It seemed to be another theorem of the Block World.
Whenever players encountered danger, they would dig downward, triggering a specific emergency response.
Dig three, fill one!
In the dark, enclosed space, all they could smell was decay, while outside, ghasts let out sharp, terrifying cries.
"Yamamoto-kun, hang in there!"
"We'll definitely find an exit. Maybe it's just up ahead!"
"Gangcun-kun is already doing his best to look for diamonds. Don't give up!"
"It's all that damn ghast's fault. How could such a disgusting monster exist?"
"The most disgusting ones are those little black people. They carried off all the obsidian!"
"They can carry off anything! Monsters like that shouldn't exist at all!"
"Exactly! The Nether is full of resources!"
"What a pity. Sigh!"
The viewers from the Samurai Nation were full of regret.
Once they had escaped their enemies, they had discovered that the Nether contained a great many resources.
Blackstone, basalt, Soul Sand, glowstone...
All kinds of resources that were scarce or nonexistent in the Overworld could be found everywhere here!
And in the Nether, there were no mining restrictions!
Yamamoto Rokuko already had two and a half stacks of Nether Gold Ore.
This ore was no different from ordinary gold ore; smelting it would produce gold ingots.
Taking it back could greatly strengthen the Samurai Nation!
However, after searching all over, Yamamoto Rokuko still hadn't found a way out.
He ate a baked potato to perk himself up, then checked his inventory.
He had brought nearly a stack of food with him, but he had already eaten almost half of it.
"Food's running low. The ghast must have left by now, right?"
Fortunately, there were ways to get food in the Nether.
There were mushrooms in the forests, and food could be found in chests in certain areas.
Yamamoto Rokuko dug a passage from the side and cautiously poked his head out to make sure he hadn't been spotted.
Once he reached a safe spot, his brow furrowed again.
Perhaps because there were so many blocks, his inventory felt extremely heavy.
He had to throw some things away to move more easily.
"I can't throw away the gold ore, my weapons, or my Diamond Pickaxe. In that case..."
He spotted the item he had just picked up.
[Nether Remnants]
He had never seen it before. He had mined nearly two stacks of it, but still had no idea what it was for.
It was heavy and useless. Toss it!
He felt much lighter once he had thrown it all on the ground.
"There's a new structure ahead!"
He spotted a fortress-like building and hurriedly used blocks to build a path over to it.
Maybe he could find more food inside.
And if he dared to dream a little bigger, maybe there was a way to get back!
The fortress was huge, with corridors branching off in every direction, and monsters inside.
"A black skeleton?"
Yamamoto Rokuko was curious when he saw one.
The skeletons in the Overworld were white and used bows, but the skeletons in the Nether were black.
They wielded swords instead and couldn't attack from a distance.
He had always kept his distance from Overworld skeletons because of their ranged attacks. Now that this one couldn't attack from a distance...
Yamamoto Rokuko had a bold idea.
"I've got an iron sword and iron armor. If I can handle skeletons with bows, I can definitely handle you!"
"I'll mess with it a little!"
He crept closer, then swung his sword.
He successfully damaged the Wither Skeleton, drawing its attention.
It had twenty health points, and Yamamoto Rokuko could kill it in three strikes.
With his superb dodging skills, he won after taking only one hit.
"What kind of good stuff do Nether monsters drop?"
He looked expectantly, but the result disappointed him.
A piece of coal and a Wither Skeleton skull.
What was he supposed to do with a skeleton's head?
Ignoring the drops, Yamamoto Rokuko was about to open the chest.
He took a step forward, then suddenly sensed something wrong with his body.
When the Wither Skeleton hit him, it had felt as though something had flowed into his body through the wound, continuing to hurt him.
Looking closer, he saw that his health had somehow turned from bright red to a dull black, and he was losing half a heart every ten seconds!
"What the heck is this?"
He thought the effect would wear off with time, but even after two and a half minutes, it was still there.
Healing from food couldn't keep up with the damage, so he hurriedly stuffed the food from the chest into his inventory.
Yamamoto Rokuko randomly picked a direction without monsters and hid himself.
He collapsed to the ground with only half a heart left.
"Yamamoto-kun! What happened to you?"
"It's those skeletons! They're poisonous!"
"Damn, I thought they were weak. Those things are just as strong as the skeletons in the Overworld!"
"We really stepped into a trap this time. Are we going to die?"
"Hang in there!"
The Samurai Nation viewers were worried sick for Yamamoto Rokuko.
Fortunately, he had received a reward before entering the Nether, and its main effect was to weaken the Wither effect.
With his last half-heart keeping him alive, he held on until five minutes had passed.
Yamamoto Rokuko's eyes gradually brightened.
"I survived!"
He had made it through the Wither effect!
He hurriedly ate to restore his health. Even though he hadn't been in a fight, Yamamoto Rokuko was now drenched in sweat and panting heavily.
Feeling his life slipping away while being powerless to stop it had been terrifying!
Those few minutes had felt like dying for real. He absolutely didn't want to experience it again!
Determined never to underestimate any skeleton again, Yamamoto Rokuko stood and looked around.
In his frantic escape, he seemed to have stumbled into a special place.
There were no monsters here. It was a world unto itself, and even had the foundation of the world.
Bedrock!
This block couldn't be mined. It had a very special purpose.
[Special Area, Button**, Breakthrough, Mod*Micro Civilization...]
His Hunter skill activated at just the right moment, allowing him to see part of the truth.
"This place is connected to a Micro Civilization!"
Yamamoto Rokuko's eyes lit up at once.
Block Civilization was divided from the bottom up into Micro Civilization, Small Civilization, Medium Civilization, and Large Civilization.
They were still stuck at the lowest level, Micro Civilization, and no one had found a way to advance.
And now, he had found one!
"This is the blessing of the God of Luck!"
Surviving the Wither effect was his reward!
Without a second thought, Yamamoto Rokuko pulled a button.
But the reward he had expected didn't appear.
Refusing to give up, he pressed every button at once.
After waiting a long time with no response, Yamamoto Rokuko was just about to give up when—
Thwack!
A wooden item shot out and landed in his inventory.
When he saw its name, Yamamoto Rokuko's face lit up with delight.
[Golden Apple]
Eating it could block damage and grant a life-regeneration buff. The Golden Apple was a veritable divine artifact!
He had only seen one from afar in the previous civilization. Back then, the old hunter had explained what it could do, and he had been incredibly envious.
He couldn't believe he had gotten one this time!
"This is a true divine artifact!"
"Yamamoto-kun's luck is insane!"
"He might look unlucky, but fate is guiding him!"
"With all these block resources plus a Golden Apple, who could stand against our Samurai Nation!"
"The whole country's counting on you, Yamamoto-kun!"
Knowing how precious this item was, the Samurai Nation viewers were ecstatic.
After confirming there was nothing else, Yamamoto Rokuko happily left.
He wasn't tired at all. He imagined himself punching Kyushu, trampling the Free Nation, and becoming number one, then advancing to Small Civilization.
He had no idea.
After he left, the floor broke apart.
A strange zombie crawled out, a smile on its face.
It watched Yamamoto Rokuko's retreating figure. Unlike an ordinary zombie, it wasn't dull and lifeless.
It could destroy and place blocks, and it moved with the liveliness of a real person.
A rough voice came from its throat.
"Civilization Challenge initiated."
"Sudden Change begins!"