Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: [Abyssal Miner] Long-Term Investment
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Mobilizing all my original knowledge and personal experience, I continued the briefing.
"The main ones that show up are Iron Shell Crabs, Acid Worms, Moss Bears, and the like. Iron Shell Crabs especially have tough shells, so half-hearted attacks don't work well. Aim for the joints or eyes, or use something like an iron bludgeon—but that doesn't apply to you, Erika."
"Because of Hakunakirimaru?"
"That's right. And Acid Worms spray acidic fluid when they die, so be careful. If it splashes, your clothes will melt right off. It'll burn your skin too, and if you ignore it, you'll take serious damage."
"Got it. I'll keep that in mind."
Moss Bears pack a punch, so avoid direct confrontations. Watch out for Shadow Spider webs, and so on.
Erika nodded repeatedly, throwing herself into the lesson with enthusiastic focus.
"Today's goal is the entrance to the 3rd floor."
"All the way to the 3rd floor?"
"Yeah. Hakunakirimaru can handle it just fine. It's not your average sword."
"Yes!"
"Basically, it fires slashing waves—you know, sword qi. Even a normal swing will send it out, but you need to infuse it with your will and precisely target whatever you want to cut. That's when it unleashes its full power."
I dredged up lines from what the future Erika had said in the original work.
Times like this, a little showboating keeps up appearances.
"And it's not just about power—you need to practice precise control. Otherwise, it could fly off in the wrong direction and hit a teammate. What if you accidentally shoot the ceiling and bring down stalactites? Or hit the floor and cause a cave-in?"
"You're right. It definitely requires careful handling."
"Exactly. And one more thing. You're relying on the sword's power right now, but eventually, you'll want to learn proper swordsmanship without using slashes."
"Swordsmanship? Do I really need it?"
Erika tilted her head.
Judging purely from what we'd seen in the story, maybe not.
The original only covered up to the 15th floor out of 100 before serialization stopped.
A measly 15% progress.
In Abyssal Miner's original run, at least up to the point it reached, no enemies could withstand Hakunakirimaru's slashes.
But this wasn't just my opinion—it was straight from the original dialogue.
It was advice the Sword Saint grandpa—who later became Kyle's master—gave to Erika.
The old man phrased it a bit stuffily, but I softened it up.
"Good question. The sword's power is so overwhelming right now that slashes alone get the job done, but someday you'll run into something they won't pierce. In the end, you're the one wielding it. The stronger you get, the stronger the sword becomes. Hakunakirimaru is a legendary blade in its own right. Back it up with real skill, and you can get way stronger without even using slashes."
"Jun-nim is incredible. You've never even wielded it, yet you see right to its essence."
"Haha, well... just something I picked up somewhere. Might be worth finding a good master down the line if the chance comes up. Anyway, I'll hang back and watch. I won't step in unless it's dire. Fight with your own strength."
"Yes! I'll give it my all!"
After that brief briefing, we headed down to the 2nd floor.
Kigigik— Kirik.
It wasn't long before something tripped my [Mana Detection], followed shortly by an unsettling sound.
The scrape of claws on stone.
An Iron Shell Crab.
It had registered on my [Mana Detection] and hearing, so there was still some distance.
But if we kept going, we'd run into it in under a minute.
'Should I warn her?'
My mouth itched to speak, but I clamped it shut.
Today's role for me was to observe from behind and only intervene if things got dangerous.
Scouting skills and crisis awareness only grow by facing threats head-on.
Erika gripped her hilt tightly, tense as she scanned around, but she hadn't picked up on it yet.
The sound drew closer.
A faint sheen from armored shell glimmered in my vision.
'She should notice any second now.'
Erika kept staring straight ahead as she walked.
She was ready to draw at a moment's notice, but her tension had narrowed her field of view.
Kirik! Kigigik!
The Iron Shell Crab burst out right next to her, and only then did Erika jolt in surprise and draw her sword.
"Kyaa?!"
Too late.
The crab's pincer lunged straight for her thigh.
I twitched, wondering if I should jump in—then Erika reflexively swung her blade.
Serak.
Luckily, she blocked the pincer with the flat of her blade, severing the crab's limb clean off.
"Kieeeek!"
The Iron Shell Crab screamed in agony from its severed foreleg and charged. Erika panicked and clumsily brought her sword down.
Thwack!
No Hakunakirimaru slash, no proper form—just a brute-force overhead smash.
But Hakunakirimaru was a legendary sword in its own right.
The crab's tough carapace parted without resistance, splitting it in two.
"Hah... hah..."
Erika stroked her heaving chest, catching her breath.
"You okay?"
"S-sorry. It came out of nowhere..."
"It's fine. Everyone's like that at first. You handled it well, didn't you? Your reaction time wasn't bad."
"Still, that's all thanks to this sword. It wasn't me..."
"Hmm, honestly? A little disappointing."
Praise can make even a whale dance, but unconditional flattery is just poison.
A bit of constructive advice, without crushing her spirit, should be fine.
"Don't rely on your eyes alone. The mine's dim, with winding passages everywhere—your sight's limited. Open your ears, feel it with your skin. Iron Shell Crabs have tons of legs, so they make that distinctive scraping sound every time they move."
"Yeah, I think I heard it. Something rustling..."
"Focus on that noise. You'll predict where it'll pop out. And you saw it, right? No slash needed—your sword's plenty strong. It sliced right through that hard shell."
"Yes! I'll do better! Next time, I'll sense it early and be ready!"
Erika reignited her determination.
Good girl.
Soon, a new monster pinged on my [Mana Detection].
A plump, green worm bursting with flesh.
Acid Worm.
This one sprays acidic fluid everywhere when it dies.
I readied myself for any mishaps.
