.

They would take good care of the director.

Meanwhile, Luke nervously watched Ranen, and the chat in Druid’s live stream shared the same sentiment.

[Ranen has become the director. According to the current hospital rules, his authority should be the highest here, right?]

[It should be. So, is Ranen now unsealed?]

[Not sure. I was expecting a transformation! Why wasn’t there a transformation scene!?]

[Now the question is, what will Ranen do next? (shivering)]

Ranen lifted his head, gazing toward the mist-covered area of the hospital.

Becoming the director was quite a peculiar sensation. He felt as if he could control everything within the hospital, and he also noticed a distinct energy fluctuation in a certain area.

Sensing the direction of that energy, Ranen took the lead and began walking in that direction.

As Ranen moved, Archie naturally followed closely. Old Luke instinctively reached out to grab Archie’s shoulder but received no reaction, leaving him to sigh helplessly.

The group made their way to the hospital’s courtyard. Under Ranen’s control, the mist shrouding the area gradually dissipated, revealing the courtyard’s original appearance.

It looked like a small garden meant for patients to stroll through, but it was enclosed by a fence with a sturdy lock in the center.

Ranen stepped forward and lightly touched the lock, which immediately opened, and the gate swung open for the group.

As soon as they stepped inside, Ranen sensed something different about this place.

How to put it—it might have been due to his authority as the director—but Ranen vaguely understood that this was the hospital’s core during the night.

“What’s this…?” Druid stared in surprise at the pillar supporting the nearby corridor. “It looks like there’s writing on it!”

Both Black Cat and Druid instinctively cast a detection spell, with Black Cat succeeding.

‘Offering my modest help, hoping Arkham can swiftly pass through this dark period.’—Aldous McLeish

The players didn’t recognize the name, but the mark carved below it caused the live chat to explode.

Two olive branches symbolizing peace wrapped around the scripture, with a Gothic “M” on the cover.

Anyone who loved the Cthulhu mythos world would know this—it was the emblem of Miskatonic University!

Had someone from Miskatonic been here?

Druid hurried to Ranen’s side to look at the courtyard but didn’t find any carved symbols or magic circles. Just as he was about to ask, he noticed Ranen’s gaze wandering over certain structures and plants in the courtyard.

An idea struck Druid, and with Ranen’s silent permission, he climbed a pillar of a pavilion. From the higher vantage point, the viewers in the live stream finally understood.

[The structure of this courtyard is a giant magic circle…]

[Look, aren’t there a few spots where only stone pillars remain, along with some irregular plants? Were these altered later?]

[It’s very likely. I guess this courtyard’s magic circle was originally left by someone from Miskatonic, but after being discovered by the leader of the Outsider, it was modified. The exact effect is unknown, but it could have led to the creation of this nighttime hospital instance.]

The live-streaming players could see these things, and now, as the director of Arkham, Ranen could see even more.

Ranen could vaguely sense that the magic circle before him was the core of Arkham at night. In other words, the appearance of Arkham’s “night” was intrinsically linked to this magic circle.

Recalling that in his previous life, Arkham Hospital was the place where the Outsider leader opened the “gate,” it was clear what this ritual had been transformed into.

Even if it wasn’t a passage, it was at least one of the crucial nodes in his plan.

“Find a way to destroy this,” Ranen said, turning around.

The players perked up immediately—this was a task they were familiar with!

They quickly sprang into action, trying to destroy the surrounding plants and structures.

However, they failed.

Black Cat initially tried to dig out the greenery with a shovel, but despite digging for a long time, he couldn’t even move the soil. Druid had similar results—anything connected to the ground was completely immovable.

Ranen tested his director’s authority but was disappointed to discover that his control seemed limited to areas outside this courtyard; he couldn’t manipulate this place.

No wonder the Outsider leader hadn’t shown up. Even in his absence, this magic circle wasn’t something easily destroyed.

“So, we managed to get here, but there’s still no way to do anything?” Druid kicked the wall in frustration, only to hurt himself and clutch his leg in pain.

