Farming Games are All About Grinding-Chapter 161 - 154: Good Things Come in Pairs!

After entering the mine layer, Han Qiwu opened his eyes to find a pair of Snowman brothers standing right in front of him.

The two had similar builds, holding handfuls of snow and stuffing it into their mouths—as if they were actually eating snow.

Upon noticing Han Qiwu, their actions froze in place.

The six eyes exchanged glances for a moment, and an inexplicable awkwardness settled over the scene.

Even the air seemed to have been frozen solid.

Snowman brothers: "What are you staring at?"

Han Qiwu: "Staring at you, what’s it to you?"

Snowman brothers: "Stare one more time, see what happens!"

Han Qiwu: "Go ahead, and I’ll send you both to the afterlife!"

Han Qiwu advanced instead of retreating, raising the mysterious light crossbow and rushing toward the taller Snowman Brother. Closing the distance, he pressed the muzzle against its temple and pulled the trigger.

Although he wasn’t sure if snowmen even had temples, his aim here was to see if he could skewer some sugar-coated hawthorn skewers with the crossbow arrow.

"Bang!"

As soon as the mechanism clicked, the mysterious arrow pierced through Tall Snow’s temple and, retaining its momentum, zipped straight toward Short Snow’s kidney.

Upon impact, a high damage number floated above Tall Snow’s head!

[Headshot]

-1024

Similarly, a considerable damage value popped up over Short Snow’s head as well.

-367

Got it!

During a previous battle with snowmen, Han Qiwu had paid special attention to the trajectory of the mysterious crossbow arrows.

Back then, he realized that the mysterious crossbow arrow appeared to retain kinetic energy even after passing through a snowman.

Today’s test confirmed it.

Switching out the mysterious crossbow during its reloading period, Han Qiwu pulled out his refined longsword and swung it toward Tall Snow.

"Boom, boom!"

Tall Snow, caught off guard, was sent flying more than three meters by Han Qiwu’s strike.

"Hiss—"

Han Qiwu drew in a sharp breath.

Cough, cough—it’s chilly enough to give teeth a shiver.

The cold air in this icy mine layer really packs a punch.

The additional effect of the [Century Mysterious Ice Pendant] is simply amazing!

Normal folks might not grasp the impact of sending a 200-300 pound object flying three meters.

To put it simply, it’s like a mother pig scrambling up a tree and then crashing onto someone’s roof—it’s a force to be reckoned with!

Though Tall Snow wasn’t a mother pig, at this moment he certainly felt as if he’d sustained a major injury, spewing mouthfuls of snow water.

Yes, snow water, not blood.

After vomiting, Tall Snow grabbed the rock wall with one hand and his belly with the other, preparing to launch a ranged attack: a snowball throw.

Seeing this motion, Han Qiwu’s "Domain of Punishment" began to tingle with icy chills.

Beasts! Don’t even think about it!

"Whoosh!"

At that moment, a gust of palm wind brushed past Han Qiwu’s ear.

Han Qiwu quickly crouched down to dodge Snow Two’s Left Snow Palm, but before he could counterattack, Snow Two’s right palm, positioned by its side, had already slammed into his back.

[HP -34]

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Han Qiwu suppressed the pain, adjusted his angle, and thrust his sword directly into Snow Two’s kidney area.

"Hitting a guy this hard—is this the Mysterious Divine Palm or something?"

"Watch me ruin your kidneys!"

"Boom!"

Snow Two flew backward, landing squarely on Tall Snow and interrupting his snowball-making motion.

Bowling-style attack!

Han Qiwu continued wielding the longsword, forcing the two Snowmen brothers into a corner where the rock wall intersected.

Once positioned, he swapped to the Soft Blade and activated the warrior’s entry-level skill: Violent Strike.

According to the skill description for Violent Strike, faster weapons are more likely to trigger special effects, and daggers inherently have critical-hit potential—perfect for this situation.

As soon as the skill activated, Han Qiwu felt an intense heat rising from his body. Glancing down, he noticed both hands glowing with a red hue.

"Slash, slash, slash, slash, slash, slash!"

With the Soft Blade in hand, Han Qiwu continuously triggered the knockback effect of the [Century Mysterious Ice Pendant].

The Snowman brothers were bouncing up and down against the rock wall like characters in a slapstick video mashup.

"Whoop!"

After a few seconds of thrusting, flames suddenly appeared on the Soft Blade.

"Finally triggered the fire ring!" Han Qiwu hurriedly stabbed the flame into Tall Snow’s body.

"Wee-wah-wee-wah!"

Hearing Tall Snow’s cry, Snow Two still looked puzzled—what does "hot, hot, hot" mean?

Soon, he would know.

Because Han Qiwu cultivated another flame, and with a commitment to fairness and justice, plunged it into Snow Two’s body.

"Wee-wah-wee-wah!"

"Wee-wah-wee-wah!"

As the Snowman brothers roared in fury, high damage numbers continued to emerge from their bodies.

-342

-321

-386

-234

"Seems like fire damage is particularly effective against them. Once the chicken mutates properly, I’ll check out the blacksmith and see if molten lava can strengthen the [Malfunctioning Fire Ring]." Han Qiwu summarized as he kept slashing.

Soon enough, the Snowman brothers were sent packing, leaving behind two deep-blue, dodecagonal gemstones on the ground.

[Snow Amber]

[Usage: Material, Intermediate Ice Attribute Feed]

[Price: 300 Gold]

[Note: Snow Amber is Snow Amber; it is not Snow Soul.]

Han Qiwu: "....."

Is this note challenging my logical reasoning skills or serving as a tongue twister?

Ignoring the note for now, the Snow Amber’s price was decent, and the second entry under usage seemed to provide some interesting clues.

