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

Gradually, the noisy sounds became clearer, and at the same time, a chill became more pronounced.

As the lights ahead became more prominent, Akira Toyama reached the end of the corridor and entered a hall that looked quite old and had apparently been abandoned for some time. At this moment, a dozen or so people, both young and old, had gathered in the hall, all appearing somewhat shaken.

"Ah, another young man has arrived."

As soon as Akira Toyama entered, someone called out, and everyone's eyes turned to him.

"Um, are you from the rescue team? We don't know how we suddenly ended up here, what's going on?"

A young girl ran up to Akira Toyama and cautiously asked him a question. Judging from her nervous and worried expression, Akira Toyama was probably not the first person she had asked. While she was asking the question, those around them who had not spoken were also carefully observing Akira Toyama, each with a hint of expectation in their eyes.

These people are likely not the "important people in my memory" mentioned in the rules.

At a glance, Touyama Akira could tell that the vast majority of people gathered in the hall were living people, and their relationships with each other were not very close; a sense of estrangement was evident among them. Furthermore, judging from their aura, these living people possessed normal physical and mental strength, confirming that no players were among them. In addition, these people were mostly gathered in small groups of two or three, while those gathered with them… some were real people, while the others were clearly artificial entities created by the power of the supernatural tales.

So that's how it is. All those infected by the curse come to this space?

It seems the curse isn't actually that strong; only a handful of people have been affected. However… well, it's also possible that space is layered, and there are just many victims in my area.

Regardless, now that survivors have been discovered, we should try our best to get them out of here.

“I’m from the rescue team, and I’ll take care of getting you out of here.”

Having made his decision in his heart, Akira Toyama spoke.

"Should we leave? I think staying here isn't a bad idea; it's quite safe here."

Unsurprisingly, some people immediately voiced their opposition to Akira Toyama.

Raise your head and turn your gaze to the other person.

The one who spoke out against it was a young man who looked quite young, probably not even twenty-five. Toyama Akira noticed that he was wearing a ring on his hand, and behind him was a middle-aged woman who looked to be around thirty or forty years old. The woman looked at the young man with a somewhat dazed and joyful expression, and her right hand was tightly clasped with the woman's left hand, so tightly that her fingers were turning white.

Yuanshan Ming could tell that the woman was alive, but the man was not. Although the eerie aura emanating from the man wasn't very strong—a Dark Night-level player might not have noticed it—this wasn't an issue for a player of Yuanshan Ming's caliber.

After the cursed power was brought here, did it bring back the lost lover through memories and emotions?

I did anticipate the possibility of this happening. Well, I didn't sense any particularly strong mental pollution characteristics. It seems to be a fairly reasonable kind of curse anomaly, so dealing with it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

"There are no problems here for the time being. Staying here for too long will still lead to death. If you want to survive, you have to find a way to leave."

Then Akira Toyama slowly spoke, and secretly used the power of his obsession object to make the lights in the hall flicker.

Unsurprisingly, these survivors had already experienced the evacuation and thus had some contact with the strange creatures. Upon seeing the flashing lights, their first reaction was that something was approaching. Immediately, the two young girls screamed, and several men clenched their fists and nervously looked around, afraid they might miss something coming.

"This is ultimately a world of strange creatures, not a place where humans can live. Staying here for too long will inevitably lead to danger. So, everyone, whatever your thoughts may be, I suggest you listen to me now and leave with me. Let me be frank with you, although this place may seem harmless on the surface, I am not confident I can defeat what lies hidden behind it. So, if you do not accept my protection and leave with me, I certainly won't be able to return in time to save you when you actually encounter danger here. Make your choice. I can only protect those who leave with me; the rest will fend for themselves here."

As a mild-mannered person, Akira Toyama was actually reluctant to make such a gesture and say such subtly coercive words to these survivors who had suffered unjust calamities.

However, to activate the power of the ring he carried—a symbol of his obsession that could be used to persuade others—Toyama Akira had to adopt a rather firm stance. Only in this way could he ensure that the vast majority of those who could still be saved would follow him. As for those who, even under the influence of the ring's power, refused to change their minds, Toyama Akira could only admit that he was currently powerless to help them. His kindness was not blind benevolence; when faced with a situation beyond his control, he would only choose to save those within his capabilities, not try to save everyone, knowing that doing so would only lead to a situation where no one could be saved.

"...Yes, you're right, we have to get out of here."

“I saw those things during the evacuation, those terrifying monsters… I don’t want to see those monsters again, I want to leave…”

"No matter what, this is not the real world, and staying here is definitely not the right choice. Now that there is hope of leaving, we certainly cannot stay here any longer."

