"So… are we in something like a real-life battle royale game right now?"
She pulled on the somewhat ill-fitting, close-bodied protective suit, which featured anti-cut and anti-slip properties to protect the wearer from scrapes while climbing, and zipped it up.
Chika whispered as she placed the helmet with its built-in lamp on her head, tying up her long hair to keep it from getting in the way.
The supply box next to them was open; the exploration suit the girl was now wearing had come from inside. Other items, like energy bars and signal flares, were packed into the large backpack Gao Hai had placed on the ground.
"Close enough, but it's worse than a battle royale. In a battle royale game, you at least have a chance to fight back. But in a rules-based horror game, we have no choice but to do everything we can to run for our lives. And those monstrous entities… they have all sorts of ways to kill us. Sometimes you just say one wrong word, and the next second you're dead in pieces. Or a group of cute little kids might stop you and ask why you're not going home, and then you're locked in a little box and drowned in boiling water."
Gao Hai spoke with a deadpan expression as he finished putting on his own protective suit and switched on his headlamp. He then scanned their surroundings, looking into the gloomy cavern.
This was absolutely not the original Red Nut Gray Hole.
Gao Hai clearly remembered that every player who had cleared Red Nut Gray Hole mentioned that this instance had very few forks in the road; it was basically a linear path. Even the players who had foolishly strayed into dangerous areas and survived had reported no encounters with numerous branching paths.
But right here, next to this supply box, Gao Hai could see three cave openings leading in different directions. Each one was narrow. At six feet tall, he would have to stoop to enter. He and Chika Fujiwara standing side-by-side could block an entire entrance. The atmosphere was utterly grim and oppressive.
Where in the world am I right now?
Gao Hai desperately wanted to figure that out.
"I-I understand. Are Kaguya and Shijo-san really here too?"
Taking a deep breath, Chika was trying her best to accept the worldview-shattering shock she was experiencing. Gao Hai, however, had no intention of staying put any longer and decided it was time to move.
This damn place gave him a very bad feeling.
Never mind that monstrous thing with its head caved in from before; although nothing else was visible now, the Blessing Gao Hai had received—the one that allowed him to discern goodwill, malice, humans, and non-humans—was frantically warning him. And the warnings were coming from... every direction.
It was as if people were staring at him from front, back, left, right, above, and below, observing his every move, waiting for something to happen.
Gao Hai didn't know why the Blessing was reacting so violently, but he was certain that in a rules-based horror story, every anomaly must have an explanation, a source. Therefore, the strangeness he was feeling right now meant that something truly was watching him at all times.
Kaguya and Maki have this same discernment Blessing. I wonder if they're feeling the same thing. I wonder... how they are right now, if they're able to move safely. If this instance's mutation is really my fault, then I'm afraid I've dragged them both down this time...
A flash of frustration crossed his mind before quickly settling.
Knowing this was no time for idle thoughts, Gao Hai stepped forward and gestured for the pink-haired girl behind him to follow.
"Don't expect me to protect you, Miss Fujiwara. Here, it's every man for himself. Unless you can prove you have value worth protecting, I will abandon you without a second thought if we run into danger."
Slightly worried that the girl behind him still didn't grasp the situation, Gao Hai spoke to Chika earnestly, his voice carrying a hint of warning.
"I know, I know. Um, anyway, we need to confirm our current location, right? Since this is a game where we have to follow rules, we have to figure out where we are. The Great Slide, the Great Cliff, the Blood Vessel, the Turning Point, the Pillar Plaza, the Great Space, the Artery, the Heart. After reading the rules, I was thinking, maybe these locations are connected in that order. The rules say we have to go to the deepest part of the cave first, the place called the[Heart], so our top priority now is to confirm our current position and then find a route to the[Heart], right?"
Then, Gao Hai saw the girl looking spirited as she laid out her analysis.
"You've already memorized all 19 rules and started summarizing them?"
Chika Fujiwara's response left Gao Hai stunned for a moment.
"Well, I just have to treat this like a tabletop RPG, right? I've memorized the CoC and D&D rulebooks from cover to cover, so of course this is no problem. Also, um, I was thinking about this rules sheet... it seems to really emphasize our identity. I feel like the identity of[Explorer]is even more important to us than our own selves. That... that scary thing from before was the same. After we explained our[Explorer]identity, it left quickly. Is it that only people who stick to their roles can survive in this game?"
Taking a deep breath, the girl continued without hesitation, quietly explaining her thoughts to Gao Hai.
After the initial confusion and fear, the girl named Chika Fujiwara had adjusted with incredible speed. She even seemed fired up and eager to go. Gao Hai felt as if a fire had ignited in her eyes, like an ultimate veteran who was ready to complete a deathless, no-bonfire run of Elden Ring.
Let's just hope her enthusiasm can increase her survival rate.
