[Dungeon in Progress]

Initially, players were only mildly curious about Druid’s situation. But when they discovered that a limited-time reenactment dungeon called [Miskatonic University Doomsday] had opened in the divine kingdom, they went wild with excitement. Beyond the nostalgic pull of the Miskatonic University map for tabletop RPG fans, the novelty of a limited-time reenactment dungeon alone was enough to electrify the player base.

Players poured into Arkham Hospital in droves. Chris, who had only wanted to slack off and take it easy, slipped away from the two players’ sight with an excuse, intending to return to his post. But then he saw a massive crowd lined up in front of the device, waiting to enter the realm.

Chris nearly blacked out.

He had thought only a couple of people would sneak in to cause trouble for the Inspection Bureau. What is going on? Has the entire cult shown up?

Without hesitation, he grabbed a nearby player disguised as a doctor rushing over. “Quick, knock me out—right now.”

Player A, disguised as a doctor: ?

Player B quickly caught on, raising his right hand in a chopping motion and striking Chris hard on the back of his neck. Chris collapsed to the ground, closing his eyes.

“Well, damn,” Player B said slowly. “Is this the ultimate art of slacking off at work?”

“Who cares? Let’s hurry and get in!” Player A said excitedly. “I can’t wait to see Miskatonic!”

Miskatonic?

Chris, lying on the ground pretending to be unconscious, twitched his ears.

Players lined up to enter the realm. Meanwhile, Druid and his group, who had already entered the dungeon, were looking at the system prompt that popped up.

[Attention all players: The limited-time reenactment dungeon will disappear after a set period and will not affect the real world. It comes with special rules. Please complete the corresponding tasks while adhering to the system rules.]

[Miskatonic Doomsday Rules:  

1. This tabletop RPG dungeon uses fixed character cards. Upon accepting the mission, your character card will automatically be replaced.  

2. Players must act according to the designated character card’s limitations. Do not reveal information beyond the era or the character card’s knowledge. All actions must be reasonable, avoiding out-of-character (OOC) behavior or meta-gaming ^[1]“OOC” refers to “out-of-character” behavior, where a player acts in a way that doesn’t align with their character’s personality or knowledge. “Meta-gaming” or … Continue reading.

3. If an NPC detects meta-gaming or OOC behavior, the dungeon will automatically fail, and participants will switch to spectator mode.  

4. The dungeon limits entry to 200 players. If a participating player exits participation mode, new players may enter.  

5. Inventory is locked. No items, except knowledge, can be taken out of the dungeon.  

6. No resurrection is possible in the dungeon. Cherish your character card.]

[Enter? Yes/No]

Was there even a question? Of course, it was “Yes”!

Druid and Black Cat clicked confirm without hesitation. In the next moment, their clothes suddenly changed, and they were now wearing familiar red vests.

Black Cat tugged at the hem. “Isn’t this the volunteer outfit from before?”

At this moment, a crisp sound of breaking glass rang out, and the previously black-and-white scene shifted to full color.

A red-haired boy with freckles approached them. “Hey, are you the volunteers here to help set up and clean the campus today?”

Volunteers?

Druid’s mind sparked with confusion, but Black Cat quickly reacted, responding calmly, “Yes, we’re the volunteers.”

Volunteering was the profession assigned to their preset character cards. It seemed that in this special dungeon, everyone’s character cards were fixed, including their stats, meaning players were essentially ordinary people in this dungeon.

“Is that so? Thanks for your hard work, especially on Christmas.”

The red-haired boy approaching the two players had a face that could barely be called delicate. His small face was adorned with cute freckles, and his brown eyes sparkled with a vibrant energy, like the morning sun when he smiled.

For some reason, Black Cat felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity, though he was certain he’d never seen this face in the game before.

“No big deal, just serving the people,” Druid said with a chuckle. “I’m Druan, and this is Josie. May I have your name…?”

“Oh, I haven’t introduced myself,” the red-haired boy said, a slight smile on his lips. “I’m Ian Balfour. Remember that name.”

