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

But this time, Kita Ikuyo successfully broke through this limitation. Even in Blood City, her mind was active and she could communicate.

{Now we can communicate, right? So, is there anything else you want to ask or say? After we leave this space, it'll be time to restart the instance.}

Takami spoke to Kita through their mental link.

{...You, um, I...I don't have anything to say, it's just...uh, are you some kind of light novel protagonist? Being chosen by a powerful, unknown force, and being able to easily rewind time and start over...I'm completely at a loss for words. It feels like other players are fighting tooth and nail in dungeons, experiencing crises, while you, Mr. Gao, how should I put it, it's like you've turned dungeons into a game of make-believe...}

Kita's voice finally rang out in the mental link after a while. You could hear the shock and a hint of envy in her voice. It seemed that she thought that with the power of the black watch as a cheat, Gao Hai's every level was particularly easy and he could pass through it simply.

{I actually hope this thing can give me some peace of mind. You don't think I'm specifically running into Red Moon-level dungeons and actively breaking the core obsession because of this cheat, do you? I've suffered a lot because of this thing; I just haven't been completely killed by it yet.}

Gao Hai didn't say anything about this, but casually remarked in the mental link in a teasing tone.

He didn't consider the misunderstandings of others a big deal. After all, he was the one who possessed this power and bore this price, and in fact, compared to ordinary players who only had one life, Gao Hai at least had the opportunity to start over repeatedly, a fact he had to admit.

So, after a few more rollbacks, and after this little girl who is completely bound to her truly experiences the painful process of death, she will naturally understand that this cheat is not some simple, mindless, and user-friendly thing.

{...So, Mr. Gao, before you and Boqi rescued me from "Campus Ghost Stories," did you experience many failures?}

Hearing the sentimentality in Takahashi's tone, Kita paused for a moment, then thought of what had happened before and cautiously asked him about it.

{That's not important. Let's focus on the next issue first. You probably still remember at least a little bit about how Ichiri and I were turned into dumplings, right? Did you have any particular feelings at the time? Did you notice anything?}

Gao Hai's tone remained unchanged, but his expression had become focused.

Being turned into dumplings was no longer a shock to Gao Hai. Moreover, the mountain god's power was inexplicable; after being flattened, Gao Hai didn't feel particularly intense pain. He even had a strange feeling that "the pain has dissipated, it's time for a good night's sleep." It seemed that the thing didn't want to inflict too much pain on the sacrificed player, and even provided a sense of peace, causing the sacrificed player to fall into a state of unconsciousness.

This strange behavior, resembling end-of-life care, seemed highly suspicious to Gao Hai. Unfortunately, he had to divert a significant portion of his mental energy to combat the drowsiness, so he could only roughly observe his surroundings and couldn't gather many clues. Finally, unable to hold on any longer, Gao Hai decided to use the power of his watch to self-destruct, thus starting the second playthrough of this instance.

The survival time for the final first playthrough is approximately six to seven hours.

After being almost led by the nose at the beginning in [Li Family Village], to being forced to use aerial bombs before the exploration in [Liu Family Village] even began, to the reunion with Goto Ichiri in that nameless deserted village, and finally having to return to [Li Family Village] to test the mountain god and then being killed in a flash, it seems that not much happened in total. It can be said that it was only just beginning before it had to come to an end.

Of course, compared to the extremely high pressure of surviving for only an hour or two at Fujika Middle School, the oppressive atmosphere of [Infant Cry Village] was less intense in Gao Hai's opinion. Although the eerie little black mountain god seemed similar to Alice, possessing similar cognitive abilities and bizarre characteristics, this thing hadn't given Gao Hai a single second glance, much like a typical fantasy web novel's unfettered boss who lets the protagonist develop freely. If Gao Hai hadn't provoked him, he might have been able to live a little longer with Ichiri.

Hmm... that's not necessarily true. Although that thing looks down on players, the sudden mudslide when I was gathering information in the abandoned village was very likely a manifestation of the mountain god's power. This proves that if players really discover important clues, that thing will still intervene. It's just that the intervention isn't very strong; it seems to be merely driving them away.

However, this made Gao Hai feel somewhat conflicted.

Or, based on the currently known clues all pointing to the mountain god, this strange being has many contradictions.

