Minecraft Universe, Blocky Planet
The portal room in front of him was a fortress within a fortress. Twenty-block-thick obsidian walls surrounded the actual portal chamber. Guard towers dotted each corner, equipped with dispensers full of arrows. Players had to pass through three separate checkpoints just to reach the activation room.
Adrian was crouched invisibly behind all of the players, waiting for the right moment. He had teleported continuously for at least 600k blocks to find a Major City that was far enough that his activities wouldn't be traced to his 'home territory' of Imperial Diamond. This Al-Wahat city wouldn't know what hit them. He had hoped to teleport even further, but there was a pretty sharp limit on how far he could travel while he wasn't in the End dimension that was utterly full of Void Energy, and he hadn't even mentioned how strained he got after teleporting more than 350 miles in rapid succession.
"There must be fifty of them here." Derflinger whispered from his back.
Adrian counted the gathered raiders. All wore enchanted Netherite armor, but a few had elytra's equipped. They spoke rapidly in Arabic, checking potions and comparing enchanted weapons.
"Good thing I spent those emeralds on the Imperial Diamond mob grinders." Adrian touched the hilt of his sword. Sharpness V for direct damage, along with Fire Aspect II for sustained damage. But the new enchants were Looting III for better drops, Mending to keep it repaired, Sweeping Edge III for increasing damage through horizontal strikes by 75%, and Unbreaking III for extra durability..
His armor had been greatly improved too. The basic Protection IV remained, but Unbreaking III and Mending on every piece meant he wouldn't need to worry about durability. His helmet could now let him breathe underwater for a while with Respiration III, while Aqua Affinity would help him break the environment faster if submerged.
A commotion below drew his attention. The raiders were gathering around someone in Netherite armor with gold trims.
"That must be their leader," Derflinger observed.
The man raised his hands, speaking in Arabic. The raiders cheered and began forming into groups.
Adrian adjusted his position again. His boots were probably his favorite upgrade. Protection IV, Unbreaking III and Mending like the rest, but also Feather Falling IV to survive any height, Depth Strider III for water speed, and Frost Walker II to avoid water completely. That last one could be crucial in the future, because getting wet disabled his most important escape technique of Void Step.
"They're opening the first checkpoint," Derflinger warned.
Adrian nodded. The bow across his back had Power V for raw damage, Unbreaking III for durability, while Infinity meant he'd never run out of arrows. He'd considered getting Flame too, but fire could give away his position if he ever wanted to go the sneak archer route.
The raiders moved through the first iron door. Guards were present to make sure everyone had paid the entry fee.
"Remember the plan?" Adrian whispered.
"Let them activate the portal and enter first," Derflinger recited. "Wait thirty seconds for them to spread out. Then follow through and stay invisible until we reach the Dragon."
"And if anyone spots us?"
"We'll kill anyone in our way."
The second checkpoint opened. Adrian could see the End Portal frame now, still empty of Eyes of Ender. His shield had been enchanted as well with a Mending and Unbreaking III combination in case he ever needed it.
He kept his potions in his main inventory as well. Health, Strength, Fire Resistance, Swiftness, more Invisibility backup, Water Breathing just in case, and even some Weakness potions if needed.
And… since he was paying for experience anyway… he had enchanted his fishing rod with Lure III and Luck of the Sea III for better catches, with Mending to keep it working.
He didn't anticipate needing it on the raid, but it could be a nice hobby in the future.
"Final checkpoint," Derflinger warned.
The raiders gathered around the portal frame. Twelve Eyes of Ender appeared, passed carefully from player to player. They began placing them one by one.
Adrian tensed. The void energy inside him responded to the portal's awakening. After billions of blocks traveled, hundreds of End Ships scouted, and every enchantment maximized...
The final Eye clicked into place. Black particles swirled as the portal activated with a loud VWOOOOM.
It was time to killsteal an Ender Dragon.
