Chapter Seven: The Water Collector

Boom!
A thunderous noise reverberated through the cramped underground chamber.
The strengths and weaknesses of the gun were immediately apparent.
Strengths: immense power, long range.
Weaknesses: massive recoil, deafening report, unwieldy size, and considerable weight...
"This gun really isn’t the best choice," Fang Tang muttered, covering his ears, the roar still echoing painfully in his auditory canals.
Ear-splitting!
He exhaled, took a brief rest, and resolved to fire a few more shots for practice.
After all, he would be relying on this weapon often in the future. If he could get accustomed to its self-destructive thunder, perhaps... that would be enough.
In truth, Fang Tang was overestimating himself.
After three consecutive shots, his arm was numb and aching from the recoil, his ears ringing so loudly he could barely hear a thing.
The tight confines of the cave amplified the weapon’s roar without mercy.
He sat on the ground, panting for a long while, then used his hunting knife to cut two strips of cloth from his shirt, rolling them up and stuffing them in his ears.
He fired again.
Boom!
It was much better now.
Only the recoil remained formidable, but Fang Tang chose to ignore it.
The power was undeniable—just look at the five bowl-sized craters in the wall!
This new equipment emboldened Fang Tang as never before.
He decided to double back and hunt for the scorpion.
The other two passages in Cave 15 held resources, but pitifully scarce ones.
Fang Tang was not one to dither; he headed straight for Cave 16.
Cave 16 was adjacent to Cave 13, where he had found a packet of sausages. Passing through both would lead him to the scorpion’s lair.
Cave 17!
The cave, as the Eye had described, teeming with food.
With a final swing of the pickaxe, a black hole appeared.
Fang Tang tossed a Fire Spirit Stone inside, then charged in, weapon at the ready.
He was greeted immediately by a massive, earth-yellow scorpion sprawled on the ground as if resting. Fang Tang’s sudden intrusion startled it.
A moment later, the scorpion emitted a high-pitched screech. Its thick, lengthy tail, tipped with a menacing, hook-shaped stinger glinting coldly, lashed at Fang Tang with lightning speed.
But Fang Tang was ready for battle.
Forcing himself to calm, he spread his legs, gripped his weapon with both hands, and aimed the sight at the scorpion’s head.
Bang!
At the instant the gun exploded with sound, the scorpion’s head burst apart, spraying foul-smelling liquid in all directions.
The stinger, which had been hurtling toward him, fell limply to the ground right before his eyes.

[Have to admit, that was pretty cool just now. Applause for you—clap, clap, clap...]
Fang Tang let out a long breath.
They say there is a great terror between life and death.
Fang Tang had just learned the true meaning of that phrase.
Had he hesitated even a moment, that stinger would have pierced his throat and taken his head.
Luckily, his adaptability was strong, and his learning even stronger.
Armed with this experience, he would find facing sand scorpions far easier in the future.
He didn’t bother with the supplies yet, but instead picked up his Decomposition Hammer and approached the scorpion’s corpse.
He was curious to see what could be salvaged from these cave creatures.
The scorpion’s carapace was tough, but what Fang Tang liked most was its long tail—if it could be fashioned into a weapon, it would surely be formidable.
He gave it a few resounding whacks.
The massive scorpion vanished instantly, leaving only the tail and two sharp, curved fangs by its mouth.
"What am I supposed to do with these things?"
Fang Tang picked up the fangs, muttering to himself in curiosity.
Could there be blueprints in the cave for using these?
[Don’t you want to consult your esteemed Eye about such things?]
"You can answer?"
Fang Tang paused, suspicion written across his face.
Normally, whenever he consulted the Eye, it replied with riddles; why had it spoken up so readily this time?
[This isn’t any vital intelligence (muttering quietly). If you’re lucky, you might stumble upon a shop inside the cave that will buy these items. You could even find some truly unexpected treasures for sale there—quack, quack, I’m laughing like a duck.]
"There are shops here?"
Now Fang Tang was truly astonished.
[What’s so surprising? The rules here are quite complete. If there’s a Decomposition Hammer, there’s a shop. What’s strange about that?]
Fang Tang fell silent.
He had noticed a word the Eye used often:
Rules!
"You keep mentioning rules—what exactly do you mean?"
[Ah? ...Well, that’s for you to discover. The greatest joy of the cave game is exploration. Even though you have me, which spoils more than half the fun, I won’t take the blame for that (muttering quietly).]
"Heh..."
Seeing the Eye grow evasive again, Fang Tang knew there was no point pressing further. Instead, he looked toward the wooden crate in the corner.
The supplies inside were indeed as plentiful as the Eye had promised.
Bottled water x5, bread x2, watermelon x1, bananas x3, milk x2, iron ingots x4, copper ingots x2.
A bountiful haul!
All the Eye’s riddling vexations were swept away in that moment.
The future could wait; for now, survival was all that mattered.
Only by staying alive could he hope to unravel the Eye’s mysteries.
Wasn’t that so?

He happily packed everything into the newspaper and surveyed the surrounding caves.
[Don’t bother with the sides. There’s a useful blueprint in the next cave—if you want your life to get better.]
"Oh?"
At these words, Fang Tang’s spirits soared.
Eagerly, he swung his pickaxe, digging open the passage to Cave 18.
Cave 18, like those before, had a table in the center.
What surprised Fang Tang most was the iron chest in the corner.
More iron ingots!
He could trade now!
Ignoring the blueprint for the moment, he headed straight for the iron chest.
He obtained: one packet of tomato seeds, three potatoes, two sweet potatoes.
Vegetables—what a find!
Delighted, Fang Tang stored everything away.
Then, taking out the Decomposition Hammer, he struck the iron chest.
Bang, bang!
Three more iron ingots.
"I’m about to strike it rich!"
He licked his lips—he could make another gun.
This one he planned to sell, to exchange for elemental stones.
After all, the game had only been running for three hours.
No one else could possibly have crafted a ranged weapon of this power so soon.
Who in their right mind would spend three hours digging through eighteen caves?
That would be suicidal!
So his gun, today and for several days to come, would be in hot demand!
Moreover, Fang Tang had another plan that required this gun as his calling card.
A sly grin crossed his lips.
The gun would take five minutes to make, so Fang Tang used the time to examine the blueprint.
He couldn’t make sense of the drawing at first, but once he collected it, he realized he’d hit the jackpot.
Water Collector: iron ingots x2, copper ingot x1, blue water stone x1.
"A water collector! Eye, I love you!"
Fang Tang punched the air in triumph.
The arrival of the water collector meant his worries about water were over for good.
He could even use water as currency for trading.
A win on all fronts!