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

No, that's not right. This is a cave that was dug out by man.

Xiong Mi's gaze swept over the surrounding soil and stone walls, as well as the obviously man-made piles of rubble, her eyes constantly searching the open area. Soon, she found another suspicious spot. She noticed that one corner of the room had been dug down to a considerable depth. However, all the excavated soil had been backfilled, as if the person who dug the cave had regretted it, and it was unclear what they had unearthed.

"This place was originally intended to be excavated for some purpose. Hmm... some kind of basement? If it was for a private residence, it's far too large; it seems more like it was for some special purpose..."

Since we're going to wait here for the other teammates to arrive, let's investigate first.

Thinking this, Xiong Mi looked down at the corpses lying on the ground. Those twisted, pale-skinned creatures still retained some human features in appearance, but they had no hair at all, and each of them seemed to have lost their sight, with their eyes appearing grayish-white, making them look like some kind of ugly vampire.

step-step-

Xiong Mi stared at those things silently for a while, then began to walk around the fairly spacious room, slowly examining every corner.

Soon, she discovered something new.

"Construction signs? And some scraps of paper?"

Some discarded signs, clearly from construction work, were found in a shallow pit. After sifting through these items and searching carefully, Xiong Mi then found some torn pieces of paper in the soil. It seemed these things might have originally contained some information, but due to the damp environment of the underground cave, the paper scraps had now rotted and could no longer be extracted with any useful information.

It seems we'll have to return empty-handed.

[Collect those scraps of paper, and I'll transfer a portion of my power remotely; perhaps it can restore it.]

Gao Hai, who had been monitoring the situation in various areas on multiple fronts, saw this scene through the eyes of the rescue team and immediately spoke to Xiong Mi. At the same time, the rescue team member, who had grown a new arm and fully recovered, suddenly straightened his back and raised his head, with even more golden light emanating from his body.

[God, I will idolize you for life! I have been a believer in you since the moment I was born!]

Then, it suddenly knelt down on one knee and called out passionately to the ceiling of the cave.

Xiong Mi: "..."

Can't laugh.

You have to hold it in no matter what.

As a professional Red Moon-level player, I can't just laugh out loud at a strange creature that has absorbed a certain amount of faith power and is making strange moves. That would be too lame.

"...Laugh if you want."

Gao Hai's voice sounded somewhat resigned to his fate.

Xiong Mi, who managed to keep a straight face, simply shook her head silently and picked up some damp scraps of paper, handing them to the rescue team members who came to her.

hum-

You can feel the power of blessings being mobilized.

The torn paper scraps began to change. Moisture was expelled, the paper dried again, and the torn scraps flew up, recombine, and were restored to their original state.

The blessing from Jonathan of Baydos miraculously restored the document at this moment, making the information that was originally invisible to the player complete.

This must be the power of the gods! Let us pray!

The rescue team members spoke with great enthusiasm, while all Xiong Mi could do was keep a straight face, pretend not to see the thing, and focus all her attention on the documents in front of her.

[Notice of Cancellation of the Development Project for "Underground Hot Spring Pool"]

The frequency of accidents has far exceeded the company's ability to bear losses. In order to stop the losses in time, this project will be suspended indefinitely starting today.

Mr. Fumio Asakawa, no matter how unwilling you are or how many reasons you have, this matter must stop now.

From the moment this notice is delivered to you, all project funds will be frozen. You are not responsible for anything afterward; we will handle everything.

I understand your resentment, but the negative impact of this incident is simply unbearable. We need to give an explanation to the dead workers and to the starving media. Bowing won't solve anything now. Don't forget how many of our colleagues are waiting to bring us down.

Seal up the dug pits. Whatever is buried inside is none of our business anymore.

【Or if you really insist on going your own way, then go and dig it yourself. Since you keep thinking that the workers who had accidents at the excavation site were just asking for trouble, and that all the anomalies they reported were just lies to you, then go and see for yourself. We're not going.】

[—Chisaka Enterprises Board of Directors]

Well, the document itself isn't too complicated, but this thing... So, this cave I'm in was originally excavated by a company to be used as a hot spring pool?

