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

Gao Hai frowned, realizing that he had probably obtained a rather crucial clue.

But before he could listen more carefully, Goto Ichiri, who had been quiet all along, suddenly turned his head, and Kita's voice reached Takami's ears.

{Stop chatting, it's time to go! Danger is coming! Danger outside!!!}

Amid Kita's anxious shouts, Goto Ichiri struggled to pull out his guitar, managed to strum a few notes, and then looked at Takami with a serious expression.

What's happening outside?

Gao Hai asked in the mental link, but before he received an answer, he felt a tremor like an earthquake.

{It's a mudslide}

{The mountain collapsed! The mountain collapsed!}

Ichiri's reply rang out along with Kita's shouts.

And the rumbling, trembling sound also rapidly approached, accompanied by increasingly intense vibrations.

What the heck, a mudslide?!

The unexpected situation startled Takahashi, while Goto Ichiri quickly put away the cardboard box containing his obsession, leading the two back to the alley between the two houses.

The deathly aura that permeated the entire abandoned village vanished without a trace at that moment.

And what is visible to the naked eye is that the rubble and mud that has almost taken up the entire hillside, tearing apart countless trees and crashing down, is almost reaching the abandoned village.

"What the hell is this?"

Gao Hai only had time to utter this one sentence before the surging mud completely covered the village, submerging the abandoned village entirely.

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Inhuman Beings That Despise Mortals and the Village That Returns

To be honest, Gao Hai felt that after experiencing so many dungeons, he was quite experienced in all kinds of jobs.

However, he had to admit that this was the first time he had ever seen a mudslide flood his own copy.

Rumble, rumble, rumble——

One after another, violent explosions rang out, and the roaring mud and water destroyed the entire village with unstoppable force, completely covering it in just a few seconds. Only a very few buildings with more than two stories could still barely be seen with their roof structures.

It has to be said that natural disasters like mudslides are quite devastating when experienced up close.

However, relying on something like this to deal with Gao Hai is still somewhat unrealistic.

"Visually, it's quite impressive, and it seems to be more than just a regular mudslide, but the speed is a bit slow. This kind of explosive speed wouldn't be able to catch me."

Muttering to himself, Takahashi reached out and grabbed Goto Ichiri's arm, suspending himself in mid-air.

By driving the blessing of nothingness, Gao Hai transferred part of his body into another dimension, and then took off with Xiao Boqi in the air. In the blink of an eye, they appeared hundreds of meters in the air.

Even though the mudslide was incredibly powerful, Gao Hai, who was now a genuine Red Moon-level player in terms of physical abilities, could still react easily with the help of his powerful blessing.

In fact, if it weren't for the concern that something might have been added to the mudslide and that encountering it would cause harm, Gao Hai could have simply charged straight into it. With the blessing of rampage, Gao Hai could very well have forcibly broken through the mudslide.

"Hmm...why would something like this exist..."

Goto Ichiri was still a little confused and didn't quite understand why a mudslide had suddenly appeared.

At that very moment, accompanied by an even more violent roar, a torrent even more powerful than the initial mudslide was suddenly released from the high mountains above the village. Large amounts of gravel, silt, and various debris of vegetation surged down, completely covering the village below, and then rushed into the valley, completely filling the river and lake.

It seemed to sense something.

Something that is hard to describe in words, filled with a sense of oppression, seemingly not human, but not entirely a monster either.

I am being watched by that thing.

The moment you sense the other person, their gaze is already fixed on you.

It is something devoid of humanity, incomprehensible to one another, and capable only of evoking a strong sense of alienation.

This feeling...it seems kind of familiar.

It seems like I just experienced it not long ago.

"Are you coming?"

Gao Hai already had a vague idea of ​​what was coming.

"coming?"

Goto Ichiri was still in a daze. Because Takami hadn't shared the information from his side yet, the girl didn't know what had happened to Takami. So at this moment, Ichiri felt quite confused and had no idea what would happen next.

hum-

A strange tremor was already stirring in their minds.

Then, at the same time, they clearly saw a human face emerge from the mud and rubble below. Or rather, something that resembled a human face, composed of three deep vortexes—two small and one large—constantly writhing.

