Why is my journey to the world of anime a strange tale of rules?

This player team consists of about ten people, with Xiong Mi being one of the first members recruited when the team was established. To date, she has completed 13 missions, including 4 Twilight-level, 6 Dark Night-level, and 3 Red Moon-level missions. She possesses an A-level Twilight-level blessing, an S-level Dark Night-level blessing, and a B-level Red Moon-level blessing. She also has two different Dark Night-level blessings and has fused the Red Moon-level artifact [Bronze Eye] into her flesh and blood. In addition, she possesses more than 20 other artifacts.

Oh, those 20-plus obsession items are all gone now. She's been stuck in [Wisteria Middle School] for over three months. Apart from the bronze eye that fused with her, all the obsession items have returned to their original copies. It's like going back to square one, almost reduced to a blank state.

But at least, I'm still alive.

Moreover, he was saved by a young man who claimed to be a "Twilight-level player" and seemed suspiciously off.

"So, you and a group of ordinary people were caught up in the [Campus Ghost Stories] instance, and it was in the high-risk area of ​​Fujika Middle School, where the core obsession object has yet to be found? Under these circumstances, you actually managed to steal the Alice obsession object from the [Teaching Building] and successfully suppress it? You're really not a Red Moon level player?!"

After roughly understanding what Gao Hai had done, Xiong Mi's eyes widened, her face displaying an expression that seemed to say, "Are you kidding me?"

"It was just good luck. In fact, I was already close to my limit, so I tried to rescue you and see if you could help me."

Having no idea how to explain his cheat code, Gao Hai could only laugh it off.

"...Alright, although I don't know the specifics, you certainly don't seem to have the physical strength that a Red Moon-level player should have...Tsk, Fujika Middle School, I really didn't want to come to a place like this. Anyway, let's avoid that Alice for now, my current state isn't suitable for facing her."

During their brief exchange, Xiong Mi could tell that Gao Hai was hiding something. She guessed that he was probably reluctant to reveal his obsession and blessing. This kind of thinking is quite normal among players, after all, it's a trump card for survival, and if a player with ill intentions finds out, it could easily cause problems.

That's understandable, since she's been through the same thing. Players always need to be wary of other players during the Twilight and Night difficulty stages, making genuine cooperation difficult. While these stages are challenging, they're not usually too hopeless, thus creating opportunities for players to fight each other.

However, once players enter the Red Moon level dungeon, this kind of backstabbing between players will decrease rapidly, and even if it does occur, it will usually only happen in some extreme situations.

The reason is simple, and Gao Hai himself has already experienced it firsthand: the Red Moon level dungeon is too difficult, so difficult that it is despair-inducing. It is so difficult that lone wolf players who fight alone have virtually no chance of survival. It is so difficult that everyone must do their best to stick together and survive, and everyone must exert all their strength to have any chance of surviving.

Therefore, Xiong Mi could understand Gao Hai's reservations, and considering that he had saved her life, she would do her best to help him. Although... is it really possible to enter the [Alice's Room], which no player has found yet, and successfully bring out two dolls? Is this kid playing some kind of "pretending to be weak" game? But the aura he exudes, the physical strength he displays when moving, certainly doesn't qualify him as a Red Moon level player; at most, he's at the excellent level of a Dark Night level player, right?

"Can you sense Alice's location?"

While Xiong Mi still had some doubts, Gao Hai gestured for the girls to follow him and asked them a question.

"This is my blessing, a blessing from a [nameless person]. One of the functions of this blessing is to help me counter a strange entity that is closest to me and has already located me. So now I know that an [Alice] has entered the teaching building, and it's already on the 6th floor. We must hurry. These people... let's give up. If we take them with us, none of us will escape."

Xiong Mi didn't hide her abilities. As she spoke, she glanced at Jianzi and the others. Upon discovering that they were all ordinary people, she immediately showed a disappointed expression and bluntly advised Gao Hai to give up on them.

Judging from her expression, although she did not look down on these ordinary people as a player, she had no intention of protecting them in such a high-risk place as the Red Moon-level dungeon. She even had the idea of ​​using them as bait, but she didn't mention it because they had been following Gao Hai.

