[The Shepherd God’s Staff and the Sphinx]

In the morning, sunlight gently poured through the window.

Ranen opened his eyes, and instead of the old, familiar campus he had seen before, he was met with a warm, cozy room. Sunlight streamed in from the window, and dust particles swirled in the light, settling softly on the bed, warming the entire space.

The unusually beautiful young man sat dumbfounded on the bed. Just then, he heard a commotion from outside and turned his head to look out the window.

Arkham City looked very different from before. More specifically, Ranen saw many damaged buildings and plants, with ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars speeding through the streets, constantly passing by.

A knock came at the door, and Ogre’s voice sounded from outside.

“Ranen, good morning. It’s time to eat.”

Ranen snapped back to reality, feeling a bit conflicted about the person waiting outside. After a simple wash, he went out and downstairs.

The house was still the same house, with no changes to the decor. It seemed as if all the chaos outside had nothing to do with this place. Ranen smelled the aroma of fried eggs and bacon as Ogre brought breakfast to the table.

Sitting at the table, Ranen was full of questions.

The Soul-Eating Butterfly, which hadn’t appeared in a while, fluttered over from a nearby vase, eagerly brushing against Ranen. He looked down at the butterfly resting on his fingertip, no longer feeling the wariness and rejection he once had.

It seemed that after accepting his identity, Ranen was more aware of things he had previously overlooked. For instance, he could faintly sense the affection coming from the Soul-Eating Butterfly. He recognized this butterfly—it was the only one that occasionally fluttered by in the lifeless forest. The black-red butterfly matched the dead forest perfectly, making the swampy areas there its nest.

“Did you sense my identity?” Ranen tapped the butterfly’s wing.

The butterfly affectionately stayed on Ranen’s fingertip, its antennae wiggling, as if giving a kiss. Ranen casually placed the butterfly on his shoulder as an ornament.

Then, he looked up and saw Ogre quietly eating across the table.

He had so many questions he wanted to ask Ogre.

Sensing Ranen’s gaze, Ogre silently put down his knife and fork and sat up straight, like an elementary school student who knew he had done something wrong.

“Pff,” Ranen couldn’t help but laugh at Ogre’s guilty expression. The intense atmosphere he had just gathered dissipated, and he could no longer maintain a serious expression.

The stagnant air began to move again.

Ranen lowered his head and wiped his face, helplessly saying, “Ogre, you know my identity, right?”

Ogre nodded.

“We both came from the Dream World, right?”

Another nod.

“Alright.” Ranen covered his eyes with a sigh. It was partly his own fault—thinking back, Ogre had given away many clues, such as always deferring to him, turning a blind eye to anything suspicious. Those were all hints, but because of that strange sense of closeness, Ranen had never minded them.

“Do you know what I actually am?” Ranen asked.

Ogre paused for a moment before shaking his head. “I’m sorry, I can’t say.”

“Why?”

“I took a vow of truth,” Ogre’s voice was hoarse. “Until the time is right, I cannot reveal any information related to you.”

“…Is it because I haven’t grown to that point yet?” Ranen thought about the typical storyline in films and TV shows and cautiously asked.

Ogre shook his head, calmly replying, “Even if I die, lose my sanity, or get corrupted, I won’t betray any information related to you.”

Ogre said this with a remarkably calm expression, and Ranen slightly parted his lips, his feelings growing even more complex.

Wait a minute, this explanation… he really feels like he’s gotten himself into something huge.

He remembered the brief flash of memory from earlier, where the mysterious female voice seemed to have said that he couldn’t let those guys find out that he had woken up.

Who were those guys? His enemies? Evil gods? Ancient gods?

Ranen put down his knife and fork, his gaze flickering as he stared at Ogre. He knew Ogre must know all the answers. The figure of the giant in his memory should be Ogre.

“Alright, then let me ask a different question. What kind of being are you? Is this a question you can answer?”

Ogre’s nodded. “I am a giant.”

“A giant?” Ranen looked confused, then suddenly recalled something. “Norse mythology? Ymir? The primordial giant?!”

