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

boom!Boom!

The gunshots were particularly loud in the early morning campus, adding a touch of American flair to this Japanese-style school.

The girl finally reached the windowsill. She reached out and grabbed the windowsill, then with a sudden effort, flipped herself over and plummeted to the ground below.

The next moment, Takami, who was leaping into the air, caught Miko and carried her back to the ground in a princess carry.

The whole process took no more than 5 seconds. Long before Gao Hai had even left that blood-red city, he had already gone to Jianzi's side and talked to her about what to do next.

As for why gunshots rang out, it has to do with the pistol that was gradually disappearing from Miko's hand, and the last wish that Takami made.

Because Chiyo's blessing completely replaced one of the watch's functions, Takami deleted the blessing of shared spiritual power that he had previously wished for after the time rewind. Instead, he made a new wish to establish a deeper connection between himself and others' bodies, so that others could become extensions of his power.

In simpler terms, it allows Gao Hai to use his blessings and obsession objects through others, giving the girls who are closely connected to him stronger self-protection abilities.

The blessing was responded to by the black watch, but the conditions were quite strict. Only those who had already engaged in a deep exchange of bodily fluids with Gao Hai and established a mental link with the black watch, with an extremely close emotional connection, could activate this function.

Once activated and fully released, this function functions permanently, much like a mental link. Through this function, Gao Hai can not only imbue others with his blessings, but also remotely transfer his personal items of obsession to them. Conversely, those who establish this connection can also transfer their own obsession items or found supernatural artifacts directly to Gao Hai's black watch through contact, allowing their blessings to take effect on him. It's an extremely powerful, mutually reinforcing function.

Of course, this method only works on blessings that affect others. For example, Hirano Sosuke's Blessing of Immortality only works on Takami herself and cannot be activated through this function. However, the limitations are relatively small; blessings whose manifestation isn't limited to abstract abilities can be used. For instance, Takami can deliver the pistol to Miko, and Miko can activate the pistol's Judgment Mode. Of course, even without using Judgment Mode, she can temporarily repel the monster students who pose a threat to her with her unlimited ammo.

To activate this feature, 2 rollback attempts are required.

After careful consideration, Gao Hai activated the function for Jianzi, who had no ability to protect herself. Since Maki and Chika could still be protected by other players, and given that activating the function would consume too many rollback attempts, Gao Hai ultimately decided not to risk activating it for all of them.

Therefore, the 3 bars of energy voluntarily provided by the writer have been completely exhausted, and the watch's hands have moved from position 1 to position 2. In other words, even if Gao Hai never uses any other functions of the black watch again, he only has 10 chances to try and figure out how to conquer this two-in-one high-difficulty dungeon.

Eriko Asamoto has barely solved some of the mysteries, Koji Morihara is still completely clueless, and the Rootless Obsession has yet to be found.

The mysterious [Baidos] is so enigmatic that it's impossible to determine exactly how it was modified, and both times I entered, I was completely unable to move freely.

And then there's this group of fanatical players who seem to appear out of nowhere, who do absolutely nothing but cause trouble and make dungeons harder.

Of course, we must not forget the remnants of the Takamagahara who are still lurking in the shadows.

Just by briefly tallying up the problems that still need to be solved, Gao Hai felt his blood pressure rising little by little.

But that's not a big deal.

Compared to being scammed by Lao Guo and that bastard from the "Female Face Gang" at Baichuan Apartment, this kind of thing no longer causes Gao Hai any emotional fluctuation.

What's more, he had already taken some of the treasures from those troublesome players.

After all, the only one protected from being chosen by the black cat's power was the old man himself; his clothes and the things he was wearing and holding were not included in this "unchosen" category.

The black cloak was casually lifted by Gao Hai, and it began to flutter.

He draped the cloak over his own body, and the students who were watching the two of them quickly looked confused. They then began to look around, but they could not find where Takami and Miko were hiding.

"A cloak to reduce visibility, hmm, it's quite a useful obsession item. No wonder it took me so long to confirm that someone was indeed following me; it turns out this cloak, so full of chuunibyou vibes, has this function too?"

Gao Hai, who was sighing softly, started moving around with Jianzi in his arms.

"Uh, that..."

