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

Turning his head, Gao Hai saw this time the Joker's face, which had been painted over.

Is that you?

Gao Hai never expected that he would encounter the clown again in this place after the destruction of the [Campus Ghost Stories] instance.

So, this is the KP you remember most vividly? A clown who revels in intense emotions? That's really interesting.

The next moment, as the "clown" made a sound, Gao Hai immediately realized that the other party was not a clown at all, but something else.

Something more dangerous, more terrifying, more elusive.

[Their hostility is really strong; they're quite wary.]

But no matter how vigilant I am, it doesn't change the fact that I helped you, I saved you, does it?

If you take that next step forward now, it'll be hard to turn back, hehehehe—

It was laughing unrestrainedly.

It was as if he couldn't stop laughing, bursting into one continuous burst after another.

Amidst the laughter, Gao Hai sensed a malevolent aura, an aura that had been yearning to capture him, yet could never truly descend upon him, never truly reach him.

Unbeknownst to me, I had already strayed from my original world and was getting closer to somewhere else.

The existence of the [Sacrifice Game] prevents certain things from easily reaching this place, but that doesn't mean it can't leave this world. Therefore, in that fleeting aura not long ago, there were hidden traps left behind, enticing it to actively break through its limits.

Such a trap is not particularly clever, but the power hidden within it was something Gao Hai hadn't realized at first because he had never encountered it before, and he only finally understood it now.

If we simply walk past without knowing anything, we might still be able to proactively detect it, but the danger we would face would likely be...

But why choose to help me?

Why did the hotel, which had been a bystander, choose to help me this time?!

【you……】

Gao Hai spoke, looking at the "clown" in front of him, with many questions he wanted to ask.

The meaning of infinity is truly fascinating, whether it's you, destined to ascend to a higher level with an unpredictable end, or this infinite world that transcends the dreams of ignorance, far surpassing the limits visible to us dreamers. To me, this infinity within infinity represents endless joy, infinite change, and unsolvable puzzles.

His voice, accompanied by a distorted gaze, entered Gao Hai's mind.

Yearning, scorn, hope, hatred, joy, sorrow...

Amidst countless gazes, the chaotic creation writhes eternally, displaying an inexhaustible array of forms.

Beyond this lies a vast expanse of interconnected, multicolored lights, whose edges are impossible to discern.

【…】

Gao Hai lost his voice in that instant.

He could sense that every tiny point of light was a vast universe that could not be encompassed even by billions of light-years.

The points of light within sight were so numerous, so dense, so far apart, so numerous that they were impossible to count, let alone find the end of the points of light.

In that instant, it was as if all life experiences had lost their depth, becoming utterly insignificant. All history and great epics would bow in shame before this silent, shimmering sea of ​​stars, for their existence could not even compare to any of its glimmers of light.

Then, he suddenly realized what the "clown" was trying to express.

These points of light have surpassed Gao Hai's understanding, and also surpassed the understanding of the entity standing behind KP and the "hotel".

What if this represents an infinite world?

Does this mean that what I originally thought was the upper limit, what I once guessed was the "limit of worldview," was actually not accurate?

If that's the case, things seem to become clearer.

Yes, since Blood Flower understands my origins, and since the entity behind the [Hotel] probably knows what's going on with me, why did the black watch warn me and tell me "not to let anyone know my background"?

This is the only possible reason; only this explanation makes sense.

That means there exist beings of the same level as them, or even stronger, and there are multiple of them, from other worlds. Even Azathoth, whom they had thought they might reach their limit, couldn't be considered the strongest among them.

Seriously? With so many amazing people out there doing serious things all day, why do they have to focus on this "sacrifice game"? Do you super-big shots have that much free time? Can't you find something else to do?

If that immense weight were to actually fall on you, do you think you could still be playing this childish game on this planet?

The mocking voices rang out once again.

The "clown" looked like he had seen something very funny and made a gesture of trying hard not to laugh at Gao Hai.

[...Does that mean I didn't really attract attention? No, that's not right. It should be said that the "sacrifice game" in my universe, this world, didn't actually attract the attention of that being, is that what you mean?]

Although the thing's inexplicable laughter was quite irritating, Gao Hai didn't let himself get caught up in negative emotions. Instead, he immediately began to analyze the other party's intentions.

Sometimes, a seemingly insignificant act can cause devastating destruction. But at least for now, the game can continue, the fun can continue, so it's time to keep fighting for survival—maybe to find a cute little one who'll become my future colleague!

But the very next second, this thing seemed to lose its desire to communicate with Gao Hai, and with a gentle push, it sent Gao Hai forward.

Dark, distorted colors surged forth in an instant.