Ian…

Not Ranen. For some reason, Black Cat felt a twinge of disappointment. He had assumed Ranen would be in this dungeon.

Caught up in this fleeting emotion, both Black Cat and Druid nearly missed the red-haired boy’s deliberate emphasis on his name. Ian glanced around. “The others haven’t arrived yet?”

“Uh, they should be here soon.”

A few minutes later, over a dozen players appeared out of thin air at Miskatonic University’s entrance, immediately shouting in excitement. Druid and Black Cat hurriedly moved to quiet them.

“Shh, shh! This dungeon doesn’t allow OOC behavior! Calm down!”

“Yeah, be careful, or you’ll get kicked out.”

The newly arrived players quickly settled down. Black Cat and Druid instinctively glanced at Ian, noting that his expression hadn’t changed. They wondered if the way players entered the game appeared reasonable to NPCs.

Soon, more and more players gathered at the entrance. Ian took a look and decided the group was large enough. “Alright, we’ve got enough people. Let’s head in. I’ll show you where to set up decorations and clean.”

Nearby player chat channel:

Dog Only Works: [I just got here. What’s the deal? Didn’t they say we’re raiding a dungeon?]

Seeking Even Numbers: [Didn’t you read the system prompt? This is a special dungeon. We’ll probably have to follow the preset character cards for now.]

Black Cat: [Let’s confirm—my character card says I’m a volunteer, with very average stats, basically an ordinary person. Yours are the same, right?]

Dog Only Works: [+1]

Druid: [+1]

Black Cat: [Okay, looks like everyone’s roles and stats are similar this time. A tabletop RPG dungeon with this many people is rare. If it’s not AI-managed, I doubt they could keep track of us all. Everyone, try to stay in character. Tabletop dungeons are different from regular MMOs…]

Before Black Cat could finish, a player in the group suddenly let out a loud “Awoo!” and ran to intercept a passing student, excitedly pointing at the pendant on their chest. “Is that the Elder Sign ^[2]The Elder Sign is a significant symbol in the Cthulhu Mythos, a body of work by H.P. Lovecraft and other authors. It serves primarily as a form of protection or warding against the malevolent … Continue reading?! Holy crap, it’s my first time seeing an artifact in-game! Please, let me try it out!”

Miskatonic student: “? How do you know about this?”

“I…” The player froze, and his entire body suddenly turned gray before being ejected from the dungeon.

At the same time, a slot opened in the dungeon’s player count, immediately filled by a new player.

The remaining players watched as the NPC’s face flashed with confusion, then went blank, and finally returned to calm, continuing on their way as if nothing had happened.

Black Cat: […Well, now someone’s tested the consequences of meta-gaming for us.]

[LOL, is it finally starting to feel like a real tabletop RPG?]

[This is more like it! Before, the game players were way too reckless. Sure, everyone can play how they want, but it didn’t have that cautious, immersive vibe I get from tabletop RPGs. Now it’s finally hitting the mark.]

[This limited-time reenactment dungeon is probably part of the official 2.0 beta test, right? If this game wants to balance the freedom of an MMO with the rigor of a tabletop RPG, things felt a bit overcrowded before. Overly free-spirited players can ruin the experience for tabletop fans. With dungeons like this, tabletop players will probably stick around.]

[Are you all thinking about game mechanics? Am I the only one obsessed with the Miskatonic campus scenery?! Waaah, it’s so beautiful and eerie. I want in! Let me in!]

[Someone die quick so I can join! I’ll be a good student, I swear! I’d love to study here.]

Black Cat: [Everyone, be careful. This dungeon’s mechanics are like a tabletop RPG. Try not to meta-game, or the system will kick you out, and it’ll be hard to get back in.]

A-Long: [Got it.]

Seeking Even Numbers: [Wait, didn’t that red-haired NPC see that scene earlier? Is that okay?]

