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

{Seven Rivers Lotus: Who am I? Where am I? Where did all this information come from? Why did I fast-forward directly to the step of breaking the core obsession as soon as I entered the game?}

{Xiong Mi: You're too hasty. Slow down, take your time. Your rush will confuse everyone. Besides, since that [Takamagahara] is so powerful, your defensive posture is likely to arouse suspicion. They might even try to probe you more actively.}

{Jianbing: Although I have absolutely no idea what's going on, since the boss thinks it's okay, then I'm okay with it too.}

{Hayasaka Ai: I'm ready}

{Yotsuya Miko: I'm ready too, senpai. When do we start?}

{Aoyama Nanami: Wait, wait, what's going on? Mr. Gao, how do you know so much? This instance suddenly underwent such a huge change, and you immediately knew almost all the relevant information about this changed instance. This stuff… this stuff doesn't seem like something you could find in advance, right? I don't understand, how did you get this information? How did you determine if this information was accurate?}

{Goto Ichiri: Um... do you really have to choose me to go with you?}

{Takami: Asamoto Eriko's obsession is acknowledging you, Goto-san, so you're indispensable in breaking that obsession. Besides, didn't I promise you I'd save Kita? So this time, let's go together to rescue her, shall we?}

{Goto Ichiri: Huh? I-I understand! I'll do my best!}

{Aoyama Nanami: No, I don't understand at all, Mr. Gao, who exactly are you? Why are you...}

{Xiong Mi: Okay, Qingshan, just trust him. Although I don't know the specifics, I imagine getting these clues must have been very difficult. It's not good to waste time explaining back and forth at a time like this.}

{Aoyama Nanami: ...Okay, then, I'm fine with it too.}

After the exchange, conducted under tight security and with no outsiders able to hear the conversation, the players quickly sprang into action.

It was 7:17 a.m., and everything in the school was just beginning to function as the instance was opened.

In the forest, the fanatical players looked at each other in bewilderment, unable to understand why they had arrived in an unfamiliar place that did not match the information at the very beginning, and why more than half of their companions had lost all their obsession items and become blank.

In [Takamagahara], the deformed shadows who had been observing the players' activities were also puzzled. They couldn't understand why the player Gao Hai behaved so strangely as soon as he entered the dungeon, as if he was already very familiar with the place, and even adopted a posture as if he was on guard against something.

He even went so far as to use the power of a Crimson Moon-level blessing to exchange information. Why? Who is he guarding against? Could it be us?

Impossible, right? Even if this guy can find information about us in the dungeon, he doesn't know where we are, what kind of power and means we have, so how could he possibly take precautions against us in advance?

There's something wrong with Gao Hai; perhaps we should intervene beforehand.

A deformed figure hesitated before speaking.

[What are you talking about, Sato? You're jealous of him because he received Chiyo Hachiya's blessing, so you want to harm him? How can we launch our plan ahead of time? Don't let a small matter cause a big loss.]

But almost immediately, another figure retorted.

[Nonsense! I'm not jealous at all. I just think this kid's not normal. And don't pretend to be all righteous. Do you think I don't know you think Gao Hai is the most powerful and that's why you want to take over his body?]

[You bastard, how dare you talk to me like that! Who do you think you are, you lowly piece of trash! You really think you've climbed to a high position? Don't forget, I'm the one who recommended you, I'm your boss!]

Stop arguing! This is just the beginning, what's the point of arguing?!

In the dark corners where no one could see, these twisted figures argued fiercely with each other, attacking each other with vicious language and making noisy noises.

They are ready to seize the bodies of all the players who enter Nightfall Mountain Middle School in this instance, so that they can return to the human world and use their acquired supernatural powers to rule the entire world and establish the prosperous nation they envision.

However, there's a small problem: players' bodies vary in strength. Different blessings and enhancements result in significant differences in players' combat power, so who can obtain a superior player's body has always been a point of contention among these ghosts from the old era.

If no powerful external force forces them to unite, they might just start fighting each other. After all, those who have fallen to this state, clinging to life even in such a wretched condition, are inherently greedy and utterly shameless.

Time continues to move forward step by step.

Under the warm sunlight of Yeluoshan Middle School, the players have already taken their first steps, some with composure, some with doubt, and some with suspicion.

Whether or not the people here are prepared, the story of this supernatural world outside of reality is destined to enter its final stage.

Chapter 142: Prerequisites for Completing Preparations and the Capture and Fusion Plan

It’s still a familiar smell.

It was cold, damp, and filled with the stench of blood.

Under the dim light, the concrete passageway stretched out into the distance.

Although it wasn't the first time I'd passed through, I could still feel a strong sense of oppression in the long corridor.

"call……"

Wearing full protective gear, Hayasaka stood in the corridor and checked again that the frequency was [Frequency 4] before slowly taking a step forward.

