T0 Gaming Guild Saves the World.

Chapter 363, Section 362: The Ruthless Prison Guard Who Abused the Novices

Jiang Heyi specially set aside some time to accompany Kexia on a tour of the mining area—every time she logged on, Kexia would pester and beg, like a child who couldn't get a toy and looked aggrieved.

Kesha, having gotten what he wanted, was unusually quiet. He simply handed his tail to Jiang Heyi and hopped ahead.

The tail in her hand trembled with each rise and fall of her body, and the back-and-forth friction transmitted warmth between them.

He really just went around in circles, and Ksha didn't say anything.

After she was completely satisfied, she seemed like a different person: "Actually, we can take this a step further at any time."

The attitude underwent a complete 180-degree change, and the previously hazy and tranquil beauty shattered like broken glass.

The process was witnessed by everyone at the boundary between the virtual and real worlds.

The jailer couldn't help but add fuel to the fire: "Wow, you're not going to do anything about this?"

Upon learning that Ksha truly existed in another world, French Fries experienced a rather complex mix of emotions for a period of time.

But when I think about how I've only been in college, and how the Stars have extended my life experience, it feels like I've lived through several springs, summers, autumns, and winters in less than half a year.

At the end of life, on the journey after death, the truth revealed by the candlelight seems to mark the marks on their lives, and the unknown future has a clear end.

Compared to that, the little inner struggles are insignificant.

"Let's think about the present, rather than the distant future, like how to beat the game tonight," Fries said nonchalantly.

The jailer was stunned for a few seconds, shocked by that open-mindedness and ashamed of his own instigation—ah, damn it, how could I be so bad!

"Don't go yet! Don't go yet!"

Before seeing him, his voice was heard; Nong Ya shouted anxiously as soon as he landed.

"Do you have any exclusive strategies for the fourth floor?"

"The second-tier teams are gradually taking their places. Dying on level 4 consumes challenge attempts, so the strategy is very valuable."

Nong Ya has thoroughly grasped the methods of information merchants, and her initiative has been greatly mobilized.

Zhong Zemo couldn't help but scare her, saying, "Aren't you afraid that Starlight Campfire will settle scores later?"

Nong Ya's shuddering neck resembled the large golden retriever she kept at home.

She muttered guiltily, "Before, it was all real-time monitoring, and the problem was resolved in less than 24 hours. Now I can still jump around and be active, so it feels like the standards have been changed."

There is no tradition of settling scores after the fact in the world of Stars and Proof; third-party transactions have always adhered to the principle of punishing all those who should be punished.

In the past few days, there have been large-scale resales of tradable game items that were quickly sold off, but those who managed to trade through the game have all managed to succeed.

Astute information brokers, sensing the official stance, sprang into action.

While they were trying to find top-tier guilds to cooperate with, Nongya directly connected with T0 guilds, which was far ahead of them.

After handing her the summarized strategy, the boundary between reality and illusion returned to the 4th level.

[Temporary Magic Support Relief] 100 points
[Temporary Recoverable Shield Support] 300 points
After use, it grants a slow recovery effect that lasts for one day in-game.

The two items that have been refreshed in the Evening Dew Shop are somewhat expensive for the current boundary between reality and illusion.

The fourth level only grants 100 points for completion, and the items obtained by the money-stealing knife in the quilt can only be exchanged for 20 points. 120 points is all the wealth they have.

The fact that the items in the Yulu Shop often cost hundreds or even thousands of points makes one wonder if the ways to earn points will always be so stingy.

Based on current observations, the points earned from regular level completion are simply not enough to cover spending.

With the evening dew as the center, the fourth layer shows the changing light and shadow.

The entire forest was ablaze, the dark green canopy transformed into leaping clouds of fire, ash fell like black snowflakes, and dense, choking smoke filled the surroundings.

The bark curls into scales at high temperatures, and the resin makes a "sizzling" sound as it drips.

The air distorted under the intense heat, and countless sparks floated in the air like a swarm of frozen fireflies.

Orange Tea's long, curly hair and the fluffy ears of the Rabbit Tribe flickered with flames, and her exposed skin felt like it was being pricked by needles.

"It's on fire! It's on fire!"

Reminded by the warmth of her blankets, Orange Tea quickly extinguished the small flames burning on her ears.

A faint indigo light emanated from Xi Lu's hand, enveloping everyone at the boundary between reality and illusion.

"Chaos Tower World, 5th Floor, [Forest Guardian]"

"The field will generate 10 rounds of enemies."

Players must ensure that the light green mother tree is not destroyed in order to pass the level.

With a casual gesture, Xi Lu pointed behind her, and the crackling fire of the light green mother tree, which was dripping with golden resin, lit up a conspicuous health bar.

