Chapter Three: The Monster in the Darkness

Lying low in the farmland, Mo Fangyuan watched his surroundings warily, determined not to be caught off guard again.

The sound of bones clattering echoed from the south—Mo Fangyuan's pupils contracted. Something was behind him! He spun around and raised his shield just in time.

The shield absorbed three heavy impacts. Shields have always been the ultimate defense against arrows, and this world—like the game it mimics—adds a ricochet effect. Mo Fangyuan felt the shield bounce back three projectiles and quickly picked up an iron helmet lying nearby, an arrow still stuck in its top, and hastily put it back on.

The skeleton archers had already fired at him, but would need a moment to reload. Seizing the opportunity, Mo Fangyuan charged toward the source of the noise with his shield raised.

“One, two, three… Damn! Are you all having a party here?” He was dumbfounded when he saw the culprits—three skeleton archers!

They said nothing, but silently fired white, liquid-like projectiles at him as a show of respect.

He raised his shield again. Shields truly are wonderful things; they perfectly counter arrows.

All three arrows bounced off and landed nearby in the farmland.

After a quick assessment, Mo Fangyuan realized he needed to change weapons—the iron sword lacked the necessary punch. Holding fast to the belief that hesitation leads to defeat, he hurled the iron sword at the nearest skeleton archer, then drew his precious diamond axe.

“Urah!” Mo Fangyuan shouted, charging forward with renewed courage.

He leaped over the lucky skeleton archer knocked down by his sword, temporarily incapacitated, and slammed the diamond axe into the neck of the middle skeleton. The immense power of the axe sent its head flying.

The other skeleton drew its bow, but Mo Fangyuan raised his shield again, blocking the arrow, then dispatched the previously stunned skeleton with another swing, decapitating it as well.

Only one skeleton remained.

Mo Fangyuan retrieved the iron sword and repeated his earlier tactic, throwing it at the last skeleton. The sword struck the wheat beside it like an angry projectile, destroying the crop.

Slightly embarrassed, Mo Fangyuan rolled up his sleeves and charged in to finish the job.

Soon, the final skeleton lost its head as well.

“This… was no easy feat!” Though the battle lasted only a few minutes, Mo Fangyuan felt as if an eternity had passed.

He exhaled deeply, wishing to relax, but remembered the cost of letting his guard down and picked up his sword to resume patrol.

With sword in one hand and axe in the other, he compared the two, then quietly sheathed the sword and gripped the axe.

What good is a sword? The axe is the truth!

He abandoned the sword in favor of the axe.

As Mo Fangyuan fought the skeletons, night had fully fallen. It was the peak time for monsters to spawn; swarms of them roamed the fields, trampling pits into the soil, painting a nightmarish yet strangely beautiful scene.

Mo Fangyuan could only remark: The monster spawn rate here rivals the super-flat mode in the game.

Five steps, one monster. Ten steps, two monsters.

That was Mo Fangyuan’s visceral impression of the terrifying spawn density in this world.

“Ugh!” Another zombie met its end under Mo Fangyuan’s axe, in the same manner as all others—decapitation.

Reality is not a game; though there are health bars, there’s no rule that says you must cut them down entirely for a kill.

Strike their weakness, and they die just the same!

No matter the creature, the head is always a weak spot. That’s why Mo Fangyuan enjoys aiming for the skull.

He sprinkled bone meal over the ruined crops and dusted himself off.

Mo Fangyuan hadn’t expected so many monsters, and now understood why the kingdom’s guards never ventured out alone.

One might be manageable, but two… three… ten?

“These monsters have no honor!”

As night deepened, more monsters appeared in swarms, forcing Mo Fangyuan to halt and watch helplessly as his farmland was ravaged.

Frustrated, he vented his anger on any lone monster he could find.

“One day, I’ll lock you all into a mob grinder!”

Mo Fangyuan hid among the wheat, glaring at the distant crowds of monsters, gritting his teeth.

Never before had he felt so stifled since he began his blocky journey.

“Thump, thump, thump…”

He heard footsteps! Mo Fangyuan instantly drew his diamond axe.

“Hiss! Hiss!”

A sudden hissing came from behind. That distinctive sound told Mo Fangyuan it was a Creeper.

Green all over, four stubby legs, no arms… In Mo Fangyuan’s eyes, it looked like a man’s fifth limb standing upright.

This monster is the self-destruct type; it typically sneaks up behind the player and—boom!—explodes.

As if that weren’t bad enough, its explosion leaves a huge crater, wrecking terrain and destroying items.

Though killing it drops gunpowder, most players despise it.

But that was before.

Ever since the anime invasion of the game, Creeper girl fan art flooded in, changing everything. Players began treating them as waifus, spawning endless comics and body pillows…

Thinking of this, Mo Fangyuan pounced and hugged the Creeper… then took his axe and chopped off its head.

Women only slow down my sword arm!

“Eek!” The Creeper’s young life came to an abrupt end.

Having dealt with the Creeper, Mo Fangyuan moved on, seeking out other lone monsters, striving to minimize the farmland’s losses.

When one concentrates, time passes quickly. The night slipped away.

As the sun rose in the east, Mo Fangyuan was utterly exhausted after a night of battle.

“Finally… what a struggle…” He felt tears threaten.

Through his efforts, though there was still widespread destruction, the loss was far less than before.

After enduring the night, the surviving wheat turned from green to gold, dancing in the wind, flaunting its beauty to humanity.

The farmers woke early, gathered near the gate with their few iron sickles. Though wheat ripens in a day here, harvesting remains a sacred and precious ritual.

Unlike usual, this time not only the farmers, but most of the kingdom’s people rose early.

They gathered at the gate.

They were going to find their king.

In their eyes, the king was lazy and incapable, but he was still their king—the only king of the realm.

If he died out there, the kingdom would revert to a mere village.

They didn’t know what that meant, but the thought was unbearable. They did not want their last king to die in the wild.

Perhaps that’s the nature of block people.

“Dong! Dong! Dong!”

The copper bell in the village center rang, signaling that most outside monsters had been burned by the sunlight and it was safe to go out.

The thick oak gate was slowly pushed open by the guards, and people began to step outside.

“Finally… hah, serves you right! Now you’re all ash!”

Seeing the monsters ignite in the sunlight, Mo Fangyuan seized the opportunity, rushing out to finish off the stragglers.

According to the Bestiary, monsters killed by sunlight drop no loot or experience, so Mo Fangyuan tried to land the final blow himself, ensuring they dropped items.

After a bout of fighting, the monsters finally vanished beneath the sun.

Mo Fangyuan slumped onto the dirt, planting his axe nearby and closing his eyes to rest.

He’d fought all night and was exhausted.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes and looked north; his nerves tightened once more.

He heard footsteps—many of them, messy and dense. Clearly, a large group was approaching.

He stood up, axe in one hand and shield in the other.

In the distance, the villagers spotted a lone figure. The old village chief immediately recognized him—it was their king, Mo Fangyuan!