I exited the VR capsule and turned on my PC, logging into Minecraft.
Although I really wanted to play Labyrinthos, I decided to put that on hold for now.
For now, I could only do duel mode when I wasn't streaming, but even duel mode has its limitations as content.
'I just reached Diamond rank in duel mode the other day.'
Above Diamond is Master rank.
Ranks below Diamond are divided into Diamond 1, Diamond 2, and Diamond 3, based on rank points. However, starting from Master rank, ranks are divided based on player rankings.
If you rank in the top 2,000 on the Korean server, you become a Grandmaster. If you rank in the top 500, you're a Dominator.
'Duel mode is probably much easier to hit Dominator than Gate Conquest mode.'
Most players are far more dedicated to Gate Conquest mode, after all.
Thinking that way, I started to feel like there wasnât much left to squeeze out of duel mode either. If I really buckled down and played, Iâd probably hit Dominator in duel mode soon enough.
And once I achieved Dominator, I would likely lose interest quickly, so I figured I should pace myself before that happened.
ãAurora has joined the server.ã
Looking around, the scenery on the server had changed significantly from what I remembered.
The tall mountain had been cut down by about half. However, they hadnât managed to finish leveling it completely.
It's no wonder; it would take a whole day to level a mountain that tall. With just iron pickaxes, it would take forever.
So it seemed they had given up early and just cleared the lower part of the mountain.
It looked like someone had taken a big bite out of an apple.
In the newly created space, a large mansion had been built.
"Soraâs not here."
I logged in, but there was no sign of Sora. She must be working somewhere else.
I decided to take a look around the mansion by myself.
The mansion had a quaint charm. It was mostly made of wood and bricks.
Given that we were still in the early stages and didnât have a lot of materials, I thought theyâd done a great job making it look this nice with what they had.
Opening the door, I stepped inside. There was a large lobby, and further in, a living room, and even deeper in, a kitchen.
The basement seemed to be used for storage, and the second floor had various workstations, like an enchanting room. The interior of the mansion had been built with great attention to detail.
And when I went up to the third floor, I saw some familiar names.
ãLauraã
ãSoraã
ãInagikaã
ãChellã
The third floor only had four doors. Each door had the name of one of us 6th gen members.
I opened the door with my name on it.
The first things I saw were a sofa and a table. By the window, there was a bookshelf, and it seemed like there was a separate bedroom.
I opened the door to the bedroom, and there was a bed. Not just any bedâit had curtains and looked quite luxurious.
There was a painting on the wall, and a chandelier hung from the ceiling.
"Theyâve done a great job with this."
However, the chandelier seemed incomplete. It looked like only the frame had been built, and the important light source hadnât been properly installed yet.
It seemed like they were just using torches, the most basic light source, for now. To complete the chandelier, weâd need a Void Rod, which could only be obtained later in the game.
In any case, the room had a very aristocratic feel.
"This must be my room."
I decided to take a look at the other rooms on the third floor as well.
None of the rooms had the exact same decor as mine, but they all had a cozy and lived-in feel.
It seemed that the third floor was designated as the living quarters for us 6th gen members.
'Theyâve really done a good job.'
I found myself impressed. I could never build something like this.
To be precise, I could build it if I really wanted to.
When I lived at the duke's mansion, I had to learn all sorts of refined arts. I had to understand why something was considered beautiful in order to appreciate it.
So, I learned painting and music.
I learned why certain works were called masterpieces. If I didnât, people would constantly look down on me for lacking culture.
Because of that, my aesthetic sense is top-notch, but I donât have much desire to create things myself.
After all, noblewomen donât build houses.
And besides, building things like this feels more like an exercise in personal satisfaction. You donât gain experience or rewards, nor does your character grow from it.
Thatâs why, when I played Minecraft Hardcore mode in the past, I only focused on combat and adventure. Once I defeated all the dungeons and bosses, there was nothing left to do, so I stopped playing.
'But Iâm probably the minority.'
There are plenty of people who play Minecraft just to build houses, but there arenât many who, like me, start Minecraft just to dominate the endgame content.
In that sense, Sora is probably more representative of the majority of players in this game.
Her playstyle is the complete opposite of mine.
It almost felt like a game of playing house.
Still, having someone to handle things I didnât enjoy made the game much more enjoyable.
"But isnât it inconvenient to have the rooms on the third floor? Itâs so far from the first floor."
"â¦There was no choice."
A response came to my idle musing.
Turning around, I saw Soraâs avatar standing there.
"After building the second floor, we realized too late that we hadnât made any rooms for us."
"I see. That canât be helped."
"You couldâve at least told me when you logged in."
Sora let out a deep sigh.
"Didnât you say you wanted to open a Hell Gate? I have something to give you, so come with me for a bit."
ãBroadcastãSoraCraft) Laura has joined the server
Sora is definitely the main love interest, right?
