Ragequit Chapter 2

Edited by: Priapus, Marethyu

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Finding a natural cave wasn’t really that difficult, nor did it take much of my time. Whenever you first spawn in Terraria, there will almost always be a big hill with a small entrance a few dozen blocks on either side. That entrance will usually lead to a cave, with a couple of chests along the way.

It was relatively easy to spot, even in a 3D world, so after making a few more houses for other townsfolk and saying goodbye to Zack, I began my first-ever adventure and looted two chests while making my way down the cave. There wasn’t much you could find in surface chests, but I did get my hands on a spear — which is way better than my copper shortsword — bombs, ropes, recall potions, lesser HP pots, and a few hundred throwing knives. They’ll have to do as my ranged option for now. They’re more powerful than a wooden bow and standard arrows. I tested them out somewhat and found out that another knife would appear in my hand whenever I threw one at something. 

I’m guessing this is part of the world mechanic thingy that Serika’s letter was talking about? I’m pretty sure it’s related to the inventory, which is exclusive to this world only.

But I digress. I continued exploring, gradually going down the cave and mining all the nearby lead and copper until I finally hit the end. And what do you do when that happens? You start digging until you find another cave underneath the first one, hopefully stumbling on a minecart track.

And let me tell you, while I may not be the most fit guy around, mining is genuinely hard. Even mining one single ore vein forced me to take a break after. The copper pickaxe isn’t heavy, but constantly swinging at something takes a lot out of me.

Fatigue is going to be a bitch to deal with in a world where I have to do everything myself. Not to mention having to drink and eat as well. Because doing that much work makes me feel very thirsty.

Regardless, I push on and do my best, swinging my pickaxe through dirt and stone until I crack open an entrance to another cave, prompting me to take a peek. I huff in exhaustion and wipe the sweat off my brow. I can’t see shit…

With how dark it is down there, I’m forced to throw a torch just to see how deep this goes, eyes widening as I see something blue as the light brushes past it. The torch hits the ground next to a gold vein soon after, prompting me to rope down until I’m at the level of the blue thing I glimpsed.

Unfortunately, I can’t place floating platforms like in the game, as real-life physics wins this time. But because of that, I get an idea, and decide to start using the rope as a pendulum, using my body weight to swing back and forth until I let go of the rope and leap forward, landing next to the blue thing, which now I recognize as sapphires.

“I can’t believe that worked…” I mutter to myself.

Maybe this won’t be as complicated as I thought it would be.

I place a torch next to me and begin mining the precious gems, getting more than enough for a hook. Alright, I'm already off to a good start. A hook this early is huge. I guess exploring the mines first was a good idea.

Before I try to go deeper into the cave, I hear a growl coming from behind, prompting me to flinch in surprise and look around. A simple skeleton is walking my way, menacing red dots glowing in its empty eye sockets.

“Oh shit…” I quickly take out my spear, preparing for my first battle ever. “It’s okay, Marco. Pre-hardmode skeletons are simple. Just keep poking it, and you’ll be fine—”

The skeleton stops abruptly before it suddenly starts throwing bones at me out of nowhere. Its first projectile travels at the speed of sound and hits me square in the forehead, nearly making me black out because, holy shit, it fucking HURTS.

Thankfully, the idiot misses its second shot, giving me enough time to recompose myself and move out of the way of the third bone. I ignore the incredible pain and rush it as my adrenaline plays a massive part in saving my life.

I stab it in the chest with my spear and pin it to the stone wall behind it, but a skeleton isn’t so easy to kill with a simple stab as it tries to claw my eyes out. I feel its cold, dead hand on my face as it manages to scratch my cheek a little, but I avoid any fatal damage by stepping back, switching to my pickaxe, and smashing its head with it.

Where something like this wouldn’t work in the game since a copper pickaxe deals little to no damage, it does put it down for good here as it pierces its skull. The red glow in its eye sockets dies down, prompting me to back up and assess my situation. That was too close. I forgot they could do that…

That means I’m in an expert world, isn’t it?

“Oh, fuck me to tears…” I grunt, my vision darkening as I feel blood seeping from my forehead. 

