Chapter Twenty-Six: The Sand Demon’s Eye

“What is it?”
[Have you ever played whack-a-mole? The creature in that game is called Sand-Eyed Mole, a fun yet not very offensive denizen of the caverns.]
Fang Tang: “...”
“Can we get pearls from it?”
This was Fang Tang’s main concern.
Actually, among the pair of materials he sold to the octopus, those few pearls were the most valuable. The deeper the color of the pearl, the more precious it was. In this cavernous world, is there anything easier to obtain than pearls? After all, killing cavern creatures yields pearls!
[Of course you can. Its strength is on par with the Night Owl.]
Fang Tang suddenly understood. Since it was a creature of this caliber, the pearls it carried would naturally be extremely valuable.
“So how do we play with it? Just regular whack-a-mole?”
[It moves very fast—extremely fast. If your movements are even slightly slow, it will hit you. Its attack power is low, but wherever it strikes, heavy sand covers that area, making your movements sluggish.]
“Oh? So we have a mage among assassins now?”
Fang Tang’s interest was piqued. He asked, “Which direction is the Sand-Eyed Mole?”
[Straight ahead.]
Fang Tang walked directly to the wall ahead and swung his pickaxe, opening a hole.
He stepped into Cavern 63, where the ground was covered with fist-sized pits, densely packed, leaving no place to set foot. Among them, one pit contained a strange eye made of sand. The eye was only slightly smaller than the pit itself. When Fang Tang entered, the eye spun around sharply to face him.
“What do I do next?”
[Get enough bullets ready—let’s have some fun with whack-a-mole!]
Perhaps encountering its own kind, the eye seemed quite happy.
Fang Tang nodded and drew his ****.
He loaded it and took aim.
The eye vanished abruptly, burrowing into one of the pits.
Fang Tang’s gaze sharpened, watching the holes in the ground with caution.
[The middle one.]
The eye gave a hint, and Fang Tang looked toward the center of the field. He noticed a pit where the sand was flowing slightly. Suddenly, the eye leapt out, firing a sand arrow from its pupil straight at Fang Tang.
But Fang Tang was prepared. The moment the eye emerged, he pulled the trigger.

Bang!
The flame grazed the eye and struck the ground; Fang Tang felt a twinge of regret. He’d never received professional training and couldn’t aim at maximum speed. The expanded cavern made the distance greater, severely impacting his performance.
However, Fang Tang’s greatest strength wasn’t combat experience—it was adaptability and learning ability. After working with the eye a few times, he gradually adjusted to the frequency of its appearances, and his marksmanship quickly matured.
Indeed, creatures like the Sand-Eyed Mole, fast-moving, medium-sized, constantly in motion, were perfect for honing one’s shooting skills.
Not only that, the arrows it launched also helped him practice dodging.
This single cavern creature could train him in three abilities—it was practically humanity’s best friend.
Sand-Eyed Mole: Are you kidding me! Did you hear me, are you kidding me!
Bang, bang, bang!
Fang Tang kept firing, emptying two ** in succession, feeling the soreness from the recoil.
Knowing he couldn’t wait any longer, with the eye’s guidance, he aimed at the spot where the eye would next appear.
As soon as the eye leapt out, Fang Tang fired instantly.

Bang!
The eye exploded with a shower of sparks.
Fang Tang’s arms dropped weakly as he let out a long sigh.
“I’m almost used to the new cavern—just let me train like this once more.”
He muttered to himself, slowly walking to the spot where the eye had burst.
There he found a black pearl, about the size of a ping-pong ball, threaded with streaks of blood.
“So this is the Sand-Eyed Mole’s true form?”
Fang Tang examined it closely, then struck it with the dismantling hammer.
The pearl vanished, leaving only a blood-red glass bead behind.
“Nice!”
Fang Tang licked his lips and strolled over to a bronze chest nearby.
The bronze chest’s supplies were decent; after collecting three copper ingots from it, Fang Tang realized that beneath the chest, the ground was also riddled with pits.
“A clever beast—dozens of holes. Whack-a-mole really is fun.”
Fang Tang chuckled and sat down to slowly recover his arms.
“The ****’s recoil is too strong; using it continuously is exhausting. If only I had a better weapon. The Explosive Bow is good, but the arrows are too few.”
On the octopus’s item list, he’d seen blueprints for ***, priced at 800 credit points. He hadn’t purchased it then.
After all, with the Explosive Bow, *** seemed redundant.

But compared to ****, *** still had its uses.
For example, with a flame muzzle attached to ***, a burst of bullets could turn a dog-head into a sieve.
Then he thought of Xie Ling.
He wondered if she’d found any useful new weapons.
He still had high hopes for this lucky girl.
After a moment’s thought, he sent Xie Ling a message.
“Any gains today?”
Soon, Xie Ling replied, “Yep! Opened two caverns, found two silver chests, and now I can eat roast meat too.”
“...”
That’s it?
Was that all this girl aspired to?
Fang Tang rubbed his forehead and smiled wryly, then asked, “Anything else besides that?”
Xie Ling: “Just dug five caverns today. One iron chest, two silver chests, didn’t find anything else. But the dismantling hammer you gave me is so handy—even silver chests yield silver ingots. Does that mean golden chests yield gold ingots?”
Fang Tang: “That’s unclear. Maybe. We still don’t know what higher-grade chests are like.”
Xie Ling: “True... Boss, are you hungry? I’m eating roast meat now, want some?”
Fang Tang: “No need, I just had breakfast not long ago. If you need a grill, let me know—a friendly price, twenty-five silver ingots.”
Fang Tang’s commission for orders was always one elemental stone.
Normally, fifty silver ingots wouldn’t get you an elemental stone, but he had the blueprint for the mechanical claw arm.
Xie Ling: “Okay! What materials does a grill need? Let me see if I have enough.”
Fang Tang: “Iron ingots ×10, copper ingots ×3, Fire Spirit Stone ×1, Lightning Stone ×1, Gale Stone ×1.”
Xie Ling: “Huh? A grill needs so many elemental stones?”
Fang Tang: “Of course. It has two modes—electric and fire—each suited for different ingredients.”
Xie Ling: “Oh, but I don’t have that many elemental stones.”
Fang Tang: “Then there’s nothing I can do.”
Xie Ling: “Boss, I’ll keep digging after I eat. Once I gather enough elemental stones, I’ll come find you.”
Fang Tang: “Alright, price stays the same.”
Xie Ling: “Hehe, you’re the best, boss!”
“...”
Fang Tang touched his nose and shook his head, amused.
“Eye, time to get back to work.”
[On the right, silver chest, inside are two Phantom Sand Lizards.]