Behind her was a half-open elevator door, indicating that she had just climbed up from below. Judging from the exhaustion in her breathing, the girl's exploration of the floors below the elevator had not been particularly smooth, though certainly not as messy as the previous time.

{Did you really figure out the start-up procedure for the observation experiment in the Baidos region all by yourself?}

Miko's voice rang in Hayasaka's mind. Because she left too early in the third playthrough, Miko herself had no idea what Hayasaka had done afterward. Therefore, she was still somewhat bewildered when she learned that this girl had single-handedly completed the most important process of exploring the Bydos area.

{Yes, I have a poor ability to perceive contaminating information, which allowed me to avoid many dangers. However, being able to confirm that process in the end was actually just luck. If I hadn't thought of that point at the time, I don't think I would have been able to find the correct path.}

Hayasaka communicated with Miko through their spiritual connection while carefully checking their surroundings.

Because Takami and Miko learned from their mistakes in the third playthrough, they carefully manipulated their retained memories in this loop. As a result, nothing came out to hunt Miko down, and the situation was relatively safe. However, out of caution, Hayasaka still carefully surveyed the surrounding environment and only continued their actions after confirming that everything was alright.

Soon, Hayasaka entered a room called the "Experiment Detention Center," a place used to imprison experimental subjects. The girl searched for a while and quickly found an old man sitting in a cage, emitting low, hoarse "heh-heh" laughs.

Hayasaka stopped in front of the old man.

He was filthy and looked like an old man who had long since gone mad, yet he was still just laughing to himself.

He seemed to be looking at Hayasaka, or perhaps he was just staring blankly ahead, at someone who wasn't even there.

The most conspicuous place is often the least conspicuous place.

{Back then, after struggling to activate the power supply in Zone 2 and restore power to the entire building, I saw the phantom of Urian.}

{In that scene composed of phantoms of the past, I saw a photograph—a picture of Urian and another person. The two appeared to have been classmates during their school years, and even graduated together, so the photograph showed two people in graduation gowns.}

{That photo should be an object of obsession, though not quite at the level of a core obsession, but it's clearly an obsession generated by Urian, which is why I successfully retrieved it and wasn't attacked by any monsters afterward.}

At first, I didn't realize there was anything wrong with the photo, but after thinking about it carefully, I realized that the person with the characteristics of the other person in the photo was actually inside the underground research institute, and was often the place where players would first arrive upon entering the area.

{Then I realized that although the true core obsession, Dean Jonathan, was sealed away and no longer manifested due to the loss of his object of obsession, this didn't mean that Jonathan as a person had truly disappeared from the instance. After all, for Urian, that madman, he always believed that Jonathan was his comrade-in-arms, so his memories could still shape the individual Jonathan.}

Then I began to ponder another question: what characteristics would the fabricated Jonathan, shaped by Urian's memories, possess?

As the voices within the mental link rang out gently, Hayasaka also recalled the actions she had taken during her third playthrough.

In fact, the reason she thought of this strange old man was mainly because she had successfully carried out some operations using information from the communication frequency band. This made Hayasaka realize that these things containing strong mental pollution information were actually not very harmful to her. If a Red Moon-level player might suffer some kind of pollution damage after investigating about ten documents in Bydos, then Hayasaka was the type who could look at them for a whole day without any problems.

Then, after activating the power supply on the second floor, Hayasaka decided to take a risky step: to try to communicate directly with the voices in the frequency band.

She first tried to communicate with it on Channel 1, but received no response. As for Channel 2, just hearing that strange sound gave her the creeps, so Hayasaka cautiously refrained from speaking on that frequency. Channel 3, however, did respond, but its reply was like a radio host speaking businesslike to a guest, and the sound was constantly filled with static due to some unknown interference. Therefore, Hayasaka ultimately switched back to Channel 4, deciding to give it one last try there.

The voice that often appears on [Frequency 4] did not answer Hayasaka this time.

But then Lord Urian's voice rang out and attempted to communicate with Hayasaka. Ah, of course, Hayasaka didn't understand a word; she had absolutely no idea what Urian was yelling about on the communication frequency.

Then, amidst the chaotic sounds, Hayasaka recognized the laughter he had heard in the cage earlier—the laughter of that eerie old man.

It was precisely because she noticed this that she ultimately chose to take the risk and return to Zone 1.

Thus, she discovered that the core obsession of Lord Urian manifested in the false Jonathan.

"I need to initiate the observation process to continuously observe the third core obsession of Nightfall Mountain Middle School, [Nothingness]. Please start the observation process, Mr. Jonathan."

Hayasaka spoke, addressing the figure inside the cage.

The old man, whose eyes were bloodshot, suddenly brightened up and looked at Hayasaka, or more precisely, at the photograph Hayasaka was holding.

At this moment, Yotsuya Miko's consciousness surfaced, activating the aura of the object of obsession held by Hayasaka. Hayasaka Ai in her third playthrough was unable to do this; her perception was too poor. This kind of object of obsession, which required sensory contact, was no different from a brick to her, and as a result, she was directly rejected by the old man in the cage.

