Welcome back to the world of Rules of the Strange, esteemed Chosen One.
To survive in this world, remain rational and calm, and carefully read the rules. If your violation results in contamination or death, your country will lose one challenge opportunity. If all five opportunities are failed, a ghost story will descend upon your country, reuniting you with your family.
Your every move after entering the instance will be broadcast live globally. Please be mindful of your behavior in front of the camera.
[May you find a way to clear the dungeon "Hyakki Yagyō" (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons), or you will be forever trapped in this world.]
We've entered the ghost story instance again.
This was the second time Enoshima Kazuo had heard this voice; the first time was when he first entered the system and it told him about his innate abilities.
[Your first entry into the world of Rules of the Strange has been detected. The system will draw the most suitable Chosen One talent for you...]
[Blue Talent: Cold-Blooded]
[Skill Description: Your blood is as cold as a venomous snake, keeping your mind perpetually calm and clear-headed; no emotion can stir even the slightest ripple within you.]
...
Since the other chosen ones were already close to the end of their exploration when they entered the previous dungeon, "Cyber Myth," Enoshima Kazuo hardly participated in any rule analysis and achieved a perfect clear without much effort.
That's right. If you don't exit the instance beforehand through the normal ending, everyone in the group instance will get the same ending.
It was under these circumstances that Kazuo Enoshima made his true debut.
As the mechanical voice in his ears disappeared, the scene that had been blurred due to spatial teleportation gradually became clear. He was now in a wooden house.
The walls exuded a faint smell of decay and blood, and the floor was covered with tatami mats, creating a very familiar cherry blossom-themed interior.
"A Night Parade of One Hundred Demons?"
Enoshima Kazuo recalled the familiar name of this instance.
Although both the Dragon Kingdom and the Cherry Blossom Kingdom use this term, considering the context, there is no doubt that this dungeon will feature many eerie monsters from the Cherry Blossom Kingdom.
Isn't that a coincidence?
Kazuo Enoshima smiled confidently. Although he wasn't the type of person who particularly valued his own national culture, he had been immersed in it all along, and he still had a significant cultural advantage over the chosen ones from other countries.
This time, the Sakura Kingdom will definitely be the first to clear this dungeon!
It wasn't just Enoshima Kazuo who thought this way; even the think tank of the Sakura Kingdom shared the same idea: "Great! It must be Amaterasu protecting our Sakura Kingdom!"
"It's actually the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons that we're most familiar with!"
"Perhaps it was because of Hirano-kun's sacrifice that the cherry blossoms are so favored by the unspeakable! Hirano-kun, rest in peace, our Cherry Blossom Kingdom will surely return to its status as a great power on Earth!"
"Japan should be the first to clear this time. No other country could possibly know more about these things than Japan!"
If the think tank in Japan was celebrating like it was New Year's, then the think tank in China was in a rather low mood. Watching the little girl sitting there in a daze on the live stream screen, Anzhi glanced at Yoshiyuki Yoshiyuki and asked in a low voice, "Is this the case in all countries?"
"There are no exceptions among the 97 surviving countries," Yoshiyuki Yoshiyuki answered honestly.
"Last time, both boys and girls shrunk, but this time..." Chai Yuxuan said helplessly, "Why are they all little girls, and they're all thirteen or fourteen years old?"
"It might be because..."
Li Tailan muttered something, which was overheard by Chai Yuxuan, who was sitting to his right, and he burst out laughing.
"What's wrong?" An Zhi looked at the two of them.
Chai Yuxuan waved his hand: "It's nothing. He just said that many horror games in Japan like to make little girls the main characters, so it's not strange that the chosen ones in each country have become Japanese girls."
"Don't joke like that, we need to analyze this seriously."
An Zhi glanced at Yin Zhu, who was still motionless, and frowned, saying, "Yin Zhu's condition is not right. If she asks the think tank for help, we will help her at any time."
Not only Yin Zhu, but all the chosen ones, regardless of age or gender, turned into little girls dressed in sailor uniforms.
When Enoshima Kazuo discovered that he had turned into a child, he was not panicked at first. However, when he accidentally saw his reflection in the mirror and realized that he had turned into a thin little girl, his expression turned sour.
Not everyone can instantly accept the reality of their gender reassignment.
The "Enoshima Kazuo" in the mirror is a short-haired little girl, but her features are noticeably softer. Like millions of girls in Japan, she looks incredibly thin, probably from hunger.
This brings us to the "cultivation lineup" of the three kingdoms of the Eastern Continent.
Before the strange events that befell Earth, a saying circulated on the Eastern Continent's internet: "In the Dragon Kingdom, there are no holidays, cherry blossoms don't eat, and kimchi doesn't sleep."
I won't waste words elaborating on the other two countries; I'll just talk about the current situation in Japan:
In order to be both thin and beautiful, I dare not gain weight at all.
As mentioned earlier, Japan has a strong social atmosphere, and many people have a serious herd mentality because becoming an outcast means being excluded and alienated.
Men in Japan are influenced by the Japanese aesthetic, and women will only become more obsessed with the "thin" standard of beauty.
Kazuo Enoshima was a strong and capable adult male who regularly exercised to maintain his physique. He could easily take on two or three otaku, if not ten at once. Now that he had turned into a little girl, he rubbed his limp little arms, feeling that he had lost about 90% of his strength.
If they were being chased, they would probably be out of breath after running for just a short while.
With a dark expression, Enoshima Kazuo looked at the dress he was wearing and didn't dare to do anything too provocative during the live stream. After all, being a woman was already embarrassing enough, and he wanted to return to a normal life on Earth; he absolutely couldn't afford to suffer a social death.
He could already picture his group of cronies pointing at him on the screen and laughing at him.
...But what does that have to do with him?
For some reason, Enoshima Kazuo's mind calmed down, and he began to rationally examine everything around him.
He was kneeling on the tatami mat. In front of the fireplace was a table with a cup of tea on it and a note underneath. Apart from that, there were no other places with rules posted.
He strained his ears and seemed to hear someone walking towards his room from the edge of the room.
Kazuo Enoshima quickly opened the note, glanced at it, and then threw it into the fireplace, burning it to ashes to prevent others from seeing the rule.
The footsteps outside the door grew closer, and the figure of the person entering was projected onto the door.
The door was a very standard cherry blossom-style wooden door, with many wooden strips dividing it into lattice sections, and it could be pulled open to the side. Because it was made of paper, one could vaguely see the silhouettes of people outside.
Just then, a huge cat with two tails slammed its paw on the door: "Are you dressed yet? Come out and have breakfast."
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