In Norse mythology, Ymir is the progenitor of all giants, the first primordial being, and the ancestor of all giants. Ogremir is the name the frost giants use to refer to Ymir. After Ymir died, his body was used by the gods to create the world. This is a widely known legend in the human world.

However, Ogre shook his head. “No, I’m not the first giant. On the contrary, I am the last giant.”

“?” Ranen’s expression was full of confusion, but Ogre didn’t want to elaborate further. He spoke quietly, “In any case, I won’t harm you. My mission is to protect you, but when I act, it causes a lot of noise. If I use my full strength, those entities will become aware that you are here.”

“Those entities?” Ranen was puzzled. “What entities?”

“Evil gods.” Ogre answered succinctly. “They are outer gods from the cosmos, invaders of the Dream World.”

“Will they pose a threat to me?” Ranen asked.

Ogre hesitated for a long time this time, but eventually nodded.

Ranen fell into thought, and his mood became even more complicated.

It almost felt like, in the end, he was still being drawn into an unimaginable conspiracy.

“By the way, there’s also what Soren said earlier—the stars are about to return to their correct trajectory.” Ranen asked, “What does that mean? Is the world going to be destroyed by the invasion of the evil gods?”

Ogre nodded and then said, “What he meant by ‘the stars returning to the correct trajectory’ is an ancient prophecy that has been circulating for a long time.”

A headache. The headache had started.

Ranen couldn’t help but put on his pained expression. As everyone knew, in a Cthulhu Mythos, prophecies and divinations were bound to come true. Although he knew that the awakening of the Old Ones and the destruction of the world were inevitable in this worldview, otherwise, how would the investigators save the world?

But when it actually happened, it still gave him a headache.

Ranen: “Then, can you give me a specific time? Like when the stars will return to their correct trajectory, or something like that?”

Ogre shook his head: “It could be a long time from now, or it could be tomorrow. No one knows the exact date.”

Well, that’s what he expected.

Ranen’s headache deepened, this time out of frustration. He remembered how carefully he had tried to keep secrets in front of Ogre, and yet Ogre already knew everything.

He had tried to keep Ogre safely away from danger, and in the end, he was the fool.

Ranen thought about it, nearly laughing in anger: “Is there anything else you’re hiding from me?”

Ogre pointed to Ranen’s forehead.

Two or three seconds later, Ranen remembered that Ogre had drawn some kind of symbol on his forehead before. He couldn’t help but raise his hand to touch it: “What did that symbol mean?”

“I wasn’t lying. It was really meant to keep you safe,” Ogre said.

Ranen narrowed his eyes: “What exactly does it do?”

Ogre shrank his neck: “It blocks your aura, or it would attract anomalies.”

Anomalies…

Ranen thought back to his peculiar “anomaly connection” in the hospital. Almost every night, the doctors and nurses seemed to like him.

And there was also this A-level anomaly, the Soul-Eating Butterfly.

Ranen looked at the obedient butterfly sitting on his shoulder.

He had originally thought it was a coincidence, or maybe this butterfly was just a special anomaly, but now it seemed that might not be the case.

“Why do anomalies like me?” Ranen asked curiously.

Ogre looked conflicted.

“Is this also something you’re not allowed to talk about?”

Seeing Ogre nod, Ranen pressed his throbbing temples and closed his eyes. “Alright then.”

It turned out that he was the only one who had been buried in the drum all along.

His head hurt. It felt like those ordinary yet beautiful lives were slipping further and further away from him.

Countless conspiracies and schemes would emerge in the future, and ambitious people like Soren would continue to surface, right?

At this moment, he felt a warm sensation on his forehead. Ranen opened his eyes and saw Ogre carefully watching him, gently rubbing the spot where Ranen had just pressed with his large palm.

It was like a large dog, after causing trouble, cautiously pawing at you, looking at you with a pitiful expression, waiting to see if you were calmed down.

“I’m sorry,” Ogre honestly apologized. “I didn’t mean to hide it from you.”

Ranen stared at Ogre without saying anything. After a while, he pushed the untouched plate in front of him aside, turned, and walked upstairs.

Then, without hesitation, he shut the door behind him.

Once in his room, Ranen sat against the door, took a deep breath to clear out the negative emotions, and then began to think about what to do next.

