T0 Gaming Guild Saves the World.

Chapter 244, Section 243: The Perfect Potion for Pranks
The Shadow Stalker's professional specialization skill allows them to disappear into the shadows and move at high speed from their bed.

The spirit of the orange tea is ready.

"The skill's coverage is limited, so it can only give you a short-lived thrill."

Zhong Zemo patted the shoulder of the blanket.

"It's up to you now. Go through it, set the coordinates, and you're all done."

Standing in front of the collapsed, airtight tunnel, the bedding was ready.

She took a deep breath, vanished into the shadows like a ghost, and moved swiftly through the darkness.

On the shared map, everyone could clearly see the progress of the exploration of the bed. In no time, she had traversed a distance of nearly 700 meters.

It's feasible!

"Huh? Why did it suddenly stop?"

The rapidly moving blankets suddenly came to an abrupt halt.

On the map, she looked like she was drunk, swaying and starting to spin in circles.

French Fries frowned: "What's wrong?"

Before anyone could send a private message to inquire, the cursor on the quilt disappeared from the map.

The team information panel displayed a notification that she had been eliminated.

"what?"

Everyone was filled with questions.

Resurrected and cursing in the guild's bed, Ksha couldn't help but peek out from under the doll who was emphasizing to the doll that she was the potato guild leader's "lover".

The boundary between the virtual and real worlds is vast and prosperous. Using materials, he removed the negative status effect of death and was immediately teleported into the dungeon.

"We cannot sneak past."

Before anyone could ask, she spoke through gritted teeth.

“Spirits, so many spirits, they gathered in the tunnel, making it airtight.”

He couldn't help but shiver as he spoke in bed.

"Just getting close to it sent chills down my spine, as if I could sense the trajectory of magical movement. I moved to the side, but I was arrested on the spot."

The jailer asked in bewilderment, "Your equipment isn't bad either. If you can't win, can't you at least escape?"

"A terrain kill!" the blanket said irritably. "The spirits surged into the shadows I created, crushing the magic, and I immediately floated to the ground."

Although it was despicable, Zhong Zemo couldn't help but say, "So it turned into 'Bedtime Girl,' no wonder it died so quickly."

Jiang Heyi stroked his chin: "If we do it again, do you think there's any hope of breaking through?"

"There are too many spirits; the probability is very low." The bed sighed. "Besides, this is only halfway through. Who can guarantee that there won't be even stranger things in the second half of the tunnel?"

French Fries wondered, "Where did all these spirits come from, wandering around the tunnel? Are they deliberately trying to disgust people?"

Insect Mist said with some sadness, "Perhaps... they were the Clear Ones who didn't have time to reach the 12th floor. They didn't want the liches to pursue their companions, so... they perished together."

Oh?
Liches?
Jiang Heyi hurriedly asked, "The Church of Eternal Night has more than one lich. Have you seen any other liches?"

“Besides Gorcalon, I also heard the people of Eternal Night discussing two other liches… Their strength should be roughly equal.”

Some people couldn't help but cover their foreheads in disbelief.

So, in other tunnels, there are probably also large armies of spirits that have lost control because the Clear Ones perished together.

The jailer's brilliant idea is outdated!

Unexpectedly, the first problem to solve when challenging the 11th floor was how to get there.

"Hey Insect Fog, do you have any tips you can teach us?"

The little fairy perched on top of Orange Tea's head, resting her chin on her hand.

“Based on my understanding of those spirits, they won’t react if there’s not much fluctuation in magic,” she said. “Life forms in a magical state are particularly sensitive to magic.”

That being said, if even a shadow can be detected, what skill's magical fluctuations could be so weak as to deceive a spirit?
For matters concerning locals, you should ask locals.

With that thought in mind, the group from the boundary between the real and the virtual returned to the ninth floor with the insect mist.

The moment I landed, looking at the lush vegetation around me, the orchards in the distance, and the livestock running around, I was confused about the boundary between reality and illusion.

"Strange, aren't our coordinates inside the arena, next to Freya? Where are we?"

A robust black pig vividly demonstrated what it means to charge forward like a pig, charging straight at the crowd that had appeared out of nowhere and blocked the way.

Zhong Zemo pulled out a giant shield and slammed it into the ground.

"Boom!"

What sounds good is a good start.

After the violent collision, the black pig collapsed to the ground, its limbs twitching, and it looked like it was going to die.

There's no reason to refuse groceries delivered to your door, but then a dagger is thrust into your bed...

Orange Tea couldn't help but applaud.

As a veterinary medicine student, she could tell that the knife had also ruptured a kidney.

The bed might just be a sacred place for veterinary medicine!
"You are here."

A familiar voice came from behind.