The girl, held in Gao Hai's arms, blushed. Feeling a little shy about this intimate behavior, she wanted to say something softly, but seeing Gao Hai's unmoved expression, she could only reluctantly accept it.

Of course, this discomfort was only temporary. Jianzi quickly adjusted her mindset, recovered completely, and began to be vigilant about her surroundings.

Instead of leaving the main campus immediately, the two of them circled around to the back of the dormitory building, searching for the possible "open space" and the place where the "teacher" might be buried.

Unfortunately, they found nothing of value. Just as Gao Hai had guessed, something truly related to the hidden past of the instance wouldn't be discovered so easily. So Gao Hai and Jianzi searched the open space and lawn behind the dormitory building for quite a while, but ultimately found nothing unusual.

Then, as more and more students became active, the concealment effect of the obsessive objects began to weaken. Gradually, some students stopped and turned to look in the direction where the two were, looking puzzled. Gao Hai and Jian Zi had no choice but to retreat temporarily and hide in the woods to get away from these strange creatures.

Having no recollection of what had happened, Xiong Mi and the others, along with Zhen Fei and the others who clearly sensed something was amiss, had gathered downstairs in the dormitory building, out of Gao Hai's sight, to discuss their action plan for the first day.

As for those players who, for some reason, found themselves in the woods after entering the instance and were unable to cross the woods to reach the main campus, they were all feeling extremely uneasy.

After all, the old man, one of the organization's leaders and revered by many believers, inexplicably lost several of his artifacts as soon as he entered the instance. With no explanation for the loss, everyone was now terrified of becoming the next victim to violate some special rule and lose their artifacts.

Chapter 44: People with Differing Thoughts and People Acting in Unity

"What on earth is going on... What kind of power could silently take away what I cherish?"

"Could this also be a test from the Lord? But there are absolutely no signs, it doesn't make sense..."

"What exactly happened in this instance? Why is it completely different from when we came here before, and why did we encounter something like this..."

In the woods, several figures dressed in black robes gathered together, chattering amongst themselves.

One of the elderly men, who clearly held some status, wasn't wearing a black robe, and his expression was quite unpleasant. Clearly, this was the same person who had appeared before Gao Hai in the previous playthrough. However, compared to his previous demeanor, the old man's eyes were now filled with confusion. He couldn't understand why he had inexplicably lost his important cloak, and why, among so many people present, he was the only one targeted by an unknown force and stripped of his equipment.

And it wasn't just the cloak; his gloves and boots, two other items he was obsessed with, are now also missing.

It was like being stripped naked the moment you entered a dungeon—utterly inexplicable and incredibly humiliating. For a religious leader in his fifties to be exposed in his underwear in front of his subordinates and colleagues was the height of shame.

The remaining players were also on edge. Although they all seemed like religious fanatics, those who had reached the Red Moon level and obtained its core artifacts were certainly not fools. Even though they shouted slogans louder than anyone else, their business plans were as shrewd as ever. Therefore, upon discovering the drastic changes in the dungeon and their companions encountering inexplicable and bizarre situations, they were all starting to consider how to escape.

The players who were able to unite and act together during the first playthrough are now experiencing internal unrest at the very beginning of the second playthrough.

However, although some have fallen into chaos, at least for now, they have no intention of splitting up. After all, they still need to find the opportunity that [Fate] has been guiding them to, the one they have been searching for.

Some see that opportunity as a chance to find the Promised Land, a chance to reach the land of milk and honey that Jehovah has given them.

Some people outwardly say that it is a test from God, but in reality they feel that it is an opportunity to become a god, a way to truly escape the ranks of fragile humanity and move towards the noble eternity and the supreme.

These scheming individuals aren't fools. Although they've united in the name of faith, if they were to truly divide themselves, they could probably split into several different factions. However, since they've all reached the Red Moon level, they know how terrifying this level of dungeon is. So, unless it involves matters of principle, they'll maintain a facade of mutual assistance. After all, the fate of facing this level of dungeon alone has been proven time and again.

Of course, no one outsiders know the ulterior motives of these people. Although Gao Hai is being targeted by the students, he has not left the main campus immediately. On the contrary, he is still swaggering around the campus.

