Bang!
Mark reacted quickly. Sensing the Iron Golem's attack, he immediately blocked with his shield.
The thick, long iron arm slammed into the shield with a heavy thud.
He could feel the immense power of this big guy vibrating back through the shield.
Thanks to the shield mechanics, Mark didn't take any damage this time.
"What kind of guard is this? It just looks intimidating, that's all!"
Having easily blocked the damage, Mark chuckled, feeling nothing but contempt for the Iron Golem.
It couldn't even deal damage with one hit; how powerful could it really be?
"It looks so big, I actually thought it would be strong!"
"Turns out it's just getting spun around like a top by our Mark!"
"Golden sword damage is unbeatable. I bet it'll be dead within five hits!"
"It's made of iron, so it must have a lot of HP. It might tank a few more hits—I'll guess eight hits!"
Seeing how easily it was being handled, the Freedom Nation audience burst into laughter.
Once the Iron Golem was dead, Galen Yu would be next. And then...
All twenty chunk points would belong to the Freedom Nation!
However, the tide of battle can turn in a split second.
While he was still calculating how to take over the chunk, the Iron Golem's heavy fist appeared before Mark's eyes again the next second.
"So fast?"
It was more realistic here, so the shield cooldown was longer, requiring two seconds.
Yet the Iron Golem's attack speed was less than a second. In the blink of an eye, the next strike arrived.
Thump!
When the fist of justice slammed hard into Mark's chest, he was sent flying over a dozen meters into the sky.
A massive sense of weightlessness hit him, triggering an instinctive surge of fear.
"What happened? Help! Save me!"
He frantically called out to his companion for help, but Jett's situation was equally grim.
Realizing Mark had been knocked back, Jett immediately stepped forward with his shield raised.
Slashing the Iron Golem with a golden sword didn't knock it back at all; instead, his own shield became ineffective because he was attacking.
Thump!
The iron fist of justice struck, and he too flew over a dozen meters into the sky before falling.
At least Mark had golden armor and leggings for protection; he only lost six hearts, plus one heart of fall damage.
Jett was only wearing a scavenged leather tunic. The damage reached a full fourteen hearts, plus one heart from the fall.
Only five hearts of health remained!
One more hit and he would be dead for good!
"Something's wrong with this big guy! Run!"
Able to hear his own heartbeat clearly, Jett didn't dare stay a moment longer and scrambled backward.
Mark was in better shape, but having experienced the Iron Golem's power, he also beat a hasty retreat.
Not until they were several blocks away from the chunk did the Iron Golem stop. It stood at the edge, its blood-red eyes watching them, ultimately choosing to fulfill its duty to guard the chunk rather than give chase.
"That was close, I barely made it out alive!"
Having brushed against death, Jett panted heavily.
Only those who had truly experienced it could know how terrifying that moment was!
If he had been even a second slower and the Iron Golem had found an opening for one more punch, he would have died!
"What's wrong with this damn thing? It's clearly made of iron, so why does it hit so hard!"
Clenching his fists, Mark still felt a lingering fear.
Being tossed into the sky so easily was simply horrifying!
Between his own weight and the armor, he weighed at least two or three hundred pounds. How could that thing have such terrifying strength?
Eating a few slices of pumpkin pie to restore health, the two gradually recovered their condition.
But even at full health and status, they looked at each other, neither daring to take a step forward.
It was unclear how much health that big guy had, while they would definitely die if they took one more hit!
Judging by its damage and appearance, the Iron Golem's health was definitely not low either.
Much as they didn't want to admit it, this was the reality.
Their attempt to occupy Galen Yu's chunk while wearing golden equipment had failed!
"Why didn't you kill that big hunk of iron!"
"Mark, you've disappointed us so much!"
"In a two-on-one situation, you almost got killed?"
"Cursed Nine Provinces!"
Not seeing the chunk occupied, the Freedom Nation audience was extremely disappointed.
Could golden equipment really not defeat iron?
"Maybe Nine Provinces warned Galen Yu beforehand; this is a trap!"
Having regained his composure, Mark thought calmly.
"He knew we were coming, so he used all his resources to create a monster like this."
"But it's fine. Based on my observations, it's only powerful in melee and has no ranged capabilities at all!"
Coincidentally, they were the only ones in the world who knew how to craft a ranged weapon!
Turning his gaze to a nearby spider, Mark made up his mind.
"I'll let you off for tonight. Tomorrow, once the bows and arrows are crafted, Nine Provinces' chunk will definitely be ours!"
...
"So the iron guard is actually this powerful?"
Headmaster Quill hadn't expected the Iron Golem to explode with such strength either.
After a brief moment of surprise, he laughed heartily.
Finally, he didn't have to worry about the chunk being occupied!
"I've actually seen this big guy in a village before," Fries mused.
Seeing it was one thing, but feeling that iron fist hit yourself versus hitting a zombie would always feel different.
Only when facing it directly did one realize what kind of monster it really was!
"But Mark will come back. The Iron Golem has no ranged capabilities and is powerless against being worn down by bows."
"The resource zone is good, but it's actually a hot potato."
Frowning, Fries felt both concerned and expectant while thinking.
Having performed miracle after miracle, he was very curious.
What kind of surprise would Galen Yu create for him this time!
Dawn broke.
The Nine Provinces audience was immersed in the joy of Mark's defeat.
Galen Yu woke up groggily from his bed, yawning as he habitually reached for his phone to check the time.
It wasn't until he opened his eyes that he remembered he was in the Block World.
Shaking his head with a chuckle, Galen Yu stood up and washed his face by the water source.
'Today, it's time to move the iron ore over.'
Items are only truly yours once they're harvested into your backpack; leaving them outside always brings the risk of problems.
Taking four gold ingots from his backpack, Galen Yu went to the resource zone.
The gold ingots were mined from the Iron Mountain, the only gold ore in the chunk.
Four weren't many, but they were enough for now.
'Looks like the battle last night was quite intense.'
Upon arriving, Galen Yu saw various drops scattered on the ground.
Fortunately, the Iron Golem showed no signs of cracking, so he casually repaired its health.
The sound of fireworks came as Zane Wu arrived on time at the hopper to pick up blocks.
"You have something that interests me."
Putting away the hopper, Zane Wu was uncontrollably drawn to Galen Yu's side.
Knowing full well what Piglins liked, Galen Yu tossed out a gold ingot.
"Of course, this is for you."
"Excellent."
Picking up the gold ingot from the ground, Zane Wu's eyes were shining.
"You truly are a being of both wisdom and valor, handsome and dashing!"
"In exchange, let me think."
In the game, you could trade with Piglins using gold ingots, and it worked here too!
But seeing the Piglin rummaging through the junk it had just retrieved from the hopper, Galen Yu quickly interrupted.
"Let's skip it this time. I'm more interested in some information."
"Very well, what do you wish to know!"
Information was also a form of trade, and he received a clear confirmation.
Galen Yu asked.
"I want to know where the diamonds are in the resource zone?"
Above iron, diamonds were the most important material. Finding diamonds was necessary to enter the Nether and obtain a Netherite armor set.
Faced with this question, Zane Wu thought for a moment and then shook his head.
"Regrettably, there are no diamonds in the resource zone."