[Ban Cyber Pyramid Schemes]

The matter of when Ranen got a “Holy Scripture” actually goes back a bit earlier.

The players were frantically grinding missions, terrified of missing out if they took on too few. Black Cat had just finished a job when he noticed that Druid was suddenly nowhere to be found.

Black Cat opened his friends list and saw that Druid’s coordinates were at Arkham Hospital.

Black Cat: ? What’s that guy doing at the hospital?

Considering Druid’s inexplicable, almost mystical luck (the kind that always landed him special missions), Black Cat thought it over and decided to track him down.

As expected, Arkham Hospital was a chaotic mess. When Black Cat arrived, he noticed that nearly all the medical staff were rushing around. Even the receptionists and pharmacy workers stationed at their posts wore uniformly grave and alert expressions.

Oddly enough, there wasn’t much exhaustion on their faces. Everyone looked lively, as if they’d just woken up from a refreshing nap—quite a strange sight.

Black Cat didn’t bother the briskly moving staff. He glanced at Druid’s coordinates and headed up to find him, only to discover the guy peeking at a little girl from outside a hospital room.

“That’s a crime, you know.”

Black Cat whispered eerily into Druid’s ear.

Druid nearly jumped out of his skin. “What the hell, you scared me to death!”

“What are you doing, spying on a little girl? Even in a game, you could get your account banned for that,” Black Cat teased.

“Get lost! She’s the little girl I saved!” Druid rolled his eyes.

“Oh, right, she does look familiar,” Black Cat said, peering at the girl inside and recognizing her.

“Then why aren’t you going in?”

Druid opened his mouth, then hesitated. “I don’t know how to go in.”

“Huh?”

“Even if I go in, she probably wouldn’t recognize me,” Druid explained. “Have you forgotten? We ‘died’ once in the hospital. To the NPCs, we’re not the same people we were before.”

Black Cat paused, then realized, Oh yeah, that’s right.

Back in the hospital courtyard, they’d looked directly at what seemed to be an unsealed Ranen and instantly kicked the bucket. Their current character cards were actually new ones.

Wait, then how did Ramen recognize them before?

But considering his true identity, maybe that isn’t so surprising.

“That’s why I don’t dare go in,” Druid sighed. “I’m not the person who saved her in the cabin anymore. To her, I’m just a stranger now. The NPCs in this world are super smart—what if she looks at me with unfamiliar eyes? What do I do then?”

Black Cat grabbed Druid’s head and shook it.

“What the—? Let go of your dad!”

“Just checking if there’s water sloshing around in there,” Black Cat said bluntly. “Did you forget you saved her again later? No reason to go in? The reason’s right there, ready-made!”

“But…”

Before Druid could finish overthinking, Black Cat decisively pushed the door open. “Excuse me.”

Normally, when a stranger enters a hospital room, the people inside would look over warily—it’s a basic self-defense instinct. But the little girl on the bed didn’t. She looked about ten years old, her black hair falling to her waist. Bandages wrapped around various parts of her body, and a medical eyepatch covered one eye. The single visible eye stared blankly, devoid of any spark.

The two players entering the room didn’t draw even the slightest bit of her attention.

This situation was worse than they’d imagined.

Druid looked at Black Cat, who spread his hands helplessly, signaling that he had no ideas—he hadn’t put any points into psychoanalysis.

With no other choice, Druid steeled himself and approached the bedside. “Hi, are you okay?”

No response. The little girl completely ignored his voice and presence.

“I’m the one who tried to stop you by the roadside. Remember me? And this guy—he’s the one who gave you first aid back then.”

Still no reaction.

The girl’s pupils were dilated, clearly locked away in her own world.

Druid was at a loss and ready to give up, but Black Cat shot him an encouraging look. Sighing, Druid made one last attempt. “Do you remember Andrew? I’m his friend. He once told me about you.”

Andrew was the name of Druid’s previous character card. At the mention of that name, the girl finally reacted, her gaze shifting to Druid.

Druid let out a relieved breath—any response is a good sign. He pressed on. “He asked me to tell you not to give up hope on life. Remember the adventures you had together? As long as you don’t give up, there’ll always be…”

“Where is he?”