Contempt, disdain—these were clear emotions Gao Hai had sensed from the mountain god, similar to those felt by humans.

Indifference, lack of emotion, and devoid of feeling—this was the kind of feedback Gao Hai sensed from the mountain god, a reaction unlike anything humans could produce.

At first glance, these two descriptions seem similar, but the differences are significant. The former is a clear emotional response, an expression of emotion that only intelligent life possesses. As for the latter, Gao Hai finds it difficult to explain. He only senses that when the mountain god conveys the latter emotion, the thing seems more like a stone than something alive.

There was also a disregard for the lives and health of the villagers, and then the villagers were casually resurrected. It seemed like they didn't care about anything, but after the sacrifice was taken away, they showed a reaction like a living person. However, after this reaction completed the annihilation of Gao Hai, it changed again and became completely unresponsive. Then, it reduced the intensity of Gao Hai's pain when he was being wrapped in dumplings, as if it was for his own good.

This split behavioral pattern and two completely different emotional expressions, combined with some of his own feelings, made Gao Hai wonder if the mountain god had different facets, or if there were multiple mountain gods, and what appeared to be just one statue actually contained more than one individual.

Unfortunately, Takami couldn't sense much back then, which is why he's now asking Kita Ikuyo and trying to get new clues from the girl.

{I realized… well, I wasn't actually very clear-headed at the time. My mental agility is linked to yours, Mr. Gao's; if your mental activity decreases, I can't maintain a particularly clear state either… But, let me think… how should I put it? At that time, I could hear the villagers celebrating outside the ancestral hall, but it seemed like there were other sounds mixed in with those celebratory noises. I couldn't tell if those sounds were coming from among the villagers or from another direction…}

Kita thought and recalled for a while, and actually said something unusual.

{Now let's try to recall things clearly, open our minds, and I'll open mine too. Let's open our memories together and see if we can find any clues.}

Without hesitation, Gao Hai directly manipulated his mental power to extract the memories and review them precisely.

Kita was initially somewhat resistant to this, reluctant to let a man see her memories. But she quickly overcame this mindset, swiftly adopting the player's perspective and revealing her memories as well.

Compared to something as trivial as a young girl's sense of shame, the survival of everyone is far more important. Kita understands this very well.

hum-

Takami and Kita's memories, pieced together along the timeline, resonate in sync.

The villagers' voices became clearer.

The voices mixed in with the villagers' words gradually became clearer.

what is that?

Gao Hai closed his eyes and listened intently.

At first, it seemed to be just some kind of unconscious murmur, a vague sound like a dream.

Then, gradually, it sounded like the sound of flowing water, like something breaking open and slowly letting water flow out.

Something is wriggling.

Amidst the laughter of the villagers, amidst their joyful celebrations of drinking and eating, a slow, wriggling sound was drowned out.

At the time, Takami was too drowsy to notice the subtle sound, and Kita's consciousness was not very clear either, so he could not hear the sound clearly and only had a vague impression of it.

But now, they have heard that voice again.

But what exactly is that sound?

Glug glug... glug...

It was viscous, surging, and spreading little by little.

Then, suddenly it became clear.

【Waaaaaah—Waaaaaahh ...

It's the sound of a baby crying.

Congratulations! It's a girl!

It was the sound of joy from the villagers.

[The offerings for the Empress have been secured, and with this new body born, ten more years have been added to her life.]

These were heartfelt congratulatory and well wishes from those around them.

These joyful voices mingled with the voices of the villagers at the banquet, making them almost indistinguishable from one another.

It wasn't until this moment, when Takami and Kita used the power of their blessings to replay their memories, that they were able to discover some clues.

Are these sounds coming from Liu Family Village?

After thinking for a while, Kita spoke.

Perhaps, if so, this should be the voice from the real Liu Family Village. The deserted village that night was probably just some kind of trap. No, not necessarily; we haven't seen the fox statue yet, so we can't draw any conclusions.

As Gao Hai answered, he couldn't help but savor the last few words he had just heard.

The villagers were genuinely congratulating the birth of a newborn.

But something felt off.

Gao Hai couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong, but he just felt that there was something clearly off about the villagers' attitude.

They seemed to be congratulating the mother, not the child. It was as if giving birth to the child would only bring some benefit to the mother, nothing more. The child itself was completely unimportant.

I have a really bad feeling about this...

