[Into the Tiger’s Den to Catch the Cubs]

Content Warning: The following chapter contains graphic and disturbing scenes that may be distressing to some readers. This includes intense horror elements and unsettling imagery. Reader discretion is advised.

Upon hearing the leader’s command, Amos showed no visible reaction, but Albert secretly tensed.  

Why did it have to be him who stayed behind?  

Albert had been with the Outsider for neither too long nor too short a time. After graduating from university, he had followed the clues left by his friend’s father to locate the Inspection Bureau. From there, the Bureau sent him undercover into the Outsider’s organization. Perhaps it was because of his university major in public security that his immediate superior in the Outsider arranged for him to join the police force, making him an undercover agent for the Outsider within the police.  

Living as a triple agent, Albert had gone from being unaccustomed to the role to navigating it with ease. Unfortunately, the Outsider’s internal structure was rigid, and his superior within the organization had been punished by the leader for corruption and bribery, leaving Albert in an awkward position within the group.  

If it hadn’t been for his outstanding performance in a particular mission, Albert likely wouldn’t even have the chance to stand here now…  

The others left the abandoned church one after another, their gazes toward Amos and Albert carrying various inexplicable emotions. It was clear to everyone that if the leader, Hogg, had specifically asked these two to stay behind, it either meant there was a problem with them or they were being genuinely promoted.  

Amos is already the leader’s right-hand man, but as for Albert, how does this kid manage it?

“There’s no need to be so tense. I just wanted to ask your opinion about Ranen.” Noticing Albert’s unease, Soren turned around and stepped off the platform. The imposing aura he naturally carried gradually dissipated as he casually sat on a bench beside Albert.  

Albert didn’t dare relax. He mentally sifted through his interactions with Ranen before cautiously replying, “I believe he is an unfathomable existence.”  

“Oh?”  

“At first, I wasn’t sure whether he was ‘the one’ who had descended,” Albert recalled his first encounter with Ranen. Aside from a face that seemed utterly ordinary no matter how he looked at it, there was nothing particularly remarkable about him at first glance. In fact, interacting with him felt just like dealing with an ordinary person.  

Later, Albert had managed to arrange for Ranen to visit Arkham University. It was during that visit that he confirmed Ranen genuinely had no memory of his past.  

But what happened afterward seemed like a deliberate attempt to overturn that conclusion.  

The trap that Albert and Amos had meticulously set up together was easily dismantled by Ranen, who pointed out Albert’s true identity in one fell swoop.  

No matter how Albert looked at it, Ranen didn’t resemble an amnesiac, naive, and harmless evil god. On the contrary, those who assumed he knew nothing were the ones falling into the trap.  

Albert smiled wryly. “The only thing I can confirm is that he does seem to be under certain restrictions. But even so, we can’t let our guard down.”  

“A camel may be dying, but it’s still a camel—let alone an evil god of unknown origin,” Soren mused with a sigh. “We still don’t know what ‘It’ truly is, but even during such a brief descent, It has already amassed so many followers.”  

To be honest, the players’ level of activity was giving the Outsider, who had been deeply entrenched in Arkham for so long, quite a headache.  

The main issue was their reckless abandon—they didn’t fear death or fatigue. Combined with the Black Poker’s covert provision of weapons to the players, they had essentially become a mercenary force that could make any faction feel deeply troubled.  

Additionally, because of the Outsider’s plan, it was essential to ensure that most of Arkham’s residents stayed in their places until the final moment arrived. Thus, they couldn’t cause large-scale chaos in the city, lest it triggered widespread panic or even a mass evacuation. This severely limited the measures they could employ.

Soren muttered with regret, “What a pity. If he had obediently boarded that plane last time, we could have simply destroyed it mid-flight. Even an evil god would suffer severe injuries at that altitude.”

Albert involuntarily shuddered. To avoid drawing Soren’s attention, he lowered his head, hiding the surprise in his eyes.  

It wasn’t just shock at the Outsider’s near-absolute control over Arkham—it also reminded him of the scene at the airport that day.  

Ranen’s return… Could it be that he saw through the leader’s plan at that moment?  

Unbeknownst to Albert, several skirmishes had already occurred, both overt and covert, and these recent events were merely an extension of the conflict into the realm of followers.  

Arkham had already become the stage for these two forces to clash.  

