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

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Upon entering, one is greeted by an empty room and huge paintings hanging on the walls around the room.

Upon entering, the first thing you see are two paintings facing the entrance. One depicts a towering castle in the darkness, which upon closer inspection turns out to be a massive, rotting structure made up of countless corpses, crawling with flies. The other painting shows a pitch-black dungeon, with withered arms reaching out from the cages, desperately trying to grasp something, while the floor is littered with mutilated skeletons.

Hongxia saw the signs above the two paintings, which read "Plague Fortress" and "Hungry Dungeon" respectively.

Next, on the left-hand side of the entrance, Hongxia saw a realistic painting of a familiar modern street scene at night, almost indistinguishable from a photograph. The painting was titled "Red Street," and Hongxia didn't know why it was named that way. She just felt that this seemingly ordinary street scene was extremely similar to the dark street she had entered when she first entered the instance, as if that memory had been frozen into this incredibly realistic painting.

To the right of the entrance was a painting titled "The Doctor," the canvas of which was inexplicably painted entirely red, depicting only three pairs of closed eyes—a somewhat abstract work. This painting, however, caused Hongxia the most intense discomfort; simply looking at the blood-red frame made her feel as if she were about to vomit.

[Leave this room immediately and do not look at that red painting again!]

Gao Hai's command arrived almost immediately, and unlike before, his tone was noticeably more urgent this time.

Hongxia didn't dare to hesitate and quickly left the room, closing the door behind her. Only then did she breathe a slight sigh of relief, vaguely feeling that the discomfort in her heart had been alleviated.

"Um, Mr. Gao Hai, shall we continue?"

The girl looked at the remaining four doors that she hadn't checked and cautiously asked.

[Continue, Miss Hongxia. I know this is dangerous, but we have to find clues to find a way out. There's no better way right now, so this is the only option.]

Hearing this, Gao Hai thought that Hong Xia might be a little frightened and had developed a sense of resistance, so he explained it to her seriously.

"Yes, I will. But, Mr. Gao Hai, you don't really need to keep calling me Miss Hongxia. If you can, just call me by my name, Hongxia. Anyway, I'll have to trouble Mr. Gao Hai again. I'm off now."

As she spoke softly, Hongxia took a step forward and quickly reached the door of the second row of rooms.

Just like in the first row of rooms, the door to the right room was locked, and the sign on the door was smeared and illegible. Having learned from her first experience, Nijika didn't try to open the door this time. She simply stood by the door and had Takahiro sense the situation inside. After confirming that it was extremely dangerous, she quickly moved to the door on the left. On the door of this room, Nijika saw the word "Id".

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Push open the door and point the flickering flashlight into the room.

The next moment, when Hongxia saw the huge painting that occupied the entire wall in front of her, she almost immediately gasped and instinctively wanted to close the door.

"Don't be afraid, it's just a painting. I can sense that it doesn't possess any extraordinary power. By the way, why are you reacting so strongly to this painting? Could it be that you've seen what's depicted in it before?"

However, after Gao Hai made a promise, Hong Xia felt relieved and cautiously entered the room.

"The one in this painting... is the monster that attacked the stars before."

Hongxia quietly explained to Gao Hai the reason for her fear, not daring to look at the bloody painting titled "The Shattered Temptress," which depicted a beautiful woman torn to pieces, and immediately turned her gaze to the side.

Then she saw another painting with the theme of shattered corpses, "Broken Beauty." Unlike "Broken Temptress," the girl in this painting, although cut into pieces, was pieced back together, so that at first glance it seemed quite normal, but only upon closer inspection could one recognize what it was. Caught off guard, Hongxia felt a chill run down her spine upon seeing this thing, her legs went weak, and she almost collapsed to the ground. Fortunately, she had the mental fragments that Gao Hai had planted beforehand, so after taking a few deep breaths, Hongxia managed to remain calm and turned to look at the last painting in the room.

"This is……"

The painting is titled "The Sacrifice".

Hongxia couldn't understand the painting. The lines were so chaotic that it was impossible to discern the main elements. She could only vaguely make out that there seemed to be a mountain, people kneeling on the ground, and many twisted corpses in the painting. However, these elements were almost overlapping each other in the overly abstract painting style, forming a bizarre scene like a tangled mess, as if the creator had gone mad.

Given Mr. Coates's background, it's hard to say whether he went mad while creating this painting.

[Let's continue. This place... hmm, it's worth marking. If we can get back later, it's worth investigating further.]

Gao Hai then revealed an intriguing attitude, but since he refused to explain, Hong Xia wouldn't be so tactless as to press him for details. So she quickly left the room and headed towards the last row of doors in the corridor.

"Hey?"

Unlike before, this time a painting titled "Rotting Room" was hung directly in the hallway outside the room on the left.

