T0 Gaming Guild Saves the World

The Underground Temple of the Clarity has twelve levels; it is not a cramped basement, but a hidden underground temple complex.

This is the headquarters of the Clarifiers!

Now I understand why Sister Arna was so sorrowful and desperate.

I originally thought that it was just a temple that was destroyed, and as long as the main power of the church was still there, it could make a comeback, so I was not so pessimistic.

The Clarity Ones were shocked to find their home invaded by the Church of Eternal Night, and judging from Alna's miserable state, they were completely unprepared for the invasion.

"Isn't this headquarters? Where are your defenses?" Zhong Zemo was dumbfounded. "Don't you have any magic arrays or traps?"

Alna shook her head: "I don't know, before that, I had already..."

I can smell the approaching difficulty of this dungeon.

The two shadow wolves were nothing; they were just lowly pawns left behind at the entrance by the Church of Eternal Night.

Twelve floors? That's too much...

That's great!

The original flavor fries' eyes were shining, and its fingers were constantly rubbing together, clearly unable to suppress the urge to slay monsters.

On the fifth day after the server opened, most people were still figuring out how to play. While they were active near the main city where they started, the [Boundary Between Reality and Illusion] had already opened a challenge where real men had to go down twelve levels.

After distributing the items, the group returned to the temple.

Because they had heard the echo of footsteps before, the group proceeded with great caution.

But whether it was because they logged off and refreshed the page, or because they didn't notice anything amiss and returned to the depths of the temple, they didn't encounter any living creatures along the way.

Reaching the end of the passageway in the middle of the square, Jiang Heyi raised his lantern and shone it on the thick wall.

The walls spun like a Rubik's Cube, merging into the rock layers on both sides, and the road extended deeper into the landscape.

Behind the hidden wall lies a larger plaza, where giant statues, each five or six people tall, stand, all of which have been destroyed by the Church of Eternal Night.

At the end of the square stood a scarred temple.

"This architectural style looks familiar..." The prison guard scratched his head, deep in thought.

Zhong Zemo reminded him, "I guess you mean the Parthenon."

"Yes, that's it."

With a flick of his wrist, the man with the plain fries deftly twirled the long knife: "You seem to be in a bit of a cultural desert."

"I just can't remember the name for a moment."

"Then tell me, what architectural style is this?"

"..." The jailer hesitated, "Bro...Gothic?"

"I suggest you go report to the set of Heroic Spirits Brawl next door. That way, this answer might be correct," Original Fries quipped sharply. "It must have been built by the time-traveling Gauls who helped build the Gothic Parthenon."

When they first joined the team, Orange Tea would worry that the two of them might have started arguing.

Now, she can enjoy the mini-theater with a smile.

The criticisms weren't malicious, and the people being criticized were able to handle the situation and were just as happy as if nothing had happened.

She slowly began to understand what Zhong Zemo meant by "the prison guard is indispensable".

Next should be...

"It's time to get into the zone. The map shows that after entering the temple, shining the lantern on the floor tiles directly in front of the statue will trigger the magic circle and teleport you to the first basement level of the underground temple."

As soon as Jiang Heyi opened his mouth, the jovial prison guard immediately became serious, and even the original-flavored fries, who seemed to be brewing something, took a deep breath and got into the zone.

Sure enough, as soon as the potato grower opened his mouth, everything went back on track.

Orange tea.

"Yes," Orange Tea, who had been in a daze, quickly replied.

"Unknown revelation. Inquire about the landing point after being teleported there. Is there any danger?"

Standing beside the statue whose half-collapsed body had fallen to the ground, Orange Tea began to pray.

"No."

"Then let's begin the teleportation." Jiang Heyi's lips curled up. "[Boundary Between Reality and Illusion] Departure."

There will be more tonight, don't worry.

Chapter 15 Damn it!

Good news! The Church of Eternal Night has invaded the Temple of the Clarity, but the teleportation array is still functioning normally. The [Boundary Between Reality and Illusion] guild has successfully arrived at the temple's basement level.

The bad news is that the teleportation coordinates were misaligned due to the destruction by the Church of Eternal Night. Instead of appearing in the main hall, they fell into a steamy public bath.

"Wow, I almost became the king of falls!" The prison guard splashed out of the bathtub, gasping for breath. "Good heavens, is this really an underground space? The ceiling of this bathroom is at least 5 meters from the ground!"

The world went dark as they were teleported, and when they opened their eyes again, they were surrounded by smoke. Before they could react, they were thrown into the bath like dumplings being dropped into a pot.

After climbing out of the bathtub, the plain fries looked around.

The gleaming marble floor tiles are laid out in two colors: moon white and shimmering gold. The warm yellow light emitted by the lighting crystals hanging from the dome hangs down like a thin veil, and the wet floor tiles reflect the dazzling light.

In the mesmerizing and enchanting light, the shallow relief patterns of flowers and birds on the distant wall danced with the rising mist.

It gives one the illusion of traveling back to ancient Rome.

"You'd better take a close look at the map Alna provided. The first layer is the [Dust Cleansing Layer], the smallest of the twelve layers of the temple."

Jiang Heyi wiped the water droplets from his face and continued, "The entire Temple of the Clarity is structured like a pyramid. We are now at the top of the pyramid. Each level below it is even more impressive in size than this one."

“No wonder the Church of Eternal Night invaded; wonders can ruin a country,” Zhong Zemo joked humorously, sniffing his wet hands. “Why does this pool water smell like citrus? It’s quite…refreshing.”

"It definitely smells like citrus." The jailer sniffed it carefully.

"It's probably plant extracts, the kind of aromatherapy that the Clarifiers use to wash away dirt," Zhong Zemo judged.

The jailer snapped his fingers: "Isn't this a kind of flavored orange tea?"

