The Mine Finally Acknowledged Me
Even a sleepyhead sometimes feels awkward with the smallest changes. The strange discomfort of sleeping in a new house after moving instead of your familiar bed. The awkwardness of working alongside someone other than the friend you've grown close to. And right now, I was feeling that same awkwardness. It had settled in after Cheonma and Hoya, who had always been by my side, disappeared. Even though I'd spent far more time alone than with them, their absence left everything feeling off.
'Did I really value the time I spent with those two that much?'
The next day came and went. Then the day after that. Still, neither Cheonma nor Hoya returned.
I attended classes at the academy. In the evenings, I trained inside the simulation. It was the same repetitive routine as always, yet now it felt completely different, weighed down by that persistent awkwardness. The feeling was especially strong during training.
“Huu. Huu……”
Before, Cheonma would point out my mistakes and shortcomings after every battle. Hoya would offer all kinds of guidance regarding Ghostly Qi. But with both of them gone, I simply hunted monsters in stubborn silence, receiving no feedback at all.
“They’re not here again today?”
“Yeah. I wonder when they’ll come back.”
After the battle, the rabbit-eared girl appeared as usual to hand out rewards. She twitched her fluffy ears with curiosity about the recent absence of Cheonma and Hoya, which meant she spoke to me far more often than before.
'I guess that means I’ve become familiar to her.'
“The fox lady was already missing before, but now even the soul lady is gone… Challenger, you look really pale.”
“It’s just because the fight ended a moment ago.”
“Hmm~ Is that all?”
“Anyway, let’s spin the roulette.”
“Yes!”
I spun the roulette and claimed my reward. After checking the time, if any remained I hunted more monsters. During this process the rabbit-eared girl stopped disappearing like usual and began staying behind to watch my battles.
I lightly flicked the blood from my sword and asked her, “You haven’t been leaving lately?”
“These days almost no one comes here except you, Challenger, so it’s been quiet. The other person who used to visit has also been coming less often.”
The other person was obviously Mir. It made sense that her visits had grown less frequent. Honestly, what was more surprising was the fact she had kept coming here for so long.
“Mir really is something else.”
This place only summoned the mind, so injuries had no lasting effect. The experience of fighting powerful monsters combined with generous rewards made it an undeniably excellent training ground. Unfortunately, it didn’t eliminate mental fatigue.
Using this place continuously meant staying mentally active without sleep. Even normal people grew sensitive after a few days without rest. Adding brutal combat on top of that would be pure torture.
'If I hadn’t created that item, I would’ve ended up just like her.'
I had been incredibly lucky. Who would have guessed that among the materials I obtained from Alkest were the exact ingredients needed to craft it?
Type: Item
Contains spring water from the forest where fairies dwell.
Effects:
- Mental fatigue does not accumulate easily.
- Mental fatigue recovers quickly.
An ultra-efficient item exclusive to the simulation, preventing fatigue from building up and allowing rapid recovery.
I had recently combined Alkest’s materials to create and consume the item. Thanks to it, I could keep using the simulation without issue.
Slash.
'The difficulty has gone up, but it’s still easy.'
Thanks to Fiery Golden Eyes, my stats had risen dramatically, allowing battles to end with surprising ease. Just thinking about the rewards I would receive brought a smile to my face.
“Challenger. Why aren’t you using that power?”
“Hm? What power?”
“The plague power you obtained last time. Wouldn’t it make the fights much easier?”
She was talking about the Plague Scale. It was true I hadn’t used it in recent battles. There was a reason for that.
“I don’t want to rely on a power that’s going to disappear and risk making a mistake later.”
“A power that’s going to disappear?”
Yes. A power destined to vanish. The girl tilted her head in confusion, but I had no intention of explaining further. Even if I did, she probably wouldn’t believe me.
'I should go claim it soon.'
Originally I had planned to raise my stats further and attempt it much later. But Fiery Golden Eyes had boosted my abilities enough to try now.
“I’ll stop here for today.”
“Huh? You’re finishing earlier than usual.”
“I have preparations to make.”
“Preparations?”
Yes. Very thorough preparations.
