Ye Yuzhi sat at the edge of the bed, staring at the leather bag in his hands, suddenly losing all desire to open it.
Right now, he didn’t want to know who he was supposed to be. He didn’t want to face whatever identity had been assigned to him in this bizarre place. All he wanted was to grab whatever money he could find and run, get out of this town as fast as possible.
Nothing good would happen here. He could feel it in his bones.
Still, whether he looked now or later, it made no difference. A blade to the neck hurts just as much no matter when it comes. Resigned, he sighed softly, loosened the drawstring and poured everything from the bag onto the bed.
The contents were surprisingly simple. A small leather pouch, barely the size of his palm, which seemed to contain a stack of papers wrapped tightly together. Two fifty-unit bills that didn’t look like any currency he recognized. And one small pistol with a box of thirty bullets.
Ye Yuzhi picked up the bills first, studying them under the dim light. They didn’t look like any notes he had seen in his memory of England or at least, the “England” he remembered. But truthfully, he wasn’t even sure what time period he was in now. For all he knew, this could be the past, the future or some parallel world pretending to be Europe.
His fingers brushed against the cold metal of the gun. The faint smell of gunpowder and rust clung stubbornly to the surface, as if the weapon had been used recently. It was heavy in his hand, real, not a toy, not a replica. The seams were smooth and well-oiled, clearly maintained and ready to fire at any time.
Ye Yuzhi let out a strained laugh. A real gun. Something he could never have touched in the real world. He wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or horrified.
Setting the weapon aside, he finally reached for the small leather pouch. It wasn’t sealed, just folded neatly. Inside was a stack of cards, perfectly arranged, like records or identity documents.
He tipped the stack into his hand. The first card bore his name.
Sean Ye (Ye Yuzhi).
He drew in a long breath and continued reading down the page.
Gender: Male. Age: Twenty-four. Occupation: Fanatic Follower.
Ye Yuzhi almost choked on his own breath. His hand flew up to pinch himself, hard, on the arm. Pain bloomed under his fingers but he didn’t wake up.
Skipping past a mess of strange numerical stats, he flipped to the following cards. As expected, one of them contained what looked like a “character background.”
Sean Ye, a local of Grelo Town.
Sickly since childhood, with a mother equally frail and a father too poor to provide for either of them. One night, the father left home and never returned.
Unable to survive alone, his mother sold him to the Anthony Hospital for a small sum of relief money. Even so, she soon died of illness. But Anthony Hospital was not what she believed it to be. They had not bought the boy to cure his disease.
He escaped one night, weak, half-conscious and terrified and clung to the back of a coal train that carried him to another city. But the memories of the hospital never left him. He was haunted by recurring nightmares of what he had seen there.
Living alone in the city, he once came across an ancient book. Within it, he sensed the presence of something vast and magnificent, a “Great Being.” He became convinced that this presence was the key to ending his nightmares. His devotion deepened, growing feverish and all-consuming, until worship through dreams was no longer enough.
He wanted to see It.
He needed to see It.
For that wish, he would give anything, everything.
But what could a frail human like him possibly offer that could catch the attention of such a divine existence?
And so he was left to suffer, his mind and soul eaten away by faith itself.
Until one day, a letter arrived.
An invitation.
And in that moment, he understood that perhaps his very existence had been leading him here all along.
Ye Yuzhi read the whole thing in one go, his brain blanking out completely. Two words flashed in his mind, Help me.
This character card was too real.
He might never have played a tabletop campaign before but his roommate Ke Hu talked about them all the time. Ye Yuzhi at least knew the basics, players who played investigators were supposed to stop the summoning of evil gods, not be the ones doing it!
And judging by the ending of that background story, his character seemed like the exact kind of lunatic who starts the summoning ritual.
His main objective couldn’t seriously be “Summon the Evil God,” right? It couldn’t be, could it?
Ye Yuzhi felt like he had already died once.
Apparently, the universe wasn’t finished mocking him, because the very next card confirmed his suspicion. In bold letters, the heading read:
Introductory Mission, Summon the Evil God.
Ye Yuzhi stared blankly at the page. A long, weary sigh escaped him.
Of course.
Expressionless, he flipped to the final card, which was different from the rest. It wasn’t glossy like the others but rather a folded sheet of paper faintly scented with rich wine.
He paused for a second, then unfolded it. A single glance told him what it was. The invitation mentioned in the backstory.
Skipping over the polite preamble, his eyes landed on the last line.
December 25th, 6:00 p.m.
The grand banquet will be held at Anthony Manor.
A single lucky guest will have any wish granted.
