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

Everyone present deeply understood the current situation, realizing that beneath the surface of this drastically changed Yelu Mountain Middle School, various unknown dangers must be lurking. They understood that they must now seize the time to conduct as much investigation as possible, to understand the current state of affairs, and to figure out exactly what this place had become.

While gathering a dozen or so people together can maximize combat effectiveness, the supernatural is unpredictable. If they encounter something contaminated, gathering together can be suicidal. Therefore, the initial division of labor and exploration, though potentially dangerous, is a necessary strategy.

So, quickly, using a school map found along the way and the destinations of the students who left the dormitories, the players figured out two different directions: the main teaching building and the cafeteria. They then split into three teams. Gao Hai's four-person team would enter through the side door of the main teaching building, while Shijou Maki's four-person team would enter through the main entrance. Xiong Mi would lead her team to explore the cafeteria, and maybe even bring breakfast to the other two teams—of course, this was just a joke.

"Connect the communication devices properly, everyone be careful, don't run out of them at the start of the game."

Before parting ways, Xiong Mi tossed a disposable paper cup to Gao Hai and Qingshan Nanami respectively. These paper cups had a hole punched in the bottom; they were communication consumables with a telephone-like effect, classified as Dark Night level, and were extremely stable, so there was virtually no need to worry about them going out of control.

"Okay, we're leaving now. Be careful too."

When Maki said goodbye to Takahashi, she didn't use any form of address. Although she couldn't see the so-called "survival rules" yet, Maki, who had already learned some things through the mental link, became wary and decided that when speaking to Takahashi, even when they were face to face, she would try to use simple terms like "you," "me," and "him" to avoid giving anything away.

The two teams quickly left.

So now only Takami, Hayasaka Ai, Fujiwara Chika, and Yotsuya Miko are left to act together.

"Looking at the map alone, the school isn't actually that big."

Before setting off, Gao Hai looked at the map again before continuing on his way.

"This map is significantly different from the one we obtained before, which was a hand-drawn map of Nightfall Mountain Middle School by a player who had previously entered the area. However, some of the buildings are still the same as before, including the main teaching building, the annex building connected to the cafeteria, the two indoor and outdoor sports fields, the swimming pool, and the meeting hall. I think that although this instance has been modified by some force, there should still be some things that remain unchanged."

Hayasaka Ai, who was participating in a formal instance for the first time in her life, followed closely beside Takami. She was a little nervous, so she tried very seriously to analyze the problem.

"We can only take it one step at a time with these things, after all, there's no way to have all the information at the start. So, shall we head in this direction next? GOGOGO, let's see which of the three brave teams finds the treasure first."

Having just experienced the Crimson Moon-level dungeon, Fujiwara Chika was full of enthusiasm and walked to the other side of the high sea without the slightest fear.

"..."

Yotsuya Miko remained quiet.

After separating from the other two teams, the long-haired girl remained reserved, walking cautiously beside Gao Hai.

She could now clearly see the students' faces.

While Shijo Maki and the others could only see blurry phantoms, and Takami could only occasionally see changes in the figures of some students, Yotsuya Miko could already directly identify the appearance of these things, and could even clearly hear every word they said.

Ugh, I stayed up late again last night, and I feel like I have absolutely no energy for class this morning.

I wonder if the cafeteria has fried noodles or bread today. Ah, I'm so hungry, I should go eat!

[Hurry up, let's get to the classroom first, don't worry about the cafeteria!]

Young men and women came and went, laughing and talking, walking with light steps.

There's absolutely no connection between it and the eerie creature.

In Miko's eyes, in her vision, these students were less like monsters and more like living people.

She couldn't see any of the terrifying and twisted forms that those wicked creatures should have.

It's the complete opposite of Fujika Middle School. Why is it like this here?

and……

Jianzi's golden pupils slowly turned towards a few girls walking along a path behind the green lawn.

Inozato, Ogawa Kyoko, Kobayashi Chiharu...

Without a doubt, those were his classmates who had been trapped in Teng Hua Middle School together before. They were the classmates who, like him, were chosen by Alice, but unfortunately failed to escape and ultimately perished in the instance world, disappearing from then on.

