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

For a moment, a question began to creep into the girl's heart.

She felt an urge surge within her, an instinctive urge to turn and look at them, to observe them, to try and understand them. It was as if a voice was speaking from the depths of her heart, stirring her emotions and compelling her to take this action.

However, she immediately realized that such an impulse was wrong, and understood that even if they could not perceive her existence, the power they possessed could still affect her, only that the effect of this influence was reduced to a relatively controllable level and was not as strong.

Calm your mind.

No matter what, never forget who you are, and never forget why you are here.

I've paid a painful price to understand this; I don't want to experience that feeling of almost ending it all, with no chance to start over, a second time.

Ryo Yamada will never forget the experience of the strange creature in that garbage room tearing her flesh apart and torturing her to death.

As someone who fears pain and danger, there is no experience more direct and profound than this. Therefore, after this, the girl's heart underwent unprecedented growth. She would never be as complacent as before, would not easily fall into the trap of ghost stories, and would not easily ignore the clues that should be paid attention to.

【■■■……】

Those things passed by the girl.

She couldn't see what they looked like.

In this room filled with blood, those things appeared invisible, impossible to grasp clearly, and even their very existence was so illusory as to be unfathomable.

This room is huge, so huge that you can't see the end of it.

When you come in, it doesn't look very big from the outside, and you can easily walk to the end. But once you're inside, you can't find the exit. All around you is darkness and a bloody mist. And in that thick, bloody aura, something is always lurking quietly.

However, although she couldn't see them, they couldn't see her either.

In the perception of these strange creatures, there was no living person like Yamada Ryo who had intruded into their midst. So they simply wandered aimlessly in this boundless dark wilderness, in this blood-soaked, gloomy world, repeating their endless wandering.

The reason for this effect is simple: Yamada Ryo has awakened his own extraordinary power.

This doesn't refer to the ability to separate her soul from her body. This ability can actually be considered a disability, a phenomenon resulting from the loosening of the connection between Ryo's soul and body after being attacked by a strange entity. While this ability has indeed helped Ryo a lot, it's not inherently a natural power, but rather a result of accident. In fact, after the incident, Gao Hai will definitely need to find a way to repair her spiritual connection; otherwise, if this problem continues, her soul and body might one day completely separate.

As for her true extraordinary power, it is actually the ability to control her own existence. This ability was subtly revealed by Ryo before the [Hospital] invaded the real world, during an attack on Gao Hai by a hostile player. But until today, after she died once and was resurrected by Gao Hai, and resurrected in a state far stronger than an ordinary human, this talent, which might have taken some time to awaken, was understood and completely mastered by Ryo ahead of schedule.

In a sense, this was a blessing in disguise. If he hadn't died once and received a super enhancement, it would have been unknown how long it would have taken Ryo to awaken this power, given his own level of perception. However, due to the enhanced senses resulting from receiving Takami's enhancement, Ryo can now easily perceive and understand things that were previously incomprehensible. Therefore, controlling this power has become much easier, and he successfully used it in just a few minutes.

This method of awakening might be considered cheating in a sense, but when it comes to survival, cheating is completely unimportant. Hmm, although that's the gist of it, Liang is actually quite curious and wants to know if her awakening speed of extraordinary power is the fastest among ordinary people. It's unlikely that others would have Gao Hai protecting them like she does, someone who could be brought back after death to personally deliver the cheat codes; it's probably impossible for them to awaken faster than her, right?

"Aju——"

Located in the edge of the space, Yurikawa Hana, who had awakened her extraordinary power through overeating and a sudden shock, rubbed her nose, wondering if someone around her was muttering something.

Ahem, getting back to the point, by regulating her own presence, Ryo can be said to possess, to a certain extent, the ability to control her own [information flow]. Therefore, she can easily make herself the center of everyone's attention, and she can also enter a state of "invisibility" in front of any being with sensory abilities. It is precisely because of this ability that the girl dared to enter this obviously strange, bleeding room with almost no protection, and gradually uncover the anomalies within as she investigated further.