This time, however, the situation was completely different since Jianzi did not leave early.

Of course, Urian, we will succeed. Let's complete this round of testing successfully.

The old man grinned, revealing a pleasant smile, and spoke in a relaxed tone.

The old man's voice sounded very awkward; it sounded as if Urian himself was deliberately imitating someone else's voice, and in a very clumsy way.

And this is precisely the revelation of the true nature of this old man's existence.

He is a figment of Urian's imagination, a Jonathan who does not exist in the real world and who walks alongside him to explore the power of the supernatural. He is a fake that does not exist in the real world.

This illusory figure exists only within the hidden underground research facility of Baydos, and is extremely closely linked to Urian's own obsession. Therefore, if one can obtain an object representing Urian's obsession, thereby obfuscating one's own identity to some extent, it might be possible to obtain assistance from this old man and thus initiate Baydos's observation and experimentation process. Hayasaka, in his third loop, failed at the final step and was nearly torn apart alive by this monstrous creature.

As for directly finding Urian's observation point, that's actually the least likely thing to do. Ordinary players simply can't stay and explore Baydos for long. Players like Hayasaka, who lack perception, can't find the hidden area at all and can't enter. Players with high perception like Miko might be able to find the place, but they'll definitely trigger something and die instantly while searching. It's safe to say that this path is completely blocked.

In a sense, this could be considered very much in the style of a "writer." Normal investigation and exploration would only lead to a dead end, while the truly correct path required a shortcut. No, in fact, even the shortcut was almost impossible to succeed. Because this fake Jonathan was directly connected to the core obsession, "Urian," when Hayasaka sought its help, Urian's presence would descend upon the place and eliminate Hayasaka for making this attempt.

Oh, but Urian can't come now, because at the start of the game, Kazuya used Gao Hai's blessing power to shoot it a few times, sealing the monster away.

Jonathan, covered in filth and looking no different from a prisoner, stepped out of the cage and instantly transformed into a well-dressed researcher before disappearing down the corridor.

This illusory existence, essentially a creation of Urian himself, exists simultaneously within the Bydos Research Institute in two distinct forms: a prisoner and a researcher. In a sense, this reflects Urian's love and hate for Jonathan. Considering the actual events—after the research failed, the real Urian led a group to seize Jonathan's academy and destroy it—Hayasaka can only say that he was truly a twisted madman.

Because he considered Jonathan his partner, he imagined him as his research assistant. Because the real Jonathan did not choose to be his partner, he then imagined Jonathan as a prisoner he was researching and persecuting, and later actually destroyed everything Jonathan had, dragging him down to hell as well.

Why is it that this twisted madman has become the core obsession and occupied such a crucial position? It feels like the existence of this madman has lowered the quality of all the other core obsessions.

You can sense something spreading throughout this underground base.

That is the power of a core conviction.

The power of the root of the ghost story area, named Urian, which has never found peace and which constructed the [Baydos Underground Research Institute], was awakened by Hayasaka himself and began to operate once again.

However, because the suppression bomb has effectively sealed the creature's ability to move, the spreading power of the monster is not particularly dangerous. Just like Chiyo Hachiya, who was sealed by the suppression bomb at Hayate Elementary School and was able to break free through a photograph, the sealed monster has not truly lost all its power. When it comes to matters related to its obsession, players can still stimulate the sealed monster in various ways to elicit a reaction.

I can't perceive the specific situation. How are you feeling right now?

Hayasaka asked Miko through the mental link.

{...It's hard to describe, but it seems like some movement is coming from the blood pool. Well, in any case, the power of the core obsession has indeed been activated. With the suppression bomb already sealed, if the power of the core obsession becomes active again, based on the experience of the predecessors, it can only mean that it's triggering something related to how to break free from obsession. So...yes, that's right, Baidos's [Observation Process] has now been successfully activated.}

After a brief pause, Jianzi finally gave an affirmative answer.

Only then did Hayasaka finally breathe a sigh of relief, no longer feeling uneasy about achieving the correct result after his arduous investigation in the previous cycle.

Soon, the players in the Yeluoshan Middle School area also received the news. Xiong Mi said that he was in the broadcasting room and had completely controlled the place and could continue broadcasting at any time. Gao Hai replied a little while later that he had arrived in the deep area of ​​the underground base and would soon be able to officially begin the project to crack the core obsession.

"So, what exactly do we need to do?"

Goto Ichiri, who had been led by Takahashi to the central laboratory of the underground base, first carefully looked at the blood pool not far away, and then looked at Takahashi, asking in a very soft voice.

"It's simple, we're going to capture Kita Ikuyo here."

The answer came from a half-open door not far away, and a moment later, Gao Hai emerged from the door.

He held the now lifeless kitten, Mia, in one arm and dragged the flesh-fusion machine into the hall with the other. He looked radiant, not at all like someone who had already endured three arduous battles in the previous game.