The girl’s hoarse voice interrupted him. “Where is he? Why hasn’t he come to see me?”

Druid froze, unable to continue.

“Mommy and Daddy are dead. Mommy was hacked to death by a bad guy with an axe. Daddy died in the mouth of a monster that suddenly appeared. They say it’s a disaster, that it’s because Annie isn’t a good girl, that’s why Mommy and Daddy died.”

“No, that’s not true! Annie is a good girl!”

“Then why hasn’t Andrew come?”

Druid opened his mouth, but for the first time, he deeply felt the cruelty of this game.

‘Damn it, why can’t I just use the same card as last time!’

“Is Andrew… dead too?”

Seeing him unable to answer, tears began to fall from Annie’s eyes, one by one. She stared at him silently, then suddenly clutched her head and let out a piercing scream.

The sound drew a nurse from the next room. A red-haired head nurse burst in, her sharp gaze sweeping over Druid and Black Cat. “What’s going on here?”

It looked like if they didn’t explain themselves, they might end up in jail.

Black Cat quickly jumped in. “We’re good Samaritans who were at the crash site! I even gave this girl emergency treatment back then, so we came to check on her condition.”

“That’s right,” Druid said, wiping cold sweat. “You can check the security footage. We really didn’t do anything.”

“I’ll verify that later. For now, get out!”

Black Cat and Druid were ushered out and left to linger outside the room. Through the window, they watched as doctors came and went. Before the girl’s hysterical self-harming behavior could escalate, the nurse decisively administered a sedative. Only then did she quiet down and fall into a deep sleep.

Ten minutes later, the head nurse, Mary, who had left earlier, returned. She addressed Black Cat and Druid, who were squatting by the door. “I checked with the doctor who was on the ambulance. He confirmed that someone did perform first aid on the girl at the scene.”

“Good thing the misunderstanding’s cleared up,” Black Cat said, breathing a sigh of relief before quickly adding, “Can I ask about the girl’s condition? Does she still have any family around?”

“No,” Head Nurse Mary shook her head. “According to our investigation, her only two immediate relatives died in the accident, and we haven’t been able to contact any other relatives yet. Fortunately, her physical injuries aren’t severe. Compared to that, her psychological damage is likely far worse. If it keeps deteriorating, she might need to be transferred to the psychiatric ward.”

Druid knew better than anyone what the psychiatric ward was like. “Can’t you get a psychologist to check on her?”

“The hospital’s medical resources are stretched thin right now. She’d have to wait,” Mary sighed. “Plus, her treatment fees are still unpaid, so she might not be high on the priority list.”

Mary phrased it delicately, but Druid and Black Cat understood. “We can help pay the medical bills. Can we get a specialist doctor to come in?”

“…Right now, all the licensed psychologists in the hospital have been called to the VIP wards.”

Well, damn. Even in a game, they were hitting a disgustingly realistic roadblock. Druid nearly lost it, but Black Cat stayed calm and asked, “What if we bring in an outside doctor?”

“Per hospital regulations, that’s not allowed.”

Druid couldn’t help but clench his fists.

“However,” Mary continued, “at 5:30 PM, it’s the nurses’ patrol time. Lately, though, the doctors and nurses have been so busy that they might miss a room or two.” With that, she turned and walked away.

“!” Black Cat smacked Druid’s arm. “Hurry up, it’s 4:00 now!”

“What’s the rush? I’ll call someone right now!”

Five minutes later, Matcha Green Milk showed up carrying a medical kit. “Where’s my patient… huh? Wait, isn’t that Black Cat and Druid? Big shots!”

“You’re…” Druid felt she looked familiar but couldn’t place her.

Black Cat chimed in, “She’s the one who was part of the main storyline before…”

Matcha Green Milk: “That’s right, that’s right!”

“The kidnapping specialist!”

Matcha Green Milk’s face darkened with embarrassment. “…That’s a bit unnecessary.”

To be fair, though Matcha Green Milk had been involved in main story missions, she hadn’t had much chance to shine. She’d infamously been kidnapped by NPCs—twice, no less—earning her that nickname.

