Chapter Thirty-Two: The Frost Spear

“Cough, cough!”

He had no idea how much time had passed before he gradually regained consciousness. When he opened his eyes, he saw that night had already fallen outside; only the lamp inside the tent illuminated the cavern.

“How long was I unconscious?”

Slowly sitting up, a searing pain tore through his chest, bringing clarity to his mind. He licked his parched lips, fished out a bottle of water from the newspaper, and took a drink to ease the dryness in his mouth.

“This is the worst injury I’ve ever had. I’d better be more careful when I encounter special caverns in the future…”

The encounter with the snow demon was but a glimpse of the true dangers lurking in these underground worlds.

From what the Eye had said, he could infer that, among the ranked creatures in the caverns, the snow demon was actually a lower-tier being—perhaps even at the very bottom. Otherwise, its abilities wouldn’t have been so easily stripped away.

Yet even when facing the lowest-ranked creature, he’d been severely injured, his chest bones fractured. It was hard to imagine just how fearsome those higher-ranked denizens must be.

He’d thought his current strength was enough to hold his own in the caverns. Now, he realized how fragile he truly was.

The Eye was right—strength is everything.

Fortunately, caverns with unique environments were rare.

If he looked at it through the lens of a game, it was as if the players from the starter village were first given a taste of the world beyond. Otherwise, stepping out and encountering such creatures unprepared would leave them helpless, at the mercy of these monsters.

“Ah, right, I haven’t cataloged the blueprint I found in that cavern. Let’s see what it is.”

He rummaged around and pulled the blueprint from beneath him.

After saving it into the newspaper, the name and synthesis tree appeared.

Frostfire Rifle: Memory Alloy x10, Ecological Copper Solution x10, Heart of Permafrost x1.

For once, there were no elemental stones required—just three materials. Aside from Memory Alloy, he now knew the names of two other advanced materials.

Ecological Copper Solution and Heart of Permafrost… what on earth were those?

Could these things even be found in the caverns?

He was doubtful.

So far, every blueprint he’d acquired was quite basic. Even when elemental stones were involved, their application was rather shallow. The Eye hadn’t cared for any of them.

So, he didn’t hold out much hope for the caverns themselves. If there was a cavern shop, perhaps one could purchase these blueprints—but that, too, came down to chance.

“There’s still a long road ahead,” he sighed, rubbing his face.

But he didn’t let it discourage him. After all, this weapon would be a rarity outside the starter village—its power must be considerable.

He shook the newspaper and turned to the first page.

A long string of unread messages appeared, most of them people placing orders with him.

Since he’d set his commission at thirty iron ingots, many had the means to pay for his services now.

Only two private messages weren’t orders—they were from Xie Ling and Willow.

Willow had contacted him to return what she owed, and even attached a link to an elemental stone.

He was slightly surprised she’d found one so quickly, but didn’t stand on ceremony. He took the elemental stone and tucked it into the third page.

Xie Ling, on the other hand, had written because she’d discovered the blueprint for an intelligent motherboard.

At that, he grew excited.

“Truly the Queen of Luck—the Eye was right. Only Xie Ling could stumble upon such a high-tier blueprint.”

He punched the air in delight, only to pull at his injured chest and wince in pain.

Rubbing the sore spot, he hurried to compose a reply.

“What materials are needed for the intelligent motherboard?”

Since Xie Ling had cataloged the blueprint, only she could access the synthesis tree.

Xie Ling: “Ah! Finally, you’ve replied! It’s been five or six hours—I was starting to worry something happened to you.”

Fang Tang: “Something did happen, but I made it back with a good haul.”

Xie Ling: “You’re okay, right? If you’re hurt, I have some bandages—they heal wounds slowly. Want a few?”

He glanced at the bandages wrapped around his chest and grimaced.

If five or six hours hadn’t been enough to heal, these bandages weren’t doing much. Still, a little was better than nothing.

Fang Tang: “Sure, three or four should be enough. I’m pretty badly hurt. What materials does the intelligent motherboard require?”

Seeing the conversation drifting, he quickly pulled it back to the topic at hand.

Xie Ling: “Oh, sorry… The intelligent motherboard needs: Silver Ingot x10, Copper Ingot x10, Iron Ingot x5, Lightning Stone x1, and Bluewater Stone x1.”

Relief spread across his face.

Good—all items he already possessed.

And unlike the Heart of Mithril, he only needed one intelligent motherboard.

He listed the materials and sent Xie Ling the link.

Fang Tang: “Could you make one for me?”

Xie Ling: “No problem. It’ll be ready soon—just a moment.”

He smiled and turned to processing the other orders.

Over eighty percent were requests for a fire muzzle; only a handful wanted water collectors or shock-absorbing insoles.

In the middle of fulfilling orders, Xie Ling sent over the intelligent motherboard, along with four rolls of tape.

The motherboard was three fingers wide and twenty centimeters long, encased in silvery metal that hid the inner circuitry.

On either side, columns of blue liquid flowed gently, occasionally sparking with thin strands of electricity.

“Hey, it even comes with built-in coolant?”

He touched the blue droplets, which felt icy cold and soothing.

With two of the three main components for the mechanical arm solved, only Memory Alloy remained. The sense of accomplishment was undeniable.

Soon, he would have a legendary artifact for the starter village!

Delighted, he stowed it in the third page of the newspaper and turned his attention back to the orders.

Just then, Willow sent a message.

“Mr. Fang, have you received the Fire Spirit Stone?”

He arched an eyebrow, but showed no other sign of surprise.

“Yes. Is there something you need?”

His tone toward Willow was hardly warm. In fact, except for Xie Ling, he wasn’t particularly friendly to anyone.

Though Willow was… intriguing?

He wasn’t the kind to let his desires override his reason.

After all, this was the caverns—who had time for pleasantries? Better to spend it searching for more loot.

Willow: “…Nothing in particular. Just wanted to confirm you received the Fire Spirit Stone.”

Fang Tang: “I did.”

Willow: “Mr. Fang, I searched thirteen caverns today. A few had monsters—I… ran away.”

“Oh, by the way, I found a blueprint for a rifle today. Do you need it?”

He was stunned—this was unexpected.

A rifle?

A weapon of mass destruction! That would be useful!

Fang Tang: “What materials does it take?”

Willow: “Iron Ingot x12, Copper Ingot x8.”

Fang Tang: “Perfect. Please make one for me. I’ll send you the materials.”

Willow: “No… no need. I have the materials here—I can help you make it.”

Fang Tang: “That’s my trading rule.”

With that, he sent her the materials.

Fang Tang: “Would you like a fire muzzle? With one, you won’t have to run from cavern creatures next time. I’ll waive the commission, consider it covered by this transaction.”

Willow: “I… don’t have any more Fire Spirit Stones.”

Fang Tang: “Then once you find another elemental stone, I’ll make it for you. Since this is our first collaboration, I’ll give you a discount—you can use any elemental stone in place of a Fire Spirit Stone.”