Nether

The sun hung high in the sky as I walked across the desert sands, the heat reflecting off the ground in waves. It was the kind of weather that would have exhausted anyone, but I barely noticed. Thanks to my immunity to temperature, the desert's sweltering heat didn't faze me. I glanced back, seeing Rose blushing slightly as I carried her on my back. Peter, meanwhile, was carrying Megumi—both didn't get any sleep last night due to the mobs we fought, and now the desert heat was too much for them to handle. Even though I wasn't affected, I could see how taxing the journey was for them.

I gave Rose a small smile, trying not to make her feel embarrassed. "Comfortable back there?"

Rose's blush deepened. "I'm fine… it's just... You didn't have to carry me."

"Sure," I replied with a chuckle, "but it's faster this way."

Peter, overhearing, chimed in while carrying Megumi. "Gotta say. If this was the world we're used to, I'd be roasting out here by now. Good thing we have Minecraft logic here... mostly."

We had left the Taiga biome behind over an hour ago, and so far, all we had seen was the endless stretch of desert in front of us. A part of me hoped we'd come across something soon—anything that would help us get closer to our goal. Then, just as that thought crossed my mind, I spotted the pillar of a pyramid.

"Finally, some luck," Bruce said, shading his eyes as he looked at the structure. "From what I remember you said there could be something valuable inside."

As we approached, I noticed something else—just a few meters away from the pyramid, there was a small lava pool. Finally, I almost lost hope. The pool look liked it would be enough for us to make a Nether portal.

"We'll set up here," I announced to the group. "Peter, you go down into the pyramid. Make sure you don't trigger any TNT traps. I don't want to risk losing the loot."

Peter gave a mock salute, grinning. "On it, boss."

While Peter disappeared into the pyramid, I turned to the others. "The pyramid's big enough to serve as a base for now. Everyone, start setting up. Light the place up so we don't get caught by mobs during the night again."

As Bruce and Hinata began securing the entrance, I walked over to the lava pool. With the others busy, I focused on using my powers. Drawing from the Herrscher of Reason's abilities, I materialized a diamond pickaxe. Sure, I could've tried the water-bucket trick like in the game, but this world followed real physics, and the water wouldn't stay in place like it did in Minecraft and would just flow and evaporate away. I was going to have to do this the hard way.

I knelt by the lava and began converting part of it into obsidian. The process was tedious, but after a while, I had enough obsidian blocks—fourteen in total, even though I only needed ten.

Just as I was about to start placing the obsidian, Peter emerged from the pyramid, a bag in hand. "Got the loot. Some paper, a bit of gold, and an iron horse armor. Nothing game-changing, but it's something."

"Better than nothing," I said, focusing on the portal. I started placing the obsidian blocks, forming the familiar frame.

As I worked, I noticed Rose watching me curiously from the corner of my eye. She looked away when I caught her, still blushing. I didn't mind; it was nice having her nearby. We had grown closer recently, and moments like this only seemed to reinforce that bond.

Once the portal was complete, I reached for the flint and steel I had bought back at the village and lit the bottom block. A moment later, the familiar purple glow of the Nether portal flickered to life. The flame from the flint and steel vanished, replaced by the glassy, intangible surface of the portal.

"Well," I said, stepping back to admire the work, "it's time to explore the Nether."

Tatsumaki, floating nearby, crossed her arms. "You're sure it's safe to go in there? Last time I checked, hellish dimensions don't usually scream 'safe.'"

"Safe? No," I replied, glancing at her. "Necessary? Yes. If we want to progress, we need resources from the Nether. Besides, it's part of the game. Might as well get it over with."

Bruce gave a small nod of agreement. "There are valuable resources in there—netherite, blaze rods. We'll need them if we're going to stand a chance against whatever comes next."

Rose, leaned a little closer to me and said. "Be careful in there, everyone."

I gave her a reassuring smile. "I've got this."

Peter joined us at the portal, cracking his knuckles. "Let's go then. Time to face the fiery pits of Minecraft's hell."

With everyone ready, I stepped into the portal first, the swirling purple mist surrounding me. My vision blurred, and the familiar sound of teleportation filled my ears as the Nether loaded around us.

I emerged on the other side, my senses immediately assaulted by the sight of lava oceans, craggy landscapes, and the constant flickering glow of distant fires. The Nether was even more intimidating in person than in the game. But I didn't have time to dwell on that. We had a mission to complete.

"Stay close," I said to the group, glancing over my shoulder. "Let's scout the area first, then gather what we need."

As we moved through the dangerous terrain, the weight of the mission pressed on my mind. We were one step closer to reaching the end, but something told me that the challenges ahead would be much harder than anything we had faced so far.

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Hello!

Author here sorry for the chapter being short again, the next chapter is Taking too much time to edit ill try to upload it as soon as possible it could be today too.