"Double-check the items you're carrying. Do you have two pickaxes and one wooden sword?"
Ryen stood at the mouth of the cave, peering into the pitch-black darkness stretching endlessly before them.
In his left hand, he gripped a shield, and in his right, a wooden sword. His expression was serious as he glanced at the position of the sun.
Right now, it was high noon, with the sun directly overhead—a clear and easily identifiable ti in the Minecraft-like world they found themselves in. With no latitude or longitude to worry about, midday was the simplest and safest ti to venture out.
Earlier, Ryen had surveyed the area carefully. Unfortunately, there wasn't any coal near the entrance of the cave. At least not within the first few dozen ters.
It wasn't the most promising start, but with the day already progressing, Ryen decided to take a gamble and explore the cave.
Heading to the mountain peak or another cave would waste too much ti.
Before setting out, Ryen had even stopped by his trusty friend's base to borrow a few torches—not many, but just enough for lighting their way.
"No problem!"
Keqing's gear mirrored Ryen's: shield in her left hand, wooden sword in her right.
As for Ganyu, she carried a torch in one hand and a wooden pickaxe in the other.
After all, Ryen couldn't afford to risk his life recklessly, and he wasn't entirely sure if Ganyu or Keqing could respawn in this peculiar world. Safety was paramount.
Despite Ganyu and Keqing's seemingly impressive combat prowess—especially with Ganyu being an adeptus—even they wouldn't survive a zombie's onslaught in this rciless world.
It was a realm devoid of fairness, where even the strongest could fall to sothing absurdly simple.
"Once we're inside, I'll take the lead and clear the path. Ganyu, you stay in the middle to handle the lighting. Keqing, you'll bring up the rear."
"If anything goes wrong, retreat imdiately. Don't worry about . Got it?"
Ryen gave his final instructions, his tone resolute.
Both won nodded seriously, understanding the gravity of the situation.
There was no room for sentintal promises about "never leaving him behind." As seasoned fighters with countless battles under their belts, they understood when to protect their teammates and when misplaced concern would only drag others down.
Ryen was clearly more experienced in this world than they were. Worrying about whether he could escape was far less practical than ensuring they didn't beco a burden.
"Do you rember the techniques I taught you earlier?"
Ryen asked once more.
Ganyu nodded quickly, demonstrating by holding her wooden pickaxe against the wall as she recited:
"If surrounded by zombies, move toward a wall imdiately, dig into it, and block the entrance behind you with placed blocks to cut off their path."
"If confronted by skeleton archers, dig horizontally, leaving breathing and observation holes, but stay out of their line of fire."
"If a green, four-legged creeper shows up, raise the shield instantly. If there's water nearby, head straight for it!"
Her repetition was precise and thodical, and Ryen felt reassured.
While there were plenty of other dangers lurking in caves—pesky silverfish, slis, spiders, and occasionally even an Enderman—those threats were relatively rare. Zombies, skeletons, and creepers posed the greatest danger, especially when they attacked in groups.
Skeletons could turn you into a pincushion in no ti.
The cave was filled with countless threats: zombies in enchanted gear wielding weapons, swift and deadly baby zombies... The list went on.
But there wasn't ti for Ryen to discuss every possibility.
He could only remain vigilant and handle things as they ca.
"Besides rembering these techniques, there's one more crucial thing!"
Ryen raised a finger.
Ganyu tilted her head, thinking for a mont before happily chiming in:
"Stay within arm's reach of Ryen, never stand in front of you, and absolutely never dig straight down for ores!"
Hearing this, Ryen clapped his hands with a broad grin.
"Congratulations! Ganyu has officially passed the basics and is now a novice miner!"
"Only a novice?"
Ganyu puffed out her cheeks slightly, looking both amused and disappointed.
Ryen's joke was taken very seriously by Ganyu.
A slight sigh of regret escaped her lips.
"Sure enough, mining is quite an intricate art. I still have a lot to learn!"
Ryen awkwardly pressed his lips together, then turned away and waved his hand.
