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

"Very good, the taste is absolutely delicious."

Gao Hai couldn't help but add a bit of his own opinion when he answered.

"I'm glad you all enjoyed yourselves. Now, would you like to go see the welcoming ceremony for the mountain god?"

Standing next to Li Eryang, Li Xiaoju, who hadn't moved an inch from beginning to end, also smiled and said, her attitude and tone as friendly as could be.

Speaking of which, did those two people breathe while they were standing there motionless?

Gao Hai felt he couldn't possibly have missed such details, but now, upon careful reflection, he realized he didn't seem to have any memory of these details.

It's unlikely that he forgot. Was it the act of eating itself that brought some kind of feedback? Tsk, I wonder how effective it is to use the "Gluttonous Dentures" to fake eating. Hopefully, these little tricks will work.

"Go, go and see."

Gao Hai nodded and was the first to stand up from his seat.

Although there were firecrackers going off outside just now, the ceremony to welcome the mountain god had not actually started yet.

Setting off firecrackers in advance serves two purposes: firstly, to scare away wild animals and ensure the safety of the roads leading up and down the mountain; and secondly, to drive away evil spirits. According to the villagers, setting off firecrackers before welcoming the mountain god into the village ensures that the mountain god won't see anything that might upset him, and will instead make the mountain god happier.

Gao Hai had a vague idea of ​​how much of this rule was just a matter of etiquette and how much actually had some special effect. However, to verify it, he figured he'd have to wait until he had a chance to get his hands on some of the firecrackers from this place.

In the mental link, there are no problems on Jianzi's side for the time being. In fact, she seems to have discovered something. However, because her senses are too sharp, Jianzi is not too bold to investigate directly. Instead, she is cautiously probing, so she cannot confirm the specific situation for the time being.

As for Hayasaka, Kaguya, and Ichiri, who have lost contact, Takami genuinely doesn't know their current situation. However, based on his intuition, he believes they are probably alright and still somewhere diligently investigating and gathering clues. After all, they are no longer newcomers; having gone through so many trials, they wouldn't be easily defeated by such a simple spatial teleportation or separation tactic.

Now, it's time to carefully confirm what this so-called Little Black Mountain God actually is, and how many players are currently in [Li Family Village].

I stepped out of the dimly lit house.

The sun was shining brightly outside, and the village buildings and green trees scattered on the hillside intertwined, looking very much like the world of the living, not at all like the world of the [Sacrifice Game] in the underworld.

This time, Gao Hai and his two companions left Li Eryang's house and went directly to the dirt road outside.

The villagers who had been standing in front of their homes were still standing there, waiting devoutly for the arrival of the mountain god statue.

There were also some villagers who were a little different, leading one or two or a few people who looked quite different from the villagers, slowly moving towards one side of the road.

Under Li Eryang's guidance, Gao Hai and his two companions quickly joined the team.

Finally, I found other players.

With just one glance, Gao Hai could tell that these guys, whose style was completely different from the villagers, were players who, like him, had no choice but to enter this instance.

Five...ten...thirty...fifty...am I really going to go that many? Wait, the aura of these players doesn't seem like that of Red Moon level players. Could it be that they are mostly Dark Night level or even Twilight level players who went to the then-unfixed [Infant Cry Village] dungeon to try and pick up some loot?

After merely sensing the aura of these players, whose expressions were filled with fear and unease, and who were mostly at a loss, Gao Hai's expression became quite interesting.

He realized that the issues he needed to consider in this instance were not just the safety of his teammates. This group of low-level players, just like the students at Fujika Middle School, posed a huge risk of being unreliable, and because they were players, they were far more capable of causing trouble than high school students. They might just give him some rather significant surprises.

Tread - Tread -

More and more footsteps are gradually gathering.

Led by these villagers, more and more players gathered on a wide road that could easily accommodate two vans passing side by side, gradually approaching the center of the village.

Some players who were on good terms with each other approached each other, whispering amongst themselves. Others looked terrified, as if they might collapse to the ground or suddenly turn and run away at any moment… Yes, some had already fled. None of the villagers paid any attention to the escapees, seemingly completely indifferent to their actions. Gao Hai had used his auditory blessing to observe these escapees and could confirm that their running sounds disappeared abruptly after leaving the village area. There were also a few escapees who hadn't left the village but were trying to hide in other villagers' homes. The footsteps of these players disappeared after entering the villagers' houses, and no matter how hard Gao Hai listened, he couldn't hear a sound from them.

