The Zombie Shock Awakens!

It seemed to be another rule of the Block World.

Whenever a Player encountered danger, they would dig down through blocks, triggering a specific emergency protocol.

Dig three, fill one!

In the dark, enclosed space, the only scents were decay and the sharp, terrifying shrieks of Ghasts from outside.

"Yamamoto-kun, hang in there!"

"We'll definitely find an exit, maybe it's just ahead!"

"Gangcun-kun is already working hard to find Diamonds, don't give up!"

"It's all that damned Ghast's fault, how can such a disgusting monster exist?"

"The most disgusting are those little black guys, they carried away all the Obsidian!"

"They can carry away anything, monsters like that shouldn't exist at all!"

"Exactly, when the Nether has so many resources!"

"What a shame, sigh!"

The audience in the Samurai Nation expressed great regret.

After evading enemies, they discovered the Nether was rich in resources.

Blackstone, Basalt, Soul Sand, Glowstone...

Resources scarce or nonexistent in the main world were everywhere here!

Especially in the Nether, there were no digging restrictions!

Yamamoto Rokuko already had two and a half stacks of Nether Gold Ore on him.

This ore was no different from normal gold ore; it could be smelted into Gold Ingots.

Taking it out would greatly enhance the Samurai Nation's strength!

However, after searching everywhere, Yamamoto Rokuko still couldn't find a way to leave.

He ate a baked Potato to clear his head and checked his inventory.

He had brought nearly a full stack of food when he arrived, and had already eaten nearly half.

"There's not much food left, has the Ghast left yet?"

Fortunately, there were ways to obtain food in the Nether.

Forest Mushrooms and food found in chests in specific areas were available.

He dug a passage nearby and poked his head out, confirming he hadn't been spotted.

Reaching a safe spot, he frowned again.

Perhaps because there were too many blocks, his inventory felt very heavy.

He had to discard some items to work more easily.

"I can't discard the Gold Ore, can't discard the weapons, can't discard the Diamond Pickaxe, so if that's the case..."

He saw something he had just picked up.

[Nether Remnants]

He hadn't seen them before; he had dug nearly two stacks but couldn't figure out their use.

Heavy and useless, discard!

Throwing them all on the ground indeed made him feel much lighter.

"There's a new building ahead!"

Seeing a fortress-like structure, he quickly built his way over with blocks.

Perhaps he could find food inside?

Thinking more boldly, maybe there was a way for him to return!

The fortress was large and sprawling, filled with monsters.

"A black Skeleton?"

Seeing a Skeleton, Yamamoto Rokuko was curious.

Skeletons in the main world were white and used bows and arrows, but the Skeletons in the Nether were black.

And they used longswords, lacking ranged attacks.

Because of the ranged capability of bows and arrows, he had kept his distance from main world Skeletons. Now, without ranged attacks...

Yamamoto Rokuko had a bold idea.

"I have Iron Swords and Iron Armor. If I can't deal with a Skeleton with a bow and arrow, can't I deal with you?"

"I'll bully it a bit!"

He crept closer slowly and swung his sword.

Successfully dealt damage to the Wither Skeleton, attracting its aggro.

With only twenty HP, Yamamoto Rokuko could kill it in three sword strikes.

Using exquisite movement techniques, he won while only taking one hit.

"What good stuff do Nether monsters drop?"

He looked on with anticipation, but was disappointed.

A piece of coal, and a Wither Skeleton skull.

What use is a skeleton's head?

Ignoring the dropped items, Yamamoto Rokuko was about to open the chest.

He took a step forward and suddenly realized something was wrong with his body.

After being hit by the Wither Skeleton, it felt like something had surged into him through the wound, continuously dealing damage.

He looked closely and saw his HP had inexplicably changed from a bright red to a dull black, and it dropped by half a heart every ten seconds!

"What the hell is this?"

He thought it would fade away with time, but after two and a half minutes, it was still there.

His food regeneration couldn't keep up with the HP drain, so he hastily grabbed the food from the chest into his inventory.

Yamamoto Rokuko randomly found a direction with no monsters and hid himself.

He collapsed on the ground, with only half a heart of HP left.

"Yamamoto-kun! What's wrong!"

"It's those skeletons, they're poisonous!"

"Damn, I thought they were weak, but those guys are no weaker than skeletons from the main world!"

"We've really stepped into a trap, are we going to die?"

"Hold on!"

The viewers in the Samurai Nation held their breath for Yamamoto Rokuko.

Fortunately, before entering the Nether, he had received a reward whose greatest effect was to weaken the Wither effect.

He hung on with that last half-heart, not dying until five minutes later.

Yamamoto Rokuko's eyes gradually brightened.

"I survived!"

He had endured the Wither effect!

He quickly ate food to recover HP. Though he hadn't fought, Yamamoto Rokuko was covered in sweat and gasping for air.

The feeling of life draining away with no power to stop it was terrifying!

Those few minutes felt like a real death, and he never wanted to experience it again!

Making up his mind to never underestimate any skeleton again, Yamamoto Rokuko stood up and looked around.

Fleeing in a hurry, he seemed to have arrived at a special place.

There were no monsters here; it was self-contained, even containing the bedrock of the world.

Bedrock!

This kind of block couldn't be mined and had a very special purpose.

[Special Area, *** Button, Breakthrough ***, ** Mod ** Small Civilization ***...]

His Hunter Skill activated at the right time, allowing him to see its essence.

"This is related to Small Civilizations!"

Yamamoto Rokuko's eyes lit up immediately.

Block Civilizations were divided into Micro Civilizations, Small Civilizations, Medium Civilizations, and Large Civilizations, from bottom to top.

They were still in the lowest tier, Micro Civilizations, and no one had found a way to advance.

Now, he had actually found it!

"This is the favor of the God of Luck!"

Surviving the Wither effect without dying was his reward!

Without thinking, Yamamoto Rokuko pulled the button.

The expected reward did not appear.

Refusing to believe it, he pressed all the buttons at once.

After waiting for a long time with no reaction, just as Yamamoto Rokuko was about to give up.

Snap!

A wooden item flew out and fell into his backpack.

"I see the name clearly," Yamamoto Rokuko said, his face full of pleasant surprise.

[Golden Apple]

Eating it can resist damage and grant HP regeneration, a Golden Apple truly worthy of being called a divine artifact!

He had only seen it from afar in the last civilization. Back then, he listened to the old hunter explain it, and he was incredibly envious.

He never expected to get his hands on it this time!

"This is a true divine artifact!"

"Yamamoto-kun, your luck is off the charts!"

"It seems like bad luck, but it's actually destiny guiding you!"

"With so many block resources, plus the Golden Apple, who can stand against my Samurai Nation!"

"The fate of the whole nation rests on you, Yamamoto-kun!"

Knowing how precious this item was, the Samurai Nation's audience was extremely excited.

Confirming there was nothing else, Yamamoto Rokuko happily left.

Without any fatigue, his mind conjured visions of himself conquering Kyushu with his fists and trampling the Free Nation underfoot to become number one, advancing to the status of a Small Civilization.

He was completely unaware.

After he left, the floor cracked.

A strange Zombie crawled out, a smile on its face.

Staring at Yamamoto Rokuko's departing back, it wasn't as sluggish as a normal Zombie.

It could destroy and place blocks, moving with a nimbleness indistinguishable from a real person.

A rough voice emanated from its throat.

"Civilization Challenge initiated."

"The upheaval has begun!"