{Shijo Maki: So, Kai-kun, you've already retraced your steps once? Ugh, I didn't sense anything unusual at all. In fact, if Kai-kun hadn't actively used the mental link to talk to me, I wouldn't have even realized someone was missing. This instance is truly terrifying... no, I should say that every instance we've entered has been far from easy to clear. When will this situation of being forced to face difficult circumstances finally end...?}

{Fujiwara Chika: Hmm, so this is the mental link that Maki-san and Umi are using. It feels really amazing. Hehehe, it feels great to be able to join in. Well, anyway, as long as Umi stays in a secluded place and makes sure he doesn't appear in any students' sight, there shouldn't be any major problems, right? It's just that those students who saw Umi before will remember his location and try to track him. If we can find a way to eliminate those students, Umi and Miko-san will be safe, something like that, right?}

{Takashi: Yes, that's right. Miko and I have moved to a secluded passage behind the main hall, a place where theoretically no students will pass through all day. So far, apart from the students who discovered us when we escaped the dormitory, the rest of the students who didn't "see" Miko and me won't trigger the rules to track us. Right now, Miko? Can you sense the exact number?}

{Yotsuya Miko: I can feel those gazes... 1, 2... seventeen, a total of seventeen students' eyes are now locked on me and my senior. I can feel them moving towards us. However... it seems they've called for more people; those strange students seem to have brought others from their cliques along. So the number of students coming to capture us will definitely exceed seventeen.}

After the mental communication changed from a one-on-one session between Gao Hai and Zhen Fei to a four-person chat group, Gao Hai suddenly had a strange feeling that his mind was very lively.

However, you can get used to this kind of thing if you just put up with it; after all, it's just a simple matter of hearing other people's voices in your head. In contrast, the key is to work with your smart daughter to find solutions and break the current situation.

At this moment, Gao Hai and Jian Zi first went to the back of the dormitory building, but unsurprisingly, they did not obtain any valuable clues. Then, in order to avoid being discovered by more students, the two had to hide at the back of the auditorium, a quiet corner where students were usually not seen, in order to avoid being discovered by more students.

Although both of them are now unwanted by the school, the main campus isn't a hopeless place. Based on the experience from the last playthrough, the first thing to be certain of is that as long as they don't show themselves in front of the students, those students who have never seen Gao Hai and Jian Zi won't be triggered, and won't be targeted or hunted down.

Come to think of it, even a bully caught up in the atmosphere would at least need to see the victim before taking action, right? If they've never even met the victim, even the kind of person who just goes with the flow would find it hard to commit any real harm.

However, the students who had already met the two had their own rules triggered and began to slowly approach the direction the two were avoiding.

If they were actually found, something terrible might happen. Therefore, Gao Hai did not hesitate to summon the rescue team, ordering them to enter the affiliated teaching building, sneak into the broadcasting room on the second floor, and ring the bell in advance to call everyone into the main teaching building, thus buying time.

Unfortunately, the rescue team member was unable to lock the students in the classroom for as long as Maki and the others and Kumami Kenpachi did in the first time. After all, it was really weak and its mobility was not strong. So, not long after, Takahashi lost the sense of the rescue team member and witnessed its sacrifice once again.

No, in fact, there wasn't even a witness. Gao Hai knew from the moment he summoned the rescue team that this thing definitely wouldn't come back alive, and that the broadcasting monster it had likely provoked was probably very troublesome. Therefore, he directly severed the sensory link between them, and didn't even know how the rescue team member died.

Nevertheless, Takami and Miko did get a respite, and Maki and Chika also obtained a lot of information from Takami during this time.

Unlike the first time, this time Maki and Chika only obtained some information and did not take any actual action. So although the students around them gradually began to pay attention to them, the two girls were still able to stay safely in the classroom without being attacked by anything.

{Fujiwara Chika: The key issue now is how to stop those strange students from pursuing Ahai. Leaving the main campus would avoid them, but Ahai would have to enter the unknown forest ruins and face hostile players with whom he has absolutely no information. Those players are all Red Moon level, wielding various obsession items that are difficult to defend against; a slight mistake could lead to death. Therefore, Ahai absolutely cannot leave the campus to contact those players. We must find a way to keep Ahai safely within the campus.}

{Fujiwara Chika: Hmm... about the atmosphere... I might have a way, but it could be a bit risky, and I'm not sure if it will work.}

Chika's voice rang out over the communicator, while the girl herself stood by the classroom window after the broadcast was restored, carefully observing the surrounding situation.

