Chapter 4

Chapter 4 P.E.: IT STANDS FOR PIGLIN EDUCATION! HONEST, GO LOOK IT UP. I'LL WAIT. Morgan needed answers, and Theo was his best chance to get them. "What just happened, Theo?" he asked. "And how do we stop it from happening again?" "I—I don't know," Theo stammered. "But you're the team programmer," said Morgan. "You understand computers better than any of us." "I still have a lot to learn," said Theo. He waved his headset around. "These are the highest of high tech. Even Doc doesn't understand how they work, and she created them!" "It's all right that you don't have answers, Theo," said Harper. She placed a steadying hand on his

shoulder. "But if you have any theories, now is the time to share them." Theo ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, as you all know, I've been keeping an eye on the game's code. Ever since the Evoker King transformed, there's been a hole in that code." "Right," said Po. "That's why we're trying to put the guy back together again. We're hoping that will fix the hole." "In the meantime, the hole is getting worse," said Theo. "It's getting bigger, and it's starting to warp other lines of code. It's like the whole game is mutating." He shrugged. "So my theory is that the Netherite Golem is somehow able to use that to its advantage. The game is

changing, and the golem has some power over how it's changing. The golem is like a modder who's able to alter the code in real time… from the inside." "Then let's hope the golem doesn't cheat when it's testing us," said Harper. Po groaned. "Why does it have to be a test?" he asked. "Hey, if it's a test… then we can study for it," said Morgan. He grinned. "Which means I've got some research to do." The next day, during gym class, everyone was given free time to practice for their upcoming Field Day event. Harper and Theo ran the track, Po shot hoops, and Jodi worked on her throwing skills. Morgan was stuck on the bleachers. But that suited him fine. He had a lot of Minecraft reading to catch up on. The previous night, Morgan had loaded up his tablet with information about the Nether. He was determined to prepare for the golem's test. And he wasn't sure that he would be ready in time.

Morgan had only been to the Nether a handful of times since it had been updated with new biomes. Once, while playing alone at home, he'd gotten hopelessly lost. Another time, he'd been surprised by a blaze and knocked off a high perch, and he fell to his doom. Of course, when you ran out of health in a normal game of Minecraft, you respawned. But that time, Morgan had lost all of his best equipment in the Nether. He hadn't gone back since. And now he had no choice. And he had no idea what would happen if he ran out of health in the strange version of Minecraft that the Evoker Spawn called home. "Skipping gym? I don't blame you," said a voice. Morgan looked up and saw Mr. Mallory, the media specialist. "Most days, I would rather read than play sports."

Morgan lifted his injured foot. "It isn't up to me," he said. "I'm supposed to stay off my foot. I hurt it when I was climbing a tree over the weekend." He thought about that for a second. "Actually, the climbing part didn't hurt. It was falling out of the tree that caused the problem." Mr. Mallory winced. "And that's exactly why I prefer books." He peeked at the screen of Morgan's tablet. "Although that book might give me nightmares. Is that a pig-man?" "A piglin," Morgan answered. "They're from Minecraft." "I thought so," said Mr. Mallory. "You take that game very seriously, don't you?" Morgan shrugged. "I'm part of a team," he said.

"My teammates count on me to know everything about the game."