With a huff, Matcha Green Milk set down her toolkit. “The me of today is not the me of the past. I’ve completely transformed and discovered my true talent.”

Black Cat: “Psychoanalysis?”

“…Really?” Druid asked skeptically.

“Just tell me if you want me to treat her or not!”

“Ahem, please, go ahead, go ahead.”

Regardless, Matcha Green Milk was the highest psychoanalysis-skilled player Black Cat could find on short notice, so they had to rely on her help.

After showering Matcha Green Milk with compliments, she finally cracked a smile. “Alright, tell me about the patient’s condition. I’ve recently learned a killer set of conversational techniques, you know. In this game, you’ve got to put on a good show to roll the dice—say the right things, and you might even get a bonus dice!”

Druid breathed a sigh of relief and quickly filled Matcha Green Milk in on the little girl’s situation.

“…I see. So, she can’t accept reality because of the consecutive blows of losing her parents,” Matcha Green Milk sighed. “Cases like this have been popping up a lot lately. I’ve run into several people like her while grinding faction dailies. It’s just a game—why does it have to be this realistic?”

“Exactly, exactly,” Black Cat chimed in.

Matcha Green Milk let out another sigh. “You two step outside. I’ll do a psychoanalysis session with her.”

The two reluctantly left. Black Cat whispered, “You’re confident, right?”

“Relax, I switched to a character card just for this. I dumped all the points into [Medicine] and [Psychoanalysis],” Matcha Green Milk said. “If you don’t trust me, why don’t you roll a specialized card as a backup?”

Thanks to the tabletop-style mechanics, a player could have up to five different character cards—one geared for combat, one for investigation, one for medicine, one for social skills. If the game didn’t limit them to logging in with just one card at a time, a single player could form a complete party on their own.

Black Cat: “Alright, you go ahead and treat her. If you fail, just let me know privately, and I’ll step in.”

With that, Black Cat and Druid stepped out of the room. Matcha Green Milk approached the bedside and pulled a comic book out of her toolkit.

“Are you Annie? Hi there~ I’m Matcha Green Milk!”

Hearing that name, Druid and Black Cat outside nearly lost it, but the little girl on the bed showed no reaction.

Matcha Green Milk sighed inwardly. Not even a name that ridiculous sparks a desire to tease her—this is a tough case.

No choice but to pull out the big guns. Matcha Green Milk opened the comic book. “Do you like drawing? I love it—I’ve even drawn a bunch of pictures myself. Want to look at them with me?”

The girl’s gaze remained vacant, her eyes not even glancing at Matcha Green Milk or the comic book.

Undeterred, Matcha Green Milk flipped through the pages, feeling it wasn’t yet the right moment to roll the dice. “The first picture is about a place in this world called Arkham City. Lots of Arkham folks lived there together happily.”

The girl’s eyes flickered slightly, showing a hint of response.

“But one day, a group of bad guys set their sights on this peaceful place. They came up with an evil plan to destroy the city. A lot of people tried hard to stop them, but unfortunately, even though they worked really, really hard, they only half-succeeded. The evil villains summoned tons of monsters that rampaged through the city, killing people left and right.”

The girl’s gaze finally landed on the comic as Matcha Green Milk turned to a specific page. The drawing wasn’t masterful, but it was vivid—terrifying, grotesque monsters stomping on stick figures, the ground splattered with red paint to represent pools of blood.

The little girl’s body began to tremble. Outside the room, Black Cat and Druid stared in shock.

Player Channel:

Black Cat: [What are you saying to a psychologically traumatized little girl?!]  

Matcha Green Milk: [Trust me, this method works every time!]

“But thankfully, the god didn’t abandon this city. At the last, most critical moment, when everyone fell into a deep sleep and entered a dream, He descended. He defeated the villains trying to destroy the city and drove all the monsters out of Arkham, saving those who remained,” Matcha Green Milk said softly. “Annie, you’re one of the chosen ones. Your mom and dad would surely want you to live on, carrying their share too.”

