Chapter 18
I realized something from yesterday’s work.
Using magic consumes far more energy than I expected.
Because of that, it seemed difficult to do multiple combat quests in a single day.
So, since I did a combat training quest in the morning, I’d peacefully (?) do some gathering in the afternoon. That was the plan for today.
During today’s training quest, I also learned a new skill and leveled up by one. Even doing just one thing per day like this, I thought I could reach the recommended level before moving on to the next area.
Lost in these thoughts, I walked quickly and reached the edge of the forest much faster than yesterday.
The food effects slightly increased my movement speed, and unlike yesterday, I didn’t stop by the sea to fish halfway.
As I entered the forest, I saw wild animals here and there.
“Wow, animals…! Amazing.”
Where in a modern city could you see wild animals like rabbits or deer?
Zoos have animals, sure, but they can’t exactly be called wild.
They’re accustomed to food given by humans.
But the animals in this forest were truly wild.
A rabbit peacefully nibbling on grass froze and hid in the bushes at the sound of my footsteps.
“Hmm… I think there was a mine nearby…”
When I played the game, I actually never went to a mine or logging site.
I had planned to fully enjoy combat content first, then move on to gathering and crafting.
But unfortunately, I didn’t get to finish all the combat content before dying and being dropped into this world. So the mine was unfamiliar territory.
I never imagined I’d actually do something I hadn’t even tried in the game.
I pulled up the minimap, confirmed the exact location of the mine, and headed there.
Then I was taken aback.
“Ah, it’s darker than I thought…”
Inside, the cave was pitch-black, making it hard to see even right in front of me.
In hindsight, it’s obvious that a mine would be dark.
In the game, I could enter even the darkest caves without worrying about visibility, so I never thought to bring something like a flashlight.
“Go back to town to buy a flashlight? That’d be so inefficient…”
While pondering this, I noticed a box at the entrance of the mine. I opened it, and inside was something I needed.
“Oh, a lantern.”
I can use this, right? They left it here for me to use, I hope.
I pressed the lantern’s button. Warm light immediately flickered to life.
It seemed to work differently from modern electric lights, but this world had the marvel of magic engineering. It must be some kind of magical principle.
Alright, let’s go in.
I grabbed a pickaxe from my inventory and stepped inside.
Mining work, something I never expected to do!
Well, I do have some digital-world mining experience. In a world made entirely of squares, I had spent countless hours mining diamonds and iron.
Some people mocked it as a game for elementary kids, but when it first came out, I was barely an elementary student myself.
And even as an adult, I kept playing.
There were many similar games—digging into the earth, collecting resources, farming, and surviving.
In those games, once you mined a spot, no more resources would spawn there.
That’s how it is in reality too: once a vein dries up, the mine is exhausted.
But this game was different.
Mining in this game could be categorized into two types—based on my gaming experience, though not professionally.
The first type is like reality: once a spot is mined, no more resources grow there. This was mostly seen in open-world sandbox games, often single-player, sometimes small multiplayer.
The second type: resources regenerate over time. Usually in limited areas or massive online servers, resources would recover.
This game was an MMORPG with countless players sharing a server.
Using a realistic mining system wouldn’t work well in such a setting.
So in this game, mined spots would eventually regenerate.
And to make this almost magical phenomenon believable, the game called it “Goddess’s Blessing.”
The idea: the goddess’s omnipotent power ensured all resources were abundant and infinite.
Thanks to this, I didn’t need to dig deeply.
I could just swing my pickaxe in spots others had mined, collect materials, and increase my proficiency.
Later, the resources would grow back, so I could return whenever I needed.
The goddess sent me into this world to save it, but here I was, swinging a pickaxe on land blessed by her.
I noticed a sharp protrusion on the cave wall, probably a hook for hanging the lantern. I hung the lantern there and gripped my pickaxe tightly with both hands.
Alright, let’s get started.
“But… what should I mine?”
Not every wall will magically hand over minerals just because I hit it.
Maybe the status window would give me a hint. I looked around carefully.
And then I saw it:
[Iron Ore Spot]
I don’t think I can mine this yet.
Ah, there it was. My proficiency was too low to mine iron ore. Then there must be minerals I can mine.
I looked around for a while.
There were many minerals in the mine, but most were still too advanced for me. Some were low-hardness gemstones.
Then I found:
[Brass Ore Spot]
Brass ore… what? As if I were making a bad pun in my head—“Mr. Brass, your name is Ore?”—and I moved to that spot.
I swung my pickaxe down with all my strength.
The rocks shattered and fell in fragments.
I picked up the pieces and checked the item description:
[Brass Ore]
Material for copper ingots
Ah, so this is the copper (銅) they talked about.
In games, it’s usually called “copper ore,” so “brass ore” felt a bit unfamiliar, but at least I recognized it.
If plain cloth is the symbol of beginner-level textiles, then copper is the symbol of beginner metals.
Looking at human history: Stone Age → Bronze Age → Iron Age. Copper and tin alloys make bronze.
So if I mine this brass ore and increase my mining proficiency, I’ll eventually be able to mine iron.
“Stop daydreaming, just mine.”
I swung the pickaxe without a second thought.
Even a healthy, muscular body felt the strain; my shoulders and back ached, and sweat poured like rain.
“How long do I have to do this, goddess?”
Until proficiency reaches 5 and I get rainbow-colored stones, of course.
I kept moving my arms, answering my own question.
Mining was harder than fishing. Fishing seemed to level proficiency with each catch, but this was brutal.
Still, the magic effects of my work outfit made the mining noticeably faster.
Piece by piece, brass ore fell before me.
Time passed, and my patience reached its limit.
“I’m hungry! I can’t do this anymore!”
I tossed the pickaxe aside. My mining proficiency had reached 3. Just two more levels to go, but I was too hungry to even lift a finger.
“Let’s eat first! This is all to survive anyway!”
I stuffed all the brass ore I had mined into my inventory and shook off the dust.
Time for lunch… but maybe not here? Dust from mining would be everywhere.
I’d wear a mask next time for my precious lungs. Maybe I’ll need it again after hitting proficiency 5.
I stretched my stiff neck and shoulders and stepped out of the mine.
I plopped down by the box at the entrance and pulled out my lunch.
“Sea bream stew, I guess?”
They said they’d carefully selected the tastiest part.
Eating the same food twice doesn’t double its effect, right? Usually, it just extends the duration, not amplify it.
I opened the lid, and…
“Oh my god, chef… I love you.”
It wasn’t a stew.
“Sushi! It’s sushi!”
Look at this beautiful dish.
It was my favorite food in my past life: sushi, sushi, sushi!
The white, translucent fish was fresh and springy, the rice sweet and slightly tangy.
And it was what I thought: sea bream fin meat!
I had eaten it only once in my previous life but remembered its appearance clearly.
My father took me on a deep-sea fishing trip, and the captain sliced it himself. That taste was unforgettable.
Even bamboo chopsticks were included, adding to my excitement.
I held the chopsticks between my palms, briefly rubbing them together. A kind of ceremonial ritual before using wooden chopsticks, perhaps.
I picked up a piece and put it in my mouth.
There was no soy sauce, but I rarely used it anyway. I preferred to enjoy the fish’s natural taste with wasabi.
Each grain of rice danced on my tongue, and the sea bream’s texture was perfectly chewy.
No need for long words. Delicious. Three letters are enough.
While eating, I heard the same morning sound effect, and a popup appeared:
[Meal Effect, Gathering Proficiency +10%]
Time Remaining: 11 hours 59 minutes
Crazy.
It was like hitting the jackpot.
