How could you be so disgraceful!

Jiang Heyi still underestimated the viral nature of "Boundary of Reality and Illusion." Within just ten minutes of the strategy-focused video being approved, it had already surpassed ten thousand views.

Although the specific process of the strategy was omitted, the inclusion of every minute detail had the comment section buzzing with praise. The number of comments, naturally, climbed steadily. Jiang Heyi filtered them by popularity and saw a few highly-upvoted ones.

"I can understand how Light, Fire, and Thunder elements counter monsters in the Dust-Cleansing Layer, but how on earth did they figure out the trick of using elemental essence dust to reveal the monsters' forms? Are we even playing the same game?"

A long comment below echoed this sentiment: "It is known that Boundary of Reality and Illusion is a five-person guild. Eleven days after launch, they’ve already cleared the fourth floor of the Underground Temple. They need to feed the Starry Gem, exchange for combat items, and repair gear durability."

"The sunk cost of failing a challenge is a pain that new players can barely afford. Therefore, I boldly speculate that Boundary of Reality and Illusion failed at most once while clearing the Dust-Cleansing Layer."

"Don’t be surprised by my conclusion. Even if they obtained some high-quality drops from the Underground Temple early on, being one-shotted by an invisible Frog-Headed Amalgamation would make it very difficult to muster the courage to challenge it again."

"So, I dare to conclude that upon their first encounter with the Frog-Headed Amalgamation, Boundary of Reality and Illusion fought it to a standstill. After figuring out its patterns, they responded with full confidence and easily crushed it."

"I don't know how you all see it, but our guild was unconvinced last night. We tried three times, used up all our materials, and couldn't even catch a glimpse of the monster's true form."

"I am truly watching the Boundary of Reality and Illusion video on my knees."

Jiang Heyi grinned, laughing silently. Although it was just speculation, some parts were quite accurate, such as the number of attempts. They had indeed solved the Amalgamation in three tries.

As for calculating costs based on dropped items to deduce the number of attempts, that method wasn't very effective against Boundary of Reality and Illusion. Because they had Orange Tea, the three free teleports she gained from early-game luck alone saved them a fortune. Their streak of good luck along the way was enough to make any unlucky player weep.

The current achievements of Boundary of Reality and Illusion were inseparable from the "Embarrassing Witch." However, the players of "Proof of the Stars" didn't seem to realize that among the NPCs, there existed a peculiar entity like the Embarrassing Witch who could act as both a servant and a mentor.

Searching with the keyword "Proof of the Stars: Mint," Jiang Heyi found several player discussions in various communities. Not every player encountered Mint in the dynamic world of Stars, and even if they did, they didn't necessarily establish a relationship; just like in real life, it was a matter of fate.

Unstable potions, selling counterfeit and shoddy goods, potions self-destructing, suddenly attacking players... Those who happened to connect with Mint saw nothing but negative feedback. Eccentric, difficult to communicate with, moody, gloomy, a potion failure...

Were these labels truly the Mint they knew?

The Mint they knew, while embarrassing, money-grubbing, fond of taking kickbacks, and occasionally neurotic, was by no means a difficult person to get along with. To them, whose knowledge of the world was comparable to infants, they would always ask questions that seemed incredibly low-level in Mint's eyes.

At most, she would disdainfully remark, "What kind of pampered young noble are you, not knowing even this?" After satisfying her own sense of superiority, she would puff out her chest and teach them earnestly with the air of a mentor.

Low emotional intelligence? A little. But she was undoubtedly a good teacher. After all, if an adult were to ask Jiang Heyi seriously, "Which is harder, my head or a bullet...", he might just answer, "Go give it a try; practice is the only way to know the truth."

What led to such a massive discrepancy regarding Mint? Was it the dynamically evolving world of "Proof of the Stars," where the fate of every NPC shifted slightly with events, leading to drastically different results? Or was it something else?

As his thoughts drifted, the view count for the Dust-Cleansing Layer strategy video raced toward 100,000. Videos of "Proof of the Stars" had an incredibly strong cross-over effect.

Followers might have never played any games, or they might not have the hardware to log into "Stars," but that didn't stop them from participating in the dreamlike game world through viewing. "A vlog from another world," was how some described it. You didn't have to play it, but no one could resist the curiosity to watch.

Seeing some well-known streamers and content creators appearing in the comment section, Jiang Heyi thoughtfully reopened his private messages. Before he could look closely, a notification from the chat group caught his attention.

"I think I’ve found someone to help us fill the quota for the guild war." It was a message from Zhong Zemo.

Jailer Brother popped up immediately: "Your friend? What kind of person?"

"I met him when I used to play real-life card games. He helped me a lot when I first started, even gave me a starter pack to build my deck. He also gave me my first set of card sleeves. He’s a very even-tempered, cheerful, and sunny person," Zhong Zemo continued. "He hasn't been very active for the past two years, and his private social media is completely empty. But last night, he suddenly shared an in-game screenshot, and that's how I found out he had a slot."

Was this the bond of card players? Zhong Zemo’s friend had guided him into the hobby, and he, in turn, had carried that spirit forward, becoming a well-known enthusiast in the group.

System Prompt: "[Four Primarchs] has joined the group."