Is leaving Arkham Hospital the only option?

Ranen frowned. They had come so far—simply escaping felt too stifling.

But what other options were there…

Ranen closed his eyes and entered the Dream Rift, pondering his remaining trump cards: the physical enhancements from the jester, the dice, two fanatical believers, and one general follower.

Huh, when did he gain another fanatical believer? Ranen glanced at the newly appeared white light and couldn’t help but pinch it.

In reality, Archie shuddered, stared at Ranen for a moment, then reached out and pinched his face.

Druid and Black Cat gasped. This was the first time Archie had shown any action besides killing. Wait, why was he pinching Ranen’s face?

Ranen opened his eyes helplessly. “Cut it out.”

Finding no suitable ability to use—after two players had already tried, and physical strength or brawling skills proved ineffective—physical attacks could be ruled out for now.

The only suitable option left seemed to be the dice.

But what should he roll for? Luck? Strength?

Or perhaps for the knowledge of symbols and rituals?

Or…

Ranen recalled the fleeting image from the archives—a bird’s-eye view.

A mysterious ritual or magic circle that seemed to open the dream world.

Taking a deep breath, Ranen made his decision.

The phantom dice rolled in his mind, faintly revealing the image of a giant octopus with tentacles sprouting everywhere.

[??? Mythos]

The original “???” should have been “Cthulhu Mythos,” but as everyone knew, the world of Wheel of Fate didn’t fully align with the Lovecraftian mythos. Calling it “Cthulhu Mythos” would be somewhat off, so it was marked with “question marks” instead.

Meaning: the unknown, a gateway to forbidden knowledge.

Final result:

Major failure.

Ranen: ?

Ranen was utterly shocked.

He seemed to faintly hear the mocking laughter of some entity.

Those who wait for fortune with a false hope will eventually be mocked by fate.

But no matter what, the result had already occurred. Before Ranen could react, the anomaly had begun. Countless fragments of information, intelligence, and secrets flashed through his mind, yet they weren’t recorded. He saw many scenes, sometimes a decaying black forest, other times the figure of a giant, goat bones, a shepherd’s flute, altars, and occasional prayers.

He also recalled the perspective from the archives, briefly conjuring up the image of a Gothic campus from above. A red-haired boy with freckles knelt on the ground, crying and praying.

“Supreme one, who returns from death…”

The vision didn’t complete, and Ranen’s sight went dark. He found himself in the mist of the Dream Rift, completely disconnected from reality.

Ranen: ???

Was this a forced disconnection?

—-

In the reality that Ranen couldn’t perceive, Druid watched Ranen standing motionless, calling out to him several times, but Ranen didn’t respond.

Did something happen?

Druid reached out to grab Ranen’s sleeve, intending to tug him back, but he heard a commotion behind him. Turning around, he saw Old Luke dragging Archie toward the exit without looking back. Druid, full of questions, looked at Black Cat, only to find him staring ahead, his eyes reflecting only one figure.

‘Black Cat, you…’

Druid tried to speak but realized he couldn’t make a sound. He raised a hand to his neck, feeling a rough, bark-like texture. It wasn’t long before he understood what had happened—a soft “pop” sounded as Black Cat’s eyes burst like jelly, sprouting black seedlings. His skin and flesh shriveled as the tree continued to grow.

Druid: ?

*Rustling—*

[Sanity -50]

[Sanity -50]

Forced disconnection—

The players were disconnected.

—-

Ranen tried to leave the Dream Rift, but for some reason, he couldn’t. He felt numb all over. After an indeterminate amount of time, Ranen finally opened his eyes from the Dream Rift.

The first thing he saw was the completely transformed courtyard.

It had once been a deliberately manicured garden, albeit messy. Now, it was gone, replaced by a dense, forest-like area.

But calling it a forest was too bizarre and dark. Ranen didn’t feel any vibrant life from the plants before him; instead, they exuded a deathly, eerie atmosphere.

Where are the others?