Black Cat glanced at Ian, who was walking ahead, but Ian’s expression remained unchanged from start to finish. Feeling a spark of curiosity, Black Cat approached him again to ask. Ian calmly replied, “Hm? Did something happen just now? Sorry, I was zoned out and didn’t notice.”

Just zoned out, huh. Black Cat accepted the answer without thinking too much of it.

What he didn’t see was the complex expression on the translucent Albert’s face as he spoke to Ranen. “How did you do it?”

That’s right—the red-haired boy was Ranen.

Ranen: “Nothing special. I wanted to do it, and it worked.”

Albert: ?

This time, Ranen wasn’t lying. He had tried using the mist to pull people in, and somehow it succeeded. The reason he could now participate in Albert’s dream outside of the “nodes” was because of the red-haired boy’s existence.

The red-haired boy’s original name was Ian Balfour, a name no one remembered anymore except Ranen—not even Albert, the master of this dream. Due to the price Ian paid, his body, soul, name, and past had been entirely replaced by Ranen, a process even Ranen couldn’t reverse.

In other words, Albert’s memory now contained a “nonexistent person.” Ranen had exploited this loophole, taking on the appearance of the red-haired boy to successfully enter a time period he shouldn’t have been able to interact with.

Once he’d found the first loophole, the second and third became much easier. Using the red-haired boy’s connections, Ranen, with the approval of a mentor, contacted Arkham City’s volunteers. In reality, those volunteers had gone home for Christmas, and their places were taken by the players entering the dungeon.

Since this was a special space formed by memories and dreams, anything or anyone that didn’t align with Albert’s memories would be rejected, leading to the “no meta-gaming” rule. This applied to Ranen as well—while using the red-haired boy’s form, he couldn’t access any of his abilities.

“What’s the point of all this?” Albert’s voice grew cold. “No matter what you do, you can’t stop the fact that Miskatonic was destroyed.”

“Then how about a bet?” Ranen said in a voice too low for the players to hear. “If you lose, you’ll have to cooperate with me and leave this place.”

Albert replied calmly, “I won’t lose.”

The reality was already set in stone. Albert couldn’t understand the point of Ranen’s wager. Even if they managed to stop Soren from opening the gate, the reality couldn’t be changed, could it? Even if Ranen was an evil god, could he possibly reverse time?

“Then I’ll take that as a yes,” Ranen said, turning to face the players and pointing to a flat map of Miskatonic University. “Let me give you a quick rundown. Your tasks are simple: just clean up various areas of Miskatonic and place decorations in spots like the library or the greenbelt near the lecture halls.”

“Oh, and one more thing—if you see any suspicious items, like discarded potion bottles or papers that look like magical arrays, make sure to collect and destroy them. If you’re unsure whether something should be destroyed, you can come ask me here. Any questions?”

The players didn’t have any specific questions—or rather, any questions they had couldn’t be discussed in front of an NPC. So, they quickly dispersed to their tasks.

Ranen stood at the signpost, a spot that gave him a clear view of the campus entrance and the branching paths. The adult version of Albert floated beside him. “I don’t know how you pulled this off, but in your current state, you can’t warn them about the Outsider without being rejected by the dream. So what’s the point of bringing them here?”

Albert didn’t know how Ranen had managed it, but since this place was his memory and his trial, he could somewhat sense the state of Ranen and the players. The “no meta-gaming” rule applied to Ranen as well.

In other words, all the intelligence Ranen had gathered was “sealed” here. The red-haired boy wasn’t supposed to know these things, nor could he directly inform Miskatonic’s professors or call the police, as he had no evidence, and no one would believe him.

The same applied to the players. Moreover, their current character cards weren’t powerful. Even with their numbers, Albert didn’t think they could win.

“Don’t underestimate them,” Ranen said, his gaze sweeping over the players before settling on Black Cat. “Have you forgotten who saved Arkham before?”

Albert opened his mouth but found himself unable to argue. For now, he could only observe the players’ actions.

And Black Cat didn’t disappoint Ranen’s expectations. While most players were still confused about the dungeon, Black Cat stepped up once again.

