Chapter 17

As I entered the mine, the damp air greeted me first.

That prickly sensation with every breath.

Here, where dust spreads in all directions, you can feel your lungs deteriorating with each deep breath.

—

Instead of spring, a humid summer environment unfolds.

The dampness makes your clothes soaked with sweat, and thanks to the unpleasant humidity, they never dry.

In various ways, it’s far from a pleasant place. Underground mines are like that.

—

Clang—

—

“Huff….”

—

Combat has a short duration of focus.

Every moment is a continuous tension, requiring all your nerves to be concentrated, so it consumes mental strength greatly, but its length is short.

Thus, there’s a repeated cycle of your stamina draining in an instant and then replenishing with proper rest.

—

Logging or mining is a bit different.

It’s a task that steadily eats away at your stamina.

The depleted stamina doesn’t return easily even with proper rest.

Especially in mining, the slow stamina recovery due to the environment is a variable.

—

So it’s hard to work for long periods.

It was like that when I first started working, and it continued ever since I entered the mine.

—

Now, it’s a little different.

I feel my stamina isn’t depleting as quickly as before.

—

Clang—

Clang—

—

Iron ores breaking apart like tofu.

Intermediate-level proficiency reached.

Monsters that don’t pose much of a threat.

—

Aside from the unpleasant environment, there’s nothing particularly threatening.

This thought came after realizing I had surpassed the 15th floor.

—

It’s easier than expected.

—

Part of it might be due to good equipment, but knowing and excelling at mining itself also plays a big role.

The power of skills at the intermediate level.

—

Methods to find unobstructed tunnels.

Ways to confirm where the wind comes from.

How to spot descending pathways.

Techniques to remember routes without getting lost.

—

Each piece of knowledge gained from experience leads me steadily and efficiently downward.

—

20th floor.

—

In previous games, this was the level where mithril appeared.

One of the most frequently mentioned places among the total 50 floors.

—

It’s an appropriate depth to descend to, and climbing back up doesn’t take too much time, which is why it’s popular.

If you go deeper, you’d have to prepare for camping for several days and conduct rigorous safety checks.

For a one-day trip focused on mining, staying around the 20th floor is the most efficient.

With consistent work throughout the day, you could gather about 150-200 mithril ores.

—

After reaching intermediate mining skill, there’s a certain probability of obtaining gems when mining mithril ores.

Gems like rubies, sapphires, and topazes.

Though not very valuable in the original game, I harbor hopes they might be worth more in reality since rare gems are usually expensive.

—

“Feels a bit different.”

—

Upon reaching the 20th floor, the dim atmosphere transforms into a faintly blue-lit space.

Although it should get hotter as you descend, the coolness brought by the power of mithril offsets that.

A cold chill slowly rises, making my body shiver slightly.

—

Environmentally, it was quite excellent.

Cold is better than hot.

—

Blue light.

Silver gleam.

Something solid and hard to break.

—

After wandering around the vicinity of the 20th floor, I easily encountered mithril ore.

Approaching naturally, I placed my pickaxe against it.

—

Clang—

—

The narrow passage echoed with loud cracking sounds repeatedly.

It didn’t break easily, only producing small fragments.

Putting all my strength into my hands, I struck again.

—

Clang!

—

The result wasn’t much different.

Small rock fragments fell, and the ore showed no signs of giving in easily.

—

Yeah, this is mining alright.

—

I remembered the first time I broke a stone.

The memory of obtaining a rock after hundreds of swings with the pickaxe.

It was a laborious memory that wouldn’t fade easily, no matter how much I wanted to forget.

—

Countless repetitions of swinging the pickaxe to mine mithril.

A vividly clear future awaited me.

—

Still, I guess it’s thanks to having decent stamina and equipment that I’m able to achieve this level of efficiency.

Had I come here unprepared, I might have spent the entire day trying to mine just one piece of mithril.

After relentlessly striking for 15 minutes, the ore finally crumbled, spitting out one or two pieces of mithril.

—

Despite the cold temperature, my body was already overheated.

Drenched in sweat, my exposed arms glistened under the light.

—

I continued swinging the pickaxe without pause.

