Chapter 26: Mining Node (3)
"Might come in handy at a different mining node, not here," Blake said aloud, eyeing the cluster of ores before him.
As the game system noted, Blake and his team had been mining for three hours. He was sweating profusely, occasionally taking breaks to let his stamina recover. Meanwhile, Beatrix worked like a machine. Though her body was steel, her spirit was undeniably human; she often came over to show Blake her haul and brag about her progress. She'd even been the first to get the Miner title.
Because there were so many resources here, they had hardly ventured deeper into the mining node. Blake had even called out a few times, hoping a monster—or anything at all—would appear from the darkness. So far, nothing had.
"It feels like we're here just to test our patience," he muttered.
Although he had already split resources with Vargar and still possessed plenty back at the smithy, Blake wanted to gather as much as possible while he had this private smithy to himself. Once he left the tutorial zone, having his own workspace would be expensive unless he built one from scratch.
He planned to craft as many tools and items as he could to improve his life. Even if he couldn't permanently enchant them, he could still mass-produce equipment using the Volcanic Mold. Maybe luck would allow him to craft something on par with Pride's Shackle again.
Just then, Sol slid off his head.
Blake caught him and placed him back. "No eating," he said sternly.
Sol whined in disappointment.
–
With both his and Beatrix's inventories filled to capacity, it was time to head back. On the way, Blake noted that he hadn't expected mining to be so much fun. The possibility of a lurking threat added some thrill, and the sheer volume of ores filling his inventory filled him with excitement to forge new items in the smithy.
Once home, Blake stashed their haul in a wooden chest. Sol heated up the furnace—Beatrix carried him over to help—and Blake poured molten steel into a katana mold.
"Pride's Shackle is great, but I could use a second katana that's better for duels—and bosses," he remarked, glancing at the Volcanic Mold. His companions nodded.
He quenched the fresh blade and hammered it repeatedly to temper and strengthen it. "I'll need at least a week to see how this turns out," he said, setting the blade aside for the next day. Then he switched the mold to a sword form and soon forged a new weapon. After reviewing its stats and skills, he nodded in satisfaction.
It would sell for a decent price. While a single sword might help him get by, mass-producing multiple swords—and reworking the gatekeepers' armor sets—could give him a chance at a real fresh start. His hunger for battle subsided, replaced by a genuine passion for forging—a sight that even Beatrix, for all her beast-like traits, found heartening.
–
A few days passed. With the usual route's ore supply nearly exhausted, Blake's team ventured deeper into the same mining node. He no longer expected to encounter monsters and focused on scouring every last resource for his forging plans.
Suddenly, his horn sounded that familiar boom.
"Wait, what?" he muttered, turning to the side.
He knew how to follow its signals and soon arrived at a rocky wall. In tandem with the horn's call, his heartbeat quickened, fueled by the possibility of hidden treasure—or looming danger.
"Beatrix, we're minin' here," he said.
They tackled the wall with determination, competing to see who would break through first. After about an hour of hard labor, the wall collapsed, revealing a hidden door. Without hesitation, Blake opened it and stepped into a narrow passage that expanded into a large cavern.
There, in the center, lay… something strange and out of place.