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

After the night had lasted for more than twelve hours, everyone couldn't help but have this thought.

No light shone through the window, and the biting cold still surrounded everyone intensely, pervading every corner of the room. Only the burning stove could slightly dispel the chill.

Nearly sixteen hours had passed since they entered the instance. The group ate something simple and continued sitting by the fire on the ground, which had been cleaned multiple times but still retained some traces and an unpleasant odor. After waiting a while longer, Kaguya frowned, looked out the window for a long time, and finally couldn't help but speak through the mental link.

{By now, the night has lasted more than three times longer than the daytime, but the sunlight hasn't returned. I'm wondering if it's actually already daylight? Could it be that because we've closed the doors and windows, some kind of cyclical blocking effect has occurred, preventing us from confirming whether it's actually daytime outside? If it's already daylight outside, then aren't we wasting a lot of time sitting here?}

Kaguya was a little anxious. After two playthroughs, she was well aware of the complexity and danger of this instance, so sitting still without taking any action was quite torturous for her.

Yotsuya Miko has disappeared. According to what Taka-kun said after waking up from his dream, her current condition is probably quite bad.

Furthermore, in the memories that Gao Jun had already deleted, according to Gao Jun's own description, it seemed to be an unprecedentedly powerful source of pollution that could not be erased by the black watch's rewind function and could affect across game cycles. The disappearance of Jianzi was due to it, and when that thing would reappear, and whether it would cause further casualties to the team, were questions that could not be answered at the moment.

Although Kaguya has experienced quite a bit by now, the bizarre and complex situation this time still caused her some anxiety. Therefore, rather than sitting and waiting, she preferred to take action, even though it was hard to guarantee that things wouldn't go wrong if she did take action in this environment.

{Perhaps it's possible, but I think it's just speculation, Grandma. We can't rush things like this. Hmm, based on the information we have about this instance so far, there's nothing that directly points to Grandma's guess. I'm more inclined to believe that the villagers' disappearance and the failure to hold the festival have created some kind of chain reaction. Hmm, of course, there's no evidence for that either. Haijun, do you have any way to sense what's happening outside? The night has indeed lasted too long now; it's necessary to check the situation.}

Sensing that Kaguya was a little anxious, Maki first communicated with Kaguya through a mental link, and then looked at Takami to see what he had to do.

{If we're going to try, well, it seems the only option is for the rescue team. Old Guo's cooldown timer has passed, but figuring out how to test it is a tricky problem. Let's wait a little longer... eight hours. If it's still not light after eight hours, we'll test it in the third-floor room.}

Gao Hai lowered his head and thought for a moment, then looked up at the wooden ceiling and released his senses to sense it.

During the extended period of darkness, the players in the various rooms of the village have not yet made any unusual moves. This is because everyone trusts the rules and therefore does not see anything wrong with the current prolonged darkness.

As for Gao Hai, although the girls all felt that the current long night was very strange, considering that they had not experienced a complete day-night cycle in the previous two cycles, Gao Hai decided to wait until 24 hours had passed, that is, until a full day had been spent, before making any plans.

{Is the auditory blessing still not working?}

Chika, who was quietly standing next to Gao Hai, looked at him at this moment.

{Yes, it's still the same; we can only confirm other players' situations through land deeds.}

Gao Hai nodded, his expression serious.

From the moment darkness descends upon this place, a subtle problem persists. When players use Eriko Asamoto's Hearing Blessing to listen to external sounds, they find themselves unable to hear anything. Outside the room, there is absolute silence, as if the entire village or the entire instance space has vanished, providing no feedback whatsoever.

This is highly unusual, considering there are actually many players remaining in the village, dozens scattered across different rooms. Theoretically, the Hearing Blessing should be able to sense those people even from a great distance. However, unless Gao Hai uses the power of the Earth Deed to directly perceive the entire village, he can't sense anything at all using the Hearing Blessing alone; it's as if the entire village has ceased to exist.

The first to notice this was Chika, who had been carefully using her blessing power to check her surroundings. Realizing the problem, she immediately informed Takami. It was then that Takami discovered the issue: her auditory blessing was no longer detecting other players outside. It's worth noting that the auditory blessing wasn't incapable of reaching outside the room. Whether it was Takami, Chika, or the others using the blessing, they could all feel its power penetrating through walls and windows, reaching any area within a three- or five-kilometer radius. The only problem was that no matter how they probed, the blessing wouldn't respond.