Their families have forgotten their existence, meaning the eerie power has completely overwhelmed these classmates' lives, meaning they are dead. While there are cases like Kita Ikuyo, who, though forgotten, are actually possessed and remain half-dead, the problem is that Kita Ikuyo herself is a high-level player; her own abilities allow her to survive being possessed, something her classmates with ordinary physical abilities couldn't do. Moreover, even if such lucky individuals exist, the Fujika Middle School instance has already collapsed; they can't escape…

So, are the scenes I'm seeing now just illusions?

Seeing that Zi was unsure of the truth.

She simply lowered her head and moved a little closer to Gao Hai, trying her best to suppress the unease in her heart.

"Don't get too excited, this is no joke."

Gao Hai gave Fujiwara Chika a couple of reminders, and only felt relieved when he saw that she was just shouting slogans and not actually rushing to the front.

Hayasaka Ai had calmed down. As she moved forward, she cautiously observed her surroundings, especially the indistinct figures of the students. Like a hunting dog following its master, she moved with utmost care, subtly adjusting her position so that Miko unintentionally moved to Takami's side, getting as close to him as possible. She herself stood at the outermost edge of the four-person group, constantly monitoring her mental state.

【Ha ha ha ha--】

Hayasaka vaguely heard cheerful laughter coming from a student who brushed past him.

She turned her head and only saw a few blurry girls.

“I heard a sound again, but this time there was no information, just laughter.”

She quickly explained her situation to Gao Hai, and then noticed that Jianzi clearly breathed a sigh of relief after those figures had passed by.

My master mentioned before that Miss Yotsuya's eyes can see many ominous things, so perhaps there was something different about those students who just walked by. Hmm, but those students, like everything else, are just blurry in my vision; I can't see any difference at all.

Unaware and uneventful, as if the four students were truly traveling together, Gao Hai and the others arrived at the side entrance of the main teaching building.

This five-story teaching building looks quite old; many vines climb the walls, reflecting emerald green spots in the sunlight, bringing a sense of tranquility.

There are two side doors to the teaching building. One is a pre-installed door at the bottom of the staircase on one side of the building, while the other doesn't seem to have any problems. Following the principle of proximity, Gao Hai chose the first door and followed the several students who were entering the building.

The light shifted from bright to dim, and then was illuminated again by the lamp.

They have entered the main teaching building.

It seemed that because it was still quite early, most students chose to go to the cafeteria, so there weren't many people in the teaching building.

Finding the maps for the first and second floors of the teaching building didn't take much time. As soon as you came out of the stairwell, you could see the document posted on one of the walls, along with the floor plans of the teaching building.

That went so smoothly.

When Gao Hai arrived on the second floor, he glanced at the clock on the wall and confirmed that it was 7:43.

I woke up at seven o'clock, which means that I haven't been attacked by any strange creatures or encountered any twisted legends for half an hour since the start of the game?

Gao Hai genuinely felt that this was a truly rare opportunity.

However, things might change next.

Because he had already heard a familiar sound coming from behind, like someone talking.

Chapter Six: Everything is Normal at Yelu Mountain Middle School and the Search for the Abnormal Person

"call……"

The pink-haired girl in sportswear looked up at the sky.

Was it not triggered? Is it random? Or is it that your own actions are not counted? Or is this kind of trick simply ineffective?

While I was thinking, another pink-haired girl carrying a guitar walked out of the dormitory building.

Almost the instant I stepped out of the dormitory building, it was 7:40, which is the maximum time students can stay in the dormitory building in the morning according to the rules.

A crisp musical sound rang out as the plectrum was struck.

As the strings trembled, a third pink-haired girl jumped from the window on the 5th floor, landing steadily on the ground, and casually striking a Terminator-like kneeling pose.

The fourth pink-haired girl, who had been left in the dormitory building, slowly walked out and stood beside the girl playing the piano.

"None of them were triggered."

Goto Ichiri looked confused.

At this very moment, the three other girls present, besides herself, though identical to her, are actually fabricated entities created by the guitar she holds as a symbol of her obsession. Their purpose is to verify the rules she has acquired and determine their possible mechanisms of action.

Individuals who attempted to jump out of the dormitory from the 6th and 5th floors did not trigger any anomalies.

