novelraw Chapter 136: A Misfire
Chapter 136: A Misfire
On the way to the mines, Leon had expected to run into Linus. But when he passed behind Robin’s house and glanced toward Linus’s camp, he saw no sign of him.
Even at the mountain lake before the mine entrance, there was no trace of Linus. That made Leon wonder where he had gone.
As for the Pelican Town Adventurer’s Guild, Leon had no plans to drop by and say hello. After all, they didn’t open until two in the afternoon. Judging by those hours, Marlon had probably stayed up all night and was sleeping through the day. Knocking on the door this early and disturbing his dreams might just get Leon chased off with a sword.
The mine entrance was the same as ever—pitch black from the outside, the interior only visible once you stepped in. This time, Leon skipped the stairs entirely and headed straight for the elevator, taking it down to the fifth floor.
Stepping out of the elevator, Leon froze for a moment before silently pulling out his pickaxe. He started chipping away at the copper ore and stone that had somehow refilled most of the mine despite his having cleared it last time.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
The sound of his pick echoed endlessly in the tunnels. Leon didn’t spare a single copper vein. Only after clearing out all the copper ore on the floor did he turn his pick on the ordinary stone.
“Hm?”
Beneath one smashed stone was a stairway shaft. Leon raised a brow, then glanced at the many stones still scattered across the floor. A strange pang of regret hit him.
His luck today was clearly better—ten or so copper ores and just one ordinary stone, and he’d already found the stairs to the next level. Compared to last time, when he had to break nearly every rock before finding the way down, he didn’t even want to imagine how bad his luck had been that day.After a last check to make sure he hadn’t missed any copper ore, Leon descended to the sixth floor.
This level was different again. Instead of a wide-open space, it was more like a tunnel, with minecart tracks laid along the rock floor.
The stones and copper ore here were noticeably scarce, but green slimes were plentiful. Leon remembered that anywhere with tracks usually had a cart full of coal nearby.
Following the rails while clearing out a few slimes, Leon reached the end of the line and found a broken-down minecart.
Unlike the game version, this one had three cars. The first was nothing but wheels and a few warped planks, but the second was still intact and filled with coal, while the third brimmed with copper ore.
Leon’s eyes lit up. Climbing into the cart, he used the Small Magnet Ring in combination with his System Backpack to sweep up the unclaimed loot.
Subtracting the twenty-two copper ore he’d mined on the fifth floor, just these two cars gave him ninety copper ore and sixty-eight coal.
Such a windfall stirred an impulse he couldn’t suppress, and he decided to act on it.
Bringing up the Crafting Menu, he selected the Cherry Bomb recipe and crafted.
In a flash, all 112 copper ore turned into twenty-eight cherry bombs.
He pulled one out of his pack. It really was the size of a cherry—red, round, and smooth. Leon rubbed his hands together in excitement.
“Cherry Bomb (Crafted): Creates a small explosion. Stand back!”
Short, simple, and not very helpful—no mention of the actual blast radius. He’d have to test it himself.
But not here. The stairs to the next floor were right beside the cart, and the stone density was too low to justify wasting a bomb.
He went down to the seventh floor and nodded in satisfaction. Plenty of stones and copper ore here. He picked a tightly packed cluster, lobbed a cherry bomb, and—
Nothing.
It rolled a bit, and Leon waited… and waited. No explosion.
Carefully approaching, he realized the problem: he hadn’t lit the fuse.
…
That left him speechless—not because it needed lighting, but because he hadn’t brought anything to light it with.
He had matches at the farm—bought a big pack from Joja Mart for cooking—but he hadn’t brought them along.
After all the trouble of making the bombs, they were now just… rocks. Leon sighed, packed them away, and went back to mining.
Once he activated the elevator on the tenth floor, he rode it back to the surface, then hopped on his bike toward Robin’s house.
“Hi, Leon. Out for a walk?” Robin greeted warmly as soon as she opened the door.
“Robin, could I borrow or buy some matches or a lighter?” Leon got straight to the point.
“No matches, but I’ve got a few lighters. They’re just little ones—no need to borrow or buy. Wait here.”
She dashed off and returned with a lighter, handing it over. “Do you smoke?”
“Not really. Just need something to light a fuse,” Leon explained.
“Oh, I see. By the way, free for lunch? If you’re not busy, stay and eat.”
“Thanks, but I’ve got things to do. Maybe next time—and thanks for the help.” Leon declined politely. He wasn’t that close to Robin, and eating here meant risking Demetrius giving him the side-eye. Testing cherry bombs sounded like a much happier option.
“All right, next time then.” Robin smiled, then added, “If you ever think about starting livestock, come to me for a coop or barn.”
“I will. Bye.” Leon waved and left.