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ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789
The statue’s effects were remarkable.
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Not only did it block noise, but it also provided buffs.
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Thanks to that, I felt more energized than usual.
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I checked my status window.
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– Level: 1
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– Job: Blacksmith
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– Ability: Heir of Hephaestus (SSS)
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– Strength: 10 (+10)
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– Agility: 10 (+10)
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– Health: 10 (+10)
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– Intelligence: 10 (+10)
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– Wisdom: 10 (+10)
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As expected.
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All my stats had doubled.
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I got so excited, swinging my hammer and tap-dancing around, that the statue’s buff effect must have hit its maximum of 100%.
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I can’t maintain this level constantly, but at least when hammering, the buff should stay close to 100%.
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And that wasn’t all the statue could do.
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“My stamina is actually recovering?”
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Normally, swinging the hammer a few times would leave my arms and hands trembling.
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Even as an awakener, I’m still just a level 1 with all stats at 10.
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But now?
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Swinging the hammer doesn’t tire me out.
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Every swing generates noise, which the statue absorbs, restoring my stamina and creating a true perpetual motion cycle.
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“Hehe, hahaha.”
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Perpetual motion cycle.
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What an exhilarating phrase!
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With that thought, I looked at the remaining ores.
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[Iron Fragment]
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[Brass Fragment]
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I’d used up all the Sound-Absorbing Fragments, but I still had plenty of other ores.
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What should I make with these?
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“If the statue turned out S-grade, maybe I can make another S-grade item, like a sword?”
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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.
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A single S-grade weapon could cover a year’s rent, right?
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That thought crossed my mind, but—
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“No.”
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I shook my head.
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The reason was simple.
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“Now’s the time to invest.”
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My SSS-grade ability isn’t going anywhere.
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There’s no need to rush—I need to invest in myself.
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For example—
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“I can’t keep working on a towel over the sink.”
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I needed an anvil to hammer metal on.
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“And tongs.”
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Tongs to hold the metal pieces while hammering.
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Even though my skills are versatile enough to not require a full forge, after a few swings, I realized basic tools were necessary.
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Those tools would make crafting much easier.
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And most importantly, there was one piece of equipment I needed above all.
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“A pickaxe.”
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Currently, I have only two ways to gather materials:
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1. Buy them from the auction house.
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2. Mine them from the mine.
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My funds are too limited to buy materials from the auction house.
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So, I need to mine, but even swinging an E-grade pickaxe, I could barely get twenty ores in two hours.
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To gather more materials, I need a high-quality pickaxe.
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“Yes, a pickaxe it is!”
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My next goal was set.
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Make a pickaxe.
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With a good pickaxe, I could mine more ores, which would let me craft more items later.
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The first step of investment is definitely a pickaxe.
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With that decided, I stood at the sink and picked up my hammer.
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[Activating Craft Skill.]
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[Please select the type of item to craft.]
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“Pickaxe!”
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789
[Please specify the detailed form of the pickaxe.]
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“What’s there to specify about a pickaxe?”
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A pickaxe’s form is simple.
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A long wooden handle with a pickaxe head attached.
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The head is the key—one side sharpened for breaking rocks, the other flattened like a narrow shovel for digging dirt.
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[Please select the material for the pickaxe.]
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The materials were straightforward too.
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A wooden handle and a sturdy ore for the head.
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The problem? I didn’t have any wood for the handle.
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“Hehe, but I’ve got just the thing.”
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[Lightwood Stone]
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On the sink was an ore I’d mined.
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Unlike other ores, it had a light brown hue.
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As its name and appearance suggest, this ore has wood-like properties despite being a stone.
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It’s also lightweight, making it perfect for a pickaxe handle.
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789
“The handle will be all Lightwood Stone, and for the head, I’ll use whatever sturdy ores I have.”
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789
I don’t know anything about alloy formulas anyway.
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The pickaxe head required more materials than expected, so I had to use nearly all my remaining ores.
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After barely gathering enough materials—
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[Crafting begins.]
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The crafting started immediately.
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Before, I would’ve swung the hammer cautiously, fearing a police report.
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Clang!
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But now, things are different.
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I can swing freely.
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The noise is absorbed by the Sound-Absorbing Statue, and the louder the noise, the stronger the statue’s buffs.
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789
Clang!
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Plus, each swing restores my stamina!
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With this, I can hammer tirelessly.
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[Progress: 33%…]
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“Easy, right?”
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789
A pickaxe.
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789
Compared to a sword or statue, the difficulty was much lower.
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No need to sharpen a blade or carve intricate fingers.
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789
The shape came together quickly.