The appearance of the Slime King in deep green answered everyone's questions.

This is indeed the ninth floor, a specially developed functional area located far outside the arena area.

This area is the Clear-Hearted Ranch.

“I have already connected with the separately operating magic circle on the ninth floor and created a passage to the depths of the black cat Lenalsia’s consciousness.”

King Slime pointed to a four-story wooden house built by shepherds in the distance.

"This wooden house is directly connected to the magic circle. As long as you sleep within the area, you can glimpse the true power of Lenalsia."

This is a dungeon where you need to be asleep to complete the True Black Cat dungeon.

"What an amazing setup! So we fall asleep and enter the world of Proof of the Stars, and then we have to fall asleep in this wooden house to challenge the Black Cat..." The jailer scratched his head, "What a dream within a dream."

Zhong Zemo complained, "With this kind of nesting, will I still be able to tell them apart after I wake up?"

French Fries' rational analysis: "It's just a setting. It's probably just a cutscene after you fall asleep, teleporting you to a challenge area outside the map. There's no dream within a dream."

The immediate question has been temporarily resolved, but another question has arisen in my mind.

Why were I teleported here?

Is the game forcing players to learn about the existence of the Black Cat dungeon?
Although I had my doubts, I could only put them aside for the time being.

The most urgent task is the 11th floor.

“If it’s just about escaping the pursuit of spirits, I do have an idea, but I don’t know if it’s feasible.” King Slime pondered, then reminded him, “I have a potion recipe that can temporarily transform living beings.”

"When transformed into an animal, the magical fluctuations produced by the potion will be much smaller."

"The materials needed to make it are relatively cheap, the success rate is extremely low, it's hard to guarantee the effect, and... it might be hilarious."

As expected, the key to passing the level lies hidden among the NPCs who survived earlier!

Overjoyed at seeing the boundary between reality and illusion, he took the formula and began to study it. The enamel cup couldn't help but ask Chen Shaoyu a question.

"What if this Slime King doesn't survive?"

“There are many ways to get to the 11th floor,” Chen Shaoyu replied. “The game has a high degree of freedom. In addition to the solutions we provide, players can also use their own methods. For example… they can not think and just move bricks by hand. It’s stupid, but it’s effective.”

The enamel mug couldn't help but chuckle.

Back at the guild, the recipe was given to the puppet to brew the corresponding potion, and the boundary between reality and illusion was immediately criticized by the witch puppet.

"What a strange potion recipe. The proportions of various potions are all mixed up. No wonder the person who gave it to the master said it was difficult to ensure the effect."

"Lord Mint would probably scoff at this recipe; it's utterly useless except for the idea itself."

This assessment further convinced the boundary between the virtual and real worlds that this was indeed a one-time potion designed by the storyline for the players.

Aside from drilling holes in walls and hiding from spirits, it serves no other purpose; right now, it's using the puppet's mouth to warn the player that it's "utterly useless." Hey, the player's rebellious streak is kicking in.

Once they clear the Temple of the Clarity, they'll make several more bottles to try out in various dungeons.

The game planner wants to teach me how to play the game?

I'll temporarily accept your design to pass the level. Once I do... hehe!
[Inferior Animal Transformation Potion]

"Made by Alna of the Temple of the Clarity."

"A prank by Deep Green, a mischievous girl with a passion for potion innovation."

"She wanted the dark green to grow eagle wings, but accidentally gave her a long, thin dragon tail."

"Although the effect was poor, the creators obviously didn't care about these small 'mistakes'."

"Alna: Why are the wings that grew from the dark green still jelly-like? What went wrong with the recipe?"

Just reading the item descriptions makes me deeply uneasy about the boundary between reality and fiction.

Will everyone turn into jelly mice or jelly loaches after drinking it?
Sister Alna, we're avenging your blood feud! Don't let our equipment's durability be completely destroyed!
Once preparations are complete, all members of the virtual-real boundary will be teleported back to the 10th floor.

He had already fully enjoyed the enamel mug viewing experience from God's perspective, and was just about to enjoy the transformative feast that blurred the lines between reality and illusion, when he suddenly shuddered.

During the brief moment of teleportation, there seemed to be something strange in the flickering image.
"Could you zoom in on the camera to the 9th floor?"

"Yes, the arena area on the 9th floor."

This place should have been the central hub where Freya and the Nest of Ever-Changing Dolls punished the Church of Eternal Night, but now...

The enamel mug reflected an unusual bright red in its eyes.

He could almost smell the pus-filled blood flowing at the tip of his nose, and hear strange, wet, wriggling sounds echoing in his ears.