Annie didn’t speak. Her trembling lips managed to ask, “Why me? Why didn’t He save Mommy and Daddy?”

“Because He was still weak. Even so, the great god tried His best to save you, Annie,” Matcha Green Milk said with a faint smile. “It must be because He heard your mom and dad’s voices, telling Him to make sure their daughter lives on.”

Outside the room, Druid and Black Cat watched in stunned silence as big tears welled up in Annie’s eyes. Her frail body shook as she collapsed forward onto the bed.

Matcha Green Milk: [Now’s the moment! I’ve touched her heart! System, I’m requesting a bonus dice!]  

[System: Bonus die request approved]  

[Psychoanalysis: Critical Success]

Matcha Green Milk gasped, her hands lightning-fast as she screenshot the moment and sent it to Druid and Black Cat.

Black Cat, Druid: !?  

Matcha Green Milk: [You guys owe me a treat later, got it?!]  

Black Cat: [No problem!]

[Your words deeply shook Annie. Under the intense emotional impact, she fainted. In her dream, she saw her family’s little garden. A man and woman were there. She ran out of the house, and they embraced her.  

“I want to go with you,” Annie said.  

The man and woman smiled, patting her head. “Don’t worry, Annie. We’ll always be by your side.”]

When Matcha Green Milk received this system prompt, she felt a lump in her chest. She looked down at the little girl collapsed on the bed and noticed that, at some point, her expression had softened. Tears lingered at the corners of her eyes, but a faint smile curved her lips.

Matcha Green Milk quietly left the room and shared the prompt with Druid and Black Cat.

Druid: “…A critical success in psychoanalysis can do that?”  

Matcha Green Milk: “How should I know? It’s my first time rolling a critical success. Ugh, it’s kinda scary—what if my luck balances out with a critical failure later?”  

Black Cat: “Haha, no worries! You’ll keep getting good luck.”  

Matcha Green Milk: “Hm? How do you know?”  

Black Cat: “Look, lately players have been doing good deeds nonstop. Haven’t we been racking up digital karma?”  

Druid, Matcha Green Milk: “Damn.”  

That makes way too much sense—what kind of cyber-metaphysics is this?

After the banter, Black Cat asked, “Did you plan that whole speech beforehand?”  

“Huh? Kind of, but it’s not really my original idea,” Matcha Green Milk waved a hand. “Some players have been quietly spreading the faith, and I noticed their methods were pretty effective. So, I thought about coming up with a set of talking points too. And hey, don’t you know? Foreigners really fall for that religious angle!”  

Druid mused, “Maybe it’s the setting. Believing in religion is pretty common overseas.”  

“Are there really players out there spreading the faith?” Black Cat asked, brimming with curiosity.

“Yeah, especially near the Black Poker district—there’s a ton of them over there,” Matcha Green Milk said, stuffing her tools back into her medical kit. “I’ve still got some decency—I didn’t completely brainwash the kid. But those guys? They go full-on con artist mode, no holds barred. And as long as they tie it to that Gatekeeper, it works like a charm every time.”

“Wait, but Ranen’s a shepherd god, right? He’s not necessarily the Gatekeeper, is he?” Druid asked, puzzled.

“Yeah, well, no biggie. All the churches say that anyway,” Matcha Green Milk waved dismissively. “Nowadays, every church with a chapel in Arkham claims the Gatekeeper is their god incarnate—something about divine mercy saving the people of Arkham. It’s gotten totally wild.”

Well, damn.

Druid’s interest was piqued. He glanced back at Annie, still unconscious, and said, “Where are they? I want to check it out.”

So the group took a cab to that district. As Matcha Green Milk had described, it was clearly a poorer area, but oddly enough, a huge crowd had gathered today. Some, judging by their attire, were obviously “high-class folks” not from this neighborhood.

The crowd was listening intently to something. As Druid and Black Cat got closer, the voice grew louder.

“Why do you think those monsters showed up? It’s because God couldn’t stand humanity’s sins anymore and sent punishment down on Arkham City!”

