T0 Gaming Guild Saves the World.

Chapter 183, Section 182: You, go and stab the demon.
Eighty years ago, the largest magical surge to date swept across the continent, lasting for 10 years.

Each wave of magic brings entirely new changes.

Intelligent races awaken, magical abundance increases, and the magical system is perfected.

As the people of the mainland experience new power amidst the chaos brought by the magic surge, a demon descends from the depths of the Great Snow Mountain of the Screamers.

Dussel produced a portrait in which a hazy black mist enveloped the skeleton of a yak, which was wandering aimlessly across the snow.

"After the lord of Sai'ang City reported to the Empire, the Empire immediately dispatched elite messengers to investigate on-site. Deep in the snowfield, they saw Him in a blizzard. This portrait records the Empire's first encounter with Him."

"The messenger team was trying to figure out the 'true form' of the demon, but this rash contact resulted in only two members of the twenty-member messenger team returning."

"One person went mad, and the remaining person had a strong enough mentality to become the painter of this portrait."

Zhong Zemo couldn't help but exclaim in amazement: "What legendary investigator's holy body?"

“Investigator…a new topic for young people?” Dussel paused for a moment. “Anyway, this contact was not entirely fruitless in the end.”

"According to the surviving messenger, the moment he approached the demon, he suddenly heard the voices of his other companions in the party."

"She talks incessantly and at a very fast pace, which is very annoying."

"Everyone's fears seem to be connected by an invisible hand, resonating and influencing each other."

"For a moment, he seemed to transform into a snow fox, darting through the vast snowfield, until with a 'whoosh,' a flying arrow from afar pierced his eyeball, shattering his head with a chilling sound."

Dussel closed his eyes: "After a long period of research, we have finally figured out what the hallucinations he experienced were."

Demons do not possess a physical body; they are woven from countless consciousnesses.

The nascent demon roams the snowfield, absorbing only the fragments of the consciousness of wild beasts and monsters that have not yet perished in the Great Snow Mountain.

These fragmented pieces of consciousness are often frozen in the moment before death, and these images will continue to resonate with the living being as it approaches.

“Professor Düssel…” Orange Tea, the good student who had raised her hand, suddenly realized that she probably shouldn’t have addressed Düssel as that.

Dussel turned around and smiled at her.

"Why did you stop? Shall we ask?"

"You said that demons are chaotic monsters that could go out of control at any time, so why doesn't the Empire eliminate them, but instead lets them run rampant?"

"The Empire tried... fifty years ago."

The evil spirits still exist; this attempt has undoubtedly failed.

Düssel seemed unwilling to discuss the specifics of the campaign, only explaining the key reasons for its failure.

The demon exhibited an extremely peculiar ability—the ability to devour negative emotions.

“Anger, fear, resentment, despair—intense negative emotions can disrupt the relatively stable behavior patterns of demonic spirits, causing them to be drawn to those who release these emotions and descend into madness.”

French Fries noticed Düssel's hand, his fist clenched, then gradually loosening as he began to speak.

What did he recall?
"So, this is why the empire keeps it a secret from outsiders?" the woman in bed asked.

Dussel nodded: "Under normal circumstances, demons have no physical form. Only when their consciousness is disturbed and needs to act will they take the form of wind, snow, or bones, and condense into a form that ordinary people can observe."

“There are many intelligent beings around the Great Snow Mountain of the Screamer. Once the existence of the demons becomes widely known, and there are more rash contacts, the demons, who are already tempted by negative emotions, will become more active.”

Jiang Heyi suddenly realized.

This seems to be the legendary eerie snow?
No wonder Dussel said that evil was born from myths and legends.

Is this a product of faith born from error under the tide of magic?
“But the demon we encountered didn’t show any power to induce or devour negative emotions. Instead, it seemed like…” French Fries looked at Jiang Heyi.

Kesha squeezed forward between the two men: "Mr. Dussel, I was once bound by a demon. It didn't seem like a chaotic consciousness, but rather a life form with a certain level of intelligence."

Dussel shook his head: "The demon has been gone for decades, and our understanding of it has stagnated. Perhaps something else has happened to it during these decades."

As he spoke, he handed the demonic certificate back to Jiang Heyi.

"The Demon's Proof is a harmless remnant of the demon's consciousness. If, as you say, it was given to you by the demon as a test..."

Dussel turned back to the desk and rummaged around for a while before taking out a purplish-black crystal box.

