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

While none of the team members, including Gao Hai, discovered anything and only experienced the oppressive feeling of being watched by someone in a superior position, Jianzi's overly powerful perception came into play once again, allowing her to directly see and sense something special.

As a price for observation, that thing directly corrupted Jianzi, killing her and turning her into a monster.

Cognitive pollution.

The only explanation for this situation is something that possesses the ability to perceive pollution. This isn't unfamiliar to Gao Hai; he's encountered things that change based on a player's perception since the Shirakawa Apartments.

The problem is that the spread of contaminated information should usually be a gradual process, unless it touches something too outrageous all at once, something close to or even directly related to the source of the instance... Ah, such a thing is not impossible for Jianzi, so what she saw at that moment was a key clue behind the existence of the [Little Black Mountain God], so key that the girl only glanced at it, and the price was that she died on the spot.

However, the speed is a bit too fast.

Miko Yotsuya has grown a lot since then. Her willpower and extraordinary power are not weak. She should not have died so quickly. She should not have been corrupted so quickly just because she sensed something, and ended up in this horrible state.

Is it because the enemy this time is too heavyweight, so Miko simply cannot withstand this pollution?

Or is the problem somewhere else, but the key issue is just hard to spot on the surface?

Gao Hai suddenly recalled some of his experiences during his first playthrough.

Based solely on the intensity of mental pollution he had experienced, this mountain god didn't seem capable of instantly killing Jianzi. In fact, Gao Hai's confusion about Jianzi's situation stemmed primarily from his repeated experience of the thing's aura and power, knowing that this level of power posed no threat to the player's life, at least not enough to instantly kill them within a second.

However, that was only the "one second" that Gao Hai "felt." The actual time that passed in Miko's perception was not necessarily like that.

Just like when Gao Hai provoked the mountain god and was enveloped by its power, if it weren't for the intervention of the [Moyu Gang] and the power of that mysterious paper money artifact, Gao Hai's consciousness might still be trapped for that one second and unable to break free. The same applies to Jian Zi's situation. Everyone was indeed only glanced at, but the actual time that thing focused on the players was likely to be completely different for each person.

If we think about it in this direction, is the different time passage experienced by different players adjusted according to the player's mental state, or is it entirely determined by the mountain god?

If it is the latter, could it be that the mountain god did it on purpose?

{Sea King!}

Before he could finish thinking, Maki's shouts rang out beside him.

But even faster than Maki was another girl whose eyes had already turned blood red.

Be careful, everyone!

The crimson domain erupted violently, blasting away Jianzi's headless body and quickly enveloping every player present.

Goto Ichiri had already plucked several notes on the strings, but her expression remained grave, and the surrounding circumstances showed no change. Clearly, no matter how she manipulated her clone or altered its actions, she couldn't prevent Miko's death and the strange possession. It was as if this event was fixed on a timeline; it was bound to happen at the appointed time, and nothing could stop it.

{Gao Jun, Yotsuya-kun, she...}

Kaguya, who had just released her domain, spoke, wanting to say something to Takahashi.

But before she could finish speaking, the headless corpse had already risen from the ground, its body riddled with wounds from the impact of the crimson field. Strangely, Gao Hai could clearly see that large and small red flowers were beginning to grow from those wounds.

very beautiful.

This was Gao Hai's first instinctive reaction.

Although the idea was quite strange, at that moment, when he saw the swaying, mutilated corpse stand up, and when he saw one blood-red flower after another bloom from the body, Gao Hai's first reaction was that it was beautiful.

Yes, it's really beautiful, isn't it?

Such beautiful flowers.

So cute, so beautiful.

Seeing such beautiful flowers makes all worries disappear, doesn't it?

Accept it.

Accept it with your heart and soul.

Just like the sweet and wonderful time you once had with it.

Accept its existence, just as your ancestors did.

Accept it, accept it, accept it, accept it, accept it, accept it, accept it, accept it, accept it, accept it, accept it, accept it, accept it, accept it, accept it, accept it…

"cough!"

Gao Hai coughed up a mouthful of blood.

When the crimson liquid fell to the ground, blood-red flowers bloomed.

At the same time, several dark red flowers slowly grew on Gao Hai's chest.

A spiritual curse...no...a curse in my blood...what is this feeling? These sounds, these breaths, it's like a long-awaited reunion...no, for me this isn't a long-awaited reunion, I've never seen it before, never come into contact with it, but, but...

Gao Hai looked around in silence.

Shinbi, Kaguya, Chika, Hayasaka, Ichiri.

