novelraw Chapter 106: The Scene Was So Beautiful, I Didn’t Dare Look
Chapter 106: The Scene Was So Beautiful, I Didn’t Dare Look
Since he had confirmed he could collect items without direct contact, Leon immediately returned to where he had killed the first stinkbug. Using the extended Galaxy Watermelon Knife, he lifted the lump of bug meat that had been lying there for a while and stored it in the System Backpack.
Leon continued wandering through this floor. Thankfully, after making a full loop, he didn’t encounter any more stinkbugs, and the foul stench in the cave had noticeably faded. It seemed that he had cleared out the stinkbugs on this level.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Leon pulled out his pickaxe again. He first smashed the copper-bearing rocks, then moved on to the ordinary stones. To his delight, while breaking ordinary rocks, he not only got stones but also knocked loose a Crystal Orb.
“Crystal Orb: A crystal containing various minerals. Requires special tools to open.”
It was smaller than an Omni Geode but still about the size of a bowl, oval-shaped, with a smooth outer shell—like a shrunken rugby ball.
After stowing it away, Leon continued breaking rocks. When he had smashed every stone in the rocky areas outside the sandy ground, he still hadn’t found the staircase to the fourth floor. That left only the small patch of rocks in the middle of the vast sandy area, along with three lone stones.
There was no way Leon would believe there was nothing hidden in that much sand.
He put away the pickaxe and pulled out the Galaxy Watermelon Knife, staring at the sandy ground before finally stepping onto it.
The sand was soft, like walking on a beach, leaving clear footprints with each step. The sensation underfoot was actually quite pleasant.
After walking a short distance, Leon’s watchful eyes caught a change: a faint rustling sound came from underground, and a raised mound of sand pushed forward in a straight line toward him.Intrigued, Leon instinctively stopped moving, raising his knife to prepare for battle.
To his surprise, the sand mound also stopped. When Leon took a testing step forward, the mound began moving again.
Is it tracking by sound, or sensing vibrations in the ground? This thing feels way too much like an alien. Leon couldn’t help but grumble inwardly, trying to deduce the habits of the unseen creature lurking below.
Without hesitation, he extended the Galaxy Watermelon Knife to over two meters, turning it into a massive blade. He tapped the sand ahead with its tip to test a theory.
The mound moved toward the tapping point. When it was only a few centimeters away, the sand burst open.
A thick, earth-gray, worm-like creature emerged—its head oddly shaped like it had abstract facial features—but only its upper body protruded.
The creature reared up and began hammering the spot Leon had tapped, slamming down again and again with its body like a club.
Hiss. So dumb, and blind too.
Leon, having withdrawn his blade, watched the burrowing worm attacking empty ground and almost felt bad for the disabled thing.
But the heavy thuds told him it wouldn’t be pleasant if it hit him. So Leon opted for the “humane” method.
He flipped the knife so the spine faced downward and the edge upward, then struck the ground again in another direction.
The worm immediately retreated underground, pushing up a mound as it hurried toward the new sound. Just like before, it burst from the ground and slammed down—right onto the upturned blade.
The moment its body struck the edge, it was sliced clean in two, like tofu, and went still.
Leon covered his face, unable to watch the picturesque suicide any longer.
As the corpse disintegrated into dust like the others, it left behind a diamond-shaped, earth-yellow crystal as proof it had once existed in this world.
“Earth Crystal (Mineral): A resin-like substance found near the surface.”
After picking it up, the system prompt appeared.
“Nice find.”
Leon stored it away. Earth Crystals could be used for offerings, crafting, gifts, construction—you name it.
With the worm dealt with, Leon advanced across the sandy ground, this time without any more disturbances, until he reached the rocky patch in the center.
He took out his pickaxe and smashed the stones. The first two broke with a single swing each, but the third—a slightly rounded, dark stone—took five solid hits before cracking.
The effort paid off.
“Topaz (Mineral): Common, but valued for its beauty.”
“So it was a gem vein. No wonder it was so smooth.” He mentally noted the stone’s appearance for the future.
Finally, with the last stone gone, the staircase he had been longing for appeared.
But Leon didn’t rush down. Switching to his hoe, he began circling the sandy ground outside the rocks. There was still something he needed to confirm.
Each swing of the hoe turned over a small patch of land, but at first, all he found was dry sand.
Unfazed, he kept going, using the hoe’s special ability to till the sand.
After four swings, he finally got something.
“Clay (Resource): Used for processing and construction.”
Knew it. Even sand in the mines can yield something.
Encouraged, Leon sped up. Before long, he uncovered a thick, root-like plant from the soil—shaped like a carrot but much larger and sturdier.
Lifting it, he felt its solid weight. The skin was rough, the texture firm, and it smelled strongly of earth.
“Cave Carrot (Foraged Item): A starchy plant that grows in caves, prized by miners as the best way to replenish stamina.”
The system’s description piqued his curiosity. It was called a carrot, but to him, it looked more like a ginseng root.
Leon hadn’t seen many freshly dug ginsengs, but he knew they often had long, fine root tendrils—just like the Cave Carrot in his hand.
I wonder what happens if I just bite into it.