Fighting the eye is going to suck…

Not wanting to deal with this unimaginably painful headache any longer, I pop an HP potion, feeling the wound close up. I pick up my spear as realization finally dawns on me now that I’ve faced it for the first time. I almost died…

Had that bastard hit me with its second throw, I would’ve actually died there. I mean, I know I’m practically immortal with that respawn perk, but knowing I was this close to dying— knowing I’d die eventually is beyond petrifying.

“Oh my god,” I mutter. “This isn’t a game. I nearly died. I’m going to die. Probably more than once.”

But despite the knowledge of my inevitable demise at the hands of creatures beyond human comprehension, I don’t feel as terrible about myself as I thought I would. I mean, I’m undoubtedly terrified out of my mind, but still…

…I probably shouldn’t be thinking about this. I’m in too deep, anyway.

As I gather my bearings, I continue venturing deeper into the cave, going down the ropes to where I dropped my torch. I mine the patch of gold near it, then pick it back up, not wanting to be wasteful with my resources.

Before I can resume exploring, a fucking bat comes out of nowhere and tries to bite my face off. I react quickly enough and smack it away with my hand, but that’s not enough to get rid of it as it persistently tries to kill me.

“Fuck. Off!” I yell while trying to kill it back by swinging my spear around like a moron, and it responds with a very angry squeak.

This, unfortunately, draws the attention of several other cave bats, and they all attack me at once, landing a few scratches and bites on my face and torso. I try and fail to defend myself properly, quickly deciding to just get the hell out of here and run away.

I don’t make it a few steps before I trip over a rock, falling off the ledge I’m on with a frightened scream. Luckily, there is a big pool of water below me, which, while still painful, isn’t outright lethal as it breaks my fall.

Still shocked and disoriented, I accidentally swallow up some water as I try to swim up and out of the pond for air, choking and coughing it out while rolling on the stone floor. Panting, I take a moment to catch my breath once I realize that the dumbass bats didn’t follow me, rubbing my eyes and face.

I should’ve known they were going to show up eventually. Fucking cave bats, man. All bats in this game are pure, unfettered cancer, especially in the early parts.

Once I’ve recomposed myself, I look around the new area after lighting up a new torch, spotting a structure in the distance. Fucking finally. A break.

I carefully walk toward it, making sure I don’t get ambushed by any other monster or trap. It’s an abandoned cabin filled with cobwebs and pots, which I break for the loot, as well as a golden chest next to a broken piano.

I open the treasure chest, eyes widening as I see a pair of green boots with feathers on their back ends. Holy shit, what is my luck? Hermes Boots on the first chest?

I’m almost tempted to just recall back home and store these. I don’t want to lose them here. But I’m in too deep, and I’m almost sure that it’s nighttime right now. I’d be stuck at home doing nothing until the sun comes up.

I can try to make a hellevator in the meantime, but I mean, why? My only goal here is to kill the eye. Digging down a tunnel to hell would take me ages. It’s a huge commitment with zero payoffs because if I want hellstone gear, I’d have to kill the brain or eater first, which are bosses that are significantly more difficult than the eye.

Sure, they’re easy to cheese, but that’s in the game. Not in real life.

So, instead, I put the boots on and take the other items in the chest: money, more bombs and ropes, a hunter potion, a night owl potion, and then the chest itself. Knowing there’s no reason to save those two potions for anything else, I drink them. At least I won’t be surprised by monsters for a few minutes.

With my clearer vision, thanks to the night owl potion, I catch a glimpse of blue on the opposite side of the cabin. At first, I think it’s another vein of sapphires, but once I get closer, I notice the few glowing mushrooms growing off the muddy walls.

I dig through the mud, knowing what’s waiting for me on the other side, and break into the mushroom biome. This mini plain of glowing blue grass and giant mushrooms is a sight for sore eyes as I see four life crystals together next to a second gold chest, as well as another cabin a little further away.

God, ever since Re-Logic updated this place, it has become one of my favorite biomes.

