Broken had expected that mining the Moonstones wouldn’t be as easy as he thought, but upgrading his Mining Technique skill would be no small feat. He would have to mine tens, hundreds, or even thousands of times to improve the skill, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to do so in just one night. But he had the time to do it. It was a battle of endurance: either he persevered until he successfully mined those Moonstones, or the Moonstones would disappear from Yunatea!
He decided, “I will do my best tonight, until I try all the Moonstones in this place. Gia said the Moonstone will appear every two days, and I can try again in two more days if I don’t succeed tonight.”
He continued to mine with great precision, moving from one rock to another each time he failed. After several hours of unsuccessful attempts, the sparkling rocks were no longer visible.
[You failed to mine an unidentified mineral.]
“It seems that the rocks only appear in the middle of the night,” Broken said, exhaling deeply.
He dropped to the ground and threw his pickaxe aside, trying to calm himself, although his hands were still trembling with frustration.
“I can’t afford to waste any more time,” he declared, standing up and firmly gripping his pickaxe as he approached the others.
“I’m gonna head to a nearby cave to mine some iron ores,” he said, but all he got in response were confused faces.
“Wait, you did manage to get those sparkling things, didn’t you?” PussyCat asked with a curious expression.
“Sadly….” Broken sighed. “I didn’t manage to obtain any of them.”
“I think that the thing you are mining is a very valuable one, so it must be only natural that it is not easy to get it,” Forev suggested, trying to encourage him.
“Hahaha, don’t worry, Master.” RememberMe chuckled. “We’ll accompany you until you successfully mine those sparkling things, or if you’re still having trouble, I can buy you the stones from the auction! Hahahah….”
“You dumbass, money can’t buy everything,” Forev scolded RememberMe. “Do you think everything in Yunatea can be found at an auction?”
Broken continued, “I’ll be here for, I don’t know, a week, a month. I think you can leave anytime if you feel like accompanying me here would be a waste of time.”
RememberMe leaped to his feet with a broad grin on his face. “We said we’d stay with you until your quest is complete, right?”
“No need to worry, Broken, we see this as a vacation. We’re having fun,” PussyCat said. “Do your thing, and we can also hunt monsters to level up. It’s a win-win situation.”
Broken nodded, feeling a warm sense of gratitude towards them. “Thanks, I’ll be back here after finishing my mining.” He then turned and started walking towards the nearby cave.
After Broken disappeared into the darkness, RememberMe turned to his two friends with a mischievous glint in his eye.
“I know he was only testing us on our loyalty,” he chuckled. “Trying to pull a fast one by mining iron ore to trick us, hahaha! But he should know better that I never give up! I’ll show him my loyalty until he opens up to us about his biggest secret, hahaha.”
“I don’t think so…” PussyCat replied, a smile playing on her lips. “Broken may be secretive, but he doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would take advantage of others. So, you better keep your imagination to yourself.”
“I think there’s something seriously wrong with the inside of his head,” Forev chimed in, smirking.
After his initial failure to acquire any Moonstones, Broken established a regular pattern. He would venture out in the middle of the night to attempt to mine Moonstone. When the sun rose, he’d head to the closest cave to level up his Mining Technique by collecting iron ore. During the daytime, he joined the others in hunting monsters. Although he was more passive and let Polly handle most of the battle, he needed to keep the Self Transcendence blessing active to progress.
[Self Transcendence Blessing Activation Progress: 43%]
Each night, Broken carefully timed his attempts, waiting for the Moonstones to appear. He knew it was a test of patience and perseverance, two qualities that he was determined to prove he possessed. The nights were long and often cold, but he found solace in the rhythmic sound of his pickaxe striking the rocks.
During the day, the group worked seamlessly together, their teamwork improving with each hunt.
Unbeknownst to him, Broken had been following the same routine for three weeks of Yunatea time already, yet he still hadn’t managed to obtain a single Moonstone.
[Name: Broken
Level: 31
Classes: Unique Super Novice
Health: 980 Mana: 948
Strength: 120 Agility: 80 Intelligence: 90 Constitution: 98 Stamina: 90
Charisma: 50 Luck: 25 Dexterity: 0 Survival: 0 Perception: 0
Available Stat Points: 0
Weight: 369/720]
However, one thing that made him quite happy was that his level was slowly starting to rise, and he had also spent every stats he had accordingly.
One night, as they rested near the tent, PussyCat walked towards him, carrying a plate of freshly grilled meat. The warm aroma of the food wafted through the air. She smiled at Broken, who had just thrown his pickaxe to the ground in frustration.
“You must be hungry, right?” she said, offering him the plate.
Broken nodded in appreciation and accepted the plate. “Thanks,” he said, his voice heavy with exhaustion.
PussyCat chuckled, her blonde hair lifting in the wind that blew over the mountains. “I think you are the most determined person I’ve ever met,” she said.
“But…” Broken replied slowly, taking a bite of the meat. “I don’t think that determination alone is enough to achieve what I’m looking for. I’ve come to this place, done my best, but still, success eludes me. I have a feeling this won’t change anytime soon.”
“I think you need to take a break and give your mind a rest,” she suggested gently. “We often push ourselves too hard and forget that our minds need to recuperate too.”
Broken paused for a moment, then nodded in agreement. He had been focusing on the game so intensely over the past few days. Although he enjoyed it, he realized that he did need a little break.
“I guess you’re right,” he replied. “I’m going to log out for a while.” He smiled at her.
“Take care,” she responded with a warm smile.
With that, he promptly logged out of the game.
***
“He managed to upgrade his Mining Technique to level 4 within one week?!” Marco, the CEO of Golden Age Company, said emphatically as he gazed at the large screen in front of him.
The other people in the room were equally astonished by the feat they had witnessed.
“He is really dangerous!” Marco continued, his face expressing both surprise and delight. “Imagine what he could accomplish if he applied this level of persistence. Added to the blessing of sloth he has, he is so dangerous.”
Marco paused, allowing the magnitude of the situation to sink in. The room fell silent as everyone contemplated the implications of Broken’s achievement.
“Is the balance of this game about to be shattered due to his persistent mentality?” he asked, looking around at his colleagues.