Before the game even started, its health had already dropped to half, and it was on the verge of collapse.

"Note 1: The generated enemies will weigh the attack on the player against the light green mother tree, and preventing the player from advancing smoothly is their primary objective."

"Note 2: The generated enemies are intelligent individuals who can assess the current situation and make tactical and personnel allocation decisions."

"Note 3: Enemies that spawn in each round will not disappear when the next round of monsters spawns."

Note 4: Players can only use the item once in this level.

Jiang Heyi's mind was racing.

"Therefore, it is possible that the monsters in the first and second rounds will not mobilize their entire forces, but instead garrison troops and wait."

Zhong Zemo frowned: "Tsk, it looks like a tower defense game, but the opponent won't just blindly feed. This is going to be difficult."

The French fry suddenly pulled out the knife, the noise startling the person in the blankets next to them.

"What's so difficult about this? It's much simpler than the fourth level, which requires simulation and consideration of the overall situation. The only solution is to kill!"

I did a quick site survey.

The burning light green mother tree is located in the very center of the map; it is a large tree that would take about 10 people to encircle.

The level's map displays enemies within a 200-meter radius, marked with red dots.

200 meters away, there was a dense forest on fire. The vegetation was thick, and the smoke and dust released by the fire made visibility very low.

Due to the abundance of fire element, neither Jiang Heyi's magic warrior nor the elemental mage of the Four Primal Bodies could easily peer into the depths of the dense forest from under the trees using magic power and elemental perception.

Jailer: "Now I understand. The cylinder represents the light green mother tree, which is equivalent to the World Tree, which is equivalent to crystal."

"The fog of war is thick in the area 200 meters away. Only by going deep can we obtain information and share it with other teammates."

The woman in the blankets seemed to be deep in thought: "So I must, at the very beginning of the game, circle the World Tree as quickly as possible to find the direction of attack."

Jiang Heyi nodded: "You are our eyes. Once the enemy spawns 200 meters away, their ranged attacks can cover the light green mother tree. We must destroy it as soon as we detect it."

When Xi Lu introduced the rules, she did not emphasize the punishment for failure. Jiang Heyi asked everyone to prioritize preserving their own lives.

It doesn't matter that the mother tree was destroyed; we can just try again. It's not worth wasting challenge attempts.

The countdown timer for the level was mechanical and cold.

At the boundary between the virtual and real worlds, everyone was eating the grilled meat patties that Zhong Zemo had prepared in advance to improve their physical recovery speed.

The battles are 30 minutes long with no breaks, making them very intense. Cooking is an essential part of the experience.

Considering that cooking has a longer-lasting effect, everyone used their only item on food at the start of the game.

The countdown had just ended when the bed, its mouth smeared with grease, transformed into a puff of black smoke and shot into the dense forest.

"This way!"

Upon receiving the intelligence, the "Wind Blessing" was activated, and Orange Tea, imbued with the spirit of wind, sent five bolts of lightning disappearing into the billowing smoke in just two seconds. Orange Tea didn't move; Jiang Heyi had assigned her a special task.

"Pelican, Pelican, come out and help me."

Elemental energy surged, and a deep blue halo rippled.

The deep "ah-woo ah-woo" sounds and the "slap-slap" sounds of the mouth opening and closing create a noisy chorus.

The giant pelican, with its wings outstretched, opened its gaping maw as soon as it landed, staring at the orange tea.

His small eyes held a great longing.

No words are needed; anyone can understand what the pelican means—give me fish!

As the elemental spirit that collaborates most with Orange Tea, it acts like a dutiful henchman—give it fish, and it gets the job done.

As long as the fish are in place, helping the player beat up their boss is not a problem—and it did just that; the Origin Elements were dug up, and it deserves some credit for that.

"Same as before, I'll leave it on credit, keep it in the account, and settle it when I get back."

The Pelicans did not refuse.

Orange Tea has a good reputation in its eyes because it pays quickly, never delays the final payment, and then receives a high-standard extra meal.

"Help me put out the fire and stop the flames from burning."

The small details that Yuu-ro's notes didn't mention are likely the key reasons why many players struggled when they first encountered her.

Once the game starts, the light green mother tree, which is already showing half health, will continue to lose health as it burns.

The damage from the flames is not obvious; by the time you realize it, your health may already be down to a quarter.

French Fries, with her meticulous mind, noticed the burnt hair and ears of the Tea God upon entering the instance, and deduced the insidious little trick that was not explicitly noted by Yulu in the notes.

The pelican flapped its wings and circled the mother tree, spraying water mist.

Despite its seemingly clumsy and sluggish appearance, it flies with remarkable grace.

With its help, the burning of the mother tree, which was slowly losing health, was reduced somewhat.

Meanwhile, in the dense forest on the other side, the main combat forces of the virtual and real borders went on a killing spree.