Unfortunately, despite the treasures here, it’s not entirely safe as several monsters roam around. Unlike the game, though, they don’t immediately target me the moment they come into existence— they need to be aware that I’m here to attack. Meaning sneaking up on them is a thing.

But I’m not counting on it. As long as I take them out one at a time, I should be fine. Spore skeletons can’t throw things, from what I can remember, even in Expert mode. Still, I take a minute to analyze everything and take a deep breath. If I mess up, I will die a painful death.

I slide down a mud slope, switching to my spear and holding it tightly as I approach the first monster quietly. Thankfully, it doesn’t notice me until I plunge the spear deep into the back of its skull, killing it instantly. This alerts some of the other monsters, though, prompting them to approach me with the intent to tear me apart.

The spore bat is the fastest, but unlike the other cave bats, I manage to slash it in half with my shortsword after a few swings, quickly switching to my spear as three other fungus-infested skeletons attack me.

I focus on defense, slowly realizing that being surrounded like this, even by mindless beasts, isn’t good for me at all. Still, I try my best despite my inexperience in combat and shitty position, thrusting at the closest skeleton and aiming at the head.

I land a hit and manage to destroy it, but the spear is lodged into the skull, and I have no time to pull it as the second skeleton swings its arm at me. I let go of said spear and roll out of the way, grimacing as I slowly back away.

Thankfully, I’m not entirely defenseless as I finally start using my throwing knives, flinging them at the undead until I finish them off. Though, unlike the game, where I just have to point and click, aiming these things is fucking difficult, and I end up missing a lot of my shots before I put one of them down for good.

I feel a little more confident now that there’s only one enemy left, not noticing a fifth skeleton coming at me from behind and hitting me in the back of the head, prompting me to fall face-first into the grass.

I roll around with my eyes wide in terror as the skeleton tries to curb-stomp me into the mud, pointlessly shielding myself with my arm knowing damn well I’m gonna die here and lose all my stuff. Thankfully, someone comes to the rescue and throws a bone at the skeleton, knocking it off balance and giving me enough time to get out of the way.

Still a little disoriented and shocked, I try to get away as far as possible, watching as this savior takes care of the two skeletons by himself. Or, well, itself, as it’sjust a hat-wearing skeleton in a red shirt and black pants holding a huge sack on its shoulder.

Unlike the other undead here, it’s intelligent, giving me an acknowledging grunt.

“You’ve got real backbone coming all the way down here, human.” It, or rather, he says with a gruff voice. “You got a death wish or something?”

“Hah…” I can’t help but chuckle to myself. “Fuck, man. I thought I was done for.”

I look at my hands as they shake uncontrollably. I really thought I was going to die just now. Two near-death encounters like that aren’t good for my heart. Or, well, they shouldn’t be.

…So why am I finding this kind of fun?

“That’s all you got to say?” He snorts as he approaches me, offering a hand.

“You’re right, sorry.” I grimace at my painful headache before hesitantly taking said skeletal hand. “Thanks for the help.”

I try to ignore the Skeleton Merchant’s cold and dead touch, resisting a chill going down my spine.

“Heh. What can I say? Can’t have my potential customers dying under my watch.” He says as he helps me up. “Name’s Tom, and I have lots of things you may find useful. For the right price, of course.”

He puts the sack on the ground and opens it up, showing me all the items he has, and admittedly, the only thing that catches my attention is the Wand of Sparking. Even though it’s the weakest magic weapon in the game, I can’t exactly be picky. Getting backups in case I die and drop all my stuff would be smart. Plus, it’s an okay weapon to use against the eye and can even be upgraded.

“How much for the wand?”

“One gold coin, and it’s yours.”

About a fourth of what I have right now. Not too terrible.

“Deal.” I take the coin out of my inventory and trade it for the wand.

“Good choice, my friend.” He says. “Anything else?”

“That’s all I need. Thanks.” I wave, tracing my steps back.

Tom waves back as I pick up my spear off the ground. The wand has a much better range and can set enemies on fire, so the spear has been regulated as my backup. I'm not throwing it out yet, though.

As I move past Tom and approach the life crystals, he speaks up.