That matched perfectly with the earlier narration he had heard.
Anthony Manor, the same one famous for its fine wine. And maybe, somehow, related to the Anthony Hospital in his character’s past.
Frowning, Ye Yuzhi refolded the invitation and looked back toward the bed, intending to reread his stat cards. But the moment his gaze dropped, he froze.
The cards lying across his knees were fading, their color draining until they vanished entirely into thin air.
Ye Yuzhi blinked.
You’ve got to be kidding me. Those things could only be read once?
No one answered. The room was silent except for the faint creak of old wood. Ye Yuzhi stood there, awkward and uneasy, clutching the invitation in his hand.
After a moment, he exhaled softly, straightened up and changed clothes. He holstered the pistol and tucked it neatly beneath his coat, making sure it couldn’t be seen. The money and the invitation went into his inner pocket and the empty pouch was slung over his shoulder.
He opened the door.
The corridor outside was long and narrow, lined with old lamps and faded wallpaper. It didn’t look like anyone’s home, more like an inn. Lively chatter and laughter drifted up faintly from downstairs, confirming his guess.
Social anxiety instantly prickled in his chest but he swallowed hard and forced himself down the stairs.
Fortunately, the ground floor was noisy enough that no one paid him any attention. It was some kind of tavern, crowded and warm. Perfect.
He crossed the hall quickly, slipping out the front door. As he passed the counter, his eyes caught sight of the calendar on the wall.
December 22nd.
His expression didn’t change but his pace quickened.
Run.
Run now.
There were only three days left.
The moment he stepped out into the cold air, Ye Yuzhi started looking for a place to buy a map. Once he had one, he traced a path straight toward the train station.
Whatever “Sean Ye” was supposed to do here had nothing to do with him. He just needed to get to the ending, any ending, even the bad ones, then maybe he could wake up.
He had never played one of these campaigns before but even hearing about them had made him uncomfortable. First, because they required constant social interaction with strangers. Second, because everything about this place screamed wrong.
He had been reading the CoC rulebook before bed and then suddenly, he was here.
Dragged into some twisted game.
A game where he could die.
Ke Hu had mentioned before that in these Cthulhu-style campaigns, players “losing their characters” wasn’t uncommon. If your luck was bad, your character could go insane or die horribly.
Ye Yuzhi had no idea how real this world was. He didn’t know whether he could go back. And if he died here, what if the real him died too?
He couldn’t risk it. He didn’t want to die.
So yes, maybe it was cowardly but he was going to run.
He made it all the way to the train station and went straight to the ticket window.
When the clerk told him there were no departures today, Ye Yuzhi’s voice almost cracked.
“No trains today?” He struggled to keep his composure, his usual cold tone faltering. “Then tomorrow? Or the day after? Even the morning of the twenty-fifth would be fine.”
The woman behind the counter smiled kindly, shaking her head. “There’s a snowstorm coming tonight. The railway will be closed for several days.”
“When will it reopen?” he asked quickly.
“That’s hard to say.” Her gaze drifted over his red-tinted face, curious and slightly dazed. “If you’re not in a hurry, you might as well stay in Grelo for a few days. The Anthony Manor is holding a grand banquet soon.”
“I…” Ye Yuzhi swallowed the words that’s exactly what I’m running from before they could escape. He managed a weak nod instead, muttered something incoherent and turned to leave.
Just then, passengers from the last train began streaming out of the platform. Ye Yuzhi stepped aside, only to meet the gaze of a girl among them.
She froze for a moment, her eyes lighting up with unmistakable admiration. Quickly, she tugged the sleeve of her companion, whispering for them to look his way.
Used to that kind of reaction, Ye Yuzhi immediately averted his gaze toward the stairs and turned to go.
He had barely taken a few steps when he heard footsteps following him. The sound made every muscle in his body tense like a startled cat.
Not now. Please, not now.
Whatever they were going to say, he’d just refuse.
“Excuse me, sir!”
The girl’s voice was bright and crisp, cutting through the noise.
Ye Yuzhi took a few more hurried steps before reluctantly stopping. He turned back, mentally preparing a polite sorry, I’m not interested.
But the moment their eyes met, a familiar sound echoed in his ears, the rolling of dice.
[Du Yun attempts to Charm you: 99/70 , Critical Failure.]
