A buzzing sound rang in her ears for a few seconds, as if something was resonating.
Lux kept her eyes closed; the dizziness made her feel as if she had been tossed into a washing machine.
Her feet touched solid ground.
She opened her eyes.
Everything was dark red.
Beneath her feet was uneven Netherrack, its surface emitting tiny sparks, making a slight “crunching” sound when stepped on.
Overhead, the black-red rock layers pressed down low, like an inverted pot.
In the distance was a churning sea of lava, and the orange-red light reflecting from afar dyed the entire space in a warm hue.
The air was filled with the smell of sulfur, and waves of heat washed over her face.
Lux felt the fur on her tail curling slightly from the heat.
She instinctively waved a hand in front of her nose and let out a small sneeze.
“Where did this bring me?
Is this still the Nether?” The real-life version of the Nether felt completely different from the one in the game.
She stood stunned on the spot, staring at everything before her, a strange, indescribable feeling welling up in her heart.
Familiarity…?
Standing on the Netherrack, she could feel the outline of every block beneath her feet, could “see” the collision box of every space around her, and could feel some sort of response from this dimension to her abilities—it was just like returning home.
“No…
I’ve definitely been here eight hundred times in the game, but this is reality…” Lux muttered to herself, but that feeling of “coming home” was real.
Her ears twitched, catching the bubbling sound of lava in the distance, the faint cracking of Netherrack, and the low groans of some unknown creature.
“Forget it, whatever.
Let’s get to business first.” She pulled a stack of white wool blocks from her inventory and built a tall pillar next to the portal.
The white wool stood out starkly against the dark red world, visible from far away.
“Hmm, that’s conspicuous enough.
Now I won’t be afraid of not finding it when I come back.” Her tail swayed proudly behind her.
It was relatively safe near the portal, with no mobs around.
Lux looked around, and her eyes suddenly lit up.
Glowstone, quartz, and—Nether Gold Ore.
The yellow gold was embedded in the dark red Netherrack, shimmering under the glow of the lava.
“I’m rich, I’m rich…” Lux pulled out her iron pickaxe and rushed over to start mining.
Glowstone dust, quartz, and gold nuggets tumbled into her inventory.
Her eyes shone as she mined, unable to stop.
Every swing of the pickaxe, followed by the crisp sound of shattering ore, filled her with delight.
She finished one patch only to see another, and after that one, she spotted even more in the distance.
Lux was like a diligent miner fox, weaving between the Netherrack, swinging her iron pickaxe with impressive vigor.
“It would be great if I had Vein Miner…” she muttered while mining, “but this is pretty stress-relieving too.” Once she had swept the area clean of all mineable ore, she reluctantly put away her pickaxe and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
The beads of sweat evaporated as soon as they appeared, leaving a trace of salt on her brow.
“That’s enough for now…
I’ll come back another day.” She glanced at her inventory—a full three stacks of quartz, over two stacks of glowstone dust, and nearly two stacks of gold nuggets.
There were also two pieces of Ancient Debris she had mined from underground; though not much, it was enough to satisfy her.
“Hehe.” Her tail wagged like a propeller.
Lux turned around and looked not far away.
A Nether Fortress.
The eerie black-purple structure straddled the sea of lava, its walls and bridges built of Nether bricks layered on top of one another, resembling a giant beast crouching in the lava.
The fortress walls were covered in cracks from the passage of time, with some sections collapsed, revealing dark passageways inside.
The interior of the fortress was shadowy. New chapters come out on g.com first.
Lux could vaguely see fiery yellow specks of light moving about—Blazes.
And black shadows swaying—Wither Skeletons.
Lux swallowed.
Her throat was a bit dry; the air in the Nether was hot and arid, and she couldn’t help but lick her lips.
“Since I’m already here…” She gripped her iron sword tightly and walked toward the Nether Fortress.
The interior of the Nether Fortress was even more complex than it looked from the outside.
The narrow corridors were only three blocks wide, flanked by dark red Nether brick walls, with occasional cracks letting in the dark red light from outside.
Lux’s footsteps echoed in the corridor, making it hard to tell if they were her own or someone else’s.
She had to stop every now and then, perking up her ears to distinguish them.
Lux’s ears twitched constantly, catching every sound around her.
There was a faint crackling of flames in the left corridor, likely a Blaze.
It wouldn’t be easy to fight, so she decided to avoid the conflict for now and chose to go right.
When she reached the corner, she peeked out—three Wither Skeletons were standing with their backs to her in the center of the corridor, as if they were on guard duty.
Their black skeletons were nearly indistinguishable from the shadows in the dark red light, and ghostly blue flames burned in the eye sockets of their black skulls, flickering slightly as if alive.
Lux pulled her head back and took a deep breath.
Her chest rose and fell, and she gripped the hilt of her sword so tightly her knuckles turned white.
“Three…
I should…
be able to handle them, right…”
She raised her fishing rod—this fishing rod had already proven its value in previous battles.
She cast the hook, creating an arc in the air, and it precisely hooked the Wither Skeleton at the front.
She pulled hard.
“Clack—”