What I feared so much had finally happened. Just as the Eyes of Ender led me to the location of the Stronghold, on the surface, I found myself face to face with Atom and his group.
They hadn't seen me yet, but I already knew this was a problem.
I tried to sneak underground before they noticed my presence, but it was useless. Someone in the group pointed at me, visibly surprised.
Atom and KarateMaster instantly turned their heads toward me, and the expression on their faces said it all: they were just as surprised.
Noticing my Netherite armor, a piece they had never seen before, they began to walk towards me, with smiles that seemed increasingly threatening.
"Wow, man, you seem to have done very well!" KarateMaster scanned me up and down with his gaze. "Where did you get all that?"
"I don't want any trouble," I replied, being direct, trying to keep calm.
One of the members of their group was more direct.
"Then give us all your stuff!" he demanded, without any shame.
Atom stepped forward and raised his hand, stopping them.
"Stop!" he ordered. "We are not those kinds of Reincarnated. Don't let greed corrupt you."
As he spoke, I noticed how KarateMaster continued to observe me in silence, with an almost calculating expression. Finally, he spoke.
"It's impossible... but, have you discovered something about the Dragon?" his eyes narrowed as he analyzed me. "That's the only reason I can think of to explain that gear. We had never heard of anything like it. It doesn't look like leather armor, much less iron or gold."
I remained silent, but my hand pressed on the shield I had just equipped.
"No need to get defensive, Seth." Atom's voice was calm, but I didn't relax in the slightest. "We are leaving now. We wish you luck."
And with that, Atom pushed his companions to walk. The group began to move away, but the discomfort remained in the air.
As I watched them leave, a doubt invaded me. If this had been an instance of the Tower of Trials, would they have left so easily?
Deep down, I knew they wouldn't. In the Safe Zone, those who die inside do not die in real life, but the fairies closely monitor any complications. Reporting hostile acts could lead to serious punishments, perhaps even expulsion from the Reincarnation Space.
That was probably the only reason they retreated without a fight.
In the Tower of Trials, hostile acts against other Reincarnated are permitted, and the guide fairies do not impose any punishment when witnessing hostile acts.
Still, I saw something in Atom's eyes, a contained flash of malice upon seeing my armor... as if he were waiting for the right moment.
As soon as they turned around, I quickly submerged underground, covering the hole above me. In a matter of seconds, it seemed like I had never been there.
It was time to disappear.
I couldn't risk Atom and his group deciding to follow me later. I knew my Netherite armor had left a great impression on them, and I didn't want to give them another chance to cross my path.
In any case, they would never be able to find it, even if they wanted to.
I could only wish them luck in finding it in the next dungeon.
As I dug down, I couldn't help but wonder if letting them go had been a good idea. With my current gear, I could have easily eliminated them.
Still, something had stopped me.
Fear? Absolutely not. Perhaps it was the fact that it wasn't the time or the place for that.
Or because it wasn't worth it.
After chipping away about sixty blocks down, I finally felt a change in the terrain: I had reached the Stronghold.
With one last hit, I fell right into the End Portal room.
"._."
"How can I be so lucky?"
Acting quickly, I destroyed the silverfish spawner before it could be a nuisance. Those that had already appeared were easily eliminated.
Next, I meticulously placed the Eyes of End in the portal, one by one. When the last one went into place, the familiar glow lit up before me.
The portal was active.
Without hesitation, I jumped inside with a smile on my face.
...
The End greeted me with its usual oppressive darkness and an unexpected feeling of cold that gave me a few shivers.
After exiting the portal, I was quickly forced to build a small bridge to the main island, being careful not to look directly at the Endermen wandering the area.
When I arrived, the scene before me was already a very familiar sight, but no less intimidating.
Ten enormous obsidian pillars stood imposing before me, with the End Crystals shining at the top of each one. These crystals, as I well knew, had a single purpose: to restore the Dragon's health.
I observed closely. Two of the crystals were protected by iron bar cages, while the other eight were vulnerable in the open air.
With the Dragon still in the distance, I had a few moments of advantage. Every second counted.
I began to climb the tallest obsidian pillar, without taking my eyes off my objective: the End Crystal that shone brightly at the top. Every block I placed brought me closer, while I kept the bucket of water ready in case a wrong step made me fall or the dragon attacked me.
Finally, I reached the top. With extreme care, I destroyed the first End Crystal, and in that instant, I felt that the End Dragon had noticed my presence.
Despite its size and ferocity, the Dragon was slow to turn and shoot its lethal dragon breath charges, so I wasn't worried.
Ignoring it, I quickly took out my bow, and with precision, I began to shoot arrows at the other End Crystals in the distance, one after another.
With every explosion that echoed in the End, I got closer to the inevitable final confrontation with the Dragon.
Seeing that the last two End Crystals were protected by iron cages, I knew that arrows wouldn't be enough.
Putting away the bow, I began to place blocks quickly and precisely, climbing the first tower with the bars protecting the crystal.
Halfway up, the Dragon launched an acid charge, but I managed to evade it.
Carefully, I broke the iron bars one by one and, once the crystal was free, I destroyed it with a single blow. The explosion pushed me back a bit, but I held firm.
Without wasting time, I headed to the second tower, repeating the process. Blocks, climbing, evasion of the Dragon, and destruction of the cage.
With the last End Crystal destroyed, the Dragon no longer had a way to heal itself.
I threw an Ender Pearl, appearing in the center of the island in an instant.
From that position, I began to shoot arrows relentlessly, taking advantage of the Infinity enchantment on my bow.
Its life constantly dropped. In the distance, I saw its attempts to turn and launch its acid charges, but seeing them coming, I easily dodged them.
When its health bar reached halfway, the Dragon finally descended in a dive, and that was the moment I had been waiting for. I put away the bow and took out my Netherite sword, preparing for the close combat.
Every hit from my sword took a large chunk off its health bar. Unfortunately, when it had one last hit left, the Dragon returned to the sky.
Smiling, I quickly pulled out my bow and shot, hitting and eliminating it. The arrow impacted its side, and a roar resonated in the air as the Dragon exploded in a magnificent cloud of brilliant particles.
I stood there, watching the torrent of experience surround me, feeling the satisfaction of having completed the mission.
Suddenly, the holographic panel of the Reincarnation Space materialized in front of me.
[ Congratulations! Reincarnated 'Seth' had an exceptional performance in the 'Minecraft' dungeon, completing the mission after defeating the Dragon in 19 days, obtaining a God-Level Super Rating SSS! ]
[ Do you wish to make your rating public in the Reincarnation Space? ]