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

Let me give you happiness

Let me guide you into the future.

This is a perfect and happy world that belongs to all of us.

All you need to do is trust me.

Volume: Interlude, Part Four

Interlude 4-01: Back to Reality, Sixfold Blessing, and the Return of Alice

Congratulations on successfully clearing the Dark Night-level dungeon: Infant Cry Village!

[Congratulations on successfully conquering the Dark Night-level dungeon: Infant Cry Village. You have now earned the right to embark on the Path of Truth. We wish you the best of luck in reaching that path.]

[Player: Gao Hai]

[Now summarizing and evaluating individual player performance]

Your rating for this review is: S

[Congratulations on achieving the highest rating in the Dark Night dungeon! Your prize has been awarded.]

[Congratulations! You have achieved an A-rank or higher rating in two Dark Night dungeons. Access to Red Moon dungeons is now officially open to you.]

Wishing you a safe and successful game next time!

[Player Gao Hai]

Your next task will begin in 30 days.

[Expected Mission Level: Red Moon Level]

You can choose to trade dungeon entry tickets from other players to replace this quest, or participate on time.

open one's eyes.

Staring at the familiar ceiling, listening to the monotonous and rigid broadcast voice in my ears.

Returning to the real world once again, Gao Hai was overwhelmed with emotions and only wanted to sincerely say to the organizers of the "Sacrifice Game":

I'm so sad in the dark!

Holy crap, that's the highest rating for Dark Night level!

This is supposed to be Dark Night? Does your Dark Night have a Shub incarnation? Does your Dark Night have Naya followers? This Dark Night?! I'll smack your Dark Night my ass!!!

I really want to curse.

I really want to give this "sacrifice game" a good scolding.

But it's pointless.

After interacting with the KP doll and acquiring its legacy, Gao Hai understood that worrying about his dungeon quest level was pointless. Ultimately, from the moment he entered the [Sacrifice Game] with the black watch, he was destined to never live the life of an ordinary player or a normal person; he had to forge ahead relentlessly.

Even so, this kind of thing is really torturous. If he could, he'd really like someone to switch places with him, so he could take his wives away from the hustle and bustle and enjoy a good life, instead of experiencing a living hell in various insanely difficult dungeons. Sigh, but if he really did switch places with someone, it's hard to say whether the other person could handle this kind of pressure, so he'll just have to bear it himself; there's no other way.

hum-

While he was thinking, Gao Hai had already felt the changes in his body.

A powerful aura was gradually spreading across his body. The blessing power originating from the crimson flower was completely integrated into Gao Hai's body and soul over time, and at this moment, it gradually revealed its full form.

Among these, the first power of this blessing, namely the [Anchor of Life], remains unchanged since Gao Hai has already mastered it. However, Gao Hai noticed that compared to the dungeon world, this power's absorption of life force is significantly stronger now that he has returned to the real world. It seems that the real world is where this power can truly unleash its full potential, compared to the enclosed space of the dungeon. Of course, considering the effects of this power when fully activated, it's unlikely that Gao Hai will use it at full power in the real world.

The next step is to figure out what the remaining powers this blessing grants you are.

Thinking this, Gao Hai then saw himself.

The universe is twinkling.

Under the endless starry sky, in the infinite world, Gao Hai saw only himself.

No matter which world he looks towards, whether he is gazing at the past or the future, even though Gao Hai cannot truly possess a vision as vast as that of a god, he can still clearly realize the uniqueness he possesses now.

[I am the only one throughout eternity]

This was the second blessing that the Blood Flower bestowed upon Gao Hai.

From this moment on, in all the worlds and universes involved in the Blood Flower, Gao Hai's existence will possess the unique characteristic at the level of rules.

His existence cannot be copied by any force. His past and future are real only through the timeline he perceives. Any attack on him through spacetime or causality will be nullified. Any power that attempts to usurp and erode Gao Hai's existence will no longer be effective against him.

In other words, the timeline of whichever world Gao Hai exists in is anchored to him. Unless something with power far exceeding the Blood Flower's limit forcibly alters this rule, Gao Hai's existence itself is a stabilizing mechanism for spacetime. Of course, this function is actually of little significance to Gao Hai at present, since what could attack him from the perspective of spacetime causality couldn't be a strange entity; it could only be a being at the level of a god. And such a powerful being wouldn't need such a complicated method; they could simply crush Gao Hai.

However, in a sense, this blessing is also a declaration, a direct message to other high-ranking powerhouses, telling them that Gao Hai is protected by the Blood Flower, and that they should not try to harm Gao Hai if they do not want to die.

They really are treating me with all their heart. The kindness of the Outer God... it really makes me feel complicated.

