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

Starting from this floor, the space here, compared to the real world, has truly begun to gradually resemble a dungeon world.

However, Gao Hai had to admit that this was the first time he had ever experienced such a dungeon world.

There was no rotten, decaying stench permeating the space, no suffocating heaviness, coldness, or terrifying killing intent. On the contrary, once you truly delve into this place, what you perceive to Gao Hai is a lingering tranquility, a peaceful serenity that makes you feel drowsy.

It was as if a voice was speaking in his heart, coaxing him to sleep, singing him a lullaby.

{Control your senses, stay alert; this is where mental pollution begins to take effect.}

While casually speaking in the mental link, Takahashi gently patted Kaguya beside him, only feeling relieved after confirming that the girl was alright.

This level of mental pollution is meaningless to Takami and Kaguya, who are standing here at this moment.

Leaving aside Gao Hai, after receiving the blessing of the Blood Flower, Kaguya Shinomiya, like Maki, had a certain desire fulfilled under the power of the blessing. However, unlike Maki, who gained reconnaissance abilities, Kaguya, who desired to strengthen her resistance to various anomalies and play a more significant role on the battlefield, received a second blessing effect that she named "Mental Purification." This power further enhanced Kaguya's mental abilities, including sensory blessings; the transformation of Kaguya's crimson domain into a domain of light was due to this blessing.

Beyond the basic enhancement abilities, another fundamental effect of [Mental Purification] is the protection of Kaguya's own mind. This power can purify and filter anything harmful to Kaguya's mind, keeping her thinking abilities in a normal and healthy state, much like a water filter. Since Kaguya has always shown signs of mental fragmentation, even capable of holding internal trials for herself, this mental purification power can, to some extent, complement Kaguya's strange "self-splitting" characteristic, making it an ability with both advantages and disadvantages.

It is precisely because of this ability that Kaguya is now able to demonstrate a level of complete disregard for mental pollution that is similar to Takami's.

{I sensed movement; there are living people nearby. Be careful and on guard!}

After advancing a short distance, Gao Hai finally sensed a third presence besides himself and Kaguya.

Judging from the direction of the aura, it's probably in this corridor, not far away.

However, the senses emanating from the mental energy that was conducting the reconnaissance were also becoming more pronounced.

In stark contrast to the reassuring aura perceived through his five senses, Gao Hai's investigation, conducted using his divinely-level spiritual power, yielded entirely the opposite response and perception. An almost endless despair and confusion overwhelmed everything, seeping into every wisp of wind, every stone, and every drop of blood within this building.

This feeling was strongest in the place where he detected living people. Gao Hai wasn't sure what he would encounter there, but if possible, he hoped to rescue the person normally, rather than get entangled with some strange things.

Tap—tap tap—

The crisp sound of footsteps echoed in the darkness, and it didn't take long for the two to reach the direction from which they had discovered the presence of life. This place, distorted by the alien dimension, resembled the structure of a nurses' station reception area in an inpatient ward. The player they had finally found was curled up under the table at the nurses' station.

This was a female player, who appeared to be no older than thirty. Gao Hai didn't recognize her; he only knew from Xiao He Shu's records that she was a Red Moon-level player active in several other Japanese cities. In terms of strength, she couldn't compare to player groups like [Market] and [Red Guild], and she didn't seem particularly motivated to attempt Red Moon-level dungeons. It seemed that after finally obtaining the lowest-level Red Moon buff, she never entered Red Moon-level dungeons again, instead spending her time with her small team in Dark Night-level dungeons, occasionally even venturing into Twilight-level dungeons.

She appears to be one of the players participating in this experiment. Her reason for participating is quite practical: the historian will give participants obsession items, nothing more.

"..."

Now, the player was curled up in the space under the table with a blank look in her eyes. Gao Hai couldn't tell whether she had been played to death or had been stimulated by something.

So far, I haven't sensed any hostility or particularly severe distortion; this player's mental state isn't beyond redemption. But why is she in the nurses' station on the fifth floor, in this place where obvious environmental changes are just beginning to appear?

Gao Hai reached out, ready to slap the player who looked mentally unwell a few times to see if he could bring her back to her senses.

Ring—ring—

Just before Gao Hai did this, a landline phone on the nurses' station table suddenly emitted a sharp sound.

"...!"

Upon hearing the bell, the trapped players curled up even more tightly, as if they had heard some terrifying sound.

