Strike 62

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After completing his seventh custom-made sword, Hyun-soo immediately loitered near the mine.

Banya, who was carrying water, approached him.

“I’ve heard the story, my father has set an absurd task,” Banya said with a sigh.

“The mine is so dangerous, they try not to let anyone in unless they’re a skilled miner. Please understand.”

“I understand. Should I enter this way?”

“Are you really going to attempt it? But the time…”

Banya looked worried but swallowed his words. His mind was calculating.

‘It takes an average of three hours to mine a single mineral.’

Hyun-soo had only two days left.

Mining is difficult. Minerals are often surrounded by very hard stone.

Then, the sword at Hyun-soo’s waist transformed into a pickaxe.

[Damascus Pickaxe]

[Item information has changed.]

[Can be transformed into a sword at any time if needed.]

Surprisingly, there were two item slots for the Damascus Longsword, and they could be accessed upon transformation.

(Damascus Pickaxe)

Grade: Unique

Durability: 12,000/12,000

Attack Power: 64

Restriction: No limit for the creator, levels 50-200.

Special Abilities:

· Mining power increased by 230%.

· Critical hit probability increased by 40%.

Description: A Damascus pickaxe made solely for mining.

Impressive, it functions both as a sword and a pickaxe.

“That’s a fine-looking pickaxe, but I think you should just turn back, Hyun-soo,” Banya said.

Hyun-soo struck the stone with the pickaxe.

Swoosh-

‘Shouldn’t it be a clanging sound instead of swoosh?’

Normally, hitting a stone with a pickaxe would make a clanging sound. But the pickaxe smoothly entered the stone.

Swoosh-

Swoosh-

Swoosh-

Hyun-soo managed to mine one in just 30 minutes.

[Iron Ore Acquired]

A regular piece of iron ore is worth five gold each.

[2x Effect is currently applied.]

[Additional Iron Ore Acquired]

‘Oh?’

Hyun-soo was currently enjoying a double experience and drop rate reward for entering Frost Mine.

In other words, he was earning twenty thousand won for every two ores in 30 minutes!

‘Not bad at all.’

Hyun-soo continued mining without stopping.

[Skill in Hand 1 Acquired.]

[Skill in Hand 1…]

[Ordinary Iron Acquired.]

‘Wow…’

Ordinary Iron. Hyun-soo had used it before.

Ordinary Iron, a rare-grade mineral, traded for about sixty gold, equivalent to sixty thousand won.

Hyun-soo kept mining throughout the night.

When the time came for his meeting with Lek, he had mined a total of 91 minerals.

80 were iron ore, and 11 were Ordinary Iron.

In three days, he had earned 1.06 million won.

He poured the minerals out in front of Lek.

Lek, surprised, asked Hyun-soo if he was a legendary miner. Proud of his profession, Hyun-soo replied.

“I’m a blacksmith.”

[Affinity with Lek has increased.]

Lek saw the pickaxe on Hyun-soo’s shoulder.

“I see, you’re a blacksmith who found your own way to mine.”

Lek grinned wryly.

“I apologize for underestimating you, my view was narrow.”

Other miners also approached Hyun-soo.

“Truly, you’re amazing! An excellent miner!”

“Did you do this with that pickaxe? You’re a remarkable miner and an outstanding blacksmith.”

Hyun-soo heard the continuous sound of rising affinity with them.

[The story will soon begin.]

‘That sound again?’

He’d have to proceed to understand what it meant.

He remembered this sound from the Orc Warrior, Cassell’s Territory War.

This meant a regular story sequence was coming. But as a first-time entrant, Hyun-soo didn’t know what it entailed.

“Seeing a newcomer mine so much, I feel relieved I can’t sleep tonight.”

“You too? Me as well! It makes me want to improve my mining skills.”

“Chief Lek, allow us to work through the night today!”

Lek, seeing the miners’ burning enthusiasm, smiled bitterly.

“Go ahead.”

The miners’ enthusiasm was a good sign.

[Linked Quest: A Remarkable Achievement in Mining 40 Minerals in a Week Completed.]

“I promised you a Decade Cold Iron, but you’ve achieved an astonishing result. I give you a Century Iron.”