She did see a small number of students slowly making their way towards the main hall, but the number was definitely less than the 17 that Miko had mentioned. However, a similar situation occurred last time, when Takami and the others were almost being chased by the entire school, while Chika Maki could only see a few students on the other side. This, in a sense, also indicates that the two timelines are no longer completely unified.

We need to find a way to help Ah Hai get out of this predicament. He's being targeted by the students because he knows too much, and this situation won't be resolved by rewinding the game. Just like how he was locked out after learning Li Zhaodi's real name at the Shirakawa Apartment, we need to find a way to break these kinds of supernatural tales triggered by the information the player has. Otherwise, no matter how many times we rewind, it won't help; it will only make the situation worse.

Atmosphere, atmosphere, hmm, is the atmosphere the key to the actions of the strange creatures in the school?

The reason those students are relentlessly targeting Ah Hai is because knowing too much secret information has made him an "outcast" and "uncooperative" person. In other words, he's being targeted because he's become part of the minority.

So, if the number of students chasing him is reduced to a "small minority", would the problem be solved?

Chika let out a soft breath and quickly left the classroom to find Xiong Mi in the next classroom.

"We need help. Something's happened. If it were you, you should be able to spot what's wrong, right? You see, a player of my skill level shouldn't be in a dungeon of this level, should you? Think about it carefully, where do you think the problem lies?"

Convincing Xiong Mi was easier than expected.

Chika simply reminded Xiongmi of the reason he discovered the anomaly in the previous playthrough, and this battle-hardened veteran player quickly frowned and then realized the problem.

Kenmochi, who hadn't participated in the investigation of the Hayate Elementary School instance, had no firsthand experience with the extremely nasty mechanism of [cognitive blocking]. Therefore, despite Kumami's attempts to subtly remind him, Kenmochi himself couldn't break through the block and perceive anything. As for Nanakawa Ren and Hayashibe Kenta from the [Red Society] side, they were even less able to. Thus, in the end, Kumami was the only one who successfully helped Chika seek help.

Meanwhile, Maki wasn't idle either. She went straight to Goto Ichiri and asked for help without explaining why.

"Please, help me. You'll come down with me in a bit. You need to create as many clones as possible to ensure our numerical advantage, okay?"

"...Yes, you can leave it to me."

Judging from her expression, Goto Ichiri didn't seem too keen on agreeing at the time, but this girl never found it easy to refuse requests from her friends. As for Aoyama Nanami, who noticed something unusual in Maki's actions and followed her, Maki couldn't say anything due to the information blockage, but she persuaded Nanami by explaining that it was a necessary action to test a certain rule. It was just that Nanami was worried and followed along.

In the sunlight, the hands of the clock on the roadside have already pointed to 8:00.

There are 10 minutes left until class officially starts, and it's time for the students to return to their seats.

In the previous timeline, Gao Hai didn't return to the school after leaving, so it's unclear whether missing class will trigger any dangerous rules. This time, although he's not keen on taking such a risk, he's decided to give it a try after dealing with the strange students stalking him.

The premise is that the current situation can indeed be resolved...

rustling—rustling—

The strange students had left the concrete road and walked onto the overgrown path, approaching Gao Hai.

Hiding is pointless; from the moment they "saw" it, these things have forever locked onto the locations of Takami and Yotsuya Miko.

However, before they could actually reach the two people, many figures caught up from behind and blocked their way.

The figures were Goto No. 1, Goto No. 2, Goto No. 3, and more than a dozen others dressed in extremely hip-hop style, with hair color and appearance somewhat similar to Goto Ichiri. They all danced street dance and blocked the way for these strange students.

Then, Maki and Chika arrived and stood among the dozen or so strange figures. Kumami himself took out a spoon, blew on it, and summoned a bloodstained wooden puppet to fill in, blocking the way for the trembling Goto Ichiri at the back and Aoyama Nanami who had come to check the situation.

Chapter 45: The Bullying Atmosphere of This Twisted and Deformed Land

"Hey, what are you doing here? What grade? What class? Can you lend us some money?"

A clone of Goto, adopting a menacing expression typical of yakuza members, spoke.