After this part of the confession, Ranen had learned about his identity. Well, it seemed like he hadn’t fully understood it, but he was definitely not an ordinary person; he was a mysterious existence from the Dream World. Ogre was also from the Dream World, and his current role seemed to be something like his guardian?

But this guardian was currently in a state where he couldn’t act freely. According to Ogre, his abilities were too obvious to hide. If he made a move, everyone would probably know he was here.

Though he wasn’t sure of his exact identity, based on the information that had come back to him and the fact that he had controlled the gateway between the real world and the Dream World before, it was clear his identity was far from ordinary.

In any case, his primary goal now was to conceal his identity, making sure that “those beings” did not discover it. He also needed to enhance both his and the players’ strength in preparation for the potential invasions of evil gods, world destruction, and other catastrophes that might lie ahead.

Ranen was confident in strengthening the players. After all, he didn’t have to do anything—those players would level up on their own and continue to recklessly seek death.

The next priority was to improve his own strength.

Ranen closed his eyes and entered the familiar space of the Dream Rift.

He gazed at the misty space in front of him and the staircase stretching upwards, his feelings were rather complex.

Although he had vaguely suspected something when he noticed the different path through the Dream Rift compared to Edmund and the others, he had avoided thinking about it because he didn’t want to accept the truth.

But now, the answer was right before his eyes, and whether he wanted to accept it or not, he had no choice but to face it.

Ranen lowered his gaze in a daze and looked at his hands. His fingers were delicate and fair, without calluses, untouched by water—just the hands of a pampered young man. He couldn’t make sense of it. If he was an existence like an evil god, why couldn’t he feel any power at all?

The brief sensation of controlling the gateway had already faded. Ranen looked up at the second platform that had appeared and the previously experienced feeling of “rising up.”

Or is it that these platforms, appearing before him, are linked to his powers? Just like how humans need to descend to lower platforms to gain more strength, perhaps for him, ascending to higher platforms gradually unlocks his true power?

Several white light dots flew over, and Ranen focused, surprised to see that the number of white light dots seemed to have increased.

Originally, only Edmund’s light was solidified, but now, there were two more solidified white light dots, making it a total of three, circling around him.

If he wasn’t mistaken, the other two should be Archie and Karens.

Did something happen to them? It seems like they have suddenly transformed from mere followers into true believers.

Speaking of which, Archie seems to have successfully awakened from his madness, which means…

Ranen looked up at the newly appeared staircase and platform, deep in thought. As expected, the appearance of the platforms seemed to be connected to the “believers.” .” It was very likely that only true believers could ascend to a new level, and he would follow suit.

It seemed very likely.

Ranen stepped onto the first platform, then cautiously ascended to the second.

The second platform was slightly smaller than the first. Like the first platform, there was a stone table in the center with two objects on it. Upon arriving, Ranen faced no trials and walked straight to the table.  

One of the three white light dots hovering around him seemed impatient, quickly landing on one of the objects as if guiding him.  

Ranen took a closer look, and his eyes flickered with astonishment.  

It was… something resembling a service bell—the kind where pressing it would make a sound, summoning a waiter.  

Isn’t Archie’s ability supposed to be related to intelligence gathering? Why did this appear?  

Looking at the white light dot resting on the bell, Ranen couldn’t resist pressing it.  

*Ding—*  

A crisp chime echoed through the misty space.  

—-

Ten Minutes Earlier  

Police Station  

Archie woke up in the medical room at the police station. The on-duty doctor, noticing movement on the hospital bed, suddenly stood up. “Thank God! Dr. Archie, you’re finally awake. If anything had happened to you, the Chief would have lost his mind!”  

Archie held an unusual position in the police station. Bringing him in as a psychological consultant was something the Chief always claimed was his wisest decision.  

Of course, everyone in the station knew that the real reason Dr. Archie worked there was simply because his childhood friend also worked there. The Chief was just lucky to have benefited from Albert’s connection.  

“Where am I…?” Archie’s memory was still stuck on fighting Soren. He had a vague feeling that something major had happened after that.  

