After the First Night

Iron Armor provided six points of defense against players.

With armor like this, dealing with monsters such as zombies and skeletons became much easier.

Creepers were not included.

Even a full set of iron armor could hardly withstand an ordinary Creeper's explosion. Nobody wanted to provoke such a menace.

And this was a Lightning Creeper.

Faced with a Lightning Creeper's explosion, Gu Yu seemed certain to die!

"Is this the power of a Lightning Creeper?"

Watching the screen, Dean Qi sighed.

Even with an ordinary Creeper, within a three-block radius, it was difficult for an ordinary player to escape.

Let alone six blocks.

"Dying to a boss isn't shameful!"

He didn't think Gu Yu could survive the explosion, either.

Gu Yu had survived until now and performed beyond everyone's expectations. Dean Qi was already more than satisfied.

If anyone was to blame, it was the difficulty of Large Civilization. There was nothing to be done about it.

Even if Mark and Jett went up against this wave, at least one of them would have to die to get through it.

"Fries, get ready to deal with those incoming Creepers!"

With a sigh, Dean Qi's expression gradually hardened.

He knew Creepers were difficult to deal with, and that after appearing as a punishment, their explosions were even stronger.

But some things could only be tested to find out whether they would work.

Courage was humanity's hymn!

Fries lowered his head, about to announce a state of emergency, when the screen caught his eye.

As the smoke cleared, his hand froze in place, just as he was about to make a call.

"He's still alive!"

"What?!"

Once the smoke had cleared, Gu Yu's figure stood tall and unfallen.

Dean Qi was utterly astonished.

"He survived that?"

Viewers around the world erupted.

"Nani, Kyushu Nation hasn't been wiped out?"

"You've got to be kidding! How could he still be alive?"

"He really survived! Holy shit!"

"How did Gu Yu block the Lightning Creeper's attack, with an Iron Chestplate?"

"I'd like to report a cheater! How are we supposed to play now?"

"Even the boss couldn't kill him. What gives?"

At first, nobody was sure. Then the rankings changed.

[First Place: Kyushu Nation, Zombies Killed *1013, Skeletons Killed *160, Special Monsters Killed *36, Lightning Creepers Killed *1]

The last five words, Lightning Creepers Killed, stood out glaringly!

Gu Yu had really done it!

"No, seriously, how did he do that?"

Park Sam-chang clenched his fists and slammed them against the glass.

He'd already started celebrating, ready to claim the floating island's resources, and now he was being told Gu Yu hadn't died?

And he'd killed the boss without a scratch or any losses?

Every deduction and theory seemed to take shape at that moment, becoming a giant hand that slapped Park Sam-chang hard across the face.

It mercilessly told him: "Bullshit about not having enough food. Bullshit about the boss being a Creeper. You're just an ignorant clown!"

Park Sam-chang had never doubted himself so much.

Sitting on the Stone Stairs, Gu Yu panted heavily.

In truth, he'd still suffered some losses.

For example, four blocks' worth of Stone Stairs had been blown away, and the force of the explosion had knocked him back one block and injured him.

The shield's construction had cut his thigh, leaving it bloody!

The cut was about a centimeter long and went into the skin. If he didn't get medical attention in time...

Under the rules of the Block World, it would heal completely in ten minutes!

That was the full extent of the damage caused by the explosion.

"So monsters really are terrifying. It's nothing like the game!"

Gu Yu said, still shaken.

He'd thought having a shield would let him block the attack. In reality, it had only kept him from losing health.

There'd still been recoil and all sorts of unexpected mishaps.

That had something to do with him not having Steve Physique. It also proved that reality really wasn't as simple as the game.

After resting briefly, Gu Yu got back to his feet.

Park Sam-chang had been watching him the whole time, and Gu Yu had noticed his hostile gaze as well.

He could sense the fear and surprise Park Sam-chang had felt in the face of the Lightning Creeper. It was only an Elite Monster.

What would happen when they faced a real boss later on?

The Wither, the Ender Dragon, or even creatures outside the original game, like Godzilla, Ghidorah, or Titans...

It was hard to imagine what kind of interesting scene that would make.

The good news was that dawn came after the Lightning Creeper died.

The night gradually faded, and a ray of sunlight illuminated the land.

As the sunlight pierced the gloom, blazing flames set every monster alight.

That marked the end of their first night in Block Civilization.

It had been a tragic, brutal battle.

You couldn't tell from the rankings alone, but the moment the screen showed Free Nation, the truth was clear.

After a night of bloody fighting, their food had been completely used up. Mark and Jett welcomed the sunlight.

They closed their eyes and prayed reverently to the square sun, grateful to have survived the night.

Even Free Nation, with two Veteran Players working together, was now in a pitiful state.

Blood covered the room. Mark's palm was mangled, with several patches of bone showing. It was horrifying.

The arrows in Jett's body vanished on their own, revealing three bloody holes. He was in a sorry state.

This was the condition of the players who had the richest resources and ranked second.

Aside from a few cowards who had spent the night cowering in mud huts with two cows, most players were in even worse shape than Free Nation.

The Great Bear Nation player had lost an arm, the Kangaroo Nation player had lost a leg, and the Beer Nation player had lost both hands...

Of course, even so, they were still grateful to be alive.

[Trial complete!]

[Unfortunately, twenty-three players were killed by zombies.]

[To the lucky survivors, the brave, and the cowards!]

[No matter what methods you used, you successfully earned the recognition of Block Civilization!]

[Please enjoy the fun of Infrastructure Block to your heart's content!]

[Or perhaps this is the beginning of another nightmare?]

No matter how bad their condition was, at least they were still alive.

By the rules of the Block World, as long as they found the right items, they could recover from any injury.

For the more than twenty other players, death was truly the end.

And so was it for the nations they represented.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Outside the Block World, dark clouds blanketed the sky.

Thunderclouds rolled overhead, gathering above the nations represented by the more than twenty dead players.

Creepers! Zombies! Skeletons!

In an instant, explosions and cries filled the air.

At the Kyushu border, several elderly farmers stood on high ground and looked out.

The neighboring nations seemed to have fallen into hell!

Creeper explosions had left scorch marks everywhere. The land was blackened and utterly devastated!

Then, from the corner of his eye, one of them caught sight of a huge, dark figure in the sky, breathing fire.

"Is that a dragon?!"

"The Block World even has legendary creatures like that!"

"Thank you, Gu Yu. If not for him, we would have been the ones to die..."

Looking up at the sky, the entire village bowed in worship.

Only by seeing it with their own eyes could they understand just how great Gu Yu's deed had been!

Meanwhile, in the Block World.

A dark figure approached from afar, slowly flying over to Gu Yu's floating island.

"Congratulations, newcomer. From today onward, you'll have the protection of Sky City!"

The newcomer had a pig's head, Elytra on his back, and a rough voice.

Seeing the explosion marks on the ground, he was astonished.

"This smell... It's a Lightning Creeper!"

"My heavens, you actually killed it! Incredible."

"Our Piglin clan has always respected the strong. Please accept my respect, and..."

"A gift from Sky City, for the bravest warrior in first place!"