Zeke suddenly smacked his forehead. "Wait—doesn't Terraria have infinite mana potions too? I can drink as many as I want!"
Saying that, he and Ian grabbed a massive pile of mana bottles and began summoning. But after burning through huge amounts of mana in a short time, Zeke fell into mana sickness.
Unlike in the game—where mana sickness only reduces damage—this version made him feel hollow and drained. Even the little bird he summoned flopped weakly on the ground, looking half-dead.
"I swear—Zeke, why do you look like you're dying? No wait, why is your summon dying too?! Is this the price of infinite mana?" Ian hurriedly grabbed the now pale Zeke.
"I… infinite mana… don't help me… I… can still summon…" Zeke trembled as he spoke.
"Relax. I've got a solution." Ian patted the limp Zeke.
"R-really? Godfather!" Zeke jolted upright, his color instantly returning.
"You're exhausted because Terraria's mana potions cause mana sickness, right? So drink this and cure it." Ian took out a bucket of milk.
"Damn! You're a genius! Why didn't I think of that?" Zeke chugged the milk and started summoning like a madman again.
"Come on, Zeke. Let's go experience Terraria's 'local customs.'" Ian patted Zeke, who was still burping milk, and stepped out of the safe zone.
Zeke followed behind, grumbling, "Damn, how much milk did I drink? I don't think I ever want milk again in this lifetime…"
They walked a few steps and arrived at the Crimson. The moment they stepped in, a wave of blood-reeking stench hit them so hard that Zeke nearly vomited out all the milk he just drank.
The ground was blood-red, the trees twisted, and the creatures downright horrific—just looking at them chipped away at their sanity.
"Holy crap, this place is disgusting!" Zeke pinched his nose with pure contempt.
But complaints were meaningless—the slime army was clearing the path. The two of them just needed to follow behind. Ian was fully enjoying the joy of being a summoner.
Blood Crawlers and Crimeras were swallowed whole by the tide of slimes, reduced to coins and materials.
As they ventured deeper, they hit a dead end. Ian slashed through a block of Crimstone, revealing a beating crimson heart.
Breaking it, they obtained the Undertaker. Then they smashed two more.
"Ohooooh!" A piercing shriek cut through the air. The Brain of Cthulhu appeared. Its indescribable presence made Zeke instantly nauseous.
The Brain was notorious for slaughtering newbies—countless beginners had died in its second phase. But today was different. The moment it screamed, tens of thousands of slimes buried it alive.
One second—phase two. Two seconds later—another shriek, and all that remained was a treasure bag and its relic.
Next, they arrived at the Corruption. Compared to the Crimson's gore, the Corruption was even filthier. Black-purple land, foul rot stench, twisted plants and monsters—it was nightmare fuel.
"This place is worse than the Crimson!" Zeke held his nose, miserable. "Bro, can we go home? I'm dying!"
"Yeah, this place feels like wading through a sea of sewage. Feels like getting early access to Warhammer's flavor. Let's get out of here."
Ian couldn't take it either. Even if they didn't need to fight, the thought of Slimes covered in foul-smelling mucus jumping onto them and rubbing against them made him shiver.
Teleporting away, they found a pitch-black natural cave. Ian grabbed Zeke and force-fed him a whole bottle of Miss Witch's night vision potion.
"C-cough! Bro, you trying to murder me?!" Zeke choked violently.
"Quit whining. This is tactical support." Ian stepped into the cave.
Inside, monsters were partying—Black Slimes, Red Slimes, Giant Worms, Skeletons, Cave Bats—all rushing in groups, only to be drowned by the slime tsunami.
After a round of "friendly communication," they finally found a treasure chest and a glowing Life Crystal.
Ian immediately fed the crystal into the Transmutation Tablet, then pulled out a giant pile of them.
"Here, try it." Ian handed Zeke a few crystals. He ate some too, enjoying the warm current flowing through his body.
Then he opened the Transmigrator Group Chat and sent Red Packets to everyone.
Super Block Man: "@Everyone I found something great in Zeke's world—Life Crystals! They increase your max HP and should boost your physique. Everyone gets a share!"
The chat exploded instantly.
Freezing Cold: "Whoa! Thanks, boss! Love you!"
Boiling Alive: "Thank you, big bro!"
Starving Platform: "Thank you, boss!"
Dead Legs Run: "Boss, you're a true god!"
Ian snickered at the messages.
After looting several more treasure chests, he got bored of the underground world and teleported himself and Zeke back to the surface.
"Let's go, Zeke—I'll take you to the sky!"
Ian waved his hand, and a breeze lifted Zeke upward. Behind them, the entire slime army sprouted wings and followed straight into the clouds.
They soared straight toward the floating islands. Zeke screamed in excitement—it was way better than an airplane.
Upon reaching a floating island, Ian walked into a small house and opened the shining chest. Luck was on his side—Starfury and Fledgling Wings.
He tossed the newly made weapons and wings to Zeke. "Here—experience true freedom!"
Zeke put them on instantly. With a flap of the wings, he took off, shouting in exhilaration. The world rushed beneath him as he dove and rolled through the sky.
Suddenly, a flock of harpies appeared. Their bodies were graceful, feathers dazzling—they moved with elegance that made Zeke instinctively attempt to 'show respect.'
His eyes went wide, drool nearly dripping. "Bro! This island is heaven! This is peak benefits!"
These harpies weren't hostile monsters—they had intelligence. They curiously watched the two humans escorted by a winged slime legion, showing no hostility, only friendliness.
Zeke swallowed hard, picked the largest, most colorful harpy, and flew toward her.
"Ahem… hello, beautiful!" he said with what he believed was a charming smile.
He babbled on with hand gestures and exaggerated expressions, looking exactly like a courting bird.
A moment later, the harpy blushed and nodded shyly, then followed him back obediently.
"Bro! Success! She said I'm strong and give her a sense of security—she's willing to come with me!" Zeke bragged proudly.
"…" Ian stared at him, speechless. "As long as you're happy."
He could tolerate beast-eared girls or tail girls, but this… with only the head and 'important areas' resembling humans? Yeah, Zeke could have her.
After another carpet-style search, they passed the dungeon at night—perfect timing to let the slime army "bless" the Skeleton King.
Finally, they reached the beach.
"Bro, I'm going diving for treasure. Wait for me on the shore." Zeke dove into the sea.
Ian wandered idly, when suddenly a familiar figure floated toward him.
"Isn't this that fisherman? You bastard… today I finally caught you… you're done."
Ian grabbed him by the collar, yanked him out of the water, and slammed him onto the ground. Before he could wake up—more likely before he recovered from being knocked out—Ian tied him up tightly and slapped him several times.
"That's for your trash mouth! And for posting cursed missions!" Ian muttered as he smacked him.
Zeke resurfaced and spotted the swollen-faced person tied up next to Ian. He froze, then recognized the fisherman.
Instant rage. "You little—! I swear, today I'm gonna—!"
After cursing for several seconds, he turned to Ian. "To be honest… I have a bold idea."
Ian nodded. "Human nature. I also have a bold idea."
"Hehehe…" They exchanged a look—then burst into dark, sinister laughter.