[The Miskatonic University dungeon is open! Rush in, brothers!]

The time in the memory reached December 25th.

Ranen looked at the red circle the younger Albert had drawn on the calendar and said quietly, “This date—it’s the day Miskatonic University falls?”

“Correct,” Albert said, his expression tinged with a trace of daze. He gazed at the snow falling outside and murmured, “Today is Christmas, so some students and professors have already left campus. In other words, today is the day Miskatonic’s defenses are at their weakest.”

“It’s about to begin—the Day of Destruction.”

Ranen glanced at Albert, whose face was numb, and thought to himself, This must be the root of Albert’s trauma.

It was likely the source of his self-destructive tendencies.

With Ranen’s experience as a psychotherapist, if there was ever a chance to change things, there was no better moment than this.

But right now, he had no way to interfere with Albert’s memories. Only at specific nodes could intruders like himself and the anomalies appear, which was likely part of the trial’s mechanics.

But fundamentally, what was the trial of this level? How could it be overcome? Without knowing this, there was no way to bring Albert back.

Ranen looked at Albert, and suddenly, a spark of inspiration flashed in his mind.

Albert… there was a high chance he knew the exact nature of this trial. After all, he had been here for so long. It was only because of his self-destructive desires that he hadn’t attempted to pass it.

If Ranen directly said he wanted to take Albert out, Albert would likely refuse to reveal the trial’s details.

With this in mind, Ranen suddenly chuckled lightly. “If I’m not mistaken, what happens on this day is that you’ll lead the Outsider’s members onto campus, personally setting up the arrays that will destroy Miskatonic. At the same time, you’ll hand over all the intelligence you’ve gathered to the Inspection Bureau, hoping they can turn the situation around.”

“Of course, in the end, you were betrayed,” Ranen said softly. “They didn’t save Miskatonic. So, in your heart, you see yourself as an accomplice to its destruction.”

Albert lifted his eyelids, his expression one of apathy, as if he no longer cared and was letting Ranen say whatever he wanted. “Since you already know, why bother staying?”

“There’s still one piece of information I’m curious about,” Ranen said. “I haven’t figured out the mechanics here. Why don’t the anomalies just rush in and tear apart the ‘you’ in the memories to take your body? Why can they only invade at these specific nodes? Could it be your subconscious resisting? I’ve heard that human survival instinct is stronger than any other desire. Even if someone says they want to die, their body can’t resist the instinct to survive.”

Yes, Ranen was deliberately provoking him.

A cold smirk curled at the corner of Albert’s lips. “Say whatever you want.”

Seeing that Albert wasn’t taking the bait, Ranen switched tactics. “Fine, then I’ll do whatever I want. Right now, I’m curious to see how this plays out.”

“…The reason this trial takes place within memories is simply due to the nature of the trial itself. The trial is both simple and difficult. It’s simple in that you only need to find your true self or your original goal to pass,” Albert said, relenting and spoiling the details since Ranen refused to leave.

Ranen had a sudden realization. “And the difficulty lies in surviving the onslaught of anomalies?”

Albert nodded, looking down at the younger Albert. “If it weren’t for the artifact I was wearing, I shouldn’t have had consciousness or origin abilities. For the ‘me’ from my childhood, those anomalies would have been deadly.”

In other words, in a normal trial, the dream’s host wouldn’t be aware, like Albert was, that this was a trial. These nodes were likely key moments that shaped or altered a person’s life. At the brink of death, the things a person recalls—those they truly regret or feel unwilling to let go of—reveal their true self.

That was the trial of the third level of the Dream Rift: to experience or awaken one’s true self through near-death moments. Of course, if one failed, something else would take their place in reality.

Albert, however, was an exception among exceptions. He likely knew what his “true self” was but refused to acknowledge it, preferring to die instead. Thus, he hadn’t passed this level. Since the anomalies were targeting an artifact instead of him, the trial wasn’t technically failed, and it had dragged on like this.

Ranen now understood, but this realization brought an even bigger problem: how do you heal someone who is already resolved to die?

Ranen gave Albert a deep, meaningful look. Noticing his gaze, Albert’s expression tightened. “Since you’ve gotten the information you wanted, can you leave now? There’s nothing left here for you, is there?”

“No,” Ranen said cryptically.

“There’s still one thing I want most, and I haven’t gotten it yet.”

Albert froze, his expression turning cold. “I will never become your follower.”

Ranen: ? That wasn’t what he meant at all.

But clearly, from Albert’s expression, it was obvious he didn’t believe an evil god would save someone out of kindness, nor did he think he had any value worth saving. The only worth he could imagine in himself lay in the intelligence hidden within his memories and, perhaps, his soul.

Ranen could see Albert’s disbelief. Honestly, he hadn’t initially had a compelling reason to save Albert.

Yes, initially.