But when Hongxia approached for a closer look, she discovered that the painting had been smeared with crayons, making it impossible to discern its original appearance. It seemed as if someone had deliberately vandalized the painting, but she wondered who had done such a thing.

In addition, unlike before, this time the door to the room on the left was locked and could not be opened, and the room sign was blacked out and could not be identified.

Conversely, the door to the room on the right, which is the last door in the corridor, can be opened. The sign on this door bears the strange word "Human Plague."

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As Hongxia pushed open the door, she was greeted by an incredibly familiar scene.

"This is... Zhenyang Apartment, yes, this is the main entrance of Zhenyang Apartment, I remember it looks just like this."

Hongxia pointed ahead to the realistic painting that occupied an entire wall, directly opposite the room's door. The painting was titled "Infectious Disease Apartment," and its exterior was exactly the same as the entrance to the Zhenyang Apartment, indistinguishable from the apartment Hongxia had seen not long ago.

Next, Hongxia looked to the left and right, and saw a painting called "Catman," which depicted a deformed human covered in black hair and standing on all fours. On the other side of the wall was a painting called "Poisonous Water," which depicted a distorted scene of several twitching and twisting figures that seemed to be dancing together.

[There are more in the background than just these few]

Gao Hai suddenly spoke up to remind her, and Hong Xia turned around, only to find that there were two paintings hanging on the wall where the room door was.

One of the paintings is titled "Death Company." In this painting, Hongxia sees headless figures sitting in office cubicles, seemingly busy with their work.

Another painting is titled "Lamb". This painting is very strange. It looks like a golden god guiding people forward, but all the people being guided show expressions of fear and sadness. Moreover, the direction they are heading is not heaven, but a pitch-black world.

This is the end. The corridor has come to a close, and without trying to open the three locked doors, there are no more clues left.

This is really quite interesting.

Gao Hai's voice rang out softly, and Hong Xia could detect a hint of regret in it.

"Mr. Gao Hai, have you discovered something?"

The girl asked in a low voice, but after a slight silence, Gao Hai did not answer Hong Xia's question. Instead, he gave the next instruction.

[Tear open the painting "Infectious Disease Apartment" and try to tear off the part of the apartment door depicted in the painting.]

"Huh? Oh, okay, I understand."

It's unclear what Hongxia understood, but she shut her mouth and walked to the painting that covered the entire wall. She rummaged in her pocket and pulled out a small nail clipper, then started fiddling with the canvas, trying to cut it open little by little.

This painter named Koz possesses more than just clairvoyance; he likely has other talents beyond that. This talent allows his paintings, particularly those depicting "sacrifice game instances," to function as "tickets," truly linking to the instance world.

At that moment, Gao Hai suddenly spoke up and began to slowly explain his discovery and thoughts to Hong Xia.

I'm not entirely sure how he did it yet, but without actually entering the "sacrifice game" and receiving the enhancements, this painter's abilities are still limited. Therefore, while his paintings can link to the instance world, they can't actually send living people in; at most, they'll cause some psychological damage to the viewers. Considering this is art, this effect might actually bring him even greater fame.

Of course, since he most likely died within a dungeon, all that fame has vanished, and it's difficult to find any relevant information in the real world. But I believe that after his death, Mr. Koz probably became a very special kind of uncanny entity. Because he linked himself to multiple different dungeons through his own will, he acquired the marks of many dungeons after death, making him unable to be categorized into a single dungeon. This makes him a special being capable of linking dungeons, akin to a "portal" or "transfer station." I believe that the corridor room we are currently in, filled with different paintings, is a manifestation of this special symbolism, and that's why I asked you to destroy this painting.

[I think this Mr. Koz has probably become some kind of invisible entity by now. His avatars are likely wandering through different instances in a form invisible to the naked eye. The one that entered level 109 before might have been him. Not only that, there's also a problem with the painting "The Shattered Temptress." You said the person in that painting looks exactly like the dismembered female ghost who attacked you, right? I'm thinking, could that dismembered female ghost be a derivative, could it be... Hmm, never mind, let's postpone that discussion and focus on the present.]

Gao Hai's explanation was very earnest.

But as for Hongxia, well, how should I put it, she didn't quite understand. After listening for a while, she still only half understood, only vaguely grasping that Mr. Koz's painting could be used as a portal or something.

Of course, although she didn't quite understand what was going on, it didn't stop Hongxia from completing the task that Gao Hai had given her. After making a small cut with nail clippers, the girl used her strength as a drummer to tear the heavy canvas bit by bit, and with a series of "ripping" sounds, she completely tore off the apartment door part of the painting "Contagious Disease Apartment".

Then, behind that canvas, what appeared before Hongxia was a dark corridor.

"It's a secret passage?"

