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

By now, Gao Hai has lost count of how many people are inside the fire. Since the early elementary school instance ended, the number of residents in this sea of ​​fire has seen an astonishing increase, exceeding ten thousand in total.

Well, it was mainly filled by the ten thousand Japanese soldiers that Chiyo Hachiya killed. However, although the Black Watch identified these soldiers as fuel, their quality was too poor. Therefore, despite their large number, they could not provide the watch with much power.

Come to think of it, I seem to be able to tell the quality of these fuels now?

Realizing this, Gao Hai tried to open his senses and carefully perceive the figures imprisoned in the flames.

Excellent quality fuel... well, without a doubt, only Alice, only this non-human monster extracted from the human Alice, can be called the best fuel.

There are three medium-quality fuels: Li Youcai and Xu Jiazhen from Baichuan Apartment, and Foerneng from the cave. These three guys, who are screaming and struggling wildly, are considered to be of good quality among the fuels. They are the kind of fuel that can warm people's hearts in the dead of winter.

There were over two hundred pieces of poor-quality fuel remaining. These included researchers and high-ranking officials from the Red Nut Gray Hole incident, as well as accomplices like Pei Di. Also included were researchers from Fujika Junior High and Hayate Elementary School, military personnel, the participant from Hiromoto Mental Hospital, and a host of others inextricably linked to these tragedies and guilty of numerous atrocities. This fuel was of very low quality, and it was clear that these individuals were mentally and personally unstable; their screams were not even as loud as those of the earlier fuels.

Finally, there were over ten thousand neon soldiers and a small group of Alice's fanatical worshippers. The quality of their fuel was absurdly poor; despite their sheer numbers, the power they could provide was pitifully small, judging from the feedback of the flames. This large group barely accounted for a fraction of the energy this sea of ​​fire provided for the Black Watch's recovery.

Why is this so?

If we're only talking about the degree of "evil," these soldiers and their worshippers are certainly no worse than the people mentioned earlier, right?

Is it because characters like Alice, Fernand, and Li Youcai played a crucial role in the formation of the instance, essentially controlling a significant amount of resources within it, thus providing more effective fuel? And are the others, regardless of their evil deeds, ultimately just supporting characters and extras, unable to contribute much power?

Or is it because the evil deeds committed by the aforementioned individuals were the most recorded in the instance, and their connection to the instance is the strongest, that more people hate and fear them? If that's the case, the couple in Shirakawa Apartment doesn't seem to fit the description. Hmm... it's really hard to understand.

Forget it, there's no need to worry about that right now. It's more important to think about what to do next. And... um, how could I forget about that person?

Gao Hai turned around.

He slowly moved forward along one side of the collapsed square.

He was heading towards the very center of the square, the area that was originally empty except for a slightly elevated platform.

There are now some more things on this platform.

It was a black, enormous cross, over ten meters tall, yet the cross itself was incredibly slender.

The flames burned, clinging to the cross, as if they would never go out.

The writer was hanging on the cross, constantly wailing and struggling desperately, but could never escape the bondage and pain.

No, it doesn't seem to be as simple as just being suspended up there.

Gao Hai observed carefully and found that the other party's soles were pierced by nails, and the two legs were turned inward. Then the cross went upward through the space between the two legs, and then through the guy's head and open mouth.

Its shoulders were pierced by the iron bar across the cross. Although its arms were not pierced, its hands were forced up and pierced, thus locking its arms and shoulders firmly.

While suspended in this pierced state, the flames burned ceaselessly on the writer's body, inflicting maddening pain upon it, causing it to howl in agony, yet the howls were muffled and suppressed, unable to truly resonate.

Is this what they call a "trial"?

Gao Hai gazed at the writer's current miserable state and couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.

Suddenly, he felt a gaze upon him.

Somewhat surprised, Gao Hai looked up and saw the writer's eyes turn to him, the hatred in them undisguised.

Unlike the fuel in the sea of ​​fire, the writer, who was clearly not human, was able to retain a certain degree of consciousness despite enduring more intense pain, and was even able to react when Gao Hai approached.

[Ooh...cluck...oh...cluck...]

It seemed to want to say something, but because its throat was pierced and stuffed, it could not actually speak.

But Gao Hai, who was standing not far away, could sense what it wanted to express and could feel the emotions and will transmitted from it.

You absolutely cannot pass the dual dungeons of Nightfall Mountain High School and Baidos.

You will definitely die in the "Campus Ghost Stories" instance, and you will never be able to escape.

You absolutely cannot defeat my perfect copy, my ultimate achievement, or the "Original Mystery" that I created with all my might!

Despite being imprisoned in the Crimson City, the writer seems to somehow know what Gao Hai went through, what he encountered in his first playthrough, the obstacles he faced in his investigation, and the cause of his eventual death.

Is this guy mocking me?

Gao Hai was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth into a smile.

"Even in this state, you can still make that kind of expression. It seems I was a bit too lenient with you before. But it's okay. If you think this level of provocation and mockery will make me angry, you're definitely overthinking it."

Gao Hai laughed as he spoke.

"Now that I stand here face to face with you, I feel no pleasure of revenge, nor do I feel any displeasure at being mocked and cursed by you. I feel only pity for you, nothing more."

As Gao Hai spoke, his gaze toward the writer truly became compassionate.

"Because I already know what you need to repay me for."

As soon as the words fell, the writer, who clearly had no idea what was about to happen, simply continued to glare at Gao Hai, cursing him with venomous eyes.

But as a strange sensation began to spread through its body, it finally realized what was happening and showed a terrified expression. It began to struggle desperately and howl as if begging Gao Hai for forgiveness and for him to stop this terrible behavior.