Still can't find the entrance?

Gao Hai's voice rang out amidst the mental fluctuations.

{Not yet. I think... unless I obtain proof of employment from Dansu Company, no matter how long I walk here, I still won't be able to reach the exit or find the way to Dansu Company.}

Liang answered in the same mental link, and then turned back thoughtfully to look at the path he had come from.

Although she couldn't see where she came from in the darkness, she had a strong intuition that if she walked back, it wouldn't take long to reach the entrance and easily return to the Sheep Apartment.

It seems she might have to go back to the boss's office and find a way to get anything that could be considered "identity" before returning here. Only then could she possibly find the real path, reach the end of this blood-mist-filled room, and truly glimpse what the corridor looks like.

But the girl did not turn around immediately. Instead, she remained standing still, closing her eyes and listening silently.

It seems you've made another discovery?

Gao Hai asked, somewhat surprised, as he couldn't see anything noteworthy about this unusual space. This was mainly because he hadn't invested much mental energy here, and his perception was different from that of ordinary people.

{Many things lingered here}

Liang answered softly in the spiritual connection.

{Unconscious... lost... unable to find direction...}

{Even without direction... I keep wandering... unable to stop...}

{If... what does this mean? Maybe, well, um, maybe it's possible? I have a slight idea.}

The blue-haired girl, seemingly having come up with no definitive answer, simply left the dark space silently and returned to the corridor.

Is this a riddle?

Gao Hai, who couldn't understand what Liang was saying at all, said with some confusion.

{That's right}

The girl's answer showed no sign of guilt.

[How can you play riddles with something as important as intelligence analysis? If you've really made a discovery, just tell me honestly. If you're wrong, I can help you correct yourself.]

Gao Hai felt somewhat helpless, worried that the girl might become arrogant again after becoming stronger.

{No problem, I just haven't figured it out yet.}

Even after Gao Hai said that, Liang only shook her head slightly, perhaps because she really hadn't thought of the right words. This girl, who was already taciturn, quickly arrived at the door of the room marked "Boss's Office." Without her needing to say anything more, Gao Hai, knowing what she meant, easily opened the door with his strength.

I actually feel a little nostalgic...

Gao Hai muttered something casually.

{Nostalgia?}

Liang immediately repeated, stopping at the door without going in right away.

"It's nothing, it has nothing to do with this place. I just remembered a spatial artifact I got before that could be used to open doors. It was a very powerful and rare item. It was distributed to a Red Moon-level player team for a rescue mission, so it's not with me. I'm just missing it a little."

Gao Hai's tone was full of sighs and lamentations, sounding like a decrepit old man in his fifties or sixties.

{……oh}

Liang's reaction was quite indifferent. After giving a casual reply, she held the squirrel plush toy in her hand and stretched it into the room before cautiously peering inside. Once she was certain there were no strange or unusual creatures in the office, she carefully stepped inside, always holding the doorknob with one hand to prevent the door from suddenly closing and locking itself after she entered.

The office was brightly lit, so bright that one could immediately see that this was nothing but an illusion, merely a projection of memories.

The documents on the table were blurry and illegible, their contents illegible.

The walls were covered with blurry and messy calligraphy scrolls and paintings that had become distorted beyond recognition. Some of the decorations in the room were also in a state of disarray. Yet, in the sunlight, everything seemed orderly. Even though a closer look revealed chaos everywhere, Ryo, who was observing all of this, felt a sense of order that seemed to say, "This is how it should be." Even though she had noticed the incongruities, this feeling still lingered.

Perhaps it's because everyone who comes here forms this impression in their hearts?

I felt that the boss's office, which was completely different from the employees', was full of grandeur. I felt that each decoration was exquisite and expensive. I felt that everything here was so orderly and full of a sense of nobility.