"It's alright, I'm quite confident when it comes to escaping. Besides, I'm keeping an eye on the entrance to the teaching building; so far, only [Alice] should have entered."

Then Gao Hai used the blood key to open a door on the first floor of the teaching building.

"A Dark Night-level spatial teleportation artifact? That's an extremely rare item, priceless and unavailable."

Xiong Mi was surprised to see Gao Hai's methods, while Gao Hai had already gestured for the others on the other side to quickly enter the room.

Seeing Gao Hai's attitude towards the girls, and especially his obvious attention to Jianzi, Xiong Mi pondered for a moment before following Gao Hai inside to the first floor. After Gao Hai closed the door, she spoke again:

"Having this thing can temporarily distract us from that thing, but it can only buy us some time."

"Here's what we'll do: open a door leading to the third floor of the swimming pool and let those students in. Feeding them to this hellish place will only make things more difficult for us. Let them live a little longer, it's all just a matter of fate anyway."

"Alice only targets people she's interested in. I'll buy you some time, which will also give me a chance to demonstrate my abilities and make it easier for us to cooperate. But honestly, little brother, you should be more careful about getting involved in these kinds of things in the future. We're barely able to protect ourselves in this place, and you might not even get their gratitude for saving these people. You should know when to mind your own business."

Judging from her earnest tone, this woman named Xiong Mi seems to see herself as a leader or something similar.

Gao Hai was somewhat amused and exasperated. He didn't actually want to manage those girls. The main reason he went to such lengths was to put his mind at ease when he saw Zi, and to prevent those idiots from dying one by one and turning into some kind of ghost to increase the difficulty of his journey.

Although he was somewhat misunderstood, he didn't explain. Instead, he nodded slightly and waited until Xiong Mi confirmed that Alice had gone to the second floor before opening the door to the fifth floor. Then, as Xiong Mi instructed, he opened a door leading to the swimming pool and ushered the students inside.

It's fortunate that the [Academy Building] is now under lockdown; otherwise, who knows what might have happened if Gao Hai had tried to do this during his first or second playthrough. After all, according to the rules, you [cannot leave] the Academy Building. Gao Hai merely crashed through the wall and was attacked mid-air. If he had actually moved on the spot, all the strange entities in the Academy Building might have unleashed their power.

After this transfer, Takami left only Yotsuya Miko behind, while Kumami remained in the corridor, facing Alice alone as she approached.

While Gao Hai was moving students around the classroom, he vaguely heard Alice's laughter and her saying things like, "Miss Xiong Mi, aren't we friends? Why are you making that face?" Just like when this thing came to him in the previous two playthroughs, she seemed to have a very innocent attitude.

But then, Xiong Mi's bronze eyeball flashed with a faint light, and Alice's figure in the corridor was frozen in place, unable to move.

There was no more laughter, no more movement, just a blank stare, like a video that had been paused.

With a blank expression, Xiong Mi reached out and wiped the blood seeping from the bronze eyes' sockets, breathed a slight sigh of relief, and then turned to look at Gao Hai inside the room through the window.

"I'm not in good shape right now. I can only hold her still for about 3 minutes. You... never mind, let's just get going."

Xiong Mi was somewhat puzzled by Gao Hai's decision to leave Yotsuya Miko alone, but she didn't ask any questions. Instead, she gestured for Gao Hai to leave as soon as possible.

When the door opened again, Gao Hai and the others arrived at the second-floor corridor.

"Can your obsession directly freeze Alice's movements?"

Gao Hai glanced at Xiong Mi's fake eye and asked.

The scene where Alice was effortlessly frozen in place was still quite shocking for Gao Hai, who had been tormented by this thing for quite some time.

Compared to the high school girls who were practically useless except for Miko, this player named Kumami immediately demonstrated the power to fight against Alice, which was a huge surprise to Takahashi.

"The ability to pause strange actions, stop the spread of strange forces, and see through illusions is mainly in these areas. Under normal circumstances, it can actually pause for 10 minutes, but that [Alice], since you have come into contact with it, you should know that this thing is very strange, obviously different from normal strangeness. Therefore, my obsession object is not very effective against it, and can only stop it for 3 minutes at most."