Player Forum

Post: Live Updates on the Miskatonic Doomsday Dungeon

Ever since Black Cat and Druid posted on the forum calling for players, a flood of discussion threads erupted. Players who couldn’t yet enter the dungeon strongly demanded a live tabletop RPG session. While Druid and others grumbled that watching the livestream should suffice, they decided to cater to the “cloud players’” feelings (and maybe show off a bit). As a result, they began documenting their dungeon walkthrough process on the forum for discussion.

The thread wasn’t just updated by Black Cat—other players who had entered the dungeon were also constantly sharing information, like uploading photos of Miskatonic University, which everyone was eager to see.

Seeking Even Numbers: [So what exactly are we supposed to do in this dungeon? We’re not actually just volunteering, right?]

Black Cat: [Everyone, don’t panic. Think back to the main storyline. The Miskatonic storyline has already appeared before.]

Druid: [You mean back at the hospital?]

Black Cat: [Exactly. Remember the information we got from the hospital? Miskatonic had already vanished from everyone’s memories in Arkham, meaning the Outsider successfully opened a gate at Miskatonic once before. If I’m not mistaken, Ranen descended into reality through that “gate.”]

Black Cat: [The system prompt says this dungeon is a special “limited-time reenactment.” “Reenactment” implies this event already happened in reality, but for some unknown reason, it’s being replayed now.]

A-Long: [I know this one—they painstakingly created the Miskatonic University map just to show off (dog head emoji)]

Matcha Green Milk: [I think it’s probably related to Ranen. Didn’t Ogre say earlier that Ranen needed us?]

Black Cat: [Yeah, we don’t know Ranen’s exact goal yet. For now, our mission is to prevent Miskatonic’s fated destruction, and it’s a time-limited task. The problem is, the dungeon doesn’t specify the time limit, so we might need to figure out that key piece of information ourselves.]

Black Cat: [Based on the experience from the last major storyline, we can first summarize the necessary conditions for Soren to open the gate:

1. A massive amount of energy.  

2. An array to connect to the Dream Rift.  

3. Soren himself.  

4. The existence of something like coordinates.]

Black Cat: [The first one’s obvious—a huge amount of energy to sustain opening the gate to the Dream World. You all probably know where this energy comes from.]

No player could forget. They had spent so long volunteering in Arkham City, making them more aware than anyone of the city’s scars.

Even a brief invasion by anomalies had caused hundreds or thousands of casualties, leaving countless families displaced.

While some players had goofed off during the post-disaster reconstruction, those with enough empathy were genuinely moved by the experience.

Black Cat: [The second is the array to connect to the Dream Rift. Last time, we got tripped up by this one. Who could’ve guessed the boss was so sneaky, hiding the array in the sewers? orz]

Baba: [Hmph, that’s just because we didn’t have enough people last time. This time, with 200 players searching a campus, we’ll flip the whole place upside down if we have to!]

Matcha Green Milk: [The key to that massive energy—it’s probably another array, right? Like the one we saw in Archie’s apartment.]

Black Cat: [Yup, exactly. During the last major storyline, some players took photos of the ritual engraved in the sewers. I’ll pull it up for you guys to see.

Image.jpg.]

The array in the photo looked, at first glance, like two circles nested together. Their patterns interlocked, forming eerie symbols that were strangely harmonious.

Black Cat: [I’m not an expert in occultism, but for now, let’s call this combined array the “Dream Entry Ritual.” This is probably the key to opening the “gate” before.]

Black Cat: [Lastly, the third and fourth points. Based on the previous main storyline, Soren is obviously the final big boss, no question there. And the reason Soren was so fixated on Ranen before is likely because Ranen was an extremely important coordinate. We’ve already deduced this.]

Black Cat: [But here’s the problem. Soren is one thing, but what about the coordinates for the fourth one? Based on the current timeline, Ranen shouldn’t exist yet, right?]

A-Long: [!]

Matcha Green Milk: [?! Right! So what are they using as the coordinate?]