The speaker was a man with an ordinary appearance but an inexplicable charisma. His game ID was God Among Us. Standing at the center of the crowd, arms outstretched, he delivered his speech with fiery passion.

“That’s nonsense!” someone in the crowd cried out, voice trembling. “How could God do something like that?”

“Why wouldn’t He?” God Among Us shot back. “Doesn’t the Bible say Jehovah, seeing the wickedness of man, sent a flood to wipe out all life on Earth?”

He didn’t wait for a response, pressing on:

“If you truly had no issue with this outcome, you wouldn’t be here right now. So let me ask you: Why can’t you accept the deaths of your family and friends? Why can’t you find peace in the priests’ words at church?”

“Because of guilt, regret, sorrow, despair. Because you can’t see any hope in life. Because every moment, you’re asking yourself why it had to be you who survived.”

The crowd fell into a deathly silence. God Among Us locked eyes with them, speaking slowly and deliberately: “I’ll tell you why. Because you—you all—are nothing more than pitiful lucky ones. That’s it.”

“How’s that? Did you think I’d say to you, ‘That’s because you were chosen to board the ark like Noah’? Did you think I’d spout the kind of nonsense those religious folks use to deceive people?”

Druid, Black Cat: …

Isn’t he just cursing himself in the process?

“Ask yourselves this: if you truly believed the words of the priests who absolved you, you wouldn’t be standing here right now. Why? Because your hearts are filled with confusion. If everyone in the world is sinful, then why is God so unfair, bringing disaster only to Arkham City? If God is truly omnipotent and omniscient, why can’t He precisely destroy those who are genuinely guilty? If He’s really all-powerful, why does He choose the worst possible way to correct humanity’s mistakes?”

Player Channel:

Druid: [Why does he keep dissing God?]

Matcha Green Milk: [Of course, it’s because he’s precisely targeting the right audience. Don’t be fooled by how these people seem to have randomly gathered—they’re actually either plants or players he’s recruited, specifically aiming at those who were once Christians but are now wavering in their faith.]

Black Cat: [So you’re saying…]

Matcha Green Milk: [Exactly. He’s poaching God’s followers. But don’t worry—he poaches from every religion equally. This batch just happens to be Christians. The last group was apparently Zoroastrians.]

The player on stage continued his passionate speech. Through his words and the interactions with the plants in the crowd, Black Cat and the others watched as the believers’ eyes visibly wavered. Some covered their faces, others showed expressions of anger and sorrow—clearly, the man on stage had fully stirred their emotions.

In this unique period of wavering hearts and shattered worldviews, this God Among Us was practically demonstrating the art of seizing every opportunity, slipping into vulnerabilities, and brainwashing with ease. His technique was so polished that Black Cat couldn’t help but ask, “He’s not a pyramid scheme leader in real life, is he?”

Matcha Green Milk glanced at him. “Anyway, I heard he didn’t invest any points in rhetoric or persuasion skills. He dumped everything into charisma and evasion instead.”

Druid: “…Yikes, no wonder this guy feels so contradictory. Wait, so you’re saying he’s using real-life rhetoric skills???”

God Among Us had a face that wouldn’t earn a second glance in a crowd, suggesting his appearance stat wasn’t high. But when he stood on that stage, he exuded a magnetism that made it impossible for anyone to look away, effortlessly commanding everyone’s attention.

And his rhetoric skills were remarkably refined—clearly honed from years of practice on the stage.

At this moment, seeing the timing was right, God Among Us pulled out a red-leather scripture from his coat. “I solemnly present to you all our true savior and heavenly father, the God who will save Arkham. Rejoice! The great Shepherd God has returned from death.”

With that, he opened the first page of the scripture. “It all begins with that distant legend. My Lord was born from the forest and nature, a treasure nurtured by heaven and earth. He possesses a beauty that transcends the mortal world and a heart of benevolence and kindness, treating all creatures of the forest as equal friends…”

‘AAAAAAAAAA STOP TALKING AAAAAAAAAA!’

When Ranen witnessed this scene, he wished he could descend right then and there to cover God Among Us’ mouth—or at least go temporarily deaf or amnesiac—so he wouldn’t have to endure this cringe-inducing situation any longer.