Many people who were initially wavering now made up their minds and gathered around Toyama Akira.

"Wouldn't it be better to stay here...? We finally found our dear..."

“My daughter is here, I want to stay, I want to stay here with my daughter.”

"Can't everyone stay? It's fine if everyone stays..."

Of course, there were also those who refused to leave even so. Akira Toyama noticed that these people were companions of the cursed creatures—creatures formed from the power of the curse—who had become the husbands, wives, parents, children, or close friends of these victims. After acquiring these creature companions, the victims' minds were continuously affected. Some of those with milder symptoms occasionally came to Akira Toyama's side, while those with more severe symptoms were clearly in a state of mental confusion, and some couldn't even hear Akira Toyama's words.

Is it really impossible to save everyone? Then we can only take those we can with us first.

“Let’s ignore those who want to stay and focus on ourselves. Come on, everyone, follow me.”

After glancing silently at those who were beyond saving, Akira Toyama spoke to the few who were willing to follow him, and then took the lead in stepping forward, heading towards a passage located on the side of the hall.

No one saw that before leaving, the shadow beneath Akira Toyama's feet moved slightly, leaving a shadow in place.

This was an insurance policy left by Akira Toyama, but it wasn't for rescuing victims who didn't want to leave. Instead, it was for ending their lives when necessary, to prevent the souls of these poor people from being exploited by the "hospital" as much as possible.

If possible, Akira Toyama hopes there will be no need to resort to this insurance measure.

But now he needs to protect several unarmed survivors, and the information he has about the curse is incomplete and incomplete. Without Gao Hai's help, Toyama Akira can only try to think of the worst-case scenario.

"Let's go. If you hear anything unusual around us, tell me immediately. Everyone stay alert and don't ignore anything that seems suspicious. Also, please tell me your names. I need to make sure the number of people and names match."

After walking a distance and confirming that those who remained could not hear him, Akira Toyama spoke to everyone again.

Soon, Akira Toyama confirmed the names of the eight people following him. These eight were paired up; three pairs consisted entirely of living people, while another pair and a third pair each contained only one living person. Accompanying them were strange creatures created by supernatural forces. Akira Toyama didn't reveal this, but instead memorized the names of the strange creatures, deciding to focus his observation on these non-living entities later.

At this time, the name of a two-person team caught Akira Toyama's attention.

"I am Yuanshan Hao, an electrical engineer. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you."

An elderly man, who looked to be in his fifties or sixties with gray hair, introduced himself to Toyama Akira. The familiar face and voice made Toyama Akira's mind tremble once again.

"I am Nao Toyama, a high school student. Go Toyama is my father. Anyway, thank you for your help, rescue team sir."

Following behind Toyama Go was a high school girl who looked to be around sixteen or seventeen years old. She had a fairly pure and cute appearance, but she was probably a little frightened at the moment, as there were still tears in the corners of her eyes, and her two small hands were tightly clasped together, trembling slightly.

Before I knew it, she had grown up so much.

I still vividly remember what she looked like as a child: the flustered look on her face when she accidentally mispronounced a line of poetry while reading it over the school's loudspeaker, and the way she looked at me expectantly as she waited for me to pick her up. So many years have passed, and it seems like everything has moved so slowly, yet suddenly it's all gone by so fast; she's already grown into what she is now.

"...Okay, follow behind me and walk with me."

Yuanshan Ming's facial expression remained unchanged, but the fluctuations in his inner emotions became increasingly apparent.

His memory has not fully returned.

Although the two people named Toyama Go and Toyama Nao were standing in front of him, Toyama Akira's memory did not return so quickly. He had not yet completely connected these two people with his own vague memories, but he could already guess their relationship with him, and thus fell into a deeper confusion.

These two people... are my father and my sister.

Aside from the memories triggered by the cursed power in the short time they had just experienced, they could remember nothing else.

Why have I forgotten my family? And why is it such a complete forgetfulness? Even if it were memory erasure, it shouldn't be this thorough. What happened to me before...?

More and more questions arose in his mind, but his unwavering spirit as a player kept all his doubts buried deep inside. He showed no signs of anything amiss, simply continuing to lead the living people forward, trying to find the exit of the abandoned nursing home.

He could tell that Toyama Go and Toyama Nao did not recognize him.

