T0 Gaming Guild Saves the World

Chapter 4 Seriously, buddy?

From "Not buddies" to "Holy crap, awesome".

From confusion to shock, then a primal scream erupts in the headphones, followed by a collective beating of the person who had just questioned them—this back-and-forth between the black and white pieces is one of the charms of playing against each other.

When playing games with friends, we may not win, but we can't stop chatting.

Compared to the electric microphone that seems to have a strong magnetic field present, the microphone of [Original Fries] is more powerful.

The buzzing sound of water slapping against eardrums, the dull vibration of ears covered by water, and the bubbling sound of water all combined into one, and the players fell silent.

Who is this being we are talking to?

These days, even water ghosts can go online?

Suddenly someone said, "I hope to tell you about our Heavenly Father and Savior, Cthulhu."

Amidst the uproar of laughter, the phrase "going online in R'lyeh" became a meme, and the original group name, "Original Fries," was no longer mentioned.

However, whether it was to fit the persona and the meme, or simply because the equipment was bad and they were too lazy to change it, after the water flow microphone was criticized, Original Fries stopped using voice chat, and when they needed to communicate while playing games, they mainly used text.

He, who used to be quite active, has been out of the public eye for about a year and a half now, probably struggling with life.

The original French fries are also sculpted as elves, with long white hair, blood-red eyes, and a tall, graceful figure—a perfect example of the aesthetic preferences of our group members.

Similar to the three others, since the start of the game, their equipment is still tattered and worn out. They wear whatever they find, making them a fusion monster with too many elements.

No matter how exquisitely sculpted a face is, it's useless without a beautiful outfit to support it.

In Proof of the Stars, you don't need a headset to speak; internet access in R'lyeh has become history.

The original flavor fries likely used the game's synthesized voice, which is cool and indifferent. Paired with the self-created elf face, it creates a subtle sense of distance, seemingly both close and distant.

Some people continued to express themselves in the game, while others played a second self in the role. Everyone was a veteran player, so they were used to it and quickly adapted to the new persona presented by Original Fries.

Having understood the current situation, Original Fries immediately showed off his backpack.

The sheer number of monster drops, numbering in the hundreds, shocked the three of them. It seemed that he hadn't done anything since the game started; he had just been killing around and having a good time.

Even so, I'm only at level 6, which shows how slow leveling up is in the game.

It is said that the Stars' Proof also plans to hold competitive events, which made Jiang Heyi smile.

Although the game's monetization system emphasizes that you can play by simply buying a monthly pass and doesn't sell items that affect stats, balancing such a complex game is very difficult. Even though people have speculated that the game is planned and adjusted by AI, he is not very optimistic about the future prospects of this project.

Upon re-entering the magic shop, the original human shopkeepers were nowhere to be found; in their place hung upside down from the ceiling on silk threads.

Everyone except the jailer was startled.

"Dear guest, what kind of service do you require?"

"I think……"

Upon hearing a female voice, the jailer blurted out before Jiang Heyi could react.

"Do you have eight legs when you transform into human form?"

"?"

"Why is everyone looking at me like that? Can't I even ask?" the jailer clicked his tongue. "Don't be so rigid. If the freedom is comparable to reality, then we have to come up with some new tricks."

"Based on your question, I need to question what you mean by 'tricks'," Jiang Heyi said, rubbing his forehead.

The spider shopkeeper truthfully answered that after taking the transformation potion, he would only have two legs, and then a transaction interface popped up for Jiang Heyi, who had initiated the transaction.

After piling up the materials, Jiang Heyi didn't receive any prompts from the other party. He asked proactively, "With this amount, will the magic stones obtained be enough to complete the infusion?"

"Honorable guest, I'm sorry, I cannot answer your question."

The reaction was completely different from that of the human shop assistant earlier. Is it due to differences in personality?

Realizing this, he quickly asked, "Where is the other employee?"

The Spider Store clerk's voice was tinged with amusement, "New employees who make mistakes should naturally receive retraining."

The mistake... does it refer to the fact that you just revealed the information about the magic stone's energy infusion?