…

In the days that followed, Albert and Amos were kept at Soren’s side, allowing Albert to gain access to more core secrets. This gave him a chance to relax slightly. He realized that this wasn’t the worst-case scenario he had feared; instead, it signaled that the Outsider were finally beginning to draw him into their inner circle.  

It was likely due to his daring efforts in approaching Ranen previously or perhaps because the Outsider’s leadership had been recently harassed to the point of not daring to act rashly. Regardless of the reason, this was an opportunity to get closer to Soren.  

—-

However, from Ranen’s perspective, things seemed to be heading in a troubling direction.  

At first, the players’ actions had indeed caught the Outsider off guard. Coupled with the intelligence Ranen had from his previous life, the players had been able to efficiently destroy suspicious magic arrays.  

But the players’ movements inevitably drew the attention of the Outsider lurking in the shadows. As time went on, the number of nodes the players could locate dwindled.  

Ranen didn’t believe this was because the Outsider had given up. Instead, it was far more likely that they had hidden their plans even deeper.  

What frustrated him even more was that the investigation at the hospital, which he valued most, was not going smoothly. The players who had entered the hospital to investigate failed to “enter” the nighttime version of the hospital.  

Or rather, the hospital did successfully transition to nighttime, but unlike Druid’s experience, they didn’t enter that monster-filled anomalous space. It was as if all the abnormalities had vanished.  

No, perhaps they hadn’t vanished, but instead hidden themselves…  

Could it be that the Outsider’s organization had noticed something?  

Just then, the Soul-Eating Butterfly, which had been pretending to be a butterfly decoration on Ranen’s chest, suddenly fluttered its wings and took flight. Ranen’s train of thought was interrupted, and he instinctively raised his eyes to follow the direction it was flying.  

Ever since he brought it back, the infamous A-level anomaly had clung lifelessly to his clothes, trying to pass itself off as a decorative accessory. Ranen didn’t dare forcibly remove it and had no choice but to pretend not to notice, letting it stay on him.  

He had almost forgotten the Soul-Eating Butterfly’s existence, and this was the first time it had made any movement. Unable to help himself, Ranen stared in the direction it was flying for a few seconds.  

Unfortunately, even though the window was right next to it and a single flap of its wings could have granted it freedom, the Soul-Eating Butterfly showed no intention of leaving. It seemed to have only taken flight to stretch its wings, and after doing so, it quietly returned to Ranen’s clothes.  

Ranen regretfully withdrew his gaze.  

—-

Meanwhile, in a certain floor opposite the window of the therapy room, someone lying low behind a railing and monitoring the scene broke out in a cold sweat.  

The moment Ranen looked over, the observer knew he had been discovered.  

It wasn’t surprising—he had always known it was impossible to avoid detection while surveilling a being like this.  

He had long been prepared to sacrifice his life for the mission.  

All of it was for the sake of returning home.  

After quietly leaving the surveillance point, the observer made a phone call. “I’ve been discovered. The target hasn’t made any moves for now, but this surveillance point is compromised.”  

“I understand. You may leave now,” replied the voice on the other end of the line, calm and reassuring. “Your efforts will not be forgotten. All exiles shall return to their homeland.”  

With a look of fervent devotion, the observer repeated the words, “All exiles shall return to their homeland.”

—-

After the call ended, in the director’s office at Arkham Hospital, Soren stood behind the desk, murmuring,  

“It seems we’ll need another way to invite him over.”  

“Pardon my bluntness, Your Grace,” Amos spoke unhurriedly, “but Ranen has been staying at his psychological clinic these past days. That location is close to the city center, and his clinic sees a steady flow of people coming and going every day. If we act directly, it’s likely to draw attention from multiple parties.”  

“I’m well aware of that,” Soren replied.  

Just then, a pained groan echoed in the director’s office. The white-haired man looked down at the middle-aged man collapsed at his feet. “Ah, I almost forgot about you.”  

The middle-aged man was none other than the director of Arkham Hospital. It had been a normal day for him, reviewing files in his office, when three strangers had barged in. Before he could react, he lost consciousness.  

Upon regaining awareness, he immediately realized that intruders had entered the hospital. Struggling on the carpet, he crawled with great effort toward the alarm button on the desk.  

Soren, like a cat toying with a mouse, watched the director’s futile struggle with amusement. As the man’s fingers finally pressed the alarm, Soren chuckled softly.  

