Farming Games are All About Grinding-Chapter 584 - 571: Essence of the Earth! Mine Worm!
After finishing off this batch of Iridium Spiders, a staircase unexpectedly appeared on the ground nearby.
Following the principle of "always go down the stairs," Han Qiwu collected his gear and quickly stepped inside.
[You have reached Mining Cave Floor 52]
Once his vision cleared, Han Qiwu surveyed his surroundings. Similar to the earlier floors, he immediately got to work.
It wasn't easy getting here, so he had to gather as many materials as possible.
Riding on his Wind-Fire Wheels, whenever he saw a spot dense with Iridium Ore, he'd toss a bomb over. One blast would clear out a large area.
Three hours later.
Han Qiwu's storage slots were now filled with: [Iridium Ore] ×234, [Gold Ore] ×24, [Sunlight Essence] ×7, [Iridium Spider Silk Roll] ×50.
[You have reached Mining Cave Floor 70]
"Huff, huff,"
Han Qiwu leaned against the cave wall, catching his breath while vigilantly scanning his surroundings.
The primary challenge of this Endless Mine was the lack of places to rest. Monsters could spawn on any floor.
"Huh? What's that?"
Han Qiwu, sipping on milk, curiously stared at something hanging from the cavern's ceiling.
The thing resembled an irregular chunk of dirt but had an unusually deep hue with a luminous glow flowing across it.
Next to the chunk were traces left by unknown creatures crawling over it.
"Should I try to grab it?"
Eyeing the system glow on the chunk, Han Qiwu couldn't resist his curiosity. Taking a deep breath, he leapt up to try and pluck it down.
But as he grabbed it, he realized that what appeared to hang loosely was actually fastened solidly. Even pulling hard, it wouldn't budge.
[Only a Mine Worm Rope can be used to extract Earth Essence]
"So this is Earth Essence?" Han Qiwu let go and hopped back down. "What's a Mine Worm Rope, though?"
Just as he muttered to himself, a massive, four-to-five-meter-long, barrel-thick, dirt-brown worm suddenly emerged from a nearby rock wall.
"Wherever you came from, go back there!" Han Qiwu slashed at the worm with his Ice Sword in a reverse grip, following up with an Advanced Fireball Technique.
"Boom!"
The combo of ice and fire attacks caused a large amount of dust to billow from the worm's body. Yet the damage barely reached four digits, as if its entire body were made of soil.
[Mine Worm]
[Level: 186]
[Skills: Burrowing, Mud Spit, Segmentation]
[Note: Its weakness is obvious]
"So tanky?"
Han Qiwu frowned, deliberately taking a hit from the worm to test it.
-31
The damage wasn't very high.
Threat level: reduced.
Now it was just a matter of figuring out how to kill it quickly.
Little Electric and Little Cold were definitely out of the question since dirt wasn't conductive.
"Xiao Lai, give it a shot. See if you can melt this thing!" Han Qiwu commanded Xiao Lai while pulling out an ice sling and shooting the worm.
Xiao Lai scratched his head with his right hand, thought for a moment, then leapt down from Little Electric's back and began glowing red.
Magma Heart activated.
After gathering power for a while, Xiao Lai gestured for Han Qiwu to step back, then spewed forth a stream of purple-black, scorching-hot venom.
"Sizzle—"
The toxic liquid instantly melted the upper half of the worm on contact, splitting its body into two.
"Nice work!"
Just as Han Qiwu was about to strike the killing blow, the two halves of the Mine Worm suddenly wriggled nimbly, burrowing into the ground in an attempt to escape.
At that moment, Xiao Lai calmly snapped his fingers, imitating a move he'd seen on TV.
"Snap."
The stun poison hidden within the earlier venom took effect, freezing both worm halves in place.
With a quick swing of his sword, Han Qiwu finished them off in two moves.
"Impressive, Xiao Lai. You're getting creative with your tactics," Han Qiwu praised, chucking a Mist Fruit over to Xiao Lai as a reward. Then, he walked briskly to the spot where the worm had vanished and picked up an item resembling a rope.
[Mine Worm Rope]
[Usage: 5 times]
[Effect: Harvest Earth Essence]
[Note: Swing it hard!]
"Only five uses? So I have to farm more of these if I run out," Han Qiwu muttered, grimacing as he grabbed one end of the Mine Worm Rope, leapt up, and swung it forcefully at the Earth Essence above.
"Splat."
The previously immovable Earth Essence fell like clay under the Mine Worm Rope's pressure.
Han Qiwu caught the falling Earth Essence and checked it out.
[Earth Essence]
[Use: Crafting Material]
[Note: Contains energy from the earth itself]
Done. Its properties were almost identical to Sunlight Essence.
Time to craft Iridium Rings.
And not just one—he needed two.
Although Mr. Tang's stats were synced with his, the same couldn't be said for her gear. For now, she was just a rookie player with no items at all.
Grind, grind, grind!
Three hours later.
After a busy half-day, Master Han rode the cable car out of the mine. Before leaving, he glanced back at Floor 88 of the mining cave with a sense of accomplishment.
He'd finally gathered enough materials to craft one Iridium Ring and nearly five hundred units each of Iridium Ore and Gold Ore.
Looks like this method of diving into the mine worked well.
The deeper levels had denser mineral deposits, making gathering far more efficient!
Once back in the village, Han Qiwu tore open a scroll and teleported straight home.
In the courtyard, Tang Qingying, who had been studying genetics on her computer, put it aside, stretched lazily, and smiled. "You're back, hubby. The bathwater's ready."
Han Qiwu smirked and walked over. "Why bathe? I'm fine staying stinky."
"Fine, then sleep on the floor," Tang Qingying teased.
"Sleeping on the floor sounds cooler, actually."
"Let me set up your bedroll right now, then," Tang Qingying shot back, heading straight for the stable to grab a pile of hay for him.
"No, Mr. Tang, don't be like that! I'm kidding!" Han Qiwu hurriedly stopped her. "I'll take a bath, okay?"
"Hmph." Tang Qingying put the hay back in the stable next to Little Cai and whispered soothingly, "Don't worry, your owner won't steal your bedding."
After his bath, Han Qiwu looked at the Osmanthus tree in the courtyard and said, "When autumn comes, I can harvest the blossoms to make Osmanthus sugar… maybe even try an Osmanthus bath. That'd be relaxing."
Tang Qingying nodded. "How'd today's mining expedition go? Any new materials?"
"Yep, found Earth Essence to craft Iridium Rings. I'll make one to test it out first." Han Qiwu handed an Earth Essence to Tang Qingying, then began crafting with the remaining materials.
[Crafting Iridium Ring: Estimated time – 8 hours]
Tang Qingying fiddled with the Earth Essence before placing it next to the strawberry sapling she had been experimenting on.
To her surprise, as soon as the Earth Essence touched the soil of the courtyard, it dissolved instantly and vanished.