Chen Shaoyu was distracted by punishing the people attacking the boundary between reality and illusion on the periphery of the arena when he sensed something unusual about the enamel cup. He looked up at it and said casually.

What players see may not be the truth.

He swallowed hard.

20 bottles of [Inferior Animal Transformation Potion], whoever transforms most perfectly will pass through the tunnel.

The liquid was dark green in color, but it smelled quite nice, with a faint floral honey scent.

It doesn't look good, but the smell is passable. Hopefully, the taste will be okay.

The seven people exchanged glances, clinked glasses, and drank deeply.

After a series of burps, everyone's bodies were enveloped by a strange magic, and a scorching heat flowed over their skin.

A dazzling halo spread out, and a bunch of strange little animals appeared on the spot.

"What kind of creature are you? A gecko with a pig's snout? Who are you? Pig-nose, huh?" The jailer laughed heartily.

Orange Tea touched its nose with its little paws, looking aggrieved... It really was a pig's nose!

"Don't laugh at it. A cicada pupa with eight legs, how could it be an alien?"

Zhong Zemo spread his wings and flapped them, and the prison guard immediately collapsed to the ground as if he were wearing roller skates.

"I've got eight legs, so I can control myself!" The blankets joined in the mockery.

The jailer peeked through the gap in the cicada pupa.

Zhong Zemo is a large fluttering moth, which is its own evolved form, but its main body is snake-shaped.

Jiang Heyi is a jelly-like creature with two eyes, seemingly a mutant slime.

The most drastic transformation was that of a ibex with horns—its overall structure was the most logical among them all.

The tetramorph became quite regular, resembling a snail the size of a fist.

But that's pointless; it would probably take a snail longer to crawl two kilometers than for them to carry it by hand.

Finally, the jailer's gaze fell on the blankets.

She transformed into her true form, a large black rat, except... she grew tusks like a wild boar and soft spines like a hedgehog.

"Don't push over, it'll hurt!"

He rolled into the crowd as if playing pranks, scaring everyone into scrambling away on all fours.

The ibex, who was actually a French fry, slightly raised its hoof as if to stomp, and she instantly turned into a well-behaved child.

Now you know why the Slime King said this potion would be hilarious.

The person who created this potion intended it as a prank; she never thought it would have any positive effects.

"The Tea Master is now in your hands."

"Huh?" Orange Tea was confused. She pointed to her little pig nose. "But I don't look like a normal animal at all!"

French Fries said, "Spirits rely on instinct to search, and very few retain any consciousness. As long as you don't expose this strange pig nose, then you are a gecko!"

Jiang Heyi moved closer to the orange tea: "Don't hide."

Orange Tea blinked, but before she could even ask "What do you want to do?", Jiang Heyi spat out green phlegm and splashed it all over her.

"Ugh...so sticky, so disgusting."

Orange Tea shook its little paws in disgust.

"Roll on the ground right now."

The tea master was very obedient and immediately rolled on the spot.

The jailer seemed to be deep in thought.

"When I was a child, I liked to eat these kinds of snacks on my way home from school."

"Huh?" The orange tea was halfway through its rolling around when it suddenly looked confused. "Snacks?"

"Oh, don't you have any old men carrying loads of soybean flour and konjac chips around the school?" the prison guard said, trying not to laugh. "You look like a konjac chip covered in soybean flour right now."

That's really unethical. As the team leader, Jiang Heyi has to hold it in and not laugh!

"I've also thought of a famous dish." French Fries' lips twitched. "Donkey Roll."

The orange tea was rolled around twice more, becoming completely covered in dust.

Her entire body was covered in dust and gray, making it difficult to discern her original greenish hue, and her pig-like nose was no longer noticeable.

everything's ready.

"Go, Orange Tea, it's you I choose!"

Why did all six people say this in unison?

Orange Tea glanced back at the oddly shaped group of people and couldn't help but complain, "Am I some kind of new Pokémon?"

They squeezed into the crevice and proceeded cautiously.

Because of her small and delicate size, she was able to easily climb and traverse the fractured area created by the landslide using her flippers.

Everyone stared at the map, too nervous to speak.

It’s getting closer, very closer.

The place where I died in bed was right before my eyes.

Orange Tea had already spotted the countless translucent spirits moving through the rock strata in the distance.

She couldn't help but swallow hard, and bracing herself, she crawled along the edge of the collapsed area.

Afraid of exposing her pig snout, she lowered her head.

As a child from a farming family, she immediately realized that this posture looked like someone rooting for food...

The spirits all turned their gazes to the only active person, Orange Tea.

After a long while, I looked away again.

Orange Tea looked back at the army of spirits that was leaving her behind, and was overjoyed.

11th floor, here I come!
(End of this chapter)