Rotten Report of a Rancid Ramen

Rotten Report of a Rancid Ramen is one of many playable mysteries that must be solved in order to bring the player closer to defeating the Old God of their playthrough of *World of Horror*.

## Introduction

*"Out of thin air a brand new ramen restaurant opens in town. It's adored by everyone! Once people take a bite they can't stop. Day and night the queues stretch out the door. The shambling customers stuff themselves dish after dish, while the blind owner sits silently behind the counter, grinning and polishing his gleaming knives. You are determined to discover what makes this ramen so enticing. What is its true power? Dog meat?.. Human meat?.. Flesh of the gods themselves?...*"

## Side Quest: Dumpster Dive

Discard two item cards to complete this quest.

*"You sneak into the alley at the dead of night. Gagging, you look inside the restaurant waste. It's a vile pulp, a few chunks of meat look like promising samples, though."*

Completion of this side quest will give you Smelly Meat, as well as 15 EXP from the Thorough Investigation Reward at the end of the mystery. Also, completion of this side quest is necessary in order to achieve Ending A.

## Progression

* *"Watching the local news, you spot a familiar street. It's a feature about the newest ramen shop. The food critic has a manic look as he describes the ramen. His description makes your stomach churn."* (Investigate APARTMENTS)
* *"You can see the restaurant through the staircase's window. You watch the door for hours but never see any of the cooks enter nor leave."* (Investigate APARTMENTS)
* *"The only true way to investigate is to get into the restaurant yourself."* (Investigate APARTMENTS)
* *"It seems that you were not the only one wanting to try for yourself... You stand in line for hours. Your questions fall on deaf ears and you're shunned."* (Investigate DOWNTOWN)
* *"The smell around the restaurant is overpowering. Grease, rot and... is that blood you can smell?"* (Investigate DOWNTOWN)
* *"It's finally your turn to order! "One ramen please." The owner's grin widens."* (Investigate DOWNTOWN)
* *"The red bowl is pushed in your face. It's so crowded that you're forced to sit on the floor."* (Investigate DOWNTOWN)
* *"With a slick hand you fill a vial with the soup and walk out, without tasting the weird dish."* (Investigate Target Location: Lab, triggers Lab Results event)

### Lab Results

*"With the pulling of some delicate strings you get the ramen into a lab. While handing over the gathered material you hesitate. What should you send to the laboratory?"*

Available options:

* Just the Vial of Ramen Soup (Triggers Lab Results (Partial) event)
* Vial + Meat (Triggers Lab Results (Full) event, only available if you have Smelly Meat in your inventory, not stored)

#### Lab Results (Partial)

*"A mere day later, your friend rings your door. Her face is pale and in a shaky hand, she holds an analysis sheet. You usher her in and bolt the door. You feel ill looking at the charts. While they couldn't identify some of the particles, they did discover highly addictive drug in the broth. The ramen restaurant must be closed immediately!"*

You have no choice but to continue, triggering Ending B.

#### Lab Results (Full)

*"You look at the charts and cannot believe your eyes. While the standard test didn't detect anything weird, adding drops of human blood revealed something horrible. Whatever this thing is made of, it's alive - beating a soft pulse against the glass. Your friend leaves you with the papers, muttering an excuse and preparing to flee town on the next train."*

You have no choice but to continue, triggering Ending A.

## Endings

There are two available endings to Rotten Report of a Rancid Ramen.

### Ending A: Lab Results (Full)

*"Prepared for a fight you march down to the restaurant. However you find no eldritch horror to duel. Instead you're shocked to find nothing but a gap in the street. You ignore the distraught customers, still lining up where they remember the entrance... Investigating the grounds you see something glisten where the kitchen used to be[.] Cautiously you look at the chunk of meat, and then jump back with a yell. As it flexes, it opens a weary eye, grins and wanders off on stubby black claws. You walk home shaken, in your head you hear the weird ramen breathing in its bowl. You only stop to throw up on the street."*

To achieve this ending, you must complete the side quest, then choose to send both the vial and the meat to the lab. Keep in mind that Smelly Meat must be in your inventory (not in your storage); otherwise, the option to send both the vial and the meat will be blacked out.

### Ending B: Lab Results (Partial)

*"A week later police and an official stand where the ramen restaurant used to be. Nothing remains but a gap in the street and aimless confused customers. You'd like to believe that was the end of it, but snippets in newspapers from other cities unsettle you. Brief articles, about an exciting new ramen restaurant opening and its mysterious owner, keep showing up. You can no longer eat noodles without feeling ill."*

To achieve this ending, you must choose to send only the broth to the lab.