Then, placing his hand on the director’s head, Soren recited a string of complex and arcane words. In an instant, their clothes began to transform— the director’s white coat shifted into a patient’s gown, while Soren now wore a pristine white coat, complete with a name tag that read:  Soren Hogg, Director, Arkham Hospital

Less than two minutes after the alarm was triggered, security guards rushed into the office. “What’s going on here, gentlemen?”

“You’re just in time,” Soren said, pointing at the middle-aged man lying on the ground. “This patient somehow broke into my office. Take him out.”  

“Yes, sir.” The security guards obeyed without hesitation.  

The middle-aged man looked utterly incredulous. “Are you all insane? Wait, I’m the director! I’m the director of this hospital!”  

“Yes, yes, sure, you’re the director,” one of the guards replied dismissively. “How did you escape from the psychiatric ward and get here?”  

“Make sure the orderlies keep an eye on him,” another guard added. “What if he hurt someone while wandering around?”  

“No! He’s the intruder, a criminal! I’m the director! I’m the director of Arkham Hospital!”  

Soren smiled as he watched them drag the man away, his protests growing fainter. Once the office door was shut, Soren turned to a stack of physical files, retrieving a discarded discharge report.  

[Name: Ranen  

Gender: Male  

Diagnosis: Minor burns (Approved for discharge)]  

“We just need to wait a little while longer,” Soren remarked.  

Albert and Amos, having no objections, remained silent as the day turned to night. Finally, Soren began his next move.  

He drew a dagger and sliced open his wrist, letting dark red blood drip from the wound.  

The blood, seemingly alive, twisted and writhed in midair like worms before forming a series of eerie symbols.  

Albert, who had been watching Soren’s every move, felt a sharp pain in his eyes as he stared at the symbols. He quickly averted his gaze.  

Moments later, Soren began chanting in an arcane and cryptic language:  

“Descend, descend… my kin.”  

—-

As the night deepened, Ranen had no intention of returning to his apartment. He had already discussed this with Ogre, explaining that he wouldn’t be coming back for some time to avoid involving Ogre in any potential danger. He also urged Ogre to stay indoors as much as possible.  

“I’ll explain everything once this is all over,” Ranen had told him.  

Ogre had agreed without question, as always. He never interfered with Ranen’s decisions or unusual behavior…

Late at night, in the psychology clinic, Ranen sat at his computer, browsing through information. Using the details provided by Edmund, he accessed an investigator-only website.  

He had known about this website in his previous life, though he rarely visited it. The reason? Well, it was obvious—once players stumbled upon something like this, the original balance of the ecosystem would be ruined. As things went, the site eventually hit a 404 error, perhaps having moved to a different address.  

The website served as an internal communication platform for those aware of the hidden world. Initially, it was exclusively used by the Inspection Bureau, but as more people learned about it, it became semi-public. Occasionally, even cultists could be seen posting there.  

Ranen logged into the site primarily to gather inspiration. In his past life, players had never encountered a situation where they couldn’t access the nighttime hospital instance, so he had no clear leads. He hoped to find some clues by exploring the discussions.  

After searching for a while, he didn’t find any helpful leads but did come across some intriguing posts.  

One of these posts, which Ranen had just clicked on, appeared to be an analysis of Dream Rift by a psychologist. To be honest, the Dream Rift’s power system was fascinating. It didn’t rely on cultivation or external resources. Breaking through the Dream Rift required only three things: a natural talent to sense the Rift, unwavering and unpolluted willpower to traverse the steps of the Rift, and mental refinement achieved through trials on the platforms.  

For example, the first level of the Dream Rift required overcoming fear, while the second level involved “waking from madness.” Both tests heavily leaned on one’s psychological and mental state, making it no surprise that professionals in psychology found it compelling.  

When Ranen opened the paper shared by the poster, he didn’t have high expectations. However, as he read further, he began to notice brilliant insights scattered throughout the paper.  

The paper’s title was bold as well. The author attempted to deconstruct the Dream Rift’s trials from a psychological perspective, proposing professional methods to make the Rift’s challenges easier to overcome.  

In simple terms, the paper proposed using techniques like hypnosis or self-suggestion to “take shortcuts.” For instance, one could use self-suggestion to temporarily convince themselves that they weren’t afraid of something, thereby directly overcoming the first test of the Dream Rift.  