"You've made a good point. It seems I can raise my evaluation of you. But you're still a newcomer who hasn't played before; your physical fitness and reaction time aren't on par with veteran players. So, no matter what happens, you can't make decisions on your own, understand? Also, every 10 minutes, we'll confirm with each other. I'll say to you,[I am an explorer. My name is Gao Hai. I'm going to explore the Heart, then leave Red Nut Gray Hole.]You'll repeat the same sentence to me, but with your own name, understand?"
His opinion of the girl having changed slightly, Gao Hai spoke seriously once again.
"I know, I know! There are things here that make you lose sanity, right? Things that corrupt your mind without you realizing it. So we have to constantly confirm our role, our name, and our objective to keep from losing ourselves. I'll be sure to do it."
Chika nodded vigorously, immediately grasping the real meaning behind Gao Hai's words.
How does this girl get it so well?
Now even Gao Hai was a bit taken aback by her.
Unlike Kaguya and Maki, who had taken half a day to build trust (mostly Kaguya), Chika Fujiwara had gone from dazed and confused to understanding the situation with extreme speed. She had almost instantly accepted the worldview of a supernatural horror survival game and could even quickly grasp Gao Hai's line of thinking. He couldn't help but feel like he was leading an adorable and savvy newcomer.
Although, if they ran into unavoidable danger, he'd still ditch this girl and run.
The cavern ahead snaked onwards.
The smell of blood spread through the darkness.
Gao Hai and Chika cautiously made their way through a low tunnel and soon came across another supply box under a faint light. But this one had already been opened. The rules sheet was gone, and the exploration gear and portable food inside had been taken.
"Looks like there are other players in this area besides us. Probably veteran players, which is why they reacted fast enough to know what to do."
Gao Hai said in a low voice, raising his guard internally.
The sudden fixing of the instance was an unforeseen event. The veteran players who came to this instance were likely expecting an easy clear. Now that the situation had changed drastically, there was no telling what they would do. It was best to treat them with the same caution as he had with Lao Guo and the female spy.
Here too were multiple cave openings, each one narrow and stretching into the darkness, their destinations unknown.
Gao Hai chose a direction that didn't smell as strongly of blood, but it wasn't long before he saw a corpse.
It was a young man in a casual t-shirt and glasses, still clutching half a keyboard, as if he'd been in the middle of a flame war before entering the instance.
Every bone in his body was broken, as if he'd fallen from a great height, hitting various rocks on the way down. Both his arms and legs were twisted into unnatural shapes, his chest was slightly caved in, and a large hole was bashed into the side of his head, with crimson seeping out.
Chika, who had just been getting her courage up, was naturally frightened again. But this time, before Gao Hai could cover her mouth, she covered it herself, stifling her scream.
"Time of death was very recent. It's like he just fell from somewhere."
As he said this, Gao Hai looked up, only to see the rock wall just within arm's reach.
Was this the effect of some bizarre power?
The brain-juice guy from before had the back of his head smashed in, and this one looked like he'd fallen off a cliff. Were the people who died here turning into malevolent spirits and inflicting their own deaths upon new players?
Come to think of it, falling to your death seems a lot gentler than being boiled alive. It almost feels... acceptable.
"Let's go. We're not here to solve a crime."
"Ah, o-okay."
Although all sorts of chaotic thoughts were running through his mind, Gao Hai didn't let them affect his actions. He muttered a few words and led Chika quickly away from the area.
This place was like a maze.
Countless caves intertwined, seemingly looping back on themselves with no end in sight.
More supply boxes were found. Most had been opened, while a few were untouched. Some had bloodstains and scraps of clothing around them, hinting at the terrible events that had recently transpired.
Gao Hai checked these supply boxes and found that the rules sheets left behind were all for[Explorers], and the contents were all exploration gear and food.
Is the 'Explorer' identity the dominant one in this area?
Drip—
He faintly heard the sound of dripping water.
Although most of the areas in the cave were dry, water dripped in a few of the caverns, making the air feel damp.
I remember seeing in some player intel that there's a lake above Red Nut Gray Hole, wasn't there?
Gao Hai thought back as he continued to move forward.
Although he was confused about the winding caves, the blessing he received from Xusheng after the first instance had given him the ability to orient himself within caves. He could tell from the faint breeze that he was gradually approaching a larger cavern.
If it weren't for the rescue team captain skills Xusheng instilled in me, I probably could have walked myself to death in this starting cave and never found a way out.
"Be careful. If something seems wrong, retreat back into the tunnel immediately."
Just before entering the larger cavern, Gao Hai turned and spoke seriously to Chika again.
"Yes, sir! I guarantee I'll run away at top speed and won't hold you back!"
Chika stood at attention with a serious expression, bowing to Gao Hai as she replied.
The next moment, Gao Hai passed through the tunnel, switched off his headlamp, and cautiously stepped into the suddenly expansive space.
And immediately, he spotted four sources of light, already inside the cavern, faintly flickering and moving.
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