[Century Iron Acquired.]

Hyun-soo marveled. When he received it from Barad, it didn’t feel entirely his own, so the impact wasn’t great.

But now, excitement surged through his body.

“There’s a secret in the kingdom.”

He got to the point.

“Within this mine lies an Iron that has endured a thousand years. It surely exists deep inside, and its coldness is so intense, it must be remarkable.”

“Can it be mined?”

“I almost did, but it was too dangerous, and I failed,” Lek said with a wry smile.

“Can you tell me its location?”

“I’ll do that. I said I failed, but you’re an unknown factor. Head to the end of Mine No. 7.”

Hyun-soo immediately entered Mine No. 7. As he approached the described location, he felt a chill intense enough to raise goosebumps.

‘It’s here.’

He estimated the distance. About 40 meters needed to be mined.

Hyun-soo tried striking with his pickaxe.

Swoosh-

After repeatedly striking, Hyun-soo moved deeper inside.

[Time limit exceeded.]

[The wall regenerates.]

Hyun-soo couldn’t hide his astonishment. He escaped before the regenerating wall engulfed him.

Rumble-

Looking at the completely covered wall, Hyun-soo let out a hollow laugh.

‘Is this why it can’t be mined?’

But Hyun-soo liked a challenge. He didn’t back down and swung his pickaxe.

Continuing to strike and observing the regenerated wall, he stroked his chin.

‘I’ll have to try for a few days.’

Hyun-soo started walking to take a break. He was almost at the exit when suddenly…

Rumble-

The mine began to shake violently.

“What’s happening?”

[The story begins.]

The moment to reveal the mysterious story had arrived.

[100 years ago, the wizard Balun formed a barrier in Frost Mine, designed like a dungeon, to prevent miners from entering.]

Hyun-soo remembered his conversation with Banya.

Exit No. 11.

That area was teeming with monsters.

[All monsters gathered there, confined by the barrier, enabling miners to enter other sections.]

[100 years later, the present. Balun’s barrier has weakened.]

[Monsters trapped for 100 years are now in a frenzy.]

“…!?”

Boom, boom boom boom, boom boom boom-!

Hyun-soo heard the loud noises from outside.

The sounds of the monsters inside the mine going berserk.

And then.

Crrrrack-

The sound of the barrier breaking reached him.

[The barrier will break in 2 minutes.]

Ding!

[Quest: Evacuate with the miners to a safe place.]

‘Ah…’

Hyun-soo quickly read it. A quest to lead the miners, ignorant in combat, to safety as monsters emerged.

Then, his face hardened.

‘Wait a minute…’

He felt a sense of dread.

‘We can’t evacuate.’

This story seemed to occur late at night.

“Are the miners currently inside the mine…?”

Even if he ran as fast as possible from inside to outside, it would take 5 minutes.

[The barrier will break in 1 minute 30 seconds.]

Boom boom boom, boom boom-!

The entire mine trembled.

Rumble-

The shock started to bring the mines down.

Rumble-

Whoosh-!

Hyun-soo, who had escaped outside, saw the mine spewing dust.

Four mines collapsed, the rest were buried.

“The miners, they’re buried…!”

“Let’s go in to save them!”

“Everyone, grab your pickaxes!”

Hyun-soo shouted urgently.

“You need to evacuate! Quickly! The monsters will soon…”

“Would you leave if your comrades were buried there?”

“Nearly 50 are buried there, they’re not dead yet. Royal wizards designed magic to activate in case of a mine collapse.”

“We have to go in and bring them out within an hour!”

Hyun-soo frowned. The miners’ eyes blazed with a frenzy he couldn’t stop.

What to do now?

The mine had collapsed, the miners weren’t evacuating, and over fifty were buried.

The core of this story was to evacuate the miners. He was just supposed to lead them out safely.

There would have been a few encounters with monsters.

But the situation changed. Instead of fleeing, they had to approach.

Hyun-soo started walking towards Exit No. 11. That’s where the barrier was.

Ding!

[A new story begins.]

[Sudden Quest: Save the Miners is created.]