Xiong Mi shook her head as she spoke, looking at the dark and dilapidated corridor in front of her, feeling a sense of melancholy.

This feeling is truly indescribable.

In his memory, just ten minutes ago he was with his team, cooperating with other players. Five Red Moon level player teams, a total of 27 people, were working together to conquer [Campus Ghost Stories], and then he and one of his teammates were attacked by [Alice].

According to the timeline given by this kid, she has been trapped inside that doll for several months now, and her teammates have no idea what's going on.

It's not particularly strange that Xiong Mi would have this feeling; it's related to another blessing she possesses.

This blessing comes from a twisted instance, the core obsession of which is a schizophrenic and deranged person.

After cracking and destroying that instance, Xiong Mi received a very special blessing: she could store her memories and personality at any time. When she fell into extreme situations such as mental derangement or personality collapse, this blessing would activate automatically, and it would only activate when she entered a relatively safe state, copying her memories and personality at that time, so that she would return to a mentally sound and healthy state.

It was thanks to the power of this blessing that Xiong Mi was able to quickly recover after being released by Gao Hai. However, as a price, she could barely remember what happened after she was captured by Alice. Of course, there was nothing wrong with not remembering such things; she had no interest in reliving the torment she had endured.

"Although only one Alice has come looking for us right now, the three Alices from the dormitory will definitely come soon. We can't stay here any longer. Let's go to Nightfall Mountain Middle School. Since you said that two core artifacts have been taken from there and the entire school is almost completely sealed off, perhaps we can find a relatively safe place there and hold out for ten days or so until the dungeon opens."

Although she didn't know why Gao Hai didn't go directly to the first floor, Xiong Mi still seriously advised Gao Hai on his next move.

To be honest, the current situation is still giving Xiong Mi a headache.

Being pulled into a dungeon outside of its opening hours and surviving for more than ten days under such circumstances seemed impossible to her.

But Gao Hai was her savior, and she had to repay him somehow, so she could only do her best to find a way to increase her chances of survival.

Unfortunately, all he has left is the Bronze Eye, his only remaining possession. However, with the A-rank Twilight Blessing and the S-rank Dark Night Blessing, his physical abilities are basically sufficient to handle various problems in unconventional situations. Although the Crimson Moon Blessing is only B-rank, the self-healing and mental self-repair it provides are better than nothing and should still be of some use.

High ratings in Twilight and Night dungeons both grant physical enhancements, allowing players to become a new kind of human, completely superior to ordinary humans.

The Red Moon-level dungeon buff grants players a unique ability to absorb energy from their surroundings, reducing or eliminating food intake, allowing for rapid healing from injuries, and swift recovery from mental pollution. Xiong Mi's Red Moon-level buff is only the lowest level, B, and doesn't stop him from consuming food and water, but he can still survive for over ten days without food or water. His resistance to mental pollution is also unmatched by ordinary people.

Besides, both of her blessings have multiple functions. If the only goal is survival, she believes she can still help this junior struggle to survive in this instance for a while longer.

Live on...

Xiong Mi couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Even though they had almost reached the pinnacle among players, standing at the Red Moon level, they could only struggle, barely surviving...

However, I'm a veteran player after all, and I was saved from certain death. Now I'll put in my best effort and try to keep this kid alive a little longer. Anyway, I need to get out of the Fujika Middle School area first; I can't get entangled with that freak Alice any longer. While her obsession can break through the opponent's illusions, if things continue to stalemate, she'll inevitably be the first to succumb to her obsession and lose control, resulting in GG.

At this moment, Xiong Mi was seriously considering and had come up with a survival strategy to repeatedly jump between the three areas of Zaoli Elementary School, Tenghua Middle School, and Yeluoshan Middle School.

“I can’t go to Nightfall Mountain Middle School. I need to break the core obsession of the Teng Hua Middle School area, so I’ll be going to the dormitory building next. Miss Xiong Mi, could you please help me? It’s a bit difficult for me to deal with this situation on my own.”

