In the deepest parts of the Nether, where lava bubbled and the air was thick with heat, the Piglins ruled. Among them, there was one law that mattered above all: gold was life. It wasn’t just a shiny metal to them—it was their soul’s desire, their sacred treasure.
Grubnok, a young Piglin brute, had always been taught that gold was power. His father, an elder warrior, once told him, “Gold brings us strength, but it also binds us. We crave it, we need it—but beware, Grubnok, too much greed can blind.”
One day, while patrolling the edges of their bastion, Grubnok saw something glinting in the distance—a block of gold, larger than any he’d ever seen, sitting abandoned near the edge of a crumbling Nether fortress. His heart raced. Without thinking, he sprinted toward it, eyes wide with hunger. The closer he got, the stronger the pull. It was more than just desire—it was as if the gold was calling him.
“Mine,” Grubnok whispered, reaching out with trembling hands.
But as his fingers brushed the block, he felt the ground tremble. From the shadows of the fortress emerged a wither skeleton, its glowing eyes fixed on the gold. Grubnok growled, readying his axe, but something strange happened—the skeleton didn’t attack. Instead, it raised a bony hand and pointed at the gold.
“It’s a trap,” a voice echoed in Grubnok’s mind. But the golden gleam was too strong. He ignored the warning.
With a mighty swing of his axe, Grubnok fought off the wither skeleton and claimed the block. He heaved it onto his shoulder, feeling its weight and warmth. Victory. Pride surged through him as he returned to the bastion, eager to show the others.
But something was wrong. As Grubnok passed through the gate, the other Piglins didn’t cheer. They stared. Their eyes, usually full of respect for such a prize, were filled with fear.
“Grubnok,” one of the elders spoke in a low voice, “you’ve taken cursed gold.”
Confused, Grubnok looked down at the block. It still shimmered, but there was something dark within it—a faint, pulsing glow. He had been blinded by his own greed, unable to see the curse that lay upon the treasure.
“The gold… it’s still mine,” Grubnok growled. But even as he spoke, his hands began to shake, the block growing heavier and colder.
As the curse took hold, Grubnok understood his father’s warning. The love of gold could give power, but if unchecked, it would consume him. Still, he couldn’t let it go. The golden hunger was too strong.
And so, deep within the Nether, Grubnok became a guardian of the cursed gold, forever bound to the treasure he had so desired, his once proud form now twisted and shadowed, a warning to all who came too close: Gold may be sweet, but greed is deadly.