Adrian abused the fact that he had a 32-block range where he didn't require line-of-sight to teleport straight through the obsidian walls. He landed on the End Portal frame, took one step forward, and let the darkness pull him in.
He now stood on a small obsidian platform packed with Arabic players. Without hesitation, he teleported to the main island at the same time that a deep roar shook the air above him.
The Ender Dragon circled the island. It was massive, at least five times larger than the standard Minecraft version. Purple eyes blazed as it swooped between obsidian towers.
"Time for some shopping." Adrian gathered void energy again. The End Ships were waiting.
VWORP
The first ship yielded an elytra and dragon head. He stuffed both into his inventory and jumped to the next target.
VWORP
Another successful grab. The void energy flowed freely here, making each teleport effortless.
VWORP
By the sixth ship, he had three elytras and five heads. A player in diamond armor reached for the head mounted on the front.
Adrian shifted into his Primal Zerg form. Four spines launched from his back in rapid succession. The player flashed red with each hit, knocked backward by the force, and the final spine finished him off.
More ships. More heads. The stack count grew steadily in his inventory.
VWORP
Three players stood on the next ship's deck. They froze at the sight of him, eight feet of scaled muscle and Netherite-enhanced claws.
Eight spines flew through the air. Two players dropped instantly.
The third raised his shield as Adrian's claws raked across it. "Wat de fuck?!" The Dutch player stumbled backward.
Adrian teleported behind him. The muscle-mimicking bands under his scales contracted as he opened his jaws. One Netherite-enhanced bite to the back was all it took.
Items scattered across the deck, and he spotted Emeralds and Netherite ingots among them. Adrian scooped them up quickly, smirking slightly at the ease he was going through the players.
He had enhanced his natural weapons with Netherite back in Imperial Diamond during these past two days. Combined with the Minor Adaptation of Muscle Augmentation from the IKEA Staff, his bite force could shred through players.
VWORP
VWORP
VWORP
He encountered more and more players he had to eliminate. By the time he reached ninety-three dragon heads, the remaining ships were picked clean.
"Back to the main event?" Derflinger asked from his back.
Adrian nodded, gathered void energy and focused on the central island while he looked around the looted End Ship.
VWORP
Adrian appeared on the edge of the central island. Hundreds of players swarmed around the Ender Dragon, but there were only so many that could attack at the same time. The thing was immune to arrows, that was well known. All the healing crystals had been destroyed by now, yet… the massive dragon showed no signs of weakening.
"May God help us!" A player screamed as the Dragon's tail swept through a group. Five players died instantly, and their items scattered all over the endstone.
Firework explosions filled the air as players with elytras chased the beast. Several wielded staffs topped with dragon heads that breathed purple balls that actually managed to harm the Ender Dragon.
"Ya! Already two hundred seventy dead!" Someone shouted from below in Arabic. "We need more people with the dragon staffs!"
Adrian watched a player land to drink a healing potion. Actually, why shouldn't he take advantage of the situation? He teleported behind the unsuspecting raider and sank his claws deep into their back.
The items dropped silently.
VWORP
Another player, isolated from the group. Dead before they could react.
VWORP
The Dragon roared and dive-bombed the central platform. "Ahtaris!" Players scattered in panic. Three weren't fast enough and died instantly to the impact.
"This is too easy," Adrian muttered as he picked off another isolated player. The chaos of battle masked his actions completely.
"Ya ikhwan, we need to coordinate!" The raid leader that wore Netherite Armor with gold trims called out. "Form up in teams of-"
Adrian teleported directly above him and smashed his claws against the player twice. A flash of green light surrounded the player as the Totem of Undying activated, restoring him to life. He spun around with his sword raised, but Adrian's third strike caught him before he could defend himself.
"Al-qaid!" Several players rushed to where their leader had fallen. "Someone killed the leader through his totem!"
VWORP
Adrian appeared in their midst, clawing and biting down on whoever was in reach. Four more dead in seconds.