Ranen quickly scanned the surroundings, looking left and right but finding no bodies. Upon closer inspection, he froze.

There were no bodies because the bodies had become the surrounding plants.

Ranen walked up to a crooked, withered tree and saw a face full of pain and struggle faintly emerging from the bark.

It was Druid.

Ranen felt his scalp almost explode as he gritted his teeth and looked at the trees one by one. Not only were there players, but also the doctors and nurses who had followed him, all devoid of any signs of life.

The medical staff might be okay since Ranen, as the director of Arkham Hospital, knew the rules of the hospital at night—unless something happened to their physical bodies during the day, hospital staff wouldn’t die easily. But whether this state could be reversed was unknown.

He wasn’t too worried about the players either; at most, they would just disconnect.

Wait, where is Archie?!

Ranen’s heart sank slowly. After searching the strange forest for a long time, he finally found Archie.

Archie was being tightly protected by Old Luke, who had almost turned into a mass of living vines. The only reason Ranen could still recognize him as Old Luke was the patient gown covering the moving vines. The vines wrapped around Archie, who pressed his lips together tightly, pulling out a dagger and fiercely fighting against the vines.

His eyes were clear, indicating he had successfully passed the second test of the Dream Rift and regained his sanity.

“Archie?” Ranen looked at him in surprise.

“Ranen… Lord Ranen, what is this thing? Can you get me out?” Seeing Ranen, Archie seemed to find a pillar of strength and subconsciously sighed in relief for some reason.

Ranen opened his mouth, looking at the mass of vines with a complex expression. “No need for the ‘lord.’ Were you conscious earlier?”

“Uh? You mean during the period when I went mad? No,” Archie replied. “The last thing I remember is being in the ward, then it feels like I slept for a while. When I woke up, I was here. Can you help me first…?”

Waking up to see these moving vines left Archie in a bad state, though he was relieved that the vines didn’t seem to intend to harm him, at least for now.

Speaking of which, weren’t they in the hospital earlier? How did they wake up in a forest??

Ranen was about to lend a hand when the vines automatically recoiled upon touching him, as if meeting a natural predator, and released Archie.

Archie grasped Ranen’s hand and stood up, looking around. “What’s the situation now? Why are there so many trees? Weren’t we in the hospital?”

“Well… it’s a long story.” Ranen cast a complex gaze at the vines hiding behind the trees, not knowing how to explain to Archie.

He couldn’t possibly say that all of this was his doing, could he?

Ranen silently vowed never to use the ‘??? Mythos’ again.

Though he wasn’t sure what had happened, there was no doubt that everything around them was his fault.

It’s over. He might actually be… an evil god.

—-

Player Forum

[Night Hospital Live Thread]

1st Commenter: [What the hell just happened? Did anyone see clearly?]

2nd Commenter: [No, the stream suddenly went offline, just a black screen. What the hell happened?! (freaking out)]

3rd Commenter: [Where’s Druid? Where’s Black Cat? Are they still alive? If you’re alive, make a sound.]

4th Commenter: [What happened? I just went to the bathroom, and the stream was down when I got back. What the hell happened?]

5th Commenter: [Same question. I just went to get water, and when I came back, it was black. Did something happen that I wasn’t supposed to see?]

6th Commenter: [Hiss— I didn’t see much either. It seemed like something happened to Ranen.]

Druid: [Holy shit.]

7th Commenter: [!!! The person involved is suddenly back from the dead!]

8th Commenter: [The person involved has appeared! What exactly happened back then, Druid?!]

Druid: [I don’t know how to explain it, holy shit.]

9th Commenter: [?? I’m so anxious, I’m the King of Urgency! Hurry up, tell us!]

Druid: [Anyway, here’s my current state. [Photo.jpg]]

The photo showed Druid in his current death state. But what appeared in the picture wasn’t a corpse, but a bizarre tree trunk.

The players on the forum stared at the picture for a long time before finally identifying Druid’s face in the texture of the tree bark.

10th Commenter: [Holy…]

11th Commenter: [I’m losing sanity in real life right now.]

