T0 Gaming Guild Saves the World.

Chapter 631, Question 630: Could there be a strange prison guard?
Even with healing magic, the body still aches and hurts from the impact.

Jiang Heyi felt his eyelids were as heavy as mountains. In his last moments of consciousness, he only had time to let out a long yawn before his body completely gave way. He fell backward, and was caught by the quick-thinking French Fries. He then fell into a deep sleep in her arms.

He has done everything he could; now it's up to fate.

"At worst, I'll just try a different strategy in the second playthrough," he murmured to himself, as if in a trance.

The group traversed the extremely unstable time rift and returned to the Anna world in the normal timeline.

The moment their feet touched the familiar, cold ground of the temple, they retreated without hesitation, quickly moving away from the cracked area that still shimmered with a dangerous light.

The rift was no longer a stable channel, but transformed into a wildly churning, all-consuming magical vortex.

Like a greedy, gaping maw of emptiness, it emitted a chilling buzz, continuously sucking in the surrounding rubble, dust, and even light into its unfathomable, abyssal darkness.

The violent magical collapse reaction lasted for nearly half an hour, causing the first-floor atrium to collapse and burying all the paths leading to the second floor with rubble and mud.

The blanket returned to the surface to report that the reaction had stopped, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

His tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and the physical strength he had been forcibly squeezed out with the peppermint potion finally reached its limit.

The relief of surviving the ordeal was accompanied by an overwhelming sense of exhaustion. Everyone was completely worn out. After the effects of the medicine wore off, they felt as if their bones were falling apart, their eyelids were so heavy they kept drooping, and they kept yawning.

If they could, they would never want to go out in this state to fight unknown monsters.

Having barely escaped the predetermined fate of death, one cannot easily give it back.

"She's sleeping so soundly."

After Squid said that, French Fries couldn't help but look down at Potato, who was fast asleep with her shoulder as a pillow.

"It's amazing you could endure it for three years."

He stretched in bed: "I'll take a nap, and then I'll torture him when I wake up!"

Some of the tension in my nerves completely relaxed because of a single sentence from the person in bed.

One after another, the group collapsed to the ground, snoring loudly.

In the end, only the squid, Bonnie, King Slime (Dark Green), and... Alna's spirit remained.

Slime Queen Deep Green didn't wait idly. While fighting on the boundary between reality and illusion, she found the Clear One Doll left on the 9th floor and let Alna stay there temporarily.

In the end, it made a great escape, swallowing the doll whole and using its body to isolate the magical turbulence that might have blown away the spirits in the spatial rift.

This was not within the scope of the plan that blurred the lines between reality and virtuality, but the deep green movement, by giving full play to its initiative, succeeded.

Alna's spirit arrived intact 100 years later, gazing blankly at everyone sleeping on the floor.

Cuttlefish took out the iron pot, ready to do his job—he, who hadn't contributed much overall, could only earn contribution points this way.

Unlike in the game, he was indeed somewhat slow-witted when wielding a shield in real life.

The most I did in the entire battle was to cover for the prison guard.

However, if we really want to be specific, because of Potato, almost everyone performed poorly in the final battle.

"Seriously, they really fooled us."

He kept shaking his head, but there was not a trace of resentment in his tone.

Nobody expects a spectacular, epic showdown.

For those who still have plans for the future, engaging in a "letter-based challenge" with global consciousness is still too exciting.

Potato did the best he could to safely lead everyone away from the most dangerous instance.

Because of her death, Alna's memory is somewhat fragmented, but that doesn't prevent her from remembering familiar people.

With the help of the jelly-like yet incredibly flexible tentacles of the Slime King "Deep Green," the Squid, along with the Primarchs and the Jailer, gathered materials near their temporary hiding place in the cave.

The deep green grass easily caught several wild rabbits, bursting with curiosity, peeking out and looking around from the bushes and rock crevices.

These little creatures seemed to have never experienced real danger, appearing exceptionally naive, and reaped a bountiful harvest with almost no effort.

I don't know what they eat, but the wild rabbits here are exceptionally plump and delicious. Even Cuttlefish couldn't help but marvel at them when skinning them.