Several people had their own guesses about this situation. Gao Hai himself believed that [Li Family Village] would enter a special state at night, rendering ordinary perception ineffective. Kaguya thought it might be a kind of rule-based blocking effect, a resonance between the village itself and the villagers' cognition and memories, thus forming a unique rule characteristic where they could not perceive each other. Chika's conjecture was the most unique. She felt that this so-called "night" state might directly transfer everyone to another dimension, with only players in the same building being teleported to the same area. She even suspected that outside there was only complete darkness and emptiness, with nothing at all.

It has to be said that Chika always seems to be the boldest when it comes to analyzing and speculating about situations. However, considering that this girl's predictions have come true many times, Takami is somewhat inclined to believe that the real situation is probably more similar to what she said.

Even so, after rescue team member Lao Guo was killed instantly, Gao Hai remained cautious about confirming the situation outside and decided to wait a while longer.

Snap—crackling—

From time to time, sounds could be heard from the stove burning with firewood.

After the group sat in the room for a while longer, the atmosphere suddenly became somewhat somber.

Gao Hai lowered his head, his gaze once again falling on his palm, on the centipede-like marks on his skin that had expanded slightly, and then remained silent.

{Haijun, come with me to the second floor. The situation in this village is so unusual right now; I think it's necessary to check the other rooms in this building again.}

Then, Zhenfei suddenly stood up and looked at Gao Hai in the mental link and said.

{Oh well}

Although he hadn't expected Maki to suddenly make such a request, Gao Hai didn't think there was anything wrong with it, so he nodded and stood up.

She probably wanted to talk to me about something while she was checking on me. After spending so much time together, Gao Hai knew Maki's personality quite well, and knew she must have noticed something and wanted to talk to me alone. Hmm, maybe she wanted to reassure me not to be too anxious about Miko's disappearance, although I was confident that I was controlling my emotions well and there was nothing wrong with me.

{Is she planning to take this opportunity to get intimate with Ahai?}

Chika blinked and suddenly asked in the mental link.

{No way! How could I do something like that at a time like this? Stop thinking about such lewd things, okay?}

Upon being suddenly brought up this matter, Maki immediately frowned, earnestly refuting it in the mental link, and glaring fiercely at Chika. Perhaps due to the conflict between the two after the Red Nut Gray Hole dungeon incident, even now, Maki and Chika occasionally clash. Or rather, even now, Chika still frequently makes Maki lose her temper and argue with her over a few words. Of course, this level of arguing doesn't qualify as true animosity; it's more like bickering.

Taking advantage of the situation to get intimate? She's supposed to be patrolling and checking for danger, why is she looking for an opportunity to get intimate under these circumstances? Maki-san, you don't even have this side to her?!

Kaguya, standing to the side, was taken aback. Because she had only taken the final step with Takami not long before the [Infant Cry Village] dungeon opened, she was still quite unfamiliar with erotic jokes. Therefore, she took Chika's words seriously and even went further, suspecting that Maki was going to have a "board shaking" with Takami and everyone else on the second floor through the wooden planks. A blush immediately appeared on her face.

{I think...we're still in the instance phase, and even if there's no danger right now, it's not the time to do that kind of thing, is it? Um...if Gao Jun really needs it, I think we can just stay here. If the two of us go far away and encounter danger, we might not be able to react in time, since it's hard for a person's attention to be diverted in that state...}

Kaguya, somewhat incoherent, waved her little hands, awkwardly trying to persuade him through the mental link.

This gesture made Hayasaka and Chika burst out laughing at the same time, while Maki covered her face in embarrassment and said in the mental link, "I would never do such a thing, okay? I'm not that kind of person who's particularly thirsty."

Takahashi wanted to laugh, but Kaguya was already annoyed by Chika and Hayasaka's laughter, so he kept a straight face and maintained the serious expression of the Great King without actually laughing.

{…}

Sitting on the edge of the stove, Goto Ichiri shrank back, looking at everyone present with a somewhat blank expression.

She had heard the conversation that had just taken place in the mental link, but she couldn't find an opportunity to participate. She wanted to laugh but didn't dare, and she didn't know how to respond, so she could only stand there awkwardly and watch.

Sometimes it's really hard to tell whether they have a good relationship or a bad one, with so many girls revolving around one man.

Fortunately, thanks to the temporary mental link established by the object of her obsession, Kita Ikuyo, who was originally invisible, has become visible and communicable. Therefore, Ichiri doesn't have to worry about being alone and feeling awkward; there is still someone she can talk to.

