T0 Gaming Guild Saves the World.

Chapter 108, Section 107: The Church of Eternal Night
The black cat's doll-like body was completely corroded by elemental forces, leaving only a wisp of white mist.

King Slime created a cavitation bubble and sucked the white mist into it.

"You're not planning to kill it?" Jiang Heyi asked.

“The countless Pure Ones who perished tragically surely wouldn’t want to see the perpetrators die a quick and painless death,” King Slime said. “And…you probably also want to acquire some of the knowledge it possesses, don’t you?”

The black cat's spirit cried out, "We can make a deal!"

Do you still have the right to negotiate?

The Slime King manipulated the elemental power to stir the vacuoles within his body. Without the protection of his physical body, the elemental power directly affected his spirit, causing the black cat to let out a series of mournful howls.

Not long ago, she was high and mighty, looking down on them like ants. Sure enough, she wasn't going to back down so quickly. Provoked, the black cat hissed fiercely.

"In that case, you won't get anything of value from me!"

"Don't think that this level of torture can break my will to resist. My spirit is far more resilient than you imagine!"

The Slime King sneered, "Don't rush me. I have plenty of time to see how resilient you are. You killed my friend... and left me alone again. So be my pet."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Slime King transformed into Sister Alna, told the people at the boundary between reality and illusion that he needed to catch his breath, and then walked to the ruins and sat down.

In order to suppress the black cat's terrifying power, King Slime used every means at his disposal.

Now, she is so weak that even the boundary between reality and illusion can kill her.

At that very moment, on the ruins of the eighth floor, which had been destroyed by the fierce battle between the two powerful figures, four rainbow lights, one golden light, and two red lights shot into the sky.

The eighth metallurgical layer, formal settlement.

The rainbow light was so dazzling that it blinded everyone.

"Alas, may the Tea God protect us!"

The jailer's loud voice startled Orange Tea, who then started dancing awkwardly on the spot, as if he had his own MVP award animation.

"Sigh, the person who's completely negative is the one who pops the champagne faster than anyone else." Plain fries glanced at him irritably.

"How can you say that!" The jailer even complained, "Barely speaking, I... I wasted the black cat's computing power?"

"Look at me, I'm so useless, even its control over me hasn't had a positive effect."

You seem pretty proud of yourself, kid.

Finding this angle to approach the topic is truly impressive.

Hopefully, there will be fewer monsters with this illusionary mechanic in the future, otherwise there will always be someone in their team who gets dragged to death by the jailers in the mechanic.

As is customary, Orange Tea gave everyone a hug before going up to announce the winners.

[Sage's Memory Fragment (Random)]: 2

It is bound to your account upon acquisition and is one of the items you will receive after clearing the Black Cat stage.

After changing to a specialization, only the four Primitives gained the new skill [Elemental Fusion Torrent].

The underground temple's strength has visibly increased dramatically. With everyone at the boundary between the virtual and real worlds now possessing red-quality double-blessed weapons, they urgently need to enhance their skill strength.

It's like a perfect pillow falling right when you're sleepy.

[Heart Fortress] Potion Recipe.

It's also a must-have item for defeating the black cat. Its effect is to temporarily increase resistance to mental magic after consumption, but it can easily cause fatigue.

Everyone couldn't resist taking the recipe home to show Mint.

Maybe it's a new formula she's never seen before, maybe she'll be so excited she'll run around the guild like crazy.
Just thinking about it makes me happy.

[Sage's Memory Fragment (Pharmacist)]

This is a special item that can only be used to improve apothecaries' experience and proficiency. Its regular use is probably for players who want to improve in this area, or for dolls.

But... could it also be used for mint?
Aside from the 3 rainbows that are guaranteed to drop in each level, Orange Tea actually only yielded 1 rainbow.

Amazing, when did they become so greedy? Even 1 Rainbow isn't enough for them...

A flash of golden light, and an item popped out from the sphere of light.

[Character Change Scroll]

All eyes immediately turned to the orange tea.

"Huh...?"

After Jiang Heyi obtained the [Glutton] avatar, everyone "coaxed" Orange Tea to switch to the Rabbit Tribe to contribute to the team.

Everything is ready, except for the change order.

This item is hailed as irrefutable proof that the official developers don't make money from it; it's not sold in the store but instead placed in the drop pool and is not allowed to be traded.

Some people think it's a conscientious design, while others think it's the ultimate cause of brain thrombosis.

If you're tired of the same look and style, why not just spend a little money to change things up?

This issue is frequently mentioned across all servers. Not long ago, the official Chinese server team hinted that player requests had been submitted and a result would be forthcoming soon.