It feels like some kind of classic horror plot: the excavators unearth something they shouldn't have, and all sorts of strange things start happening, but the higher-ups don't take it seriously and insist on continuing the project, which results in an even bigger tragedy.

I wonder what kind of tragedy would qualify a Red Moon-level dungeon.

"There's a second document?"

While thinking, Xiong Mi noticed that another document was being generated, so she turned her attention to it.

[Employee Feedback Archive for New Scenario Development]

[1. Multiple employees reported hearing noises from the excavation site at night...]

This time, Xiong Mi was not able to see much clearly; he only glanced at the title and the first line of the document.

"Stop! Don't watch anymore!"

The lawyer's voice suddenly rang out from the front. Xiong Mi looked up and saw the lawyer not far away, wielding a heavy book that looked like a meteor hammer, his expression becoming extremely solemn.

His gaze was not directed at me, but at what was behind me.

Xiong Mi realized it in an instant.

A gentle breeze was blowing softly behind her.

Yet it was chilling to the bone.

Chapter Fourteen: Initial Contact with Core Obsessions and Unexpected Convergence.

The aura of a core obsession.

There was no mistake, Xiong Mi was certain that the icy aura that appeared behind him in that instant was the kind of intensity that only a core obsession could possess.

There was no trace of it before, but now it suddenly appeared. Is it because of the file that I glanced at earlier but didn't finish reading?

In other words, this file probably contains information that directly points to the core obsession. However, after only a glance, without finding any useful information, the other party was summoned. Ha, it seems to be a rather fierce core obsession that values ​​personal privacy very much.

whoosh-

The sound of tearing wind swept past my ears.

Boom!

The subsequent heavy impact shook the entire underground space, and large amounts of rubble began to fall from above.

The moment Xiong Mi stopped reading, the monster that had been planning to attack due to the information leak only moved slightly before being hit by a heavy book with alloy ramming edges, linked by chains, thrown by the lawyer. It was sent flying and crashed into the stone wall behind it.

The lawyer acted swiftly, throwing his object of obsession almost simultaneously with alerting Xiong Mi. Xiong Mi, accustomed to her teammates' cooperation, didn't even attempt to dodge, remaining motionless until the lawyer finished throwing, at which point she abruptly turned to look at the object behind her.

Nothing at all.

There was nothing in sight.

However, Xiong Mi could still feel that chill, and it hadn't lessened at all.

The other party is still here.

Even though its form cannot be observed with the naked eye, both the ominous aura and the feedback from the lawyer's throw just now indicate that this thing has a clear physical existence and is a type of strange object that can be directly touched.

Bang!

The next second, Xiong Mi stomped his foot hard on the ground, smashing the ground beneath his feet and kicking up all the dust.

Then, a blurry figure suddenly appeared in sight.

It can be seen that the other party is roughly humanoid, seemingly floating in mid-air, about 2.5 meters tall, and its limbs and torso have a slender and curved structure that is impossible for a normal person.

Xiong Mi stared at the thing that appeared in his line of sight, watching its body emerge from the dust. Without hesitation, he used the power of the bronze eye to forcibly freeze it in mid-air. Then he took a step forward, about to imprint the mark in his hand onto the thing.

"Ok?"

But the next second, Xiong Mi realized that the thing had disappeared.

The dust that had been clinging to the other person dissipated, and the body that should have been immobilized vanished. In an instant, the thing disappeared from Xiong Mi's sight, and the lawyer who had arrived at Xiong Mi's side opened his book, flipped through a few pages, and shook his head at Xiong Mi, indicating that the thing had disappeared.

Did they run away after realizing they had failed to attack the enemy?

Surely not? Do monsters even know what it means to act cautiously? Even if this thing might have been given a certain level of intelligence by the [Hospital], it shouldn't have run away without even exchanging a single blow after just encountering an enemy, right?

"It might be a type that only appears when the rules are triggered. In any case, we have successfully touched the first core obsession, which can be considered progress."

The lawyer remained calm. After closing the book, he picked up the second document, which had been fully generated but hadn't been picked up by Xiong Mi because of the sudden appearance of the strange creature, and gestured for Xiong Mi to continue reading it.