The main issue was that God Among Us’ flattery was so over-the-top, it felt like a middle schooler’s Mary Sue fanfiction. Yet this guy showed no trace of embarrassment, delivering every word with forceful conviction, exuding a peculiar charm that disregarded the comfort of both the audience and the subject of his praise.

“Holiness and nobility are virtues naturally etched into His heart, while purity and wildness are His traits as the Shepherd God…”

Ranen’s toes had already dug out a three-bedroom apartment under the throne. To prevent himself from losing control on the spot, Ranen clung to his last shred of willpower and shut down the forum livestream.

No way!

He has to figure out what was going on!

Ranen quickly contacted Carmen. Thank heavens, because Carmen had a habit of praying in the morning, noon, and evening, Ranen was able to reach him swiftly.

“Carmen, what’s the deal with the Holy Scripture?”

Carmen paused for a moment. “The Holy Scripture? I haven’t finished compiling it yet. How did you find out about it?”

Ranen explained to Carmen how the players had been using the Holy Scripture to preach outside. Carmen’s mouth fell open, and it took him a while to stammer out, “I-I’ve been busy these past few days handling new converts and working on compiling the Holy Scripture. Sometimes the believers noticed and asked about it, so I let them take a look and even asked for their opinions.”

Who could’ve known that this bunch would take the unfinished Holy Scripture and start deceiving—er, preaching—with it!

Carmen was on the verge of tears. He hadn’t expected Ranen to find out about this. Originally, he’d planned to perfectly complete the compilation of the Holy Scripture before informing Ranen qwq.

More importantly, the Holy Scripture was still a work in progress! How could they use something that hadn’t been reviewed by Ranen to preach? It was utterly absurd.

“I’m so sorry, Lord Ranen. I’ll go stop them right now.” Carmen immediately set off for that district.

Ranen breathed a sigh of relief. Good, good—Carmen is still reliable.

Over there, as soon as Carmen arrived in the neighborhood by car, he immediately headed straight to the preaching site God Among Us.  The crowd below had already changed, and Black Cat and the others were munching on sunflower seeds while watching the show. They saw Carmen storming over to God Among Us in a fury.

However, upon seeing Carmen, God Among Us remained unruffled. He even made a “wait a moment” gesture, indicating he was still busy.

Carmen suppressed his anger and whispered in his ear, “What are you doing? I lent you the Holy Scripture to get your feedback, not for you to go around spreading it everywhere!”

“What nonsense are you talking about?” To Carmen’s surprise, God Among Us didn’t panic. He even looked at Carmen with astonishment. “As believers, isn’t preaching our innate mission? And isn’t the purpose of the Holy Scripture to spread the faith?”

“That’s true, but the Holy Scripture isn’t finished yet!”

“Well, this is where you’re wrong, Mr. Carmen,” God Among Us sighed deeply. “The experience of the sages tells us that true knowledge comes from practice. Since the purpose of the Holy Scripture is to better convey our Lord’s great deeds to the believers, how can we lock ourselves away and ignore the actual needs of the faithful?”

“…?” Carmen looked at him blankly.

“Mr. Carmen, have you ever attended university?”

“No, our knowledge has been passed down through generations.”

“No wonder you don’t understand.” God Among Us sighed again. “Modern preaching keeps up with the times. It requires practical, grounded thinking tailored to real circumstances to achieve the best results. The best Holy Scripture isn’t just about conveying God’s will—it’s about constantly developing new doctrines. Only a doctrine that keeps evolving is truly correct, and only a doctrine born from practice can captivate believers. If you don’t believe me, wait down there and see my results for yourself.”

Carmen was highly skeptical but couldn’t immediately find a counterargument, so he silently took a seat below.

Then he watched, dumbfounded, as the people around him seemed truly captivated by this method, becoming obsessed and crazy for Him.

Carmen: …?

How could this be?

Could it be that he is the one who is wrong?

Carmen couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.

After finishing with the latest batch of converts, God Among Us strolled over to Carmen with confidence. “High Priest, what do you think of this?”

