Chapter 6: The S-Grade Pickaxe and the Golem Encounter

The statue’s effects were remarkable. 

Not only did it block noise, but it also provided buffs. 

Thanks to that, I felt more energized than usual. 

I checked my status window. 

– Level: 1 

– Job: Blacksmith 

– Ability: Heir of Hephaestus (SSS) 

– Strength: 10 (+10) 

– Agility: 10 (+10) 

– Health: 10 (+10) 

– Intelligence: 10 (+10) 

– Wisdom: 10 (+10) 

As expected. 

All my stats had doubled. 

I got so excited, swinging my hammer and tap-dancing around, that the statue’s buff effect must have hit its maximum of 100%. 

I can’t maintain this level constantly, but at least when hammering, the buff should stay close to 100%. 

And that wasn’t all the statue could do. 

“My stamina is actually recovering?” 

Normally, swinging the hammer a few times would leave my arms and hands trembling. 

Even as an awakener, I’m still just a level 1 with all stats at 10. 

But now? 

Swinging the hammer doesn’t tire me out. 

Every swing generates noise, which the statue absorbs, restoring my stamina and creating a true perpetual motion cycle. 

“Hehe, hahaha.” 

Perpetual motion cycle. 

What an exhilarating phrase! 

With that thought, I looked at the remaining ores. 

[Iron Fragment] 

[Brass Fragment] 

I’d used up all the Sound-Absorbing Fragments, but I still had plenty of other ores. 

What should I make with these? 

“If the statue turned out S-grade, maybe I can make another S-grade item, like a sword?” 

I didn’t know much about the awakener world, but an S-grade weapon, even a level 1 one, would surely fetch a high price. 

A single S-grade weapon could cover a year’s rent, right? 

That thought crossed my mind, but— 

“No.” 

I shook my head. 

The reason was simple. 

“Now’s the time to invest.” 

My SSS-grade ability isn’t going anywhere. 

There’s no need to rush—I need to invest in myself. 

For example— 

“I can’t keep working on a towel over the sink.” 

I needed an anvil to hammer metal on. 

“And tongs.” 

Tongs to hold the metal pieces while hammering. 

Even though my skills are versatile enough to not require a full forge, after a few swings, I realized basic tools were necessary. 

Those tools would make crafting much easier. 

And most importantly, there was one piece of equipment I needed above all. 

“A pickaxe.” 

Currently, I have only two ways to gather materials: 

1. Buy them from the auction house. 

2. Mine them from the mine. 

My funds are too limited to buy materials from the auction house. 

So, I need to mine, but even swinging an E-grade pickaxe, I could barely get twenty ores in two hours. 

To gather more materials, I need a high-quality pickaxe. 

“Yes, a pickaxe it is!” 

My next goal was set. 

Make a pickaxe. 

With a good pickaxe, I could mine more ores, which would let me craft more items later. 

The first step of investment is definitely a pickaxe. 

With that decided, I stood at the sink and picked up my hammer. 

[Activating Craft Skill.] 

[Please select the type of item to craft.] 

“Pickaxe!” 

[Please specify the detailed form of the pickaxe.] 

“What’s there to specify about a pickaxe?” 

A pickaxe’s form is simple. 

A long wooden handle with a pickaxe head attached. 

The head is the key—one side sharpened for breaking rocks, the other flattened like a narrow shovel for digging dirt. 

[Please select the material for the pickaxe.] 

The materials were straightforward too. 

A wooden handle and a sturdy ore for the head. 

The problem? I didn’t have any wood for the handle. 

“Hehe, but I’ve got just the thing.” 

[Lightwood Stone] 

On the sink was an ore I’d mined. 

Unlike other ores, it had a light brown hue. 

As its name and appearance suggest, this ore has wood-like properties despite being a stone. 

It’s also lightweight, making it perfect for a pickaxe handle. 

“The handle will be all Lightwood Stone, and for the head, I’ll use whatever sturdy ores I have.” 

I don’t know anything about alloy formulas anyway. 

The pickaxe head required more materials than expected, so I had to use nearly all my remaining ores. 

After barely gathering enough materials— 

[Crafting begins.] 

The crafting started immediately. 

Before, I would’ve swung the hammer cautiously, fearing a police report. 

Clang!

But now, things are different. 

I can swing freely. 

The noise is absorbed by the Sound-Absorbing Statue, and the louder the noise, the stronger the statue’s buffs. 

Clang!

Plus, each swing restores my stamina! 

With this, I can hammer tirelessly. 

[Progress: 33%…] 

“Easy, right?” 

A pickaxe. 