Kaguya didn't sense anything unusual, but she still cautiously observed the phone and her surroundings.

Having already roughly figured something out, Gao Hai stood up and reached for the telephone receiver.

Interlude 4-27: Kaguya's Disturbing Words and the Sudden, Twisted Enemy

[Beep...beep...beep...]

A clear busy tone echoed from the telephone receiver.

It seemed that the other party hung up the phone the instant Gao Hai answered it.

But with that sudden, intense sense of gloom, Gao Hai's gaze abruptly shifted, meeting that of the player under the table who had somehow raised her head, and her slowly opening mouth.

[Buzz...buzz...Mr. Gao? Is that Mr. Gao?]

Along with the jarring noise, the historian Tangyuan's voice rang out. Her voice sounded weak, and there seemed to be several other voices around her, probably three or four people gathered together.

Yes, the voice came from the player's mouth.

It was clearly a sound coming from a living person's mouth, but she had only opened her mouth; she wasn't actually speaking. The voice, accompanied by a distinct electrical crackling, could only be produced through something like a walkie-talkie, so it was unclear why it was coming from a human mouth.

No.

Gao Hai had already figured out what was going on.

As his mental energy spread and deepened once more, he finally figured out something he hadn't noticed at first.

Reach out.

Gao Hai pressed his fingers against the player's cheek and slowly removed them.

This process was not difficult because her face had already been cut open, but it was then glued back onto her head, and the cut surface was almost invisible, so the problem could not be seen.

The viscous liquid flowed and stretched with Gao Hai's movements, emitting a fishy stench.

Beneath the severed cheek, what appeared before Gao Hai and Kaguya was not the inside of the skull, but a mechanical device embedded in the bone. Lines and circuits crudely penetrated into the flesh, and gears turned silently in the blood. A small walkie-talkie was placed on one side of this machine that occupied the entire skull, continuously transmitting the voices of Tangyuan and the others.

This player is still alive.

Even using mental power to sense her, one would still conclude that she is alive. After all, every organ, every blood vessel, and every cell in her body is still functioning normally. Even before Gao Hai discovered that her brain had been replaced, this woman could still exhibit reactions similar to a normal human being, only appearing to have been somewhat traumatized.

This is not some kind of simple gory art.

This mechanical device, which Gao Hai found very strange, actually replaced the function of the human brain, allowing a person without a head to continue to "live".

No, it's probably not just that. The fluctuations of her soul are still there, and her soul can still be sensed through mental power. In other words, this device can even retain a person's soul, thus achieving complete disguise.

Is this change a power possessed by that [Hospital] instance?

Gao Hai, who had never seen such a strange power before, fell into a brief silence at this moment.

The first player Kaguya and I encountered after entering this distorted space happened to have this kind of modification. Does this mean that something was deliberately showing this to me, using this opportunity to deal with me?

Be vigilant; this situation is likely far from simple.

Gao Hai spoke earnestly to Kaguya through the mental link, and also communicated with the other girls again, urging everyone to be on high alert.

Leave that face behind and stand up again.

The walkie-talkie continued to ring, but Gao Hai didn't answer; instead, he turned his gaze deeper into the corridor.

{Okay, I understand. Should we take action against this player?}

Kaguya, standing to the side, did not lose her composure despite the unfortunate player's miserable state. Instead, she cautiously looked at Takahashi and asked him a question.

She could also sense that the player's soul still existed. If Gao Hai hadn't ripped her face off, exposing what was inside the player's head, Kaguya would never have been able to discover what had happened to the player; at most, she would have only been able to deduce the possibility that the player had been brainwashed or mentally corrupted.

However, since she could still sense the other person's soul, Kaguya was certain that the blessing power she had received could be effective here. However, she couldn't be sure what the effect would be against this player's soul, which had undergone some unknown transformation.

{You can try, but your own safety must come first. I'll be there to keep an eye on things.}

In the spiritual connection, Gao Hai activated the rescue team badge, summoning a figure in a clean and tidy blue police uniform.

whoosh-

A biting cold wind swept up the moment the figure appeared.

Hirano Sosuke.

Born from the core obsession of Fujika Middle School, this lone hero single-handedly hunted down the haunted Alice, a haunting spirit that persisted even in death. This legendary figure refused to return even after Gao Hai successfully liberated the entire "Campus Ghost Stories" and saved all the victims, instead accepting his own death with equanimity. Upon learning that Gao Hai had saved all those involved in the dungeon, he sincerely thanked him and blessed him for his future endeavors.