The first batch of enemies spawned on the 5th floor were just a pack of wolves.

It's like a warm and thoughtful little gift for players to warm up.

The alpha wolf's wisdom was completely incapable of being passed on to the other wolf cubs, who rushed forward without any organization.

The French fry gathers its strength and swings the knife.

The combination of Bloodlust and Spatial Slash instantly distorted space.

The wolves, leaping and biting in mid-air, transformed into blooming flowers of blood.

One attack, and more than half of the wolf pack were killed or wounded.

Because his combat strength was too weak, the jailer's enthusiasm for experimenting with new skills was extinguished.

"I'm a noble necromancer, possessing powerful deathrattle and mind control skills. Killing a few wolves is too much of a waste." He argued confidently, casually observing the battle with a clear reason. "Call over the elves, sirens, and whatever else you can!"

French Fries turned around sharply and saw him standing calmly with his arms crossed, looking down on the world with an arrogant and domineering attitude. He was speechless.

"The siren has come out; you'd better actually be of some use."

There aren't enough wolves to kill, so everyone's vying for experience points.

The person in the quilt was quite satisfied: "Although it's a bit less, the experience points are given quite generously. It seems that the higher the floor, the higher the experience gain coefficient."

This reminded Zhong Zemo: "Is there a way to get stuck on the 5th floor and grind experience points instead of clearing the level?"

"That sounds a bit silly. How can you guarantee that there aren't better leveling spots on higher floors?" The Primal shook its head.

There was no time to continue the conversation, and the notification for the second round of enemy spawns echoed throughout the room.

Each round is seamless; once a player has eliminated all the enemies in a round, they immediately move on to the next round without any breaks.

It took some time to locate the enemy in the quilt this time, as the enemy spawned diagonally opposite the wolf pack's spawn coordinates.

At this moment, the enemy had approached the dangerous 200-meter restricted area and could directly threaten the safety of the mother tree.

"The second round is goblins, number... about 100."

"There are obvious differences between military branches, everyone be aware!"

Each round was more difficult than the last, and by the second round, the enemy was already one of the representatives of low-intelligence monsters.

They are skilled in various weapons and magic, making them formidable enemies in the wilderness of many small city-states.

Before they could even get to the bedside, they heard her shout again.

"The goblins have split up! Be careful!"

Jiang Heyi immediately responded: "French Fries, Quadruple Primal, you two deal with the goblins in front."

"Squid, deploy the shield. They definitely have mages and archers. Protect the mother tree's health."

Jiang Heyi chose the jailer as his partner to fight the goblins on the other side after the division.

"Wow, that's unusual. It's not a couple, but me instead?" the jailer remarked with a sigh. "Don't underestimate a young man's potential. You also think my PVE visuals are beautiful with the scepter and new blessing unlocked, right?"

"I'm just afraid that your actions won't be as effective as expected, and will only provide amusement for the bed, fries, and squid."

"It's okay, Jailer Bro. You're a late-game class, and you can't do much damage with just scratching now, but I still believe you have a bright future."

The jailer was on the verge of tears: "Should I thank you for your thoughtfulness?"

"You're welcome," Jiang Heyi replied quickly.

As they were speaking, an arrow flashing green light grazed past their ears.

Jiang Heyi cleverly kicked the prison guard, and with the momentum, both of them dodged the dense rain of arrows.

"Wow, I thought you were getting angry while you were talking. I misunderstood you."

"Stop talking nonsense, fuck it, get to work!"

Thick smoke billowed, obscuring the goblin's figure. Jiang Heyi swung his Tide-Summoning Blade in the direction the arrow had just pierced the air.

A bright blue blade of light tore through the thick fog, and the jailer spotted the goblin archers and blowgunners lying in ambush on the treetops, ready to unleash a sudden attack.

"[Beginner Level Spirit Body Control]"

Aiming at the goblin blowgun from a distance, the jailer clenched his fist, and a round, dark blue orb of light appeared in his hand.

With a sudden thought, the blowgunner, on his deathbed, blew several arrows at his companion beside him in quick succession.

Caught off guard by their companions' sudden betrayal, the goblins in the treetops fell to the ground like dumplings, turning into piles of minced meat in an instant.

Although Jiang Heyi charged into battle, his attention remained focused on the prison guard—believing in his abilities and believing that he could perform to his potential are two different things.

He's experienced the duality of the prison guard both in and out of the game far too often.

However, he was surprised to see the necromancer's ability to kill from a distance.

"Impressive. Does it require very little magic power to simply and brutally crush lower-level enemies?"

The jailer was smug: "Praise me more."

"For now, let's just say you're ruthless in crushing the weak. Hopefully, you'll still be laughing in the next eight rounds."

(End of this chapter)