The paper included extensive knowledge of psychology and hypnosis, which Ranen found fascinating. However, it had also attracted significant criticism.  

Code Name Courtship: [Bold research, but frankly pointless. The Inspection Bureau has conducted similar studies thousands of times, if not more. Ever since developmental psychology emerged, attempts to deconstruct the Dream Rift have never ceased. To be fair, some progress has been made by predecessors, but no one—and I mean no one—has successfully taken shortcuts to pass the Dream Rift’s trials.]  

4th Reply: [How can you be so sure?]  

Code Name Courtship: [Ever heard of Froken? A master in the field of psychology. He was involved in a Bureau of Investigation project to deconstruct the Dream Rift and focused specifically on using hypnosis to cheat the trials. He even succeeded at one point. But when he reached the third layer, he was no longer himself.]

6th Reply: [??? What do you mean?]  

After that, the user named “Code Name Courtship” disappeared. Perhaps they were just slacking off at work—or maybe they got caught for leaking Bureau information. Either way, the thread eventually fell silent.  

As some comments had mentioned, research on the Dream Rift was nothing new; there were countless studies, making it a less-than-astonishing topic.  

Still, perhaps because he had read fewer such papers, Ranen found himself intrigued by this author, especially their understanding of the Dream Rift’s second level and the theory of using “anchors” to stabilize rationality amidst madness.  

Unfortunately, without having personally experienced the Dream Rift’s trials, Ranen had no way to verify the paper’s theories.  

He even checked the paper’s signature: “Anonymous.” The author remained unidentified.  

What a pity. If he knew who had written it, he’d be quite interested in having a conversation with them.  

As he thought this, a sudden wave of inexplicable drowsiness overcame him. His vision blurred, and his eyelids grew heavier until they slowly shut.  

It felt as though he had returned to the Dream Rift, surrounded by a dense fog that obscured everything. He was aware that he was dreaming, which made it an oddly novel experience—his first lucid dream.  

Then, from within the mist, a voice began to speak. It echoed persistently in his ears, as though trying to convey something. Ranen tilted his head, listening intently for a while.  

Descent? What descent?

Ranen wasn’t interested and didn’t bother with the voice. He drifted away casually, but the voice shamelessly followed, continuing to persist. Annoyed, Ranen swatted it away like a fly.  

—-

*Whoosh—*  

Under the watchful eyes of Albert and Amos, Soren suddenly spat out a large mouthful of blood. The blood was a dark red, almost black, and wriggling maggots could be seen squirming within it.  

The white-haired man’s forehead was covered with bulging veins, his entire body trembling as blood poured from his seven orifices.  

“Master,” Amos called out, wanting to stop him from continuing the ritual, but Soren waved him away.  

“I’ll try again,” he said unsteadily. “If this doesn’t work, be ready for a full-scale war.”  

Albert and Amos’ expressions turned serious. They both knew what a full-scale war meant. No one knew exactly how strong Ranen had become or what other trump cards he might have. If a full-scale war broke out, the entire city of Arkham would probably be dragged into it prematurely.  

Albert observed Soren’s weak condition, his gaze flickering slightly as he hesitated, wondering whether to strike now.  

Soren’s back was to them, seemingly confident and unconcerned, leaving his vulnerable back completely exposed.  

However, Albert glanced at Amos, who remained motionless. He twitched his fingers before letting them drop, abandoning the idea of attacking.  

Soren took another deep breath and slowly exhaled. As he did, more spots and wrinkles appeared on his face, and he looked as if he had aged over a decade. His skin, once that of a man in his twenties, now appeared to be in his thirties.  

He then extended his left arm. To Albert and Amos’ shock, his left arm suddenly fractured entirely, the wound not releasing a single drop of blood. The severed arm fell onto the complex symbols beneath it.  

—-

Some theories suggest that dreams are a manifestation of the brain’s neurons being active. Things that we care about deeply during the day tend to appear in our dreams through our subconscious.  

Recently, the thing Ranen cared most about was the “main quest.” The players treated it like a game, but Ranen knew all too well that it wasn’t a game at all. The consequences of failing the main quest weren’t limited to the game world simply disappearing.

The Arkham Hospital, which he valued most, had yielded no results for the players. Not even Druid who triggered this instance in his previous life had any effect.

