Although Ryuji's motivations might seem a little unusual, for him, this was all completely normal.
Back in university, he once considered converting to Catholicism just to impress a girl—so, getting a bit serious over something that involved his life and safety? Perfectly reasonable.
Besides, as someone with plenty of experience under his belt, he had become quite adept at dealing with girls.
For example, a girl like Toph required a proper, serious attitude—but also needed a bit of charm and fun.
Elsa, on the other hand, needed someone who could empathize with her and share similar experiences. Otherwise, it would be hard for her to truly open her heart.
So, after chatting with Elsa for a while, Ryuji went to sleep. Nothing unusual happened that night—no zombies or skeletons knocking on the door. Just peaceful silence.
When morning came, he didn't rush off to do anything drastic. He hadn't summoned the 7 Days to Die merchant yet—he planned to do that in the Food Wars world. That way, Erina's ingredient supply would be secure.
Saving energy and preserving world power was always a good idea.
Besides, he still had plenty of food—mostly vacuum-sealed and from the Food Wars world. Not ideal, but it would do in a pinch.
Most importantly, this world had its own ways of producing food.
Back when he used to play Minecraft, his favorite thing to do was farming. Filling his fields with wheat gave him an immense sense of satisfaction.
That—alongside building—was his main source of joy in the game.
Combat? Meh. Minecraft's combat system was so simplistic, it barely held his interest.
"I think apples and tree saplings drop from breaking leaves? And wheat seeds come from grass, right?"
Ryuji stepped out of the door, dazedly looking around.
He was the first one awake—thanks to some, er, discomfort down below. Elsa and Toph were still sound asleep. Toph, especially, looked nothing like a proper lady—sprawled out like she was wrestling someone in her dreams.
Elsa, in contrast, looked every bit the elegant princess. She lay gracefully on the steps, sunlight shining down on her in a way that made her look ethereal. He couldn't help snapping a photo.
His phone didn't have many pictures—just some of Erina, Ikumi, and a few other girls he had met. Aside from Tsunade and a few others who left before he got his phone back, he had saved photos of nearly all the girls he encountered.
Still, Elsa's was by far the most wholesome.
After washing his face at a nearby pond, Ryuji stared curiously at the water. It hadn't gone down at all. Minecraft water was infinite—you could duplicate it with just a bucket and a clever setup.
Lava too, actually. In this world, all flowing substances seemed to follow the same rules. Fascinating.
He looked at the pixelated water and hesitated. It looked like water... but he still didn't have the guts to drink it.
Then a bizarre thought popped into his head.
"Wait... is the oxygen in this world square-shaped too?"
He actually wouldn't be surprised. After all, the sun and the bubbles were blocky. Why not oxygen?
"Whatever. Let's give it a try."
He took a deep breath. If anything went wrong, he'd just summon the 7 Days to Die merchant and buy a medkit.
Scooping up some water, he brought it to his lips and drank.
He felt the sensation of drinking. His thirst vanished. But...
"There's no taste!"
His tongue didn't register any texture. His throat didn't feel anything sliding down. The moment he brought the water to his mouth—it vanished.
He didn't even remember what it tasted like. Just that he had drunk it.
Strangely enough, his lips were no longer dry. His fatigue faded, and the thirst was gone.
It was like he had drunk water—but also hadn't?
"This feels weird…"
Ryuji moved his body around—no odd symptoms. Then he used his Life Return technique to try and spit the water out—but nothing came.
Yet somehow, the water content in his body had increased. His blood felt less viscous. A definite effect.
"What a strange sensation… Is this like the conceptual medicines from 7 Days to Die? Then maybe the food here works the same way. Instead of actual digestion, nutrients are just... applied instantly."
He looked up at the square-shaped sun, shook his head, and muttered:
"Never mind. Every world has its quirks."
He pulled out his iron axe—crafted from iron ore he had mined while hollowing out his home. He also had an iron pickaxe, but hadn't tried making anything else yet.
Looking at the dense forest in front of his house, he muttered the old Minecraft saying:
"Want to get rich? Start punching trees…"
But this wasn't just for resources. He needed wood for floors and support beams—even if blocks could float, he preferred real pillars. It was safer, and looked better too.
Plus, clearing out trees improved visibility. If monsters attacked, he'd be able to see them coming.
So, he swung his axe and began chopping.
The iron axe was fast, but Minecraft's mechanics meant each log had to be chopped individually. It took six swings to fell a large tree.
One by one, the trees fell. Leaves disintegrated, dropping item-like icons on the ground—saplings and apples.
Ryuji tried an apple and found it was just like the water.