"How did you find that thing's location? I wouldn't have been able to see it at all if it weren't for all that dust."

Xiong Mi knew that the lawyer was doing this to test the causal relationship of the triggering information, so she reached out and took the document, while asking the lawyer about what had just happened.

"I saw a shadow, it flashed by, it only existed in my sight for about 0.5 seconds. I calculated the opponent's movement speed and direction during those 0.5 seconds, and then tried to attack it, and hit it. However, that attack should not have caused it any damage, it should be immune to physical damage."

The lawyer, brushing the dust off his clothes, turned expressionlessly to the rescue team members who were currently surveying the area and searching for traces of the strange creature. He stared at them for a few seconds before looking away. Xiong Mi knew that for the detached lawyer, this was already a sign of interest. However, she needed to confirm the document information first, so she didn't immediately explain the rescue team's situation to him.

[Employee Feedback Archive for New Scenario Development]

[Recorder: Fumio Asakawa]

[1. Several employees have reported strange noises coming from the excavation site at night. According to employees, these noises are varied; sometimes they sound like strangers talking, sometimes like the calls of animals like monkeys or deer, and sometimes they are strange, inexplicable sounds coming from the excavation site. Someone has tried recording some of the sounds, and I have submitted these recordings to upper management. We are preparing to call in professional investigators to check the situation. All departments must take precautions and prevent unfounded rumors from spreading.]

[Recorded Date: ■Year■Month■Day (The date is blurred and almost impossible to decipher)]

[2. The resignation applications of several workers must not be approved at this time. The rumors surrounding the underground hot spring excavation area have already attracted attention in the surrounding area. If local workers resign and leave at this time, it will inevitably attract even greater attention. We must keep these people in check. The investigation into the unusual sounds in the excavation area has now basically confirmed that these workers are just spreading rumors. All the testing equipment has not detected anything abnormal. Based on the current situation, it can be judged that these workers are trying to use this incident to exchange for higher pay. We must not let them succeed.]

[3. Additionally, regarding the strange rumors surrounding Pool 4 and Hot Spring Pool 11, which are located closer to the newly developed area and are currently open to the public, an investigation needs to be launched as soon as possible. More than 10 tourists have reported hearing voices around the pools, and many more have reported an unpleasant odor in the pools. These rumors may damage our company's image, and we must take action.]

[Record Date: ■■■ (More blurry and illegible than the previous record, its contents are completely unrecognizable)]

[4. Regarding the workers' complaints about footsteps following them, sudden calls of name, the stench of rotten food in the canteen, and knocking on dormitory doors in the middle of the night, it seems highly likely that these are further actions by the workers to obtain higher wages. These shameless locals, we hired them as employees of our company, provided them with jobs, yet they show no consideration for the company, only thinking about their own profit. The employees who previously requested to resign can be dismissed, but we must hold them back in their settlement. We need to let everyone know the price of messing with the company, to make an example of them.]

[5. The investigation into the tourist complaints is currently stalled. We've tried changing the water more frequently and conducted a comprehensive inspection, but complaints about the foul odor continue to increase. We can only temporarily close Pool 4 and Hot Spring Pool 11. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that workers from the development zone may have sabotaged the process. The timing of the tourist complaints and the workers' reports of the problem is very close, suggesting that someone might be involved.]

[Record of Unidentifiable Period]

[6. The issue of missing workers should not be reported to the police. Under no circumstances should the police be brought in at this time. The development zone already has enough problems. Focus on finishing the development work first, and the rest can be postponed.]

[7. Regarding the complaints from tourists about pools 3, 10, and 9, the current solution is to increase the use of air freshener. Our staff did not smell any foul odor throughout the entire process, nor did they find any black stains on the back or feet (distorted, illegible characters)].

[No one has died so far, everything is fine, and the two newly developed underground areas are getting closer and closer to completion. We cannot afford to fail.]

【■■■■■■ (Missing paragraph, cannot be restored)】

The dead workers are not the problem; the project must continue. Once it starts, it shouldn't stop.

The tourists inside the walls are not the problem; the project cannot be stopped, it must be completed.

We shouldn't pay attention to the media and the surrounding residents; the project is almost finished, and we must complete it.