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

Just moments ago, the sky was clear and blue, but now the three of them saw the sky gradually darkening, and there seemed to be faint signs of fog forming.

Should we try attacking them?

Kaguya had already taken out the Soul-Stealing Bow that Takami had given her, and was ready to launch an attack on the paper doll.

"No, we don't know what this thing is all about yet. Let's not act rashly. Let's try to go around it first. After all, according to the rules we've learned so far, as long as we ignore it, there shouldn't be any major problems."

Seeing that Ziwei shook his head slightly, he rejected the plan after some thought.

She could feel that the paper figure was watching her.

When she came over, she looked at the notice that Gao Hai had seen before and confirmed that the content of the notice in her sight this time would not change like it did at Yeluoshan Middle School. Therefore, she decided to do as it said.

The senior just stepped directly on the paper figure's face when walking along this path, and nothing happened. Therefore, ignoring it should reduce the connection between oneself and this thing to some extent, which could solve the current problem.

Miko and Kaguya shared their thoughts, and after a brief consideration, Hayasaka decided to follow Miko's idea. Kaguya also did not insist on the strategy of taking the initiative. The three of them discussed it with Takami, and then Goto Ichiri quietly strummed his guitar, causing the clone that was following the three of them to rush towards the paper doll. Then, the three of them on Miko's side began to quietly move away through the bushes beside the road.

Bang!

With a muffled thud, the guitar-made clone knocked over the paper figure.

The thing clearly exuded a strong eerie aura, yet it seemed to be nothing more than an inanimate object, showing no reaction even after being knocked to the ground.

However, Ziyin could still vaguely feel a cold gaze directed at him, coming from behind him, from his... or from the front?

The gloomy path was no different from before.

The paper figure standing in the middle of the path looked exactly the same as before.

The sky grew even darker.

The clone that had just tackled the paper figure had vanished without a trace.

It was as if their actions had never happened, as if they had never left this road, never left this place.

Yili, who was walking behind Gao Hai, stared wide-eyed in astonishment. She had suddenly lost her sense of her clone, but couldn't figure out why.

At the same time, the paper figure that had been standing still trembled slightly.

Then, Miko, Kaguya, and Hayasaka all clearly heard a voice ringing in their ears.

Excuse me, how do I get to Yingti Village?

Chapter Four: Increasingly Bizarre Phenomena and Suspected Split Entities

Whoosh—whoosh—

A chilly breeze rustled through the tall trees and low shrubs, making a strange, creaking sound as if something was wriggling within them.

Miko, Kaguya, and Hayasaka, the three operatives left behind, found themselves in a dilemma.

The paper figure that had been clearly bypassed was still still in front of them on the road.

Not only that, but the surrounding terrain clearly remained unchanged. Although Miko herself didn't have such a good spatial memory to distinguish it, Kaguya and Hayasaka were both 100% certain that they had returned directly to where they started. It was as if they had encountered a mysterious wall, and just by walking around, they were back in their original position.

Excuse me, how do I get to Yingti Village?

A detached voice, devoid of emotion and of indistinguishable gender, rang in the ears of all three simultaneously.

Even though the paper figure was standing in front of the three of them at a certain distance, the voice sounded as if the figure was right next to them, almost touching their bodies.

Something is wrong.

At this point, no further explanation is needed; everyone can realize how wrong things are.

Even though this dungeon run has only been going on for less than an hour, danger has already crept in silently. At this moment, a single moment of carelessness could mean certain death.

{Should we try using a domain blessing to counter it?}

Kaguya looked at Hayasaka.

{...I can't make up my mind. If we confront it directly, it means we've officially acknowledged that thing, and I'm unsure what kind of reaction that will bring. We'll have to see what Yotsuya decides and act according to her intuition.}

Hayasaka hesitated for a moment, then turned his gaze to Miko, who was still silent.

However, Miko Yotsuya's gaze did not turn to Kaguya or Hayasaka, but remained firmly fixed on the paper figure standing motionless.

Yingti Village.

That thing wants to go to Yingti Village.

Despite many things that are not quite clear, through that voice just now, Jianzi can at least confirm one thing: the place that the [paper doll's] obsession is pointing to must be the village called [Yingti Village].

But the key issue is not just that.

After all, there is another place with a very similar name, called "Infant Cry Village".

Jianzi knew that the name of the instance they were entering was the same as the name of the Red Moon-level entry ticket that the [Red Alliance] had previously held, which was now invalid and unable to enter the instance. It was this "Infant Cry Village".

Furthermore, the village name that these unlucky guys discovered during their investigation within the instance was exactly [Yingti Village], just one character off, which perfectly matched the current situation.

Simply comparing the pronunciation of "Infant Cry Village" and "Nightingale Cry Village" would be insufficient to distinguish between them. However, from the moment they enter the world of the "Sacrifice Game," all players are granted omniscience of languages. This ability allows them to directly understand languages ​​they don't know, even those they've never heard before. This innate ability, combined with Miko's own strange and uncanny perception, is enough to unleash some wondrous characteristics.

Therefore, Jianzi could tell that the name of the village the paper figure was asking about must be "Yingti Village".

Could that [Yingti Village] and the [Li Family Village] that the seniors are heading to now be the same place?

And why did this thing not react when the seniors passed by, but now that we're here, it's stopping us?

Is it because there's a lack of a guide? Or is there some other reason?

The girl was thinking seriously.

Although this is only the third time that Yotsuya Miko has participated in the dungeon, compared to the fear she felt the first time and the clumsiness she showed the second time, Miko has become much calmer and more mature. She is not panicked at all when the monster blocks her way.

