I don't want to sound arrogant, but…
There are very few players out there who've spent more time gaming than actually living.
…
Wait.
Is that something to be proud of?
…
Yeah.
Let's just ignore that.
So.
What would a veteran player do next?
If this were a hardcore world…
The first step would be stability.
Something I'm still… nowhere close to achieving.
After that—
A proper progression plan.
Resources
↓
Base
↓
Stability
↓
Tools
↓
Weapons / Armor
I'm not even sure that order is completely right.
But it's good enough.
Which reminds me…
If the mods are actually working…
Then…
Do dimensional portals work too?
That Gatekeeper mod…
It added multiple ways to create portals.
Not just the usual ones.
…
Okay.
One step at a time.
Right now, I urgently need a crafting table.
But getting wood here…
Is a lot harder than it would be in a forest.
I'll need to find a way to reach somewhere farther out.
I'm not great with geography, but…
Is there even a forest near New York?
I hope so.
So…
Let's go.
•
•
•
•
Yeah, I know.
I said a forest.
But…
There was something closer.
I also know how risky this is.
…
But wood is wood, right?
Sorry, Central Park trees.
It's for survival.
I have my reasons.
Traveling far costs money.
Learned that the hard way.
And even going on foot would take forever…
(…a few hours, realistically.)
So…
This was my only option.
No one's going to miss a tree or two, right?
…
Right?
I waited until nightfall.
Doing my best to avoid security cameras.
But in the end…
It didn't really matter that much.
I just needed a few blocks.
And so…
That's how it happened.
Late at night.
With the park technically closed.
The tree thief of New York made his move.
—
I approached one of the trees.
Tall.
Solid.
Probably older than me.
"Sorry…" I muttered.
And threw the first punch.
Tap.
…
Nothing.
"Alright… focus."
Again.
Crack.
A fracture appeared.
"There we go."
I kept going.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Until—
The trunk simply…
Disappeared.
…
And dropped.
Not like normal wood.
But as a single block.
Perfect.
Pixelated.
Unreal.
"Haha…"
Okay.
So it works here too.
Without wasting time, I got to work.
Punch.
Crack.
Another block.
Inventory.
Punch.
Crack.
Another one.
The dull sound of wood breaking echoed quietly through the night.
Each hit faster than the last.
Each block vanishing like it had never existed.
And little by little…
The tree started disappearing.
From the bottom up.
Like someone was erasing it from reality.
…
Until…
Only the top remained.
I looked up.
The leaves swayed slightly in the wind.
Innocent.
Completely unaware of the crime taking place.
…
I paused for a second.
"Well… I already started."
I jumped.
Placed a block.
Climbed.
Repeated.
Until I reached the top.
And then—
Crack.
The last piece of wood disappeared.
…
Silence.
I looked around.
The empty space where the tree used to be felt… wrong.
Out of place.
But at the same time?
Satisfying.
I glanced at my inventory.
Wood.
Plenty of it.
More than enough.
"Mission accomplished."
…
A slow grin spread across my face.
"Yeah… I'm definitely a criminal now."