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

"Let's go. We have to go in and investigate no matter what. I have a feeling that things won't be easy."

Masaaki Ishido finally took a deep breath and spoke, then took the lead, carrying his usual obsessive pitchfork, and walked towards the resort entrance next to the front desk.

hum-

As soon as you get close enough, the glass door, which is covered with a thick layer of dust, opens automatically, revealing a brightly lit, clean and tidy corridor bathed in warm light.

Welcome to Chunzhilan Hot Spring Resort. We hope you have a pleasant time here.

A soft female voice came from the loudspeaker, and a light came on at one end of the road ahead, illuminating the male sign above it.

[Male customers, please use this passage to enter the hot spring area.]

It appears to be a dungeon area with a strict entry process, and players automatically acquire the "customer" status upon entering.

Masaaki Ishido frowned slightly.

Different instances have different requirements for role-playing. Some instances allow you to do whatever you want as long as you don't go too far, while others constantly monitor whether you are fulfilling your assigned role, and any problems can lead to trouble. It's hard to say which situation is more dangerous or more troublesome, but Masaaki Ishido personally dislikes instances that emphasize role-playing, for the simple reason that his acting skills aren't very good.

"Same as always, I'll go first."

With that in mind, Masaaki Ishido took the lead and walked to the front of the line, while the other two in the line, Akira Toyama and Koyo, had no objections.

Until the Fujika Junior High School team was almost completely wiped out by Alice, Masaaki Ishido, as the captain, had always been at the forefront. This was due to both Ishido's own character and his ability to lead from the front.

The "Blessing of the Undying," a Dark Night-level blessing, grants Ishidou Masaaki exceptional self-healing abilities. As long as either his brain or heart survives, he can fully recover within minutes, regardless of the severity of the damage. Even if his brain and heart are also destroyed, he can still recover. However, this condition causes memory loss, which is why he needs to carry a memento that preserves his memories; otherwise, after a few close calls, he would no longer be himself.

Akira Toyama, who was in second place, was quietly following behind Masaaki Ishido, occasionally glancing down at his phone to look at the information displayed on the screen that emitted a faint blood-red glow.

[Currently confirmed dungeon areas 6/7]

[Progress in locating the core object of obsession: 4/30]

[Currently entered a specific area]

[Number of core obsessions confirmed in the current area: 3]

Now, players have explored 6 of the 7 mixed dungeons, and with the cooperation of the Moyu Gang, Hongjie Society, and the market, 4 of the core obsessions have been located and can be purified at any time.

Gao Hai's detection ability cannot be used too openly in order to avoid being discovered by the [Hospital], but even so, it is enough to detect the number of core obsession items in the current dungeon area for players. Players can use this information to confirm whether they have missed anything important.

In addition, the number of core obsession items in these 7 mixed dungeons can now be determined. The numbers for the 7 dungeons are 3, 4, 4, 4, 4, 5, and 6 respectively. It can be seen that most of the dungeon areas have 4 obsession items, and only two dungeon areas have more than this number. The area that the Red Society arrived at this time is exactly the area with the fewest core obsession items.

"Brother Yuanshan, are you still looking at that statistic?"

Kobo, who was covering the rear behind Toyama Akira, noticed his movements and asked a question.

"Just confirming the goal again. There are three core obsessions, and who knows where they might be hidden in this resort."

Hearing the curious voice of Hu Baoxiong behind him, Yuanshan Ming turned around and smiled, turned off his phone screen, replied with a sentence, and continued walking.

"If we achieve these three goals, the score will be 4:2:1, and the 'Slacking Off' gang will be able to overtake us. That will be a good surprise for them."

Hu Baoxiong, on the other hand, seemed somewhat excited and shouted a few more words.

"That score was just a point conceded to us by the slacking-off gang. If it weren't for Miss Shao Ye leading the team and intercepting the core obsession single-handedly, how could those two kids have found the core obsession? Qi Chuan confessed honestly that they actually relied on Mr. Gao's help to successfully locate the core obsession."

Seeing Hu Baoxiong's excitement, which resembled that of a big dog, Yuanshan Ming wanted to laugh but felt it would be impolite to laugh out loud. In the end, he simply maintained a calm expression and said casually.

"What, getting my help isn't something to be ashamed of, is it? This isn't child's play; you have to ask for help immediately when you need it, instead of waiting until things escalate before considering whether it's too late."

Gao Hai's voice interrupted the conversation at this moment, clearly indicating that he had been listening to the Red Society team's exchange for a while.

"Oh, it's Mr. Gao. Don't worry, we won't show off."

When Masaaki Ishido, who had been quietly leading the way, heard Takami's voice and knew that the other was watching the area so there was no need to worry about being attacked by monsters, he relaxed a bit and joined the conversation.

The three of them had already climbed a flight of stairs and were walking along the fairly spacious passageway when they gradually approached a large changing room area.

"Currently, we've only just begun our investigation of this area and don't yet know the specifics. I'll report back as soon as I find anything. Also, I'm sorry we lost the rescue team member who was with us; I wonder how he is doing now?"