A small square can already be seen ahead.

Upon arriving at this location, Gao Hai quickly counted the number of players present. Excluding his own team, there were a total of 47 people, with 8 others having escaped. Of these escapees, only one person who had neither entered a house nor left the village could still be heard breathing; the others had all vanished without a trace.

Gao Hai was certain that among the remaining forty-odd players, the vast majority were just players who were picking up scraps and had no ability to challenge the Red Moon level dungeon. There were probably less than 10 players who had truly reached the Red Moon level and could provide assistance to Gao Hai in this mission.

This is truly... a terrible situation in every sense.

Once these low-level players die in a dungeon, the monsters they transform into will definitely be more dangerous than ordinary people. This is because after they become monsters, the survivors often need to worry not only about the characteristics of the monsters they become, but also about the chain reaction of the obsessions they carry.

For example, there was Toyama Akira, whom Gao Hai encountered at Hayate Elementary School. Although that man was actually out of control rather than transformed into a monster, his condition at the time was very close to that of a monster-transformed player. Or consider Kawano, who attacked Gao Hai in the Red Nut Gray Hole during his second playthrough. That guy was only possessed by a Twilight-level monster, yet he almost killed Gao Hai. And obviously, the Night-level players who could come to this place must have more than one obsession item. If those obsession items didn't immediately go out of control after they died and transformed into monsters, but instead remained on their bodies and took effect on their own, or merged with the monster-transformed players, what a chaotic scene that would be! Gao Hai really didn't want to think about it.

However, while he was observing others, others were also observing him.

{Hey Cat Bro, that guy looks familiar. Did Sister Xiong Mi show us his picture? I think his name is... Gao... Gao something?}

Among the walking players, in an inconspicuous corner, a young man glanced in Gao Hai's direction, then used the mental link artifact within the team to ask a man wearing sunglasses and summer clothes a question.

{The player who single-handedly solved the Alice Trap at Fujika Middle School and rescued Xiongmi, single-handedly solved the Hayate Elementary School and rescued Yuanshan Ming and an ordinary human, led the [Slacking Off Gang] and [Red Knot Society] members to solve the Nightfall Mountain Middle School and Baidos Academy, and completely destroyed the Red Moon-level dungeon [Campus Ghost Stories], is Gao Hai, yes, that's him.}

The man known as Cat Bro walked along, seemingly unmoved while wearing sunglasses, but in reality, he was explaining the situation to his companions through a mental link.

{This...this...this...is he some kind of reincarnated deity? Isn't this a bit too exaggerated!?}

The young man who had just asked the question was stunned and shocked. He was completely bewildered. For a moment, he didn't even dare to turn his head to look at Gao Hai. He even began to wonder if the other party had already sensed him and seen everything that was happening on his side.

Don't get so worked up here. Now's not the time to think about these things. We're almost at the square. Let's figure out what's going on with that statue of the Little Black Mountain God first. If you want to rely on someone else, you'll have to be able to survive until then!

Cat Brother's tone turned stern as he seriously reprimanded his companion.

The procession of villagers and players gradually came to a halt. As the surroundings widened, a small square with a raised platform and pebbles appeared before them. On the other side of this square, from the path leading up the mountain and disappearing into the forest, came the lively sounds of gongs and drums.

Chapter Nine: The Strange Ritual to Welcome the Mountain God and a Glimpse in the Dark

dong dong!dong dong!

The heavy drumbeats continued, booming and resounding, making Gao Hai feel as if his heart was being assimilated by the rhythm and beating at the same frequency.

dong dong!dong dong!

The villagers, dressed in strange clothes, swung their wooden sticks and brought them down heavily, each strike as if they were trying to shatter a drum.

dong dong!dong dong!

The ever-spreading drumbeats seemed to come from a distant place, extending from the depths of mountains whose end could not be seen, and their power did not diminish even when they reached the village.

The tremor spread from beneath the ground, from within the walls of houses, and from every grain of dust in the air.