This troubled Ranen greatly. What should he do now?

If they continue to delay, they might end up facing the same outcome as in his previous life.

Something has to change…

If he were still a player, what would he do in this situation?

Without hesitation, Ranen thought: Of course, it would be to “take the plunge” — without stepping into the tiger’s den, how could one get the tiger cub?

At this moment, the fog began to change.

—-

Inside the hospital, the medical record placed in the ritual instantly caught fire. A gleam of joy appeared in Soren’s eyes as he swiftly grabbed a pen with his right hand and made a slight modification in the symptoms column.

[Symptoms: Severe mania, transferred to the high-risk psychiatric ward.]

…

The hospital exploration instance was not going smoothly.

The players tried all sorts of tricks to get into the hospital. Some applied for jobs as caregivers, while others went as far as sneaking in at night, almost getting sent to the police station. Some even went so far as to harm themselves to become patients.

But all these methods only allowed them to work in the hospital for a while, or be hospitalized for a while. The hospital fees were steep, and several players drained their small savings, but the progress on the investigation was minimal.

It was all very strange, as if the night Druid experienced had been nothing more than a dream. In reality, this special instance didn’t seem to exist at all.

Could it be that a special condition needs to be met to activate it?

Druid felt a little confused and tightened his grip on the keychain in his hand.

This was an item he had brought from the closed beta, and it might now be the only hope for opening the night instance.

He originally planned to use the key at the hospital during the night, since it was obtained then. However, he no longer had the time or energy to waste here. In fact, many players had already decisively abandoned the hospital instance and moved on to the other two routes. According to players on the forum, they had discovered some clues at Arkham University and in the suburbs, and perhaps starting from there would be easier.

But Druid was unwilling to give up. This quest had been personally assigned to him by Ranen. Although it seemed a bit odd, after receiving the key from Ranen, he had made up his mind to be the first to clear the hospital instance.

If that’s the case, he’d have to take the risk.

The keychain was something Druid had originally gotten from the front desk nurse, likely intended to open some special rooms, such as the hospital’s laboratory or the nurse’s rest area. Druid decided to check out the nurse’s rest area first.

After consulting with Black Cat, they decided one would distract the nurse, and the other would search the nurse’s station.

Naturally, Druid took charge. He had the scouting skill, so it made sense for him to do it. After seeing Black Cat head towards the nurse, Druid successfully rolled for stealth and quietly moved toward the nurse’s station, starting to try the keys.

The realism of the game was the downside at times. After each failed attempt, he couldn’t help but feel nervous, worried that someone might notice.

Technically, this shouldn’t be so nerve-wracking in the game, but being an immersion-type player, he couldn’t help himself.

Finally, after trying the fourth key, luck was on his side. Druid successfully unlocked the door, subtly gave Black Cat a thumbs-up, and quietly slipped through the door.

The nurse’s station turned out to be a typical rest area. There were a few sets of clothes that had been changed out of. Drawing on his extensive tabletop RPG experience, Druid headed straight for the desk in the nurse’s station. Unfortunately, aside from a few medical records, there was nothing of value. But, of course, he knew that clues wouldn’t be so blatantly placed here.

He then activated his scouting skill, and with the dice landing in the successful difficulty range, a few areas highlighted in red appeared in his vision.

The brightest red circle was on a woman’s coat hanging on a rack. Druid carefully took the coat off the hanger and, reaching inside, found a diary.

The owner of the diary was… Anita.

[I’ve gained weight again, it’s so annoying. I’ve decided to continue dieting for the next three days.]

[Today, a bitch was flaunting how slim her waist is in the break room. Heh, I’ll surpass her eventually and find a boyfriend even better looking than hers.]

[Nurse Mary has been making things difficult for me again. Should I secretly drop a spider into her clothes? I heard she’s terrified of them.]

[Dieting, dieting. I must get thinner, or no one will like a fat person.]

[Mary called me in for a talk again, about anorexia this time. It’s so annoying. Why does that old woman have to interfere? I’d rather die than turn into one of those fat women!]

The aggression in the diary was shocking. Druid read with a sense of dread, recalling the rumors online about how dieting and weight loss could make one’s temper more irritable. This woman was truly harsh on herself.

Flipping a few more pages, the tone of the diary suddenly changed. The anger of a stressed office worker turned into the thoughts of a lovesick girl.

