–Evil God? Or a Guide NPC? —

Ranen sent off the two dazed players who had just left.

Then, he glanced at the player forum. He felt that he had acted quite coldly today, which probably cost him a few impression points among the players. On top of that, with the whole “Evil God” identity being exposed, he thought there wouldn’t be any players coming to bother him anymore.

And then, he saw the following post:

[Before entering the game: There’s no way such a good-looking NPC is real. After entering the game: Please, just make it a dating sim. ^[1]A ‘dating sim’ (short for ‘dating simulation’) is a type of video game that focuses on romantic relationships, where the player interacts with various characters and makes choices that affect … Continue reading]

The thread starter first uploaded a lot of photos—unsurprisingly, they were all of Ranen from today.

Moreover, the poster had pretty decent photography skills. Despite the chaos at the time, their hands didn’t even shake, capturing Ranen’s beauty from every angle.

Especially the last three shots, which perfectly depicted the moment when Ranen’s expression changed from blank to increasingly sharp (in reality, he was noticing the approaching strange entities), coldly staring at the camera, before finally turning away (actually, hiding back home out of fear).

lz ^[2]In Chinese internet slang, “lz” stands for “楼主” (lóuzhǔ), which means “thread starter” or “original poster” in the context of online forums and … Continue reading: To be honest, with that modeling, why not just do a dating sim and make money? Everyone knows that tabletop RPGs don’t make money! This game is even more niche than dating sims! Please, go make a dating sim and take my money!

1st Commenter: He looks so fierce, that last look made me go stiff (doge face)

2nd Commenter: Exactly, make a dating sim, make a dating sim. I don’t even care about the story; with that face, I’d spend big!

3rd Commenter: +1, I’m really not good at puzzle-solving. I just want to have a sweet romance with Ranen.

4th Commenter: Doesn’t this game have a favorability system? If you’re not afraid of dying, go for it (side-eye)

5th Commenter: I’m not afraid of dying, let me try hhhhh ^[3]In Chinese internet slang, “hhh” is often used to represent laughter or amusement, similar to “lol” or “haha” in English. It is typically used to convey a … Continue reading

6th Commenter: Wake up! I heard there was a “sense of inspiration” check back then hhhhh I’m really worried you might have died on the spot.

7th Commenter: But his appearance is 99 ^[4]99 (九九, jiǔjiǔ) is often used as a shorthand for “long-lasting” or “forever,” derived from the pronunciation of “99” sounding like “久久” … Continue reading, hehe, waifu ^[5]Waifu (老婆, lǎopó) is a term borrowed from Japanese, referring to a fictional character from anime, manga, or games that someone has a strong affection or attachment to. In Chinese, it’s often … Continue reading!

—-

The thread gradually devolved into inappropriate content. Ranen closed his eyes, shut down the post, and started looking for others, believing that normal people were still in the majority for this game.

Sure enough, he soon found a post from Druid.

“I’ve Finally Found the Right Way to Play This Game!”

Druid’s upload was predictably the footage from when he arrived and was invited inside. Seeing this, Ranen’s mood improved. This footage should clear up any misunderstandings.

At the start of the video, it shows the conversation between Druid and Ranen, and the barrage of comments quickly appeared.

“Correct way to approach the entry animation!”

“So I’ve been misunderstanding all along, this game is actually about finding special NPCs to accept quests!”

“Man, that’s not fair! We’re all in the same boat, but you’re the only one getting quests.”

“Must be the favorability inheritance, it turns out you need to view this game as a campaign, and it actually allows for bonds to be inherited from previous character interactions (thoughtful).”

“If I block a fatal blow for an NPC and then create a new character that looks exactly the same, can I play the ‘substitute white moonlight’ trope? (side-eye).”

“Seriously, this is a total gut punch. It’s reminding me of some really crappy stuff….”

“No one cares about Druid’s acting? Hhhh, so immersive, no wonder he’s an old hand at role-playing.”

Earlier, there were comments praising Druid’s acting. After all, this game is derived from campaign role-playing games, and as everyone knows, the core gameplay of such games is role-playing. Players skilled in RP (role-playing) can bring a great experience in terms of both enjoyment and playability to other players and the host.

But as soon as Ranen mentioned that there would be a series of tasks and that players could come to him for psychological counseling after completing them, the tone of the comments suddenly changed.

“Damn, forget I said anything.”

“Who got sour? I won’t say.”

In the end, what caused the comment explosion was undoubtedly the final scene. When Ranen said, “Without him, I might not have been able to leave the hospital,” a flood of comments followed. Besides the numerous ‘???’ there were countless lemon emojis.

Ranen calmly skipped over a bunch of comments like “I don’t believe it, wahhh, I don’t believe my waifu really has someone else in her heart.” He quickly scrolled down, and sure enough, people had already started analyzing the issue.