Zhong Zemo's friend had changed his name to his in-game ID.

Jailer Brother was always the first to speak: "Another group member! Great one, let me hug your thigh!"

Upon entering the group, Four Primarchs was a bit reserved, but his words carried a humorous, self-deprecating tone. "Not a great one, just a corporate slave whose flesh is tough and bouncy from being tortured by life."

"Anyway, welcome! Want to run a dungeon with us tonight at 12?" Orange Tea jumped in.

After waiting for a long time, just as Orange Tea began to worry she had said something wrong, Four Primarchs spoke again. "Due to life reasons, my online time might not be fixed, so I might not be able to commit to a specific time." Seeing that everyone in the group loved using cat emojis, Four Primarchs sent a weeping cat head emoji. "But I will definitely be there on time for the guild war."

Combined with Zhong Zemo’s words and his own self-introduction as a "corporate slave," he really did seem like a very busy person.

Original Fries finally surfaced: "No worries, we're just here for the rewards anyway, don't feel pressured."

Seeming to think that the modified version of the weeping cat head sent by Four Primarchs was better than his own plain version, Jailer Brother directly copied and pasted it for his own use. "Exactly, we're all old anime fans here; everyone is a bit of a freak, so no need to be so reserved."

"Don't include others in your self-introduction, thanks," Original Fries quickly distanced himself.

"Boundary of Reality and Illusion... I feel like I've heard this name somewhere?"

Jiang Heyi, behind the screen, could barely hold back his laughter. He could vaguely imagine the expression Four Primarchs would have after searching it. Sure enough, after a moment of silence, Four Primarchs hurriedly messaged Zhong Zemo privately. "Moyu... you guys are cosplaying, right?"

Zhong Zemo, who had just finished class, saw the chat log and couldn't help but laugh: "Don't doubt it, we really are Boundary of Reality and Illusion."

This time, Four Primarchs' silence lasted even longer. Looking at the "Great One" sent by Jailer Brother when welcoming him, it somehow felt like an excitement of a max-level player seeing a newbie... He filtered through his sticker collection and found the one he wanted. It was a weeping cat head with the text: "I can't do anything."

Boundary of Reality and Illusion, famous throughout "Proof of the Stars" and hailed by players as the number one PvE guild, had finally welcomed its sixth member. They were only one person away from the minimum requirement for the official guild war. With half a month left, there was still plenty of time.

Night fell, and Boundary of Reality and Illusion logged back into the Stars.

Jiang Heyi immediately checked the visitor logs for Garlic Sprout, but Mint still hadn't returned.

"Did she really split the loot and leave?" Jailer Brother suddenly felt a bit disappointed.

"Not at all," Jiang Heyi said. "If she truly had no confidence in us, given her embarrassing nature, the guild chest would have been completely wiped out."

"Who are you calling embarrassing! Who are you calling embarrassing!"

Before the brilliance of the Starry Gem's transport portal had faded, Mint, face flushed red, returned to the guild, shouting and grumbling. Her furrowed brows slowly relaxed as the surroundings became clear. Her big eyes sparkled with great confusion.

Mint looked left and right, up and down. She reached out and scooped water from the fountain to splash on the ground, then patted the solid polished marble wall with her wet hands. She tapped her toes on the ground, scrubbing firmly until the smooth floor tiles made a "creaking" sound, at which point Mint covered her forehead.

"Did I teleport wrong... Is this the guild I know?"

She ignored everyone and scurried toward the main hall, but bumped straight into the doll's lounge, scaring the courier who was responsible for going out to pick up trash... searching for materials, into sitting up against the wall while clutching his chest.

"Wah wah wah... Why, this should be the main hall."

It was too embarrassing; even as entertainment, it was becoming hard to watch. Under Jiang Heyi's guidance, Mint finally found the wooden bed she had placed in the main hall, and...

"Wow, that's more like it! This ramshackle table, this ramshackle chair—this is the Boundary of Reality and Illusion I know!"

She truly lacked emotional intelligence... Mint was highly adaptable. After receiving a perfunctory explanation, she stopped caring about the guild's magnificent new look.

Jiang Heyi snatched her hat off: "This is the longest you've been away."

Mint, lying on the bed and kicking her little feet, reached out to grab it back, arguing incessantly. "You guys were the ones who said I could leave whenever I wanted! I have things I want to do, too."

Suddenly, her small mouth curled, and she smiled. "You guys wouldn't be unable to get by without me, this genius witch, would you?"

"I think your witch's robe could probably be snatched off too."

Mint immediately sprang up from the bed and covered her clothes.

Original Fries crossed his arms and asked suspiciously, "Did you bring nothing back from this trip?"

"Of course I did! What, are you doubting that this witch would take your materials for nothing!"

"Then where is the stuff you brought back?"

"..."

"..."

After staring at each other for a long time, Mint panicked and began searching everywhere. She grabbed her witch's hat and looked inside.

"Do you know spatial magic? Can you hide a lot of things in there?" Jiang Heyi was so angry he laughed.

After confirming the place where she had teleported back, Mint froze. She then rubbed her head and gave everyone an awkward smile.

"When I teleported... I think I left the bag on the ground and didn't pick it up."

How can there be such an embarrassing witch as you!