Li Family Village is already twisted and difficult to deal with enough, but what's going on with Liu Family Village, and then there's the Zhang Family, for whom we still can't find a trace. Sigh, it's this complicated situation again. If only I could go to a Twilight-level dungeon and have a few fun runs instead of being stuck in this godforsaken place.

when!

As I was pondering, a clear chime rang out.

Gao Hai raised his head and looked towards the clock tower on one side of the square.

Something fell from the sky and landed in Gao Hai's hands.

He looked down and discovered that it was a dirty land deed, and the writing on it had become blurred because it had been stored for many years.

This thing seems to have been kept in the ancestral hall. Oh, I see. Because of the self-destruction, I managed to get it? That's quite unexpected. I originally thought I wouldn't have had a chance to get my obsession item this time.

when! !

The surrounding things began to gradually dissipate, slowly disappearing into the darkness.

Kita Ikuyo let out a gasp, then fell silent. She had probably already gone back to the instance.

when! ! !

As the final bell tolled, the blood-red city vanished without a trace, and Gao Hai's consciousness began to rise.

So, next, we need to think carefully about how to deal with those villagers and the mountain god behind them.

Light shone through the darkness.

Gao Hai opened his eyes and saw the girls around him, and the forest from the beginning.

A new game has begun.

Chapter 29: Communication Time and Actions for Change at the Start of a New Cycle

Under the blue sky and white clouds, primeval forests grow freely among the rolling mountains.

The lush green fields are arranged in layers on the hillside, with scarecrows draped in thatch and rags standing among them, like someone standing halfway up the mountain looking down.

The rushing water flows down from the towering mountains that disappear into the clouds, eventually gathering into a lake in the valley. Scattered villages and houses dot the mountainside, creating a sprawling area amidst the verdant forest.

At first glance, one might think this place is a picturesque spot, perfect for agritourism. But after experiencing this awful place firsthand, Gao Hai estimates that not only does he no longer feel anything for "Lijia Village," but if he ever has the chance to visit an agritourism destination in the future, he probably won't be able to truly relax and enjoy himself.

However, let's leave the future for later.

Right now, there's only one thing I need to do: crack all the core obsessions of this dungeon, achieve a perfect clear, and send all those scoundrels and that mountain god into the Blood City space to burn them every day.

"Well……"

The concubine beside her gasped softly, her expression slightly dazed, before quickly regaining her senses and turning to look at Gao Hai.

The other girls also regained consciousness at this time. Except for Chika and Hayasaka, who had not yet entered the Blood City space and had not retained their memories, everyone else had basically retained memories of the previous cycle. Well, Ichiri is an exception; she had only merged with Takami once, so she only had a vague impression and needed some time to recover her memories.

{Alright, everyone gather around. I'll recount my previous actions and the intelligence I've gathered. This time, we need to come up with an action plan as quickly as possible. You see, this time we're facing a completely different enemy. This is a group of rational, thoughtful individuals who will exploit the rules and intelligence gaps to find ways to kill us. We must go all out!}

Gao Hai stood silently in place, and after everyone had regained their senses, he solemnly spoke through the mental link.

Soon, the group slowly made their way down the mountain, behaving in a way that was not significantly different from their actions in the first playthrough to avoid being noticed. At the same time, they quickly exchanged information through their mental link, learning from Takahashi about his and Ichiri Kita's final actions and other intelligence.

{Wow, something like that really happened! They actually forced Haijun to do that. This dungeon is definitely not to be underestimated! Hmm, but it's always like this, so I guess I should get used to this pressure and high difficulty. Haijun, are you alright? If you're feeling any pressure after something like this, you must speak up. We all understand your actions at the time and can't blame you. In that situation, Haijun, the choice you made was indeed the best one.}

Maki's focus quickly shifted to Gao Hai's use of aerial bombs to eliminate his own people. She looked at Gao Hai with some concern, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke to him earnestly.

{Yeah, I'm fine. I'm not completely without pressure, but it's not enough to throw me off balance. I'm just a little angry and thinking about how to get back at those guys. Okay, now the most important thing is what we should do. Going straight into [Li Family Village] is definitely not an option. We must find a way to resolve the issues of the [Invitation] and the [Favor], otherwise, no matter what we do, we'll inevitably end up in a passive position.}