Chapter 88: Flare Server

Minecraft Flare Server – Day 2

On the second day of the Minecraft Flare Server, everyone from the Flare Crew, except for Mollru, participated. Each member established their own base, set personal goals, and played individually.

Rita, taking on the role of overseeing progress, went on a patrol around the area.

“Lia, you’re building a palace?”

“Hmph, of course! I’m a princess, after all.”

“Ah… Sure, I guess.”

Each dot-character in Minecraft had a distinct appearance to help differentiate the players. Lia, a VTuber with a princess concept, had built a palace for herself.

Rita moved between the players, checking on their progress and conducting interviews. Though she enjoyed playing herself when she had free time, for now, she was focused on monitoring the crew.

“Hanyan, you’re going to hunt the Ender Dragon?”

“Yep! I heard it’s the strongest. I already got my diamond set!”

“You’re going to need a raid party for that.”

“Solo is totally doable.”

Hanyan, known for her drawn-out way of speaking, didn’t seem interested in building. It made sense—her usual game choices never included slow-paced sandbox games like Minecraft.

The Ender Dragon, widely considered the final boss of the game, had become her target. She set off on her adventure.

“Where’s Jay?”

“I’m up here!”

“Wait… Where are you talking from?”

“Up here! Look up!”

Hearing a voice from above, Rita lifted her gaze. A faint character stood at the top of an extremely tall structure, a singular tower built straight up into the sky.

Clicking her tongue, Rita frowned at the sight.

“I mean, being unique is great, but just stacking blocks upward isn’t exactly an architectural achievement.”

“It’s a tower.”

“It’s just a vertical column of bricks!”

“I shall stand… in the heavens.”

“Jay? Hello?”

“Mwahahaha!”

Everyone was playing in their own way, following their own interests.

Rita wondered if she had checked in on everyone. Then, she realized—Mollru.

“Hey guys, where’s Mollru?”

[02]
[Underground.]
[??]
[Digging, I guess?]
[Seems like it.]

“Underground?”

Rita looked down at the ground beneath her feet, puzzled.

• Mollru has found 5 diamonds.

A system message popped up in chat, confirming what the viewers had been saying. Mollru was deep underground, mining.

Curious about what exactly she was doing, Rita decided to investigate.

[Is this person a mole? Why won’t they come out?]
[New concept: shut-in miner.]
[Why is she only digging?]
[Maybe looking for diamonds?]
[She already found plenty of diamonds though.]
[Please, see the sunlight at least once…]
[Feels like what my mom used to say to me.]
[Oh no.]
[Mom, I’m sorry…]
[She hasn’t seen the light for three hours…]

Today was the second day of the Minecraft Flare Server.

Yesterday had been a day off for me, meaning I missed the first day when all the other crew members played.

I watched clips from my viewers to catch up on what had happened. Seeing everyone in small groups, setting up their bases, was quite interesting.

Even though this wasn’t a competitive event, I still felt like I had fallen behind.

Some people criticized me for not participating from the start, saying that a new crew member should be more involved.

Others argued that, given my size as a streamer, I could do whatever I wanted.

But that’s not how I saw it.

That kind of attitude leads to division.

I had joined the crew—I should contribute properly.

That’s why I’d been mining underground for hours.

[Are they using a macro?]
[Looks automated.]
[It’s relaxing, though.]
[Too relaxing. I’m getting sleepy.]
[Could you at least talk while mining?]

The reason I was mining for hours was simple.

I had never played Minecraft before.

I’d seen clips of other people playing, but only for a few minutes at a time.

I had no idea how the game actually worked or what features it had.

Rita taught me the basic controls, but I still had a lot to learn.

And someone had told me, “If you don’t know what to do, just start digging.”

Apparently, mining was the best way to naturally learn the mechanics.

The ground held all the answers.

“Oh, another diamond.”

I mined yet another diamond.

Some things in life were simple—diamonds were valuable.

