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

"Woo...Woo..."

The girl's voice grew increasingly heavy with pain.

At this moment, she was almost unable to maintain normal thinking, as if something was trying to completely replace her own will and forcibly imprint a certain idea into her mind.

No, that's not the case.

The girl still remembers that she is a player, that she has faced many dangerous situations and narrowly escaped death, and that she has experienced countless crises and grown from them.

She wasn't a student at this school. She wasn't a second-year student at Yelu Mountain Middle School. She wasn't... she was... no... no, she was definitely not a part of this school. She couldn't just sink into this twisted world of ghost stories.

He reached out and pulled out a sharp silver needle.

Goto Ichiri took a deep breath and pierced his temple with the needle, pushing it in so hard that blood flowed out.

Intense pain, accompanied by a cold sensation, spread through my brain.

With the help of this extremely dangerous but powerfully positive object that could influence reason and cognition, Goto Ichiri managed to regain her ability to think normally and was not completely overwhelmed by those distorted voices. She stumbled and staggered down the corridor.

Little Pochi could no longer recall where he was going.

I just knew I couldn't let things continue like this.

But I instinctively realized that I couldn't just sit and wait to die.

The changes that occurred in this instance were far more dangerous and terrifying than the players who entered had anticipated. Although some unseen entity had made adjustments to this twisted world, which was originally an unsolvable deadlock, causing some changes, these changes brought not only a glimmer of hope to break the deadlock, but also a profound malice that none of them understood and had never been revealed before.

tread--

There seemed to be footsteps coming from ahead.

The students' laughter echoed from every classroom.

They seemed to be delighted.

They seem excited.

It was as if a cruel sacrificial ritual had finally selected the key sacrifice. All the students were overjoyed at the blood and madness they were about to witness, and were eager to share in the lamb placed on the altar.

Then, they discovered Goto Ichiri.

Why weren't you as happy as we were, and why didn't you celebrate with us?

Something passed by the girl and asked her a question in a soft voice.

Listen! New sins have been discovered, new sacrifices have been offered, our liberation is near, our hope is near.

More and more things kept walking around her, circling back and forth, smiling at her, laughing loudly at her, their excitement completely undisguised.

Why are you not happy with us, not as joyful as we are?

Then, more faces began to stop in front of her, their expressions growing increasingly puzzled.

Could it be that you are not actually like us? Could it be that you are not one of us?

Then the faces gradually cracked open, revealing large and small fissures. The fissures broke apart, revealing pitch-black, empty voids inside.

The girl was already kneeling on the ground, unable to move any further.

At this moment, the mental pollution and shock she endured far exceeded the limits that any Red Moon-level player could withstand. All the strange creatures in the main teaching building became active at this moment. Their combined power was like a frenzied feast, easily tearing apart any notes that were out of sync with the rhythm of the music, and tearing apart the souls of those who were not of the same kind.

Unlike the first playthrough where the fatal danger didn't appear until the first night, in the second playthrough, thanks to the changes brought about by Gao Hai, the fatal crisis arrived right after the fourth period in the morning, and it immediately turned into an irreversible and insane situation, a deadly crisis that would destroy everything.

"Woo...Woo..."

The girl is not dead yet.

Although her spirit is almost completely crushed, she has not yet been completely destroyed in terms of self-awareness thanks to the protection of her own cherished possessions and the power of her blessings.

However, she couldn't hold on for much longer if things continued like this.

When she revealed her uniqueness and refused to be assimilated by the atmosphere, Goto Ichiri, who was in the main teaching building with an extremely large number of students, no longer had any chance of escaping on her own.

tread--!

The footsteps coming from ahead suddenly rang out again, and were noticeably clearer.

A hand reached out from the front and grabbed Goto Ichiri's shoulder.

It sounded as if I heard someone's mournful roar, like a trapped wild beast struggling for its life.

"Big Sister...it's all up to you now..."

And a calm voice, tinged with a hint of helplessness and relief, rang out along with the roar.

The next moment, all the distorted sounds disappeared.

With wide eyes, Goto Ichiri fell onto the grass. After taking several deep breaths, he barely regained some consciousness.

What happened...?

Completely unable to understand why the situation had deteriorated to such an extent in an instant, to the point that everyone had to face a terrifying crisis that they could not possibly fight, Goto Ichiri struggled to sit up and then saw Kumami kneeling beside him, covered in blood and wounds.

"Phew... Don't just stand there, run as soon as you're awake..."

The metallic sheen emanating from those bronze eyes had almost covered half of Xiong Mi's face, making her voice muffled.

Her obsession is getting out of control.

Goto Ichiri, having regained his ability to think, immediately realized this.

I didn't see anyone else.

The four people who participated in the mission together—Kenmochi, Hayashibe Kenta, Fujiwara Chika, and Hayasaka Ai—did not appear at this place.

Could it be...

“It was mind copying, and a deeply hidden one at that, almost impossible to defend against once it erupted. My deputy and I held on, but the two little girls couldn't; their willpower couldn't withstand this. Minister Lin was slightly less skilled in this area; although he wasn't completely transformed, he temporarily lost his ability to move. And then…”

Xiong Mi didn't finish her sentence; she simply pulled Yili up and helped her move faster.

The two are currently on a grassy area not far from the main teaching building. It's clear that Xiong Mi used some kind of teleportation-type artifact to move herself and Goto Ichiri to this place. As for the others who couldn't follow...

Looking back, Xiong Mi could see the crimson light slowly fading from the building.

The remaining loaves of bread that are left to hold out probably won't last very long.