It was almost certain that he had used some method to erase his family's memories, making them forget him. Although he couldn't recall the purpose of doing so, Akira Toyama speculated that it was to protect his family, perhaps due to some special circumstances at the time that forced him to do it. He just hadn't expected that this would harm his family, causing them to be involved in the current situation. This made Akira Toyama somewhat regretful, but now was not a good time for reflection, so he didn't delve deeper into this thought.

The key issue now is how to escape from this place.

Akira Toyama had a vague feeling that it was possible to leave this place. As long as those trapped here could truly choose to return to the real world, this place couldn't truly confine them. Just like the inherent nature of ghost stories, there is no such thing as a ghost story that completely blocks all paths to survival. As long as something is made up of ghost stories, there must be a way out. And now, this strange abandoned nursing home requires the victims to maintain their unwavering faith in order to possibly find the right path.

There is no danger yet.

If possible, I hope to reach the exit safely, although Akira Toyama probably thinks that's just wishful thinking.

"As we walk from here, everyone should keep an eye on their companions and make sure not to fall behind."

After finding a downward staircase on one side of the corridor, Akira Toyama came to the staircase, closed his eyes to sense it for a moment, and then signaled everyone to follow him down the staircase.

Everyone followed cautiously behind Touyama Akira, showing no distrust towards their leader. It seemed he had already experienced some things before arriving here and knew the importance of following the instructions of a professional. Touyama Akira was quite satisfied with this, knowing that it was extremely dangerous for survivors to suddenly come up with some unusual ideas at this point. Even with Gao Hai's protection, there were still quite a few players in the player network who had been harmed by those they were rescuing, a regrettable and alarming situation.

step-step-

As you venture deeper into the area, the surrounding scenery gradually changes.

A chill was gradually spreading, and a light mist floated in the dark stairwell. Looking around, one could see paintings hanging on the walls, the figures in them blurry but seemingly turning their heads to look at the people in them, smiling.

Bang!

A sharp explosion jolted the somewhat bewildered survivors awake.

Akira Toyama, who was walking at the front, raised his head and looked at the wall covered with rotten marks. Blood trickled from between his fingers, revealing obvious cuts and burns.

"Everyone, hurry up, it's not safe here."

Silently dispelling the approaching hostility, Akira Toyama casually remarked to those around him before continuing onward.

"Young man, are you alright?"

Toyama Go approached from behind, looking at Toyama Akira's fingers with some concern and asking.

"...It's nothing, just a minor injury, I'll recover quickly."

Seeing the genuine concern in the old man's eyes, Toyama Akira opened his mouth, paused slightly, and then spoke in a calm tone.

He always knew that his father's love for him was genuine.

Even if the other person is a somewhat old-fashioned old man who still lives in the old era deep down, and even if he appears biased and distorted in his views on many issues due to the limitations of his time, he is at least not too bad as a father.

But for a very long time, he harbored resentment towards the other person in his heart and was never able to truly accept this father.

why?

Was it because he hooked up with a new woman less than six months after his mother's death? And a woman who was ten years younger than him?

Was it because he had a younger sister the year after his mother passed away? And he often traveled around with that woman, leaving the responsibility of taking care of his sister to me, who had just started working at the time?

No, it seems that taking care of my sister was partly my own initiative. After all these years, I've always been well aware of my father's suffering. He's cared for my ailing mother for many years, and those painful times must have been torture for him too. Since he's found a way to escape it, why not let him enjoy it a little more?

So that's how it is. Was that my mindset back then?

"Let's rest here for a bit, don't make too much noise, and don't go around. We'll continue after 10 minutes."

After descending the stairs from the nursing home, the group arrived at a place that resembled a clinic. This place, too, had been abandoned for a long time, covered in dust and garbage, and was also haunted by some kind of dangerous, unidentified creature.

After spending some time repelling those things, Akira Toyama, upon confirming that the survivors behind him were somewhat exhausted, signaled everyone to stop and rest, while he stood aside to continue his vigilance.

The memories in my mind are gradually becoming clearer.

He realized that he actually harbored some resentment towards his father.

He simply didn't express these thoughts. Just like when he knew he had to give up his hobbies and choose a job he didn't like for the sake of making a living, he silently endured everything, kept everything in his heart, and left all the pressure to himself, hoping that this would reduce the burden on others and make everyone's life better and happier.

For so many years, he has held this mindset without ever changing. No one has told him whether it's right or wrong, and he has never cared whether this mindset is healthy.

However, this kind of life seems to have changed at some point.

After choosing to take care of that child, that somewhat clumsy girl.

"Want some water?"

A girl's timid voice came from beside me.

Akira Toyama turned around and saw Nao Toyama walking towards him with a cup in her hand.