NoveLight ™
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 wasn’t much left to squeeze out of duel mode either. If I really buckled down and played, I’d 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.
【Aurora has joined the server.】
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 hadn’t 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.
"Sora’s 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 didn’t have a lot of materials, I thought they’d 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.
【Laura】
【Sora】
【Inagika】
【Chell】
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 bed—it had curtains and looked quite luxurious.
There was a painting on the wall, and a chandelier hung from the ceiling.
"They’ve 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 hadn’t been properly installed yet.
It seemed like they were just using torches, the most basic light source, for now. To complete the chandelier, we’d 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.
'They’ve 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 didn’t, people would constantly look down on me for lacking culture.
Because of that, my aesthetic sense is top-notch, but I don’t have much desire to create things myself.
After all, noblewomen don’t build houses.
And besides, building things like this feels more like an exercise in personal satisfaction. You don’t gain experience or rewards, nor does your character grow from it.
That’s 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 I’m probably the minority.'
There are plenty of people who play Minecraft just to build houses, but there aren’t 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 didn’t enjoy made the game much more enjoyable.
"But isn’t it inconvenient to have the rooms on the third floor? It’s so far from the first floor."
"…There was no choice."
A response came to my idle musing.
Turning around, I saw Sora’s avatar standing there.
"After building the second floor, we realized too late that we hadn’t made any rooms for us."
"I see. That can’t be helped."
"You could’ve at least told me when you logged in."
Sora let out a deep sigh.
"Didn’t you say you wanted to open a Hell Gate? I have something to give you, so come with me for a bit."
【Broadcast】SoraCraft) Laura has joined the server
Sora is definitely the main love interest, right?
[Comments]
【Broadcast】Items Sora gave to Laura
【Diamond Pickaxe】
【Diamond Helmet】
【Diamond Chestplate】
【Diamond Leggings】
【Diamond Boots】
【Diamond Sword】
【Bow】
[Comments]
【Broadcast】Sora: I just made these since I had leftover experience.
(Screenshot from Sora's stream)
I’m not interested in fighting, so take these and gather some items for me.
[Comments]
"Look at the lighting. It’s so ugly with just torches."
Sora complained as she walked ahead.
"This game doesn’t have enough lighting options." "Minecraft has always had a limited selection of light sources. At this stage, you’re stuck with torches, candles, and maybe lamps." "I tried making candles, but they’re too dim. And the lamps don’t match the chandelier." "If you want to make a chandelier, you’ll need a Void Rod, but that’s 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.
It’s 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 Sora’s 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 wouldn’t be too disruptive.
Opening a Hell Gate wasn’t 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? Didn’t 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.
Confused, I asked Sora’s avatar, who tilted her head.
"? You said you didn’t like being far from the first floor."
…?
I said it was inconvenient, not that I disliked it… didn’t I?
As I stood there, puzzled, Sora shrugged.
"Ever since we met, I’ve thought you’re really high maintenance."
So good, Sora.