{Um...they must be very close, right? If they weren't close, they wouldn't do that kind of thing together, would they?}

After hearing Kita's words, Ichiri hesitated for a moment before quietly refuting him.

{That kind of thing? Hey, Pochi-chan, do you know what they did?}

Now it was Kita's turn to be stunned. She had always thought that Ichiri didn't have a deep understanding of Takami's decadent daily life.

{I asked Chika a few times, and then... well... anyway... I gained a lot of knowledge...}

Feeling a little guilty, Ichiri lowered his head and ultimately didn't try to talk to Chika. As they chatted, the topic inexplicably shifted to Takami. Ichiri bravely expressed his desire to learn more about Takami, and their conversation gradually took on a slightly suggestive tone. After Chika explained various ways to play with Takami, Ichiri became more and more excited and interested, ultimately gaining a significant amount of theoretical knowledge.

Restraints, cream-filled bread, Jenga, dog games… it has to be said that Mr. Kai is truly remarkable in every sense. However, he is, after all, the unprecedented strongest player, so it's only natural that he's reached the pinnacle in this area as well. Yes, despite knowing many decadent things that would be criticized even in modern society, Goto Ichiri still thinks Takami is extraordinary. She feels that such things, once they exceed the limits of ordinary people, are actually worthy of respect, and she has developed a deeper sense of admiration for Takami.

Because she had to be with Takami every moment, Kita obviously couldn't keep a close eye on Ichiri's distorted personality development. So when she finally discovered this, she was stunned. She felt like her little angel had been tainted by a demon and had fallen into the dark, evil world of a little devil.

No... it's not fair to call Mr. Gao a demon. After experiencing several time-travel events with him and truly feeling the pain he went through, Kita has now withdrawn many of his negative opinions about Gao and has begun to think of him as a remarkable person.

Even so, you can't lead Boqi-chan astray like this! Why does she think this is something to be proud of? This is completely abnormal!

In short, let's go up to the second floor and check the situation first. If there are any problems, I'll explain through our mental link. You two also need to be careful; something might approach after we leave, since according to the rule table, something should approach during nighttime.

At this moment, Gao Hai had already grabbed the hand of Zhen Fei, who was embarrassed and annoyed and wanted to argue with Qian Hua again, and led her out of the area of ​​the stove, turned on the flashlight and went upstairs.

The little farce in the group didn't really make everyone relax. After a brief moment of laughter, everyone returned to a serious state and continued to carefully guard their surroundings.

Because Takami was only moving around indoors for a short distance, Kita didn't need to return to Takami's side and could continue to stay by Ichiri's side. However, after hesitating for a while, she silently followed behind Takami and Maki, floating through the ceiling to the second floor ahead of them to scout the situation.

It looks the same as when we investigated before. The sealed windows are still sealed properly, and all the furniture in each room is in its original state.

There are no abnormalities; it seems this examination shouldn't reveal any problems.

Thinking this, Kita turned around and saw Takami coming up the stairs. Their eyes met, and Kita nodded slightly to Takami to indicate that there was no problem. Then he passed through the ceiling again and looked at the situation on the third floor, confirming that the doors and windows were properly sealed and that there was no unusual change in the room.

As for whether to try to penetrate the wall and observe the outside situation, Kita had considered it. After all, she was essentially enveloped by Takami's spiritual power, so theoretically, this clone active outside wouldn't be directly attacked even if it saw something. But upon closer inspection, while she herself would be fine, Takami might be harmed, so after only a brief consideration, she abandoned the idea.

{It seems there's nothing wrong; there's no eerie aura, no unusual phenomena, everything is normal.}

After checking again, Gao Hai spoke calmly in the mental link.

{It's good that nothing unusual is happening, but if this stalemate continues and nothing changes outside, it will be troublesome. Hopefully, things will return to normal during the day; otherwise, if this situation continues, I suspect many players will try to leave their rooms at night.}

After carefully inspecting the area again, Consort Zhen stopped and sighed softly.

Let's deal with the problems when they actually arise. There's no need to put pressure on ourselves about things that haven't happened yet. Shall we go back?

Gao Hai didn't seem to care much about this, and just smiled and said in the mental link.

{Yes, I'm fine. But Hai-kun, are you alright? With Kanko-san disappearing and the curse attacking you again, is this going to be okay? If you're feeling stressed, it's better to say something. Everyone and I are worried about you, Hai-kun.}

Blinking, Maki stopped leaning against a pillar at the top of the stairs and looked at Gao Hai, speaking softly.