Is that a human face?

Upon seeing that thing, both Takami and Goto Ichiri instinctively had that thought.

The two smaller vortexes look exactly like eyes, while the larger vortex is clearly the mouth. With the basic structure of eyes and a mouth, it's undeniable that it's a human face, isn't it?

Is that so?

Rumbling--

The surging mud was still making violent trembling sounds.

Gao Hai frowned slightly. He suddenly had a bad feeling, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Something in his mind seemed to have slowed down, like a program that had malfunctioned, unable to reach a clear conclusion.

That was a human face...

Human face...

No...that's not right...

What is that thing... and what does it have to do with me...?

A human face...yes...it was a human face...

That's a person...it's my face...no...

wrong!

The sharp cone formed by mental energy pierced Gao Hai's mind in an instant, forcibly interrupting the spreading pollution.

Goto Ichiri took a deep breath and turned his head a little later than Takami, no longer looking at the surging mud below, nor thinking about the whirlpool in the mud.

At that moment, both of their skin secreted a little muddy liquid. It was the blood, muscle, and fat tissue in their bodies being transformed by a strange force, turning into mud little by little, and then seeping out from their dissolved pores.

Is this the same old trick again?

Gao Hai spat out a mouthful of muddy water, feeling the power gradually spreading through his body, and couldn't help but feel a headache.

The power of the curse had already taken root in his body.

Just like the previous paper doll curse, these twisted filth silently invaded the body, spreading wildly and causing increasingly severe damage.

However, this time was better than the time with the paper doll curse. Before, Gao Hai couldn't remember where he was hit by the curse until its power took effect. This time, he fully experienced the process of the curse invading his body and consciousness and clearly identified its source.

"The Mountain God of Little Black Mountain".

Instead of using a mental link, Gao Hai spoke directly, calling out the other party's name to the surging mud below.

no respond.

Although Gao Hai was certain that the thing had heard him, he received no response.

Unlike Alice, who had relentlessly pursued him before, this twisted and bizarre creature Gao Hai encountered this time completely disregarded him, not even bothering to glance at him. It merely scoffed at his self-destruction and casually cast a fatal curse upon him before ignoring Gao Hai entirely, treating him as if he were invisible.

It's been a while since I've felt this kind of contempt, neglect, or even disdain. The last time, well, it was probably during my first playthrough of the Nightfall Mountain Middle School instance, when those fanatics ambushed me, right? But compared to those guys, this inhuman creature's attitude seems even worse. After all, it doesn't even have the interest to say a word or put on a show; it truly and utterly treats me like an ant.

"Heh, tui~"

Gao Hai spat out another mouthful of muddy water, feeling the curse power gradually spreading through his body. He turned to look at Goto Ichiri beside him and found that the girl's condition was also quite bad. Her whole body was soaking wet, obviously because her flesh and blood were constantly being transformed into muddy water and flowing out of her skin.

"Waaah... Mr. Hai..."

However, the girl did not give up. On the contrary, while enduring the increasingly intense pain in her body, she took out a small object from her pocket.

Clearly, it was an object of obsession, and judging from its aura, it seemed to be at the Crimson Moon level.

For players who have reached the Red Moon level, Red Moon-grade items are extremely rare and difficult to obtain consistently. Even powerful Red Moon-grade players are usually quite fortunate to possess only four or five Red Moon-grade items. This is because, firstly, Red Moon-grade dungeons are extremely difficult to conquer; even simply clearing them and escaping is a significant challenge. Secondly, Red Moon-grade dungeons don't only drop Red Moon-grade items; they drop items of all three levels, from Twilight to Red Moon. Therefore, obtaining Red Moon-grade items involves a considerable degree of probability, which presents another obstacle.

According to the information provided by Goto Ichiri herself, which Gao Hai knew, this pink-haired girl possessed a total of three Crimson Moon-level artifacts. Of course, only two remain now, since Pochi's signature guitar has become a blessing item and can no longer be considered an artifact. As for the second Crimson Moon-level artifact, it was a very strange artifact that the girl obtained by chance. It was called a "Lucky Pendant," which could bring both luck to the girl and misfortune to others. In terms of its effect, it didn't seem like a Crimson Moon-level artifact at all, and no one knew what it was all about.