“I wonder if they have a pickaxe.”
“I’ve arrived.”
“Here’s the payment.”
After ending the simulation early and finishing my preparations, I arrived at the area commonly known as the mining zone. If you stayed quiet, you could hear all sorts of sounds echoing from every direction.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
True to its name, everyone who came here gathered to claim the treasures sleeping within the mines. The gems mined here contained faint traces of magic power and could be processed into disposable magic tools. People came either to gather materials for crafting their own tools or to sell raw stones for profit.
“Where should I go today?”
“How about over there?”
“Hey, that spot’s packed with people. You want to head there? Looks like today’s jackpot is that way.”
The mining zone contained multiple mines, each changing daily in the location, quantity, and type of gems they produced. It was treated like a kind of dungeon, but since no monsters appeared, it remained perfectly safe.
So if that many people were crowded around one spot, it likely meant that particular mine was yielding the best gems today.
“Right, let’s head in.”
But I wasn’t after ordinary gems. Therefore, the mine I chose was completely different from the ones the others were rushing toward.
“Ah, the signs make it easy to find.”
Unlike the other mines, this one was surrounded by signposts. Each one read: No gems. Please go elsewhere.
While every other mine changed daily, this single mine remained completely unchanged. It contained neither magic-infused gems nor ordinary ones, so people ignored it entirely. This was my destination—the hidden true jackpot of the entire mining zone.
“Time to head in.”
“Excuse me.”
Thud.
Just as I was about to enter, someone grabbed my shoulder. I turned to find a fully-equipped miner, hard hat and all, pointing at the mine I had chosen.
“Looks like this is your first time here. There’s nothing in that one. If you want to mine gems, try somewhere else.”
“Ah, thank you. I’ll still take a quick look before I leave.”
“…Suit yourself. There aren’t any monsters anyway, so it’s safe.”
From his perspective, he was just trying to save me from wasting my time. I responded with a polite smile. Apparently not many people came with the same “just in case” mindset, because he gave up easily and walked away with an expression that said ‘Another one of these guys.’ He headed toward the crowded mine.
Clatter.
The target mine was pleasantly empty. I had worried one or two people might be inside, but it seemed that concern was unnecessary. This meant I could move freely without worrying about prying eyes.
Clang.
I raised the pickaxe I had brought and swung it with full force. Location? That didn’t really matter here. I wasn’t trying to find something inside the mine. I needed the mine to find me.
Clang. Clang.
The sound of metal striking stone sent a powerful recoil through my hands. My posture wasn’t perfect yet. Still, it was fine. Any strain on my body would be handled by the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
“Ugh, this is harder than actually hammering iron.”
How much longer would I have to keep doing this? Afraid of any variables, I continued without rest, faithfully following every piece of knowledge I possessed. I couldn’t even coat the pickaxe with Heavenly Demon Divine Art to protect its durability, so I simply swung it raw.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
Crack.
“Wait… just now……”
That wasn’t a clang. It was a crack. If my ears weren’t deceiving me, the response I had been waiting for had finally arrived!
Sure enough, where I had been striking, a rainbow of seven colors was spreading across the rock face.
“You finally noticed me.”
The mine had acknowledged my presence. It had taken one step toward the existence known as me. It had opened the door.
The question was whether I would let that door close again or force it wide open.
“Get ready to open up.”
I would open it in one swift motion.
Until now I had avoided using Heavenly Demon Divine Art to preserve the pickaxe’s durability while trying to gain the mine’s recognition. That time was over. The mine had noticed me. Now it was time to show my full power.
Rumble.
With my increased stats, the full 100% Ghostly Qi body reinforcement and Heavenly Demon Divine Art no longer caused significant pain. I gathered every ounce of power for a single strike.
Whoosh.
Fiery Golden Eyes responded immediately, revealing the precise path I needed to strike. The target was the ground directly beneath the center of the rainbow. The moment my full-powered strike was about to slam down—!
Creak.
With the sound of a door opening, the ground suddenly felt hollow beneath me. I glanced down and saw not the mine floor but an endless, yawning abyss greeting me.
“Whoa… Waaaaaaaaaah!!”