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

Gao Hai began to analyze the problem with the mindset of a serious academic discussion.

Hayasaka's skin texture is noticeably worse. While it's not bad in terms of smoothness and still feels slippery to the touch, it's rougher compared to Maki, and even more so compared to Chika. Hmm… Chika, unlike Maki, hasn't undergone systematic combat training and is arguably the most pampered, so it's understandable that she has the best skincare routine. As for Hayasaka, her skin probably isn't as well-maintained due to her demanding lifestyle. Of course, this "not so good" skin is still worlds apart from that of an average woman; there's no comparison whatsoever.

When Hayasaka tensed up before, you could clearly feel the power hidden in her seemingly petite frame; her muscle mass is quite high. But you can't really see it on the surface. Is this some kind of amazing anime-style scientific fitness method? When I watched her before, her stomach was flat and you couldn't see her abs. I wonder if you can feel them by touch? Also, her buttocks are slightly smaller than Chika's, but they're just as firm. I can't help but want to pinch them.

Oh dear, my thoughts have wandered a bit. But this feeling is actually quite nice. Both Maki and Chika have stayed in my arms like this before. However, Maki, unless she's asleep, gets bored after a while and wants to find something to talk about. Chika, on the other hand, will turn her head to kiss me. Hayasaka is probably the first person to stay quietly in my arms like a little animal, without moving at all.

Ok?

This feeling...

Lost in thought, Gao Hai had already sensed the emergence of a certain change.

The knocking stopped at that moment.

The clattering sounds from inside the cabinet stopped abruptly, and then everything fell silent.

The chill that had been lingering in the room was rapidly dissipating, replaced by a strong sense of sensation that was gradually approaching and locked onto by something.

Gao Hai could feel that thing locking onto him.

"time to go."

Picking up the clothes Hayasaka had placed on the ground, Takami put them on the girl. As she spoke, she stood up and looked in a certain direction.

Although we are still quite a distance apart, if we don't leave now, it might be too late.

"The butcher is back."

Chapter 44: The Moment of Returning to the Surface and What Lies Beyond the Observation Zone

Something unusual seemed to be permeating the air.

Hayasaka Ai, whose perception was only at the level of an ordinary person, did not notice anything, only vaguely sensing that the temperature in the room seemed not as cold as it had been at the beginning.

But Gao Hai couldn't ignore this feeling. It wasn't just because the butcher had locked onto him, but also because the entire instance scene itself was undergoing some kind of strange change, a change that he hadn't noticed before, or to be more precise, a change that was impossible for him to notice.

It's a feeling hard to describe in words. It's like a mirror in a room. When you first enter the place and see the mirror, you don't think there's anything wrong with its existence. Then the mirror disappears, but you know it's because you moved it. So, although you vaguely feel that the space is empty, you don't feel anything strange. Then one day you wake up and see that the mirror that disappeared has suddenly reappeared.

It was precisely that undeniable, overwhelming presence that allowed Gao Hai to conclude, without seeing anything, that the Butcher had broken free of his seal and returned to the instance. And if a conclusion had to be drawn about this change, based on Gao Hai's three instances of experience, only one point of reference could be found…

"Th-that thing is back?!"

Compared to Takami's solemn expression, Hayasaka was practically terrified. The days she spent trapped in the cage had left the girl with severe psychological trauma; just recalling the butcher's existence was suffocating enough for her, let alone the fact that the thing had now resurfaced.

"Don't panic, we're not helpless."

Opening the door, he noticed a faint sign of distortion in the corridor outside. As he led Hayasaka forward, Gao Hai checked his pistol.

All 10 suppression rounds have been replenished. Even if the Butcher really comes to him, Gao Hai is confident he can seal him away again. He now has a considerable understanding of the Butcher's past, and the power of the suppression rounds will only be stronger than before. He estimates that three bullets, or even just two, will be enough to completely suppress him. He is not afraid at all.

Moreover, he had a general understanding of what the butcher's presence meant in this instance.