As dawn broke, the morning light filtered through the gaps in the forest, gently illuminating the temporary campsite in front of the cave.

After sleeping soundly for almost half a day, everyone finally awoke from their extreme exhaustion, their eyes still glazed over, their souls seemingly not yet fully returned to their bodies.
The enticing aroma, a blend of sizzling fat and caramel, wafted straight into their noses.

A dozen or so wild rabbits circled the campfire, roasted to a golden brown.

"Let's have breakfast and celebrate that we've all survived."

As he spoke, Cuttlefish's eyes were bloodshot—he hadn't slept a wink all night.

The blanket felt so sorry for the baby, and only after watching the squid take its first bite did it finally start eating with satisfaction.

Jiang Heyi's gaze swept back and forth between the blanket and the squid, almost explicitly and hopefully fixed on the fries.

French fries certainly knew what he was thinking.

"It's not impossible, but... you need to tell me clearly, exactly when did you come up with this plan?"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone who was sharing the rabbit looked over.

The entire Sunrain team was still in a daze.

They roughly knew they had arrived in a world a hundred years in the future, but they still didn't understand the reason behind their previous actions.

"Okay, you can feed me while I talk?"

He tore open the crispy crust of the fries and fed them to Jiang Heyi with his own hands.

"Hmm~~~ It has a unique flavor."

"It's time to say it," Fries reminded him.

"Alright, alright." Jiang Heyi confessed with a smile, "I had evil thoughts long before I even arrived."

The incident began during intensive training when he asked Sayer a question.

What are their chances of winning against the Origin Elements?

Sayer's answer was...

Ninety percent.

"so tall?"

"Wake up, this is the chance of the Origin Elements defeating you."

As his only disciple, the strict Sayerdo showed some leniency towards his master, which is why he only gave him 9%.

If it were someone else, he would only say...

"There is no hope, just wait to die."

In the game, the Overlord designed the power of the Origin Elements into a series of interconnected mechanisms that players can interpret and evade.

In reality...

mechanism?

what is that?
I can crush an ant with elemental power, why would I need fancy magic?

Let alone the Origin Element, even a 6th-tier mage would perish against an Elemental Lord.

Knowing that his beloved disciple wanted to go to Devilland a hundred years ago to save people, Sayer didn't hesitate to bring Vanessa along.

Vanessa then brought in other rulers.

The small meeting, which resembled a three-court trial, lasted a long time, with only one purpose: to dissuade Jiang Heyi from his idea of ​​venturing to Devilland a hundred years ago.

Don't mess with global consciousness.

The reason given by the Trinity Overlord sent chills down Jiang Heyi's spine.

The world of Anna has entered a vicious cycle, and its world consciousness has collapsed.

If Anna possessed a naive, infantile world consciousness 100 years ago, then Anna, trapped in a vicious cycle 100 years later, has a world consciousness that is merely a dying embryo.

But that's where the subtlety lies.

The Triune Overlord created a Möbius strip from the black mist.

Anna in a cyclical state, past, present, and future, completes the closure in a fragmented form, with each cycle indenting slightly.

Each time a cycle ends, the Anna world collapses and dissipates, which is the time for the master to gather information and observe phenomena.

Over several cycles, the information gathered by the ruler was insufficient to confirm the future, and the world's consciousness was unable to connect the past with the future.

Therefore, one possibility exists.

By sheer luck, he narrowly defeated the Origin Element using a special method, escaped Devland with the people he wanted to rescue, and returned to normal Anna 100 years later.

The residual information of the world consciousness from 100 years ago triggers a stress response in the world consciousness 100 years later.

Therefore, everyone at the boundary between the virtual and real worlds will experience the full ordeal of the sun shower in Anna, which is on the normal timeline.

He was powerless to repair his broken self or save his children.

But this does not conflict with His continued efforts to expel invaders and kill "cancer cells" amidst chaos and annihilation.

Jiang Heyi believed the Master's concerns.

Once the guess is true, the first playthrough ends.

Whatever the reason, the ruler does not want them to be trapped in a hopeless cycle.