The clear cracking sound ringing in my ears was the only thing acknowledging my efforts.

Mining continued like this all day.

—

—

—

—

“Uh…?”

“Hello?”

When I returned home completely exhausted, there was a woman dressed in gold.

It was Anne.

Since her visit was unexpected, I greeted her with a dazed expression.

My face, half-melted from fatigue, couldn’t be helped.

—

“What brings you here?”

“Every time I see you, you look tired.”

“Haha…”

I won’t deny it.

Including today, we’ve met three times, and every time Anne has seen me at home, I’ve been utterly exhausted.

—

Anne giggled.

I didn’t respond separately because I was truly worn out.

Mining is genuinely tough work.

—

“It’s nothing special, but I received a narcissus as a gift last time…”

Anne trailed off.

There seemed to be something else.

—

“Hmm.”

I replied briefly, pretending not to notice.

Even though it was obvious, I acted oblivious.

—

“So, as a thank-you, I prepared this. You seem to enjoy fishing.”

Anne pointed to a chair nearby.

A portable folding chair.

My eyes widened.

—

“A chair?”

“Yeah. Last time I saw you fishing, you were just sitting directly on the ground.”

“So you got this as a gift? It’s really thoughtful.”

“Just a token of appreciation.”

Her characteristic laugh.

Her fresh and lively voice revived my weary mind and body.

—

Anne gestured for me to come over.

She tapped the chair, inviting me to sit down.

I nodded and carefully leaned my body onto the chair.

—

The stability that adequately supported my weight was satisfying.

It was an ordinary chair—small, portable.

—

My body relaxed lazily.

After walking around all day, taking this rest felt natural, and my body instinctively called for relaxation.

—

“I’ll carry this every day from now on.”

“If you go fishing by the lake, I’ll see you sitting there every day?”

“Of course.”

“Good. Make sure to use my gift well.”

Anne smiled brightly.

Her cheerful expression made me smile back.

—

“What were you doing that made you so tired? It doesn’t look like fishing…”

“Been mining.”

“Mineral extraction? Do you need to dig rocks?”

“No. I went to an abandoned mine to extract some ores.”

“Eh? An abandoned mine? Isn’t that dangerous?”

“It’s fine. I manage it properly.”

“So that’s why you came back soaking wet like a drowned rat! I thought fishing wasn’t that tiring.”

“Um…”

—

At her words, I glanced down to check my appearance.

Covered in dust, my clothes were soaked with sweat and clung tightly to my body.

No one would think this looked good.

—

“That’s about it.”

—

“Why did you go to an abandoned mine?”

“To obtain ores from the abandoned mine to make tools I use.”

“Make them yourself!?”

—

Anne’s eyes sparkled brightly.

Her enthusiastic movements made me lean slightly backward while sitting on the chair.

Anne didn’t seem to care about the possible smell and fearlessly closed the distance between us.

—

“Because homemade ones perform better.”

—

I couldn’t tell her everything related to the game system.

Things like intermediate mining level, equipment levels, enchanting tables…

—

Well.

If she didn’t think I was crazy, that would be fortunate.

Just going along with the image of solving everything myself was better.

—

“You’re quite talented. Making things, selling crops from farming, selling fish caught from fishing… That’s how you live?”

“Yeah. Use what I need, sell what I can.”

“Will you continue like this forever?”

“Sure. I’m good at this kind of stuff, so I’ll keep doing it.”

“Envious…”

—

Anne’s mouth pouted slightly as she swayed and sat down on the stairs in my house.

She tapped beside her, urging me to come over.

—

“I smell bad, though.”

“It’s fine. Your scent is better.”

“Ho ho.”

—

Her absurd confidence made me chuckle.

—

“What should I do to live?”

—

A hint of worry tinged Anne’s tone.

My interest in her weakened tone wasn’t solely because she showed goodwill toward me.

—

“What worries you about living already?”

—

“I’ve grown up now. Being unemployed isn’t my dream, although it is nice sometimes.”

—

Anne stuck out her tongue playfully.

Perhaps it was a sign of embarrassment.