The Dragon swooped low again. Purple breath scattered players in all directions. "La tastaslem!" Someone shouted. "Keep fighting!"
A player with a dragon staff and helm turned just in time to see Adrian teleport next to them. "Ma hadha-" The words cut off as Netherite-enhanced claws tore through their armor.
"Thanks for the items!" Adrian whispered as he teleported away.
The entire place became immensely chaotic as players realized they were being hunted by some lizard creature that could teleport at will.
"There's something else killing us!" A voice called out in Arabic. "Watch your backs!"
But how could they watch their backs when the massive Ender Dragon demanded their complete attention? Another tail swipe eliminated six more players.
"Three hundred dead!" Someone screamed. "We're being slaughtered!"
Adrian continued his elimination of stragglers. Just the fact he had unlimited teleportation inside of the End made him untouchable. Any player who separated from the group for even a moment became his prey.
The Ender Dragon roared again, and Adrian smiled.
"This is turning out better than I'd hoped," he joked to Derflinger.
The massive dragon's head snapped toward him. Another roar split the air, but this time it was aimed directly at him.
That was a mistake, wasn't it? He shouldn't have taunted fate…
"Oh shit." Adrian barely managed to Void Step away as purple breath scorched the spot he'd been standing.
"The dragon's targeting the creature!" Someone shouted. "Everyone, focus on that thing!"
The remaining two hundred players turned their attention to Adrian. Six dragon head staffs lifted in unison as concentrated breath attacks flew toward him.
Adrian froze for a split second as hundreds of players charged at him from all directions while purple death rained from above. He couldn't fight them all at once, not even with his advantages.
"Switch forms!" Derflinger yelled. "I can absorb the magic!"
He shifted to human form and drew Derflinger just in time to catch the first wave of dragon breath attacks. The magic disappeared into the blade with a sound like water hitting hot metal.
"The creature changed shape!" A player with the nametag 'Deslordo' shouted. "It's a player!"
More dragon breath streaked toward him. Adrian planted his feet and held Derflinger up, absorbing attack after attack. The sword hummed with stored energy. Just as an arrow threatened to nick his ear, his void crystal organ automatically teleported him ten blocks to the left. Three more arrows passed through where he'd been standing.
"Keep firing!" The command came from somewhere behind him. "Don't let him rest!"
Adrian spun around, Derflinger catching a blast of dragon breath from the Ender Dragon. But a sword strike from his blind spot caught him across the back. His Netherite armor absorbed most of the damage, but the hit still stung.
"You okay?" Derflinger asked as they teleported away from the attacker.
"Fine." Adrian drank a healing potion. "But there's too many-"
The Ender Dragon's roar cut him off. The massive beast dive-bombed straight at him, purple breath filling the air. Adrian held Derflinger up, and the sword drank in the magic attack.
But the Dragon's wing clipped him during the pass. The impact sent Adrian flying, and only the fact that he was innately more durable than the standard player kept him from dying on the spot. He slammed into an obsidian pillar and fell twenty blocks before managing to teleport to safety.
"He survived that?" A player exclaimed.
Another healing potion and golden apple rapidly restored him to peak health, but that had been too close. He needed to thin out these numbers.
More arrows came flying his way, and one more automatic teleport kept them from hitting him. But this time he appeared right in the middle of a group of sword-wielders.
"Got him!" One slashed at Adrian's face.
Adrian took advantage of the fact that he wasn't fully aligned with Minecraft logic to parry the strike with Derflinger and kick the attacker away. But someone else struck him from behind, and a third player managed to slash his leg before he could teleport again.
The Ender Dragon wheeled around for another pass. The six dragon staff wielders lined up their shots.
"This is getting annoying!" Adrian teleported rapidly between positions, trying to avoid being surrounded again. He was taking serious damage, and just one more direct strike like that from the Ender Dragon...
