I immediately started digging upward to see what would happen next. After several hours of hard work, I reached the deepslate layer. This confirmed what I had suspected.
It looked like reaching the surface was going to take quite a while—probably around two days.
Turns out I was way off. Even after being stuck in the deepslate layer for five days, I still hadn't broken through.
Finally, on the tenth day, I managed to escape the deepslate zone.
Reaching the surface completely took exactly twenty days. I spent around five of those resting in a shelter and chatting with Ahmet.
Of course, the idea of using a recall potion to instantly reach the surface had crossed my mind—but I didn't. After all, I was gathering resources and loot on the way up, so there wasn't much need to rush.
And even though fighting monsters was ridiculously difficult, it was a pretty good learning experience. At least now, I knew a few tricks when it came to combat. These little tricks were just waiting for the right moment to catch unlucky enemies off guard.
For example, a yo-yo crafted with TNT and a Hook reinforced with a shield, giving it the ability to block damage.
They weren't overpowered or anything, but if used at the right time, they could easily turn the tide of a fight.
After finally reaching the surface, I returned to the shelter and relaxed for a bit. My next plan was to head to the End and take down the dragon.
---
While I was asleep in the shelter, Ahmet gently nudged me awake.
Ahmet: "I keep wondering whether I should ask or not, but… why do you sleep so much? I've seen you sleeping every time for the past five days."
"Hasn't it been like twenty days?"
Ahmet: "What?"
Spending so much time underground might've messed with my perception of time—but not this much. Only one possibility remained.
"Do you have anything I could use as a stopwatch? I suspect there might be a time difference between the Nether and this dimension."
Without hesitation, Ahmet handed me his phone. I started the stopwatch.
Ahmet: "You go in. I'll count the seconds here."
With his phone in hand, I entered the Nether and waited. I stayed there for a full thirty minutes.
When I returned, I heard Ahmet still counting.
"46... 47... 48…"
He stopped counting when he saw me.
Ahmet: "You're back already? You've only been gone for about a minute."
"Interesting. Wanna visit my personal hell?"
I handed him the phone, and after checking how much time had actually passed, he said he wanted to see it. So, I took him there.
Later, we used a teleportation crystal inside a small shelter I'd built in the Nether and warped back to the surface. Ahmet and I sat down on a log and admired the scenery. After a while, he asked a very reasonable question.
Ahmet: "Why didn't we just use the teleport crystal from the main shelter?"
"Well… I just thought this way would look cooler."
Ahmet smiled and nodded. We watched the stars together in silence until I spoke again.
"Since you got here, it feels like you're a player on a server I moderate. Like, I could just ban you if I wanted. Do you feel something like that too?"
Ahmet: "Along with a weird sense of weakness, I also feel like I've gained access to some of your powers. Technically, I have two separate inventories now. And even if I don't have access to the save point, I can still revive using your ability."
"Not bad. So, how about helping me fight the Ender Dragon? After that, we can look for Elytras together."
I nudged him lightly, waiting for an answer. He simply smiled and nodded.
Ahmet: "Sounds good. Count me in—let's go."
"Easy there. First, I need to find the End portal, and that might take a while."
Ahmet: "The early bird gets the worm. Let's get moving!"
Ahmet stood up, picked up a piece of wood from the ground, and shaped it into a makeshift wooden dagger. As he swung it through the air like he was fighting someone, he said, "Let's take that dragon's head!"
Then, grabbing me by the shoulder, he pulled me to my feet. I didn't resist. In fact, I had just come up with a fun idea.
While handing him some dragon eyes and a few items, I explained my plan.
"How about a little competition? First one to kill the dragon wins. To keep things fair, I'll leave behind all the gear that gives me an unfair advantage."
Ahmet: "What's the wager?"
"The winner gets the dragon egg."
Ahmet: "Let's go!!"
"Hold on a second. I need to drop off my gear at the shelter."
Ahmet: "Alright, I'll wait here."
Except that was a lie. When I got back, he was already gone.
But I couldn't blame him—after all, he was still far less experienced in this world than I was.