"Alright, get ready. We're heading in!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Keqing raised her shield without hesitation, vigilantly following behind Ganyu. Ganyu, in turn, solemnly lifted her torch, her face set with determination.
Though their individual strengths were remarkable, they weren't strangers to teamwork. Coordination and trust in each other had been honed over many shared battles.
Seeing this, Ryen's lingering concerns eased, and he felt confident enough to entrust his back to them completely.
With the faint illumination of Ganyu's torch guiding their way, the three carefully ventured deeper into the cave.
It wasn't that Ryen was being overly cautious—he simply didn't want to gamble on whether he could survive in this perilous world.
The cave path was uneven and difficult to traverse, though much of that perception was due to the enhanced graphics and textures they experienced. Fundantally, the world was still composed of simple blocks, so "difficult terrain" was relative, especially for three individuals who were far from ordinary.
In no ti, they had advanced over fifty ters into the cave.
The sunlight from outside had completely disappeared, leaving only the soft, flickering glow of Ganyu's torch to break the oppressive darkness.
Despite their composure, both Keqing and Ganyu were visibly tense. Even their iron wills couldn't fully resist the primal unease brought on by such an environnt.
Ryen, positioned at the front, could feel Ganyu's increasingly quick and shallow breaths behind him. Her anxiety was palpable—she was so close that she was almost clinging to his back.
With a wry smile, Ryen shook his head. It was understandable. In pure darkness, fear was a natural reaction, even for soone like Ganyu.
He sheathed his wooden sword and gently reached back to hold Ganyu's wrist.
Startled, Ganyu instinctively raised her head, her wide eyes eting Ryen's gaze. In the dim light, his eyes shone brightly, carrying a calm and steady reassurance that instantly lted her panic.
"Don't be afraid," Ryen said softly, his voice carrying an unshakable sense of assurance.
"Watch your step."
With that, he turned his focus back to the path ahead, scanning for potential threats. Mining would be Ganyu's task—his priority was to ensure their safety.
In this dimly lit world, resources stood out vividly. Coal deposits, for instance, were unmistakably black against the stone walls. As long as one wasn't blind, they were easy to spot.
Though Ryen's reassurance was casual, Ganyu found it inexplicably calming. Taking a deep breath, she gave herself a ntal pep talk and began observing her surroundings more attentively.
According to Ryen, there was a high chance of encountering coal and iron deposits near the cave's entrance. Coal was black, while iron had a faint white hue—simple but crucial details Ganyu committed to mory.
She swept her gaze around the cave walls, her torchlight cutting through the darkness.
anwhile, Ryen, leading the group, felt a hint of unease. He hadn't expected this cave to be so barren. They had ventured this far in, and yet not a single coal vein had appeared.
It was frustrating, to say the least.
If he had more manpower, Ryen would've preferred to start mining from the mountain's peak rather than delving into the cave. Forget these dimly lit, dangerous tunnels—he'd create a massive quarry, exposing everything for easy access.
Grumbling silently, Ryen's thoughts were interrupted by faint, guttural sounds—zombie groans echoing from sowhere nearby.
Pausing to listen, he judged that the sounds were muffled, likely separated from them by a wall. Deciding not to alarm the others unnecessarily, he kept the information to himself.
By his estimation, they were now over a hundred ters deep into the cave. Any further, and the three or four remaining torches they had wouldn't suffice to light their way.
Ryen was beginning to consider whether it might be wiser to retreat and regroup, then try their luck at a different cave tomorrow.
Suddenly, Ganyu grabbed his arm, her voice low but tinged with excitent.
"Ryen! I see it! Sothing black! That's coal, right?"
Ryen froze for a mont, then quickly pulled a torch from his inventory. He followed the direction of Ganyu's pointing finger, hurrying over and placing the torch on the wall.
The area instantly brightened, revealing the unmistakable dark patches of coal veins.
Ryen's face lit up with a smile. He turned to Ganyu, nodding in affirmation.
"That's right! Coal! And lots of it!"
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