"This...this is!" Mint reacted strongly, her eyes fixed on the box in Dussel's hand, speechless for a moment.

Ksha frowned: "Something that makes me uncomfortable... Such powerful magic-suppressing force."

A large piece of magic-suppressing crystal was meticulously carved into a container for storing items.

What could possibly be worthy of such a standard?
A jet-black one-handed sword came into view.

The sword has a slender blade and a slightly shorter handle, without any fancy patterns. The blacksmith clearly prioritized practicality, resulting in a very simple overall design.

At first glance, it looks like the kind of weapon that adventurers love to buy in ordinary weapon shops.

Dussel drew his one-handed sword and held it in front of the Demon's Proof.

The Demonic Token in Jiang Heyi's hand suddenly trembled violently.

The one-handed sword was also trembling violently.

It seems that some force is urging them to merge again.

“A friend of mine infused the power of the Demon's Proof into the forging process, creating this weapon,” Dussel smiled. “She named it the Eye of the Abyss.”

As we all know, some special words can instantly excite players if they hear them.

At his request, Düsseldorf demonstrated the weapon's properties.

Eye of the Abyss

"The holder has significantly enhanced resistance to mental magic."

"Specializes in dealing damage to soulless objects."

"Born out of despair, living towards death, the holder will not be limited by magic or physical strength."

"In exchange for experience points, the player gains the [Residual Consciousness] effect. During the ten seconds that [Residual Consciousness] is active, the player will not die from damage other than mental magic."

In the Stars of Proof where numerical values ​​are downplayed, the importance of affix effects is self-evident.

The Desperate version of the Eye of the Abyss has four attributes, two of which are specialized, one removes movement and spellcasting restrictions from the player, and the other is simply overpowered, as it can force the player to become immortal.

Powerful cards often come with risks, and Desperate Eyes of the Abyss is no exception.

"If any comrade is killed, the person wielding the weapon will also be killed."

"The weapon wielder will suffer the [Curse of Decay], continuously taking damage reduced by the shield until death."

"If a weapon user dies, a companion must be designated to bear the [Curse of Decay]."

Although it doesn't spread the poison indefinitely, it's equivalent to rendering one unit in the team useless.

Such an extreme weapon; if used properly, it's comparable to a top-tier weapon.

If used improperly, it will explode, taking the entire team with it.

want to.

Dussel, a ninth-tier powerhouse, treasured this precious item using a magic-suppressing crystal as a container. There's no way he would give it away. Could the way to obtain it be by eliminating him?
Well, taking down a ninth-tier mage in the mage tower and then escaping with the Eye of the Abyss is, I must say, a bit difficult. "Can you take me?" the jailer blurted out his true feelings.

In an instant, the room fell silent.

Mint's face turned green. Who talks like that!
Düssel was taken aback by these words, then chuckled.

"This sword is indeed useless except for collecting, but... I can't give it to you."

"The demon possesses wondrous power, and anything forged from fragments of its consciousness will have a subtle connection with it in the dark."

"Prolonged exposure may corrupt you with the power of evil."

Seeing the hopeful look on the boundary between reality and illusion, Dussel looked down and carefully examined the Eye of the Abyss.

He pursed his lips: "You came into contact with the demons, yet you didn't sense their malice. Perhaps this is a strange fate and guidance... Since you want it, then prove it to me."

These words immediately energized everyone.

They've already calculated it out; weapons are best given to fries.

Anyway, the way French fries are caught is by walking on a tightrope, now it's just that the tightrope is removed and replaced with fishing line.

"how to prove?"

"Bring out the materials you obtained by defeating powerful enemies using mental magic. Only those who can withstand the baptism of mental magic can resist the temptation of the Eye of the Abyss."

Where could they possibly find mental magic in such a short time...?

Ugh?
and many more.

Jiang Heyi took out the recipe for the [Heart Fortress] potion obtained from defeating the black cat and handed it to Dussel.

“Hmm… one can indeed sense from it that its former owner was an extremely powerful master of mental magic.” Dussel clicked his tongue in amazement. “It’s incredible that you were able to defeat such a powerful being.”

The person in bed was already rubbing their hands together: "So, what about the weapon...?"

Dussel retrieved the scabbard, arranged the Eye of the Abyss, gently stroked the blade, and a smile curved his lips.

"I have one more request."

He seemed to have guessed what everyone was going to say, and explained in advance: "I'm not going back on my word, but I hope you can take on a commission while you're at it."

