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

It's not some place like the Baidos Academy, it's just "Baidos".

Why do I have such thoughts?

Why did I take it for granted that I would make such a thought and perception?

Why did I inexplicably enter such a strange place from the Nightfall Mountain Middle School instance area?

This time, no one answered Gao Hai's question.

However, Gao Hai quickly compared the information he had collected about the Nightfall Mountain Middle School instance with the actual Nightfall Mountain Middle School instance he had entered, and then realized that the place he was in was probably the Baydos Academy instance that had been adjusted and modified by the KP.

No, this place can no longer be called the Baydos Academy.

Although it's unclear what the KP did that caused such a huge change in the remaining two dungeon areas of [Campus Ghost Stories], compared to Nightfall Mountain Middle School, which at least was still a school, Bydos has become completely unrecognizable, to the point that it has almost no connection to the previous dungeon.

How could there be such a huge change?

Moreover, he even received a completely new game notification, which means that he is now essentially playing two instances?

The mission to clear the level is... to return what's lost from the Abyss? This so-called "Abyss" refers to a specific place, and something has been lost from that place? The Abyss... Bydos... Bydos is a transliteration of the word "Abyss," so the Bydos Academy is essentially the Abyss Academy? In other words, the establishment of that school involves some kind of supernatural power, and this power comes from a place called the Abyss, and most likely, that thing was stolen or taken away?

And these four clues... the boundary between reality and imagination? And the second clue involves gods again. There was information about "traces left by gods" in the Red Nut Gray Hole back then, does this so-called "Baidos" also contain something related to that? The third clue, what the heck is this "I've arrived at the Origin" thing? It's like the Riddler! And the fourth clue... hmm, the fourth clue feels like a prophecy from a mythological story, and it also has a Riddler feel to it.

Gao Hai reached out and rubbed his temples.

He guessed that the prerequisite for entering [Baidos] was likely to be [falling asleep].

In other words, when he is in a "conscious" state, he will be in the "Nightfall Mountain Middle School" instance area, and when he is "asleep," he will appear in the "Baydos" instance area. Whether the two will interfere with each other is currently unknown, but Gao Hai guesses that the two instance areas are likely to be completely independent, otherwise he would not have received a second game prompt and obtained a new completion quest.

What is this? Running two dungeons at the same time? Is it that dangerous?

Gao Hai didn't know whether he should laugh or cry.

I have to solve dungeons when I'm awake, and I have to solve dungeons when I'm asleep. Is this some kind of plot where the chosen working class is forced to work? They don't even give me a proper rest! This stupid dungeon is just too cruel!

After grumbling to himself, Gao Hai walked to the edge of the cage and looked around.

When he first entered the instance, he noticed that the scenery around him had changed drastically several times. At that time, he seemed to sense something bizarre that was hard to describe in words, but this feeling quickly disappeared and the scene in his sight stabilized into the situation before him.

He was eager to figure out where he was, but after trying to break the iron bars, Gao Hai quickly discovered that they didn't seem very sturdy, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't open them.

It's as if these iron fences themselves are fixed to the space.

Hehehehe...

The old man across from Gao Hai chuckled again, his laughter hoarse, as if his throat was full of phlegm, which sounded disgusting.

Gao Hai didn't pay much attention to the other party. He took out the rescue team badge from his black watch and put it on. Then he reached his hand out of the cage, trying to summon the rescue team members to the corridor outside the cage.

His plan failed; the rescue team could not be summoned, and the power of the badge was blocked by the cage.

Is it really not possible?

The failure of this attempt did not surprise Gao Hai. After all, it was another Red Moon-level dungeon area, and even if it was just an initial predicament, it was certainly not something that could be easily resolved.

Come to think of it, when I first woke up, I seemed to see a large hole in the ground, but now the area outside the cage has become a normal corridor. Could it be... that I need to find the location of that hole within this prison?

Also, am I the only one who came in here? Will Maki, Chika, Miko, and the other players who entered the instance with me also appear in this instance area after they fall asleep?

While thinking, Gao Hai decided to activate the mental link and try to contact Zhenfei.

{Takahashi: Maki, can you hear my voice? Are you here?}

{Shijou Maki: ...}

The link was successfully established, but strangely, Gao Hai was unable to pinpoint Zhen Fei's location. He could only vaguely sense her presence and received no response.

What's going on? Why haven't I received a reply? I clearly sensed her, and she should be able to sense my presence too. The power of this black watch shouldn't be blocked by ghost stories...

Gao Hai frowned.

It was at this moment that the old man in the cage opposite suddenly spoke up again in a low voice.

Hehehe...they saw you...

The next second, a sudden chill spread throughout my body.

Gao Hai only had time to turn around and look behind him before he saw a fleeting shadow that instantly covered him.