[Today, a really handsome patient came in,]  

[He’s so good-looking, I got scolded by Nurse Mary for staring at him.]  

[I found a chance and secretly took a photo. This will be my treasure.]  

[I know all the other doctors and nurses in the hospital like him too.]  

[Why can’t he only like me? Is it because I’m not pretty enough? I’ll get thinner and prettier, and then…]

Druid was about to read further when a player’s message suddenly popped up.

Black Cat: [Are you done yet? I can hardly hold them off any longer. That receptionist nurse insists on going back to the nurse’s station!]

Black Cat: [Hurry, brother, the blonde nurse is back!]

Druid quickly stuffed the diary back, hung the coat on the rack again, and rushed out. Just as he left the nurse’s station, the blonde nurse appeared around the corner.

“What are you doing here?”

Anita looked at Druid with suspicion. Druid stammered, scratching his head, “Uh, I got lost.”

The excuse was weak, but he couldn’t think of any other reason to be in the nurse’s station. Clearly, Anita also thought the excuse was bad, but Druid remained calm. As long as he hadn’t been caught in the act, Anita couldn’t do anything to him. After all, he had a legitimate identity now, though he was only a temporary caregiver.

Sure enough, Anita just looked at him with a suspicious gaze, the kind one might use for a failed criminal, but in the end, she didn’t say anything. Druid breathed a sigh of relief and was about to turn and leave to meet up with his teammate from another direction.

“Wait.” Anita’s voice suddenly became dark and ominous. “I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere.”

Druid gave a nervous laugh. “I don’t think so… I have a common face, maybe you’re mistaken. I have something to do, so I’ll be going now…”

“No, I’ve seen you… I recognize this aura!”

The blonde nurse’s voice suddenly grew low, and she stepped toward Druid. Her footsteps grew heavier and heavier. Unable to resist, Druid turned his head, and when he saw her, he almost lost his mind right there.

The petite blonde nurse, as she walked closer, began to swell in size step by step. By the time she reached Druid, she had completely transformed into the image of the meat mountain butcher he had seen before. Layers of fatty flesh piled up at her waist, her once small face had turned into a giant face with tiny eyes and shark-like teeth.

Warnings popped up continuously in his mind.

[Intuition Check — Successful]

[Willpower Check — Failed]

[Sanity Check — Successful]

Druid wanted to run, but his legs seemed to be rooted to the ground. He couldn’t move until the transformed Anita reached him. Her massive hands, the size of a washbasin, grabbed his body and lifted him up.

“Haha, I know you, little mouse,” the meat mountain butcher grinned, showing a smile that could cure children’s night crying. “Finally, you’re in my hands.”

“Give me back the photo!”

The meat mountain butcher didn’t hold back at all. Druid’s face turned red, and he felt like he was about to be crushed to death. Even though he had activated pain sensitivity blocking, no one would willingly get this close to the meat mountain butcher.

Just as Druid’s health was about to reach the danger zone, a familiar, sinister voice rang out.

“What are you doing? Anita.”

Anita was startled and turned around. Sure enough, the red-haired head nurse stood at the end of the corridor, and Anita immediately loosened her grip in fear.

Druid crashed to the ground, awkwardly turning his head to look at the newcomer.

The red-haired head nurse wasn’t bad-looking. Her striking red hair drew attention, and her features were elegant and refined. However, her ashen complexion slightly detracted from her beauty, adding an eerie vibe.

But unfortunately, Druid had seen her transform into a spider, and that scene had cruelly removed her from his game wife list. At least for him, that particular XP ^[1] experience points was a bit premature.

Come to think of it, wasn’t she supposed to be dead? She should have perished alongside the monster from the neighboring room!

The red-haired head nurse coldly stared at Anita. “Attacking a worker without cause… let me think, you’ve broken at least three hospital rules…”

“I didn’t!” The meat mountain butcher’s voice immediately became panicked. It was clear she was truly afraid of the red-haired head nurse. “I just saw him acting suspiciously… and he stole my photo!”

“Is that so?” Nurse Mary turned her gaze to Druid, who quickly started to explain. “I didn’t steal it, really. You can search me.”

“You must have hidden the photo somewhere else!” Anita’s eyes were filled with intense hatred.