“By the by, stay away from those cobweb-filled caverns.” He warns me. “The last thing you want is being eaten organs-first by a group of giant spiders. Trust me on this one.”

I have no intention of doing that. Prehardmode spider caves are useless besides a shitty hook and the stylist NPC, who I don’t need the services of.

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

With that, we part ways as Tom climbs up to where I came from, and I stop right in front of the life crystals. Pulsing heart-shaped red rocks as large as the average man. How the hell am I supposed to pick this up? Do I just touch it? I mean, maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think the Terrarian eats them.

…I don’t want to eat rocks.

Knowing there’s no risk in testing it out, I put my hand on the crystal first. Thankfully, the life crystal reacts, pulsing brighter and brighter as a red glow envelops me for a few seconds. The heart-shaped rock rapidly loses its color, turning dull and gray as I absorb its powers. An electrifying wave of rejuvenation surges through me, and my eyes widen in astonishment as I feel an invigorating energy fill every fiber of my being.

“Woah…”

A blue box with text on it suddenly appears in front of me, making me flinch in surprise.

[Heart Breaker] – Side Mission

Objective 1: Find fifteen Life Crystals and absorb their power. [1/15]

Objective 2: Obtain a Vital Crystal by throwing one in the Shimmer. [0/1]

“Huh.” I blink. “Side missions?”

I mean, I don’t really need an incentive to look for these things. They’re priority as is. Though, I don’t know how they’re supposed to work. Do they just make me more durable? Can I suffer 20% more punishment than the average guy? I mean, my HP is 120 now, as opposed to 100 before I took the crystal’s power.

Assuming that’s how it works, getting all crystals would make me three times more durable than a regular human. That has to be on a superhuman level, right? I shelve those questions for later as I quickly absorb the other three crystals, bringing my HP to 180. This feels fucking great. Wow.

About eleven more crystals to go.

Once I’m done with them, I open the chest that’s near them, finding a magic mirror. I’m not complaining, but I was hoping for a band of regeneration or something.

But as I rummage through the chest a bit more, I grab something wet and sticky, curiously bringing it up to see what it is before almost dropping it back in the chest. A massive eyeball the size of my head stares back at me, making me feel pretty nauseous.

“Christ. I forgot how gross this game can be sometimes.” I mutter to myself. “At least I don’t have to wait for it to spawn naturally.”

With a suspicious looking eye in my inventory, I head toward a second cabin in the distance, go inside it and open my third chest. Thankfully I found something different this time— A cloud in a bottle. Huge. Mobility accessories are always good. I’d have no chance against the eye otherwise.

As I exit the cabin with my new loot, I decide to see how double jumping works before I try using it in serious situations. After my first jump, as I will it, a cluster of clouds abruptly boosts me up a few feet in the air, prompting me to yelp and fall face-first.

“Ough…” I groan, spitting out mud and standing on my feet. “This is going to take some time getting used to…”

Who would’ve thought double jumping in real life is actually hard?

With the glowing mushroom haven plundered of its loot, I keep diving deeper for the next few hours, mining several ore veins of tungsten, lead, and gold, eventually making my way down to lava level where the insufferable heat makes me want to recall back home. This is agony.

To make matters worse, I keep getting jumped by mobs. Skeletons running at me and black slimes hopping my way like I owe them money, followed by a giant snail inside a big purple shell, ever so slowly inching behind them.

The wand proves to be the greatest investment I’ve ever made as, in tandem with the spear, it makes quick work of the skeletons and slimes. The fire damage seems particularly effective against the very flammable slimes, and while I do run out of mana pretty quickly, the spear works very well by keeping the skeletons at bay as they burn to ashes.

But it doesn’t do very well against the snail as it retreats into its shell before launching toward me at the speed of light.

I manage to dodge at the last second, feeling my heart drop to my stomach at the close call. The dumbass snail keeps flying as it passes me, falling into a big pit of lava below us. The pained death screech it makes as it melts honestly makes me feel a little bad.

But it shouldn’t have tried to attack me.

Fortunately, even though I come across more and more monsters, I do stumble on one more life crystal, so that’s 200 HP already, and I’m starting to get used to combat. Or, at least, I think I am. It could be because the wand is doing wonders killing everything here.