"Why don't you take a look at these things first?"

As they approached the original-flavor fries, they saw traces of violence hidden beneath the mist and glittering gold.

The floor tiles were cracked from the impact, there were traces of what looked like blood in the dented corner of the wall, the scarlet color had not yet faded, and there were terrifying claw marks on the screen wall at the entrance of the bathhouse.

All the details speak to the suddenness of the attack.

The first layer of purification is divided into three main areas: the bathing area, the prayer hall, and the temple of the guides. It is mainly used for the members of the Purifiers who go out and return to cleanse their bodies and minds of dust.

It's unclear why the original designers of the Temple of the Clarities didn't prioritize security on the first floor. In any case, the victims of this design were the Clarities members who were resting, relaxing, and cleansing their minds and bodies on the first floor.

An invasion without warning, a sudden massacre—the relaxed, clear-minded individuals should be reduced to less than one in ten.

After leaving the warm water bath area, and passing through the hot water and cold water bath areas, the group is about to enter the main hall, which serves as a welcoming hall.

The traces of destruction left by the Church of Eternal Night are everywhere along the way: broken walls, damaged idols, burned landscape vegetation...

There were no bodies, not a single one.

She paused at the plain fries, then pointed her finger at the center of the crack in the marble wall and gently pinched it.

When everyone saw the red stain on the tip of her index finger, their confusion deepened.

There must have been a fierce battle or a brutal massacre here, but where are the bodies of the Clarity Ones?

In other games, they would assume it's an optimization requirement, the refreshed page moved, or that the designers simply didn't notice the detail.

But this is a testament to the stars, a game whose terrifying technical prowess and vast detail they have already witnessed.

"I can somewhat understand a large-scale invasion, killing people and disposing of the bodies, but do they have to clean up the bloodstains too?" Original Fries asked with a profound question, "So they handle it with such ease?"

Only when they get into the game can they talk more than usual.

"It feels so quiet." Having not seen any enemies for a long time, Orange Tea couldn't help but mutter to herself.

Zhong Zemo, who was leading the way with his shield, was taken aback and subconsciously replied, "There are no members of the Eternal Night Church on this floor either. It's so different from what I imagined."

"Yes, they probably moved all their troops to the temples further down."

Jiang Heyi covered her forehead.

Are you sure you want to start chanting in a place like this? I have a feeling a black luxury car might suddenly appear, and a few assassins might jump out...

Clang—

The sound, like stainless steel objects hitting the ground, instantly spread throughout the quiet space. In a flash, everyone at the boundary between reality and illusion was ready for battle.

After a long silence, the jailer breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it was a false alarm. Just as he was about to say something, a rustling sound came from afar again.

It sounded like someone was dragging something across the marble floor, the screeching sound particularly jarring.

"Unknown revelation".

Upon hearing this, Orange Tea quickly offered a prayer, but this time, when she looked up, her face was filled with astonishment.

"die……"

"Death? What, what do you mean?"

"I don't know, that voice only said..." Orange Tea's eyes widened, and she slowly pointed forward.

At the end of the brightly lit main hall corridor, illuminated by crystal lights, a figure suddenly appeared.

The moment they saw him, everyone understood the meaning of the revelation.

The young man from the Clear Mind, dressed in a silver-gray uniform with gold trim, stood there covered in blood.

Its entire body was covered with bite marks and gnaw marks, with flesh turned inside out and bones exposed.

Like Sister Alna, he had lost his eyes, ears, and index finger, and was now staggering along, dragging a leg that had turned to bone and was now just a few bits of rotten flesh.

There was no wind, yet strange wind chimes rang out all around.

Like a flute rousing a herd of beasts, a dense sound of footsteps began to gather.

Orange Tea swallowed.

Before long, the end of the corridor was densely packed with "people".

“Now you know where the body is,” Jiang Heyi said.

Original Fries judged: "It must be the work of a necromancer; they've all been transformed."

Everyone remembered the curses and restrictions placed on Alna. Was there a warning from the beginning?

"Fighting zombies? I've got experience. Headshots, spine damage, that's all you need." The jailer said confidently. "They're so slow, they're just sitting ducks. Let the flames purify them..."

The jailer's voice abruptly stopped. At the end of the corridor, the Clarity Beings, transformed by the necromancer, shifted from stillness to motion and sprinted forward with the terrifying explosive power of 100-meter sprinters.

As the horde of corpses ran, the skeletal thighs of the corpses, unable to withstand the force, broke apart and flew in all directions.

They, who are already dead, are squeezing the last bit of value out of this soulless body.

"Weren't you supposed to let the flames purify everything? Why did you use Blessing of the Wind to speed it up?"

As he spoke, "Original Flavor Fries" pointed his long knife at the ground and, with an upward flick, swung the spark-streaking tip of the knife in mid-air, creating a crescent moon shape.

Wherever the blade touched, flesh and bone were cleaved in two.

Let inanimate objects return to a deeper state of death.

May the deceased find peace.

With a flick of his left hand, the man holding the plain fries revealed a dagger.

With a long sword in her right hand and a short sword in her left, she slowly lowered her body weight, the tips of her swords touching the ground, forming an insurmountable barrier in front of the horde of corpses.

"If you're not going to attack, then give me a shield."

"I'm the one who should..."

Purify everything!

Under the astonished gaze of Orange Tea, the Original Fries launched a two-way charge against the horde of zombies.

Jiang Heyi stepped over Zhong Zemo's large shield and followed closely behind Original Flavor Fries.

The long sword and the short sword, the arc of the two men's blades perfectly blocked the corridor; as for those strange creatures...

A massive fireball exploded above the two people at the front, showering them with sparks, and the shockwave nearly knocked them over.