All the villagers watching the drummer in the square showed expressions of utmost piety at that moment. Some clasped their hands together in silent prayer, others closed their eyes and bowed their heads to mutter something, and some even knelt down and began to prostrate themselves on the mountain path.

dong dong!dong dong!

As the heavy drumbeats resounded, the players in the plaza began to waver, struggling to maintain their footing under the overwhelming and eerily oppressive force of the music. Soon, most of the players collapsed to the ground, unable to rise. A few even fainted, their consciousness fading instantly.

Gao Hai made no move.

Although the eerie drumming did have some effect on him, his mental strength wouldn't waver due to such an impact. Maki and Chika, standing beside him, clearly showed signs of strain, but the two girls decisively moved closer to Takami, using his body to support themselves, thus avoiding an embarrassing situation like collapsing on the spot.

Don't force yourself to fight back; just stay conscious and make sure nothing invades your mind.

Gao Hai, who was giving these reminders to the two girls leaning against him, was now observing every corner of the square.

He was confirming that the players were still able to stand normally and were completely unaffected at this time.

While the drumbeats just now didn't possess any eerie properties, they contained an unimaginable sense of oppression. Players whose willpower didn't reach the limits of human endurance would inevitably faint under such pressure. Players whose consciousness had surpassed human limits but hadn't yet reached a sufficiently formidable level would struggle to control their bodies and would still end up sitting awkwardly on the ground. Only players who could stand normally, with no outward signs of injury, were considered top-tier Red Moon level players.

1, 2... a total of 10.

Gao Hai finally identified 10 players who were still standing in place, three of whom were in groups of three, and one was a lone wolf standing alone.

These players might become allies later, or they might become enemies. Gao Hai made a note of them, planning to try to communicate with them in a while to see if there was an opportunity for cooperative progress. He knew that his Red Moon-level player teammates in the previous Nightfall Mountain Middle School mission had been of considerable help; if he could have equally reliable and powerful players as allies this time, he would gladly accept them without hesitation.

However, these things cannot be rushed now; we can only wait until the current ceremony is over.

Gao Hai, who was observing silently, did not rush to act, and the players who could stand normally did not make any unusual moves. They just looked at each other and became acquainted.

Boom!

The heavy drumbeats had changed their tune sometime earlier.

Then, the dance troupe appeared.

From the paths leading to the square around the village, and from the woods beside the mountain path, figures emerged swiftly at that moment.

A bizarre, distorted mask covered his face, and a colorful, seemingly haphazardly sewn-together garment with long sleeves made Gao Hai feel as if various colors were constantly flying before his eyes, making it impossible to see the specific movements clearly.

It's as if these dancing villagers are no longer themselves, but have become something else through dance and costume, to the point that their own existence has become blurred.

Then some female villagers came out, dressed in pale white clothes, and began to sing.

No, was that really singing?

The song contained no meaningful lyrics; it sounded like the sounds of various animals or the impersonation of some inhuman monster.

A blurry, distorted figure was dancing, baring its fangs and claws.

The pale-faced woman was singing, howling, and roaring mournfully.

The figures of the dancers and singers seemed to overlap at this moment; they seemed to merge together, becoming a unified whole through sound and movement.

Flames ignited from the high platform in the center of the square.

The piercing sound of the suona suddenly became sharp and shrill.

More villagers dressed in strange costumes came down from the mountain.

They ran and screamed on the road, rolled around on the ground like madmen, or did all sorts of bizarre and incomprehensible things.

No.

Gao Hai suddenly realized that the villagers' actions were not entirely incomprehensible.

The villagers running around were like gray deer in the forest.

The screaming villagers looked ferocious, like tigers and bears eyeing their prey.

The villagers rolling on the ground resembled ferocious and violent wild boars with tusks.

It turned out to be the case.

These villagers are playing the roles of animals.

Gao Hai suddenly realized what was going on with this bizarre scene that resembled a reenactment of primitive society.

However, if these strangely dressed villagers are playing animals.

Were those dancers and singers before also portraying something? Something... something extremely terrifying, whose form and appearance cannot be clearly defined?

Boom boom boom!

The heavy drumbeats changed the tune once again.

The villagers who were responsible for carrying the mountain god statue still haven't come out of the dirt road.

The shouting villagers had disappeared sometime earlier.