2nd Commenter: “Doesn’t anyone care about the amount of information revealed here?”

3rd Commenter: “As expected, the primary goal of the second round of internal testing is to address the issue of players being able to accept tasks. Now that guiding NPCs are appearing, it seems absurd if only Druid can take on tasks.”

4th Commenter: “No one said only Druid can take on tasks, right? I remember someone else had already taken on tasks before.”

5th Commenter: “Yeah, I remember it was Delinquent No. 1, where is he now?”

6th Commenter: “I think he’s still working on tasks…”

With that, players started to feel discontented again.

While everyone was still figuring out how to accept tasks, it turned out that some players had already quietly established a fixed task reception location, complete with follow-up psychological counseling (though it was later revealed that everyone could seek treatment from Ranen).

Countless players immediately felt envious.

Of course, there were also some rational players raising questions.

7th Commenter: Don’t you find it strange? If Ranen was really an Evil God, would he be so friendly to humans? Despite being surrounded, not a single player died; he just glared at you and then went back. Honestly, this seems a bit out of character for an Evil God who views humans as mere ants.

8th Commenter: Exactly, and the Evil God is actually guiding you to complete tasks? And there’s talk of inheriting favorability? When did Evil Gods ever have goodwill towards humans? The most ridiculous part is the last segment of the video—didn’t you hear him say, “It’s because of him that I could leave the hospital”? Normally, Evil Gods aren’t that weak.

Indeed, from the usual impression of Evil Gods in role-playing games, they’re typically super bosses who appear and immediately cause a team wipe. Just a glance and they drive people insane, easily wiping out several well-equipped investigator teams. They are symbols of despair, the unknown, and fear.

There are some Evil Gods who disguise themselves as humans, like the notorious Nyarlathotep ^[6]Nyarlathotep is often described as a shapeshifter, capable of appearing in various forms, including a tall, black man with glowing yellow eyes. He is known for his cunning and his ability to … Continue reading, but that’s an exception and he also harbors malice towards humans.

Moreover, the speculation about Ranen’s identity was mostly playful initially. It’s well-known that human attributes have limits, generally set at a maximum of 90 when creating characters.

Over 95 might indicate a special status or bloodline.

If it’s close to 100 or over 100, it’s definitely non-human level.

That’s why players jokingly said that Ranen’s appearance must be over 99 on the app, certainly an Evil God.

However, while some enjoy playing along with the jokes, others prefer to take things seriously, especially as new players, drawn to Ranen’s appearance, flood into the forum. This naturally leads to conflicts.

9th Commenter: Seriously, can we stop calling someone who’s obviously a guide NPC an Evil God? Evil Gods don’t have such low standards. And a psychological treatment room? That’s just laughable. I’ve only heard of Evil Gods driving people insane, not treating humans psychologically.

10th Commenter: Hey, is this game run by your family? How do you know that an Evil God in this game must conform to your preconceived notions?

11th Commenter: Heh, what’s the point of arguing? Your so-called Evil God needed human help to escape from the hospital.

12th Commenter: Stop arguing. A pro has started an analysis thread. Here’s the link: https://xxx/xxxx

Ranen calmly watched their debate, finding their discussions amusing and eagerly waiting for them to uncover the truth.

He really isn’t an Evil God—just a pitiful, helpless NPC whose greatest wish is simply to survive.

As for why he guides players, it’s because he suddenly realized that even if he did nothing, players would inevitably affect his life. So, why not use them to solve the mysterious events instead?

He still remembers some of the clues from the Arkham tasks, though not many. Providing players with clues not only satisfies their desire for gameplay but also makes the city safer, so why not?

He thought casually and then clicked on the analysis thread below, curious to see what players would say now that the truth was nearly confirmed.

Black Cat (lz): Hello everyone, this is Black Cat. Many of you might know me because I just made a successful prediction—muhahaha~ Compared to the closed beta, this open beta has indeed introduced NPCs to guide players, namely the ‘waifu’ Ranen who went viral on the forum. Good job, official team! (doge head with rose)

Alright, to keep it short, since the video came out, the speculation about Ranen’s identity has been very hot, so I’m here to join in on the trend.

Everyone knows I was present at the scene of the video and, as a firsthand player, I believe I have some authority to speak on this. First, let me share my guess. Unfortunately, I am a supporter of the Evil God theory, so don’t rush to criticize me. This involves my speculation about the game’s worldview.

Firstly, many forum users likely became interested in the game after watching the hospital dungeon video uploaded by Druid, and speculated that Ranen might be an Evil God based on his behavior. But I wonder how many people have noticed the additional information revealed by the hospital instance.

That is, the difference between the hospital during the day and at night.