—

“Luna sings incredibly well. She’s famous and plans to make singing her career. Evangelin cooks well; she’s been a chef before. My friend Alice is great at making clothes, has a good sense of fashion, and knows how to accessorize.”

—

Anne paused momentarily.

Looking at me, she slowly continued speaking.

—

“What should I do? I don’t even know what I’m good at.”

—

“Thinking about it means you’re already doing well. Putting effort and showing willingness to improve isn’t easy either, right?”

“Ugh…”

—

Anne kicked her legs restlessly, clearly frustrated.

—

“Want me to help?”

“Huh?”

—

“I don’t know if it’ll help, but do you want to follow my daily routine?”

“Eh? Eh?”

—

Honestly, it wasn’t a deeply meaningful suggestion.

I pride myself on living quite diligently.

From that perspective, I thought spending a whole day working hard might teach her something.

—

“Just observing what I do. Inspiration often strikes unexpectedly, right?”

“Me in your daily life? Uh…”

—

Anne seemed to have other thoughts, fanning her face a few times before returning to her usual cheerful tone.

—

“What? Are you hitting on me?”

—

Her mischievous grin betrayed playful intentions.

—

“If you think this experience counts as flirting, then yeah, it’s flirting.”

“Nah. I’m definitely not cut out for mining. No talent for it.”

“Then we’ll skip the mine.”

“Okay. So, should I come tomorrow morning?”

“Yeah. 6 AM.”

“What? 6 AM? I’ve never woken up that early!”

“You need to be diligent. You have to divide your day wisely.”

“You’ve got reasons to be busy, huh…”

—

Anne seemed lost in thought, staring at the floor.

I waited patiently for her response.

—

A cool breeze swept across my sweat-drenched body.

The sensation felt surprisingly refreshing.

As always, I prefer cold over heat.

—

“Alright. Tomorrow at 6 AM? Is this you asking me out on a date?”

“Date? Well, if you can think of it as such tomorrow, sure.”

“Hey. Should I prepare anything?”

“Nope. Nothing special. You’ll figure it out once you see how my day goes starting at 6 AM.”

—

Anne’s face brightened.

All traces of worry disappeared, revealing her usual fresh and beautiful self.

—

That look suited her well.

Maybe it was because of the strong first impression.

The phrase “savior of life” I used back then wasn’t said lightly.

She genuinely provided significant help.

—

I wanted to give something back if I could.

Not out of any romantic notion, but simply to repay the favor of receiving help.

—

“See you tomorrow! You should keep time well, right? Don’t let the wind catch you?”

“Don’t worry.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

—

Anne waved goodbye with a bright smile.

I reciprocated by waving as I watched her leave.

—

When she became a distant silhouette, her large挥手 gestures were endearing.

Could she be this happy?

—

I waved back enthusiastically.

What comes must go. That’s the basic principle of human relationships, right?

—

Thoughts about work.

Thoughts about the future.

—

These are just common worries anyone can have, regardless of age.

I undoubtedly had similar concerns back on Earth.

—

Perhaps the uniqueness of Starwind Valley took those worries away.

Following the route I’d seen through to the end.

Doing what I’ve always done.

—

Right now, I’m growing well, and I have no complaints about continuing this way.

—

Thanks to Anne bringing up the topic of future worries, I found myself reflecting on the future for a moment.

When I eventually reach the true ending.

Perhaps in ten years.

Perhaps in twenty years.

—

If I spend nearly half my life in this world,

Am I still an Earthling or a resident of Starwind Valley?

—

Random sentimental feelings crept in unnecessarily, trapping me in endless musings.

But it wasn’t entirely bad.

Over the past while, being busy and stressed left no room for productive thoughts, which were now sprouting vigorously.

—

I believed this.

Someday, these scattered thoughts and worries will coalesce and lead me to a better outcome at an unexpected moment.

—

“Man, I’m so tired.”

—

That aside, the pressing reality of extreme exhaustion right now is also a crucial issue.

My body complains of fatigue.

Giving in to my body’s protests, I decided not to overthink and just get some sleep.

—

Thus ended the 17th night of spring, with a promise made with Anne.

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