“Obviously, you’re in the police station’s medical room. Someone called in, saying they found you collapsed on the street. It was really dangerous. If no one had made that call—given the chaos outside—you might not have made it in time.”  

“What’s the situation outside now?” Archie asked urgently.  

The on-duty doctor simply turned on the medical room’s television.

“…Live report. This is the streets of Arkham. As you can see, multiple buildings have collapsed, and there have been chain-reaction car crashes. Several citizens have unfortunately lost their lives due to these accidents and the effects of hallucinogenic drugs.”  

The once-glamorous female reporter was now wearing a gas mask, diligently delivering her on-site report.  

“Hallucinogenic drugs?” Archie’s expression turned odd.  

“Yes, the TV station has identified the culprit behind this disaster. Apparently, a pharmaceutical company violated safety regulations and accidentally released a massive amount of hallucinogens. These drugs spread through the air, affecting the entire city of Arkham, which is why ordinary people started seeing monsters—but in reality, it was all an illusion,” the doctor explained. “That pharmaceutical company has already been shut down, and all its employees have been taken into custody. They’re facing endless prison sentences.”  

Hallucinogens…  

Archie’s eyelid twitched. He didn’t believe for a second that what had happened was just a hallucination—especially not what he saw at the end. But now that all major media outlets had unified their narrative, it was obvious that some powerful force was behind this, guiding public opinion.  

“I know you’re doubting it too,” the doctor said, noticing Archie’s peculiar expression. Leaning in mysteriously, he whispered, “You saw that door too, didn’t you? And the ‘Gatekeeper’?”  

Archie’s eyes widened. “Wait… you saw it as well?”  

“To be honest, it seems like everyone in Arkham dreamed of that scene.” The doctor waggled his eyebrows. “Before the officials stepped in, plenty of people were discussing it online, matching details of their dreams. Because all of them had the same one—a dream of a massive door, the giant hand behind it, monsters, and the Gatekeeper. That’s definitely not normal.”

So the entire city of Arkham had the same dream?  

Archie nodded. “I dreamed of the same thing.”  

“I knew it.” The doctor nodded confidently. “There must be some huge secret behind this. Maybe gods and demons really do exist… No, they definitely exist! That dream is proof. A god intervened to save Arkham! Haha, I’m heading to the Catholic church tomorrow—I feel like I’m about to become a devout believer.”  

That wasn’t Catholicism. The one who truly saved Arkham was Ranen.  

Archie instinctively wanted to correct him, but at the last second, he held back. He suddenly remembered that Ranen likely didn’t want his identity revealed.  

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have hidden himself behind that radiant light in front of the door.  

A being that secretive wouldn’t want to be exposed to the eyes of outsiders.  

Suppressing his urge to argue, Archie instead asked, “Aside from me, was there anyone else there?”  

“Hm? Besides you… there was one other person, I think. But he was from the Inspection Bureau. Their people took him away. Other than that, there was no one else.” The doctor recalled. “Speaking of which, why were you even there? That area was just an empty lot due to a government planning mistake—there’s nothing there at all.”  

But Archie wasn’t paying attention to his question. He murmured, “No one… How is that possible?”  

That place had been swarming with people.  

During that battle, Ranen’s forces and Soren’s forces had clashed so fiercely. It wouldn’t have been surprising if the aftermath had left the battlefield looking like hell itself. How could there be nothing left?  

And Albert—where has he gone?  

Instinctively, Archie wanted to enter the Dream Rift and use his ability to find answers.  

But the Dream Rift could only be accessed at midnight, and it wasn’t time yet.

After a brief chat, the doctor left, letting Archie rest. Lying on the bed, Archie wondered if breaking through to the second level of the Dream Rift would change his abilities. Then, he closed his eyes.  

And the next moment, he was inside the Dream Rift.  

Archie stared blankly at the gray mist surrounding him.  

Wait…  

How did he get in???  

Confusion filled Archie’s mind. He had tried entering the Dream Rift during the day before, and it had obviously failed. Later, he had confirmed through his father’s notes that the Dream Rift could only be accessed briefly at midnight.  

So why is he able to enter in broad daylight?  

Clearly, if it wasn’t because of some mutation on his end, then the issue must have come from Ranen.  