[Sudden Quest: Save the Miners]

Grade: A

Restriction: Activator of the new episode

Reward: ???

Penalty for Failure: Death of the miners.

Description: In the mine, 58 miners are in danger, and outside the mine, 38 miners are at risk. Help them without letting any die.

A hologram appeared in the upper right corner of Hyun-soo’s vision.

[96 miners alive.]

[Rewards vary depending on the number of surviving miners.]

Hyun-soo started walking quickly. There was only one way to save all the miners that came to mind.

Standing alone at Exit No. 11, Hyun-soo’s mind began to race.

Crrrrack-

[The barrier will break in 5 seconds.]

He watched the barrier spread like a spider web, thinking.

The Damascus Longsword had transformed from a pickaxe.

‘With this?’

He couldn’t handle the large number of enemies alone.

What if he used the Sword King’s swordsmanship?

‘I could kill many monsters. But I can’t handle the overwhelming numbers…’

Rrrrip-

The barrier completely shattered.

“Kuhehehek!”

“Kyahahaak!”

[Mine Orc Lv.107]

[Mine Wolf Lv.110]

Hyun-soo’s level was currently 59.

‘I can’t let even one get past me…’

An idea struck Hyun-soo.

‘Have I ever used a large quantity of ore for emergency crafting?’

There’s a feature in Divine Emergency Crafting.

‘If suitable materials are not available, the skill creates basic materials.’

The basic material is the lowest grade among normals, producing the lowest effect.

Hyun-soo had used materials only once recently.

When Barad first tested him, he used Ordinary Iron.

‘That time, only one piece of Ordinary Iron was used.’

In reality, a sword can’t be made from just one piece of Ordinary Iron.

To make a single sword, at least 10kg of ore is needed.

Yet he hesitated to use it freely. The downside of emergency crafting is that it’s a one-time use, destroyed after one use.

But Hyun-soo believed.

‘Saving the miners will be worth much more to me.’

He finished his thought.

‘Pour all the Ordinary Iron into it, and create a sword that delivers a powerful blow.’

Just then.

“What are you doing, man? Get out of here! Leave this place quickly!”

Lek, having spotted Hyun-soo, rushed over frantically.

His colleagues’ lives were important. But the lives of innocent bystanders were equally valuable.

He realized Hyun-soo’s actions were intended to help them.

Foolish, utterly foolish.

Isn’t a blacksmith just as vulnerable as a miner?

Whirr-

Hyun-soo pulled out eleven pieces of Ordinary Iron. The ore, glowing blue, orbited in the air.

It melted in the forge.

Purified, impurities removed.

Chiiiiik-

A giant red sword blade emerged.

‘What is that…?’

The blade alone was 1.8 meters long, and as wide as three swords combined.

‘It looks strong and durable.’

Just looking at the sword made him think that.

The moment Hyun-soo gripped the massive handle, which required both hands to hold.

Clank-

A giant blade was inserted, and a greatsword emitting a faint blue light was completed.

Crrrrack-

Just holding it, the area around Hyun-soo froze.

“Kraaaaak!”

The monsters had reached Hyun-soo, lining up from the entrance to his front.

Hyun-soo pulled the greatsword back as far as he could.

Crrrrack-

[30-second usage limit ignored.]

[Will disintegrate after one swing.]

“Khaaaaak!”

When the Mine Wolf lunged at Hyun-soo’s neck, he swung the greatsword, shattering it.

Tanggraaang!

Swoosh-

Lek witnessed an inexplicable scene.

‘Did nothing happen?’

What did he just see? Did he just cut the air? But Hyun-soo’s greatsword shattered.

What change occurred?

No, there was a change. The wolf that had leaped towards Hyun-soo’s face dropped to the ground.

The moment it touched the ground.

Boom

Crashhhhh-

Suddenly, it completely froze on the spot.

Lek recalled how water in a cup froze rapidly at a low temperature.

When water rapidly freezes, the molecules can’t keep up with the speed.

Thus, it remains liquid even when frozen, a state called supercooling.

Lek’s pupils shook.

Dozens of stone monsters.

All the monsters had frozen, yet not frozen, like supercooled water, motionless.

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