Black smoke rose high into the sky.

Destroyed buildings. The ground torn apart and ravaged. Debris from bricks scattered everywhere.

In the middle of a city that looked as if it had been obliterated by a massive air raid, Anna was kneeling.

Alongside her was Sora.

“We’re sorry… It won’t happen again….”

Sora’s avatar had its head bowed, performing a perfect dogeza—a deep, sincere apology.

“How did it come to this?”

I muttered as I looked around at the desolate city.

The EYEAI Minecraft server had fallen.

At least, that’s how I would describe it.

How did the once peaceful EYEAI Minecraft server meet its doom?

To explain that, we have to go back in time.

I was preparing to fight the Wither.

[Are you really sure you can beat it alone?]

Sora’s voice came through my headset speakers.

[The viewers are saying it's an extremely tough monster. Are you sure you can handle it?]
“It won’t be a problem.”

I had fought the Wither before, even in Hardcore mode. And back then, I didn’t even have the kind of gear I do now. I hadn’t enchanted my gear as much as I have on this server.

The EYEAI server runs on normal difficulty.

So, no matter how much of a hidden boss the Wither was, it wouldn’t be difficult to defeat.

[Aren’t you going to stream it? The viewers really want to see.]
“But if I stream, it’ll split the audience.”

I explained.

Rion had told me not to overlap broadcast times with my fellow gen members as much as possible.

Of course, there would be times in the future when our streams would overlap. But that was for later. Since we were all still new, Rion advised that we avoid broadcasting at the same time.

She also suggested that we avoid overlapping with senior VTubers’ important streams (like birthday celebrations).

While veteran viewers could watch two or more streams at once, most people couldn’t enjoy multitasking like that. It divides their attention.

Viewers generally prioritize watching their favorite streamer live and, if they have time, catch up on others afterward.

Conversely, overlapping streams could create a "filter" effect. People might think, "Oh, I missed this one’s stream, so I won’t bother watching."

-“And when streams overlap, people might think you don’t get along.”
-“It’s best to show a friendly relationship with your fellow gen members.”

To avoid splitting the audience, I had decided to steer clear of streaming during Sora, Inagika, and Chell’s broadcast times.

[Splitting the audience? Oh, are you being considerate of me? I mean, I wouldn’t mind it….]

Sora’s voice sounded a bit embarrassed.

[But this is a solo try against a hidden boss. The viewers would be really curious.]
“Hmm.”

I thought for a moment.

I planned on streaming Labyrinthos again in the evening anyway.

More than anything, I didn’t want the 6th gen members to see what kind of monster the Wither was just yet.

‘Inagika probably knows about the Wither already.’

She’s the one who knows the most about Minecraft among us. She’s far more knowledgeable than I am, even though I’ve been focusing on hunting. She can even handle complex Bluestone circuits.

But Sora was a beginner, and Chell wasn’t particularly advanced either.

Especially for Sora, Minecraft was a whole new experience. That’s why we were progressing at her pace.

I thought it would be better for them to experience the Wither for themselves later rather than seeing it on my stream first.

"Then I’ll record the video and upload it after editing."

I concluded.

Rion would handle the editing once I passed the video along to her, and I could tell Sora and Chell not to watch it.

With that settled, I sailed across the sea.

Most of the Wither’s attacks are explosions. After fighting the Wither, the surrounding terrain gets completely wrecked.

If I fought it near the 6th gen base, there was a chance the house Sora had built would be destroyed.

To prevent that, I was heading inland, far away from the base.

"This should be a good spot."

After finding a suitable location, I ended my Discord call with Sora.

The materials needed were simple.

One was Soul Sand, a block found only in the Nether. It has several unique properties, but I don’t need to go into that now.

I placed the blocks.

Next, I pulled out three Wither Skeleton skulls.

Wither Skeletons are a higher-tier version of regular skeletons that spawn in the Nether. They inflict a special debuff when they attack. You can only obtain their skulls by killing them.

I carefully placed the three skulls atop the Soul Sand, and a blue light began to emanate.

-Woooong…

The sand melted, and a skeletal body began to form.

Before long, the Wither, with its three skull heads, stood before me.

As the light flickered intensely, a massive explosion erupted around me.

-Kaboom!

The Wither’s opening attack.

The Wither unleashes a circular explosion immediately after being summoned, while it’s invincible.

Of course, I knew this pattern already, so I had backed away beforehand.