Archie looked around. The dense fog that once filled the second level of the Dream Rift had dispersed, restoring normal visibility. At least the platform was now free of the mind-twisting mist.  

But that was all.  

Archie felt a bit lost. Isn’t each new level supposed to enhance one’s Origin Ability and physical attributes?  

Why doesn’t he feel any changes?  

He paced back and forth on the second platform, but there was no sign of any delayed rewards either. He paced back and forth on the second platform, but there was no sign of any delayed rewards either. Finally, he stopped at the staircase leading down to the third level.

With every step downward, the surrounding light grew dimmer, as if he were slowly descending into an abyss.

The discomfort became more pronounced the deeper he went.

Should he go down and check?

Archie didn’t notice the figure emerging from the fog behind him—a man dressed in black, silently approaching. The figure raised a hand, ready to push Archie into the abyss.

Just then, a crisp chime rang out.

*Ding—*  

Archie whipped around.  

There was nothing behind him. Not a single trace.

—-

Ranen curiously pressed the summoning bell.  

*Ding—*  

And then?  

He suddenly looked up.  

The fog ahead churned violently, and a faceless figure dressed in black emerged from within.  

Ranen and the faceless man stared at each other for a brief moment.  

Then, the faceless man turned and bolted.  

Ranen was momentarily stunned before instinctively grabbing the other item on the stone table and throwing it.  

*Thud!*  

The faceless man collapsed to the ground, unable to get up. Only then did Ranen have time to see what he had just thrown.  

It appeared to be a staff, made of black wood, with silver, winding patterns spreading across its surface. The intricate designs resembled a fusion of eyes and leaves.  

As the faceless man lay on the ground, his body began convulsing. Then, to Ranen’s astonishment, thin silver threads started seeping out of him.  

The staff stood upright on its own, as if absorbing these silver threads.  

The faceless man let out a wretched howl and desperately tried to escape into the mist. But even the mist refused to shelter him—wherever he ran, the fog dissipated.  

Gradually, his movements slowed. His body withered.  

Ranen watched from a distance, dumbfounded and unsure of what to do.  

He suddenly recalled something Archie had mentioned before—about how his ability worked like a question-and-answer exchange with a faceless entity. If he failed to answer, he would lose a random organ.

Wait a minute, could this faceless man be related to Archie’s ability? Did he just erase Archie’s ability?!

Thinking of this, Ranen instinctively reached for the staff, wanting to stop it from continuing to absorb the mysterious silver threads. To his surprise, the staff obediently returned to his hand.  

But it seemed like it was too late. The faceless man now appeared nearly gone, with only the black robe remaining. Just as Ranen was contemplating how to reverse the situation, the staff seemed to realize it had made a mistake. The silver glow on it flickered, and a bit of golden light fell onto the black robe.  

Then, a bulge appeared beneath the robe. The bulge expanded, and eventually, a head emerged—one that resembled Archie’s by about eighty percent.  

Ranen: ??!  

But it wasn’t over yet. When the man fully emerged from beneath the black robe, Ranen couldn’t help but fall into stunned silence.

A human face, a lion’s body, eagle wings, and a cow’s tail.

Isn’t this the monster from mythology, the Sphinx?

“Thank you, my lord, for rescuing me from my dire situation,” the creature said. “My name is Sphinx. As you can see, I am the origin ability of Archie Hayes.”

Ranen: ?

Why could he understand each of these words, but the combination left him confused?

Ranen: “You are Archie’s origin ability? Then what about that just now…?”

“That was merely a shameless thief!” The Sphinx visibly grew angry at the mention of the faceless man, its lion claws nervously pacing the ground. “When Archie first broke through the first level of Dream Rift, that thief shamelessly stole our abilities. For a long time, he has secretly coveted our body. He disguised himself as Archie’s ability, so Archie would unsuspectingly ask him questions. And he, a thief, only needed to take Archie’s heart, and he would replace Archie to return to this world!”

This was a lot of information to process. Ranen rubbed his forehead. “First of all, that faceless man isn’t Archie’s ability. Then what is he? Why could he go into Archie’s Dream Rift?”