Unconvinced, Jiang Heyi visited several more magic shops, receiving similar feedback each time.

After confirming that the [Original Flavor Fries] had satisfied the puppets in his homestead, Jiang Heyi went all in and received two small magic stones in return.

The abundant magic power of the magic stone transformed into a stream of light and entered the shattered Starry Sky Jade.

There was no progress displayed; the only visible change was that the dull jade had gained a slight luster.

"Wow, is that all the effect?" The jailer was disappointed. He seemed eager to see the nun ghost that Jiang Heyi had described.

Having been mentally prepared, Jiang Heyi simply sighed: "At least we've taken the first step. Next, I need to figure out how to make some money so I can teleport there before this round of the game ends."

Speaking of money, we must mention the basic universal currency used in the world of Proof of the Stars, namely, Star Sand.

It can be obtained through certain scene monsters and special events. The drops obtained from these events can also be traded with NPCs to obtain Star Sand.

The Proof of the Stars is a game without official guides or gameplay instructions; everything must be discovered through trial and error. To date, no one knows what this particular scene and monster are or where they are.

That's right, as a basic universal currency, no player held it by the third day after the game started.

Trade with characters in the game world, exchanging goods; complete trades with other players, exchanging goods.

As a history teacher, Zhong Zemo found this very charming.

Before Stardust is officially produced, with the activity of players, in order to facilitate bartering, there will definitely be some item that becomes a price anchor and is given monetary attributes.

Therefore, astute players are already planning their investments and accumulating initial capital.

This involves over-the-counter transactions.

The game "Proof of the Stars" had been generating buzz for over half a year. Logically, profit-driven third-party platforms should have flocked to it like sharks smelling blood, eager to join in the festivities.

However, as of now, they have not been able to activate the relevant transaction services, and the reason is unknown.

The absence of large third-party platforms does not mean that no one is doing this business; where there is demand, there will be supply.

According to Jiang Heyi, some content creators who have qualified for the first round of the game are acting as intermediary guarantors to facilitate transactions between players.

The market is taking shape.

Right now, in this neighborhood where they are, people are posting related information.

[Xibingku Bone Setter]: Buying large quantities of materials, price negotiable, reliable guarantor.

[I want a hot dog]: "DM me for the Stars of Proof exchange group number."

The four people standing in front of the shop were very conspicuous, and soon people came up to ask if they needed "help".

Jiang Heyi immediately replied, "I'm just here to play games."

The plain fries were also coldly refused, saying, "I'm not interested."

Now that we have a rare game where we can play without interruption and where everyone can log in stably, why reduce our enjoyment in this way?

Zhong Zemo and the prison guard shared the same view. Almost simultaneously, the four of them tacitly decided to resolutely refuse to participate outside the venue.

……

……

South of Fengjia City lies a tranquil forest.

The trees' dense foliage, layer upon layer, blocked out the sunlight, making it feel like nighttime even during the day, with no light at all.

Tranquility is the norm here, but at this moment, that tranquility is being disrupted by four uninvited guests.

"Help! Help! Help!" The jailer waved his staff, frantically snapping two wriggling vines. In an instant, several roots as thick as an arm surged up from the ground and wrapped around his thigh.

Seeing that the vines had tied up his arm, in desperation, the jailer even used his teeth to gnaw on them.

With a forceful tug from its roots, the jailer rolled rapidly on the ground, like a high-speed spinning washing machine drum.

Thankfully, it's just a game; otherwise, the jailer would have been killed in that one hit.

Jiang Heyi really wanted to control the prison guard, but now he was a little overwhelmed.

There are far too many enemies.

In order to gather more materials that could be exchanged for money, they followed the route pioneered by the original French fries, scavenging the monsters they encountered along the way like locusts.

Until they encountered the serene tree spirit chieftain hiding in the darkness.

If they were to float into the air at this moment, relying on the light cast by the illumination orbs, they would be able to see the serene tree spirits, as tall as a person, surging in from all directions.

These creatures, entirely black with distorted and terrifying faces, had always blended into their environment using natural camouflage. Now, they were awakening and rising from the ground, making Jiang Heyi feel that they were fighting against the entire forest.

