The Lich was invincible in its first phase.
Until you knew the right method, no matter what you tried, you couldn't damage it.
Actually, breaking its shield was very simple.
There were two ways: parrying and potions.
Gu Yu couldn't be bothered to make potions, so he simply took his shield and sword and climbed to the top floor.
Parrying was a fairly basic game mechanic.
It was much like fighting a Ghast: wait for the Lich to chant its spell and fire a blue Magic Orb.
Time it right and hit the orb with your sword, adjusting your swing so it struck the Lich.
Bang!
There were five shields in total. One was shattered by its own Magic Orb, leaving four.
As soon as it launched an attack, the Lich Teleported away and spawned four Shadow Clones.
The illusions muddled your vision, and they were invincible the whole time, immune to any damage.
At this point, you needed to keep your eyes on the real Lich.
There were two kinds of Magic Orbs. The blue ones dealt less damage, so you could simply bat them back with your sword.
The red ones dealt more damage and were more dangerous. You had to dodge them or block them with your shield.
As long as he paid close attention, the Magic Orbs couldn't hurt Gu Yu. Besides, he had an Alloy Set, so even if one hit him now and then, it wouldn't take much of his health.
After a few rounds, all four of the Lich's remaining shields shattered, and the illusions vanished.
"Busted again?"
"So the special mechanic is the Magic Orbs?"
"Exactly. The Lich Tower's only so tall. The method must be hidden inside it!"
"Reminds me of my old friend from the Nether. That's how you fight Ghasts too, right?"
"I almost forgot about Ghasts. Now that you mention it, the solution really is simple!"
The Blond Elder's face darkened again as he glared at the Secret Art expert beside him.
He'd meant to use the footage to blow off some steam. Instead, it had only made him angrier.
"Are you telling me that with all this land and all these talented people in the Free Nation, we're still no match for Gu Yu?"
Clearly, this was a matter of intelligence!
Mark hadn't seen a Ghast before, so it was understandable that he hadn't figured it out. But what about the rest of them?
The solution had been demonstrated already, yet when faced with the same problem, they still couldn't figure it out. They'd needed three days to work it out.
One little thing Gu Yu did on a whim had taken an entire department of experts three whole days to understand!
He summoned the intelligence minister again.
The minister knew what had just happened. Seeing the Blond Elder's grim face, his legs wouldn't stop shaking.
"W-we..."
"I don't pay you to keep a bunch of good-for-nothings on the payroll. I want experts. Get rid of those useless idiots!"
"Yes, sir. I'll go back and make sure they're all fired!"
"That would be best. As for you..."
Feeling the Blond Elder's gaze, the intelligence minister trembled all over.
He'd struggled his way up for so long to reach this position. He didn't want to be thrown out before he'd even had a chance to enjoy it.
In desperation, he redirected the Blond Elder's attention to the screen.
"Sir, look. This monster isn't so easy to beat. Gu Yu's at a serious disadvantage!"
The Lich had three phases in total.
The third phase was the easiest to deal with. The first two weren't so simple.
In the first phase, it had clones and shields. Once the shields were broken, it entered the second phase.
Although you could damage the Lich itself, it would endlessly summon Zombies at this point.
They weren't strengthened by the Sudden Change, but even ordinary Zombies became a real nuisance once their numbers reached a certain point.
So...
Gu Yu chose to seal himself into a corner.
He surrounded himself with four blocks of stone, then mined out the bottom two layers, leaving a one-block space.
The audience was completely baffled by what they were seeing.
"What's Gu Yu doing now?"
"He finally broke the shield and can damage the Lich, and now he's hiding!"
"Is he scared? Did he see the Zombies and lose his nerve?"
"No way. Great God Gu Yu couldn't possibly be afraid of Zombies. He must have a plan!"
"If you want to talk about being scared, Yamamoto's the real coward. He still hasn't come out of the dirt, has he?"
"Bakayaro! Those cunning people from Kyushu! Yamamoto-kun is using a tactical retreat!"
The audience knew perfectly well whether hiding from a Zombie Horde after returning from the Nether counted as a tactical retreat.
It was just another way of saying he was a coward.
He'd been beaten so badly that he still didn't dare show his face in daylight. It was laughable!
Gu Yu, on the other hand, also used blocks for protection, but he used the space beneath his feet to damage the Zombies around him.
The blocks worked as a shield. The distant Lich couldn't lock onto him to attack, so it could only keep summoning Zombies.
Until the light of its scepter dimmed and its mana ran out.
With the Zombies on the field cleared, the fight automatically entered the third phase.
In this phase, the Lich had used up its staff and could only attack with a golden sword.
It was basically a big Zombie Piglin, making simple swings that a shield could easily counter.
It didn't matter if he got hit a few times now and then.
The golden sword pierced his body, dealing damage to the weak spots in his legs, arms, and torso.
Even through the screen, the audience could feel the pain. Any contestant with a weaker will would surely have been thrown off their game by now.
Gu Yu kept swinging his sword, but his wounds didn't affect him in the slightest.
He didn't even furrow his brow!
"Even the most steely ascetic couldn't do that, could they?"
"He doesn't even frown. What a man!"
"I seriously suspect Gu Yu came from some secret unit in Kyushu!"
"Or maybe he isn't human at all. Maybe he's an intelligent machine?"
As the praise poured in, some foreign viewers were reminded of science fiction movies.
The image of an emotionless mechanical killer took root in their minds, making them fear Gu Yu even more.
The truth wasn't that complicated. It was simply because of Steve's Body.
With Steve's Body, even if his heart was ripped out and crushed, as long as his health wasn't depleted, Gu Yu could always maintain his optimal combat state, at his very best!
That's just how it worked in our blocky world! It made perfect sense according to blockology!
His final sword strike landed.
[Defeated the Lord of the Micro Block, the Lich!] [First boss kill. Reward item: Peacock Feather Fan]
A first kill against the Lich wasn't the same as a first boss kill.
So this time, there weren't many rewards—just one tool.
But it still delighted Gu Yu.
"It's the Peacock Feather Fan!"
In mythology, after the giant Argus died, the Queen of Heaven, Hera, plucked out the eyes on his body and placed them on a peacock's tail feathers.
That story had nothing to do with this ornate, magical fan, of course. But the fan really was made from peacock tail feathers.
It couldn't be crafted; you could only get it by opening a chest.
When used, it sent a powerful gust of wind in the chosen direction.
Used on creatures, it blew them five blocks away. Used on plants, it destroyed them.
If you jumped and used the Peacock Feather Fan, it lifted you about fifteen blocks and reset your fall distance.
It was one of the great artifacts of the Twilight Forest!
In the game, Gu Yu used it with a Heavy Hammer and an Elytra. It was an absolute blast—so much fun that it was hard not to smile!
If you ever fell from a great height, you could also use it to reset your fall distance.
A high-end water bucket clutch!
Before Gu Yu could finish admiring the magical fan, his attention was drawn to the items dropped by the Lich's corpse.
A few enchanted golden pieces of equipment, bones, the Lich's trophy head, and...
A staff made of white bone, topped with a blood-red gem.
[Vampiric Scepter]
Before you continue