Carmen still felt conflicted. “But what if that Lord becomes displeased? And the wording of this Holy Scripture is just too…” Too blunt.

“How could that be? That Lord’s heart is so vast and magnanimous—how could He be angered by such a small change from us? On the contrary, if we successfully use a refined, practice-based version of the Holy Scripture to trick—er, cough, attract—more believers, our Lord will surely be pleased. Besides, the scriptures of various churches nowadays are becoming more straightforward anyway. How else can they draw in more followers? The refined edition just needs to maintain its dignity, but the preaching version can be blunt and boldly proclaim His greatness to the masses. You’ve seen the results,” God Among Us said softly. “Don’t you want to ease His burdens?”

Those words struck Carmen deeply. The man who had arrived full of righteous fury returned home questioning his entire existence.

Once their discussion was over, Black Cat could no longer suppress his curiosity and stepped forward. “Brother, did you receive a task like this or something?”

“Nope,” God Among Us replied. “I just saw you all discussing it on the forum. I’ve always been interested in preaching, so I gave it a shot… Man, this feeling of standing on a stage—it’s been a while. As expected of a game touted for its ultra-high freedom, it really fulfills every player’s desire.”

Black Cat: ?

“Pardon my curiosity, brother, but what do you do in real life?”

God Among Us gave a mysterious smile. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing illegal.”

Damn, that just makes it even more intriguing!

Black Cat wasn’t the only one thinking this. Ranen, who had been watching the livestream—especially witnessing Carmen’s back-and-forth—was utterly bewildered.

Wait a second! Someone drag this guy out of here! Where are the cyber police? Isn’t there a law against digital pyramid schemes? Just because it’s in a game doesn’t mean he should get a free pass!

Just as Ranen was about to “deliver a divine decree” to remind Carmen that he was being fooled, suddenly, his ears perked up at the sound ofa prayer.

It seems to be coming from Edmund’s side?

“My Lord, please forgive my presumptuous interruption,” Edmund said softly. “I have urgent matters to report to you.”

Urgent matters?

Ranen immediately recalled Edmund’s undercover mission, temporarily setting aside the issue with the Holy Scripture to connect with Edmund.

“What’s going on?”

“Well, actually, over here…” Edmund recounted recent events, particularly those involving the group led by Destiny is in My Hands, to Ranen.

Ranen listened quietly, his expression growing increasingly grave as Edmund spoke.

Though he knew it was inevitable that players would join the Inspection Bureau, he hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly, even with his interference…

“Have they mentioned my identity?” Ranen asked.

“Uh, no. In fact, the Inspection Bureau doesn’t seem to fully trust them,” Edmund replied, then suddenly caught the implication in Ranen’s words. “…Are you saying they might know who you are?”

“No need to panic. They only know one of my identities,” Ranen thought to himself. It seemed his earlier misdirection with Black Cat had paid off—at least the players who had joined the Inspection Bureau weren’t certain whether he was the Gatekeeper.

“In other words, they could still pose a threat to you,” Edmund’s voice suddenly dropped, turning somber.

“And to you as well,” Ranen sighed. “They know your identity and Archie’s. It was my oversight, Edmund. Your cover might already be blown. You need to leave there immediately.”

“But… if I leave, it’ll definitely draw their attention! They’ll report your identity to the Inspection Bureau, and my escape will only confirm their claims!”

“What matters most right now is your safety,” Ranen said disapprovingly. But strangely, there was no response from Edmund for a long while.

“Edmund?”

Edmund’s lowered hand slowly clenched into a fist.

He looked down at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. The reflection stared back at him, gradually splitting into a manic, neurotic grin.

“It’s fine. I’ll take care of them.”

Ranen froze. “Edmund?”

That voice was different from Edmund’s usual tone—sharper, more bizarre.

“My dear Lord, please rest assured,” the Clown said, his tongue lightly pressing against the roof of his mouth, his expression a mix of playful glee and wild abandon. “I’ll dispel the Inspection Bureau’s suspicions and then, in an utterly reasonable way, ensure they shut their mouths forever.”

“Please excuse me for stepping away for a while.”