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

"You... bastard..."

Princess Zhenfei, whose vocabulary of insults was not extensive, lost her composure at this moment.

She never imagined that the hospital's final, deadly move would be such a vicious and infuriating method.

Do you really want to leave here, to leave your dearest mom and dad?

Even if they forget you forever, even if they forget them forever, does it really matter?

So your love for your family is really nothing more than that, right?

Then you can leave.

Walk out confidently, walk out without looking back, and throw away these happy memories that you consider worthless.

It's as if you can hear those voices and feel those words.

That thing that hides in the deepest dungeon world, unleashing countless monsters to slaughter innocent people, and disguises itself as a savior, could have foreseen the victims' reaction when they discovered the truth, and responded with mockery, long ago when it created this curse.

"I……"

The most rational course of action is, of course, to leave without hesitation.

Even if someone loses their memory, at least they are still alive, and there is still a chance to make amends.

Maki was well aware of this, but being human after all, she could not maintain an absolutely calm mindset or ensure that her heart was without any flaws once she realized the problem.

This momentary loss of mental balance was enough for the power of the curse to take effect and begin to erode her consciousness.

Stay... stay...

The phantoms of the parents approached from behind.

"Um...no, I..."

The girl's consciousness became blurred at this moment. She clearly realized that she had been affected. Her steps were unsteady. She wanted to walk towards the exit in front of her as soon as possible, but she was controlled by the power of the curse. She slowed down after only taking a few steps.

No, my thinking has slowed down...

My mind went blank for a moment... and they found an opportunity to take advantage of me...

I have to leave... I can't go on any longer...

Are you forgetting us? Maki, don't you want your mom and dad anymore?

No, I am not...

[Your parents love you so much, are you going to abandon them?]

I didn't, I didn't have that thought, I...

Stay with your parents, stay with us, and be with us forever.

The black thread wrapped around from behind, about to touch the girl's body.

In her confused state of mind, Maki was already struggling to stay upright and was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion.

At this moment, the hospital exerted its power to the limit, determined to completely capture the struggling girl and achieve its first victory.

hum-

Golden light shone from the depths of darkness, dispelling the unreasonable attempts by the hospital to interfere.

As this power manifested, Maki's consciousness became slightly clearer. At the same time, the two false avatars that appeared behind her, created by the [Hospital] using the memories and emotions of Maki's parents, also became more solid at this moment.

【Zhenfei, Mom and Dad love you】

The phantom finally arrived beside the girl.

"I...I'm not..."

Having barely regained some control of her body, Maki gasped for breath. Although she was still instinctively walking forward, she could no longer shake off the phantom behind her.

Even though we've said it countless times, to the point that you might be tired of it, Mom and Dad still want to say that we really love you.

Gently, the phantom-like arm patted Maki's shoulder.

Although I won't be able to tell you this anymore.

But it's okay, because even if you forget us, you will definitely find your own happiness.

In your father's and mother's eyes, you have always been our pride, so even if you leave us, you will definitely live a healthy and happy life.

Then, two gentle pushes from behind allowed Maki to continue moving forward.

"Hey……"

When I realized it, I found that I was already a great distance away from those two figures.

My parents, who were so tall and imposing in my memory, are now just two small, distant figures in my eyes, as if they have aged, become hunched over, and are no longer the same as before.

But aren't they phantoms created by the curse? Why are they...?

Even in a world without parents, please, you must live happily.

Gently wave your little hand.

The figures of the father and mother who remained in the same spot gradually faded away and disappeared into the darkness.

The girl, who finally broke free from the edge of the curse and was pulled away by Gao Hai's power, finally understood at this moment.

Even if it's an illusion, aren't they still the "father" and "mother" I know?

In this world, which parent who truly loves their child would, upon understanding their own predicament, drag their child into the hell they are in?

Therefore, once she is free from the interference of the hospital, her true parents, as Maki understands them, will definitely find a way to get her out of here and send her out of this cursed world.

Even if she will forget them forever from now on.

hum-

The darkness is crumbling.

This time, with Shijou Maki truly free from the curse's control, no matter how unwilling the [Hospital] roared, it could no longer reunite the curse and use the darkness to attack Maki or Takami again.

For Gao Hai, the girl's victory was nothing more than a matter of course. As for the continued failure of that ridiculous "hospital," it only meant that the process of settling scores with it was drawing ever closer. He knew that he would soon be able to stand before this thing and begin its true trial.

But why did she look so sad when she woke up?

Gao Hai lowered his head and looked at the girl in his arms who was crying.

"Sea Lord..."

With a somewhat bewildered expression, Zhenfei looked up at Gao Hai and spoke in a low, hoarse voice.

"I feel like I've forgotten something, forgotten something very, very important..."

She no longer remembered what happened in that darkness, but felt a void in her heart, a sadness that she could not shake off.

It's okay, I'm here. No matter what happens, I'll always be here.

