Rock Salt Bonanza
Wherever Han Ji-woo turned his gaze, the name rock salt floated above what looked like massive chunks of stone ore.
"Whoaaa!"
Han Ji-woo clenched his fists tight and let out a triumphant roar.
A salt mine overflowing with rock salt chunks? To him right now, salt was worth far more than gold or jewels. It sent the same electric thrill surging through him as hitting the lottery jackpot.
Having stumbled upon a salt mine out of nowhere, Han Ji-woo danced around in glee.
"Salt! It's salt! Now I can season my meat and eat it properly! Hahaha!"
Absolutely buzzing with excitement, Han Ji-woo scooped up Lucy and spun her around in circles. Lucy, catching his vibe, let out a long nyaaaa~, while Pao struck some mysterious pose of his own—like flailing his arms as if swimming. It was the traditional goblin dance they did when they got hyped.
After spinning Lucy for a good while and setting her down, Pao was right there in front of him, expectant. He even raised both arms, just like Lucy had.
"What? You want a spin too?"
"Yeah!"
"Hmm, Pao. Want me to show you a magic trick?"
"Magic? Master know magic?"
"You bet. Watch this hand closely."
Han Ji-woo held out his right hand right in front of Pao's face.
"When I snap this finger, you'll forget I ever gave you a spin."
Snap!
Han Ji-woo snapped his fingers, and Pao protested in an indignant voice.
"What? Master! You never spin Pao!"
"See? I totally spun you, but one snap and poof—no memory."
"......Huh?"
Pao blinked in confusion, his face blank.
"Pretty cool, right?"
"W-Wow! So cool, Master! Pao can't do magic. Jealous!"
"Haha, this is nothing."
This was an old trick Han Ji-woo used back at the orphanage on his younger siblings when they begged to play. He'd claim he'd already played with them earlier, but the "magic" made them forget—and the innocent little tykes fell for it more than half the time.
Having conned Pao with his foolproof scam, Han Ji-woo got serious about exploring the salt mine.
The mine started with the cavern he'd entered and stretched out into a long, single straight path. No other passages in sight.
"The whole place is made of salt."
Incredibly, every outer wall forming this underground space was rock salt. And there were plenty of big protruding chunks asserting their presence.
"This is enough salt to last a lifetime. Let's see~"
Han Ji-woo poked a finger into the rock salt and tasted it.
Crunch-
First consumption of salt increases Stamina by 1.
"Oh!"
The long-forgotten salty tang hit his taste buds, sending a shiver down his spine and making his hair stand on end.
Unable to hold back any longer, Han Ji-woo pulled a pickaxe from his Inventory and smashed it into a rock salt chunk with all his might.
Bang!
Crack!
Rumble!
The shattered rock salt broke into dozens of fist-sized pieces. Han Ji-woo scooped every glistening salt chunk into his Inventory, then muttered to himself as he smashed another one.
"But why were the mad cows living here?"
Unexpectedly, Pao had the answer.
"Mad cows eat salt as main food. So salt mines always where many mad cows live."
Come to think of it, cows on Earth needed salt too. He'd seen salt blocks hanging in barns. For cows, salt aided metabolism and supplied calcium and phosphorus—vital stuff. Of course, Han Ji-woo didn't know those details. He just figured salt was crucial for cows anywhere in the universe.
"Gotta give some to those captured mad cows too."
Muttering to himself, Han Ji-woo kept smashing rock salt and stashing it away.
That's when, digging deep into one particularly thick wall of the cavern, a dark metallic ore appeared beyond the crumbled salt.
Thinking it might be another type of rock salt, Han Ji-woo whacked it mercilessly with his pickaxe.
But...
Clang!
Thud!
"Huh?"
The impact sounded like striking metal, followed by an echoing thud from an empty space beyond the wall.
"Not rock salt, then?"
It had looked a bit off from the start, and up close, touching it confirmed it was different. Plus, the pickaxe hadn't left a single scratch.
