Today, I’m going to the coal mine.
Taebaek is a famous mining town. There are still operating mines there even now.
I like looking out the window at the passing scenery while in the car.
Even when riding the bus, I preferred zoning out while watching the surroundings rather than playing on my phone. Somehow, looking at the landscape refreshed my mind and brought positive thoughts, better than getting motion sickness from staring at my phone.
Especially since I had been through such a tough and painful time, I had to take care of my mental health in some way.
That’s why even while driving, I naturally kept my eyes on the scenery around me. Of course, it’s dangerous to stare blatantly to the side, so I focused on the road ahead but still caught glimpses of the scenery.
“Taebaek is nice because it has lots of mountains,”
When I see the lush green mountains, my heart feels at ease. Maybe the boring drive becomes a bit more enjoyable.
I got out of the car near the coal mine. Since it’s an old mining site that’s been running for a long time, the buildings around looked quite worn down.
Still, there were many places in these old buildings that were still operational, which made it interesting to look around.
There were many coal-related items, which was fascinating.
All the buildings had their construction dates on them, making the entire area look even more majestic in a rustic way, which added to the charm.
Some areas were mainly filled with well-developed apartments, while others had villas. Having lived in a basement villa in Donggyeong, I felt somewhat uncomfortable seeing villas built in the mountain’s basements.
It felt like a glimpse of the hometown atmosphere.
“Bela, Sol, Baekgu,”
“Yongge”
“Bela”
“Bie”
“Let’s go in.”
“Woo”
“Bie”
“Bela”
The transparent-headed two spirit guardians nodded deeply.
Commander 1: It’s a coal mine— I used to visit often.
(Rain and Sunshine God): Were you a miner?
(Commander 1): No, I went to get some items from the mine.
(Last Chapter Leader): I went there a lot. We made weapons with the minerals from there. Back when dwarves ruled the world, human leaders had to risk their lives to enter the mines.
Why?
(Last Night Leader): Because mines can be dangerous, and if you’re unlucky, you might run into dwarves.
(Endless Waiting): True, the dwarves in my hometown lived underground. They built their homes underground like ants and rarely came out, so we didn’t see them often.
(Last Night Leader): It’s the same in my hometown. Dwarves who tasted power built huge castles near the royal palace and created noble families, but even within those families, there were dwarves living underground who worked in the mines. Also, dwarves are truly dedicated to making weapons, mining all the mines across the continent like a network.
“Ah, that’s why they can craft mithril.”
(Last Night Leader): There were dwarves who killed humans and dragons on sight. That’s why we always bowed respectfully to the dwarves, memorizing the names of famous families and calling it their courtesy.
Mullian’s story was fascinating. I admired his difficult life as I caught a glimpse of it.
Anyway.
We entered the mining office and started listening to an explanation from a staff member. This place wasn’t an abandoned mine; it actually operated on weekdays.
When miners weren’t working on weekends, it was open to the general public.
“So, this is one of the four remaining coal mines out of 345 mines that used to exist in Korea?”
“Exactly. Most of the mines in Korea have been abandoned, and this is one of the four left.”
“Interesting.”
“Right? It’s fascinating!”
“Hehe, such a cute thing.”
An older staff member looked at Bela like a granddaughter and treated her fondly, making my shoulders involuntarily rise.
(Commander): That old person really knows how to read people.
(Rain and Sunshine God): Bela is obviously a cute kid.
(Last Night Leader): I agree.
(Commander of Orders): Hehe, agreed.
“This is the bathhouse for the miners, and this is the lodging.”
I heard various explanations while touring with the other visitors. Since it was the weekend, many families with children came to tour.
Inside the coal mine, we could even pass by the shower rooms where miners washed up.
“Waaah, this feels refreshing.”
Due to safety reasons, we couldn’t go too deep, but entering the cave-like areas gave us a faint feeling of the mine’s cool, damp atmosphere.
Before long, Bela, who had already grown close with the other children, left my arms to go around with another kid. That child’s parents glanced down at their child’s still-sensitive hand.
“What’s your name?”
At the moment when two parents, who were abandoned side by side, met.
I casually asked the name of the girl holding Bela’s hand.
“My daughter’s name is Eunjae. What about your daughter?”
“Kim Byul.”
“Oh, that’s a pretty name.”
“Right? Such a pretty name.”
“Eunjae is pretty too, haha.”
Now, praising the children and their parents made it easier to build rapport. Honestly, there’s no better way to get close to parents than complimenting their kids.
When the other party praised Byul, their affinity instantly shot up.
We walked together behind Byul and Eunjae, touring the coal mine.
“Isn’t it fascinating?”
“Woo.”
Bela and Eunjae had only known each other for less than thirty minutes, but they were already best friends. The girls held hands tightly as they walked around the mine, chatting away pleasantly.
The children’s numbers made the tour more enjoyable than the mine itself.
(Commander 7): The mine is scary.
“It’s not that the mine is boring, but that the children’s number is interesting.”
How could it not be fun?
“They even go to kindergarten.”
“What’s that?”
“Wow, I’m jealous.”
“Hehe.”
“Where do you live, Byul?”
“Camping car.”
“Not an apartment?”
“Woo.”
“Then you travel every day?”
“Woo.”
“Oh wow, I’m really jealous!”
This was the kind of conversation they had.
Though short, the children’s cute voices and innocent dialogue were truly adorable.
“Do you raise your child in a camping car?”
After hearing the children’s conversation, Eunjae’s parent asked me.