The unlucky jailer cast a wood elemental shield at the three of them the instant he was pulled away by the tentacles.

The four basic attributes of the Stars' Proof are Magic, Strength, Agility, and Faith.

There's no such thing as stacking health to withstand damage. Once a player loses their shield, every hit they take is real damage. Armor provides very little security, and death can happen in an instant.

The jailer had done his best. He figured if he died, he would die. The weakening effect was equivalent to spending an hour in jail, and it wasn't like he hadn't been in jail before.

But I can't let Jiang Heyi and the others go to jail with me.

The composure in the face of death vanished when the tentacles hidden in the darkness finally came to light.

A human face protrudes slightly from the trunk of a three-meter-tall tree. The wrinkled bark makes it look very old, and the ferocious features send chills down your spine.

The tree spirit chieftain opened his blood-red maw at the jailer, and dark green sap gushed from his foul-smelling mouth.

His innate survival instinct overcame everything else, and he hurriedly shouted, "It's going to eat people! It's going to eat people!"

"Boom~~"

The jailer was deeply moved as he watched Jiang Heyi and Original Flavor Fries retreat from the front line of the tree spirit slaughter.

Who can understand the touching moment when everyone pitches in when one person is in trouble?

"What a great teammate."

You can see them exerting all their strength to save themselves, unable to stop, bumping heads and falling to the ground, simultaneously covering their heads, and completing the husband-and-wife bow to each other...

"No way, man!"

Is it in this box in Chapter 5?

Jiang Heyi and the original flavor fries struggled to get up, each holding a bottle of red-glowing liquid.

The target is too big; there's no need to aim.

The glass bottle spun in mid-air, tracing an arc, the liquid churning and boiling violently. The bright red light dimmed in an instant, without any build-up or transition; the reaction was swift and sudden.

Glass shattered, liquid splattered.

The bottle of original flavor fries hit the ground first, and the moment it came into contact with the tree spirit chieftain's body, it quickly and violently burst into flames. The intense pain caused the vines binding the jailer to twitch.

"boom!"

The sudden explosion sent chills down everyone's spines. The towering tree spirit chieftain managed to stay upright only because of his roots that had sunk into the soil, but all the vines snapped in two.

Jiang Heyi and the original flavor fries used the same agent, [inferior flame agent].

The item description for 【Inferior Flame Potion】 is quite interesting.

"The inferior quality doesn't refer to the quality of the medicine, but to the person who created the formula. She considers it a worthless defective product."

In order to deal with the tree spirits described in the original flavor fries, the two, along with the remaining materials, purchased two bottles of unsold potions from a magician who was selling potions at a street stall outside Windpod City.

The effect was surprisingly good; stabbing with short knives and daggers could only leave white marks, while the hard, stone-like bark was burning fiercely, and the dark green skin gradually turned black.

The jailer, who was nearly swallowed by the pill, rejoined the team, shielded by two others. Since there were no followers in the group, his elemental shield was the primary source of protection for everyone.

The heat wave released by the explosion made the swarming tree spirits around him hesitate, and Zhong Zemo's dented shield got a moment to catch its breath.

Amidst the raging flames, the tree spirit chieftain's already ferocious face was filled with savagery, and his hoarse roar echoed throughout the dark forest.

Despite the item's counter-attribute dealing continuous damage, it remained undeterred, and the trembling vines appeared even more menacing.

Jiang Heyi told Zhong Zemo to stop blocking the tree spirits behind them and instead raised his shield to advance forward.

They underestimated the strength of the monsters in this area. They could easily handle the beasts and slimes on the outskirts of the forest, but once they went a little deeper, the individual strength of the tree spirit chieftain exceeded their ability to cope.

Jiang Heyi decided to lead everyone in one more charge. If they couldn't make it, then they would have to give up...

"Smash it, whatever the skill is!"

After saying that, Jiang Heyi leaped up, and the fire element shield that the jailer had released for him shattered instantly, with the scorching airflow merging into the rusty short knife in his hand.