T0 Gaming Guild Saves the World

Even if one could cast a spell, it would be of no use.

Perhaps it was because the shameful witch had managed to maintain quality and quantity for once, or perhaps it was because the orange tea had inexhaustible luck.

The corridor crumbled at a visible speed, the bricks and stones collapsing and melting like tofu. The intense heat melted everything around the center into scalding lava, and with the explosion, these hot, dark red hues were scattered, like a volcanic eruption.

At the boundary between the virtual and the real, all five people experienced the feeling of flying. The hot air shockwaves slammed them into the air, and the long, narrow corridor was like a ventilation duct, with erupting volcanic ash and flying debris surging inside this huge duct.

"Wind Spirit... pray!"

"Earth Elemental, Shield!"

Before the chimney effect took hold, two layers of protective magic firmly shielded everyone.

They were like silt carried by a flood, accumulating all the way to the garden where they were first wiped out, before finally finding a foothold and escaping the turbulent current.

"Cough cough cough cough..."

The realistic game feedback resulted in a realistic dizziness effect, and I was glad that I didn't actually throw up in the game.

"Isn't the effect amazing?"

Orange Tea stared in astonishment at the ruins they had destroyed; she had never imagined that those potions would have such power.

Are all the works of the shameful witch this time masterpieces?

Long after the explosion, the group dared not set foot on the ruins again. The large-scale collapse forced them to crawl like rats through the gaps left by the supporting structures.

As they approached the epicenter of the explosion, the jailer suddenly spoke.

"After being blown up like that, he can't possibly still be alive, right?"

"Still not dead?" Zhong Zemo shouted. "Damn it, if it's still not dead, it's no ordinary demon. I have to use my full strength!"

Having exerted himself greatly, Zhong Zemo regained his former vigor and vigorously swung the small round shield.

As expected, the Frankenstein's monster, which had not collected data on the boundary between virtual and real behavior in advance, was completely unprepared for the bombing strategy.

This method, powerful enough to bind several temples together and cause them to collapse, pierced through both of its forms, leaving only the thickest part of the siren's body.

Jiang Heyi and his team still don't know what skills the second form of the Frankenstein monster, the complete form, has, or how powerful it is.

Simple and straightforward, but... it's fucking amazing!

Equivalence is the truth!

A quick inspection of the crater caused by the explosion revealed that the rest of the Stitched Monster was missing, but the Siren's torso was only charred, with each scale still gleaming. Is the Siren such a powerful race in this worldview?

"Orange Tea, draw the prize!" The jailer was already eagerly waiting, his eyes practically gleaming as he stared at the floating ball of light.

After entering the game, the series of events and the unwavering trust of her companions left Orange Tea herself confused.

Could it be that I really have great luck in the game?

We can't let this happen again...

Three beams of dazzling golden light interrupted her reverie.

Orange Tea turned around to look at everyone, only to find that they were all looking at her too.

This time, even the plain fries became the ones to bask in the good fortune of the orange tea.

Chapter 23: It was truly worth dying for.

5 [Selectable Avatar Fragments]

Jiang Heyi assigned orange tea. She and Zhong Zemo not only completed the task of luring the monsters excellently, but also survived to the end, providing crucial shelter for everyone in the explosion.

Moreover, Orange Tea itself contains 20 Incarnation Fragments, which will help her unlock this intriguing ability as quickly as possible and broaden everyone's horizons.

Two sets of [Universal Forging Fragments].

It can replace equipment materials of the same or lower quality to complete the forging process.

As mentioned before, obtaining the crafting blueprints for the corresponding set and having them taught to the craftsman will unlock forging. Now that the materials are in place...

Their eyes met, and Zhong Zemo immediately declined, saying, "Don't give it to me, give it to someone else."

His reasoning was similar to what Jiang Heyi had said earlier: the priority should be to strengthen the team's damage output. Even if he forged a sturdy and durable shield to withstand more hits, the others would still be doomed if they couldn't break through his defenses.