“Enough,” Mary said coldly. “If there’s no evidence, shut up!”

Before Druid could even breathe a sigh of relief, he saw Mary look at him. “And you, you should return to your post.”

“Okay, okay, no problem,” Druid quickly nodded. “Uh… where exactly is my post?”

Mary glanced at him, then turned away. “Follow me.”

It seems like she is actually going to take him back to his work post. Is she this easy to talk to?

Druid hurriedly followed, but just as they were about to leave, he turned back on a whim and glanced at Anita. She was also staring at him, and when their eyes met, she grinned, revealing her sharp teeth. It seemed to say, ‘We’ll settle this someday.’

A chill ran down Druid’s spine, and he quickly turned away.  

Led by the red-haired head nurse, he crossed through half the hospital, his unease growing with every step. He was sure it was just past noon earlier, but as they walked through the building, the lighting and scenery outside had transformed into night.  

And not just that.  

The people here were… different.  

Sweating nervously, Druid passed by a patient whose organs hung from IV poles, and a child laughing as they ran straight toward him. He tried to dodge, but the child still brushed against his leg. Druid froze as he saw their face—a mangled mess of flesh and blood—and heard their piercing wails.  

Not daring to stop, he followed closely behind Nurse Mary, cold sweat dripping from his forehead.  

[Willpower Check—Failed. Sanity -2.]  

[Willpower Check—Failed. Sanity -1.]  

‘What’s going on here?’ he thought. ‘Why is this place even scarier than before? And how did I suddenly end up in the hospital at night?’

In the team’s player channel, Black Cat was bombarding him with messages.  

[Black Cat: Where are you? I’ve been looking for you everywhere.]  

[Black Cat: Did you die or something?]  

[Black Cat: If you’re still online, say something.]  

[Druid: I-I-I somehow entered the instance (confused face).]  

[Druid: Believe it or not, I just got dragged in, no warning at all.]  

[Druid: It’s terrifying here. Holy crap, this instance level might be way higher than we expected. I’m literally shaking surrounded by monsters right now.]  

[Druid: Photo.jpg Photo.jpg]  

While sending photos to Black Cat, Druid kept observing the scenery around him. He noticed a large section of the hospital’s courtyard had been cordoned off with fences. After rounding the courtyard and walking some more, Nurse Mary finally stopped. Her cold, sinister voice echoed in the air:  

“We’re here.”  

Druid, confused, looked around. They had left the medical wing and arrived at the hospital’s rear area. For some reason, tall walls and an iron gate loomed ahead. Rusted letters hung at the top, faintly spelling out a few words.  

“Psychiatric Ward – Unauthorized Personnel Keep Out.”  

“Perfect, this place needs more orderlies. You’ll work here,” Mary said.  

Druid quickly agreed; he didn’t dare refuse.  

Strangely, Mary didn’t turn back after leading him there. Instead, she walked straight inside. Druid assumed she was going to show him around and couldn’t help but feel a bit puzzled. ‘Does this cursed place actually have someone kind?’

‘Uh… kind monster?’

Mary ignored the Druid trailing behind her and didn’t chase him away either. She walked ahead with clear purpose, leaving him with no choice but to follow silently. Together, human and monster ventured deeper into the facility’s core. Druid passed through one iron gate after another until Mary finally stopped in front of a patient room at the far end of the third floor.  

Unlike the regular patient rooms outside, these were secured with iron doors, each with a small window for observation.  

Mary stared intently at the window, her gaze transfixed. Druid, curious, tiptoed to peek inside, and what he saw made his eyes widen.  

It is Ranen!  

In just one day, Ranen had somehow gone from the psychological clinic to this place. He was now restrained in a specialized straightjacket designed for high-risk psychiatric patients, golden chains coiled around his body as if sealing away something dangerous.  

Suddenly, his eyelids twitched, and his thick eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings before he slowly opened his eyes.  

Those emerald-green eyes, as dazzling as gemstones, seemed to shimmer with divine gold under the influence of the chains. In an instant, Ranen transformed from a sealed monster into a bound god.  

[Willpower Check…]

Druid was utterly mesmerized. Those eyes seemed to pierce straight into his soul. Instinctively, he held his breath, his body moving faster than his mind as he reflexively took a screenshot.  

He couldn’t shake the feeling that if he didn’t capture this moment, he would regret it for the rest of his life.