The somewhat surprised girl whispered, and then, following Gao Hai's instructions, she walked forward and soon arrived at the end of the dimly lit corridor, where a wall that looked no different from its surroundings.

But Gao Hai immediately sensed what was behind the wall, so he had Hong Xia pick up the doll and hold it against the wall, while he applied a little force. Then, with a barely perceptible cracking sound, the wall crumbled and disappeared before Hong Xia's eyes, revealing a very spacious area behind it.

"here it is……"

Emerging from the secret passage, Hongxia found herself in what appeared to be a basement or similar place. She saw a maze of pipes and water valves, as well as an electrical distribution unit and, opposite it, a temporary generator that looked to be used in an emergency.

At either end of this space, roughly the size of the small square of the Zhenyang Apartment Complex, were two closed iron gates, behind which appeared to be a horizontal corridor. It was unclear where either side led.

To be honest, it looked slightly familiar. Although she didn't recall ever being here before, Hongxia felt like she had seen a description of this place somewhere, and she should know where it was.

This is Zhenyang Apartment. You've seen the map, right? Do you remember? This is the basement of Zhenyang Apartment.

Gao Hai answered Hong Xia's question promptly.

"Oh, so this is the place? Does that mean we're back? So that's what Mr. Koz's painting meant when he cut it open to reveal a passage? It feels so incredible."

Only then did the girl finally understand what Gao Hai had been saying, and she opened her mouth wide, revealing a shocked expression.

【…】

After hesitating for a moment, Gao Hai decided it was best not to speak, otherwise he probably wouldn't be able to resist the urge to complain. But then again, compared to Ryo, who was quite wary, a girl like Hongxia was definitely not suited for a place like the [Sacrifice Game]. Although Hongxia was now safe and sound thanks to my protection, someone else with a stronger sense of danger almost died. Perhaps that could be considered a contrast; hopefully, it wouldn't leave too deep a psychological scar.

"Mr. Gao Hai, shall we go back upstairs now? I... I'm very worried about Liang and my sister. I want to go back and check on them."

Before Gao Hai could say anything more, Hong Xia recalled her nightmare again, and a worried expression appeared on her face. She became anxious and wanted to go back as soon as possible.

No, we can't leave yet. Don't worry, they're both alright. Let's deal with this first. I can sense something in this basement that might help replenish the power I projected onto this doll, allowing me to better assist you. Head towards the gas valve; that should be where the thing is hidden.

Gao Hai wasn't in a hurry. He could vaguely sense that Xing Ge was sleeping soundly. Even though the lights in room 304 had been switched on and off several times, she wouldn't be targeted by any strange creatures moving around in the room since she hadn't left the closet. She was quite safe. As for the other person, there was even less of a problem. Although she had experienced a death more terrifying than a nightmare, Gao Hai was able to save her because of a special talent she had just acquired. So there was no need to rush back.

"I understand."

Hongxia had no idea what Gao Hai was thinking, but she trusted this almost godlike protector and guide quite a bit. Since he had said so, she naturally did as he said, giving up the idea of ​​going back immediately, and instead carefully walked to the location of the gas valve on one side of the basement.

The gas valve... hmm, could something be hidden here?

"Huh?! What...what is that?"

Then, upon seeing something, the girl couldn't help but gasp and instinctively took several steps back.

Is that really how it is?

Gao Hai, who was not surprised by what he was about to see, simply sighed softly.

It was a hole in the wall, seemingly dug out by human hands, located between a gas valve and a makeshift generator. It was big enough for two adults to pass side by side.

Behind this hole in the wall was a cave that wasn't too big, and piled up inside were the distorted and grotesque corpses of people.

"This... what on earth is this..."

Hongxia's voice trembled; from the moment she entered this instance until now, her emotions had clearly begun to spiral out of control.

As you can see, this is a mass grave. I think, perhaps before this apartment building was part of the real world and before it was converted into a dungeon, this is how the building's managers disposed of the dead?

Gao Hai spoke calmly, recalling the layout of the basement as he observed and confirmed how many of the corpses were manifestations of lingering obsession and how many were simply unfortunate living people. "Well, the latter are few in number, but there are still some. That way, they can still be of some use."

"I...I don't understand, this is too much...why is this happening...?"

Standing before the broken wall, Hongxia asked again in a low voice, her body trembling uncontrollably, unable to calm herself down.

She saw Shizuko Ogiyama, Mami Torio, and the women who had helped her before, now lying among the corpses.

The smells of decay and blood rushed into Hongxia's nostrils, stimulating her senses, but they could no longer stir her increasingly confused thoughts.

"Who...who is doing this?"

"Mr. Gao Hai... I... I really don't understand... I don't understand..."

"Why is this place like this... Why does such a world exist... Waaah..."

I heard the girl sobbing.