✦ ✧ ✦
Nycreth
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
A coffee offering has been placed before the translator altar. ✧
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Guerrero’s Lair (1)Chapter 2 · Guerrero’s Lair (2)Chapter 3 · Guerrero’s Lair (3)Chapter 4 · Guerrero’s Lair (4)Chapter 5 · Guerrero’s Lair (5)Chapter 6 · Guerrero’s Lair (6)Chapter 7 · Guerrero’s Lair (7)Chapter 8 · Guerrero’s Lair (8)Chapter 9 · Guerrero’s Lair (9)Chapter 10 · Guerrero’s Lair (10)Chapter 11 · Guerrero’s Lair (11)Chapter 12 · Guerrero’s Lair (12)Chapter 13 · Guerrero’s Lair (13)Chapter 14 · Guerrero’s Lair (14)Chapter 15 · Guerrero’s Lair (15)Chapter 16 · Guerrero’s Lair (16)Chapter 17 · Guerrero’s Lair (17)Chapter 18 · Guerrero’s Lair (18)Chapter 19 · Guerrero’s Lair (19)Chapter 20 · Guerrero’s Lair (20)Chapter 21 · Guerrero’s Lair (21)Chapter 22 · Guerrero’s Lair (22)Chapter 23 · Interlude (1)Chapter 24 · The interlude (2)Chapter 25 · The interlude (3)Chapter 26 Part 1 · Calling in the Wind (1)Chapter 26 Part 2 · Calling in the Wind (1)Chapter 27 · Calling in the Wind (2)Chapter 28 · Calling in the Wind (3)Chapter 29 · Calling in the Wind (4)Chapter 30 · Calling in the Wind (5)Chapter 31 · Calling in the Wind (6)Chapter 32 · Calling in the Wind (7)Chapter 33 · Calling in the Wind (8)Chapter 34 · Calling in the Wind (9)Chapter 35 · Calling in the Wind (10)Chapter 36 · Interlude (4)Chapter 37 · Interlude (5)Chapter 38 · Interlude (6)Chapter 39 · Interlude (7)Chapter 40 · Interlude (8)Chapter 41 · Interlude (9)Chapter 42 · Welcome to Doville (1)Chapter 43 · Welcome to Doville (2)Chapter 44 · Welcome to Doville (3)Chapter 45 · Welcome to Doville (4)Chapter 46 · Welcome to Doville (5)Chapter 47 · Welcome to Doville (6)Chapter 48 · Welcome to Doville (7)Chapter 49 · Welcome to Doville (8)Chapter 50 · Welcome to Doville (9)Chapter 51 · Welcome to Doville (10)Chapter 52 · Welcome to Doville (11)Chapter 53 · Welcome to Doville (12)Chapter 54 · Interlude (10)Chapter 55 · Interlude (11)Chapter 56 · Interlude (12)Chapter 57 · Interlude (13)Chapter 58 · Interlude (14)Chapter 59 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (1)Chapter 60 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (2)Chapter 61 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (3)Chapter 62 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (4)Chapter 63 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (5)Chapter 64 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (6)Chapter 65 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (7)Chapter 66 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (8)Chapter 67 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (9)Chapter 68 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (10)Chapter 69 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (11)Chapter 70 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (12)Chapter 71 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (13)Chapter 72 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (14)Chapter 73 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (15)Chapter 74 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (16)Chapter 75 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (17)Chapter 76 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (18)Chapter 77 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (19)Chapter 78 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (20)Chapter 79 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (21)Chapter 80 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (22)Chapter 81 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (23)Chapter 82 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (24)Chapter 83 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (25)Chapter 84 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (26)Chapter 85 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (27)Chapter 86 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (28)Chapter 87 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (29)Chapter 88 · Tunnel in the Dark Night (30)Chapter 89 · Interlude (15)Chapter 90 · Interlude (16)Chapter 91 · Interlude (17)Chapter 92 · The Promise of Hamelin (1)Chapter 93 · The Promise of Hamelin (2)Chapter 94 · The Promise of Hamelin (3)Chapter 95 · The Promise of Hamelin (4)Chapter 96 · The Promise of Hamelin (5)Chapter 97 · The Promise of Hamelin (6)Chapter 98 · The Promise of Hamelin (7)Chapter 99 · The Promise of Hamelin (8)Chapter 100 · The Promise of Hamelin (9)Chapter 101 · The Promise of Hamelin (10)Chapter 102 · The Promise of Hamelin (11)Chapter 103 · The Promise of Hamelin (12)Chapter 104 · The Promise of Hamelin (13)Chapter 105 · The Promise of Hamelin (14)Chapter 106 · The Promise of Hamelin (15)Chapter 107 · The Promise of Hamelin (16)Chapter 109 · The Promise of Hamelin (18)Chapter 110 · The Promise of Hamelin (19)