{You cannot launch an attack, you cannot interact with anything, at least you cannot interact with the paper figure blocking your way}

Miko quickly looked at Kaguya and Hayasaka beside her.

{I can sense its eerie nature, but I don't perceive any strong emotions or presence emanating from it. This thing... it's likely a derivative of the eerie, a phantom entity born from the power of some unknown eerie being we haven't encountered yet. If we rashly approach it, not only will our attacks be ineffective in truly eliminating anything, but it might also establish a connection with that unknown source. Should we try to bypass it? I need to determine if continuously ignoring this thing will bring about any new changes.}

Through Kaguya's use of her spiritual blessing on Chiyo, the three established a close-range spiritual communication network and began to discuss their strategy.

The paper figure remained standing in the same spot, without making any change in its actions.

Aside from making a sound after the first time it hit the wall, asking for directions to Yingti Village, the thing did nothing else unusual, as if it were just a paper figure.

Having decided to bypass this thing, Miko took out a small ornament and hung it around her neck.

The ornament was a bird's leg, a completely dried and curled-up bird's leg. Although it might not be easy to confirm just by looking at it, Miko could tell from her senses that it was a severed pigeon's leg. Therefore, this small pendant, which Miko was obsessed with, was called the "Dried Pigeon Leg," and it was a location-based Dark Night-level obsession item.

After wearing this object of obsession, whether actively or passively, the user will trigger its power when walking, involuntarily running towards the person they like and care about most. In other words, as long as she wears this object of obsession, Miko will instinctively move closer to where Takami is and embark on a path to Takami's location.

As a Dark Night-level artifact, this is extremely rare, capable of breaking through spatial barriers. For example, back at Nightfall Mountain Middle School, if either Miko or Gao Hai had possessed this artifact, they could have used it to directly break through spatial barriers of different depths and forcibly reunite. Hmm... it's hard to say if Gao Hai had it, since Miko doesn't have the confidence to believe she's the person Gao Hai likes and cares about most.

In any case, hopefully this thing will have some effect.

Thinking this, Miko once again walked around the bushes beside the paper doll, and Kaguya and Hayasaka followed carefully. The three of them walked slowly along the bushes beside the forest path for a distance.

This time, the paper figure did not appear ahead of the road.

Have you gotten rid of it?

Jianzi raised his head, looked at the dim sky, and then froze.

it's dark.

They didn't notice anything amiss until they looked up and realized that it had gotten dark sometime earlier.

Senior, where are you now?

Sensing something was wrong, the girl immediately asked Gao Hai through the mental link.

{We've slowed down; we're still at the edge of the field. Don't panic. Use the blessing you just received that can sense our positions. That blessing should be able to confirm our distance. Using that blessing... hmm?}

Gao Hai's response immediately rang out from the mental link. Jianzi knew that he was referring to "Andres's Blessing," but Gao Hai paused before he could finish speaking, and Jianzi quickly realized why he had paused.

[Andres's Blessing], a blessing that should have enabled its holders to sense each other and spatially teleport to each other's side, instead gave Miko and Takami a very vague response. It was as if they were no longer in the same spacetime, no longer in the same instance. No… this level didn't reach the point of truly separating into different instances, but even if there were spacetime divisions within a normal instance, it wouldn't have such an effect.

Unless the [Infant Cry Village] instance has begun to evolve from a single instance into different instances located in different times and spaces?

Is this possibility even possible?

Does the [Sacrifice Game] dungeon still have this function? Is it possible to go from one to multiple, or to split from a single dungeon into different dungeons?

At this moment, Jianzi realized that the secrets hidden in this strange instance they had just entered might be extraordinary, far exceeding any instance they had experienced before.

Although the connection has become blurred, the power of the blessing can still be mobilized. Forcibly returning should still be possible. Don't panic, stay calm, and first check if your companions are alright. You may not have truly escaped the influence of that paper figure; what's here is probably quite complex.

Gao Hai was still reminding Jianzi through the mental link.

At this moment, the girl realized that her two companions beside her had become somewhat quiet, so she turned to look to her side.

Have we gotten rid of it?

Hayasaka's voice rang out from the side, asking a question.

In the dim red light, Jianzi was about to respond instinctively when she suddenly widened her eyes and her whole body stiffened.

"We haven't seen that thing again, so we should have gotten rid of that paper figure by now, right?"

Kaguya's voice followed from the other side.

They flanked each other in the dim red light.

Two paper figures, almost identical to Kaguya and Hayasaka, carrying dark red lanterns, walked along, making sounds as they looked at Miko herself in the middle.

Chapter Five: Another Village Under the Dim Red Light and the Missing Person

Hayasaka had noticed the unusual situation around him a long time ago.

He was walking carefully forward on the dirt road as usual, but suddenly, he couldn't tell when, maybe just in the blink of an eye, the two people beside him turned into two paper figures, two paper figures exactly the same as before, and continued to walk beside him.

Were the young lady and Yotsuya replaced by those paper figures? Or is there something wrong with my senses, making it impossible for me to properly recognize my companions?

Hayasaka Ai considered these two possibilities carefully for about three seconds, then chose the former without hesitation. The reason was simple: her perception was the exact opposite of Yotsuya Miko's; she clearly had a sensory impairment regarding supernatural beings, so it was unlikely that her senses could be deceived. Therefore, her young lady and Yotsuya-kun must have been directly replaced by the paper doll.

But why is this happening?

Where are the real young lady and Yotsuya now?