Gao Hai, however, was simply watching the writer.

To gaze at the other person with pity, without saying a word, doing nothing, nothing more.

Pfft— Pfft—

Something was peeled off.

It was stripped from the writer, from this being who is fundamentally superior to humans and not bound by time.

As the cheater who broke the rules and personally attempted to kill Gao Hai, the Black Watch handed the writer a trial, and therefore it had to pay the price—a price it could not bear, a price that was enough to destroy everything it had.

So from this moment on, its execution has only just begun.

"call……"

Gao Hai let out a long sigh of relief.

He could sense that something was changing within him.

From this day forward, his existence, and the people who have a close connection and affinity with him, have undergone a fundamental change.

This change is extremely subtle and won't show any immediate impact, nor will it enhance Gao Hai's abilities or unlock any special functions. However, as this fundamental change gradually extends, it's certain that it will inevitably lead to astonishing transformations in the future.

"Did the higher-dimensional status of the 'writer' be stripped away, shattered, and given to me and those I approve of? Does this mean that from now on, I and those I care about will gradually be elevated from human beings to a higher level, similar to a KP?"

Gao Hai frowned in thought. This subtle change in essence seemed to have no immediate impact, but he felt it was by no means a trivial matter that could be easily dismissed. He was quite uneasy about what changes this gift would bring to his life in the future.

However, the second change that followed was entirely a good thing.

Three times?

As Gao Hai felt the power he had gained, a smile appeared on his lips once again.

Just now, he clearly sensed that the black watch had drawn upon the power of the [Writer], granting him three opportunities to use its functions without any cost. Aside from the function that required three rollback attempts and was unusable because he was still in the [Campus Ghost Stories] instance, all the functions of the black watch that required rollback attempts could now be used temporarily without any cost. Of course, this didn't mean Gao Hai could make several extremely expensive wishes and then have them granted; the watch's energy bars were limited, only supporting three wishes that consumed no more than one bar.

However, this is not the key issue.

Gao Hai looked again at the writer who was being burned by flames and was clearly in even more pain and despair, his expression as if he had seen a gold mine.

This energy extraction is sustainable, not a one-off event. Furthermore, it can not only extract energy, but also temporarily store it.

In short, Gao Hai's watch is now like a fully charged 12-segment energy meter. No matter how much he consumes and replenishes it, the upper limit can never truly exceed 12. Just like back in Fujika Middle School, when he finally solved the dungeon and extracted the remnants of the ghost story, the pointer hovered around 0 a few times before stopping. Even if Gao Hai gains power beyond the limit, he can't save it and it will all be wasted.

However, the existence of [writers] has increased Gao Hai's storage limit.

3 grids.

This is the maximum amount of energy that the "Writer" container can store.

As a container, the "writer" also has a self-recovery feature, recovering one bar approximately every 30 days.

In other words, from now on, Gao Hai effectively has three extra bars of energy storage. If used properly, this is equivalent to having three extra rollback opportunities and chances to use various watch functions to turn the tide.

If I could grab more Keepers (KPs) and stuff them into the watch... that seems a bit difficult. So far, the only KP I've seen is a writer, a complete idiot who jumps around like a jerk.

Never mind, that's not the focus right now.

Gao Hai already knows how to use this new power.

hum-

The mental link connects Takami and Fujiwara Chika's consciousness. With each unit of energy consumed, Chika can now communicate with Takami anytime, anywhere, just like Maki. Furthermore, the three can chat privately, in groups, and in various ways.

hum-

A mental link with Yotsuya Miko was quickly established, and because Yotsuya Miko herself had "smuggled" herself into the Crimson City and left a human-shaped piece of furniture in the square, Takahashi vaguely felt that Miko's connection with the city and with himself seemed to have become even closer.

Two of the three energy points provided voluntarily by the writers have now been used up.

But Gao Hai had no intention of stopping there.

He had discovered the biggest weakness of his side in this instance mission, a troublesome situation that he had brought upon himself and had no other choice but to confront.

So next, he will use the watch's functions to make up for his weakness, and even turn it into an unexpected advantage.

Facing the blood-red sky, Gao Hai raised the hand with the black watch on it, closed his eyes, and slowly spoke in his heart:

I wish, I want to—

Chapter 43: A New Cycle, New Abilities, New Actions

When-when-when-

After the melodious chimes, Gao Hai opened his eyes and slowly sat up from his bed in the dormitory.

The sun is shining brightly outside the window; the weather is perfect.

Well, if you don't consider his expressionless roommates who have been staring at him since he woke up, it's actually a pretty good day.

The atmosphere inside the room is becoming cold and eerie.

It's quite normal for this situation to occur, since I now know a lot of things I "shouldn't know." To the monsters in the main campus, I'm now like a campfire in the dark, someone who's extremely conspicuous as long as I'm still on campus.

It's certain that Yotsuya Miko, who can retain memories without consuming watch markings, is now facing the same situation. She has probably already discovered that her three roommates, who should be familiar with her, have all been replaced by strange, eerie students, each of whom is showing her a cold expression.

Therefore, the first thing to do after resetting and being reborn is to escape for your life.

Bang!

Almost instantly, Gao Hai sprang from the bed and lunged forward, reaching the bathroom window in the blink of an eye. He then easily vaulted over and landed on the ground below.

Meanwhile, Yotsuya Miko, who was on the fifth floor, had also started running. Despite being so nervous and scared that her heart was pounding, she still ran faster towards the washroom and towards the window in the dormitory.

Unlike Gao Hai, whose speed was instantly enhanced to its limit through blessing and empowerment, Jian Zi's running speed was ultimately a step slower. As a result, the strange students all sprang into action, expressionlessly rushing forward to stop her.