His remains, left behind after his obsession dissipated, entered the rescue team's badge, making him the strongest summoner among those badged so far. Even after the completion of the heavyweight dungeon [Infant Cry Village], and despite Gao Hai's significant further enhancement, this police officer remains the strongest among the summonable creatures.

Even now, Gao Hai, the summoner, cannot ignore the chilling aura emanating from it.

It has fully recovered its Crimson Moon Core-level power, no, it might even be stronger than Core-level. After all, Hirano Sosuke has received the blessing of Blood Flower, not only completing its transformation from wreckage to its complete form, but even Takami's blessing power has been replicated in it, giving it five additional suppression rounds. Takami estimates that if this rescue team officer were to have a 1v1 match with the Core Obsession officer from Fujika Middle School, the Core Obsession officer might get completely crushed.

"There are trapped survivors inside this building. You are tasked with finding and rescuing them on your own."

Gao Hai gave the instructions in a calm tone.

The officer then strode forward, a pistol in hand, and without looking back, stepped into the corridor, quickly disappearing into the darkness.

Then, Gao Hai looked at Kaguya beside him. After exchanging a glance, they both knelt down simultaneously. Kaguya reached out and gently placed her hand on the shoulder of the player whose head had been swapped, and her aura began to change. Gao Hai quickly unleashed his mental power, combining it with Kaguya's own domain to form a barrier to defend against enemies that might attack from any direction.

Tell me... what's your name...?

Kaguya spoke softly, her voice seemingly coming from a very distant place, accompanied by a distant echo, like the tolling of a bell.

The player's body trembled almost immediately, as if Kaguya's voice carried some kind of mysterious magic, forcing him to react and answer.

Tell me your name... tell me what you've been through... tell me what you know...

Seeing that the other party did react, Kaguya quickly asked another question, and the player's body began to tremble more and more violently.

Not only his body, but Gao Hai could also see that the player's soul was trembling, being severely stimulated by Kaguya's voice, convulsing at a spasmodic frequency.

The reason this player reacted this way is simple: she was affected by the fourth effect of Kaguya's Blood Blessing, and was forced to establish a mystical connection with her. Kaguya calls this power "Disturbing Words," a power that can be activated through language. Once activated, Kaguya can use her voice to replace various complex mystical rituals, directly and forcibly achieving all sorts of supernatural phenomena verbally, with spiritual and soul-related mystical rituals being given particular priority.

To put it simply, after Kaguya activates this ability, she only needs to say "Your soul belongs to me" to instantly extract the soul of an ordinary person. Players would need to be at least Dark Night level to resist this power. However, if Kaguya were to actually activate this ability, even the strongest Red Moon level players would likely be controlled for at least several seconds, which would be more than enough time for Kaguya or her teammates to kill them.

When this power was used to make contact with the power of the strange creature, Kaguya only needed to say something casually, and the other party would have no choice but to begin to reveal its form and gradually show itself.

After all, there's no rule that Kaguya can only say one sentence when activating this ability, is there?

{She's about to speak, Gao Jun}

After clearly sensing that the power of the blessing was beginning to receive some kind of feedback, Kaguya immediately spoke to Takahashi through the mental link.

{I know, don't panic, keep going, I'm here.}

While replying in the mental link, Gao Hai also strengthened the coverage of his mental power.

There was nothing unusual about the surroundings. The feedback from Alice, whom Gao Hai had sent out to scout the area, was consistently normal, so there was no need to worry about external forces invading for the time being.

So now the only thing we need to be wary of is the inherent danger of this modified player.

“I…I am…Eri Ushimiya…”

Despite having lost her entire face and having her skull replaced by a mechanical structure, Takahashi and Kaguya could still hear the woman's clear voice, accompanied by faint electrical noise.

It was the mechanical structure that occupied the head that was making the sound.

“I came here… as a volunteer… because I have some really nice mementos… to use as prizes… I want… to live…”

Ushimiya Eri, her body trembling, slowly rose to her feet, and as she did, foul blood flowed down her missing cheek. On the severed surface, one could even see the remaining facial muscles twitching slightly, and the blood vessels connected to the machine were oozing even more red.

"That machine... amplifies... amplifies my thoughts..."