A sweet, fishy smell seemed to bloom in my throat.

A strong sense of discomfort permeated every nerve in my body, but then vanished in an instant, and everything returned to absolute silence.

At that moment, he seemed to hear someone's voice, the sound of people talking in hushed tones, saying something. Then the sound became noisy and chaotic, as if many people were talking, many people were whispering to each other.

What exactly is this Baidos you're talking about?

To put it simply, it's an abyss, unfathomable, with no end yet discovered, a place from which no one has reached its destination.

It doesn't exist in our world, but we still have ways to get there, although... we might have to pay an unimaginable price for it.

Which of these people do you want to work with?

We cannot reach it alone; it is too deep, too mysterious, too dangerous. Besides, our goal has never been to reach its end; we only need to take what we need.

So, have you arrived there yet?

No, not at all. I'm certain I haven't actually arrived in Baidos yet.

【why? 】

Because I can still talk to you, I can still communicate with you.

Those who truly enter Baidos are unable to communicate with anyone until they leave.

Because, in that abyss, only they themselves truly exist.

……

open one's eyes.

Darkness enveloped all vision, with only the deep moonlight filtering in from the bathroom window.

The sound of slow, deep breathing came from the bed between Hayashibe Kenta and Kenmochi; the two players had unknowingly fallen asleep.

The student's bed was empty; no one knew where it had gone.

Gao Hai slowly sat up from the bed.

I'm back?

He frowned, still somewhat dazed, and vaguely seemed to hear what sounded like a girl crying outside the window, and the sound of something crawling on the ground.

He fell asleep, woke up in a prison, tried to use the mental link, successfully connected with Maki, but his calls went unanswered, and then something attacked him, and then he woke up.

Was it a dream, or did I actually enter another instance area?

This brief and bizarre experience left Gao Hai somewhat bewildered.

In any case, something needs to be done now.

Although he was still not entirely clear about the specifics, Gao Hai had a vague feeling that he might be in danger.

squeak-

A faint sound came from the dormitory door as it gently opened.

Realizing something, Gao Hai turned his head and looked at the slightly ajar door.

And the appearance of the thing peeking at him from behind the crack in the door.

My breath caught in my throat for a moment.

A woman's low laughter rang in my ears, and a foul stench filled my nostrils.

He had already remembered what rules he had broken.

Before falling asleep, I saw the thing falling from the window. When I woke up, I was unable to escape from my dormitory room immediately. So, it climbed up from downstairs, climbed to the front of my dormitory room, and opened the door.

We must escape quickly—

Why pretend you can't see it?

It sounded like a soft murmur in my ear.

bang——

Gao Hai's body collapsed onto the bed.

click-

Gao Hai's bones broke.

Tick-tick-tick-

Blood plasma stained the bed red and dripped onto the floor.

Gao Hai, who had only collapsed on the bed, appeared as if he had jumped from a high building. Almost all the bones in his body were broken, his head was caved in, and blood was flowing down rapidly. He was completely lifeless.

In the quiet darkness, the breathing on the other two beds remained unchanged from beginning to end; they seemed not to have heard a sound at all.

Slowly, the dormitory door closed again, and nothing appeared in the empty corridor.

But the corpse lying on the bed, which seemed to be dead beyond any doubt, twitched slightly at that moment and raised its half-deflated head.

Chapter Nineteen: The Bizarre Things Heard and Saw by Those Who Stay Up Late at Night

Seeing that Zi was having trouble sleeping.

She stared at the ceiling shrouded in darkness, slowly closed her eyes, and then opened them again a moment later.

Lying in an unfamiliar dormitory room, lying on an unfamiliar bed.

The girl tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep, as she reflected on her actions throughout the day.

She could hear the even breathing coming from the other three beds, and the sounds of Hayasaka Ai, Kumako, and Aoyama Nanami sleeping soundly. Although she couldn't see them, because the door to the dormitory's washroom was closed, and without the lights on, the room was completely isolated from the windows, which were the only source of light, so the dormitory was now truly pitch black.

Even so, at least she could still hear other people breathing, so overall the situation was alright, not to the point of being frightening. Although she tried to comfort herself with this thought, the fact remained that Miko couldn't fall asleep.

Miss Xiongmi and Miss Qingshan… they are veteran players after all, so even when facing something as dangerous and terrifying as the Red Moon level dungeon, they can still remain calm and unhurriedly carry out the quest, and even sleep in the dungeon as if nothing is wrong. Thinking about this, Jianzi felt a little complicated, because she knew she couldn't do that. At this moment, she really couldn't fall asleep peacefully, especially after realizing that what she saw, heard, and felt was basically unknown to other players, making it even more impossible for her to sleep soundly.

Will I wake up after closing my eyes and falling asleep and see those terrifying things appear in front of me?