Chapter 25: Skeleton Spawner

After Chen Fan used the land deed, a white light enveloped the designated area. Through the glass window, he could faintly see tiny sprouts emerging from the soil.

"Looks like I'll have to go out tonight and properly deal with those skeletons," Chen Fan said, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth, his eyes glinting with excitement.

Entering the wooden cabin, he took all the ore out of the four furnaces. Combined with the ores collected by Yang Keli and Rem, he had smelted a total of 36 iron ingots and 30 copper ingots. He placed the less important items in the chest on the first floor and stored the valuable redstone dust, lapis lazuli, and other such materials on the second floor.

He then stepped up to the crafting table, arranging the iron ingots to craft a set of iron armor. After finishing, he realized he had extra ingots, so he crafted an additional iron helmet and iron boots. He kept the remaining 5 iron ingots on his person, planning to craft an iron pickaxe the next time he went mining. After all, iron ingots were still a scarce resource, and it was best to be frugal. For now, he could only scrape together two sets of iron gear to protect himself and Yang Keli. As for Rem and the others, they would have to wait until he had more iron to craft their equipment.

After giving one set of iron gear to Yang Keli, Chen Fan opened his operation panel and dragged the iron helmet and boots into his equipment slots, instantly raising his defense value to 15.

"Not bad, I feel completely secure now!"

With all preparations made, Chen Fan led Yang Keli and the others out of the cabin. As soon as they stepped outside, a gloomy chill washed over them, and the wind carried the roars of monsters. They gripped their iron swords in one hand and iron shields in the other, scanning their surroundings with vigilance.

Not far away, several zombies were dragging their heavy feet as they slowly closed in, reeking of decay, their arms raised as they ambled toward them.

Chen Fan whispered to Yang Keli and the others, "Begin the hunt. Choose your targets."

"Understood!"
"Yes, Master!" Rem and Ram responded in unison.

With that, Chen Fan charged forward first. His diamond sword cut a cold arc through the air, striking the head of the lead zombie with precision and knocking it back.

Health: 12/40

In Minecraft, a diamond sword deals 7 damage, but here, the damage reached 14. Combined with the bonus from Chen Fan's title, it dealt double damage—a total of 28 points. Before the zombie could recover, he swung his sword again, finishing it off cleanly.

Yang Keli and the others were not to be outdone; they each picked a zombie to engage. The commotion soon attracted a number of other zombies and skeletons.

Meanwhile, several Creepers in the forest were also closing in on them, moving slowly on their four short legs. After finishing off the zombies, Chen Fan had barely caught his breath when he heard the distinct "clack-clack-clack" of bowstrings being drawn.

"Skeletons!"

He looked toward the source of the sound and saw several skeletons standing on a small hill not far away, their white skeletons standing out sharply against the darkness as they fired arrows toward them.

Seeing this, Chen Fan immediately raised his iron shield to block, the arrows thudding against the metal. As soon as the volley ceased, he rushed forward, slashed at a skeleton, and quickly raised his shield again. After the next volley, he swung his diamond sword once more, and with a "crack," the skeleton vanished into white mist.

On the ground lay a bone, two arrows, some experience, and a single gold coin. Just as Chen Fan was feeling pleased, a "hissing" sound reached his ears. His heart skipped a beat. "Oh no—Creepers!"

Several Creepers were closing in rapidly. One was already quite close, its body beginning to swell as it emitted a flickering white light. Chen Fan immediately raised his shield and retreated quickly. With a loud "boom," the explosion went off, taking several nearby skeletons with it. A large crater appeared in the ground, along with two bones and three arrows. Fortunately, Chen Fan had kept a safe distance and avoided significant damage.

"That was close!"

The most annoying thing about Creepers was how they would suddenly appear behind you and explode while you were busy working. Just thinking about it made his scalp tingle. Chen Fan looked at the crater, his obsessive-compulsive tendencies flaring up—he desperately wanted to fill it in immediately, but the other three Creepers were already nearly upon him.

Seeing the three Creepers closing in, he took a deep breath, suppressing the urge. He rushed forward; the first Creeper stopped, its body glowing white as the "hissing" sound began. Chen Fan struck it with his sword and retreated. At that moment, another Creeper lunged from the side; he lunged forward, slashing his diamond sword horizontally and knocking it back.

Repeating this process, he easily dispatched the three Creepers. Chen Fan collected the three units of gunpowder and looked around, searching for any remaining skeletons. He saw that the monsters nearby had all been wiped out by the four of them; not a single one remained in sight.

Yang Keli, Rem, and Ram finished their respective battles and gathered around him.

"Is everyone alright?" Chen Fan asked with concern.

"We're fine, though those Creepers are really annoying," Yang Keli replied, panting, her forehead beaded with sweat.

Ram nodded slightly. "Master, what shall we do next?"

Chen Fan checked the time and saw it was still early. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Let's head deeper into the forest. There will be more monsters spawning there, but the rewards should be much greater. Everyone, stay alert."

They all agreed and carefully ventured deeper into the woods. Along the way, they took down quite a few zombies and skeletons. As they walked, a natural cave suddenly appeared before them. A pungent, rotting odor wafted from the entrance, accompanied by the faint, rhythmic sound of skeletons.

"Keli, why do I have a feeling there might be a mob spawner down there?" Chen Fan gripped his diamond sword, his eyes showing a mix of excitement and caution.

Yang Keli shook her head. "I doubt it. You shouldn't find something like that at this depth."

"Not necessarily," Chen Fan said excitedly. "The rules of this world are a bit different from Minecraft. There might just be one. Let's go in and take a look."

Yang Keli shrugged, indifferent, and the same went for Rem and Ram. They slowly approached the cave entrance. After moving a short distance inside, they heard the rhythmic "clack-clack" of skeletons.

Chen Fan whispered, his voice tinged with excitement, "There really is a spawner, and it's a skeleton spawner."

He knew that a spawner would continuously produce monsters and that there would likely be one or two treasure chests nearby. Furthermore, with this spawner, he would never have to worry about running out of bones and arrows again.

At that moment, several newly spawned skeletons spotted them and began drawing their bows.

"Take out these skeletons first, then we'll seal it off," Chen Fan shouted, raising his iron shield and charging into the group of skeletons. The group worked in tight coordination; Chen Fan drew fire from the front while waiting for opportunities to counterattack, and Yang Keli and the others attacked from the sides, avoiding being pinned down by the skeletons' arrows.

After a fierce battle, they successfully wiped out the wave of skeletons, but new ones were already spilling out from the spawner.