“Yes, until they start elementary school, we travel together. We decided to get a good camping car. It’s comfortable for one kid and one adult.”
“I see.”
I soon found out the family’s background, which made me bow my head for a moment before smiling brightly.
“That’s cool. It’s the dream of many small families.”
“Right, we wanted to travel with our kids too.”
“That’s right. Jinwoo, I heard some people convert buses into camping cars for traveling.”
“Oh, I know.”
Since we were both parents in our twenties, the conversation flowed comfortably.
“But, since we didn’t have the money or time, we couldn’t.”
“Hahaha.”
“Honestly, if we weren’t so busy with work, we would have traveled everywhere. We’re currently in the weapons distribution business.”
“You distribute the gear Hunter uses?”
“Yes. We even made a forge and collaborate with blacksmith Hunters. The brand isn’t famous yet since we launched recently.”
Their words revealed their profession.
It seemed like a fairly sizable business. Distributing gear is hard for ordinary people to do.
“You need money and connections.”
There was warm expectation in their eyes.
Since they had revealed their jobs, they were curious about mine.
(Last Night Leader): Whoa, distributing weapons! Even building a forge to make weapons yourself? He’s curious! Jinwoo, you want to see their weapons, right?
[General Seong Choi and Last Chapter Leader have proposed a mission.]
— Mission: Acquire equipment for the Eunjae family.
— Reward: One practice weapon from the Last Chapter Leader.
Okay, Suma.
I accepted Yulrian’s request.
“I’m a Hunter. Specializing as a dual specialization in sword and spirit. I have both.”
“Double specialization, huh?”
Sounds perfect! If you’re a Hunter, traveling in a camping car fits perfectly.
Hunters at my level don’t need to roam around too much to earn financial freedom.
Of course, back then my level was too low, but now, as long as I have mana, I can achieve financial freedom.
That’s also why I blindly saved coins without exchanging them for cash.
‘I only exchanged coins for cash when I bought the camping car. Since then, I haven’t converted any. Just the accessories I got from Tombs brought me decent income.’
I quickly became close with Eunjae’s family.
A Hunter with two specializations and a businessman dealing with Hunters— it was an easy connection.
“Due to safety issues, this is as far as we can go inside. You’re free to look around outside.”
After the guide’s words, we left the mine.
Our conversation didn’t stop as we left.
After hearing various explanations from the guide and sightseeing outside, we decided to have a simple lunch together. While other tourists ate at the Korean buffet inside the mine, we chose to eat separately.
(Commander 1): Tribute.
(Rain and Sunshine God): Me too.
(Commander of Orders): Me too, tribute wife.
“…It’s hard, right? Eating in a dining hall with other people can be a bit stressful. I’ll treat you to something delicious tonight.”
Since communicating with the Saint Lords brought changes, that meant I got to eat delicious meals every day. I had to send tribute skill points to the picky Saint Lords.
(Commander 1): This looks delicious.
“No, you can’t. Not yet.”
Would I openly take side dishes to send tribute to the Saint Lords here?
The food on my plate would disappear right before my eyes?
“No, I don’t want to be awkward.”
(Commander 1): Then you promise to bring tastier food tonight?
(Rain and Sunshine God): That’s a promise we can’t break.
(@ Father of Crops): Kids, if you’re hungry, eat my crops.
I endured the Saint Lords’ complaints while focusing on the conversation with Eunjae’s family. We were currently at a high-end Korean restaurant in Andong.
Eunjae’s family was enjoying a week-long vacation traveling around several regions from Seoul, while I was traveling daily in my camping car.
Since both our families had somewhat enjoyed Taebaek, we decided to travel together to Andong and have a meal.
As we ate the expensive Korean set meals and shared stories,
Mullian was the most excited.
(Last Chapter Leader): He might not have blacksmith specialization, but his determination is solid! If someone paid to be a smith, they should have that level of resolve. Ah, I’m curious, so curious.
I had to act like the person possessed by Yulrian and talk with the two.
Eunjae’s father, Maksanho, was two years older than me. His cool personality, telling me to speak casually because two years’ difference is like friends, was impressive.
“So you’re struggling, Sangho.”
“Right.”
He wasn’t a Hunter and had no blacksmith specialization, but he had more passion for making weapons than anyone.
In fact, when he was in high school, he dropped out on a whim and went to a few of the few ordinary blacksmiths nationwide to learn their techniques.
He was a true enthusiast who had to see things through to the end if anything annoyed him.
(Last Night Leader): Hunters with blacksmith specialization might have overwhelmed ordinary smiths, but it’s amazing to see someone cooperate with Hunters while making compromises in reality.
Yulrian, who fought the dwarves, admired Sangho, who handled things differently but was in a similar situation.
Anyway… the balance and weight distribution of this sword being made is difficult.
Jinwoo listened to Sangho’s story, mostly conveying Yulrian’s chat messages for him.
Sangho, passionate about weapons, ignored his wife’s telling him to stop during the conversation and poured out all his worries to Jinwoo.
“Instead of this, how about visiting the forge? After the Andong trip, can you come to Seoul for a while? I’ll pay properly!”
(Last Night Leader): That’s an opportunity! You need to get Jinwoo’s weapon too, right?
[General Seong Choi and Last Night Leader are adding mission rewards.]
— Mission: Acquire equipment for the Eunjae family.
— Reward: Two practice weapons from the Last Night Leader, 200 coins.
Mission reward doubled.
Jinwoo had no choice but to accept.