"Commission?"

The boundary between reality and illusion stared at each other, and Kesha and Bohe were also staring at each other with wide eyes.

What does that mean?
Is there anything a ninth-tier mage cannot do on their own? What makes them worthy of serving a ninth-tier mage?

"My friend once said when he was forging the sword that a weapon containing fragments of demonic consciousness could effectively kill demons."

“And you are the ones who have been marked by the evil spirits, therefore… I want you to give it a try.”

Before Dussel could finish speaking, Jiang Heyi was completely stunned.

Man!
Are you sure you're not mistaken?
We fight evil spirits?
Players may not be afraid of dying, but who's going to pay for the huge repair costs?

Even if Dussel didn't say it, they could still guess some of the details of the siege of the demons in the snowy mountains fifty years ago.

The fact that they could use the remnants of demonic consciousness to create weapons proves that the Empire did indeed harm the demons back then.

The fact that the Empire did not press its advantage proved that it suffered heavy losses in that battle.

It is highly likely that of the magicians involved, less than one in ten survived.

According to Mint Science Popularization, fifty years ago, there were not many eighth and ninth-tier mages in the Empire. Dussel was only sixth-tier at the time, which was probably the average level of the mages sent by the Empire.

Even an eighth-tier sea monster like Kesha is like a baby in front of a demon that has been developing for fifty years. I'd guess the fate of the Empire's elite troops back then was even worse.

"Professor Dussel, you are already at the ninth level. Can't you personally slay the demon?"

A clear hesitation flashed in Dussel's eyes, and his fingers trembled slightly.

This reaction further confirmed Jiang Heyi's guess.

That battle was so brutal that it left an indelible scar on Dussel's heart, even though he is now ranked among the top tier of mages.

“I… cannot fight against evil.” Dussel sighed and said frankly, “Fear, wavering, and unease are its food. When it encounters me, it will only become stronger.”

"Professor Dussel, I don't understand," Orange Tea said blankly. "Is it possible that even today, the Empire can't muster a ninth-tier army to once again wage war against the demons?"

Mint offered to explain the question that might have embarrassed Düsseldorf.

Powerful mages, unless bound by family ties, generally do not have a strong sense of national belonging.

The existence of demons remains a secret, and most high-level mages still believe it to be nothing more than a myth.

It's somewhat unrealistic to expect them to know about the tragedy from fifty years ago and work together.

"Let the evil spirits sleep forever in the snowfield."

The empire then issued a decree, making the extermination of demons a taboo.

"Now that it's been confirmed that we can live in peace as long as we don't disturb the demons excessively, why provoke them?"

Düssel clenched his fists, avoiding the topic.

"If you are willing to try for me and tell me the answer... I am willing to teach you the martial art magic [Spatial Slash] that I have mastered through spatial magic."

Martial arts and magic?

What a mess! These two can actually be put together... Holy crap, they actually can be put together!
Martial artists tear through the void with skill, while magicians distort the void with magic.

A powerful skill that both warriors and mages can learn!
They were tempted. It was just a matter of stabbing a demon to see if the weapon was effective. Since players weren't afraid of death, why not?
However, Jiang Heyi still pretended to be in a difficult position.

"The risk is too great. Even if we have amazing willpower and can resist the mental attacks of evil spirits, what if something unexpected happens?"

Düsseldorf, being an experienced person, immediately recognized that they were waiting for more money.

Without Jiang Heyi having to speak, he immediately said, "My friend still owes me a favor. If you want to forge equipment that is extremely difficult to forge and has a very low success rate, you can ask her."

【Arela's Promise】

It turned out to be a rainbow-colored sphere of light wrapping a piece of paper?
Touching and examining it, the boundary between reality and illusion sends shivers down my spine.

"The dragon Arelavi never makes promises lightly."

"With this certificate, you can request Areravi to forge equipment for you."

"100% success."

Good heavens! Jiang Heyi was just wondering where this powerful being came from, able to forge fragments of a demon's consciousness into weapons.

So it was a dragon. No wonder it was born in the magical era.

"Is that enough?" The great mage Dussel seemed somewhat uneasy at this moment.

That's enough. Jiang Heyi originally wanted some Star Sand, but now that he's got a 100% success rate forging scroll, what more could he want?
"Alright, we'll help you stab the demon in the back!"

　Don't worry, there will be an extra chapter after the seal finishes the first playthrough.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)