Could I Really Be an Idiot?

Just look at the mighty Yamamoto Rokuko!

He'd nearly lost his life the moment he entered the Nether Fortress!

It didn't matter that he couldn't craft equipment. Gu Yu would die sooner or later, anyway.

Everything he dropped would be Yamamoto's!

He didn't even have to lift a finger. The Wither effect would teach Gu Yu a lesson!

"Let's see if he can still act so cocky then!"

After upgrading his alloy gear, Gu Yu put it all on and felt incredibly comfortable.

The Block World had its own quirks, and equipment was no exception.

Whether it was iron or leather, crafted armor automatically adjusted to fit its wearer's height and build, becoming the perfect fit.

The Alloy Set's advantages over diamond weren't just its superior damage resistance. It was more comfortable, too.

Iron armor was slightly lighter than diamond armor, while the Alloy Set was only a little heavier than leather.

The full set fit just right and didn't feel too heavy.

Perhaps that was one of the hidden features of the original game's top-tier equipment.

The Alloy Set also outclassed all other gear in appearance.

Its dull gray color didn't stand out much in the game, but when worn, it looked no worse than gold.

The dark gray gave it a sturdier, more dependable look than other armor, and it radiated an imposing presence.

Standing there in the set, he looked like a boss!

"It'd be perfect if I enchanted it when I got back."

Enchantments would add a shimmering glow and mysterious patterns, giving it the power of a spell.

It'd look even better, and he'd be safer, too.

Gu Yu wasn't worried that anyone would copy his Alloy Set, even knowing the footage would be broadcast.

Ancient Debris was incredibly difficult to find. Even if someone was lucky enough to get a Diamond Pickaxe and dig some up, who could figure out how to craft Netherite Ingots, let alone upgrade diamond gear?

They were probably still arranging the ingots in the Crafting Table according to the original crafting method, weren't they?

Then there was the Smithing Table.

The recipe was simple: two iron ingots on top, with four wooden planks filling the bottom two rows. But they couldn't even figure out how to make a bow.

It'd probably take people a long time to learn.

"Into the Nether Fortress!"

Gu Yu put away the furnaces, Smithing Table, and everything else, then looked ahead.

A distinctive structure made of deep red bricks, full of monsters and treasure: the Nether Fortress!

The Nether was a crucial step in the game.

It connected the paths to two major bosses, and was a necessary stop on the way to challenge the Ender Dragon and the Wither.

Most of the resources were concentrated in the fortress. With the Alloy Set on, Gu Yu simply built a path in with blocks.

Fortunately, as soon as he neared the fortress, he spotted a group of hostile creatures flying through the air, smoke rising from their bodies.

"Blazes!"

Yamamoto Rokuko had been quietly following behind. His eyes lit up.

Like Ghasts, Blazes were flying creatures, and in theory, they were even harder to deal with.

Ghasts were scarce. Seeing two at once was already a lot, but Blazes appeared near a Monster Spawner!

That meant they'd keep spawning endlessly, and their numbers could become terrifying!

Blazes could get stuck on the terrain, giving you room to attack.

But they attacked much faster than Ghasts. They fired three small fireballs at a time, and if they hit you, your body would catch fire.

You'd keep losing health, and the burning pain was more than most people could bear!

Without a way to attack from a distance, Yamamoto Rokuko considered Blazes much harder to deal with than Ghasts!

But was Gu Yu really without a ranged weapon?

Against ordinary creatures, he didn't have one. Not yet, anyway.

It wasn't that he didn't know how to make a bow. He just didn't think one was necessary.

"Do I really need a bow to deal with a Blaze?"

He pulled an item from his inventory.

Snowballs!

Gu Yu had brought several stacks of these with him. He could get them endlessly from Snow Golems.

They did no damage to most creatures. Against zombies, for instance, they only knocked them back. But against Blazes...

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Blazes had about as much health as zombies: twenty points, or ten hearts.

They attacked quickly, but snowballs could be thrown even faster. Half a stack was enough to take one down.

Before Gu Yu could get his fill, all five Blazes were dead. Only their Blaze Rods remained.

"That's it?"

His body was more agile, and it felt even easier than in the game!

The people of the Nine Provinces didn't miss the chance to mock him.

"Ha! So snowballs can take down Blazes!"

"I remember snowballs are dirt cheap. You can find a whole bunch just by going somewhere high up!"

"Watching the Samurai Nation's perspective, I thought the Nether was really hard. Looks like it's no big deal!"

"How did your Yamamoto-kun get chased around like a dog? The Blazes look kind of cute, don't they?"

"Don't tell me they picked an idiot out of a hundred million people to play this game!"

"Or is this kind of idiot the smartest person you've got over there?"

"This is so satisfying!"

Through the screen, one Bullet Comment after another appeared before Sato Taishi.

He was about to explode with rage!

The great Samurai Nation had been thoroughly humiliated in front of the whole world by Yamamoto Rokuko!

"Idiots! You're all idiots, just like Yamamoto Rokuko!"

He suddenly flipped over the table. Still not satisfied, he drew his samurai sword and hacked at it twice.

He just couldn't understand it. Yamamoto Rokuko had been the first to enter the Nether.

He also had Hunter's Bloodline, an incredible ability for tracking, scouting, and identifying items.

How could he still be worse than Gu Yu, who'd only just entered the Nether?

Had their great Samurai Nation really picked an idiot to compete?

He'd just made a bold claim, only to be proven wrong.

Embarrassed, Yamamoto Rokuko hurriedly tried to cover himself with an explanation.

"This is the second reason I say Gu Yu's a newbie: he actually brought snowballs to the Nether!"

"He must've picked up some snowballs, realized they could knock enemies back, and figured they were a ranged weapon!"

When Yamamoto Rokuko had first picked up snowballs and thrown them at an enemy, he'd thought he'd discovered a legendary weapon, too.

Only later had he learned they could only knock enemies back and did no damage at all.

Gu Yu seemed to be in the same situation, but he'd happened to run into Blazes, creatures covered in flames!

Water countered fire, so he'd killed the Blazes at low cost!

"There's a saying: fools can beat experts. It really suits Gu Yu!"

"Now the Wither Skeletons are here. Can he get away with another one of his worthless little tricks?"

Several charred-black skeletons with swords fixed their eyes on their target and slowly approached from a distance.

Blazes inside, Wither Skeletons outside.

They had him surrounded on both sides!

"If he can get out of this, I'll—"

He was about to say something, but Gu Yu had already started moving.

This was even easier than using snowballs or upgrading his gear.

The fortress corridors were three blocks wide, while Wither Skeletons were two blocks wide.

There was no need for anything fancy. He just placed a few blocks between the two corridors, blocking the Wither Skeletons from reaching him.

Stuck outside the blocks, the Wither Skeletons crowded together and couldn't get through.

Yamamoto Rokuko: ...

Crafting Netherite Ingots required knowing a recipe. Mistaking a parry for a safety measure was understandable. And without visiting high-altitude areas, it made sense that someone wouldn't have snowballs.

But this?

Even an eighty-year-old granny could manage it.

Snowballs still had to be aimed and thrown. Now he only needed to place a few blocks!

The Wither Skeletons were stuck outside. Monsters couldn't break blocks, so of course they couldn't get through.

Even a three-year-old could understand that. And Yamamoto Rokuko...

He'd spent the past few days being chased by Wither Skeletons, scrambling into dog holes and burying himself in the dirt.

He'd never even thought to use blocks to stop them, despite how simple the idea was!

Could I really be an idiot?