Unfortunately, though, I don’t find any other treasure chest. I only find ores and gems, including a ruby, which I can use to make a King Slime summoning item. It’s the boss before the eye, so while it’s not necessary to defeat, it’s an option.

Also, because I get a side quest telling me to do that.

[Slippery Shinobi] - Side Mission

Objective: Defeat King Slime

I don’t know how killing the boss or doing these side missions will benefit me. King Slime barely has any good loot besides the Ninja armor set and its mount. But again, it’s an option. Maybe fighting it will give me much-needed experience in combat. I don’t know. I’m grasping at straws.

I inspect the ruby up close before putting it in my inventory, climbing up a ledge as I continue exploring the caverns, spotting a cluster of ore glowing deep red on the ceiling. 

“A crimson world, huh…” I murmur.

I ignore the Crimtane for now, knowing the only way I can mine it right now is via bombs, which are too dangerous to use in a place like this. So I wipe the sweat off my brows for the umpteenth time and move forward, getting increasingly annoyed by the insufferable heat of the lava fucking everywhere.

As I seriously consider just going back to the surface, I spot a third cabin on the other side of a massive pool of lava. Oh finally. At this layer, there’s a chance I can find a Lava Charm. I don’t know if it blocks the heat from the lava or not, but anything that can help me survive dipping into molten rocks for a few seconds is a must-have.

I grimace slightly, realizing that I’m going to have to build my way there somehow after not finding any other way to the other side. And with lava right below me like this nearly burning my shoes and pants, using wooden platforms would be pretty fucking stupid. I mean, there’s a decent vertical distance. Maybe about fifteen or so feet, but I’m not risking it.

So I use what stone I’ve gathered to bridge over to the other side, noticing something tiny speeding toward me with the intent to kill. It’s another goddamn bat that tries to claw my eyes out, making me lose my balance and slip.

As I fall into the pool of lava below, time feels like it’s slowing down, knowing that there’s no way out of this. Even though I know I’ll just wake up again soon enough, that doesn’t make this any better. I’m about to experience one of the most excruciating ways to die— melting in a pool of lava. There’s nearly no fate worse than this.

At the thought of dying in a very, very painful way, my instincts kick in, and I use the cloud’s second jump, launching me just high enough to hold onto the bridge with my hands. The bastard bat tries to bite my fingers to make me fall as if it’s only attacking me out of spite and evil, but I don’t let go despite it slowly and painfully tearing my hand apart with its sharp teeth and claws.

I manage to ignore the pain for now, struggling to hold on to the bridge with one hand as I grip the Wand of Sparking with the other, waving it around and setting it on fire.

The little fucker squeaks in agony over and over until it quickly dies, which I take immense sadistic pleasure in. Bastard. What the fuck is its problem? It wasn’t acting like an animal hunting for prey. It’s just a fucking asshole.

“Bitch…” I huff angrily and send the wand back to my inventory, using my other hand to support myself better. Getting a glimpse of what’s below me makes me almost flinch and fall out of fear. “Oh god. Don’t panic. Do not panic. Panicking means death.”

To make this situation even worse, the bridge suddenly begins cracking— real-life physics in a video game world rearing its ugly head as the tiny bridge that’s barely connected to the ledge of a much bigger and denser tower of stone is unable to support my weight any longer.

“Nononono— fuck!” I start panicking. “Oh shit oh god oh fuck!”

I look through my inventory to see if I can find anything that can get me out of this situation, pausing for a split second as I spot a particular item. I take out the potion with one hand and open its cork with my teeth, gulping down the light blue liquid just as the bridge collapses.

The scenery instantly changes right before I make contact with the molten pool of rocks— the night’s cool wind replaces the painful heat caused by the lava in the lower parts of the world. Even then, I hiss in agony as my back is singed; a split second of contact is more than enough to turn my skin red.

My panting of exhaustion and hysteria become relieved and joyful laughter as my body trembles out of fear and thrill. A second too late, and I would’ve melted like that snail, no doubt screaming in unimaginable agony. And yet, all I can feel now that I’m safe and sound is how exhilarating that was.