Ye Ye: [Just brute-force it?]

Black Cat: [I don’t think the Outsider’s boss has that kind of personality. Though we haven’t interacted with him much, in the previous main storyline, he clearly had a deep obsession with the world beyond the gate. Do you think he’d act so recklessly?]

Druid: [I agree with Black Cat’s reasoning.]

Shushu Hao: [So, the challenges we need to tackle are threefold: one, destroy the Dream Entry Ritual to prevent the energy from being generated; two, locate Soren; and three, identify the coordinate the Outsider is using. Oh, and also figure out the time and place of their ritual. That’s a lot of work.]

Strongest Man: [No worries! If even one of these three steps fails, the Outsider’s plan falls apart. We’ve already stopped them once, so the advantage is ours!]

Black Cat: [=_=]

Black Cat: [I hate to remind everyone, but strictly speaking, we failed last time, didn’t we?]

Druid: [Yeah, Ranen was the one who saved the day.]

Ye Ye: […]

Baba: […]

Matcha Green Milk: [Wait, isn’t Ranen our faction leader? If he wins, don’t we win too? (shifty eyes)]

Black Cat: [Hahaha, fair point. But for me, this is absolutely a revenge battle!]

Druid: [Ooooh! We’re gonna win! This time, we’ll protect Miskatonic for sure!]

Ranen, watching the forum posts continuously being bumped up, couldn’t help but smile.

Black cat, certified evil god tool, worked like a charm.

Stop Being Clueless: [Waaah, I’m so jealous! I want to join the game too! I want to go to Miskatonic!]

Can’t Draw It: [Damn it, the more I see, the more I’m itching to play. This trash dev team—can’t they make a proper game? Why not open more slots?!]

African Great Chief: [Can’t get in, can’t get in! QwQ While you’re progressing the story, don’t forget to take a good look around Miskatonic for us!]

Ye Ye: [Don’t worry, even if you can’t play directly, you can join our livestream to experience Miskatonic virtually! (winking)]

After a quick task assignment, the players scattered instantly, some shoveling snow, others exploring, and a few sightseeing in the dungeon.

In no time, the once-quiet campus was bustling with figures in red vests. The vibrant red clashed with Miskatonic’s overall eerie atmosphere, drawing curious glances from the students and professors still on campus. Some passing students even stopped in their tracks.

Then they were accosted by the socially fearless players.

“Hey, what classes do you guys usually take?”

“Do you have field trips? Do you go to lots of places to investigate?”

A socially anxious Miskatonic student, surrounded by players, looked like they were about to faint and hurriedly pushed through the crowd to escape.

“Don’t run! We’re just super curious about Miskatonic!”

“Yeah, yeah, we’ve always wanted to attend Miskatonic but never got the chance.”

The players sighed with regret.

“Are you here as volunteers?” a student asked from a distance.

Ye Ye replied, “Yup! Don’t we look the part?”

The Miskatonic student looked at them, hesitant to speak.

Just look at these people.

Some were subtly scanning their surroundings while relentlessly rummaging through every nook and cranny of Miskatonic where something could be hidden.

Others wandered the campus in circles, letting out goofy giggles.

Some stared at every passing student or professor with the sharp gaze of a husky, muttering under their breath.

And others pestered every passerby, trying to convince them to award them a degree certificate.

What kind of people were these!? Volunteers shouldn’t be recruited from mental institutions—that’s illegal!

Even the self-proclaimed eccentric Miskatonic students couldn’t handle it. Jimmy, a student around the same age as the red-haired boy, leaned in and whispered, “Where did you find these people?”

Ranen couldn’t help but give a tired yet helpless smile. “The union.”

“No way. Recruiting from a sanatorium is illegal.”

“I said it’s the union. Just accept it.”

Jimmy made an exaggerated grimace. “Fine, but is this really okay? They seem super suspicious.”

“It’s fine. They won’t do anything to harm Miskatonic. On the contrary, they’ll protect it.”