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789
Before reaching half progress, it already looked like a proper pickaxe.
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The problem came next.
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“What are these points…?”
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The points were larger and tougher.
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A single swing wasn’t enough; I had to hammer multiple times to break them.
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These massive points appeared all over the pickaxe.
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789
Clang, clang, clang!Â
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As I struck and the points shattered, the pickaxe grew sturdier.
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That’s right.
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For a pickaxe, strength matters more than sharpness!
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The shape was done early, but I kept hammering to make it tougher and stronger.
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Even with the statue’s buffs and stamina recovery, I started feeling drained.
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My breath grew heavy, and sweat dripped from my forehead.
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[Crafting completed.]
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[‘Lightwood Stone Pickaxe’ obtained.]
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The pickaxe was complete.
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I checked its details.
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789
[Lightwood Stone Pickaxe]
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789
Type: Pickaxe
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Rank: S
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Restriction: Level 1 or higher
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Description: A sturdy pickaxe with a lightweight, durable Lightwood Stone handle and a head made from various ores.
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Attack Power: 80
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Abilities:
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1. Mining – Increases attack power when striking ores or ore-type monsters.
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2. Lightwood Stone – Reduces weight and increases attack speed.
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3. Miner – Improves the quality and quantity of ores obtained when using mining skills.
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“S-grade!”
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Another hit!
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All I used was Lightwood Stone for the handle, and it still turned out this good.
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If I’d used rare ores for the head, could I have gotten an SS-grade?
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With a bit more skill, maybe even an SSS-grade?
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I was newly amazed by my SSS-grade ability.
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“But it’s still just level 1 equipment.”
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That was the one downside.
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No matter how hard I try, everything I make is restricted to level 1 or higher.
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The attack power has its limits because of that.
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Thinking about why, one possibility came to mind.
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“Do I need to level up?”
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It’s all about my level.
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I’ve made three items already, but I’m still level 1.
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They say there aren’t many production-class awakeners in this world, and this must be why.
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To craft higher-level items, production awakeners need to level up.
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In a typical game, production classes would gain experience through crafting, not combat.
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“Now what?”
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It’s past midnight.
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Most people would be sleeping, but as a former shut-in gamer, this is when I’m most active.
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But as a blacksmith, I’m out of ores to work with.
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There’s nothing in the room to disassemble either.
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The Long Sword I listed on the auction house still has time before the bidding ends.
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After some thought, something clicked, and I opened my skill window.
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[Hephaestus’s Mine]
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– Enter Hephaestus’s Mine for 2 hours daily.
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My unique skill, Hephaestus’s Mine.
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I assumed the daily limit meant a 24-hour cooldown.
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But—
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“It’s active?”
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No way.
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If it was a 24-hour cooldown, it shouldn’t be active since I was in the mine just a few hours ago.
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The answer was simple.
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“It resets at midnight.”
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The cooldown isn’t 24 hours—it’s based on midnight.
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Even if I enter the mine at 10 PM and leave at midnight, I can go right back in.
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Heck, if I enter at 10 PM and stay until 2 AM without leaving, I could work straight through.
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Anyway—
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“Shall we give it a go?”
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With time to spare, I grabbed my freshly made, piping-hot pickaxe.
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I’m still full of energy, so let’s go for a mining session.
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***
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I entered the mine.
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The same sights greeted me—broken carts, rails, flickering torches, a dark passage, and traces of my earlier mining.
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“Shall I go a bit deeper?”
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Yesterday, since it was my first time, I mined near the entrance, where the light was weakest.
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If the light indicates the size of the vein, deeper in should yield better quality and quantity.
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Step, step.Â
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Holding the pickaxe, I walked forward.
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With a two-hour time limit, every second counted, so I moved quickly.
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“Ooh, a vein!”
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As I walked, I spotted another vein.
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Its glow was twice as bright as the ones at the entrance.
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That meant I could mine twice as many ores, so I approached with high expectations.
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Clatter.
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A strange sound echoed.
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I should be the only one in this mine.
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But I heard something moving ahead.
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789
Maybe some rock dust fell?
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789
Then I noticed something odd in my vision.
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Vroom—
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In the dark passage, the vein’s light, visible through the power of *Heir of Hephaestus (SSS)*, was moving.
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Like a living creature.
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A moving vein? That doesn’t make sense.
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Startled, I instinctively stepped back.
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The moving vein turned the corner and revealed itself under the flickering torchlight.
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“A golem?”
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A monster made of ore.
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It was a golem.
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Tftc!
It’s a shame the authour doesn’t know most blacksmiths know a little about both wood working and leather making, just a bare handle is enough for S-rank is unbelievable.