The Sphinx opened its mouth to answer but didn’t make a sound. It shyly spoke to Ranen, “You must answer my riddle first, then I will give you the information.”

Ranen: “…Alright, go ahead.”

“What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs at night?”

A classic Sphinx riddle. Ranen didn’t need to think much: “A human. When they are a child, they crawl on all fours; when they grow up, they walk on two legs; in old age, they need a cane.”

“Correct!” The Sphinx smiled broadly, its eyes even showing a hint of flattery. Without hesitation, it said, “That was an anomaly. According to human classification, it would be between C-level and B-level. As for why he could appear in Archie’s Dream Rift…”

“Well, that’s because Dream Rift is not an independent space; it is interconnected!”

Ranen’s pupils contracted slightly.

At this moment, he recalled the hospital instance they had experienced earlier. Soren had tested them before. He had connected the dreams of the medical staff in the hospital, creating a vast riddle domain.

Later, the abnormalities in Arkham City and the mist that appeared around it were very similar to Dream Rift. This seemed to imply that humans are not isolated islands from one another.

However, in Dream Rift, the platforms were all independent, and beyond them lay an endless abyss and fog that drove people to madness. This led everyone to subconsciously believe that only they existed within Dream Rift, or that each person’s Dream Rift was a different space, a different dream.  

But who said that?

Now, the Sphinx’s answer directly overturned this established belief. Dream Rift turned out to be a connected space, and more importantly, the anomalies could appear in Dream Rift!

This made Ranen feel an intense sense of unease, as if he had suddenly been told that his house couldn’t be locked and thieves could come at any time.

“How did it get here?” Ranen asked. “If you’re going to ask a riddle, just ask.”

The Sphinx: “What book cannot be bought in a bookstore?”

“Last will.” Ranen quickly thought of the answer.

“It came through the mist,” the Sphinx answered without hesitation.

“Mist…” Ranen murmured. He remembered that both Edmund and Archie had mentioned that the procedure for exploring Dream Rift was as follows: first, climb the stairs, then enter the platform and undergo trials.

The stairs gradually descend, and the further down you go, the more you can hear strange whispers. Prolonged exposure to these whispers can cause mental disorientation, and eventually, one might fall into the abyss or return to reality only to be overwhelmed with negative energy. It would take time to recover and continue the exploration.

In a way, the first two levels of stairs were not the most dangerous. The most dangerous part was the trials on the platforms. The first level is known as [Fear], and the second level is [Madness].

The information about the third level was unknown. According to their information, the stairs were supposed to test a person’s mental state. As long as one ignores the sounds coming from the stairs and the mist, there shouldn’t be any problems.

Could it be that, starting from the second level, it is no longer like this?

Ranen vaguely felt that he might have figured something out. It seemed like someone had told him this information before, hidden within those memories he hadn’t recalled. It was just that little bit, as if separated by a thin layer of paper.

He extended his hand, and two dice appeared in his palm, rolling without any wind.

Inspiration: Success.

Certain information appeared in Ranen’s mind, and he blurted out, “Everyone’s Dream Rift is connected through the fog, but humans cannot pass through the fog. Only the anomalies can. Starting from the second level of the Dream Rift, humans begin to enter deeper dreams. This is also the dimension where anomalies linger. The deeper you go, the more anomalies you encounter, and the stronger they become.”

Sphinx looked at Ranen in surprise. He didn’t speak but blinked rapidly, giving a confirming gesture.

So it is like this.

Ranen, somewhat cautiously, stared at Sphinx. “You said you’re Archie’s origin ability? How could you have more knowledge than the person himself? What exactly are you?”

“Unjust, my lord, I really am Archie’s origin ability!” Sphinx said, sounding wronged. “As for why I am like this… what ball is closest to us?”

“Earth.”

“It’s because you gave me consciousness!” Sphinx replied. “As for why I know so much, it’s because this is not my knowledge; it is power given to me by dreams. We only communicate based on the level of the questioner and the dimension they are in, and then, through the ‘riddle-solving’ ceremony, we simply deliver the answers given by the dimension.”

“We?” Ranen squinted. “Why do you use ‘we’? Origin abilities should be unique to each individual, right?”