If acid splashed her, that work suit would melt away.
Clothes gone... my eyes would enjoy the view, but other miners might see too—and worse, her beautiful skin could get hurt.
Fortunately, Erika spotted it in time this round. She kept her distance and dispatched it cleanly with a sword qi blast.
Chiiik—
Acid splattered the floor, melting stone and billowing smoke.
"Well done, Erika."
"Phew..."
Erika let out a sigh of relief.
She'd been pretty tense.
A touch of tension is helpful.
We pressed on.
Maybe because that first encounter had burned itself in, Erika now spotted and handled monsters in good time.
'Definitely talented, like the original heroine.'
We kept at the hunt like that.
Whenever we hit a safe stretch without monsters or spotted a vein, we paused.
"Let's take a breather. Mine some ore too."
"Sure, sounds good."
No issue for me, but Erika needed the rest.
While she recovered, I grabbed my pickaxe.
Safe now—no pings on [Mana Detection]—time to earn some pocket change.
'Looks promising here.'
Kang! Kang!
Low layers like this meant mostly low-grade, with mids popping up occasionally and highs rare.
Even pumped up by my [Mining (E)] skill, I pitied the other miners.
"Whoa... Jun-nim really can do anything. You're so fast, and tons of high-quality iron ore."
Even this was worlds apart from her struggles on the 1st floor.
"Haha, just technique. Hit it here like..."
Kang!
"See? High-grade."
"No way! That's amazing. Guess I should try..."
"Nah. You're here to build combat experience today. Better conserve stamina than waste it mining."
"Mm... okay."
While I swung the pickaxe, Erika bagged the ore I'd dug up, wiped my sweat, or handed me water.
Mining with casual chit-chat felt less tedious than usual.
"Jun-nim, look! A Moss Bear!"
Where Erika pointed, a hulking bear ambled about.
Green moss clung to it like fur, its body rocky. Sunken eyes and drool dripping from its maw—honestly, pretty gross-looking.
"Isn't it cute? Fluffy fur, like a stuffed doll."
"...Cute?"
"Yeah! All round and plump."
"Round and..."
No matter how I looked, it resembled a battered doll fished from a dump.
'Women's sensibilities are beyond me.'
Messengers full of weird, mangled emojis guys ignore, but girls spam as 'cute.'
Gender divide, I guess.
Meanwhile, Erika yelled, "Sorry, bear!" and blasted its head off with a slash.
...Cute, huh?
"Kiyaaak!"
But when a Shadow Spider dropped from the ceiling, she freaked out and squeezed her eyes shut.
Serak.
"Got it? Did you get it?"
"Yeah. Split in two."
"Eww... too many legs, so creepy."
"Erika, you can't close your eyes just because an enemy's gross. One mistimed slash, and it's a disaster."
"Sorry..."
I'd planned to stay quiet, but this had to be fixed.
I'd hoped for mithril during mining breaks, but no dice—2nd floor was too low for that.
That time on the 3rd was pure luck. No point getting greedy.
Still, you never know...
Before long, we'd reached the 3rd floor entrance.
"This is the 3rd floor entrance."
"Wow... we got here already. I never imagined reaching this point so fast."
"Good work. That's it for today."
"Huh? Already? I can keep going..."
Erika gripped her sword with renewed vigor.
"No, you're pushing too hard. Look at your hands."
"My hands? Huh?"
Her sword-gripping fingers trembled faintly.
No matter the great weapon or the breaks in between, clearing the 2nd floor in a single day as a newbie was grueling.
"It's the tension. Kobolds are lightweight foes, but jumping straight into 2nd-floor monsters—and nonstop? Your head says you can do more, but your body's worn out. You're hyped now and don't notice, but relax and you'll collapse. Overdo it and get hurt, I'll be the one upset."
"Sorry... I'm just too weak..."
"Nah. You did plenty well."
"Really?"
"Of course. No need to rush. Just take it one slow step at a time. What matters is an unbreakable spirit."
I recited a line that felt vaguely like something from a comic somewhere.
"One slow step... unbreakable spirit. Got it! One step at a time!"
Erika repeated my words, then broke into a bright smile.
"Yeah. Let's head out."
We retraced our steps out of the mine.
I handled every monster we met on the way back.
At the mine entrance, we checked the ore we'd mined today.
The bag held just over 100 iron ores.
Mithril? No surprise there.
I'd known better than to hope.
Erika peered in and marveled.
"Whoa! Jun-nim, look! Over a hundred. We took down tons of monsters and mined a bunch too!"
"Haha, yeah?"
I played along to avoid disappointing her glee.
Truth be told, compared to solo mining, it was pathetic.
If I'd gone all-out alone—even accounting for finishing early—I'd have over 1,000 by now.
Watching her fights broke my rhythm, and rests ate time.
Purely economically? A loss for now.
But.
'Investments are long-term plays.'
A few hundred iron ores right now? Not the point.
The goal was higher floors.
10th, 20th, or beyond.
That's where the real money—rare minerals the original never showed—would pour out.
Mithril, orichalcum, adamantite, top of the list.
Plus the 7th floor's succubus orgy for some seven-days-seven-nights bliss.
For that grand dream, this investment was cheap.
If possible, I'd love to hit the 100th too.
Curious about unseen elements.
Who knows? Maybe hot female monsters like succubi everywhere.
These days, demon lords and such are canonically cute girls.
"C'mon. Time to settle up."
After stopping by the guild for payout and reporting to Luna, we were done.
I'd half-worried she'd get jealous seeing me with Erika, but zero reaction.
At most, puzzled by the low yield?
Told her I was taking it easy now, and she bought it quick.
Erika felt bad about it, but I soothed her fine.
'But hold on...'