You've Always Been High Maintenance

I stepped out of the uncomfortable VR capsule on the third floor, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠turned on my PC, and logged into Mind Craft. I really wanted to play Labyrinthos, but I decided to hold off for now. Gate Attack Mode was strictly for streams. That left Single Combat for non-streaming hours, but even that mode had its content limitations.

'I only just hit Diamond rank in Single Combat recently anyway.'

Above Diamond was the Master rank. Ranks below Diamond were divided into things like Diamond 1, Diamond 2, and Diamond 3 based on rank points. But starting from Master rank, divisions were based on server standings. Landing in the top 2000 on the Korean server made you a Grand Master. Top 500, and you were a Dominator.

'Single Combat would be way easier to push to Dominator than Gate Attack Mode.'

Most players took Gate Attack Mode far more seriously, after all. That realization made me think there wasn't much content left to chew through in Single Combat. If I got serious, I'd probably hit Dominator in no time. But the moment I did, I'd lose interest just as fast. I needed to savor it while I still could.

When I looked around, the server's landscape had changed quite a bit from what I remembered. The tall mountain had been carved down about halfway. They hadn't flattened it completely, though. That was understandable. Removing a mountain that high would take a full day. An iron pickaxe would make the job drag on forever. So they'd given up on leveling the whole thing and only carved out the lower section. The space looked like someone had taken a massive bite out of an apple.

A huge mansion now stood in that newly created hollow.

"Sora's nowhere to be seen."

I'd gone through the trouble of logging in, but Sora's avatar was missing. She must have been working somewhere else. I decided to explore the mansion alone ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for now.

The mansion had a rather charming, cozy feel. It was built mostly with wood and bricks. We were still in the early stages, so materials shouldn't have been plentiful, yet she'd managed to create something of this quality with limited resources. I was impressed.

Opening the door revealed a large lobby. Further in was a living room, and deeper still, a kitchen. The basement seemed to be used for storage, while the second floor housed various workshops, including an enchantment room. The interior had been built with meticulous care.

When I climbed to the third floor, familiar names caught my eye.

There were only four doors on the third floor. Each bore the name of one of us sixth-generation members. I opened the door with my name on it. The first things I saw were a sofa and table. A work bookshelf stood by the window, and there appeared to be a separate bedroom. When I opened that door, a bed came into view, a luxurious canopy model. Paintings hung on the walls and a chandelier dangled from the ceiling.

"She really went all out."

The chandelier didn't seem fully finished, though. She'd built the frame but hadn't secured proper light sources yet. It felt like she'd temporarily placed basic early-game torches. To complete a proper chandelier, she'd need a blaze rod, an item only obtainable in the late game.

Still, the room had a distinctly aristocratic atmosphere.

"This must be my room."

Just to check, I looked at the other third-floor rooms. None had identical interiors to mine, but every single one felt lived-in and personal. The third floor seemed to be our sixth-generation living quarters.

'She did a great job.'

I was genuinely impressed. I could never have built something like this myself. To be precise, I could if I tried, but I had no desire to. Back when I lived in the ducal household, I'd been forced to learn all kinds of refined arts. I had to understand what made beautiful things beautiful. So I studied fine art and music. I learned why certain paintings were considered masterpieces. Failing to do so meant being dismissed as uncultured.

My aesthetic sense was second to none, but I fundamentally lacked any urge to create things with my own hands. A noble lady didn't build houses, after all. Besides, housing felt like pure self-satisfaction to me. There were no experience points or rewards, no character growth. That was why, during my past hardcore Mind Craft playthrough, I'd focused solely on combat and adventure. Once I'd cleared all the dungeons and bosses, I lost interest and quit.

'But people like me are probably the minority.'

Most players who picked up Mind Craft wanted to build things. Very few started the game with the intention of devouring all the endgame content like I had. In that sense, someone like Sora represented the vast majority. Our playstyles were complete opposites. It sometimes felt like playing house, but having someone else handle the things I didn't want to do made the game much more convenient.

"Still, isn't having rooms on the third floor inconvenient? It feels so far from the first floor."

"...It couldn't be helped."

A reply came to my muttered words. I glanced behind me to find Sora's avatar standing there.

"After I finished the second floor, I realized too late that I hadn't made rooms for us."

"I see. That makes sense."

"If you're here, you could at least say something."

Sora let out a deep sigh.

"Didn't you say you were opening the Hell Gate? I have something ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to give you, so follow me for a second."

"Look at the lighting. It's all torches so it doesn't look pretty at all."

Sora, walking ahead, grumbled.

"This game has way too few light sources."

"Mind Craft has always had limited light sources. At this stage, the only ones we can use are torches, candles, and lamps."

"I tried making candles but they're still too dim. Lamps don't match the chandelier either."

"If you're making a chandelier, a blaze rod would be perfect, but that's only obtainable in the late game."

"Blaze rod? Wait a second. Let me write that down."

Sora stopped walking.

"Blaze rod, right? Got it. So how ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠do I make a beacon?"

"First we need to open the Hell Gate," I said.

The Hell Gate was a structure used to travel to the Nether, a completely different underworld from where we currently were. The place was covered in lava with high-level monsters everywhere, making it extremely dangerous.

"Lava... I really hate it."

Sora's voice was filled with dread after hearing my explanation. She must have fallen into lava and lost all her items while playing before. Beginners struggled terribly with lava. The Nether was likewise a place many feared.

Its high difficulty was matched by equally high rewards, however. Rare items could be found there, and new systems like potion brewing would open up. But for a beginner like Sora, it was still a distant concept.

Our sixth-generation group had been progressing through Mind Craft at Sora's pace. If we showed a total beginner too many new things at once, she'd lose interest quickly.

'But fetching a beacon should be fine.'

A beacon was technically an endgame item, but its only real effect was slightly speeding up work at a base. There shouldn't be any problem with me getting one for her.

Opening the Hell Gate wasn't particularly difficult. Using the diamond pickaxe Sora had given me, I mined some obsidian and constructed the portal. We stepped into the Nether, killed a few monsters, and quickly gathered all the necessary materials.

"Wait, didn't your room used to be on the third floor?"

When I returned with the materials, I noticed my room had been moved to the second floor. When I asked about it, Sora's avatar tilted her head.

"Didn't you say it was too far and you didn't like it?"

......?

I'd said it was inconvenient, but I didn't remember saying I disliked it...?

As I stood there confused, Sora shrugged.

"I've been thinking this since the last time we met. You really are high maintenance."