Individuals who remained in the dormitory building beyond 7:40 did not encounter any strange events.

The creature that was suspected of jumping off the building was not encountered, nor were any monsters that would appear after a certain time. Even though the entire dormitory building was empty and no one was left, the fake entity created by Goto Ichiri did not encounter any danger inside the building.

It's a bit strange.

In a Red Moon-level dungeon, shouldn't the slightest problem immediately trigger extremely powerful countermeasures? Why are my attempts failing?

Goto Ichiri tapped his head, paused for a moment in silence to think, and then decided to give up thinking.

In short, record the results of your investigation, then go to Nanami-nee and have her discuss it with the others.

Although she was good at acting alone and had decent intuition, Goto Ichiri lacked the ability to reason and think. Therefore, after the simple verification rules failed to produce any effect, she quickly shifted her attention, leaving only two fake individuals in her dormitory room 604 and the corridor on the 6th floor, while she and the other fake individuals she had created continued to act.

Incidentally, all the created fake individuals are remarkably similar in appearance to Goto Ichiri, with only minor adjustments to their facial features and hair color differences so subtle that most boys wouldn't be able to tell the difference. The purpose of this is twofold: firstly, to allow teammates to immediately identify these as fake individuals created by Goto Ichiri using her obsession objects; and secondly, to ensure that the rules of the ghost stories cannot be chained together through these fake individuals and harm her true self. As for the possibility of directly breaking through the core obsession object in her possession and forcibly connecting it to her as the user, that's an unrealistic consideration. After all, something that can completely suppress a Crimson Moon-level core obsession object is already beyond the players' comprehension.

Next, create a few more fake avatars to conduct a more comprehensive investigation of this school.

Thinking this, Goto Ichiri plucked the strings of her harp again, and soon, several girls who looked similar to her appeared around her and quickly dispersed.

The more false entities summoned by the object of obsession, the closer the object of obsession gets to the brink of resurgence, and the more dangerous the situation becomes. But Goto Ichiri didn't care at all. Her fingers pinched the pick and played it lightly, each note perfectly timed, firmly suppressing the tendency of the object of obsession to revive.

In fact, the girl had been enjoying a long and easy time thanks to her guitar, which was practically her soulmate. With it, she had an incredibly high margin for error, whether gathering information or testing dungeon rules. Therefore, even though Goto Ichiri herself wasn't particularly bright under normal circumstances, as long as she had a familiar teammate like Aoyama Nanami to guide her on key issues, she could complete the information gathering and conquest of dungeons with astonishing efficiency.

Yes, that's why doing it this way consumes a lot of the illusory avatars. The worst time Goto Ichiri herself recorded was when she sacrificed a full seven illusory avatars. However, these avatars, which have almost no thought ability and are almost like phantoms, don't consume much energy when created, so it doesn't matter how many die. Moreover, compared to the true use of this object of obsession, Goto Ichiri's usual way of using it is a complete waste of its potential.

I have a feeling that the atmosphere of this instance is quite different from the previous ones.

Goto Ichiri looked up at the bright yellow sun hanging in the sky, then at the lush green school path, the lawn where sparrows perched, and the students coming and going around her. Suddenly, a strange feeling in her heart grew stronger.

Is this place really a Red Moon-level dungeon world?

It feels strange, like I've entered a fake instance. Hmm, I have absolutely no idea...

While thinking, Goto Ichiri had already taken a few steps forward and then saw Takami and the others not far away discussing splitting up.

"..."

Stop.

The girl instinctively wanted to step forward, but seeing the players' serious expressions as they discussed the issue, she couldn't move an inch. After all, in this stage of group action where everyone was brainstorming and formulating rules, someone like her who couldn't even speak clearly was just an eyesore and utterly useless. Especially if one of the players were to ask, "Ms. Goto, what's your opinion?", she would be completely helpless and frozen in place.

The pink-haired girl, who clearly sensed this, looked at Gao Hai and the others in front of her as if she were looking at a Red Moon-level core obsession that was attacking her.

Because he had hidden himself quite well this time, Gao Hai did not notice Goto Ichiri himself in the distance.

He quickly led Miko, Chika, and Hayasaka away, entering the building through a side door of the main teaching building.

"It looks pretty good."