The five girls had all lost their breath, and blood-red flowers had all grown on them. They stood motionless in silence.

The vivid and beautiful blood blossoms emerged from the girls' skin, hair, eyes, noses, and even from every corner of their bodies. Holes of all sizes spread across their bodies, and more and more vines grew within them, densely producing even more flowers.

How beautiful!

Did you feel it?

It never truly left.

It has always been here, always around us, always inside our bodies.

It's just that everyone has forgotten its existence; no one can remember it anymore.

But it doesn't matter.

You've remembered it all, haven't you?

Come on, accept its existence.

Accept this incomparably beautiful and desirable beauty.

"Huh...huh..."

The crimson flowers are gradually spreading.

Gao Hai stumbled backward, then, weakened, he involuntarily knelt on the ground.

Gollum—

Not far away, Maki, who was still walking towards Gao Hai, suddenly twitched her cheeks slightly, as if she wanted to say something.

When Gao Hai raised his head and looked at Zhen Fei, he saw several small flowers slowly growing on the girl's face. And, as more vines spread, the face peeled off from her forehead and slowly slid down.

pat!

The girl's cheek, which was already half-covered in blood, detached from her head and fell to the ground.

The skull itself no longer shows any nerves, bones, or brain; beneath the skin are only tendrils and flowers, wriggling and spreading in a blood-red hue.

I felt being watched.

In a daze, Gao Hai once again felt the gaze of the mountain god.

A gaze filled with incomprehension, pity, and regret, as if lamenting something, as if recalling something.

But that doesn't matter, does it?

Because you've found it again.

You are with it again.

This time, let's not abandon it again, okay?

It's good enough that we can all be happy together like this, isn't it?

It was as if such a voice was resounding from the depths of one's own heart.

Such a warm, convincing voice, leaving no room for doubt.

Of course, people born in this universe, this world, this planet, and on this land cannot doubt this voice.

Gao Hai was already able to understand this point because many years ago, perhaps a thousand years, ten thousand years, or even longer, in the years that have vanished into history, all of humanity on the entire planet coexisted with this thing, and were parasitized by it in their flesh and blood.

Even though it has vanished without a trace and no longer exists in the real world, as long as someone sees it again, as long as someone remembers it, as long as it reappears before people, then it will be recalled. Once this condition is met, no power can refuse it, because the flesh and blood of humanity have forever remembered its existence, and have been eagerly awaiting its return, awaiting its reappearance.

"...Maybe next time I should think of a way to seal those eyes a little."

After a moment of silence, Gao Hai slowly stood up.

Reach out and grasp the crimson flower that has grown from my chest.

The next moment, Gao Hai forcefully tore the flowers apart and threw them on the ground.

He can refuse it.

Although the reason is unknown, Gao Hai seems to be able to resist its parasitism to some extent, thus slowing down the process.

Kita Ikuyo remained silent. It was unclear whether she was speechless because of the instantaneous annihilation of the entire group, or because she, as a [native world originator], had been corrupted in some way and was therefore unable to react for the time being.

After coughing up another mouthful of blood, Gao Hai turned around and strode forward into the village.

Gao Hai had no intention of trying to find out what kind of ghostly thing Jianzi saw at the mountain god's place, which led to the sudden annihilation of the entire party at the start. The mysteries between Li Family Village and Liu Family Village remained unsolved, and there was no trace of the Zhang family. Even if a terrifying thing suddenly appeared without any prior cause or effect, Gao Hai didn't intend to delve into it. After all, in a state of complete confusion with almost no useful clues, it was better to investigate along the existing leads than to study an isolated case with no connection to the main events.

As for the girls who were wiped out in one go, we'll have to wait until the next round.

Anyway... this isn't the first time something like this has happened...

Gao Hai staggered forward.

Maintained by the power of the Undying Blessing, Gao Hai, despite losing his heart, still retained his mobility, and his bodily functions continued to operate normally. However, the red flowers would still slowly grow from his body, gradually and irresistibly eroding it.

You can still feel the gaze of the mountain god.

I sensed a gaze that seemed to come from nowhere, a gaze that was not of human origin.

It was filled with compassion, lamentation, and admiration, as if it were a gaze that was quietly watching over someone.

Ok?

Gao Hai turned his head with some confusion, but the gaze had already disappeared, and the feeling just now seemed to be just Gao Hai's own illusion.

But he was certain that his perception was accurate.

So, that humane gaze just now was the gaze of the Little Black Mountain God?

Puzzled, Gao Hai turned back again, looking at the road ahead, at the dark country dirt road illuminated by dim red lanterns in the night.