"Then you two, one fries and one jailer, will each have one."

Neither the jailer nor the plain fries were touched.

"You don't want anything?"

"I get a lot of materials from regular drops, so I'll save them up first. Once I find the crafting recipe for the Clarity-Bearer equipment, I can just make a set."

The currently available Clarifier set pieces generally possess resistance to darkness and necromancy, making them the best choice for challenging the Underground Temple at this stage. The [Adaptability] equipment produced here, which scales with level, can also be considered endgame gear; therefore, it's advisable to be frugal and continue to hold off on spending.

Seeing that Jiang Heyi had said so, the two accepted the assignment.

While others couldn't help but marvel at Orange Tea's incredible luck, the jailer stroked his chin, his eyes fixed on the siren's torso that hadn't yet dissipated in the very center of the explosion crater.

"Do you think we can take that with us?"

Everyone turned their heads, only to see that the jailer had already walked to the side of the siren's body.

Zhong Zemo laughed: "It's just a scene prop. You can see it, touch it, and pick it up, but you can't put it in your backpack, let alone use it."

The jailer bent down: "You're right, but that's another game. In Proof of the Stars, when something like this happens, you should... hehe!"

It was very heavy. The jailer stumbled and almost fell over after exerting his strength.

"Since nuns' clothes can be stolen and stripped off, there's no reason why this can't be taken. Anyway, nobody else wants it, so I'll take it..."

Gritting his teeth, he shouted out his backpack, and the heavy siren torso in the jailer's hands turned into a beam of light and disappeared.

There was silence.

"Wow, this takes up so much space, there's no room left in my backpack!"

Being able to fit in the backpack means...

[The Corrupted Siren's Body]: The filth of the eternal night is dissipating, the aura of the dead has ceased, and it has returned to tranquility. Perhaps someone will be interested in it, now that it is dead?

The last sentence in the description is quite meaningful.

This thing definitely has other uses!

Without any warning or visual effects, and amidst the rubble from the explosion, they almost overlooked the siren's torso.

It has to be you, jailer.

The death of the Frog-Headed Stitches means that the first level of the underground temple, the "Dust-Cleansing Layer," has been completely conquered. No more monsters will spawn here, and the boundary between reality and illusion will be cleared without any obstacles. According to the map, the teleportation statue located in the Prayer Hall was found.

The second level of the underground temple is the "Defense Level," where the Clear Ones have set up numerous magic arrays, mechanisms, and puppets.

Only a few high-level Clarity Mage resident on the entire floor monitor the operation of the magic array.

Not only Jiang Heyi didn't understand, but everyone else was also puzzled. Why should the dust-cleansing layer be placed above the defense layer? Shouldn't preventing intrusion be the top priority when a large organization establishes its headquarters?

Regardless of the original founders' intentions, given the current situation where the Clarity Ones have been overwhelmed by the Church of Eternal Night, they probably have no way to regret it.

After much hesitation, Jiang Heyi decided to pause the strategy.

They should take their time eating. Their target for this teleportation was the Frog-Headed Stitches. Now that they had achieved their goal, they should take a break and convert what they had gained into real combat power before setting off again.

Jiang Heyi returned to the entrance of the underground temple, wanting to see if Sister Alna would have any special conversation after he killed the first-floor guard.

However, despite it being late at night, Alna did not appear.

"She promised to protect our only escape route, so where is she now?" Zhong Zemo asked in astonishment. "What exactly did she protect?"

Jiang Heyi was a little puzzled. Based on his current experience, it was unlikely that NPCs would disappear without a trace in the game "Proof of the Stars".

Did they trigger some event they were unaware of?

When everyone returned to the Boundary Between Reality and Illusion Guild, the Dragon Girl and the nun craftswoman were still fast asleep on the ground; the intense forging had clearly exhausted them.

"Garlic sprouts."