The moment it touched his mouth, it disappeared. A thought appeared in his mind: I've eaten an apple. And he could feel the nutrients absorbing instantly.
After a few apples, his hunger bar was full. He could feel his injuries from using the Blood Qi technique rapidly healing—much faster than usual.
And unlike using Life Return or Blood Qi recovery—which drained energy and aged his cells—this healing was like the 7 Days to Die medkits: conceptual, non-damaging restoration.
Which meant, if he stayed in this world indefinitely, he could potentially live forever. No aging—unless he died from an accident.
Old folks who lived here long enough might even regain their youth.
The only catch was that health regeneration consumed hunger. He didn't know if there were potions or other methods for healing. He wasn't that familiar with Minecraft mechanics.
Still, maintaining hunger was easy!
That realization lit a fire in him. Blood Qi surged through his veins as he began cultivating while chopping trees—healing himself and refining his energy at the same time.
Of course, this meant munching on apples regularly to stay full.
But after over three hours of tree-chopping, he was mentally exhausted.
"Now I understand the true meaning of being a 'lumberjack family man.'"
He shook his head with a wry smile.
Physically, he wasn't tired—thanks to the food. But mentally, the monotony had worn him out. The unchanging scenery made him feel lonely.
Back in the 7 Days to Die world, there were people. Here? If not for the accident that brought Toph and Elsa to him, he might have gone crazy from solitude.
"Enough thinking."
He stopped training and carried his stone axe he had made temporarily and toward the base.
Elsa had already woken up. Elsa had stepped outside and was scanning the area. Thanks to all the trees he'd cleared, she quickly spotted Ryuji and waved cheerfully, running up to him.
"Mr. Ryuji, where were you? You look exhausted."
Her voice held genuine concern. After last night—when Ryuji hadn't made any untoward moves despite having the opportunity—her opinion of him had improved greatly.
"I was out chopping trees. Gathering food. Want to try something?"
He took out an apple. While in his hand, it appeared normal—but the moment he let go, it reverted to a floating item icon. He was curious what would happen if he fed it to Elsa or handed it to her directly.
Elsa hesitated at first but nodded firmly.
"Okay."
She reached for the apple—but like with the floating icons, her hand passed right through it.
She stared at her hand, unsure whether to feel sad or relieved.
"Looks like it doesn't work. But it's not a huge loss—it doesn't really taste like anything anyway. Watch—it disappears the moment I eat it."
Ryuji popped the apple in his mouth. It vanished.
Then he put some of the logs into a storage chest and placed the collected seeds into another.
"That's… fascinating," Elsa said. She was clearly intrigued by this world's oddities and watched in awe.
Unfortunately, she still couldn't touch anything.
"You must be hungry. Hold on—I'll cook something."
Without saying more, he began preparing a meal.
Elsa, being royalty, obviously couldn't cook. That part didn't even surprise him.
"I'm sorry…" she said, following him quietly as he took out a pot and conjured magical fire.
The wood in this world wouldn't burn properly. Even the stove's fire gave no heat—so Ryuji had to use his own magic flame to cook.
He made a corn-and-meat stew—something Erina had taught him. The ingredients came from the 7 Days to Die world, and thanks to this world's rules, none of the food ever spoiled. It was all still fresh.
The delicious smell filled the cave—and woke someone else.
Toph—fully grown but tragically flat-chested—came stumbling out while scratching her chest and armpits, yawning loudly.
She walked straight over, plopped down cross-legged on the floor very unlike Elsa's ladylike posture, and shouted:
"Ryuji! Food! How much longer? I'm starving!"
Her confidence nearly made Ryuji snuff out his flame in disbelief. How could she be so brazen?
Sure, Elsa couldn't help much, but at least she kept him company while he cooked. This flat one… slept all the way through and now demanded food?
Just as he was about to snap back, Toph turned to Elsa and asked seriously:
"Hey, Elsa, I wanted to ask you something."
"Yes, Miss Toph? What is it?"
Elsa tilted her head, puzzled.
Toph didn't hold back at all.
"What did it taste like? That stuff you gagged on before. Was it bad? Fishy? Did it taste like pee?"
Elsa's face turned bright red. Her jaw dropped as she stared at Toph, stunned. She already knew Toph was bold and rough—but this question was still way too much—
She was a little taken aback!
"Miss Toph! How—how can you ask a question like that?!"
That question immediately sent a chill through Elsa's nearby aura.
"Don't want to talk about it? That's fine."
But Toph didn't care at all. Instead, she casually slapped Ryuji's leg—and without hesitation, gave it a playful squeeze.
"Ryuji, let me have a taste later!"
Ryuji: "..."