That was all I needed to know.

[Can you leave now?]
[How many diamonds do you even have?]

[Is this just a mining stream now?]
[This is how Minecraft works, though. LOL]
[At least they’re making solid progress.]
[Y’all are overreacting. Minecraft YouTubers literally spend 10 hours straight digging and mining.]
[But is Mollru a Minecraft YouTuber?]
[We were hoping for more interactions and maybe some building instead…]
[Is this person a total shut-in? Why does it feel like they’re avoiding people?]
[They’re definitely an introvert, but not a total outcast. They do interact with people.]
[They’re just kinda weird. Instead of hanging out, they’re just digging alone underground.]
[Bro, stop slandering.]
[You’re locked in your room all day too, aren’t you?]
[Let’s think differently. Why should they go outside? Maybe everyone else should come underground instead.]
[LOL, the smaller streamers should be the ones greeting the big fish, not the other way around.]
[Hey, hey.]
[Stop trying to stir drama.]
[Are we just going to play Eternal War instead?]
[She’s been mining for hours. How would they even find her?]

Mining was surprisingly addictive.

Time flew by as I kept mindlessly digging.

But it was time to finally leave.

I had learned enough about the game’s mechanics, and I was getting used to how things worked. Plus, my viewers were slowly losing their sanity.

I retraced my steps to the entrance and saw a familiar character standing there.

“Rita, hello.”

“Ah, Mollru. How many hours have you been mining? That must’ve been so boring.”

“I actually enjoyed it. It kinda feels like snapping fish heads off anchovies.”

Just like monks beat wooden fish and chant sutras, my mom used to prep anchovies as if she was reaching enlightenment.

I had helped her a few times, and at first, it was frustrating. But over time, it became oddly calming—like I was understanding a deep truth of life.

Mining aimlessly in Minecraft gave me that same feeling.

“If you enjoyed that, you’ll probably like other parts of the game too.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Like building… or farming?”

Farming immediately caught my attention.

I had grown up in the countryside and always loved the peaceful atmosphere there.

After moving to the city, I had often thought that when I retired, I’d want to live a quiet life farming, raising animals, and just enjoying a simpler way of life.

Something like what Rita was doing—riding a horse.

“Wait, there are horses in this game?”

“Yep! You’ll probably see a few wandering around.”

“No way…!”

I could farm and ride horses?

What kind of god-tier game was this?

Excited, I reached out to pet Rita’s horse.

• Neigh!

Instead of petting it, I accidentally punched it.

My character was surprisingly aggressive.

[OMG.]
[Animal abuse??]
[Noted: Mollru hates horses.]

“Ah! Don’t hit it! Now it ran away.”

“I was trying to pet it! Sorry!”

After parting ways with Rita, I consulted my viewers about what I needed to start farming.

“I’ll be logging off early today. Take your time and enjoy yourselves.”

For personal reasons, Rita ended her stream earlier than usual, leaving everyone else on the server.

This was always fun—logging in the next day to see what kind of changes had happened overnight.

Just because Rita logged out didn’t mean the server stopped. Others would continue playing.

What kind of chaos would await tomorrow?

“See you all tomorrow. S’bye.”

[NWBJ]
[O-bye-al~]
[BB]

Rita closed her stream with excitement for the next day.

The next day, when Rita logged into the Flare Server…

“Let’s see how everyone’s been doing.”

First, she visited Lia’s palace.

No one was there.

Next, she checked Jay’s tower.

Also empty.

Finally, she went down into Mollru’s underground tunnels.

Not a single trace of anyone.

“Where is everyone?”

Rita tilted her head in confusion.

Viewers had told her that everyone was still online, so why was the server deserted?

Then, she stumbled upon an unexpected scene.

“Hey, hey! Step back if you’ve spent too much!”

“This has to be rigged! There’s no way! This is a setup!”

“Thanks for the free winnings~ burp~.”

The crew had fallen into a gambling pit.

Next Episode →