Tread - Tread -

Takami and Hayasaka walked along the increasingly distorted corridor.

The surrounding scenery was distorted more and more severely.

It was like stepping into a kaleidoscope; the walls, floors, ceilings, and all sorts of doors, windows, tables, and chairs were all shattered and mixed together at that moment, making it almost impossible to recognize their original appearance.

Even though my steps were still moving forward, I couldn't help but feel like I didn't know where I was, or even that I was going backward.

In those intertwined phantoms, one after another figure seemed to appear and disappear, or be torn apart before disappearing, mingling with the distorted light and shadow.

"Huh...huh..."

Hayasaka's breathing became heavy.

She gradually began to hear some sounds, harsh, noisy, yet incredibly terrifying sounds.

It sounded like someone was letting out a piercing scream.

It was as if something had come from around her, followed her, and was calling out to her in her ear.

A buzzing sound filled my ears, my vision grew increasingly dim, and my senses became dulled.

it's wired……

Rather than saying we're moving forward alongside Mr. Gao...

But it feels more like myself... walking alone in another place...

What... happened to me...?

"Don't focus on those things, focus on me!"

Gao Hai's voice rang clearly in my ears, accompanied by an extremely chilling sensation.

Hayasaka subconsciously looked up and was met with Takami's blood-red eyes.

The mental shock brought by the rampage blessing intensely stimulated Hayasaka's nerves at this moment, instantly bringing the somewhat dazed girl back to her senses.

Then, Takami grabbed Hayasaka's hand, pulled her to his side, and dragged her forward.

This girl's mental strength is still too weak.

Gao Hai frowned. He had just used his willpower-sharing ability to help Hayasaka share the mental pressure, preventing her from going insane due to the eerie aura spreading from the changing environment. As a result, while Gao Hai himself felt nothing, Hayasaka had already begun to show signs of breaking down.

Having not experienced the upgrades from Twilight and Dark Night dungeons, and lacking any special mental abilities, Hayasaka Ai's compatibility with this dungeon is extremely poor, making her highly susceptible to external factors. Even with health potions to restore her sanity and her own abilities to help alleviate the strain, it feels like she still might not be able to hold on.

Fortunately, she doesn't explode like Miko. Because she lacks special talents in mental will, she doesn't resonate with strange forces and doesn't understand anything too profound. Therefore, her mind is only contaminated by the superficial understanding of strange forces.

Even so, in a dungeon at the level of Hayatei Elementary School... all I can say is that I hope she can hold on.

As we move forward, the collapse of our surroundings becomes increasingly apparent.

There is nothing left that can be considered intact.

Everything within sight was completely torn apart, even the light itself appeared distorted, chaotically intertwined with the darkness.

Gao Hai knew that this performance did not mean that the place was collapsing. On the contrary, it was being reorganized and transformed into the state that Gao Hai had seen at the beginning, the state of the "surface".

The Butcher's return has caused the dungeon to return to its original state, back to the chaotic structure it was at the beginning.

Just as Alice's obsession shaped the surface of Fujika Middle School, the Butcher of Hayashi Elementary School is the core of this dungeon's surface. When it was sealed, the surface became unsustainable, causing Takami and her group to quickly fall into a deeper area of ​​the dungeon. However, when it returned, the "surface" that had covered the inner layers reappeared, and Takami and Hayashi began to return from the inner layers to the surface, changing their positions as space itself changed.

Unlike Alice, who is a monster that is neither entirely human nor entirely supernatural, the Butcher disappeared from the instance after its object of desire was taken. The Butcher, however, is a genuine supernatural being, and like Andres whose ring was taken, its existence remains deeply rooted in the instance, not perishing despite the loss of its object. In fact, if it weren't for the unreasonable Red Moon-level blessing of the pistol, Gao Hai should have had no way to seal the Butcher.

However, it doesn't seem that easy.

Gao Hai noticed that in the distance of this shattered world, some buildings and military camps did not break apart, but stubbornly maintained their own complete structure.