“Oh my god.” I look at my clenched fists, still uncontrollably shivering. “What the fuck is wrong with me?”

I’m very relieved that I’m still alive, yes, but this excitement isn’t normal, right? That’s not how ordinary people react to nearly drowning in lava, right?

“Am I going insane?” I say out loud. “Did I hit my head too hard when I fell down the stairs and lost it?”

This brush with death is making me finally process what’s happening to me since coming to this hellhole. This whole thing about dying and being sent to another world— is all of it just a figment of my imagination? Am I in a coma? Am I in an insane asylum? For fucks’ sake, I was just your ordinary college student just a few hours ago. How the hell did I get here? Is any of this even real?

In the midst of my trying to process and/or rationalize this frankly deranged situation, the door of my house opens, revealing Zack looking at me with a worried frown.

“You’re back.” He says. “Come in. Before the monsters notice you.”

I look at the Guide for a few seconds, wondering if I am going psychotic before deciding to listen to him. Hey, the chances of this being real are just as big as me being schizophrenic.

“Are you alright?” Zack asks as he closes the door behind us.

“Define ‘alright’.” I respond, my trembling having stopped. “Because physically, I’m a little beat up. Did you know lava is actually pretty darn hot?”

“I’m well aware.” He nods knowingly.

Right. His voodoo doll in hell.

“And mentally?”

“Fantastic.” My smile twitches. “I’m just a little hungry, and I need a nap.”

“I thought you’d say that,” Zack replies. “That’s why I hunted a few rabbits while you were off spelunking. Come sit there. I’ll cook something up for you.”

I’d eat anything at this point. 

Any kind of distraction would do wonders for my sanity.

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When I went to bed last night, I thought I’d be struggling for the next few hours, but unexpectedly, I slept like a baby. I guess the exhaustion caught up to me and promptly knocked me out. God knows my body needed it.

So did my mind, really, because while I woke up in dread, I am feeling a lot better now. Granted, I still feel like I’m an escaped asylum patient making trouble somewhere while pretending my life is Terraria now, but I might as well play along. If I’m caught by the authorities, so be it. It’s probably for my own good. If not, then I’ll just continue fucking around and having fun until it’s time to find out.

So, after an hour of prepping for the day— like bathing in the nearby river, eating breakfast, and so on, I decide it was time to work on making my gear. I’ve gathered more than enough materials for armor and better tools. A gold sword, bow, and pickaxe, as well as full tungsten armor.

One might wonder why the hell I’m making tools out of a soft metal like gold, but the gold in Terraria is actually pretty damn strong, and that fact remains true as I can see the stats of items in my inventory. The gold broadsword I made is nearly twice as powerful as the spear I found.

So that’s my melee weapon for now. My ranged options are a gold bow and my Wand of Sparking, which should be good enough for the Eye of Cthulhu. Honestly, the moment I get my hands on ten more life crystals, I should be set. However, there’s also another weapon I want to get.

If I can acquire the crimson biome gun, the Arms Dealer will move in. And the Arms Dealer sells the Minishark. An actual fucking minigun that, with real-life logic combined, should help me shred the eye and turn it into swiss cheese. But doing that is risky because I’m going to have to go into the crimson biome.

I run around the grassy fields to test out the Hermes Boots, immensely pleased as well as a little surprised at the speed. This feels a lot more than just thirty miles per hour. Even better is that I don’t feel tired even after running for more than thirty minutes.

Which is baffling enough as is, but I’m wearing armor made of tungsten. You know, the heaviest natural metal? Then again, it’s not as heavy as you’d think. I mean, I can feel it weighing down on me, but I can handle it relatively fine.

Maybe the life crystals did make me physically stronger, or the tungsten in Terraria is just not as heavy as the one in my previous world.

I slash an approaching slime with my new sword, slicing it in half and killing it instantly. Not as much reach as the spear, damn, is it effective. It is more straightforward to use, too. 