Garlic Sprout was extracting medicinal essence with the witch doll in preparation for making a magic potion when it heard its master calling it and immediately floated over.

"The guild, can other people visit...?" Jiang Heyi thought for a moment, then rephrased, "Someone like you..."

“I understand what you mean, of course you can,” Garlic Sprouts said with a smile. “You can give the Guild Treasure to the characters you want to invite. They can freely enter and leave the guild with the Guild Treasure, and you can know when they visit and when they leave through me.”

"Is it possible to have a character permanently join a guild?"

"If she's willing, that would also benefit the guild."

The jailer grinned wickedly, "What if she doesn't want to?"

"This is one of the prohibited behaviors in the game, Master. I know what you're thinking. In order for you to continue to enjoy the world of Proof of the Stars, please act with caution."

"Your doll is quite perceptive," the jailer remarked in amazement.

The garlic sprout rubbed against the air and conjured a pink guild gem out of thin air.

The first guild gem is given away for free; subsequent gems require materials to forge.

Jiang Heyi realized that there are some things that the doll might not bring up unless you ask.

The fact that he could become an NPC was not mentioned at all in the initial introduction; he only got the answer when he asked on a whim.

It seems that harassing the garlic sprouts is inevitable.

When it comes to who should be given the first guild gem, everyone in the Reality and Illusion Border has the same answer.

……

……

The robbery... oh no, the shopping was during the daytime, and Jiang Heyi returned to Fengjia City late at night.

Leaving the main road of the trade route and entering the dense forest beside it, he was curious whether the shameless witch Mint was still there at this time.

His gaze locked onto the large tree where they had agreed to meet, and after looking around, he couldn't see her anywhere.

"It's so late, they're probably carrying big bags home," Zhong Zemo guessed. "Or maybe they don't believe we'll pay and just slipped away."

"Um~~~"

There was a rustling sound coming from above.

Looking up, on the thick trunk of the ancient tree, a girl with dazed eyes was clinging to the edge, muttering something in a daze.

Do you want [Soul Fragments]?

Just then, the jailer released a light ball. Mint, who was still rubbing her hair and cursing, saw that the people who came were Jiang Heyi and his group, and her eyes immediately lit up.

She didn't care about her image, grabbed the witch's hat and put it on her messy hair, then jumped down.

"They're really back, so fast, it's unbelievable."

Mint looked left and right, and found that everyone was there, all with their limbs intact. A proud smile immediately appeared on her lips.

"Looks like everything went smoothly. My solution worked well, right? Hurry up and say thank you."

Plain Fries said in a flat tone, "You're not planning on letting us come back alive, are you?"

As if she had been greatly wronged, Mint blushed.

Seeing Jiang Heyi staring intently at her hat, she quickly reached out and covered it.

"Is my plan completely useless? Impossible!"

"It worked, but it worked too well." Jiang Heyi recounted the events.

This is what happens in the game. In a real-world context, a close-range explosion would instantly obliterate several novice adventurers along with the frog-headed stitched monster.

Even if Mint were to infuse all of her Unstable Combustion Agents with "ambition," it would be difficult to create a massive explosion that would cause the temple complex to collapse in a chain reaction.

Therefore, during the discussion in the guild, Jailer Bro always felt that there was a problem with Mint's plan.

Hearing about the scale of the explosion, Mint herself was stunned.

She didn't believe that every single potion in her batch was of the highest quality; if they were truly that good, she wouldn't be being chased away by others.

"Wait...you just said that the elemental field was activated in a long corridor?" Mint swallowed hard. "How narrow is the corridor?"

Jiang Heyi recalled, "It seems that the width of the two people's arm spans should be the narrowest area."

Combining the descriptions from others, Mint's eyes widened suddenly, and she looked at everyone at the boundary between reality and illusion with expressions as if she had seen a ghost.

"The elemental mist was triggered. How could you survive with your strength? How could you be unharmed!"