{As expected, you brought this up. Hmm… I admit, Jianzi's disappearance was a huge shock to me. It was really agonizing when I first realized I couldn't find her in Blood City. But now, things are alright. I can still sense her presence through our mental link, and she was even able to communicate with me in the dream I just had. All these things prove she's safe and sound. So, all I need to do is bring her back. Knowing this, I feel much calmer. Don't worry, I'll be fine. I'll lead everyone to break through the core obsession and successfully complete the level, just like before. Trust me!}

Hearing the expected words, Gao Hai smiled again, his gaze softening considerably.

He spoke firmly to Zhenfei through the mental link, making a very solemn promise.

But Maki's subsequent reaction was not what Takahashi had expected.

{Successfully clearing the level? Hmm, I don't doubt Haijun's ability to do it; I've always believed in him in this matter. However, as things continue like this, I have a very bad feeling, and lately I've become increasingly uneasy.}

The girl sighed softly, bumped her back against the pillar behind her, and looked at Gao Hai, continuing to speak in the mental link.

The difficulty and danger of each dungeon we've encountered have increased with each iteration. It seems that no matter how much we improve our strength or how much power we acquire, we remain stuck in a difficult and troublesome situation. We still encounter problems that require the Sea King to reload the game to solve, and now we've even encountered monsters that steal our teammates...

Sometimes I feel like we're playthings of gods and demons. Like those KPs you mentioned before, whom we've never even seen—these are beings we can't touch or understand, watching us from afar, observing our every struggle and death.

{The [Campus Ghost Stories] dungeon, which Haijun has already broken through, is universally recognized as the top-tier Red Moon-level dungeon. Logically, we shouldn't encounter anything more difficult or dangerous than this dungeon. However, the [Infant Cry Village] dungeon has already introduced many things that defy understanding and common sense. Even though Nightfall Mountain Middle School is already incredibly complex and twisted, the most troublesome and difficult dungeon we've ever seen, the new dungeon we're entering is already overwhelming just with what it's showing so far. Every time we get a little stronger, the difficulty of the situations we encounter increases exponentially. At this rate, can we really... keep winning?}

With a sigh, Maki's expression showed a hint of weariness.

It was only at this moment that Gao Hai, in a brief moment of stunned silence, realized that although Maki always cared about him and everyone else, and always tried her best to help others relieve their emotions, becoming a pillar of support for the entire team, she also accumulated pressure. She also had moments of anxiety and fatigue; it's just that Maki rarely showed this vulnerable side of herself.

After the trials of the Shirakawa Apartment and the emotional turmoil following the Red Nut Gray Hole incident, she almost never showed such vulnerability again, instead forcing herself to mature and become a reliable support for everyone. However, under the pressure of these challenging trials, she also accumulated pain deep inside. Especially after she established a deeper connection with Takahashi, allowing her to retain her reverted memories, she had actually built up considerable pressure.

{sorry}

Gao Hai lowered his head.

{Ugh, why am I saying sorry? No… I'm the one who should be apologizing. I meant to comfort Haijun, but I ended up complaining to him instead…}

Upon hearing this, Consort Zhen was stunned for a moment before realizing what she had just said. Her expression became flustered, and she stamped her foot in annoyance.

Gao Hai's reaction was to walk straight up and hug Zhenfei. With a little effort, he straightened up, and the petite Zhenfei, who was less than 1.6 meters tall, was lifted off the ground by Gao Hai's arms.

{Whoa, what are you doing? If you do that, Chika will be right—we really did run away!}

Perhaps because they had been intimate many times before, the Princess was not too out of line. She just blushed slightly and gently punched Gao Hai's waist in protest.

I just feel that actions speak louder than words in expressing my feelings.

Gao Hai replied earnestly, lowering his head and forcefully seizing the girl's aura.

Kita Iku, watching this scene from a distance, had a complicated expression. He shook his head helplessly and then hid on the third floor to avoid being dazzled by this despicable couple.

Even if actions speak louder than words, you still need to exercise restraint. Sometimes I even suspect you're a reincarnated stallion.

Feeling the warmth of the embrace, Maki, though still stubborn, had already habitually closed her eyes and buried her head in Takahashi's chest.

{A stallion might only ejaculate a couple hundred times a year at most, I think I'm much better than that.}

Gao Hai refuted Zhen Fei with great arrogance.