Even now that the true nature of Dansu Company has been fully exposed, and Liang understands the horrifying things behind the company, some ingrained subconscious impressions are difficult to change for those who once worked there and were under its protection. No, many will probably never understand or comprehend things from other perspectives until their death. They never experienced the opportunity for "change," which is why things are the way they are.

【Hmm, found it. It seems this is the only thing that can be identified here. One copy should be enough.】

While Liang was pondering the various possibilities, Gao Hai had already scanned the entire office and quickly found what Liang needed: a dismissal statement.

The document itself is very simple, basically a formulaic statement that someone has been fired by the company and will never be rehired. The name field for the fired employee is blank, and while the company signature field is already filled in, the company seal is missing.

So, let's see if this thing will work.

hum-

After a soft thud, the name "Yamada Ryo" appeared in the dismissal notice's dismissal section.

{Um? }

Ryo herself sensed something amiss at that moment. Looking down, she saw the dismissal statement that she had somehow found herself holding, and her own name written by Gao Hai using his extraordinary powers. Upon closer inspection, the girl was certain that this piece of paper had established a special connection with her. It could be said that as long as this document hadn't been officially signed, Ryo could be considered, according to the rules, an "employee of Dansu Company."

Perhaps this time, in that blood-soaked room 302, she will be able to reach the end and enter that corridor that leads to who-knows-where.

[This time your mind wandered for a while, what were you thinking about again?]

After helping Liang get what she needed, Gao Hai's slightly teasing voice rang out.

{A guess I can't explain}

But this time, Liang, who clearly had an idea, didn't use the riddle. He just frowned and spoke in the temporary mental link.

{Perhaps it's what you mentioned, Gao Hai, about core obsessions}

{It'll probably be some kind of... well, some kind of polymer? It'll probably be something that brings together the ideas of many people.}

As she spoke, Ryo closed the door and walked back towards the crack in the wall of room 302, stepping into the bloodstained room beyond. This time, the dark space filled with whispers was nowhere to be seen; the situation was remarkably easy from beginning to end. The girl passed through the room without any hindrance and entered the dark passage behind it.

Then, she continued along this unknown passage, and after turning a corner ahead, Liang could see the things at the end in the distance.

That's a door.

A door at the end of this eerie corridor is marked with the sign: "Work Area, No Unauthorized Personnel Allowed."

Found it! So, could it be behind here?

While pondering, Liang took a step forward.

Then, the person's body tilted slightly to the side, causing the corridor itself to sway gently.

"what?"

Before Liang could even comprehend the situation, a violent tremor, of unknown origin, erupted, unleashing a devastating shockwave. The entire Zhenyang Apartment shook violently, momentarily feeling as terrifying as the approach of the apocalypse.

Chapter 32: The News of Node Liberation and the New Entrants

Boom! ! !

Everything happens in the blink of an eye.

A terrifying roar erupted, the earth shook violently, and the heavens and earth trembled as if they had been turned upside down.

Completely unprepared for this situation, Liang lost her balance and staggered against the wall on one side of the corridor. Because she accidentally used too much force, she smashed the wall and created several shallow cracks.

This is how the same thing? !

An earthquake? Earthquakes in a dungeon world? Aren't dungeons supposed to be completely separate from the real world? Why is there an earthquake here? And why now of all times? How are Manager Hongxia and the others doing? Could this building be—

Don't panic, this isn't the real world, this building won't collapse. Haven't you noticed? After shaking it for so long, there's not even a crack in the wall, only marks you made yourself.

Gao Hai's voice quickly rang in Liang's mind, and after hearing his words, the girl noticed that the corridor had not changed at all under the seemingly violent earthquake, and even the cracks in the wall that she had smashed herself did not show any signs of widening.

What happened?

After calming down a bit, Liang asked in the mental link.

Good thing

Gao Hai's answer was filled with undisguised joy, but the way he answered was clearly not satisfactory.

[A section of the edge space was broken up at once.]