Jimmy blinked. “Protect Miskatonic? Why?”

“Look, the number of students and faculty at Miskatonic is way down right now, right? It feels like this is Miskatonic’s weakest period. If someone wanted to do something to Miskatonic, now would be the perfect time.”

“Haha, dude, you’re hilarious,” Jimmy said, bursting into laughter. “First off, we’re just a university—nothing worth invading. Second, the defenses here are no joke. The entire campus is covered by Professor Nicholas’s spells. How could anyone invade?”

Professor Nicholas had briefly appeared in Albert’s memories. He was Miskatonic’s most skilled spellcaster—a professor, part-time wizard, and part-time mystic. He’d set up numerous protective rituals and spells for Miskatonic, like alarms that would trigger if someone with malicious intent entered, as well as defenses specifically targeting anomalies and familiars.

As for defenses against ordinary people, there weren’t any. If you couldn’t even handle a petty thief, you might as well drop out of Miskatonic.

Beyond that, Miskatonic also had that dog. From an occult perspective, the university’s defenses were truly an impenetrable fortress.

But… what if the enemy came from within?

“Your words seem contradictory,” Ranen said softly. “If there’s nothing worth invading here, why are the defenses so strong?”

Jimmy froze for a few seconds, then muttered under his breath, “You’ve got a point, but who would be so low as to invade on Christmas, of all days?”

“Who knows? I’m just guessing.”

Ranen’s gaze shifted slightly, landing on the younger Albert near the entrance, his expression grim.

Having followed the younger Albert like a lingering spirit for so long, Ranen was well aware of his plans and intentions. Albert had accepted a mission from the Outsider’s boss, Soren, to disrupt Miskatonic’s defensive spells from the inside and lead a few Outsider members to set up the Dream Entry Ritual on campus—two arrays involving sacrifice and dream access.

The younger Albert’s original plan was to pretend to carry out Soren’s orders while secretly notifying the Inspection Bureau members nearby to follow him and destroy the Dream Entry Ritual arrays one by one. During this, he would try to extract Soren’s location from the Outsider members and team up with the Inspection Bureau to catch him in a trap.

Now, the players had directly disrupted the first step of Albert’s plan: sneaking the Outsider members into Miskatonic. With Christmas approaching, the campus was nearly deserted, and the cold weather kept most people in their dorms or labs, lowering the security presence significantly.

But now, thanks to Ranen’s involvement, players were scattered across every corner of Miskatonic. Their bizarre behavior had also drawn the attention of many students and faculty, making it nearly impossible for the younger Albert to bring people in, let alone set up the arrays.

And what they planned to do next was likely…

“No choice. We’ll have to knock out a few and wear their vests to blend in,” Albert whispered to the others. “They’re just temporary volunteers. A few unfamiliar faces won’t raise suspicion.”

The Outsider members nodded, and the younger Albert immediately took action, targeting a few unlucky players near less populated areas. Since the players were using preset character cards with stats comparable to ordinary humans, they were no match for Albert, who had entered the supernatural realm. He knocked them out cleanly and efficiently.

Unbeknownst to him, in the split second before the player was knocked out, he quickly posted several messages on the forum:

Strongest Man: [Brothers, help! I got knocked out—probably someone after my body!]

A-Long: [? What’s going on?]

Black Cat: [It’s probably the enemy making a move. Stay alert, but don’t tip them off!]

Shushu Hao: [I got knocked out too. One of the NPCs is someone we’ve seen before—it’s Albert! Or rather, a younger version of him.]

Seeking Even Numbers: [Younger version? What’s that about? Isn’t Albert one of the good guys? (stunned)]

Matcha Green Milk: [Yes, he’s a good guy, but based on the previous main storyline, he was also a double agent.]

Matcha Green Milk: [I wonder when he started working both sides. Could it be during this time?]

Black Cat: [Very likely. Hold on…]

Black Cat fell into deep thought.

A hypothesis flashed through his mind.