He liked Albert as an NPC? Because he was Archie’s friend? Because he was a rare, righteous investigator? These could all be reasons, but for an “evil god,” they seemed to fall short.

But the moment he saw the figure in Albert’s memory, the final piece of the puzzle fell into place.

The younger Albert walked out of the laboratory with a heavy expression, brushing past a red-haired, freckled boy in the narrow corridor. Their shoulders collided, but Albert, who was usually polite, didn’t utter a single word of apology and left without looking back.

The red-haired boy rubbed his shoulder, muttering something under his breath.

“What are you looking at?”

Albert found it odd that Ranen’s gaze lingered on this red-haired boy.

Is there something noteworthy about this person?

Albert also looked at the red-haired, freckled boy but realized he had no recollection of his name. He was probably just some random student at Miskatonic.

Ranen’s lips curled into a faint smile. “Albert, you said before that fate cannot be changed.”

“Of course.”

“Then let’s give it a try.” Ranen gave Albert a deep look before turning and walking toward the red-haired, freckled boy.

Yes, in this world, no one remembers you now.

A person whose name has been erased.

But Ranen remembered. In the memories, Ranen recalled the red-haired boy praying to him.

His wish was for all the students and faculty of Miskatonic to be saved.

Albert was one of those students, and that was reason enough for Ranen to act.

“What are you planning to do?” The blond man behind him frowned. “No matter what you try, it’s too late. There’s only one node left—the moment Soren succeeds in opening the gate and Miskatonic falls. Fate is already set in stone. No matter what you do now, you can’t interfere with the surroundings.”

Indeed, both Ranen and Albert were currently in a state where they couldn’t interact with their environment. They were mere passersby or spectators, unable to participate in this dream.

But Ranen thought to himself, he had appeared here in the first place because the mist—or perhaps the dream itself—had responded to him.

If that was the case, why not try to pull someone else in?

“Fate is set?” Ranen turned back to look at Albert, smiling faintly. “Well, it just so happens that my authority is to overturn fate.”

He closed his eyes, recalling the fleeting sensation he’d felt when he first entered Albert’s dream.

A vast mist surged from Ranen’s body, enveloping his entire figure, but it wasn’t enough—far from it.

A door.

Ranen suddenly thought, if he could open a door, like he had before, between his divine king and Albert’s Dream Rift, that would be enough.

Ranen couldn’t see it, but in his own Dream Rift, the platforms of the first and second levels began to tremble as if struck by an earthquake. The surrounding mist churned violently, then slowly contracted, forming a staircase leading to the third level’s platform. But the staircase was incredibly fragile, as if forcibly pieced together. It appeared for only a moment before crumbling into ashes.

The door had opened.

—-

In reality,

Job and his team successfully entered the nighttime hospital, cautiously observing their surroundings.

Visually, from the moment they stepped inside, the sky changed, shifting from day to night. The area was filled with eerie plants and an unshakable mist.

“Is this the realm?” It was the first time Job and his team had entered a place like this.

“It feels pretty creepy,” Edie said, pulling out his phone only to find it had no signal.

“The magnetic field fluctuations in realms are bizarre. Electronic devices don’t work here, so don’t waste your time,” Eugene told Edie, while remaining vigilant of their surroundings. “This place… feels off.”

No need for further warning—Dana, Eunice, and the others immediately shifted into combat mode. At this moment, multiple footsteps echoed from the surrounding mist. Under the team’s wary gazes, a red-haired head nurse emerged from the mist. Her ashen skin was cold and eerie, and her lips curled into a stiff smile.

“You… are intruders?”

“Attack!”

Eugene issued the order without hesitation. Edie instinctively pulled the trigger, and the red-haired head nurse let out a manic laugh. At the same time, the mist behind her parted, revealing countless pairs of blood-red eyes.

Over a dozen C-level and D-level anomalies were staring at them.

Job and his team froze. Eunice said stiffly, “Captain, do we still fight?”

“…Run!” Job said decisively, not waiting for Eugene’s command.

Not long after they fled the area, two sneaky heads poked out from the slightly flickering door.

“Whoa,” Druid said, taking a step forward. “It’s been a while—Nighttime Hospital dungeon!”

“This must be Ranen’s divine kingdom now!” Black Cat said, equally excited. “Quick, let’s find Ranen!”

[Yes! Hurry and find my wife, waaaah!]

[Wife, I’m coming!]

[Wait for me, five minutes, I’m rushing over ASAP!]

Druid and Black Cat had only taken a few steps when a piercing alarm blared throughout the hospital. They froze, exchanging a glance.

“That’s probably the Inspection Bureau team that came in earlier.”

“No good. We don’t know what’s going on with Ranen—we need to move faster!”

Familiar with the layout, Druid and Black Cat headed straight for the hospital’s central courtyard. Strangely, along the way, they encountered doctors and nurses, but these terrifying entities from the previous dungeon ignored them, heading in a different direction instead.