Sphinx was about to answer but regretfully lowered his head. “Three questions have been asked, and I must go now.”

His figure gradually became more illusory, and before disappearing, he answered, “I look forward to meeting you again. Please believe me, I have no ill intentions. I am Archie, and Archie is me.”

Watching Sphinx vanish into the mist, Ranen furrowed his brows. It seemed like he had gained a lot of information, but the mysteries had only deepened.

As for an origin ability, was [Sphinx] too strong? Why would Archie’s origin be this? Did he have some secret? And that anomaly, why did it appear in his Dream Rift just as Archie had crossed the first level? Anomalies typically linger in level two and beyond; the stairs of the first and second levels should be free from anomalies.

Was it a coincidence? Or was it man-made?

Ranen’s mind was full of questions. He looked down at the summoning bell in his hand, tried pressing it again, but this time it didn’t make any sound.

It seemed like there was a cooldown time.

Ranen then turned his gaze to the staff floating in the air. The previous Sphinx had mentioned “bestowing consciousness,” which seemed to be what the staff had done earlier.

He waved his hand at the staff, and it automatically appeared next to him. Tentatively, he grasped the staff. It felt cold to the touch, and the shape fit perfectly in his palm.

Just like the dice from before, the staff’s function and information automatically appeared in Ranen’s mind.

[Shepherd’s Staff (Fallen)]

[Effect: Absorbs consciousness, bestows the seed of consciousness. Perhaps you could try it with plants—it may bring you a surprise.]

[Description: This staff is currently in a sealed state, with only its most basic function unlocked. Due to some unknown event, a mysterious change occurred, but it is still usable. After all, a shepherd can’t be without a forest, can they?]

Absorbing consciousness, then bestowing it?

Ranen fell into thought. He recalled how the staff had caused the anomaly to fall earlier. If the faceless man really was a C-level anomaly, he seemed a bit too fragile.

Or perhaps this staff has a restraining effect on anomalies?

That might need to be verified. 

Ranen wandered around the second level for a while, looking at the light points of Edmund, Archie, and Karens.

The three of them seemed to be fine. Karens was directing his subordinates, busy with tasks all over the district. Edmund hadn’t woken up yet, and Archie was writing a report at the police station.

Ranen thought to himself, “Let’s wait until Edmund wakes up and see if he has recovered from his madness.”

With that, he opened his eyes and exited the Dream Rift.

With his mind still preoccupied, Ranen opened the door, intending to go to the bathroom, but suddenly realized there seemed to be a massive figure sitting outside the door.

“Ogre, what are you doing here?”

Ogre was so large that even sitting near the door, he blocked a significant portion of the space. Upon hearing Ranen’s movement, he quickly stood up, stammering, “I-I was waiting for you…”

In Ranen’s confused gaze, Ogre stretched out his fist, which was about one and a half times the size of Ranen’s hand. His wrist turned, and his fingers spread wide.

In his palm was a small yellow daisy

“Sorry, don’t be angry anymore.”

Ranen stared at him, suddenly recalling a memory from the forest in the Dream World.

In that dead, silent forest, there weren’t any normal plants, let alone delicate and fragile flowers. However, because Ranen had casually mentioned that when apologizing, flowers made it seem more sincere (in the human world), since then, whenever Ranen got angry, no matter the reason, the giant would search for flowers everywhere. Sometimes it would take a day, sometimes three. When Ranen woke up from his slumber, the first thing he would see was a tall figure sitting next to him.

After he woke up, the giant would offer him the wilting flowers with an apology.

In truth, Ranen wasn’t that angry. He was more upset with himself for not noticing so many of Ogre’s flaws. This big fool couldn’t hide anything—his weaknesses were glaringly obvious—but Ranen hadn’t thought carefully enough. It was as though, in his subconscious, he didn’t think Ogre would ever harm him.

He took the daisy and smiled, saying, “Flowers are too easy to get in this world. I’m not that easily appeased.”

Ogre’s expression changed dramatically, like an experienced player who hadn’t logged into a game in ages, caught off guard by the new version. At that moment, Ranen said, “Unless you let me do one thing, I’ll forgive you.”