According to the information I obtained from Druid, the hospital’s staff during the day turn into bizarre monsters at night. Regardless of what happens at the hospital during the night, it returns to normal during the day. As evidence, after the beta test started, I also went and asked about the hospital. Remember the patient next door mentioned by Ranen in the video? Ranen said that the patient next door was killed by the night nurse.

Guess what? In the daytime hospital, he died of illness. I secretly infiltrated the morgue and rolled a medical success, so this result should be correct.

Therefore, I boldly speculate that the night hospital and the day hospital are two different worlds. The dimensions where these bizarre creatures and monsters exist might be different from ours.

This is just a guess, but perhaps it represents that these strange beings cannot easily appear in the normal human world, just like how cultists in tabletop RPGs often need to prepare complex rituals to successfully summon an Evil God. Ranen might also be an Evil God, but he might currently be in a state similar to being sealed.

That’s why he said, “If not for Druid, he wouldn’t be able to leave the hospital.”

It’s possible that Druid did something that met a certain condition and partially lifted the seal, allowing him to leave the night hospital and come into the normal world!

Ranen: ???

Black Cat: Also, since there are Evil God forces in the game, there must also be corresponding forces like investigators who oppose the Evil Gods. Ranen is likely hiding from them, which is why he’s disguised as an ordinary person. Think about it—since everyone believes Evil Gods are unnameable and mentally corrupting, who would suspect a psychologist who soothes the mental state of investigators?

As for Ranen’s relatively friendly attitude toward players… this can’t be considered strong evidence. It’s best to continue observing for a while.

I think the game’s developers have a vision. Based on the beta test, they are seriously trying to create an incredibly realistic world, even to the point of being ‘too serious’. The high level of realism and freedom sometimes makes the game seem unclear, but I have high hopes for them. They may not be perfect at making the game, but they are sincerely building a ‘world’.

So, I boldly make a prediction, hoping that it will prove successful as the story unfolds—who says Evil Gods must be evil? Who says investigators must be righteous?

It’s certain that some players will think this is exaggerated, since almost all the final bosses in tabletop RPGs are usually unnameable Evil Gods or related cults or fanatics. But let’s not forget that another core element of tabletop RPGs is puzzle-solving. In suspenseful and investigative scenarios, the most enjoyable aspect is overturning all the ‘preconceived’ concepts in everyone’s subconscious—nothing is impossible.

Of course, this hypothesis is entirely my personal opinion and lacks substantial evidence.

Ranen was deeply shocked after reading this.

‘How should I put it? Although his own guesses were wrong, he accidentally hit upon a part of the truth.’

Even though the Evil God part wasn’t definitively stated.

However, the Inspection Bureau, which is the official investigative organization, did indeed reveal a shocking scandal. This is also the longest and most challenging main storyline campaign in the game:

—“Dawn Before the End: The Mystery of the Inspection Bureau’s Destruction”

As of Ranen’s transmigration, this campaign hadn’t been completed yet. Countless investigators had perished, and the script was filled with dark, murky details, creating a scenario that would make players question human nature as they progressed.

1st Commenter: It’s impressive but, aside from the last guess, it all seems quite reasonable.

2nd Commenter: Wow! So it’s like this!

3rd Commenter: Hiss— I was leaning towards the idea that Ranen wasn’t an Evil God, but seeing this expert’s post has made me waver. I hadn’t considered that “unable to leave the hospital” could have this explanation.

4th Commenter: No wonder Ranen is so special towards Druid’s “brother.” They’re set up as twins, so there might be some connection. He probably views his brother as a pawn to either lift the seal or as a sacrifice or something.

5th Commenter: I think it makes a lot of sense. Ranen might be disguising himself as a human.

6th Commenter: Although the last guess is a bit far-fetched, the previous points all seem reasonable.

7th Commenter: No way, no way, you actually believe these unfounded speculations? I could make up random guesses too.

8th Commenter: I have to say, these guesses are way too out there… Do you have any evidence to prove them?

9th Commenter: The internal test is still ongoing, and everyone is just guessing. Why can’t we stick to our own guesses about Ranen’s identity? (Speechless)

Black Cat: Well, there’s nothing to argue about. I don’t have any evidence, and the above are just my speculations.

10th Commenter: See, it’s all just random talk from this guy.

Black Cat: But if we’re talking about evidence, there is one. Has anyone considered that if Ranen were an Evil God, he should have a cult or force that worships him? Evil Gods, their minions, and fanatics are basic elements in tabletop RPGs. The summoning or breaking of seals usually involves cultists, who would attract some humans to help them. It’s rare for an Evil God to work alone.

Black Cat: So, we just need to observe if any similar forces appear around Ranen.

Ranen read this and quietly sighed in relief.

‘You’re going to be disappointed.’

He thought to himself that he was just an ordinary unlucky person with no forces behind him.