12th Commenter: [What the hell happened???]

Druid: [I don’t remember…]

13th Commenter: [Huh?]

Druid: [Seriously, I’m not lying. I vaguely remember something strange happening to Ranen, but I have no specific memory. It’s like my body erased that part of my memory to protect my brain.]

14th Commenter: [The more you say, the scarier it gets. This is just a game!]

15th Commenter: [I think this might be a conspiracy by the game developers. They want you to experience the horror of the Lovecraftian style but without driving people insane, so now everything is ambiguous.]

Black Cat: […]

16th Commenter: [Oh, another person involved has appeared.]

Black Cat: [God.]

17th Commenter: [Black Cat, are you okay? Have you turned into a tree too?]

Black Cat: [I saw the fallen Shepherd God.]

After speaking, Black Cat’s ID immediately went offline.

The player forum was once again filled with question marks.

—-

At this moment, Soren Hogg, standing in a large enclosed vacant lot somewhere in Arkham City, suddenly turned toward the hospital.

The formation he set up had been broken.

Unbelievable. Soren was sure the defenses he laid on that formation had taken almost half his life to set up. Even S-level anomalies couldn’t break through it, which was why he had the confidence to let the followers of the evil god wander the Night Hospital.

But in hindsight, it wasn’t entirely unexpected, given it was that indescribable being.

Soren closed his eyes. In the darkness, he saw that the light point originally connected to his location had disappeared, indicating the hospital’s formation had been destroyed.

But it wasn’t all bad news.

Soren curled his lips, his eyes seeming to gleam with light.

The coordinates… has finally appeared.

Soren’s plan to open the Dream World actually consisted of four steps.

The first step, as Amos had mentioned before, was to use the Dream Rift to construct a barrier similar to the Dream World, thereby approaching the dimension of the Dream World. Arkham Hospital was the test subject for this phase of the plan.

The second step was to open a passage to the Dream World through this barrier.

The third step involved accumulating enough energy to open the passage to the Dream World.

The fourth step required locating the coordinates of the Dream World.

The reason Soren valued Ranen so highly was because he believed Ranen was a being that had descended from the Dream World, inherently carrying the coordinates of the Dream World within him.

Now, there was both good news and bad news.

The good news was that the coordinates of the Dream World had appeared. The bad news was that the setup at Night Hospital had been destroyed, breaking the barrier resembling the Dream World, thus making it impossible to fulfill the conditions of the first and third steps.

Soren frowned but quickly relaxed, turning to look ahead. His gaze passed through the fence surrounding the empty lot, seeing the bustling traffic and the towering, prosperous steel jungle.

Fortunately, he never put all his eggs in one basket.

Soren Hogg, having survived in human society for so long, had developed a habit of trusting no one. He told Albert that the nodes arranged around Arkham were the core of the entire plan, and he told Amos that the hospital would be the true place to open the door.

But in reality, his plan was never limited to just that. Soren had two complete plans. If Ranen hadn’t been able to destroy the hospital’s formation, that formation would have automatically activated after reaching the set time, turning the entire Arkham Hospital into a sacrifice, creating a phantom of the Dream World, absorbing its energy, and transmitting it to the place where Soren now stood. In other words, the final location to open the door would have been here.

If the formation at Arkham Hospital was destroyed, it didn’t matter, because he had a backup plan.

As a foreigner deeply entrenched in this city for many years, the first organization he infiltrated was not the government, nor the elites or the wealthy.

It was a small, unnoticed municipal unit responsible for various matters related to the city’s sewers.

After discovering that Ranen’s followers were searching the entire city for the formation, Soren had gotten smarter. While letting his followers continue to set up formations in more hidden places, it was all to cover up the real purpose.

The truly important nodes in the entire plan were all hidden in the unnoticed sewers.

Since the first wave of players had found the nodes on the surface and no one had discovered formations underground, combined with the limited number of players, it created a blind spot.

As Soren’s thoughts moved, the formations etched in the dark sewers began to emit faint glows.