Compared to a sword or statue, the difficulty was much lower. 

No need to sharpen a blade or carve intricate fingers. 

The shape came together quickly. 

Before reaching half progress, it already looked like a proper pickaxe. 

The problem came next. 

“What are these points…?” 

The points were larger and tougher. 

A single swing wasn’t enough; I had to hammer multiple times to break them. 

These massive points appeared all over the pickaxe. 

Clang, clang, clang! 

As I struck and the points shattered, the pickaxe grew sturdier. 

That’s right. 

For a pickaxe, strength matters more than sharpness! 

The shape was done early, but I kept hammering to make it tougher and stronger. 

Even with the statue’s buffs and stamina recovery, I started feeling drained. 

My breath grew heavy, and sweat dripped from my forehead. 

[Crafting completed.] 

[‘Lightwood Stone Pickaxe’ obtained.] 

The pickaxe was complete. 

I checked its details. 

[Lightwood Stone Pickaxe] 

Type: Pickaxe 

Rank: S 

Restriction: Level 1 or higher 

Description: A sturdy pickaxe with a lightweight, durable Lightwood Stone handle and a head made from various ores. 

Attack Power: 80 

Abilities: 

1. Mining – Increases attack power when striking ores or ore-type monsters. 

2. Lightwood Stone – Reduces weight and increases attack speed. 

3. Miner – Improves the quality and quantity of ores obtained when using mining skills. 

“S-grade!” 

Another hit! 

All I used was Lightwood Stone for the handle, and it still turned out this good. 

If I’d used rare ores for the head, could I have gotten an SS-grade? 

With a bit more skill, maybe even an SSS-grade? 

I was newly amazed by my SSS-grade ability. 

“But it’s still just level 1 equipment.” 

That was the one downside. 

No matter how hard I try, everything I make is restricted to level 1 or higher. 

The attack power has its limits because of that. 

Thinking about why, one possibility came to mind. 

“Do I need to level up?” 

It’s all about my level. 

I’ve made three items already, but I’m still level 1. 

They say there aren’t many production-class awakeners in this world, and this must be why. 

To craft higher-level items, production awakeners need to level up. 

In a typical game, production classes would gain experience through crafting, not combat. 

“Now what?” 

It’s past midnight. 

Most people would be sleeping, but as a former shut-in gamer, this is when I’m most active. 

But as a blacksmith, I’m out of ores to work with. 

There’s nothing in the room to disassemble either. 

The Long Sword I listed on the auction house still has time before the bidding ends. 

After some thought, something clicked, and I opened my skill window. 

[Hephaestus’s Mine] 

– Enter Hephaestus’s Mine for 2 hours daily. 

My unique skill, Hephaestus’s Mine. 

I assumed the daily limit meant a 24-hour cooldown. 

But— 

“It’s active?” 

No way. 

If it was a 24-hour cooldown, it shouldn’t be active since I was in the mine just a few hours ago. 

The answer was simple. 

“It resets at midnight.” 

The cooldown isn’t 24 hours—it’s based on midnight. 

Even if I enter the mine at 10 PM and leave at midnight, I can go right back in. 

Heck, if I enter at 10 PM and stay until 2 AM without leaving, I could work straight through. 

Anyway— 

“Shall we give it a go?” 

With time to spare, I grabbed my freshly made, piping-hot pickaxe. 

I’m still full of energy, so let’s go for a mining session. 

***

I entered the mine. 

The same sights greeted me—broken carts, rails, flickering torches, a dark passage, and traces of my earlier mining. 

“Shall I go a bit deeper?” 

Yesterday, since it was my first time, I mined near the entrance, where the light was weakest. 

If the light indicates the size of the vein, deeper in should yield better quality and quantity. 

Step, step. 

Holding the pickaxe, I walked forward. 

With a two-hour time limit, every second counted, so I moved quickly. 

“Ooh, a vein!” 

As I walked, I spotted another vein. 

Its glow was twice as bright as the ones at the entrance. 

That meant I could mine twice as many ores, so I approached with high expectations. 

Clatter.

A strange sound echoed. 

I should be the only one in this mine. 

But I heard something moving ahead. 

Maybe some rock dust fell? 

Then I noticed something odd in my vision. 

Vroom—

In the dark passage, the vein’s light, visible through the power of *Heir of Hephaestus (SSS)*, was moving. 

Like a living creature. 

A moving vein? That doesn’t make sense. 

Startled, I instinctively stepped back. 

The moving vein turned the corner and revealed itself under the flickering torchlight. 

“A golem?” 

A monster made of ore. 

It was a golem.