[Comments]
Huh?
No way, LauraRion is the true pairing.
Thereâs a Rion in Lauraâs bed, donât you know sheâs on maternity leave? ã´ She hasnât retired yet, dammit, lol.
Fact: Lauraâs first was Anna. ã´ Get outta here, lol. ã´ Anna switched to Rui, remember? ã´ She was always a Rui fan, lol.
Laura and Anna had amazing chemistry. ã´ No foundation, but Iâll allow it.
Why has Laura become a meme like this, lol.
ãBroadcastãItems Sora gave to Laura
ãDiamond Pickaxeã
Precision Lv.1, Durability Increase Lv.3, Fast Gathering Lv.5, Auto-repair Lv.1
ãDiamond Helmetã
Water Breathing Lv.3, Underwater Gathering Lv.1, Defense Lv.5, Durability Increase Lv.3, Damage Reflection Lv.3, Auto-repair Lv.1
ãDiamond Chestplateã
Defense Lv.5, Durability Increase Lv.3, Damage Reflection Lv.3, Auto-repair Lv.1
ãDiamond Leggingsã
Sneak Lv.3, Defense Lv.5, Durability Increase Lv.3, Damage Reflection Lv.3, Auto-repair Lv.1
ãDiamond Bootsã
Swimming Lv.3, Fall Damage Reduction Lv.3, Defense Lv.5, Durability Increase Lv.3, Damage Reflection Lv.3, Auto-repair Lv.1
ãDiamond Swordã
Attack Increase Lv.5, Strong Attack Boost Lv.3, Drop Rate Increase Lv.3, Durability Increase Lv.3, Auto-repair Lv.1
ãBowã
Attack Increase Lv.5, Knockback Lv.2, Durability Increase Lv.3, Infinite Arrows Lv.1
[Comments]
These are endgame items, lol. ã´ Not really endgame without Netherite. ã´ Even without Netherite, theyâre still endgame.
She probably just lent them to her.
Has Sora been grinding Minecraft a lot lately? She made all that?
Did she make all that just for Laura?
SoraLaura is the true OTP.
ãBroadcastãSora: I just made these since I had leftover experience.
(Screenshot from Sora's stream)
Iâm not interested in fighting, so take these and gather some items for me.
[Comments]
âHereâs a car, now go buy me some roses.â
Whatâs going on? Is there real romance here? ã´ Every time they collab, Sora takes care of Laura in a subtle way.
She acts indifferent, but Sora clearly likes Laura.
What is this old-school tsundere behavior, lol.
Sora is the true love interest, Iâm telling you! ã´ [If thatâs what you say, then it must be true magic wand noise]
No basis, but SoraLaura is still fun to watch. ã´ This guy will eat up anything, lol.
"Look at the lighting. Itâs so ugly with just torches."
Sora complained as she walked ahead.
"This game doesnât have enough lighting options." "Minecraft has always had a limited selection of light sources. At this stage, youâre stuck with torches, candles, and maybe lamps." "I tried making candles, but theyâre too dim. And the lamps donât match the chandelier." "If you want to make a chandelier, youâll need a Void Rod, but thatâs only available later in the game." "A Void Rod? Hold on, let me write that down."
Sora stopped walking.
"You said Void Rod, right? Got it. So, what do I need to do to make a beacon again?"
"First, we need to open a Hell Gate."
I explained.
The Hell Gate is a structure used to travel to the Nether, a parallel world completely different from the one we were in.
Itâs a dangerous place filled with lava and high-level monsters.
"Lava⦠I hate it."
Sora groaned, her voice trembling with disgust. It sounded like she had lost all her items by falling into lava at some point while playing Minecraft.
New players often struggle with lava, and by extension, they find the Nether intimidating too.
But despite its difficulty, the Nether is also a place with many rewards. You can find rare items and unlock new systems like potion brewing.
For a beginner like Sora, though, that was still far off.
We 6th gen members had been playing Minecraft at Soraâs pace.
If we introduced her to too many new systems too quickly, she might lose interest.
'But fetching a beacon should be fine.'
The beacon is technically an endgame item, but all it really does is slightly speed up tasks at our base. Giving her a beacon wouldnât be too disruptive.
Opening a Hell Gate wasnât hard either.
Using the diamond pickaxe Sora gave me, I gathered more obsidian and opened the Hell Gate.
After entering the Nether and slaying a few monsters, I quickly gathered the necessary materials.
"Huh? Didnât the location of your room change?"
When I triumphantly returned with the materials, my room, which had been on the third floor, had been moved to the second.@@novelbin@@
Confused, I asked Soraâs avatar, who tilted her head.
"? You said you didnât like being far from the first floor."
�
I said it was inconvenient, not that I disliked it⦠didnât I?
As I stood there, puzzled, Sora shrugged.
"Ever since we met, Iâve thought youâre really high maintenance."