That's right. Don't be so rigid about these things. If people want to give you money, it's a voluntary offer, so why not accept it?

So, does this count as losing a worthless gold item?

Who said that!
The sooner you use it, the sooner you can enjoy it. A bunny-eared girl popped up in the guild, and the spirits of everyone in the virtual-real boundary were soothed.

The remaining two red drops are both [Universal Material Fragments], which are enough to make a piece of Elemental Heart clothing.

"Uh……"

Jiang Heyi hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Zhong Zemo spoke up: "Does such a powerful level guardian like the Black Cat not drop any equipment blueprints?"

He pointed out Jiang Heyi's confusion.

While it's nice that three rainbow-colored items are guaranteed to drop items, it doesn't seem to match the strength of the Black Cat.

As the guardian of the eighth floor, she is undoubtedly a top-tier player in terms of difficulty, given that the game has been running for a month.

She is proficient in both dream creation and spiritual materialization, two skills considered the pinnacle of spiritual magic.

Her doll-like body grants her exceptionally high defensive capabilities, giving her a high margin for error.

If we also consider that dream creation is something you will inevitably encounter when you meet her, then careless solutions will affect the overall mechanics of the subsequent strategy...

A boss of this caliber deserves a set with special affixes, and the recipe shouldn't be limited to just one potion.

Jiang Heyi walked toward the Slime King, who was sitting on the ruins and dozing off.

"Ah...uh, have you guys rested enough?"

The Slime King suddenly awoke, the trauma of the battle causing her to become somewhat stressed, and she almost unleashed her elemental power to splatter everyone at the boundary between reality and illusion.

Seeing that everyone looked equally exhausted, she, disguised as Alna, showed an expression of relief and affection.

"Thank you all. I couldn't have done this alone without you," King Slime said, his voice growing increasingly sorrowful, tears glistening in the corners of his eyes. "You are the miracles that Arna found in her final moments."

"As expected of the Holy Maiden..."

Jiang Heyi guessed that Alna's identity was not simple and that she was definitely not an ordinary little nun of the Clarity. He did not expect her to have such a powerful background.

No wonder the Church of Eternal Night used such a peculiar method to kill her.

In other games, Jiang Heyi might have smiled knowingly at King Slime's praise, proudly recalling his remarkable skills.

However, after experiencing the fierce battle with the Black Cat and realizing the gap between them and the top combat power of the Church of Eternal Night, even the extraterrestrial demons and the Fourth Calamity, when placed into the worldview narrative, could not help but feel despair for the Pure Ones within that worldview.

They are players who can be resurrected countless times, and who can agree to the most outrageous proposals made by the Slime King without thinking.

Life is the one thing they have in abundance.

But what if Alna finds a group of ordinary adventurers?

Who can stop the Church of Eternal Night from wreaking havoc? Jiang Heyi is not a sentimental person, but during his conquest, he witnessed the magnificent and spectacular Temple of the Clarity being trampled and destroyed by the Church of Eternal Night.

Witnessing the messes that unfolded along the way, hearing the black cat smugly boasting about the pleasure of dominating others...

He seemed to see a towering civilization crumbling and collapsing.

The countless creatures sheltered by the tower plummeted into the abyss, vanished into nothingness, and disappeared among the stars.

It's as if they were never born, never existed.

In a daze, he couldn't tell whether it was real or an illusion.

Perhaps... it really did happen somewhere?

It was clearly an absurd idea, yet it lingered in my mind and wouldn't go away.

"Looks like you won't kick us out this time." The blanket chuckled.

A slight smile appeared on the Slime King's solemn face.

"There is only despair ahead... Can your courage sustain you to reach the other side?"

The man with the plain fries cracked his knuckles, his tone unwavering: "Whoever gets in my way, I'll kill them!"

This answer amused King Slime.

She said "okay" three times.

"That's the spirit... youthful vigor, fearless of anything."

"Only in this way can we have a chance to glimpse a ray of light."

King Slime stood up: "No matter what the final outcome... if I can glimpse a glimmer of hope, I am willing to rebuild the Clear Ones with you on this ruin."

"Or perhaps... an existence that can inherit their will."

“If only despair remains… you are the witnesses, and the spark. I will carry out Alna’s last wish, protect you as you leave, and stop the eternal night from spreading.”

Ok?
Does this answer mean...?

Jiang Heyi exchanged glances with the others, and sure enough, everyone noticed.

It seems like King Slime is about to join the team!
Whether the answer of "original flavor fries" triggered the option to join the team, or whether it was inevitable, remains to be seen.