In the last moment of his vision, Gao Hai saw the poster floating in front of him, revealing a mocking smile.

No, I just can't stand it anymore, I feel like tearing this thing apart.

As Gao Hai thought this to himself, the next second he saw the surrounding scenery return to clarity and felt the distorted power that clearly belonged to the [hospital] coming from the front.

Here are the pictures, which can be viewed after the updated version.

Chapter 42: The Bizarre Methods of the Hospital and a Deep Dive into the Sacrifice Game.

The clash of forces can happen in an instant.

The pitch-black color originating from the [hospital] came from all directions, completely enveloping Gao Hai's avatar, and was about to forcibly transform him.

That entity, originating from some unknown outer god and at least at the same or even higher level than the Blood Flower itself, did not truly harm Gao Hai. In fact, strictly speaking, it never truly entered this universe. The [Hospital] summoned its aura here through some kind of sacrificial ritual, and even so, that aura has now dissipated, completely erased by the [Hotel]'s actions, leaving no trace.

As for why the [Hotel] did this, and why it took the initiative to help Gao Hai, the reason is quite simple and can be figured out with a little thought. It's because, for the [Sacrifice Game] of this world, the intervention of this being's power is already at a [violation of the rules], violating the basic logic of the [Sacrifice Game].

If we only consider the struggle between [Gao Hai] and [the Hospital], which could be considered a near-acceptable test of civilization within the [Sacrifice Game], then the unknown god is something that crosses the line in every aspect. Therefore, in order to maintain the "fairness" of the [Sacrifice Game] itself, some external force must intervene, and this time, it is [the Hotel] that has come.

Gao Hai wasn't surprised by this development. He was certain that the hospital had already prepared for failure when they made their move. Therefore, summoning the power of an unknown deity to counter Gao Hai was likely just a delaying tactic. Their true strength was about to be revealed.

hum-

Amidst the ear-piercing explosion, the entire office building was completely distorted.

Caught off guard, Maki and Kaguya quickly dodged and escaped through the cracks in the gradually crumbling building, landing on the open ground outside.

Gao Hai himself was trapped in the center of the completely distorted building, squeezed by enormous pressure from all sides, almost crushed into a pulp on the spot.

"Is that all?"

Then, the golden flash that erupted the next second easily tore the entire building apart.

In that instant, the hospital made at least dozens of arrangements, including curses of the power of rules, constraints from time and space, and all sorts of strange and indefinable special powers, all of which crashed down on Gao Hai along with the distorted building.

I don't quite understand the point of this guy doing this.

While the combination of so many rules and abilities certainly looks impressive and powerful, overly complex and clearly conflicting extraordinary forces will have their actual power significantly reduced. For example, the forces converging on Gao Hai now are practically incapable of harming him. Even if some of these forces do pose a threat to Gao Hai, they will be unable to unleash their full power due to the clash with the other forces; at most, they will only slow down Gao Hai's speed in breaking free from the constraints of these forces.

Are you trying to keep me trapped?

While pondering the reasons behind it, Gao Hai swiftly took action to undo the various powers imposed on him by the [Hospital], and at the same time, he made remote contact with various locations throughout the city to continue his support operations.

Indeed, even though his avatar was temporarily trapped by the [Hospital] and his power was greatly limited, Gao Hai could still easily project his consciousness to various places to carry out various support operations. For Gao Hai, who first ascended to the Divine Realm through willpower, achieving this was not a particularly difficult task. Therefore, the scheme set up by the [Hospital] in the office building was essentially meaningless.

Unless the other party intended to take advantage of my being trapped here to deal with Kaguya and Maki outside, but I didn't sense any powerful aura approaching them, not even the aura of a strange creature, their location has remained safe throughout. Hmm, or perhaps it's Ichiri and Chika's side, but the situation there hasn't changed much, there's absolutely no trace of any traps or ambushes.

As for Miko and Kita, communications have been somewhat restored. Although the signal is weak and intermittent, Gao Hai already knows about the Sunflower Team and Kita's efforts to break through the edge of space and has provided them with some support. Miko's voluptuous best friend, Yurikawa Hana, has also been confirmed to have survived. She has even awakened her own extraordinary powers, instantly leaping from an ordinary person into the ranks of potential powerhouses.

It seems that while the two people over there can't return to Gaohai for the time being, their safety can be guaranteed for the time being. But then the question arises: if none of their own girls are the target, then what exactly is this "hospital" thing planning to do?

Sizzle...sizzle...

Amidst the piercing noise, Gao Hai's golden incarnation emerged from the ruins, and the seemingly terrifying twisted vortex was completely shattered, leaving not even a trace behind.

It seemed as if I heard some ancient sound, like the sound of some kind of malfunctioning display device.

