It wasn't as old as the Twilight Forest or SlashBlade mods, but it was still a classic.
It was timeless and incredibly popular.
Almost every Minecraft player had heard of it.
As a magic-themed mod, its most important features were mythical creatures: dragons!
Who wouldn't want to be a heroic dragon rider?
Even though the Wandering Mage and Black Mage were terrified of the dragons...
Once Galen Yu was certain they were from Ice and Fire, he felt nothing but pure excitement.
He could ride a dragon!
So-called "evil dragons" were simply creatures that hadn't been properly tamed or utilized yet.
Based on their earlier performance, even though the Black Mage and Wandering Mage were high-level chunk beings with unique, powerful skills...
Their understanding of the world's mechanics wasn't necessarily that deep.
It made sense; after all, they were just denizens of this world—essentially natives.
How could their understanding compare to that of a player who had explored the world?
They could offer assistance, but the players remained the main characters of the game!
"They possess power far beyond ordinary dragons, and their terrifying magical control forced even me to retreat."
Lost in memory, the Wandering Mage continued to recount the details.
They had two heads, like twins, with two elemental forces flowing through their bodies.
Those were high-ranking members of the dragon race and served as Medium Chunk Lords.
"Those wretched dragons are just one example; there are many other mythical creatures."
"Giants living in isolation within caves, mysterious leviathans roaming the sea, long-haired monsters singing on the shore..."
"There are some even I haven't seen, but without exception, they are all complex and extremely dangerous!"
Regardless of who they were, humanoid beings were at the bottom of the food chain.
It was slightly better for those like the mages who knew magic—at least they had some self-defense—but for those who didn't...
In the eyes of those creatures, they were nothing more than thralls to be driven at will.
Even a newly ascended Chunk Lord would only be seen as a 'Small Thrall'—just a bit more agile and intelligent than an ordinary villager.
After this explanation, the meaning behind the Black Mage's previous term finally became clear.
"Holy crap, Small Chunks are that brutal?"
"Can God Yu handle this? This sounds pretty bad."
"Maybe he shouldn't rank up and just stay in the Miniature Chunk to play by himself?"
"Resources might be scarce, but at least it's safe. No need to fight mythical creatures!"
"Compared to this, the Twilight Forest feels fine; the bosses there don't look very bright."
"After ranking up, he'll be fighting dragons—creatures that only exist in legends!"
Many viewers shuddered, their faces pale with fear.
No wonder they were called Small Thralls. They had been indignant when they first heard it, but now they understood.
How could ordinary people or contestants compare to mythical creatures?
The Blonde Elder frowned deeply.
"Besides dragons, there are giants, sea leviathans, long-haired monsters..."
From the descriptions alone, it was clear none of them were friendly!
"Is this really the intended difficulty for a large-scale civilization? This is far too troublesome!"
The Blonde Elder even began to wonder if something was wrong with the civilization itself.
The Crisis was already overwhelming enough, but dragons? Mythical magic creatures?
Compared to this, the previous civilizations where one could win just by doing some parkour or hunting were child's play!
The difficulty hadn't just increased; it had skyrocketed!
Vaguely, the Blonde Elder had a sudden realization.
The first few civilizations were just tutorials; the current Chunk Civilization was what the Block World was truly meant to be.
The Blonde Elder was frightened by his own speculation.
If those were just tutorials and so many contestants had already died, how terrifying must the real Block World be?
He didn't dare think further on it.
"There can't be a problem with absolutely no solution. There must be a way to prepare in advance!"
Bringing his focus back to the present, he knew that given the nature of the Block World, it was impossible to be left entirely without recourse or resistance against a fate of enslavement.
A moment later, under the Blonde Elder's expectant gaze...
"Is there any good way to deal with them?"
Galen Yu asked.
He did know Ice and Fire, but the Block World could have its own quirks, so it was safer to ask for more details.
The Wandering Mage paused, looked at Galen Yu, and nodded after a few seconds.
"For you, there is indeed a way, though I've yet to see anyone manage it."
"I once read in an ancient tome that if one can slay a creature called the Ender Dragon before or at the start of ranking up..."
"...they will receive incredible rewards related to those dragons."
"But truthfully, even I don't know what an Ender Dragon is or where it appears, let alone how to defeat it."
The Wandering Mage waved his hand, signaling he couldn't help further.
He had seen Lightning Dragons, Light Dragons, and Wind Dragons—even high-tier ones like Hellfire Dragons and Thunder Dragons.
But the Ender Dragon? He had never even heard of it.
If it hadn't been mentioned in that ancient book, he wouldn't even know such a species existed.
Having a solution that couldn't be implemented was essentially no solution at all.
Outside the screen, the Blonde Elder felt a pang of disappointment.
"So, killing the Ender Dragon grants a blessing?"
Since it was mentioned, it suggested the Ender Dragon's power level probably wasn't that high.
At least it shouldn't be as strong as those Lightning or Fire Dragons—at most, it would be around the same level.
Though it would be difficult, given the number of people in the Alliance, they could probably manage it by throwing enough lives at the problem.
The key was how to find it.
If it couldn't be found, and even the Wandering Mage didn't know its location, then what kind of solution was that?
If it couldn't be found, and even the Wandering Mage didn't know its location, then what kind of solution was that?
The Blonde Elder had no hope for this.
On the contrary, Galen Yu's eyebrows shot up as he felt another wave of pleasant surprise.
"The Ender Dragon? Are you sure that's what needs to be dealt with?"
"It should be correct. These rare dragon species are all extraordinary. Killing or taming one would definitely grant benefits."
"But either way, it's just too difficult for us. Sigh."
Their strength didn't compare, and those dragons were even more stubborn and arrogant than the Black Mage.
How could they be easily tamed like a dog with a couple of bones?
Meanwhile, a smile was beginning to spread uncontrollably across Galen Yu's face.
If it was the Ender Dragon, then things were simple.
Not to brag, but he really didn't think the thing was all that difficult.
Whether it was speedrunning, playing with mods, or just a normal playthrough, almost every Minecraft player's endgame involved this.
The End! The Ender Dragon!
He had been killing the Ender Dragon for years; doing it again would be as easy as breathing.
Plus, he had SlashBlade now, which made killing the Ender Dragon even better.
Besides evolving them, SlashBlades also dropped from boss-level creatures.
And the Ender Dragon was one of those sources!
The blade dropped from it was practically the strongest SlashBlade in the base game!
A SlashBlade, a Dragon Egg, and a buff for entering Ice and Fire later on.
He'd be killing multiple birds with one stone!
'Wait, the blueprint rewarded in the Twilight Forest was for a Dragon Palace. That's also related to dragons.'
He wondered how the Architect was coming along with it. If the building's completion was high...
Could he get even more benefits from the Ender Dragon?
The more he thought about it, the more excited Galen Yu became!
"I suppose you shouldn't be too afraid. Just focus on building up your chunk. Alloy Wargod above, He will protect us."
Thinking Galen Yu was trembling out of fear, the Wandering Mage tried to comfort him.
Waving his hand dismissively, Galen Yu suddenly grinned.
"No, I think you've misunderstood."
"I'm not afraid. I'm just thinking about what to do next."
"And what is it you want to do?"
"Find the Ender Dragon!"
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