Jiang Heyi accepted all the advice and admonitions given out of concern for his well-being. He had actually already planned to give up, but...

"If you really want to do it, then do it secretly."

Vanessa pulled Jiang Heyi to a corner and patted him on the shoulder encouragingly.

At first, he thought it was a test from the teacher, but when she started to help him come up with ideas, the nature of the situation suddenly changed.

When asked why she did this, Vanessa frankly admitted that she had sold out the Trinity.

“I know my apprentices well. Their biggest strength and weakness is that they are overprotective of their own.”

“In their eyes, you are already family, and it is only natural for them to protect their family. They cannot accept it emotionally if their family members take huge risks.”

"In fact, if it weren't for your repeated insistence, they might have already given up on the plan to deepen the cycle."

“You are a bit like them, like the Devland incident. Because you think you are capable, you take on more responsibilities without anyone actually asking you to do so much.”

She tapped Jiang Heyi's nose: "No wonder we're destined to meet."

Jiang Heyi recalled that when Holora spent time with them, she mentioned more than once that her teachers were like parents, effectively making up for the lack of paternal and maternal love she had experienced after birth.

I initially thought it was some cheesy, weird talk, but it turned out to be documentary literature.

"So, despite the great risks, we still want to try?" Vanessa asked.

Jiang Heyi nodded without hesitation.

Hesitating for even a second would be disrespectful to this assessment that rivals that of a sovereign.

After a long period of planning, Jiang Heyi's plan was finally unveiled.

Since we don't know whether the world consciousness of the past, present, and future can share information, let's assume that it can.

Three years after the landing, things are proceeding normally, but when it comes to going to Devland, we must plan carefully.

Specifically, this manifests as repeatedly emphasizing the danger, seeking assistance from various sources, and acquiring as many means of survival as possible.

Therefore, Elera's equipment and scrolls, and Peppermint's potion, are all part of the plan.

Thinking about this, Jiang Heyi felt quite sorry for Bohe's mother.

Although the potion was indeed quite useful, it was far from necessary for her to work herself to the bone.

Seeing her grow thinner and thinner, Jiang Heyi felt guilty but helpless.

Elaevi has paid her debt. In her previous life, she ruined a lot of materials in the game, and in this life, she is repaying it with her face. In this respect, she is better than Mint Mom.

He also planned to stage a sentimental farewell scene before his departure.

But after all, everyone knows the boundary between reality and illusion, and he is the only one who knows the inside story.

If you suddenly adopt a dramatic persona, you'll only conclude that "something's wrong with Potato; he's not usually this nagging and sentimental. There's something wrong with him."

Therefore, the stage had to be dismantled on the spot.

All the elaborate efforts and repeated emphasis on danger are simply a way of issuing a safety statement to a world consciousness that may or may not even still exist—I am really weak.

Jiang Heyi believed that if the world consciousness were aware of their rank and status, it would not have come to such an absurd conclusion as "being able to exchange blows with the Origin Element".

Gloria understood.

"So... the most important part of your plan is actually to make the world consciousness, which may or may not appear, believe that you will use your own power to challenge the Origin Element?"

Jiang Heyi nodded: "That's right."

Vanarsis was stunned: "So all that passionate talk he gave us at dinner last night, about leading us to challenge the Origin Elements, was just a lie to Him."

"There's no way around it. We've been preparing for this for years. One wrong step and all our efforts will be in vain," Jiang Heyi said. "Things are accomplished in secrecy, so please forgive us."

What's there to forgive?
They've all been completely fooled by the world's consciousness!
Joining the group from Lafreya, using the ever-changing doll's nest to cut down trees—all of this happens within half an hour.

He had already used the same isolation methods he used against the sun shower, but he still couldn't dodge Jiang Heyi's feint.

The dramatic tree-cutting operation turned into a sudden escape, forcing Him, who was in energy-saving mode, to choose between two options.

After careful analysis, it seems to be a very ordinary plan.

What's remarkable is that Jiang Heyi successfully challenged the world's consciousness.

This perfectly illustrates what gamers often say: "Just tell me whether you won or not!"

