Farming Games are All About Grinding-Chapter 59: Mining is Really Tough

No wonder it’s called clay. One slap, and your hand is completely covered in this stuff.

"I’ll see if I can fire some ceramics later. Even making a footbath basin would be something!"

Han Qiwu packed up the clay, washed his hands, and continued digging.

"Screech!"

Han Qiwu’s hoe hit something. Adjusting the angle, he used some force to lift it up.

[Cave Carrot]×1

[Cave Carrot]

[Stamina +40]

[Health +20]

[Note: A starchy plant that grows in caves. Helps miners work longer hours.]

The Cave Carrot looked much like a regular carrot, but its color was ashen and dirty looking. It was also larger in size.

"You can dig up this kind of thing in here?" Fueled by excitement, Han Qiwu cleared all ten plots, harvesting four carrots and three chunks of clay in total.

Delightful.

"The stamina boost from these carrots is great. Hopefully, the deeper levels will have more." With that thought, Han Qiwu headed toward the stairs.

[You have arrived at level 11 of the mine.]

As soon as he reached the 11th level, Han Qiwu quickly moved away from his spawn point and used the light of his torch to inspect the cave.

"Buzz buzz buzz."

"Hum hum hum."

"Seriously? Another kind of flying thing?" Han Qiwu felt a headache coming on. He had already figured out how to deal with stink bugs, but what was this other flying creature?

Luckily, he didn’t have to wait long. Three stink bugs buzzed toward him.

Using old tricks, Han Qiwu took care of the stink bugs and cautiously approached the other flying creatures.

Upon closer inspection, two bizarre flying insects were moving back and forth in a straight, predictable pattern.

"Are they trying to mess with me?" Han Qiwu stretched out his arm, swung his longsword, and slashed one of them from the side with force.

"Splat!"

One swing, and the flying insect split in two.

[Roadblock Bug Meat]

[Use: Bait]

[Sell Price: 20 Gold]

[Note: Roadblock Bug Meat is a favorite bait for certain fish.]

"Roadblock bug?" Han Qiwu muttered while hammering away at the rocks, thinking about what had just happened.

If he had descended to this level without stink bug toxin sacs and an upgraded longsword, he would have had to dodge the stink bugs’ poisonous fog attacks. At that moment, the roadblock bugs would show their purpose.

"Living up to their name."

Pity, though. Did they underestimate my abilities?

You think I’m just some amateur?

[Copper Ore]×1

[HP -1]

[HP -1]

Han Qiwu was happily mining some copper when he felt something bite his calf. His HP dropped by two points in rapid succession.

"What the heck?" Han Qiwu turned to look behind him. On closer inspection, he noticed a finger-wide breathing hole in the ground.

"Earthworm?" Han Qiwu became intrigued. After all, it’s common knowledge that earthworms are the most ubiquitous bait for carnivorous fish.

"Whoosh whoosh."

Something darted out of the hole like a shadow and retracted just as quickly.

What the hell was that?

Its speed was so fast that Han Qiwu couldn’t even catch its name as it emerged.

"Fine, you might be fast, but I’ll finish you with one swift strike!" frёeωebɳovel.com

Han Qiwu crouched down, holding his longsword in his right hand, and unleashed a combat skill over the breathing hole: Frenzied Slash!

"Whoosh whoosh!"

"Splat!"

A half-meter-long piece of flesh was sent flying by the sheer force of the sword swing, disappearing into white light before it could even hit the ground.

Han Qiwu: "??? That’s it?"

Where’s my loot?

After waiting a bit and getting nothing, Han Qiwu reluctantly resumed mining. Fortunately, upon checking his calf, he saw the injury was minor—just two indentations, no broken skin.

[Earth Crystal]×1

[You found the staircase to the next level.]

[You have arrived at level 12 of the mine.]

Upon entering the 12th level, Han Qiwu immediately spotted the muddy ground he’d been hoping for.

Yes! Time to dig up more carrots.

The main reason was that digging for carrots took very little time, and it provided a needed mental break since constant mining could be exhausting!

Before digging, Han Qiwu carefully listened for any sounds in the cave.

No buzzing. No whooshing.

Even so, I, Han Steady Qi Wu, won’t lower my guard.

Han Qiwu strapped his shin guard to the back of his calf, turned, and began swinging his hoe to dig up carrots.

[Cave Carrot]×2

[Cave Carrot]×1

"Bang!"

[HP -2]

Two shadows flashed around Han Qiwu. The one in front successfully hit him, while the one behind smacked straight into the shin guard.

[Mine Earthworm]

[Level: 5]

[Description: Mine Earthworms are incredibly quick movers.]

"Whoosh!"

With sharp reflexes, Han Qiwu instantly switched to his longsword and swung.

"Roar!"

The swing even triggered a fire effect.

█//Fire\\█

Fire█Burn█Fire

Blaze█Leng█Blaze

Eff█Sword█Eff

Fire███Fire

FireBlazeFireBlaze

FireBlazeFireBlaze

FireBlazeFireBlaze

Immediately, the air filled with the smell of burning protein as the two shadows, scorched by flames, slowed down. A few seconds later, they dissipated in a flash of light, and loot dropped.

[Mine Earthworm]

[Use: Feedstock]

[Sell Price: 20 Gold]

[Note: Earthworms are a considerable source of protein.]

"So they were earthworms after all." Han Qiwu pocketed the drops. "But I didn’t expect them to be used for making feed."

With all the monsters cleared, Han Qiwu looked at his dwindling stamina, pulled out a serving of raw rice dumplings, and skewered them onto sticks to roast over his torch.

As the white glutinous rice met the flame, it turned golden yellow.

After turning them evenly for a few moments, the outer shell of the dumplings became crispy and golden, and the rose-paste filling began to emit a fragrant aroma.

Taking one skewer of roasted dumplings, Han Qiwu gently bit into it. The rose-pink filling rushed out, blending perfectly with the crispy exterior and the soft, sticky inner layer. Han Qiwu’s expert timing ensured the warm filling was just right to counterbalance the slightly scalding outer shell.

Delicious!

One after another, Han Qiwu devoured ten roasted dumplings in just a few minutes.

"Next time, I’ll try frying them." Han Qiwu contentedly patted his stomach and glanced at the time.

12:36.

Back to grinding!

Two hours later.

[You have arrived at level 17 of the mine.]

Feeling somewhat fatigued, Han Qiwu stepped off the minecart and started hammering away at the nearest copper ore vein.

Han Qiwu had overestimated his mental stamina; after six hours in this dim cavern, his reflexes and focus were noticeably slipping.

Noticing his deteriorating state, Han Qiwu shifted his goal to prioritizing stair discovery. Along the way, he smashed any rocks or ore veins he encountered.

As for monster attacks, with his current supplies, he could tank hits for a while. If he couldn’t find the next staircase after a long stretch, he’d stop and deal with the threats.

The slight pain? Just think of it as a free massage.