"Behind you!" Derflinger warned.
Adrian spun just in time to block an axe strike that would have taken his head off. The impact numbed his arms, but he managed to teleport away before the follow-up attack landed.
"He keeps disappearing!" A frustrated voice called out. "Spread out! Don't let him-"
Adrian teleported behind the speaker and spewed sticky cobwebs all around him. The player struggled to move as Adrian's Netherite sword cut into him three times.
An arrow whistled towards his chestplate, triggering an automatic teleport. He appeared next to another group and immediately sprayed more webs. "I can't move!" One screamed before Adrian's blade found him.
Adrian's entire body caught fire when someone's enchanted sword struck him. He teleported away and quickly downed a Fire Resistance potion, following it with Strength and Swiftness potions.
"He's using potions!"
"Don't let him-"
Adrian cut the warning short, his enhanced strength letting him kill the speaker in two quick strikes. The movements felt more natural now, each swing leading smoothly into the next.
Purple breath from the Ender Dragon filled the air. Adrian raised Derflinger, absorbing the magic while teleporting sideways to dodge more arrows.
"Your left!" Derflinger warned.
Adrian spun and parried an axe strike. The impact made his arms shake, but he managed to counter-attack. His Fire Aspect II sword set the axe-wielder on fire.
VWORP
More cobwebs trapped another group. Adrian's sword found gaps in their armor as they struggled to break free. But someone managed a lucky hit just before he teleported away.
He drank a healing potion and kept moving. The Ender Dragon roared overhead, diving toward the platform again.
"The staffs!" Derflinger reminded him. "Take out the staff users first!"
Adrian nodded and teleported behind one of the dragon staff wielders. Two quick strikes ended them. Another teleport brought him to the second staff user, who managed to block his first attack before succumbing to the second.
A beam of concentrated dragon breath managed to pierce his leg before he could react, and three players rushed him with axes raised.
Adrian sprayed webs in a wide arc, catching all three. His blade enchanted with Sweeping Edge III made short work of them.
"Four more staff users!" Derflinger called out.
Purple breath from both the Dragon and the staffs filled the air. Adrian absorbed what he could with Derflinger while teleporting frantically to avoid the rest.
A sword caught him across the back. Another managed to hit his arm. The wounds burned from Fire Aspect enchantments, but his potion kept him from taking extra damage.
"You're slowly getting better," Derflinger commented as Adrian eliminated another staff wielder.
He was right. Adrian's strikes flowed more naturally now. He found himself predicting enemy movements, reading their stances, striking at exactly the right moment.
The Ender Dragon's roar shook the island. Adrian teleported just as massive claws raked through where he'd been standing. He spun around and sprayed webs at the remaining players surrounding him, buying himself time to drink another healing potion.
"Only about fifty left!" Someone shouted in panic. "How is he doing this?"
Adrian's answer was another spray of cobwebs from the small breathing hole in his Netherite Helmet. The Swiftness potion let him sprint between trapped players and quickly slice them up. He then narrowed his eyes at an archer on top of one of the remaining obsidian towers, and Void Stepped behind him. Two stabs with his sword took care of that little problem…
"Oh my Allah, he killed Ahmed! " A player wearing a Netherite helmet with a green trim yelled at him from the ground. "You bastard!"
The Ender Dragon roared again, but the players were utterly focused on Adrian now. He could see the fear in how they moved, backing away whenever he looked in their direction.
"Thirty left!" The same player shouted. "We need to-"
Adrian teleported right next to him and struck twice with his sword. The player's green-trimmed helmet dropped to the ground.
The remaining players instantly backed away. Twenty-nine of them wore elytras, and they all exchanged glances.
"We need to get out of here!" One of them activated his elytra. "This is suicide!"
"He's right!" Another player shot off a firework rocket and took to the sky. "Live to fight another day!"
The players with elytras launched into the air one after another, shooting firework rockets to gain altitude. They flew deeper into the End, leaving behind a single player who stood frozen in place.