At the same time, a system prompt sounded in his head:

[Intuition: Success]

Black Cat: [I think we’ve misunderstood something. We assumed the Inspection Bureau was here to investigate Ranen, but what if they’re actually after Albert?]

Ye Ye: [?]

Baba: [?]

Druid: [How do you know?]

Black Cat: [Damn, I don’t know either, but I passed an Intuition check. Screenshot.jpg]

Shushu Hao: [? Intuition can be used like that?]

Druid: [Generally, yeah, it can. But doesn’t this count as meta-gaming?]

Black Cat: [I don’t think so. Information about Albert could’ve been shared by Matcha Green Milk and A-Long. We already knew Albert was a double agent for the Outsider and the Inspection Bureau, and that he was Ranen’s “senior,” meaning he studied at Miskatonic. It all adds up.]

Black Cat: [As for why I think the Inspection Bureau is here for Albert… after the main storyline ended, Albert disappeared. I was already suspicious back then that he might be in hiding.]

Black Cat: [Think about it. Even the dumbest person, after being repeatedly deceived, should realize they’ve been betrayed, right? Plus, Albert went missing after the “gate-closing” incident. I have reason to suspect Ranen hid him.]

Black Cat: [If we go darker, maybe the Inspection Bureau is here to silence him, or Albert has something they need. Since Ranen hid Albert, maybe Ranen needs that something too.]

Druid: [Hiss—if that’s true, the Secret Church and the Inspection Bureau aren’t just clashing openly but also fighting behind the scenes?]

Black Cat: [It’s just a guess, but if it’s true, this dungeon might hold the answers to their conflict.]

After some thought, Black Cat sent one final message: [But for now, our top priority is clearing this dungeon. If we fail, we’ll never find out the truth, whatever it is.]

Black Cat: [For now, we should treat Albert as an enemy. Don’t tip them off—let’s see what they’re doing.]

Druid: [Got it!]

Albert and his group were completely unaware of the players’ communications. They dragged the unconscious players to a secluded corner of the campus, stripped off their clothes, and handed them to the Outsider members to wear.

“Hurry, change into these and blend in.”

The group quickly changed, donning the red vests. At first glance, the Outsider members blended seamlessly with the players.

But in reality, every player was secretly keeping an eye on them.

There was no helping it—the lack of IDs above their heads was too obvious.

Albert, highly sensitive to people’s gazes, noticed the players’ unusual attention. Frowning, he approached the Outsider members and whispered, “Something’s off. We need to leave.”

“Leave? To where?” the short-haired man glared at him. “We’re so close to achieving our goal. We can’t afford any mistakes now.”

“Exactly,” a woman with messy hair said in a low voice. “We’re almost there. We absolutely can’t back down now… or are you going to be a coward? I knew a kid like you couldn’t be trusted!”

The last member, a hulking fat man, threatened Albert menacingly. “If you dare bail on us now, you’re dead!”

The younger Albert pursed his lips, unable to convince them. With no other choice, he continued to bear the pressure and followed the group to set up the ritual.

But a nagging sense of unease lingered in his heart, as if something had veered off its predetermined course. The blond youth lowered his hand, slipped it into his pocket, and sent a text update about the situation to the Inspection Bureau members. Then, he began observing the players’ movements while looking for opportunities to direct the Outsider members in placing the ritual arrays.

However, after they finished setting up the first array and left, A-Long quietly approached it. After a moment’s thought, he splashed red paint over it.

A system prompt popped up:

[Ritual Destruction Progress: 5%]

[Dungeon Fate Alteration Progress: 2%]

A-Long’s eyes lit up, and he quickly uploaded the prompt to the forum.

The players, who had initially planned to knock out the enemies and interrogate them, immediately changed their strategy.

Thus, a bizarre scene unfolded on Miskatonic’s campus.

A few people in red vests scribbled and drew in hidden corners, covering their work with snow or other materials. Five minutes later, another group of red vests swept away the snow and destroyed the ritual arrays.

Miskatonic students passing by: ?

What is this? Performance art?