I’ve also taken some time to practice my double jumping, and I think I’ve gotten the hang of it. Sure, I’ve had a few faces full of dirt, but I can stick the landing now. I think I’m more than ready to explore the rest of the surface right now.

“Marco,” Zack calls out to me from a distance. “We have new friends. Come say hi.”

I pause my practice run around the sparse forest, and head back home, spotting two new faces. The first one is that of a somewhat enthusiastic elderly man with a long white beard wearing a brown coat and blue pants. The other is an uninterested blond woman wearing a simple nurse uniform. The Merchant and Nurse, respectively.

“Marco. These are Frank and Amy. Our newest residents.” He introduces them. “Friends, this is Marco Bradley. You can say he’s the mayor of this town.”

“Nice to meet you.” I greet them politely.

“Ah, it’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Bradley,” Frank says, shaking my hand. “I’m but a humble merchant wishing to make a profit. You don’t mind if I set up shop here, yes?”

“Sure. There’s some space over in that building.” I point at the house opposite mine. “Make yourself at home.”

“Thank you, thank you.” He smiles gratefully. “Feel free to drop by if you wish. I have plenty of wares to sell.”

Frank gives me a respectful bow before making his way to his new house. Amy looks at me silently for a few moments before pointing at the house next to Frank’s.

“Anyone lives there?” She asks.

“No,” Zack answers for me. “You can stay there if you’d like.”

“Right. Thanks.” She says, sounding cartoonishly disinterested before walking away.

…Alright. Now that’s three town NPCs, meaning this is officially recognized as a town by the world, meaning mob spawn rate is massively reduced in this area, which is very good. Assuming these things work on game logic, of course.

“…A mayor?” I look at Zack. “Really, dude?”

“You practically are, though.” He argues. “You built all these houses, no?”

…I dunno, I don’t like being called the mayor when I’ll be leaving this world soon anyway. It makes me feel bad.

“I guess.” But I don’t feel like arguing. “Anyway, I’ll be off now. Take care of these two while I’m not here.”

“Naturally.” He nods. “Where are you going, though?”

Where am I going indeed…

Well, I have three options.

One: Invade the crimson and break a crimson heart for a gun, maybe using some of the monsters there as training because a few bigger monsters won’t be worse than those pure evil cave bats. Plus, I have a lot of good weapons now, so I feel very confident in myself. Then again, smashing a crimson heart will allow the goblins to possibly invade our town.

Two: Go back to the caves and try to max out my life crystals. This is the safest option because I’ll go down there knowing better. And again, with my better tools, traversing the caves will be a lot easier, especially with the gold pickaxe being maybe three times faster than the copper one. I can cover way more ground much faster that way.

Or three: Test my luck in the underground jungle instead. It’s the most dangerous out of these options, but the things I can get from it are the best out of all my options. Caves, meaning possibly a lot of life crystals, and the jungle cave loot table includes a goddamn shotgun.

It’s most dangerous because its mobs are on an entirely different level. Giant hornets, man-eating plants, poisonous slimes, and, if I mess up extra bad, a bee the size of a fucking bus, which I’m DEFINITELY not ready for.

But assuming I try to get adventurous, I might be able to get my hands on enough materials to create either great magic gear in the form of jungle armor or a Blade of Grass, which I believe is the best pre-boss melee weapon in the game. If I make that, I might try my hand at the brain and see if I can get post-eye gear before fighting the eye.

And if I could take my stuff with me to the next world, I’d be extra prepared. Assuming I don’t end up in a world that’s even more fucked up than Terraria. But what are the odds of that, really?

Should I continue to test my luck? I don’t want to get arrogant and lose all my gear. But I also really want to get my hands on stronger weapons to use against the Eye of Cthulhu…

I have to weigh my options and choose carefully. Regardless of what I do, the last thing I want is to regret my choices.

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Fun fact: I actually made a new Terraria world and used what I did in it as a reference for this chapter. It helped massively.

I've also spun a wheel to see if I should kill him off or not since you took the riskier option, so here's a little warning for future decisions. I don't always choose when he dies. I leave it to luck. And the more risky options you take in a row, the chances of death rise significantly, so it's always wise to pick the safe option every once in a while.