"Um." The player raised his hands. "Peace?"
Adrian tilted his head, and replied in English. "You don't have an elytra?"
"No..." The player was surprised to hear another language but slowly shuffled backward. "I... I spent all my emeralds on potions."
"That's rough, buddy." Adrian teleported right next to him and stabbed twice.
The massive Ender Dragon roared on the other side of the island.
"Just you and me now," Adrian called up to the beast. He had expected this outcome from the start, because trying to steal an egg from hundreds of players would have been messy. At least this way he'd earned quite a few bonus items from the kills.
He watched the Ender Dragon fly towards him. Arrows would be useless against those scales, and even the concentrated breath attacks from dragon staffs didn't work all that well.
He'd have to get up close and personal.
"At least you can teleport," Derflinger spoke from his hand. "Unlike those players who had to rely on elytras and firework rockets."
"True." Adrian drank another Strength potion. "But this might take forever."
The Dragon dove toward him, purple breath streaming from its mouth. Adrian teleported behind one of the obsidian towers and waited for it to pass.
"You know what would make this easier?" Derflinger asked as they dodged another breath attack. "If you had an elytra."
"I have three in my inventory."
"...why aren't you wearing one?"
Adrian paused mid-teleport. "I completely forgot about that."
"Seriously?"
"Look, I've been busy killing people!" Adrian equipped an elytra. "Happy now?"
The Dragon roared and swooped low. Adrian teleported on top of a nearby tower and jumped at it, piercing down twice with his sword before teleporting away. The beast barely seemed to notice.
"This is going to take forever," Adrian muttered as he shot a firework rocket to gain altitude. "Watching paint dry in slow motion might be quicker."
"At least the view is nice?" Derflinger offered.
Adrian teleported to dodge more purple breath. "Yeah, endless void. Really scenic."
"Better than that IKEA store."
"Fair point."
Another diving attack forced Adrian to teleport again. He managed to land three hits this time before the Dragon's tail nearly took his head off.
"You know what would make this go faster?" Derflinger asked after ten minutes of hit-and-run attacks.
"What?"
"If you'd remembered to use those dragon staffs we looted while it's not in sword range."
Adrian froze mid-swing. "...I hate you sometimes."
"Love you too, partner."
Adrian quickly equipped one of the dragon staffs he'd looted. It felt odd to have a… stick with an Ender Dragon Head on top of it while fighting the Ender Dragon, but he could sense the void energy stored within it.
"How on Zerus did I not decide to use this sooner?" He teleported to dodge another breath attack.
"Because you were too busy playing stabby-stabby with the raiders?" Derflinger suggested from his back.
The Dragon wheeled around for another pass. Adrian raised the staff and fired a concentrated blast of purple energy. The attack connected, and the beast actually flinched.
"Now we're getting somewhere!" Adrian shot another firework rocket to maintain altitude. "Maybe this won't take until next Tuesday after all."
He teleported to another obsidian tower and fired three more blasts. The Dragon roared in what sounded like actual pain this time.
"You're hurting it!" Derflinger called out. "Keep going!"
Adrian fired continuously while teleporting between positions. The Dragon tried to dodge, but Adrian's ability to instantly appear anywhere made tracking its movements simple.
"This is much better than swinging a sword around like an idiot." Adrian landed on another tower. "Why didn't you remind me earlier?"
"I wanted to see how long it would take you to figure it out yourself."
"...I'm going to throw you into the void."
"No you won't." Derflinger sounded smug. "I'm too useful."
The Dragon dove at Adrian again, but this time he stood his ground until the last second. He absorbed the breath attack with Derflinger while firing back with the staff.
"Okay, maybe I won't throw you into the void." Adrian teleported away from another tail swipe. "But I might leave you in a chest somewhere."
"You'd miss my witty commentary."