The Wither stared at me, then flew up into the sky.

"Fighting the Wither is a lot like playing a bullet-hell game."

I drew my bow.

The Wither, one of Minecraft’s hidden bosses.

The reason it’s considered a hidden boss is that players are at a natural disadvantage due to its range.

While the Ender Dragon, Minecraft’s final boss, is more of a gimmick fight, the Wither is a pure combat boss.

The problem is that it flies too high to reach with a sword.

So, unless you use special tactics, you can’t even approach it.

And ranged attacks in Minecraft are more cumbersome compared to other games.

The arrows follow an arc, requiring a different aiming sense than in an FPS. Plus, there’s a reload time between shots.

This makes it so the Wither can attack you with impunity.

-Kaboom!
-Bang!
-Kakakabang!!

The Wither shot fireballs.

The projectile speed was moderately fast, but the bigger issue was the wide area of effect.

Each fireball exploded upon impact, and there was no way to block them.

If you tried to hide behind a tree, the fireballs would blow right through it, so dodging was better than taking cover.

Dodging and firing arrows at the same time was my only option.

There’s a slight window between the Wither’s attacks.

That small gap was my only opportunity to land hits.

-Swish!

I managed to land an arrow.

Looking around, I could see the landscape slowly becoming more and more devastated.

As mentioned, almost all of the Wither’s attacks are explosive.

Every time a fireball hit the ground, a crater formed, and the surrounding terrain was altered.

As I said, fighting the Wither feels like playing a bullet-hell game.

As in any bullet-hell, dodging the enemy’s attacks is the priority. And since the Wither’s attacks are area-based explosions, running is essential for dodging.

But the terrain damage caused by the Wither’s explosions makes running harder and harder.

In other words, the longer you stay in one spot, the harder it becomes to dodge the Wither’s attacks.

The Wither gains more and more of an advantage over time.

'Time to relocate.'

After landing a few more arrows, I quickly moved to a new area. If I let the terrain get too wrecked, it would work against me.

The Wither followed me.

-Flash!

The Wither glowed brightly for a moment.

Recognizing the attack, I quickly dashed backward.

-Kugagagabang!!!

It crashed through trees and rocks, slamming its body forward. The Wither’s charge pattern.

As soon as it landed on the ground, it triggered another explosion.

I dodged out of the blast radius, then turned and charged at the Wither.

I drew the sword I had been saving.

-Slash!

I swung my sword.

While Minecraft is a sandbox game, there are some elements of combat and adventure. However, compared to an RPG, Minecraft doesn’t require difficult battles.

Although the Wither is a pretty nasty boss, it’s at least generous enough to give you some windows to deal damage.

Now that the Wither was on the ground, it was time to unload damage.

-Slash! Slash! Slash!

A series of dull thuds echoed.

Though it looked fragile with its skeletal form, it was still a tough boss.

But the sword I had was one of Sora’s nearly endgame-tier diamond swords. It was a true masterpiece.

With only a few hits, a huge chunk of its health disappeared.

The Wither’s eyes flashed.

-Kaboom!!

Another explosion.

It was almost identical to the opening attack pattern I had seen earlier.

Although I was caught in the explosion, it was a harmless pattern that simply knocked my avatar back.

-Bzzzzzz…

A blue shield enveloped the Wither.

Then, one by one, crimson Wither Skeletons began to spawn around me. This was the Wither’s second-phase pattern, the “Summon Soldiers.”

This meant the Wither was down to 50% health.

"Now the real fight begins."

I muttered as I watched the Wither rise back into the air.

Maybe because this game was played on a PC, it felt less immersive compared to Labyrinthos. The keyboard-and-mouse controls just didn’t allow for the same range of actions.

But those limitations also made the game feel more challenging.

Some games are fun because of their difficulty.

Not every game in this world is great, but the good ones always have their own unique appeal.

I clicked my tongue and refocused.

The Wither locked eyes with me.

Then it fled.

"…Huh?"

What the hell? Why’s it running away?

Where’s it going all of a sudden?

The Wither moved so quickly that I couldn’t even chase after it, leaving me standing there, dumbfounded.

But the Wither didn’t come back. Only the Wither Skeleton soldiers it had summoned continued approaching me.

…Is this a bug?

For a boss monster to suddenly run away… that didn’t seem possible.

While I was still trying to make sense of it, I saw a message appear.

【Shiroki_Anna has been slain by the Wither.】

…?

What the hell just happened?