Intermediate Ice Attribute Feed?

Must be used for raising pets, I suppose.

Could it be that snowmen drop eggs too?

Picking up his loot, Han Qiwu swung his pickaxe and began mining while lost in his thoughts.

Raising a baby snowman sounded fun. Properly training its snowball skill might result in a tanky mage!

But how would one go about raising it?

Should it be kept in the freezer?

Would it melt during the summer?

[Iron Ore] ×1

[Stone] ×1

...

After about ten minutes, Han Qiwu had exhausted the mine tunnel he was in. Switching to the mysterious crossbow, he cautiously proceeded towards the adjacent tunnel.

In the icy-blue world around him, icicles and flame reflections abounded, his footsteps making rhythmic "clink-clink" sounds as he walked.

Reaching the neighboring tunnel, Han Qiwu found an intersection leading to three paths.

The outer appearance of the rock walls along the three tunnels seemed indistinguishable, except for four or five icy-blue mineral deposits at the entrance to the far-right tunnel.

"Special minerals?"

While walking, Han Qiwu tentatively opened the [Mine Collection Map (Fragmented)] and was pleasantly surprised to see a cluster of jade deposits in the far-left tunnel.

Double the luck!

Feeling pleased, he swapped to the Copper Mother Pickaxe, deciding to harvest the jade first before investigating what those icy-blue minerals were.

Cautiously carrying his flame bucket, Han Qiwu entered the far-left tunnel.

Moments after stepping in, a massive mountain-like shadow appeared before his eyes.

"What the heck is that?" Han Qiwu took several steps back in alarm.

Using the firelight, he looked closely at the shadow again and couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.

Turns out, it was just two medium-sized rocks blocking the path.

"People scaring people—it’s terrifying!" Han Qiwu muttered. He swung the Copper Mother Pickaxe and began smashing away. Though the rocks appeared climbable due to their size, he opted for caution and decided to break them down.

Good thing his pickaxe was upgraded to the Copper Mother Pickaxe. Otherwise, all he’d be able to do now was stare at thousands of Gold locked away inside.

"Thunk, thunk, thunk!"

After more than twenty strikes, even his wrists were numb, and his stamina nearly depleted.

"What’s going on? Still not broken?"

Fortunately, by now, the surface of the medium-sized rock was covered in spiderweb-like cracks—it was near its breaking point.

"Better eat something to recover some stamina first."

Han Qiwu pulled out a handful of wild greens and a bottle of Lao Gan Ma chili-beef sauce from his inventory, sat on the fire bucket, and began eating.

There’s no doing without Lao Gan Ma—the wild greens weren’t raspberries; they were nearly impossible to eat plain. They absolutely needed some dipping sauce.

This bottle of Lao Gan Ma still had the original packaging—the chili and beef were sufficient and incredibly enjoyable!

Rejuvenated from the meal, Han Qiwu resumed smashing the cracked section of the rock with his Copper Mother Pickaxe.

A few minutes later—

"Boom!"

With the sound of shattering, the medium-sized rock disintegrated into rubble before Han Qiwu’s eyes. As the leftover light particles vanished into thin air, the ground was littered with lootable items.

[Stone] ×25

[Copper Ore] ×3

[Earth Crystals] ×3

[Jade] ×1

Seeing the spoils scattered across the ground, Han Qiwu’s eyes gleamed.

Jackpot! The Copper Mother Pickaxe had triggered its special effect of "small chance of minerals emerging from stone."

The last few medium-sized rocks he smashed had yielded disappointing results—only stone and no minerals. Unless moments like this occurred, he generally avoided wasting time on them.

"So, basically, I’m feasting on wild greens but smashing my way to wealth." Han Qiwu chuckled as he collected the items.

Feeling like an Old Huang Cow himself, he picked up the loot and passed through the opening into the tunnel.

As for why he didn’t smash the nearby medium-sized rock as well? The reason was simple.

There’s already a path—why waste time forcing another?

It’s like during a siege, why bother with the gates if the walls themselves are weak?

Gathering his thoughts, Han Qiwu continued deeper into the passage.

Moments later, Han Qiwu halted in his tracks.

Aw, hell no!

What is it this time?!

Are you kidding me?

A massive boulder—even larger than the medium-sized ones—was tightly blocking the way ahead.

Not a single crack to squeeze through.

"Can’t be serious now." Han Qiwu absentmindedly swung his Copper Mother Pickaxe against it.

[Your current pickaxe is insufficient to break large rocks. Please upgrade and come back.]

Fine.

Clearly, this stretch had been a waste of effort.

Han Qiwu reluctantly glanced at the tunnel. He could almost see the jade beyond the large rock.

Goodbye, Cui Cui!

Walking away from the passage, Han Qiwu redirected his attention toward the proximity of the deep-blue minerals.

Please don’t disappoint me again.

I’m going through too much.

Upon reaching the minerals, Han Qiwu examined their size.

Hmm, a small mineral deposit. Judging by its vibrant blue hue, it might even be a gemstone vein.

Let’s smash it!

Han Qiwu swung his hammer wide, delivering a solid strike to the blue mineral.

"-0"

"Oh, come on!!"

Seeing the damage number, Han Qiwu immediately knew what he had encountered.

Utter misery!

This wasn’t fortune doubling; it was misfortune dogging me!

How is it another hermit crab?

As expected, the "blue mineral" rose abruptly, revealing eight blue crab legs beneath it. Orienting itself, the creature began sidling toward Han Qiwu.

[Ice Frost Hermit Crab]

[Level: 45]

[Attack Methods: Charge, Bubble Spit]

[Description: The Ice Frost Hermit Crab’s charge can demolish most obstacles.]