"What I'm missing is peace and quiet!" Adrian fired another blast at the Dragon. "Now shut up and let me focus on not dying!"
The battle continued for another twenty minutes. Adrian kept teleporting and firing, slowly wearing down the massive beast. Its health seemed to be represented by its scales, and they were cracking more and more.
"Almost there!" Derflinger encouraged as Adrian landed another beam. "Just a bit more!"
The Dragon wheeled around for what would probably be its final attack. Adrian raised both the staff and Derflinger, ready to end this.
"You know, I just remembered something that would make this even easier." Derflinger stated.
"What now?"
"You have a dragon helm that is stronger than Netherite in your inventory."
Adrian facepalmed.
"I swear, when this is over-" Adrian quickly equipped the dragon helm. The moment it settled on his head, he felt the void energy inside resonate with his own.
"Less threatening, more fighting!" Derflinger reminded him as purple breath filled the air.
The helm's enhanced protection made Adrian confident enough to stand his ground longer. He absorbed the breath with Derflinger while returning fire with the staff. Each blast connected solidly with the Dragon's cracked scales until the beast let out one final deafening roar. It exploded into countless experience orbs that filled the air like a green waterfall. Adrian had never seen so many, and after he had collected all of it, he could tell by some innate Minecraft instinct that he had absorbed exactly 5,000,000 XP.
Enough to take him from level 0 to level 430. No wonder so many players risked their monthly respawn for this, it would save so much time standing under mob grinders that it was almost unbelievable…
"Well, that was dramatic." Adrian walked over to where the Dragon had died. A black egg with purple spots sat on a bedrock pedestal. He quickly snatched it up and stored it in his inventory.
"Time for cleanup?" Derflinger asked.
Adrian nodded and began teleporting around the island. He gathered every dropped item, every block of value. By the time he finished, he had stripped the place clean of items he felt were worth storing in his inventory.
Most players were smart and kept their valuables safe in Ender Chests. But he had still gotten stacks of Netherite ingots, Emeralds, Ender Pearls and Golden Apples. He didn't care all that much for the weapons and armor since he had his own set that would fully repair themselves thanks to all of the experience he had gotten.
"Now for the main event?" Derflinger seemed excited about Adrian consuming the Dragon's Essence.
But he hesitated.
Something felt off about absorbing such powerful Essence in this blocky world. When he'd consumed the Spider Essence, it had resulted in Minecraft web blocks when the silk hit any surface. The Architect Leviathan Essence had given him a Crystalline Minecraft Pearl that followed Minecraft's rigid rules. Both were perfectly usable, but…
"I think we should wait a bit," Adrian spoke slowly. "Everything in Minecraft follows specific rules. Blocks must be cubic, items stack in specific numbers, even damage primarily follows a mathematical formula."
"And?"
"What if consuming the Ender Dragon Essence here forces it to conform to these rules?" Adrian paced across the endstone in thought.
"But it was still incredibly powerful!"
"Yes, but imagine if I absorb this Essence somewhere more... flexible after I use paradox to make the Egg and Heads realistic." Adrian gestured at the cubic world around them. "Like in the IKEA dimension. Somewhere the Essence can express itself in a more natural and organic manner instead of being forced into Minecraft's framework."
"Because the Ender Dragon Essence might be the most powerful I've found so far," Adrian continued. "I don't want to risk it becoming just another set of Minecraft mechanics. We need a world where physics and biology work properly."
"That... actually makes sense." Derflinger sounded impressed. "You're learning to think things through."
"Don't sound so surprised." Adrian's eyes began to glow a bright blue. "Now let's get out of here."
He focused on the IKEA store. That would be a good place to absorb the Essence, and if he built a little platform in the air, nobody could disturb him either. Once he was finished with the absorption, he could jump towards a new world. Maybe it'd be a safe one for the people in the Infinite Store?
"Ready?" Adrian asked.
"As long as we don't have to fight any more Staff creatures."
"No promises."