However, two branches have now emerged.

Orange Tea, struck by a sudden inspiration, asked, "If you don't devour the black cat's spirit, are you really sure nothing will happen?"

They had asked the same question before, and when Orange Tea asked it again, the Slime King gave a more detailed answer this time.

"Foolish little thing, instead of annihilating it directly, why not enslave it, construct a mental corridor, and then use its power to torture it again and again?"

"Even if it is unwilling to give, its weakened consciousness in the corridor will give you unexpected gains."

Now I understand.

No wonder the rewards from the strategy guide seemed a bit lacking; it turns out the Black Cat is a boss that can be replayed.

[Mental Corridor] has a high probability of leading to the black cat's consciousness. Each time you defeat it, you can extract some rewards from it, which will eventually accumulate into a large amount.

Orange tea, that's a good question!

Jiang Heyi quickly followed up: "How do we construct this spiritual corridor?"

“This requires using the knowledge accumulated by the Clarities,” King Slime said. “Expel all members of the Church of Eternal Night from the temple, so that even if only I am left, I can complete the restoration and projection in the 9th-level Trial Arena.”

"If we can't do that... rebuilding the projection will be very troublesome."

Jiang Heyi hadn't had time to ask many questions in detail because the Slime King had rushed him away earlier.

The topic quickly shifted to the Church of Eternal Night.

Who exactly are they?
Having spent so much time in the temple, the Slime King knew little about them, only that the Clarity Ones had complained that "those who believe in Eternal Night are becoming obsessed."

Extremism, fanaticism, and fanaticism are how the "Clarity Seekers" define believers in the Eternal Night Church.

They originally had few followers on the continent of Devland and were considered heretics by the major nations.

However, over the past decade, due to the Magic Tide, Devilland has been plagued by natural disasters, with earthquakes, droughts, and floods ravaging the land in turn.

There were even extreme events where meteorites fell into cities, destroying city-states.

Chaos reigned in many countries, with wars breaking out everywhere. Even countries with stable situations were drawn into the vortex and found it difficult to extricate themselves.

Climbing the chaotic steps, the Church of Eternal Night soared upwards.

The Lord of Eternal Night, a supreme spiritual mage, replaced the old high priest and spread his teachings.

"The Lord of Eternal Night has granted you the power to judge the nobles."

"Blessed by the Lord of Eternal Night, you will have no fear of any divine representatives."

"Even mortal beings can bring those who are high above into the silent, eternal night."

This is the slogan of the Church of Eternal Night.

At first glance, it sounds like a rebellion against the rule of feudal aristocracy.

But in practice...

Kill kill kill kill kill!

The high-ranking members of the Church of Eternal Night incited popular uprisings, providing them with magical support, and chaos ensued wherever they went.

What are they planning to change?

No, the enlightened ones clearly observed that they were only destroying, never rebuilding any kingdom.

At their instigation, popular uprisings spread like wildfire, wreaking havoc wherever they went.

The ignorant masses believed the lies, took the lead, and became a mob.

They destroyed temples and palaces, burned thousands of acres of fertile land, and destroyed dikes to flood fields.

They smashed the golden statues of gods, yet they also worshipped the Lord of Eternal Night, whose whereabouts were unknown.

The Church of Eternal Night turned the ignorant into locusts, leaving nothing but barren land wherever they went.

Their actions were even more brutal than those of warring major powers locked in conflict.

Vast areas have become desolate wastelands, with bones exposed in the wilderness and not a rooster crowing for miles.

The Church of Eternal Night is like a shepherd, driving mad sheep across the continent, determined to devour every patch of turf and burn every field of wheat.

If the "grassland" of this continent were to disappear, they might turn their attention to the next fertile land.

Due to the large number and powerful high-level mages in the Church of Eternal Night, the Clarity has always been cautious in its contact with them, trying to ensure that they maintain order on the continent while enjoying their rights.

This is the extent of the few contacts between the two sides that the Slime King knew.

Because shortly after this contact, the Church of Eternal Night stormed into the temple.

The infiltration of the Church of Eternal Night was more terrifying than imagined. Even the devout and clear-minded were influenced by their chaotic and insane doctrines and willingly served them.

When the Clarists discovered that there were heretics and traitors within their ranks, it was too late.

Perhaps this can no longer be explained by the manipulation of people's minds using spiritual magic.

A madness called Eternal Night is spreading.

Everyone was dancing along.

As for what their ultimate fate will be if this continues, no one cares.

All they want is to destroy everything.

(End of this chapter)