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

Volume Two Conclusion

Volume Two, Claudication Fear, ends here.

Emma, ​​seriously, ever since I started writing chapter 30-something, I've had people asking me every day when this volume will end. Every day, different people ask me how much longer it will take to finish. It's driving me crazy! No matter how detailed the outline is, I can't pinpoint the exact end date or chapter. Besides, the outline might need to be revised as the story progresses. But I guess that's the pressure of a book becoming popular. After all, it proves that a lot of people are reading this book and looking forward to it (laughs~).

Compared to the first volume, the biggest difference between the Red Nut Gray Hole in the second volume and the first volume is that it's harder to copy the homework. Cough cough, to be precise, it's hard to find references. After all, there are tons of apartment ghost stories with a simple search. In any Asian supernatural horror work, apartment buildings are basically one of the essential background settings. The same goes for schools and hospitals, which are two equally classic supernatural settings.

Therefore, writing this volume was quite challenging for me, especially since it involves two core obsessions. Arranging the clues and interactions between the two core themes was even more difficult. To be honest, I feel the research base section could be improved, but the current result is quite satisfactory.

By the way, Pochi-chan was originally supposed to appear in Volume 2. Actually, in the initial outline, it was Chika and Pochi who were stuck in the hole. However, after much deliberation, Pochi was removed, and her official appearance was moved to Volume 3. So, outlines and plot arrangements aren't set in stone once they're finalized; they often need to be revised based on the actual written text.

Next up is the interlude for Volume 2. This interlude will be longer, around 40-50 chapters, and will include some slice-of-life scenes such as a three-person date, a hot spring inn, some intimate moments, the princess's tragic fate, Chika's first time on base... *cough cough cough cough* I didn't say anything (

In short, the upcoming interludes will likely be divided into three different parts: [Daily Life Arc], [Hot Spring Hotel Arc], and [Miko's School Ghost Stories Arc], interspersed with some short story segments. One part of that story... well... it might get censored if I write it out, so I'm still considering how to write it.

And then there's Volume 3, the campus ghost story arc that's so popular in supernatural novels. Many readers who haven't used Crimson King probably already know about Volume 3, since there were hints and foreshadowing in previous volumes. Yes, it's the one where three of the eight core obsessions were stolen by the player, downgrading it to a pseudo-Crimson Moon campus dungeon at the Dark Night level. Starting with this volume, false prompts will appear among the four initial game hints. As for what happens inside the game... well, you guys can try to guess! (laughs~)

However, it's worth mentioning that because the third volume is much larger in scale, I've calculated that if all eight core characters were written in one go, it might exceed 300 chapters. Frankly, that's a bit too long, so I've considered splitting the third volume into two parts. Which do you readers think is better? Please leave a comment below to vote.

1. Support writing Volume 3 as a single, continuous volume.

2. Supports dividing Volume 3 into two parts, such as a first half and a second half.

The third volume's extra post will be posted in the comments section later. For now, let me take a break and catch my breath. I've been updating quite frequently lately; writing 600,000 words in two months is quite taxing for me.

Finally, as usual, let's leave a preview of the main storyline of Volume 3:

Why is my 2D travel a strange story?

Volume 3: Campus Ghost Stories

ding dong -- ding dong --

It's time for class.

Students, please stand up. Teacher, please say hello.

Tick-tick-tick-

Why are you so different from everyone else?

Please follow the school rules and be a quiet, well-behaved child!

Hush

Do not go to floors you should not go on.

Don't look up and make eye contact with the person on the ceiling.

Do not stay in your dorm room alone after 2 a.m.

Do not enter the corridor on the 6th basement level together as a man and a woman.

Do not close your eyes and back up on the rooftop.

have you heard of it?

There are angels buried behind the school building!

Did you see that?

Someone is singing outside the classroom window.

Have you arrived yet?

We're all floating together in this little lake!

Come on over!

Come on over!

Come join us!

Let's all hold hands!

We'll be together forever and ever, never to be apart again!

(The above images can be used as a reference for Volume 3 to some extent.)

Interlude 2-01: Back to Reality, New Blessings, and a Battleground!

The darkness that had enveloped everything was gradually dissipating.

Gao Hai regained consciousness, opened his eyes, and raised his head.

"Unfamiliar ceiling..."

He murmured to himself.

Trance.

At this moment, Gao Hai felt an extremely strong sense of disorientation.

He spent far too long in the Red Nut Gray Hole instance, especially during the second playthrough when he was executed by the core obsession. After that long period of agonizing torment that nearly wore down his mental abilities, Gao Hai felt extremely alienated from the bustling real world.

This is really bad.

Gao Hai let out a long sigh of relief.

This is really...very bad...

Gao Hai, finally realizing that he had escaped the instance, almost completely collapsed in his seat.

This feeling of relief is wonderful, like just realizing that I'm actually still alive.

With his mind churning with thoughts, Gao Hai lowered his head and looked at the clothes he was wearing.

Yes, it was the casual clothes he wore before entering the dungeon.

In the dungeon, Gao Hai had actually taken off this outfit long ago, but it seems that as he returned to reality, he returned to the way he was dressed and ready to act when he first entered the dungeon. However, the outfit was badly damaged, probably because it was worn out during the dungeon's collapse and destruction after being discarded.

Thinking this, Takahashi turned his head and saw Shijo Maki sitting next to him, who had also just opened her eyes and looked very tired.

"Just woke up?"

Gao Hai asked.

"Um……"

Princess Zhenfei nodded slightly, glanced around in a daze, and then seemed to finally come back to her senses.