Gao Hai, unsure of what to say about this blessing, calmed himself down and focused his attention on his other abilities, then paused for a moment in surprise.

[Proof of God's Name]

This is the third blessing that Blood Flower has bestowed upon itself.

Like the blessing of "Eternity Alone," this is also a permanent buff-type blessing, the kind that doesn't immediately increase Gao Hai's combat or exploration abilities. The effect of this blessing is very simple; it can be considered akin to a prophecy, a "future" forcibly confirmed by divine power and destined to be realized.

This refers to the future where "Gao Hai will inevitably become a god".

Order and chaos constitute the laws governing all things in the universe, and the existence of gods naturally lies within these rules. Blood Flower's third blessing was simple: it forcibly inscribed Gao Hai's name into the laws of order and chaos. Therefore, no matter what changes Gao Hai undergoes in the future, he will inevitably walk the path of becoming a god, surpassing his current life limits.

This kind of future anchoring is undoubtedly a very troublesome thing, and even if the future of becoming a god is anchored, there are still many uncertainties. For example, what if Gao Hai's soul is destroyed by something, leaving only his body to become a god or something like the so-called God of the Dead? But without a doubt, this anchor has forcibly removed many dangerous possibilities from Gao Hai's life. It can be said that as long as this anchor exists, Gao Hai is destined not to die suddenly for any reason, but will definitely live to the day he becomes a god.

Without saying anything more, Gao Hai quickly looked at the blood-red fourth blessing. This time, his expression became slightly more subtle.

The Origin of Humanity

As the fourth blessing bestowed upon Gao Hai by Xue Hong, this power was very simple: it made Gao Hai the father of all mankind.

Ahem, no, no, it should be said that Gao Hai became the emperor of mankind.

No, that sounds even more wrong.

Unlike the first three blessings, the fourth blessing was the power granted to Gao Hai by the combination of the Blood Flower and the [Essence] released by Gao Hai. This power established a faint connection between Gao Hai and all humans who obtained [Essence]. This connection, combined with the effects of the first blessing, [Anchor of Life], made Gao Hai, in terms of the rules, the origin of life on the entire planet, and was recognized as the source of all life on this planet since its birth.

Even if there is no blood relation in fact, according to the rules of mysticism, it can be said that all species on Earth, especially all humans in the world, are now essentially the offspring of Gao Hai himself.

This rule connection can even be strengthened as Gao Hai himself gradually ascends to higher levels. In other words, if Gao Hai can become the right god he wants to be, then everyone on this planet can gain eternity with him and achieve the ascension of the entire civilization.

Of course, like the previous blessings, this ability is also one that's practically useless right now. If we had to describe its effect, it would probably be that Gao Hai could use this blessing to forcibly treat all life as his children according to the rules, gaining the status of "father." Perhaps this move could be used against certain special monsters, but Gao Hai himself really didn't want to use it. Especially after looking at the girls who had returned with him and were now gradually adapting to their new abilities, he was even less inclined to use this ability.

Are you kidding me? I don't want to be someone else's dad!

Gao Hai, inwardly grumbling, was at a loss for words when it came to describing Blood Flower. He could tell that Blood Flower didn't want his excessive power to lead to unforeseen consequences, so the blessings bestowed upon him were mostly abilities that would play a crucial role in the future but wouldn't have much impact on him in the present. Of the four blessings, only the [Anchor of Destiny], an ability almost like a life-locking cheat, could be effective in the current situation; the others were merely promising for the future.

However, that's not necessarily true. Gao Hai focused his attention and quickly confirmed that the fifth blessing he had received was a blessing with practical effects in combat.

[The power of will bursts forth]

Similar to the Form of Origin, this blessing amplifies the blessings Gao Hai already possessed. Clearly, Bloodflower considered the fact that Gao Hai's blessings were becoming increasingly less useful as the dungeon difficulty increased. Therefore, this blessing, along with the second Form of Origin he acquired, comprehensively enhanced Gao Hai's blessings. It can be said that all the blessings Gao Hai has now obtained have surpassed the level of Red Moon-level blessings; however, the exact extent of their enhancement still needs further verification.

It's worth noting that, in addition to the normal enhancement, this blessing also grants Gao Hai the special ability to [Overclock] his blessings. With this ability, Gao Hai can forcibly increase the strength of the blessings he receives for a short period, although this will double his energy consumption, and the blessings themselves will temporarily become unusable due to [Overclock]. However, there's no doubt that this ability can make a huge difference in crucial moments.

Well, there's also a sixth blessing, "God's Watch." The meaning of this blessing is simple: it means Gao Hai is constantly being watched by the Blood Flower. So, if he shouts "I quit!", the Blood Flower will immediately intervene and rescue Gao Hai and his wives. That's the gist of it.

