Unlike the leisurely Galen Yu, Mark was currently feeling extremely frustrated.
Ever since the second crisis zombies gained the ability to climb, three or four of them could be seen lurking in the tree canopy from time to time, even when it wasn't a Blood Moon.
This significantly hindered his progress.
After a great deal of effort, he finally found a Hydra—one that was already in poor condition from a fierce battle with zombies.
By kiting and maneuvering, he managed to secure victory and claim the spoils.
"Chops and Fiery Blood—Mark, you really should try these. They taste delicious and can even increase your health!"
Jett was about to say more as he tasted a chop.
Whiz!
An arrow streaked through the air, and both of them instinctively ducked behind some blocks.
Aside from the zombies, the Skeletons had caused them the most trouble lately.
Fighting them was a hassle, but leaving them alone meant being hit by arrows with annoying debuffs. It was truly nauseating.
It left them feeling quite helpless.
Peeking out, they looked in the direction the arrow had come from.
This time, only one Skeleton was nearby. The Hydra had recently cleared the battlefield, so there weren't many zombies around.
But that single Skeleton made their hair stand on end.
The bow in its hand was enchanted, emitting glowing particles, and it wore a Netherite Chestplate.
Most importantly, it was riding a Cave Spider!
"Oh, holy shit! What on earth is that thing?!"
"God, look at what You've created. Is this even beatable?"
"Netherite gear and an enchanted bow... if I recall correctly, that's the ultimate equipment from the Nether, isn't it?"
"Galen Yu wore that stuff back then and was invincible. It's way stronger than diamond gear!"
"And he has enchantments! Heavens!"
"Is this a boss?"
Having witnessed Galen Yu's enchantment skills, no one dared to underestimate them now.
Even without flashy effects like Multishot or Electric Grid, a simple Power enchantment could do the trick.
The extra damage might just one-shot Mark!
Even worse, the Skeleton was riding a Cave Spider, making it much harder to kill.
"How do we fight this?"
They locked eyes, their expressions bitter.
They were caught in the open. Even if they wanted to flee...
The spider was too fast. Leaving one's back exposed to an enemy was a dangerous gamble.
"We have to risk it!"
He pulled out a Golden Apple, found in a chest near a Phantom Knight.
They didn't have many—only three between them. They had to eat it to survive.
First, they summoned two Loyal Zombies to draw aggro. Jett then jumped out to whittle it down with his bow.
Whiz! Whiz-whiz!
Whatever enchantments were on that bow, two arrows nearly emptied a Loyal Zombie's health, and the third finished it off.
In contrast, Jett's bow was basic and unenchanted. His shots only dealt minimal damage against the Netherite armor.
Taking advantage of the diverted attention, Mark sprinted toward the Skeleton at top speed, swinging his battle-axe in a charge.
[-10!]
At the exact moment the second zombie died, he dealt ten damage to the Skeleton.
Sensing the enemy's approach, the spider began to retreat backward while the Skeleton continued to fire fully charged arrows.
[-8!]
An arrow hit Mark's leg, specifically his Naga Scale Leggings.
Thanks to the Golden Apple's effect, his health quickly recovered as he continued to chase the Skeleton.
His speed was only slightly faster than the spider's, and he had to constantly watch for arrows. It took a long chase before he could damage the Skeleton again.
They chased it all the way to a swamp where water blocked the spider's retreat.
Mark finally caught up and delivered the finishing blow to the Skeleton.
The spider hadn't been buffed, so he finished it off with two casual strikes.
"It's over!"
"That was close!"
Panting heavily, Mark looked at his status bar—only four hearts left. He felt a lingering fear.
The running battle had taken its toll; even with the Golden Apple, they were both in rough shape.
It showed just how difficult that encounter was!
"There's a drop!"
After catching his breath, Jett's sharp eyes spotted something near the water's edge.
A dark, heavy chestplate. He picked it up and found it had less than half its durability left.
"Is this Netherite? What a find!"
Jett actually wanted the bow more—its power was clearly immense—but he knew the drop rates for such special mobs.
Getting this high-defense armor was good enough.
Upon picking it up, he realized the Netherite armor also had an enchantment: [Protection I].
Its defensive capabilities were far superior to the Naga Scale Mail.
Wearing it, Jett's aura seemed completely transformed.
However, despite their victory, neither of them looked happy.
"The mobs on day twenty are already this strong. Who knows how many more evolutions are coming!"
"Can we even survive this?"
Jett felt a sense of despair, any joy from the new gear long gone.
It wasn't even a Blood Moon yet!
Today they met one Skeleton Knight; would a whole pack appear tomorrow?
If it was this difficult now, how would they live later?
Mark fell silent, clearly having no answer.
Just as the atmosphere turned somber, a sign suddenly appeared, offering guidance as if it knew the predicament they were in.
When they saw the words on it, their eyes lit up.
"Let's go. Back to the Resource Zone!"
Anyone watching multiple contestants would have been confused.
Mark wasn't the only one doing this. Many other contestants had suddenly received signs and, as if by agreement, dropped what they were doing to head in the same direction.
Even those from small nations who lacked resources or items were moving.
Kapil, Ronan Mountwell, Kira Oakmoor, and even Soren Park.
They were stunned when they saw the signs, then immediately used Eyes of Ender to head toward the gathering point.
When they arrived, several contestants were already waiting, a large banner hoisted high.
[THE ANTI-GALEN YU ALLIANCE!]
"What's going on? Why is everyone returning to the Resource Zone?"
"Fruit Nation is a small country, right? Where did they get that sign?"
"Same with the Ernie Kingdom. Something is wrong—very, very wrong!"
"I saw it over on Soren Park's stream. What does 'Anti-Galen Yu Alliance' mean?"
"Huh? When did you all secretly form an alliance?"
Seeing it with their own eyes, question marks flooded the screens.
No one expected that in such a short time, the others would reach an agreement.
Of everyone involved, Galen Yu was the only one not invited!
"It's those bastards from the Freedom Nation!"
In the research institute, Fries slammed the table in anger.
To pull this off so quickly and distribute those signs, only a few powerful nations had that kind of capability.
It was easy to guess who was behind it. No one but the Freedom Nation would do something like this.
"The crisis difficulty is very high. I don't mind an alliance; in fact, I support it."
"But what the hell is an 'Anti-Galen Yu Alliance'?"
Those large, bold words were practically dripping with provocation!
"Calm down, Fries!"
Headmaster Quill sighed, trying to soothe Fries's temper.
The moment the alliance was formed, he had seen the video posted by the Freedom Nation on social media.
It was the usual rhetoric: some nonsense about not knowing anything, that it was a spontaneous gathering by the contestants, and that they hoped to maintain friendships.
Without backing from behind the scenes, how could such a thing possibly happen?
"Have faith in Galen Yu. We have no other choice!"
Headmaster Quill felt helpless, but as he said...
Things had reached this point. There was no other way!
Unaware of the situation outside, far away on the Sky Island...
Galen Yu looked at the redstone and smiled from the bottom of his heart.
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