"We...made it out of there alive."

The girl's voice contained an indescribable emotion.

"Yes, we survived our second game."

Kaguya Shinomiya, sitting opposite, opened her eyes and spoke in a low voice.

survived.

At this moment, the three people sitting in the small private room finally understood the reality before them.

"It's really tiring... The physical fatigue and injuries were healed after leaving the dungeon, but I just can't get rid of the mental exhaustion."

Like Gao Hai, Maki slumped unceremoniously in her seat, muttering to herself.

"And there are no rewards at all. The game we cleared was actually a Dark Night level dungeon, and a dual-core dungeon with the highest difficulty of Dark Night level, but [Sacrifice Game] still treats this dungeon as a Twilight level dungeon, not giving us any rewards, only giving us the qualification to participate in Dark Night level missions. What's the use of this?"

Gao Hai shook his head and said, looking very unhappy.

This dungeon is such a rip-off! It was supposed to be a Twilight difficulty dungeon that newbies could easily play, but once you got in, the difficulty skyrocketed, turning into the highest level of Dark Night difficulty. And after finally managing to clear this ridiculously difficult dungeon, there were no rewards at all?!

This insane "Sacrifice Game" actually considers this dungeon to still be a Twilight-level dungeon. The three members of the Gao family who cleared the dungeon were deemed to have only cleared the second Twilight-level dungeon. Moreover, because they received one S rating and two A ratings, and the results were the same as those for the Shirakawa Apartment dungeon, none of the three of them received any bonus rewards from the game.

This is outrageous!

Gao Hai really wanted to protest loudly like this.

However, [Sacrifice Game] is a bastard game that completely ignores the players' demands and whose planners only care about their own enjoyment and don't take the players seriously. Therefore, no matter how much Gao Hai protests, the rules of this game will not change, and he can only helplessly put the matter aside for the time being.

"Although we cannot obtain new blessings to further enhance our survival capabilities, at least this time, we have once again received the power of blessings."

Kaguya spoke softly at this moment, her eyes suddenly veiled with a dark red cold light, her entire aura changed at this instant, and the surrounding air inexplicably became much colder, as if some eerie thing had descended.

Upon seeing Kaguya in this state, both Takami and Maki were slightly taken aback. However, upon sensing the blessing power, their eyes also changed. In an instant, all three people in the private room developed conjunctivitis, and the temperature seemed to plummet to below zero.

"This thing... could it be the legendary [Berserk Mode]?"

Feeling this strange power, Gao Hai couldn't help but murmur.

At this moment, the three of them felt the blessing power belonging to Hedar.

This is a rather simple and direct blessing that greatly enhances strength, speed, and reflexes, while reducing all forms of damage—whether conventional (swords, clubs, guns, bombs, etc.) or various terrifying and bizarre attacks—to a very low level. For example, if Gao Hai were normally shot by a pistol, the bullet would penetrate his skin and remain inside his body. However, after activating this blessing, the bullet would at most leave a shallow mark on Gao Hai's skin.

Activating and maintaining this blessing directly consumes the user's physical and mental strength. Therefore, if the user cannot control the extent of its use correctly, the holder of the blessing may lose the ability to move and faint after using the blessing, or even die on the spot. It must be used with caution.

The second effect of Hedar's blessing is to identify "abnormal people," which is a very strange blessing.

After acquiring this blessing, the holder will sense when encountering individuals who exhibit significant abnormalities compared to normal people, such as cannibalism, necrophilia, or dissociative identity disorder. They will realize that this person is abnormal. This blessing is similar to Li Zhaodi's blessing of perceiving good and evil; both are permanent passive skills, but its application seems much narrower. Gao Hai pondered for a while but couldn't think of any practical use for this blessing, so he temporarily set it aside.

Undoubtedly, Hedar's blessing is extremely practical. Even disregarding other aspects, its initial effect is incredibly powerful. Based on the power the three sensed, activating this blessing in an emergency could easily allow them to escape the pursuit of the eerie tales. As for human enemies, it's even easier; activating the blessing essentially means indiscriminate slaughter. The only problem lies in its consumption. According to their estimates, Maki can only sustain this blessing for a maximum of three minutes, while Takami can last five minutes. Kaguya's body has a congenital condition, and even with the blessing's enhancement, she's still inferior to Takami and Maki. Therefore, she'll likely reach her limit after about one and a half to two minutes of continuous use.

"Very good, it seems the harvest was quite good."

After carefully confirming the power of this blessing, Maki couldn't help but smile.

“That’s right, but it seems that neither Maki nor I received the second blessing, which means Andres’ blessing was given to you, right, Taka-kun?”

Kaguya nodded in agreement, then looked at Takahashi and asked with some curiosity.

"Yes, that should be it. I can already feel Andres's blessing. This blessing is... ah?"

I felt the power of this blessing.

That unique blessing, carrying a touch of warmth, connects one's existence with that of others.

At that moment, Zhenfei's eyes widened as well, and she looked at Gao Hai with an incredulous expression, her cheeks almost immediately turning red.

Andres's blessing has only one ability: spatial teleportation.

The cooldown time is approximately 24 hours, meaning it can be used once a day. After use, Gao Hai can instantly teleport to Zhen Fei's side or teleport Zhen Fei to his side. As for the time and space interval involved, it seems that unless they are separated into different instances, this blessing has no restrictions and can be activated anytime, anywhere.

The reason why this blessing was specifically given to Gao Hai and Zhen Fei is quite simple: they have feelings for each other. Their genuine affection for one another is the key to unlocking this blessing.