The Butcher cannot completely conceal the existence of the [Inner Layer]; it is merely one of the mechanisms of this instance, a component within it. Even though its existence is inextricably linked to the surface of the instance, there are still things it cannot control or represent, which means... the distortion in this place will become even more severe.

Click—click click—

Broken mirror shards were scattering towards the ground.

The buildings that were not affected by the butcher's power retreated into the distance, as if they were trying to avoid him, but they could not truly escape.

The giggling voices of children echoed in the dark corridor.

Graffiti appeared one after another on the walls on both sides, childish, bizarre, and incomprehensible graffiti depicting whatever they were.

Hayasaka Ai closed her eyes.

After the shattered environment returned to normal, the sounds she heard did not diminish; instead, they became even clearer. The whispers of the children, the hushed voices of those watching her and Gao Hai from all around, all flooded her mind at that moment.

Look, look! A new classmate has arrived!

Wow, she's so close to the teacher!

[Hehe, does she like the teacher?]

But the butcher is already here looking for them, so they're going to have to be little puppies.

[Run! Run! Everyone run fast! Run if you don't want to be eaten!]

These sounds...

She vaguely remembered hearing these children's voices when she was first thrown into this awful place. But back then, she couldn't make out the details; it was like listening through a wall, a blurry sound. Now, however, the voices were clear—clear enough for her to hear every single one of them, and even imagine the expressions on the children's faces.

Has that dog-killing monster arrived yet?

"Mr. Gao..."

"Yes, I know, don't be nervous."

The corridor before him was extremely familiar to Gao Hai. It was here before that, after seeing his reflection in the mirror, he had mentally created a persona of himself called "Gao Hai" to be his friend. Although it hadn't caused any trouble afterward, the memory still made him feel quite disgusted. Now, the mirror had been smashed by someone, shards littering the floor. Considering that each shard might project the image of his "friend," Gao Hai naturally couldn't cross the corridor.

This corridor... behind me is a toilet door, and beyond that is the nap room. To my left is the school's first-floor lobby, where the butcher is located in a room on the second floor above the lobby. To my right is a door leading to a dilapidated little living room, from which you can find a path to the offices and classrooms, as well as back to the entrance where I first arrived—that seemingly ordinary little bedroom.

With his already excellent memory and spatial imagination, Gao Hai mentally constructed a rough map model of the surface space of Zaoli Elementary School.

Now that butcher has found us, it's unlikely we can avoid that thing no matter where we hide in the surface area, so...

"Follow me, and hurry!"

Sensing something approaching, Takahashi quickened his pace, pulled Hayasaka along, opened the door on the right side of the corridor, and entered a small living room. They then headed straight for the small bedroom that had just been opened, and as soon as Takahashi got close, he heard knocking sounds outside.

The thing outside the window kept knocking on it and calling out to the inside.

During his previous investigations, Gao Hai hadn't attempted to contact this thing, as he was convinced it was the only object that was clearly problematic and didn't exhibit any cognitive blocking effect. However, with the in-depth investigation of the Zaoli Elementary School instance, the suspiciousness of this window-knocking monster had greatly increased. Compared to the other items in the instance, this thing was utterly out of place, its style completely different, making one wonder what it really was.

Now that he has finally returned to this place, and with this loop already doomed to fail, Gao Hai has nothing to fear.

"Stand a little further away and keep an eye on what's happening on the other side of the door."

After giving Hayasaka some serious instructions, Takami jumped onto the bed, put his shoes on, stepped onto the bed, pulled back the curtains, and looked at the girl who was knocking on the window, whose face was full of blood and tears but who was smiling. Then he reached out and opened the window directly.

There was no one outside the window.

slam-la-

Through the drizzling rain, the open window revealed a gloomy gray fog, obscuring whether anything was inside.

Even though he could see a rainy street when he looked out the closed window, there was nothing outside when he actually opened the window. This contrast made Gao Hai vaguely realize something.

Without hesitation, he leaned out and plunged his upper body directly into the dim mist.

Apart from the raindrops hitting his face, Gao Hai didn't feel anything.