'But that definitely sounded like empty space behind it.'
Convinced something lay beyond, Han Ji-woo struck the black rock again with his single-horned steel sword.
Clang!
Same result. The rock didn't budge. He smashed the surrounding rock salt, revealing more black rock—but hitting the new patch just made noise, no hollow echo.
"So only this one spot is hollow inside."
Han Ji-woo hammered at the black rock a few more times to no avail.
'My stats aren't high enough to break it yet?'
Seemed like it. He was dying to know what was behind it, but with no way through, no point wasting energy.
'I'll come back when my stats are higher.'
Shrugging it off cleanly, Han Ji-woo rejoined his pets in mining salt.
* * *
"Ahh, food with salt sprinkled on it."
"This is paradise on earth."
"Han Ji-woo is amazing and all, but without Ara's map skill, how would we have found this?"
"Totally. Ara did us a huge solid."
"Thanks, Ara!"
"Thank you, Ara."
Seol Ara responded to each grateful voice as they tore into salt-seasoned beef, chicken, and fish. The dungeon had never felt more alive since they arrived.
They hadn't gotten this excited even over the bathroom, fruits and fish, or chicken and eggs. But salt? Eyes lit up with newfound vitality.
Seol Ara watched proudly—until Mitchell Hoff's emotionless voice drew all attention.
"Everyone. We're staying here for the time being. No descending to lower floors."
"......Pardon? What do you mean?"
"Stay here? We need to push down even one more floor to clear the dungeon, right?"
"I agree with Mitchell. Difficulty ramps up below. Going early just means dying sooner."
"But slacking off here? Food isn't infinite. Fifty mouths to feed."
"So what's your plan if we go now?"
Mitchell's sudden declaration sparked heated debate. Irene Luker quelled the noise.
"Everyone~ How about we hear Mitchell out first?"
Irene, the Greek blonde beauty with armor crafting, spoke softly with her gentle demeanor and warm smiles—eyes slightly drooping. Most loved her. Plus, she crafted great armor from monster hides, fangs, and fur, benefiting many.
She was one of the 'pioneers' in the 27th warriors—those providing exceptional aid through superior skills.
The recognized pioneers: Leader and fireball user Mitchell; map skill, lion's roar, and quietly strong Seol Ara; holy healer Dennis Cobitt; monster-slaying beast Ishihara Yui; devastating wind cutter Jonathan Yombi; and kind Irene Luker.
Many helped too, but pioneers were the standouts—with good personalities to boot. Yui made the cut despite her prickliness for all the lives she'd saved.
Irene's word silenced the group—though Mitchell could have too. She just didn't want him shouldering it alone.
Mitchell nodded thanks and continued.
"We'll ration food and hold out here as long as possible. But no wasting time. My plan: strengthen your individual skills."
Skills. The abilities awakened post-kidnapping. Some leveled fast; most stalled after minor gains.
"Easiest way: clear quests for skill enhancement tickets. Or luck into items while exploring. But that's pure chance. The reliable way? Repeated use."
True. But growth slowed and halted after a point—proficiency crawling.
"Achievements also enhance skills—often more than grinding proficiency. Ara's amplifier became lion's roar. Irene's clothing crafting evolved to armor crafting."
Others had too, but weak base skills meant little survival boost.
Mitchell pressed on.
"While here, hunt for achievement conditions. Move when food runs low. Same below: clear quests, then stay and repeat."
His logic was sound. As agreement built, he drove it home.
"Halve rations. No forcing effort for achievements. But to survive longer, we must try. Let's do this."
Thus, the 27th warriors began skill training.
* * *
"Oof, did I over-shop?"
Han Ji-woo rolled his sore shoulders.
Too caught up mining salt, his Inventory overflowed with chunks.
"Time to head out, guys."
"Got it, Master!"
Nyaaang!
The salt-rich crew left the mine humming tunes.
Then—
Flash!
From beyond the unyielding black rock, blue ghostly eyes gleamed.
But it vanished in an instant.