Out of caution, Masaaki Ishido did not immediately enter the changing room, but instead observed from the outside while continuing to communicate with Takami.

The rescue team is on their way, but I can't say for sure how long it will take them to pinpoint your location. In any case, please be careful in your next move; anything can happen in this area.

Gao Hai didn't pay much attention to the rescue team members that the Red Society had lost, who were actually one of Lao Guo's alter egos.

The rescue team member was traversing a chaotic area before reaching the Red Alliance when he encountered something and was suddenly transported to a distant location. He's currently trying his best to track the Red Alliance's location, but it's unlikely he'll be able to get back anytime soon.

Well, to be honest, Gao Hai actually thinks it's fine if that thing can't be brought back for the time being, because in his opinion, that thing is really too embarrassing.

If the Guo clone from the "Slacking Off Gang" is suspected of being a Warhammer 40K addict who has become a loyal fanatic, then the Guo clone from the "Red Alliance" is an anime addict who can spout all sorts of embarrassing lines without feeling awkward at all.

One minute he's roaring about saving all the little girls in the world, the next he's saying school swimsuits are a treasure of human civilization, and then he's claiming that old Japanese gymnastics uniforms shouldn't have been abolished—that they're the real gems. Basically, he shouts out whatever he shouldn't, leaving Gao Hai both angry and frustrated, wanting nothing more than to tear the thing apart. You see, because of this guy's nonsensical talk, the three members of the Red Seal Society have already begun to suspect Gao Hai to varying degrees.

This kind of thing that tarnishes my reputation as a decent person should just continue wandering outside.

Thinking this, Gao Hai then looked at Hirano Sosuke's position.

Like the lost clone of Lao Guo, the police officers originally sent by Gao Hai to support the Moyu Gang are also lost. The spatial turbulence within the instance prevents the officers from reaching the Moyu Gang. As a result, by the time Xiong Mi had located the core obsession object, the officers were still on their way.

Gao Hai was quite helpless about this. Fortunately, there were more than just the Moyu Gang members who needed help in the instance. So Gao Hai asked the police officers to help the other players. The three people from the Red Knot Society were closest to the police officers at the moment.

I don't know if I'll be able to make it this time.

Please change your clothes in this area. Resort-issue yukatas are available in the lockers. Please place all your clothing in the lockers and wear the resort-issue yukata when entering the hot spring area and other resort facilities.

At the same time, seemingly because Ishido Masaaki and the other two were still not entering the changing room, the notification sound rang again. Along with this sound, a chill began to spread throughout the room.

Knowing that his probing actions had elicited some reaction, Masaaki Ishido immediately stopped communicating with Takami. After exchanging glances with his two teammates behind him, he took the initiative to step into the locker room.

As Masaaki Ishido entered, one of the wardrobes in the changing room opened automatically, and a clothes rack slowly emerged, revealing a set of men's blue yukata.

It seems this dungeon requires players to change their gear.

Thinking this, Masaaki Ishido quickly changed his clothes, and Akira Toyama and Koyo followed him into the dressing room, walking towards the wardrobe doors that opened automatically upon their arrival.

Among them, Hu Baoxiong, who had just entered the room, looked back one last time at the staircase that some people had come from and the corner at the end of the staircase leading to the hall.

With that glance, Hu Baoxiong narrowed his eyes and clearly saw a figure walk past the corner, leaving with his back to the three players who were entering the changing room.

It appears to be just a customer leaving after soaking in the hot springs.

But Hu Baoxiong noticed that the figure who appeared to be a guest was holding a submachine gun.

A customer carrying something like that into the lobby doesn't look like a respectable customer.

It seems that the problems in this instance area are slowly starting to show up in our favor.

Chapter 51: Initial Exploration of the Resort and the Perspectives of the Three and Lao Guo.

I took off all my clothes and put on the resort's blue bathrobes.

During this process, Akira Toyama considered whether to try not completely changing his clothes to test the rules. As a result, when he took off his shirt and immediately put on a yukata, the temperature in the entire changing room immediately dropped several degrees. All three players present strongly felt the dangerous premonition of being watched by something. So Akira Toyama quickly stopped his probing behavior, took off all his clothes and put on a yukata, which made the strange perspective disappear.

The requirements for acting here seem quite strict... even the order of clothing can cause such a strong reaction. If you're shivering and cold, do you really have to strip naked before changing? Is changing midway wrong?

Well, that was Gao Hai's opinion as an observer. As for the three members of the Red Guild, they didn't show anything. Perhaps in the eyes of these veteran players who had experienced many dungeons, this level of opening intimidation was nothing at all.

That being said, watching men change clothes is really no fun at all. Aren't there any pretty girls changing clothes in front of me?

A slight fluctuation of thought swept through Gao Hai's mind, and then, not long after, when Xing Ge in another instance space was changing clothes in the safe house, Gao Hai, who had felt uneasy about seeing a man changing clothes before, watched very intently this time, memorizing every detail with his DNA. Of course, this was just a trivial detail in this war between humans and the supernatural, and not important at all.