With a total of six effects, from practical enhancement to rule enhancement, this is the full power that Blood Flower has given Gao Hai.

How should I put it... such power...

Phew, no matter what, the things that need to be done won't change because of this.

I made the promise first, and then He gave me this strength and this support.

So all I need to do is forge ahead, and that's enough.

So thank you for your affirmation. I will prove to you that I can win the final victory.

Gao Hai said silently to himself.

His thoughts flowed smoothly to the being that had been watching him. Soon, he felt a warm presence, as if a hand had reached out and gently stroked his head.

For Gao Hai, who had never experienced maternal love, this feeling was both unfamiliar and irresistibly alluring. However, knowing full well the consequences of accepting the Blood Flower's love now, he ultimately did nothing, instead focusing his attention on the other powers he had gained.

The four core obsessions in this instance weren't actually broken by Gao Hai himself, but rather forcibly removed by Xue Hua with overwhelming power. Therefore, he wouldn't have received the blessing originally; Xue Hua simply transferred the power of the blessing to Gao Hai and his girls—a forced sale. Of course, considering that the instance was successfully destroyed through his efforts, the innocent found peace, and the guilty were punished, Gao Hai felt it was only right that he received these blessings. He also believed that the four core obsessions would surely find peace and be reincarnated (Mr. Du in the sea of ​​fire: God, save me! It hurts so much! Save me! Aaaaaaah!).

However, due to the increasingly insurmountable difficulty of the dungeons, even a Red Moon-level blessing wouldn't be of much significance in the dangerous situation Gao Hai would face. Therefore, Bloodflower adjusted the blessing power of the four core obsessions. Thus, the four new blessings Gao Hai received this time will each have only one function, but all four functions will be purely functional and significantly stronger than normal Red Moon-level blessings.

It's also worth mentioning that because of their connection with Takami, the Blood Flower's blessing and enhancement also applied to Maki and the others. This Outer God avatar seems to value Takami and the girls he likes quite a bit, even granting power to Kita Ikuyo, a girl with whom he hasn't yet reached that stage of development. Furthermore, He bestowed a small amount of blessing power upon all members of his girls' social networks—parents, sisters, grandparents, friends—as long as the relationship is close and positive, unlike Kaguya's abstract brothers.

Of course, compared to the blessings Gao Hai and the girls received, this meager power only allowed them to live healthily to two thousand years old, without bringing much actual power enhancement; it was better than nothing. But the problem was that Blood Flower specifically explained her reasons to Gao Hai. It turned out that after spying on Gao Hai's origins, she discovered that Gao Hai's hometown culture had a custom of parents and elders giving red envelopes to their children's spouses. Therefore, she assumed the identity of Gao Hai's mother and gave "red envelopes" to the girls and their families and friends, interpreting this act as a sign of respect for Gao Hai.

Well, fine, that's how it is. Anyway, Gao Hai can't decide or change this matter, so he might as well accept it.

After learning the reason why Blood Flower did this, Gao Hai didn't say much, but calmly chose to understand.

However, there's no need to rush with the four new blessings already secured, as well as the enhanced original blessings; what's meant to be will be. What Gao Hai is more concerned about is the other blessing within him.

That was the last gift from the mountain god, the fox goddess, and the native gods of the extinct planet; it was the last bit of strength they gave to Gao Hai.

This blessing was far weaker than the blessing of the Blood Flower, but... this power was strange; it didn't seem to be entirely under Gao Hai's control. Even though it was clearly Gao Hai's power, he inexplicably felt that this power seemed to have its own thoughts and couldn't be easily used by him.

It's really quite strange, what exactly is going on?

While pondering, Gao Hai began to try to feel this power, and then he was somewhat surprised to find that he could use this power in the spiritual realm, and he could also try to project this power outward. This blessing seemed to be able to obtain a carrier through something in the real world.

Gao Hai then turned his gaze inside the house and looked at the large television set that he had bought after the Alice incident at Fujika Middle School.

zizi——

The next moment, the television, which had been turned off, turned on by itself.

Then, before anyone could react, Gao Hai saw the colorful pixels on the screen quickly piece together and transform into a girl with long golden hair, a large blue bow, wearing a cute Japanese idol outfit, standing 1.5 meters tall with a perfect figure, and possessing a beautiful face that made people unable to help but become captivated.

[Hi, Alice is back! Did you miss me, teacher? And to all my wives, whether it's our first meeting or a reunion, Alice sincerely hopes everyone is doing well!]

Without a doubt, the girl who possessed the appearance and demeanor of Alice from Gao Hai's memories was smiling and greeting everyone on the television.

"Hey?"