โHey, wait!โ
Given its size, I expected Miner 1 to scout first.
I didnโt think heโd charge in.
Probably because of my initial order: โMiner 1, Zone 1โs yours.โ
Grind!
Rounding the corner, the ore golem spotted Miner 1 charging.
As before, it didnโt retreat.
But something was different.
Previously, ore golems raised arms to defend.
Whoosh!
Now, it swung its arm at Miner 1.
That attack likely dealt critical damage before.
But Miner 1 was different now.
Fully upgraded, he was leagues stronger.
And he wouldnโt fall to the same attack twice.
Clang!
He didnโt dodgeโhe countered.
His pickaxe met the golemโs massive arm.
An arm like a boulder swung at him.
A childish attack by pickaxe standards.
The clash echoed through the mine.
A brief standoff.
Thenโ
Crack!
The golemโs arm shattered, not Miner 1.
A rock-like arm that wouldโve crushed him before broke with one swing.
The power of the Adamantium Pickaxe.
High base damage, boosted by mining skills and ore-type enemy bonusesโhis attack power far exceeded his level.
โAs expected of Masterโs upgraded weapon.โ
Satisfied, Miner 1 marveled at his pickaxe and dove into the golemโs reach.
The golem, off-balance from its broken arm, couldnโt react.
Thud!
Miner 1โs pickaxe struck its chest.
Heโd said his first attack barely scratched it.
Nowโ
Crack!
One hit drove the pickaxe a third into its chest, cracks spiderwebbing outward.
Andโ
Hissโ
A sound like something leaking, with blue particles escaping the wound.
What were those?
Grindโฆ
The golemโs light dimmed, its shoulders slumped.
It still moved, but slower.
At first, I was confused, but thenโ
โMana?โ
I guessed the blue particlesโ nature.
The Adamantium Pickaxeโs Anti-Magic ability.
It likely disrupted the mana powering the golem.
Thud!
Another swing at the weakened golem.
Focused Strike boosted damage, driving the pickaxe deeper.
After several more hitsโ
The struggling golem, unable to act, collapsed.
Boom.
Cracks spread from its chest, and it fell.
Honestly, it was hard to believe Miner 1 was once beaten and ejected.
This was overwhelming.
Miner 1 emerged unscathed.
โYou okay?โ
โPerfectly fine. Thanks to Masterโs gear.โ
โNo joke.โ
โI can now fulfill Masterโs orders again.โ
He calmly collected the golemโs dropped ore.
Its massive size meant a hefty haul.
Watching him skillfully gather it, I thought about expanding subspace bags.
โWait! Whatโs that?โ
โWhich, Master?โ
โThat ore. Is thatโฆ?โ
He handed me the ore.
Its faint crimson glow.
The third time seeing it, I knew instantly.
[Adamantium]
โAdamantium!โ
The legendary ore.
Only one from Zone 1 before.
Now dropped by a strengthened golem.
Did stronger golems drop adamantium regularly?
โProbably not.โ
Even enhanced, they wouldnโt drop legendary ore every time.
Right.
No way.
I knew it, butโ
โLetโs hunt another!โ
โUnderstood.โ
I couldnโt resist.
Fewer golems than the smaller ones, but not boss-tier, so we soon found another.
Thud!
Miner 1โs relentless combat ensued.
It took longer than with smaller golems, but no scratches meant time didnโt matter.
After it fellโ
No adamantium among the drops.
As expected, not every golem dropped it.
Butโ
โWhoa, this.โ
[Mithril]
โMithril?โ
Mithril.
Not as rare as adamantium, but still precious.
Dropped on the second hunt.
I pieced it together.
โHigher-tier ore drop rates increased.โ
Stronger golems meant better ore.
No other explanation.
Stronger golems were a concern, but better drops balanced it.
After allโ
I wasnโt fighting.
The mine was on auto-hunt lately.
โMiner 1, can you handle Zone 1?โ
โOf course.โ
โIf it gets dangerous, donโt fightโescape. Iโll upgrade you again.โ
โUnderstood.โ
โAlso, scout the expanded areas. Make a map if you can, and report anything unusual.โ
โUnderstood.โ
Orders given.
Iโd confirmed the golemsโ strength.
โNow for you three.โ
Time to upgrade Spinner 1, Lumberjack 1, and Tanner 1.
The new adamantium went toโ
[Crafting complete.]
[โAdamantium Axeโ obtained.]
[Adamantium Axe]
Type: Axe
Grade: SSS
Restriction: Level 30+, Lumberjack 1
Description: Crafted by Hephaestusโ descendant for Lumberjack 1 using the finest adamantium.
Attack: 600
Abilities:
- Lumbering โ Greatly increases attack power against plant-type monsters.
- Carpenter โ Greatly improves wood quality and quantity when using lumbering skills.
- Focused Strike โ Damage increases with each hit on the same spot.
- Anti-Magic โ Cannot use mana but negates and destroys magical elements.
- Adamantium โ Absolutely unbreakable.
Used to upgrade Lumberjack 1โs axe.
Only one adamantium, so Spinner 1 and Tanner 1 got top-tier alternatives.
Wooden golems needed stronger attack power, so I prioritized Lumberjack 1.
With all assistants upgraded and sent backโ
[World Tree Branch]
[Thread of Space]
The rarity of incoming materials noticeably spiked.
More ore filled their subspace bags faster.
At this rate, transporting ore would take longer than mining.
โCrafting.โ
Time for new subspace bags.
[Using Production Skill.]
[Select the shape of the item to craft.]
โBag!โ
[Specify the details of the bagโs shape.]
Before, I crafted low-grade subspace bags with basic materials and intent.
Now itโs different.
The mine yielded useful materials, and I had funds to buy quality ones.
[Choose the material for the bag.]
First, Thread of Space from Zone 2.
Not adamantium-rare, but rarer than mithril.
Never used it, but its description screamed subspace bag potential.
Plusโ
[Goblin Bundle]
Another space-related material from the auction.
And mana stones to sustain subspace, top-grade from Zone 1.
[Crafting begins.]
Clang!
I struck the points.
Space-related materials?
Each hit subtly warped space.
A new sensation sparked curiosity, making me hammer harder.
The warping space settled into the finished bag.
[Crafting complete.]
[โOre Subspace Bagโ obtained.]
I got what I wanted.
[Ore Subspace Bag]
Type: Bag
Grade: SS
Restriction: Miner 1
Description: A subspace bag crafted by Hephaestusโ descendant for his assistant, dedicated to ore.
Abilities:
- Expansion โ Holds up to 50 times the volume of ore-type materials.
- Lightweight โ Stored ore weighs nothing.
SS-grade, but simple.
Expansion.
Holds 50 times the ore volume.
My old subspace pouch was 7 times.
The higher grade and โoreโ restriction likely boosted capacity.
โMake ones for the others?โ
[Crafting complete.]
[โWood Subspace Bagโ obtained.]
[Crafting complete.]
[โLeather Subspace Bagโ obtained.]
Subspace bags done.
Now my assistants could focus on gathering.
My storage would overflow with materials.