Greetings.
I am a man in a suit who has fallen into the world of Minecraft.
Last time, I improved the village, changed into diamond gear, and even had a Nether portal frame in sight.
So, the Nether should be next.
…or so I thought.
Before that, I wanted to look underground a little more.
There was obsidian to think about, and I still needed to prepare for whatever came after.
So I went down into the caves with a rather light heart.

I did not expect to reach a place like this.
This time, I ended up in an Ancient City, met the Warden, and made a very poor decision.
Let me say this first.
The suited man got carried away.
The Underground Was More Beautiful Than I Expected
When I first went down, the underground scenery was already impressive.
I expected only dark stone, but there was water, greenery, and even soft light.

This must be a lush cave.
Even underground, it felt a little bright.
That alone made me feel calmer.
Still, this is a cave.
If I relax too much, something may come from anywhere.
I went farther in, and then the scenery changed again.
Sharp stones were hanging from above and rising from below.

Oh.
This floor looks frightening.
There are sharp stones above and below, and I do not want to imagine what happens if I fall in the wrong place.
After that came a purple space.

Amethyst.
It is beautiful.
I did not know Minecraft’s underground could have this many different faces.
When I mined diamond ore in the mineshaft, the underground was scary too.
But this was a different kind of scary.
Beautiful.
Deep.
And slowly getting darker.
This Does Not Look Like a Normal Cave
As I kept going, the atmosphere changed.
The air felt heavy.
The floor and walls were dark, with blue-black blocks spreading around me.

Hm…?
This is not an ordinary cave.
There is something like a building in the distance.
A building, inside a cave.
That alone is enough to make me nervous.
When I came closer, I saw a large structure.

It seems to be an Ancient City.
Even the name sounds frightening.
Ancient.
City.
This does not feel like a place an old man in a suit should wander into lightly.
The floor was covered with something called sculk.

It is dark, blue, and almost looks alive.
Nearby, there were blocks that looked as if they might react to sound.
Maybe this is a place where one should walk quietly.
Quietly.
Can I do that?
…I am not confident.
Echo Shards in an Ancient City Chest
Even though the place was frightening, there were chests in the Ancient City.
If there is a chest, I want to look inside.
That curiosity is usually where the danger begins.

Inside, I found an item I had not seen before.
Echo Shard.
That is a very cool name.
I still do not fully understand how to use it.
There were other useful things in the chest as well.
I am grateful.
But staying here too long did not seem wise.
Later, I checked Minecraft Wiki and learned that Ancient Cities are large structures related to the Deep Dark, the Warden, and sculk blocks.
The pages I looked at were Ancient City, Warden, Sculk Shrieker, and Echo Shard.
After reading them, I had one thought.
I should have read them first.
I Met the Warden
And then it appeared.
The Warden.

Huge.
Dark.
Terrifying.
This is not like the zombies or spiders I have met before.
Everything about it says, "Do not fight this."
But I was wearing diamond gear.
I had a sword in my hand.
And for just a moment, I thought:
"Maybe I can do this?"
No.
I could not.

Too close.
Far too close.
The Warden filled the screen.
This was the moment when I should have run away.
But the suited man still did not understand.
Maybe I could survive one hit.
That was what I thought.
And then…

You Died!
Yes.
I died.
The Warden’s attack ended things almost immediately.
Thinking that diamond gear would make me safe was far too optimistic.
This is not something I should fight head-on.
At least, not as I am now.
That was reckless.
Somehow, I Made It Back to the Village
Still, this episode did not end there.
I was defeated, but I managed to return and recover my items.
The Echo Shards came back with me too.

I made it back.
I am very glad.
Really, very glad.
The Ancient City was an incredible place.
A lush cave, dripstone, amethyst.
Then suddenly, the Deep Dark and the Ancient City.
And the Warden.
The underground is too wide.
And too frightening.
Still, I managed to bring back something new: Echo Shards.
Next time, I want to prepare more carefully before going anywhere dangerous again.
Will I go to the Nether?
Will I return underground?
Whichever it is, I learned one lesson this time.
Do not walk up to the Warden with a casual heart.
That is all for this time.
Greetings.