What the girl is taking out now is her third Crimson Moon-level item of obsession.

[Mother's Special Beverage]

This is the name of the object of this obsession, and it can be said to be quite simple.

The appearance of this thing is somewhat grassy. It is a bottle of Coca-Cola that is commonly sold in the market for 3 yuan a bottle, and it is filled with a bottle full of black liquid.

Of course, this thing isn't cola. Although it's disguised to look very much like a bottle of cola, and even frozen so that you can feel a chill when you hold it, it's really not cola, but... a Chinese herbal soup.

The bitterness is so intense that it can instantly contort the face of anyone who tastes it; in terms of taste alone, it can cause almost irreversible damage.

Simply by drinking a sip of this substance and swallowing it, the drinker can immediately escape all abnormal conditions and instantly return to full health. This recovery includes permanent injuries such as severed limbs; as long as the person is still alive, drinking this substance will bring them back to full health.

However, this substance has a highly targeted side effect: if the user's family member has passed away, and the user had a good relationship with the deceased, then this object will evoke memories of the family member in the user. This longing may sound ordinary, but its actual effect is extremely intense. The user will constantly recall the close and beautiful life they shared with their family, remembering every happy moment, and will feel an extremely strong sense of frustration because they have lost them in their current life. As a result, they will become increasingly depressed, extreme, and prone to very extreme states.

Before Goto Ichiri, four players had possessed this artifact, the first three of whom had experienced the death of a close relative. Without exception, all three committed suicide after using the artifact multiple times; none of them survived.

The third player who possessed this item had a happy family and had collaborated with Goto Ichiri several times. However, before this player's last mission, her grandfather died in a car accident. As a result, the player almost instantly collapsed and ultimately took her own life during the mission, leaving the item to Goto Ichiri's team, with whom she had collaborated, and it ended up in the hands of Pochi.

This also reveals another terrifying aspect of this Red Moon-level obsession item: while players with happy and fulfilling families won't experience any side effects after drinking it, the actual side effects from each sip still persist, accumulating in their bodies and minds. Therefore, if such players encounter misfortune in their families, they will be immediately devastated, with absolutely no chance of recovery.

Additionally, according to tests conducted by players who previously possessed this item, orphaned players without family will also experience the same effects after drinking it. They will treat those they like and care about as family, cherish their friends more, and then fall into despair just like before when those they cherish suffer an accident. Incidentally, players who love nothing but themselves will die instantly after drinking it, and reportedly in a very gruesome manner, as if they were beaten to death with a blunt object.

Incidentally, this peculiar obsession item has another very interesting aspect: if the user consumes it repeatedly within a short period, or immediately eats junk food like potato chips or donuts after drinking it, the user will be inexplicably slapped hard across the face by some unseen force. If this continues, the slaps will continue for a long time, and each slap is delivered with just the right amount of force—not enough to injure the player, but extremely painful—regardless of the player's physical strength level.

Since acquiring this object of obsession, Goto Ichiri has never used it. Initially, it was because the previous holders of this object all met with unfortunate ends. Later, it was because Kita Ikuyo, whom she considered a companion, disappeared. Despite having a happy family of her own, Ichiri was still worried about whether the object's effects would kick in, so she never used it. In fact, during the Yoruyama Middle School arc, the girl could have used this object to remove the psychological suggestion seed from Takamagahara, but unfortunately, Ichiri had already entered a state of mental distortion and was unable to consciously think about using the item. The others were also unaware of the severity of her problem, resulting in a tragic outcome.

As for now, there's no time to hesitate. The power of the curse is immense and cannot be underestimated; we must respond immediately!

Goto Ichiri unscrewed the bottle cap with one hand and took a small sip without hesitation.

In an instant, the girl's face contorted in extreme pain, as if the medicine was devouring her rather than drinking it. However, she quickly and laboriously swallowed it, and her body immediately resumed its normal dissolving process, with her lost blood and tissues fully restored.

"This...can you drink it?"