novelraw Chapter 139: An Eyesore at Zero
Chapter 139: An Eyesore at Zero
“Steel Longsword (Level 1 Sword): 4–8 damage, +2 speed.”
Leon clicked his tongue as he compared the stats marked by the system. Against the Galaxy Watermelon Knife, this weapon’s attributes were surprisingly refined.
Still, it was free, so Leon didn’t hesitate—he shoved it straight into his System Backpack.
His attention then drifted toward a subterranean lake on the right side of the area.
Although there was light overhead, the lake still looked dark and eerie from a distance. The surface was perfectly still, giving no hint of what might lurk beneath.
Unfortunately, Leon hadn’t brought a fishing rod. Otherwise, he would’ve cast a line or two just to see. He wondered whether there were creatures here other than Ghostfish and Stonefish.
Without lingering in the mines, Leon restored power to the elevator at the twentieth floor, then rode it back to the surface. From there, he headed straight for Red Star Farm.
Once back at the wooden cabin, he took a shower, then finished the pancakes he’d prepared that morning. Only after that did he begin sorting through the day’s haul.
From floor five to floor twenty, he’d covered fifteen levels in one go. But since he’d found the staircases early on, he’d rushed through without clearing out every ore vein and rock.
His total haul: 186 pieces of copper ore, 221 stones, and 94 pieces of coal—the last number boosted by salvaging an abandoned minecart. Leon had discovered that coal was even rarer than copper ore.Compared to these basic materials, special minerals were far fewer. He’d found six gem nodes, yielding four Amethysts and two Yellow Crystals.
On top of that were items that could be picked up without mining—like Earth Crystals and Quartz. He had nine Earth Crystals and fourteen Quartz, four of the crystals dropped by Duggy-type monsters. Their drop rate was surprisingly high.
Monster drops were less impressive: 24 Slime Jelly, 11 Bug Meat, and six White Algae. Combined with the Rainbow Slime Jelly he’d gotten with Linus and the extra Earth Crystals from the Duggies, that was the extent of his monster loot.
He hadn’t seen any Rock Crabs, and the number and frequency of monster spawns had clearly decreased. There hadn’t been a single monster-infested floor. That led Leon to suspect luck might influence monster spawn rates.
If that was the case, then in the future he’d visit the mines only on days with good fortune. After all, avoiding fights suited him just fine.
In addition to the loot, his Mining skill had leveled up, unlocking a recipe that came with some stat boosts.
“Miner’s Special: A meal that keeps you energized. Eating it grants +3 Mining and +32 Magnetism for eight hours. Requires: Cave Carrot ×1, Sugar ×1, Fresh Animal Milk (any animal) ×1.”
Leon was intrigued. Would the +3 Mining mean better yields, improved stamina gains from the skill, or both? The possibilities were tempting.
He had Cave Carrots in storage, had seen Sugar sold at Pierre’s General Store, but had no way to get fresh animal milk yet.
In the game, players usually had to raise cows or goats for milk. But in reality, Leon was sure there were other ways—like buying fresh milk directly from Marnie’s Ranch.
If the system hadn’t specifically labeled the ingredient as “Fresh Animal Milk,” he might have tried boxed milk from Joja Mart to see if it worked. But the note “any animal” made it clear—only freshly milked dairy counted.
After storing most of the haul in his chest, Leon kept twenty copper ore, four coal, one Amethyst, and one Yellow Crystal, then stepped outside.
He tossed the Amethyst and Yellow Crystal into the shipping bin. Then he went to the furnace, fed in the copper ore and coal, and returned indoors.
The reason for selling the crystals was simple—he wanted to compare prices. Tomorrow, he’d check Emily’s offer, then see what Clint would pay. That way, he could ensure maximum profit.
Everything else he didn’t currently need stayed in the chest. No sense selling materials he might use later.
With his plans for tomorrow set, Leon went to bed.
…
When he opened his eyes again, sunlight wasn’t streaming into the room as usual.
It was already six-thirty in the morning, but the outside world was still dim. Looking out the window, Leon saw thick clouds gathering overhead.
“Rain again, huh?”
He turned on the TV and switched to the weather forecast. Sure enough, the host was announcing rain for the Stardew Valley region.
He then checked Welwick’s fortune-telling channel and learned his luck was merely average. That was enough for him to drop any thought of going to the mines.
From now on, any day without “very good” luck would see the mines scratched off his schedule. Two trips with different luck ratings had shown him firsthand the gap between the fortunate and the unlucky.
Since it was going to rain, there was no rush to water the crops. He washed up, cooked a bowl of spaghetti, and dug out the rest of his Amethysts and Yellow Crystals, along with his tools and the 21 Cherry Bombs left from yesterday’s mining. Putting on his raincoat, he rode off from the farm.
Spring rain was the best time to catch Catfish. Rainy weather also changed what fish could be found. Leon planned to spend the day fishing—both to make money and to contribute to the Community Center’s fish tank bundle.
Besides, he couldn’t stand his fishing skill still being stuck at zero. Farming was also at zero, but that was because the crops hadn’t matured yet. The lack of fishing progress was entirely his own laziness.