Druid boldly grabbed one of the creatures—a Frankenstein-like monster they’d encountered before!

“What are you all heading to do?”

“Don’t tug at me! There are intruders!” The Frankenstein monster swatted away Druid’s hand and rushed toward the direction of the alarm without looking back.

The livestream chat buzzed with amazement.

[Didn’t these NPCs used to be monsters? They’ve switched sides already?]

[Pretty normal. That’s just my wife’s charm.]

[It’s because Ranen’s the one calling the shots in this hospital now, right?]

[Black cat, Druid, aren’t you going to check it out?]

[Check out what? The priority right now is finding Ranen and confirming his situation. This is Ranen’s turf—if he wakes up, none of this will be an issue.]

“Exactly, I think so too,” Black Cat said, catching a glimpse of the chat and agreeing as he pulled Druid toward the courtyard.

Racing through the plant-covered winding paths, Black Cat and Druid successfully reached the courtyard—the very center of the hospital. But to their surprise, it was completely empty.

“Ranen should’ve been on that throne,” Druid said gravely, staring at the vacant seat. “It looks like something really did happen to him. Otherwise, there’s no way he wouldn’t show up by now.”

“So what do we do?” Black Cat, anxious, was about to turn back and confront the Inspection Bureau team when he suddenly pointed at a corner and shouted.

Druid jumped, startled. “What? What’s that?”

“Damn, I got startled too,” Black Cat said, patting his chest before looking closely. “It’s Ogre.”

Ogre emerged from the corner of the courtyard, nodding at them. “Hello.”

“Hello.” “Hello.” Black Cat and Druid responded instinctively.

“…Wait, this isn’t the time for that,” Black Cat said, shaking his head and urgently addressing Ogre. “It’s bad—the Inspection Bureau somehow tracked this place down, and a team’s already inside.”

“I know,” Ogre replied, his expression as calm as ever. Something about his composed demeanor gradually soothed the anxious Druid and Black Cat. “I’ll stop them.”

“Great, we’ll help too!” Druid said excitedly.

Ogre was about to nod but suddenly turned his head, looking at the empty throne in the courtyard.

Where there had been nothing before, a thick mist began to surge.

“No, you don’t need to go,” Ogre said, looking down at the two players. “He’s calling you.”

“He?” Black Cat and Druid froze simultaneously.

“Yes,” Ogre said, the corners of his mouth curving slightly. “Go to Him. Go to His side.”

Black Cat and Druid immediately understood what he meant. They exchanged a glance, hardly believing it, before Black Cat took the lead, stepping forward without hesitation.

As he approached the mist, he was instantly sucked in by the mist.

When he opened his eyes, Black Cat stared at the scene before him and the system prompt that popped up, his mouth silently dropping open.

[You have entered the large-scale special dungeon — Miskatonic University Doomsday (Re-enactment)]

[Once the cradle of investigators, Miskatonic University was destroyed by an evil conspiracy. Can you change this fated destiny?]

[Recommended Level: 20 – ???]

[Recommended Party Size: 200 players]

When Druid appeared beside Black Cat, the two exchanged a glance and, with perfect sync, opened the forum.

Time to call for reinforcements!

—-

Player Forum

Post: The Miskatonic Dungeon is Open! Rush in, Brothers!

OP ^[1] original poster : [Image.jpg]

1st Commenter: [??? What’s going on? What did you say is open? (in disbelief)]

2nd Commenter: [Holy crap, Miskatonic University? Is it that one? My spiritual alma mater?]

3rd Commenter: [Wasn’t Miskatonic supposed to have been sunk into the Dream World? What’s the situation? Where are you guys?]

Druid: [It’s a long story. We saw the Inspection Bureau team enter the hospital and followed them. We originally planned to notify Ranen in the divine kingdom, but we couldn’t find him. Then Ogre suddenly said Ranen needed us, so we entered the mist, and ended up here!]

4th Commenter: [Everyone, look at the system prompt’s “Re-enactment” and “Miskatonic Doomsday.” I think this is a special dungeon, like a reenactment of something that’s already happened.]

5th Commenter: [But it’s still Miskatonic! So we can actually experience Miskatonic firsthand?! OMG, I’m coming in!]

6th Commenter: [Recommended for 200 players? Let’s swarm it!]

7th Commenter: [Wait for me, take me with you!]

8th Commenter: [No wonder Ranen disappeared—he was off doing something huge! (stunned)]

9th Commenter: [AHHHH, let me go to Miskatonic! I want to go, I want to go! QwQ]

10th Commenter: [Another large-scale dungeon! (ecstatic) I knew the Secret Church was the epicenter of events. The dungeon’s starting point is literally inside the divine kingdom. Let’s see which poor soul can’t get in this time. (dog emoji)]

11th Commenter: [LOL, no need to call anyone out like that.]

12th Commenter: [No more talk—I’m going to save my alma mater and overturn that damned fate!]