Now, everyone has only one question.

Gloria stroked her chin: "Since the world's consciousness may be connected to the past, present, and future, how can we determine if we have escaped His pursuit?"

Sun shower, and Elsa's expression suddenly turned serious.

They are all people who have escaped death. If they are still being purged at this point, I don't know how they should face this cruel reality.

"Wait."

"wait?"

Jiang Heyi nodded: "From the perspective of the world consciousness, you are people who should not exist at this moment. You are individuals who disappeared 100 years ago and suddenly appeared. He should use the same means that blocked the sun shower back then to block all of us."

Elsa grasped Alna's hand loosely and swallowed.

"How long will it take?"

Jiang Heyi could only shake his head this time.

“I’m not sure either. It could be 7 days, or it could be longer, but whatever the case, I think you should try to be more open-minded.”

"I should have died 100 years ago, but now I have the chance to witness the glory of 100 years from now. Let's enjoy ourselves while we can."

He glanced at the mouse in the blanket, who had become his best friend, and the two smiled at each other.

"It's just a matter of dying, I'll come back in the next life." Jiang Heyi happily enjoyed the French fry being fed to him. "Anyway, in the next life, I'll admit my mistakes, learn from them, iterate my methods, and save him again."

"As long as the century-old passage to Devland remains open, I will try until I rescue you all."

As he spoke, a piece of torn rabbit meat was stuffed into his mouth.

Looking into the soft eyes of the fries, Jiang Heyi found the taste increasingly delicious.

Although there were still some words they didn't understand, it didn't hinder their determination to grasp the boundary between reality and illusion.

The Demon-Suppressing Giant Bear was about to burst with frustration. It slammed its massive hand on the ground, yelling, "We know you're a great person now. But you should explain why you risked your life to save us, shouldn't you?"

Prata jumped up, straddled Henilakai, and pressed his hands down on his bear head.

"Show some respect to your savior, you silly bear!"

“Oh.” Hernila Kai obediently lowered his head.

Seeing that everyone had almost finished eating, Jiang Heyi licked the grease from the corner of his mouth and nodded at the fries.

"Let's talk as we walk."

By the time they reached the portal back to the Anna Continent, Sun Rain and the others had basically understood what was going on.

They never imagined that their connection would begin in a game created by a powerful overlord.

“You did this for such a trivial reason…” Plata swallowed, his voice choked with emotion, “It’s just a game.”

Hernirakai's bear paw rested on Plata's head.

"It's your turn to apologize. Don't use such words to tarnish their kindness, you stupid butterfly!"

Everyone at the boundary between the real and virtual worlds, who were channeling energy into the teleportation array through the magic crystal, burst into laughter.

The previously silent Quadruple said, "It's not just a game. Besides everyone in the guild, you are also among the few friends I made in my previous life."

While lying in bed, I sighed, "I've been playing games my whole life. Although I got a little tired of them later, quitting is out of the question."

Orange Tea covered the jailer's mouth and said, "It's always been a pity that only Gloria and Ghost Mouse stayed. Fortunately, there's a chance to make up for it, so of course we have to try our best."

Vanassis was somewhat uneasy.

"To outsiders, we're considered some kind of oddballs."

"Pfft!" The jailer couldn't help but burst out laughing.

At the boundary between the virtual and real worlds, everyone made a gesture that said, "Please look at him."

"This is a severe case of the dregs of our past internet culture. Compared to him, the strange parts of your life stories that we have scrutinized are crystal clear."

The prison guard stood tall and proud.

This is exactly the kind of person who takes pride in something instead of feeling ashamed.

Nafiel and Lenathia trembled.

She realized that in her past life in the game, she was a complete villain, and she had left indelible memories for her "master".

Will things get better from now on?

Seeing that the teleportation was activated, Golia couldn't help but ask.

"So, jailer, what kind of behavior could be considered 'strange'?"

"Do you really want to know?" Jiang Heyi looked hesitant.

Having finally established a shining image in front of everyone at Sunrain, it's really hard to introduce the "glorious past" of the prison guard at this time.

(End of this chapter)