Gao Hai simply looked at the changing subconscious space around him and understood the vicious act the hospital had committed in the end.

So he hugged the girl tightly, took a deep breath, and solemnly addressed her.

Don't hold it in, just cry it out.

It's okay. No matter what kind of pain you've endured, just leave it all to me. That's all.

I will take full responsibility for everything you've lost. I will get back everything you've lost, and I will give you everything you deserve.

In a calm voice that concealed anger, Gao Hai looked up at the gradually dissipating darkness ahead, his voice growing colder.

What you have endured, I will make retribution for you, in every single way.

Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Approaching Final Battle and the Strugglers of the Land of Distorted Memories.

It's simply unreasonable.

Abandoning the affections of one's closest family members and forgetting one's own parents, in order to survive, one has gone to such lengths; it is utterly ugly and disgusting.

Humans are always like this, doing anything to survive, doing anything for their own desires. They are essentially no different from animals, just beasts loyal to their instincts, yet they insist on calling themselves noble and pretending to be a higher being. It is truly an ugly sight!

However, this doesn't change anything. The curse has been successfully planted among the players. Even if it fails to corrupt and capture the chosen ones, the high-level players sent into the dungeon by the false gods will be wiped out by the power of this curse.

I will inevitably achieve final victory. Do you really think I know nothing about those humans you threw into the instance? No, I deliberately put them in there, letting them think they can change something, using this method to delay your remaining forces. You think I'm just arrogant? That I don't care about these humans' actions and can cause me trouble? You are the truly arrogant one, you are destined to be devoured by me, false god.

That moment won't be long. I am the true savior of this world, and I am the one who can truly become a god!

[All this whining and rambling, isn't it just a sign of being overwhelmed?]

【You're really getting lower and lower. You lose one game and immediately start spouting threats. What do you think you're doing? Playing a gangster game? Someone who claims to be a god turns out like this. You're not ashamed, but I am.】

Stop with the unnecessary nonsense. Show us what you've got. What's the use of just talking tough? Anyone who didn't know better would think you're some kind of curry-loving alien who got beaten 6-0 and then got a ten-day holiday to celebrate the victory.

Dark colors intertwined with golden-red light.

Sitting on the throne of torture instruments overflowing with blood, Gao Hai could hear the roar of the evil creature and feel the intense malice emanating from this twisted monster. Even though its true form remained hidden deep within the dungeon world, obscured by the [Hospital] itself, the aura emanating from it at this moment still exerted considerable pressure on Gao Hai, who had already embarked on the path to godhood.

In terms of sheer strength alone, among all the opponents I've faced in various dungeons, this enemy is second only to Bloodflower.

Although Gao Hai could sense the opponent's strength from their aura, he didn't think they were particularly difficult to deal with. After all, compared to emotionless monsters and enemies like Alice who were almost impossible to fight and difficult to find weaknesses, an opponent who could break through defenses, scheme and plot, and show all sorts of low-level tricks was much more reassuring.

Moreover, Gao Hai could tell whether this guy was genuinely on the defensive or just putting on an act in front of him.

I've seen far too many people who look down on others verbally, yet whose actions are far more despicable than those of ordinary people.

As he spoke calmly, Gao Hai stared at the thing hiding inside the hospital, watching the twisted power it deliberately released, a mocking smile on his lips.

Honestly, you guys who are all talk and no action get quite annoying after a while.

In my opinion, with your kind of behavior, what right do you have to claim that you truly understand humanity?

[You are destined to fail, and that day is not far off; you will see it soon. Well then, this small talk should be over. Alice, record the information about the curse on Maki and distribute it to all players currently active in the city. Although there is no way to break this curse for now, we must at least keep the problem under control.]

Ignoring the performance at the hospital, Gao Hai first communicated with Alice, sending her the information he knew. Then, he checked on Maki, whose curse had been lifted. After confirming that Maki's mental state was still not very good and that Kaguya needed to look after her for a while, he continued to devote himself to supporting the players and rescue team throughout the city.

As for the Red Moon-level players still active inside the instance, Gao Hai hasn't withdrawn them yet. At this moment, with their activities, 15 core obsessions have been confirmed. The "Slacking Off Gang" has already confirmed all the core obsessions in the 6-core instance area and discovered a new instance core area. The other groups have also made their own gains. As for the [Hospital] that was just arguing with Gao Hai, it hasn't done anything to the players, only sending more strange creatures into the fusion instance area in an attempt to hinder their actions. Gao Hai can only say that this is hardly surprising.

So, what was it trying to make me overlook with its performance just now?

Although he seemed unconcerned, Gao Hai knew perfectly well that the hospital's feigned rage at that moment was actually an attempt to distract him. Something serious must have happened somewhere, and the hospital was deliberately putting on that clumsy act to avoid Gao Hai finding out.

Gao Hai quickly found the key to the problem.

【This is……】