[For guests who have changed into their yukatas, please proceed to the resort area via the stairs inside the changing room. We hope you have a memorable time here.]

After the three players had changed their clothes, the loudspeaker sounded again, and at the same time, the lights on a downward staircase inside the changing room lit up, reminding the players of the direction to proceed.

"So, this is the next way."

"Ishido Masaaki, who was the first to change his clothes, said in a low voice. Then he walked to the stairs and looked down at the bottom of the stairs."

"Okay, let's go. Whatever awaits us ahead, we have to go and see."

Yuanshan Ming nodded and gestured for Hu Baoxiong behind him to follow. The three of them then went down the stairs and officially entered the resort.

The first area we entered was a shower area. It was divided into twenty or thirty small individual shower stalls, with the water constantly running, continuously washing the floor with a "whoosh" sound.

Logically, customers entering this place should shower here before proceeding to the hot spring area. However, the three of them didn't hear the announcement, nor did they feel any secret surveillance forcing them to shower. Akira Toyama guessed that this was because the shower area was relatively private, and having an announcement there would likely cause customer dissatisfaction. Therefore, the resort didn't have an announcement system in its normal state, and this remained true after it became a dungeon. Thus, the players weren't under close surveillance in the shower area.

If this line of thinking is correct, then the hot spring area probably also doesn't have any broadcasts.

Regardless of whether there was an announcement or not, for investigative purposes, one of the trio would definitely need to take a shower here to verify any possible rules. This time, Akira Toyama himself took on the role of test subject. He quickly took off his yukata, rinsed himself in the shower, dried himself off, put on another yukata, and continued forward with Masaaki Ishido and Koyo. This way, if anything unusual happened later, the three players could determine the actual effectiveness of the "whether or not someone had showered in the shower area" condition.

step-step-

As the three people walked by, the hot spring area in front of the shower area soon came into view.

The first-floor hot spring area has three different pools, each a large pool that can accommodate at least 20 people. Each pool has its own sign, but for some reason, the lettering on the signs is blurry and illegible. The hot spring pools themselves appear normal, emitting wisps of steam and the smell of sulfur. Fruit platters and wine bottles are placed beside the pools, along with small swimming rings and water toys that appear to be for children.

There is no one here, and there is no trace of human activity.

Even with Akira Toyama's careful examination using a recently acquired contact lens artifact, he couldn't find any trace of anything. Everything here seemed brand new; nothing had ever been used by anyone, and apart from the three players who had just arrived, there were no living beings present.

"Let's not go into the hot spring area for now, let's just walk around this building first."

Masaaki Ishido was also observing the three pools in the hot spring area. After a cursory inspection revealed nothing, he decided to temporarily focus on other areas and signaled Akira Toyama and Koyo to follow him.

Soon, the three players reached the end of the hot spring area and entered a relatively spacious hall through a softly carpeted corridor. There were many tables and chairs there, seemingly a rest area. On one wall beside the tables and chairs was a blackboard with various messages written on it.

It was here that the three players finally found a rule sheet.

Summary of Spring Breeze Hot Spring Resort Rules

To every unfortunate soul who has come to this place, regardless of your initial mindset or whether you have already witnessed those inhuman creatures: please memorize these rules as soon as possible. These are survival rules summarized from the bloody lessons of those trapped here, struggling to survive, just like you. Follow these rules, and you will have no hope of survival. This is not a joke.

[1. When you first arrive here, whether you are alone or in a group, you will not be able to encounter any other survivors besides the ones you met at the beginning. You will only be able to see us after successfully surviving the first day. Therefore, do not try to find us on the first day. If you do find any traces, it will only lead to your death, and you must not try to follow them.]

[2. The voices emanating from these broadcasts throughout the resort are absolutely correct. When they sound and give you instructions, no matter what they ask you to do, no matter how bizarre or unbelievable it may seem, do as they say. This rule is above all else; no other rule is as important as this one.]

[3. Whether you jump out of the window or leave directly through the front door, you'll wake up randomly in one of the resort's rooms after a period of disorientation. It's not that easy to escape here. Don't try this; you might be sent to an extremely dangerous room from which you won't be able to get out.]

[4. Keep an eye on the time. There are many clocks installed in the resort. Please make sure you are in a place where you can always see them.]

Below is our current summary of resort time management, with key rules to be followed for different times listed within the corresponding time periods.

【（1）7:00-9:00，早餐供应时间】

[You are free to move around during this phase and can go to the dining area. Survivors can still stay in their rooms during this time, but you must leave your room before 9:00 AM and must not stay in your room after 9:00 AM.]

【（2）9:00-11:50，自由活动时间】

[You are free to move around during this period, but do not return to your room or linger on the 3rd floor of the resort. Do not return to the 3rd floor until 7:00 PM, as it is very dangerous during this time.]

【（3）11:50-14:00，午餐供应时间】

[You must go to the dining area during this phase, regardless of your reason. You must enter the dining area before the 14:00 PM deadline. This is for your own good.]