Jiang Ran entered the password "2887".

The source of this password is the four numbers from the four stone tablets in the last S-level world! Jiang Ran hadn't been able to use these four numbers until the end of the last dungeon, so he kept them firmly in his mind!

He believed that there were no useless clues in the world of ghost stories. If there was only one number, it might just be a coincidence, but if four numbers in a row were useless, that was enough to explain the problem!

Since this was a four-digit password and no clues were found anywhere else, Jiang Ran entered the information from the last strange tale incident!

Click!

The door... opened!

As expected of an SSS-rank ghost story world, the clue to the final password was actually hidden in the previous ghost story world! If we hadn't found those four numbers in the last instance, wouldn't we have never been able to open this final door?

Jiang Ran went inside, but when the others tried to go in, they were blocked by something invisible. All they could see inside was darkness.

Sitting in front of Jiang Ran was a person dressed in a magnificent robe.

"【The Pope】? Everyone else is just possessed, you're really not even pretending anymore..."

"From the moment you entered this room, it no longer matters whether I am Ou Twelve or the [Pope]. You can just call me Ou Twelve. Since someone can be called Yan Thirteen, why can't I be Ou Twelve?"

Can I take this as a joke?

A sentence suddenly popped into Jiang Ran's mind—

Is it all over?

He knew this was a question meant for the 12th important character in the story, but he didn't expect it to be given to him directly in this way.

Is it all over?

Yes, it's all over.

"When you step out of this room, you will become the first human to clear the SSS-level Ghost Story Master. You will be the undisputed number one in the world. With your current hand, all the ghost story worlds to come will be as easy as drinking water for you. You can sit on the throne of number one in the world until you retire, making the Dragon Kingdom the number one country in the world. No, you will directly unify the world! And you will become the most successful person on Earth! Your story will be sung for thousands of years!"

"This is a standard story ending: the protagonist, after overcoming all difficulties, finally achieves victory, gains the highest status, unlimited wealth, and the respect of everyone."

The Pope smiled and said, "Are you satisfied with this ending?"

"It's a perfect ending. I don't think I have anything to complain about. That would make me seem ungrateful." Jiang Ran moved a stool from the side of the room and sat down in front of the Pope. "But the premise is that I can really stay peacefully until retirement, and that nothing unusual happens on Blue Star during that time, such as suddenly turning into a bizarre paradise."

"In a land where fate is controlled by other beings, I can't sleep peacefully at all."

"So it's not over yet! [Pope], the SSS-level ghost story world can't possibly be that simple. I'm actually very curious, what will I face after I finish this Liar's Game?"

"You'll face things you might not want to face." The Pope closed his eyes and continued, "Once you embark on this path, there's no turning back. Jiang Ran, you either become a god or die on the path to godhood."

"As per our past agreement, you have come before me, and I should tell you the way to become a god. It's not exactly simple, but it's not exactly difficult either."

"First, you must awaken your true [Miracle]! This is the step, and actually the most crucial one. Other fallen gods only possess one level of [Miracle], while you possess two levels, because you inherited the most core authority of that being!"

"Only by awakening this authority will you be qualified to collect divinity. Of course, if you are completely killed by other fallen gods in the process, the corresponding authority will fall into their hands! So you are just the original owner of the key. Whether you can use this key to open the door depends entirely on yourself."

"Second, collect the divinity of other fallen gods. This does not necessarily mean you have to kill them. You can take only the divinity and leave the corresponding authority with them. This way, they will not lose the [miracle] until the moment you truly become a god, at which point you will take back these authority."

“Miracle and divinity are the same thing in one sense, but not in another.”

"The divinity of the substitute gods comes from other gods, not from the one who was disintegrated, so it is of no use to you, because you cannot take away their divinity, which already has a master."

"Third, a necessary initiation ceremony must be performed. The ceremony must be carried out completely without any mistakes. Each ceremony requires a long time to prepare and complete. Although there is no punishment for failure, it is very difficult to do it again."

"I don't know what your corresponding ritual for becoming a god is. You should know for yourself after you awaken the true [miracle]."

"Then go, Jiang Ran. I hope the next time I hear news of you, it won't be that you've already died."

Jiang Ran stood up and took one last look at the Pope.

"Thanks."

"Oh, you're welcome."

"Jiang Ran, have you figured out what the problem is?"

After Jiang Ran left the room, a flood of questions came at her, and she could only helplessly signal everyone to be quiet.

"I've figured it out, the people inside were lying!"

"Are you sure?"

"It's confirmed!"

"Great! Doesn't that mean we can clear this SSS-rank ghost story world?"

"However, this world seems to only have S-rank or SS-rank strength, completely lacking the oppressive feeling of an SSS-rank world I imagined..."

"But this is a good thing!"

"The truth is, it's because our lineup is too strong! If you replaced them with other people, how would they deal with those [near-gods]?"

The group discussed amongst themselves, their joy and excitement undisguised. Jiang Ran let out a long breath, straightened his clothes, and walked at the front of the group.

"Notify the Demon Apostles to immediately begin the Demon Lord's resurrection ritual."

It was already close to evening, and as the saying goes, dusk and resurrection go better together.

Has the SSS-level ghost story world really come to an end?

No, perhaps this is just the beginning.

Bathed in red and yellow light, Bates threw the newspaper into the trash can and disappeared at the end of the street.