Then, she heard Gao Hai make a very serious request to her.

"Um, well... are you serious?"

Completely unprepared for this turn of events, Xiong Mi looked startled.

"I plan to retrieve Alice's obsession from the basement of the dormitory building, uncover the true nature of Fujika Middle School, and break the core obsession of this instance. For this, I need your help, Miss Xiongmi."

Gao Hai's expression and attitude remained unchanged as he continued speaking earnestly.

"..."

Xiong Mi didn't speak, but just stared at Gao Hai beside her.

Gao Hai didn't say anything more, but just looked at Xiong Mi with sincere eyes.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds. Yotsuya Miko, who was following behind them, looked confused and had no idea what the two were doing.

This young man is serious...

Soon, Xiong Mi, having understood the other party's intentions from that gaze, gradually adopted the expression of an elderly person on the subway looking at their phone.

Chapter 43: The Veteran Player's Helplessness and the Déjà Vu of Yotsuya Miko

"Do you... know what you're saying?"

Faced with Gao Hai, who was about to address the core obsession of Fujika Middle School, Xiong Mi hesitated, and finally could only force a smile and ask.

"Of course I know, I'm serious. My purpose in rescuing Miss Xiong Mi was to find someone who could assist me. I hope Miss Xiong Mi can help me complete the conquest of the [dormitory building]. Of course, if Miss Xiong Mi is really unwilling, I will not and cannot force you, after all, this matter is indeed very dangerous."

Gao Hai spoke calmly and composedly, making it clear that he genuinely intended to do so.

No, are you out of your mind?

Xiong Mi, who thought he had seen all kinds of players, couldn't hold back at this moment.

This is a Red Moon-level dungeon, and it's the extremely abnormal Fujika Middle School, a place where a monster like [Alice] exists, completely negating players' common sense about the supernatural. Of the four areas in the [School Ghost Stories] dungeon, only Hayate Elementary School and Fujika Middle School remain unconquered, precisely because these two places are extremely difficult.

Simply surviving in such a place is already incredibly difficult for players, let alone taking the risky step of breaking through the core obsession. You see, a so-called "Red Moon level player" like her, once she decides to conquer a Red Moon level dungeon, will inevitably assemble several small teams of ten to twenty people, gather all the available intelligence beforehand, and then cautiously enter the dungeon to explore in small groups. Moreover, she often only dares to truly take action after completing several dungeon missions.

But what is this now? She is a half-crippled Red Moon level player who has lost all her equipment. This young man seems to have some skills, but at most he can be regarded as a relatively powerful Red Moon level player. Then there is an ordinary person who seems to be unable to do anything, and she is a little girl who is only the age of a high school student.

These three mediocre players are going to try and crack the core obsession of a dungeon that even several Red Moon-level player teams couldn't solve? Are you kidding me? They're more likely to be sent to their deaths.

"Uh... young man, while it's impressive that you were able to find Alice's doll room and bring out the object of obsession, to be honest, you should know very well how sinister this place is. And judging from your appearance, you don't actually have any good way to deal with Alice, do you? And you still plan to break the core obsession of this area?"

After thinking it over for a while, Xiong Mi tried to offer suggestions to Gao Hai, hoping that he would change his mind.

“I know that with the current level of our makeshift team, dealing with Alice is practically suicide. But I still have to try; I have to do it.”

While mentally estimating when Alice would recover, Gao Hai continued speaking to Xiong Mi in front of him.

"..."

Xiong Mi was speechless.

She'd already put things so bluntly, yet the other person remained stubbornly determined to court death. And since this guy was her savior, she couldn't bring herself to just ignore him and leave. Could it be that he really did have some method? After all, according to this kid, he had indeed taken the Alice's Obsession artifact and the doll that imprisoned the player from the [Teaching Building] area, but this kind of thing…

Wait a minute, judging from this guy's appearance, he doesn't seem like the kind of fool who likes to go all in and recklessly gamble. He should know what he's doing.

Moreover, the way this kid answered me showed a hint of helplessness in his expression.

"You've been cursed?"