An old television set from the last century?

Sensing something, Gao Hai glanced at the dissipating dark aura behind him, but saw nothing.

It seems that some entity is using the power exerted by the [hospital] to observe me?

I'm not entirely sure what it is, but I'm certain its aura is very strong, so the only comparable entity is someone at the level of a "doctor".

So, after all the trouble the hospital went through, even bringing in high-ranking personnel who clearly violated regulations, all they did was quietly observe me for a few minutes?

...I'm increasingly confused about what's going on here.

However, considering that it was a hospital that took the action, it would be best to be extra careful going forward, in case something really goes wrong.

"Are you alright, Haijun?"

"Gao Jun, how is the situation?"

Maki and Kaguya's voices were already ringing out around them. After confirming that the hospital had not left any further tricks, and that he could at least relax in this area, Gao Hai turned to face the two girls who had rushed over. He briefly explained his experience to them, omitting the details about the hotel and the unknown god.

It wasn't that he distrusted Maki and Kaguya; the main problem was that both the [Hotel] and that unknown god were far too powerful and unreasonable. The [Hotel] was likely already targeting them, and considering what was behind it, Gao Hai decided that he shouldn't contact them rashly before dealing with the [Hospital] situation, nor should he spread any information about that thing, lest it use that information to cause trouble.

As for the unknown alien god, Gao Hai's refusal to reveal information about it was entirely for the safety of the girls. Frankly, even now he couldn't understand why an entity of that level would interfere in the survival of a civilization that couldn't even escape its planet. Even now that Gao Hai knew this world was imbued with some special concept—that if this human civilization were destroyed, many other human civilizations in other universes would be destroyed along with it, and even a series of related universes would be wiped out—he still felt that such an entity was far too bored, as if it had lost its mind to meddle.

However, after this experience, Gao Hai now fully understands why the Black Watch and Blood Flower are so actively involved in the affairs of this universe.

The background of the Sacrifice Game has once again exceeded Gao Hai's expectations. This bizarre game isn't something he initially thought, based on his encounters with the black watch, the blood flower, and the hotel, limited to the Cthulhu universe. It involves countless infinite multiverses and their higher-level beings, and the Sacrifice Game, acting as a bridge between these universes, exists at various levels. While the Sacrifice Game in Gao Hai's current world has malfunctioned for some unknown reason, it can generally be considered a lower-level game, targeting planetary civilizations that haven't broken through the limitations of their local star system.

The Sacrifice Games, situated within different worldviews, are largely constructed by high-ranking beings within their respective worlds. Therefore, the Sacrifice Games in the world of Takahashi are essentially based on a framework built by the power of the foolish god who slumbers in eternal dreams. The detailed content of the instances is constructed using divine blood of unknown origin and KPs who may have originated from Nyarlathotep, and is then integrated with the civilization responsible for undergoing the trials.

From this perspective, if the "Sacrifice Game" in this world were to end in the destruction of civilization, then all universes within this system of "worldviews" would suffer immense catastrophes. Of course, compared to those eternal gods, this level of damage is actually not a major problem. However, the "order" represented by the "Black Watch" cannot tolerate such errors and therefore attempts to correct them. Meanwhile, the "life" represented by the "Blood Flower" cannot accept such large-scale destruction and thus intervenes, attempting to pack up and take away all life within the disaster area.

As for what the thing behind the [hotel] is thinking, only God knows. Anyway, after confirming that even if a large-scale universe was destroyed, it wouldn't seriously damage this system's [worldview], Gao Hai suspected that the thing behind the [hotel] would deliberately push things to the brink and lead them to a worse situation.

Aside from these things that Gao Hai estimates he'll likely never actually come into contact with until the end of the book, the very top level of the [Sacrifice Game], if he refocuses his attention on the current issue, namely the [Hospital], then Gao Hai now has some guesses about what's behind the [Hospital].

First of all, it is certain that the unknown being is no less powerful than the Three Pillar Gods that Gao Hai has already come into contact with to some extent, and may even be of a higher level.

After carefully analyzing and recalling his previous experiences, Gao Hai was fairly certain that the entity hadn't actually participated in the sacrificial game. The most likely explanation is that the thing in the hospital was actually a follower of this higher-ranking entity.

Although the exact details are uncertain, Gao Hai believes that the entity within the [Hospital] must have somehow come into contact with the power of that extraterrestrial being, and thus underwent a transformation, gradually becoming what it is today. In this sense, the [Hospital] can be considered, in a sense, an "external force" within this universe's [Sacrifice Game], distinct from entities like the Black Watch and the Blood Flower.

Things are getting more and more complicated.

However, in the end, what I need to do hasn't changed; I still need to take down that "hospital" thing, that's all.