The terrifying cognitive rewriting nearly altered the players' personalities on the spot, turning them into beings like the students at Nightfall Mountain Middle School, extremely protective of the "atmosphere." Xiongmi himself withstood the transformation, Jianbing was slightly weaker but still able to move, and Linbu Kenta was rendered immobile but at least his consciousness remained human. However, Fujiwara Chika and Hayasaka Ai's situation was extremely dire, heading towards the worst possible outcome.

That carefree, pink-haired girl committed suicide before she was converted. And before she did, she even reminded herself via communication to "find a way to tell Ah Hai about all the unusual things that happened afterward." Her tenacity was truly awe-inspiring.

But that blonde girl, I'm afraid she's already been "transformed".

Xiong Mi could sense the terrifying aura emanating from the crimson domain that erupted within the building at the very last moment before he escaped using Jianbing's teleportation device.

The second Red Moon-level blessing obtained by players so far comes from Chiyo Hachiya's domain ability at Hayate Elementary School. It erupted after Hayasaka's perception was overwritten, and he completely accepted himself as a student of Yoruyama Middle School. It's certain that Kenta Hayashibe and Kenmochi, exhausted from fighting those monster students, were unable to resist this domain. In other words, they are definitely dead now.

The deaths of two Red Moon-level players will inevitably lead to a series of obsessive objects going out of control. The main teaching building has now become a dead zone, and it will be impossible to enter for at least several hours, provided that no monsters summoned by the out-of-control obsessive objects escape from the teaching building.

Furthermore, the corpses of these two Red Moon-level players will inevitably undergo a transformation, combining with the supernatural rules of Nightfall Mountain Middle School to become some kind of eerie creature.

As for that blonde girl, she should be dead by now. This domain didn't disappear naturally; it was forcibly interrupted by some force. But there's nothing that can be done about it, since more than ten Crimson Moon-level obsessions went out of control at close range, and no one could withstand it alone.

Ha, I have absolutely no idea what happened, and suddenly the situation has deteriorated to the point where it can't be sustained.

Xiong Mi sighed inwardly and turned her gaze toward the attached teaching building.

Earlier in the main building, Ms. Fujiwara asked me to find a way to get to the affiliated teaching building, so the "Takami" she mentioned must be there.

Goto Ichiri, who was beside him, had basically regained his mobility. After exchanging a glance, Ichiri, led by Xiongmi, sped up and ran towards the affiliated teaching building.

Meanwhile, in the main building, which was now completely shrouded in darkness, Kaguya Shinomiya opened her eyes and found herself lying on a patch of muddy ground, surrounded by lush bushes and small trees, looking like a botanical garden.

Chapter 54: Investigation and Discoveries in the Student Archives Room

[Student Profile: ■%, #]

【@■…■＆%■*￥；■……】

The file, covered in distorted and unreadable characters, was laid down.

He put it down, picked up the second book, and opened it.

[Student's case: ? ? %]

Just like the previous book, there's no way to identify the reading situation.

He would throw it on the ground again, pick up a new one, flip through it again, and repeat the process.

Gao Hai's brow remained furrowed, and beside him, a considerable number of these "student files," which contained no useful information whatsoever, were piled up all over the floor.

Are all the files like this?

No matter how many student files I opened, I could not find any useful readable information. Apart from two or three recognizable characters in the first four words "Student Files", the rest was all meaningless gibberish.

What are all these things...?

Gao Hai frowned deeply. Although he had considered that obtaining clues would not be so easy, the fact that he could not read any useful information from any of the student files was quite frustrating.

He turned to look at his side and saw that Jianzi was also looking through the student files. Beside her, there were also many student files piled up on the ground. However, unlike Gao Hai's haphazard littering, Jianzi had the files neatly stacked together, making them look noticeably tidier.

{Gao Hai: Jianzi, from your perspective, can you read these files?}

{Yotsuya Miko: ...No, I can't understand it. The whole thing is just distorted graphics that make the content unreadable.}

To prevent a cognitive blockage that would prevent communication, Gao Hai didn't speak but instead used the mental link to ask questions directly. Unfortunately, even seeing the child this time didn't reveal anything of value, so it seems Gao Hai's plan to obtain clues from the archives will have to fail.

But this doesn't make sense. Why wouldn't it be there?

If we can't find any clues even in this place, then where are the real clues?

Or is it that his current position, the place he is in, is still not deep enough?

{Gao Hai: Since the words "student files" are barely legible, it means this place functions as a "student archives room." Therefore, perhaps the fact that these documents are unreadable itself represents some kind of information… Let me think, maybe it means that among the students who lived at Yeluoshan Middle School, aside from those with core obsessions, all individuals essentially no longer possess a "self," so information about their origins and past becomes incomprehensible. Of course, another explanation is that we entered this place incorrectly; we need to reach this archives room through some special channel, or find a hidden, special place, in order to correctly interpret this information?}

Gao Hai directly transmitted his thoughts into the mental link.

Unable to determine the answer, he wanted to try having Chika and Maki help him think of something.

{Fujiwara Chika: Hmm, although I don't know the specifics of Akai's situation, generally speaking, if Omiko can't see the problem, can we assume that the archives are currently worthless? After all, given what Akai said about Omiko's talent, if it's a clue that's [hidden and invisible], it shouldn't be possible to fool Omiko, right?}

{Shijo Maki: Perhaps we could shift the focus of the investigation towards the teachers' offices or the principal's office? After all, Yoruyama Middle School is essentially still an experimental project, so there must be someone in the school's upper echelons who knows the truth. Even if these people have now become spirits, they should still possess something. Hmm… My lady Nanakawa is about to enter the courtyard area; she's found an opportunity to track a spirit possessing the courtyard key.}

{Gao Hai: You all need to be extra careful. Although those strange students have had their weaknesses found and will no longer target you, there are still many unknown situations in the main teaching building. If you sense anything unusual, don't hesitate to act immediately.}