Seventeen days had passed since Finn first swung a pickaxe in the tutorial cave, and the transformation was remarkable. He stood now in what used to be the most dangerous cave in the intermediate network, a place called the Crimson Depths that even experienced miners avoided. The walls here were a deep red color, streaked with veins of precious metals that glowed faintly in the darkness.
But the cave was no longer dangerous. Finn had cleared it completely.
The main chamber had become his home, his workshop, his storage facility. Wooden shelves lined the walls, each one carefully crafted and packed with organized resources.
Copper ingots stacked neatly on the left, iron in the middle, gold and silver on the right. Gems of various colors sparkled in labeled containers. Coal filled three large chests near what Finn had designated as his smelting area.
In the center of the chamber sat his pride and joy, a massive crafting station he had built after unlocking advanced crafting at level fifteen. It was a beautiful piece of work, constructed from dark oak and reinforced with steel brackets.
Tools hung from hooks around it, each one perfectly maintained. Several partially completed projects sat on the work surface, including what looked like an enchanted mining helmet and a set of reinforced gloves.
[Name: Finn Grayson]
[Class: SSS-Rank Miner]
[Level: 23]
[Experience: 3,847/4,000]
[Strength: 56]
[Endurance: 62]
[Perception: 48]
[Mining Skill: Intermediate Level 6]
[Crafting Skill: Intermediate Level 4]
[Combat Skill: Beginner Level 2]
Level twenty-three in just over two weeks. Finn had pushed himself relentlessly, exactly as Pebble had feared.
But unlike his previous life, he had learned to balance the obsession. He ate regularly, slept six hours a night, and took breaks to stretch and maintain his equipment. The leveling system helped, each advancement refreshing his body and preventing the kind of deterioration that had killed him before.
"Host, you have a new notification," Pebble said from his usual spot on a shelf near the crafting station.
The little rock had stopped sitting on Finn's shoulder after level ten, claiming he needed a proper observation post to monitor operations. Really, Finn suspected Pebble just wanted to avoid the constant jostling during mining sessions.
Finn wiped his hands on a cloth and walked over to check the system window that appeared. His eyes widened as he read the new quest notification.
[New Main Quest Available: Formation of Bonds]
[Description: The path of a miner is often solitary, but even the strongest cannot achieve greatness alone. To progress beyond Level 25 and unlock advanced features, you must form at least one genuine cooperative relationship.]
[Objective: Recruit one party member who will fight alongside you]
[Reward: Party System Unlock, Advanced Crafting Recipes, 2,000 Experience Points]
[Time Limit: 7 Days]
Finn stared at the notification for a long moment, then looked at Pebble. "You have got to be fucking kidding me."
"I am afraid not. This is a mandatory progression quest."
"The system detected that you have been operating in complete isolation since your arrival, which is unhealthy for long-term development. You need social connections."
"I have you!"
"I am a system guide, not a party member. I do not count." Pebble's eyes dimmed slightly, almost apologetically. "Besides, you need someone who can fight."
"Your combat skill is abysmal compared to your mining abilities. If you want to access the truly dangerous areas where the best resources are found, you will need backup."
Finn sat down heavily on a stone bench he had carved weeks ago. The quest was not wrong. He had avoided the deeper, monster-infested regions specifically because his combat capabilities were limited to swinging a pickaxe at rocks, not creatures.
The few times he had encountered hostile mobs, he had either run away or relied on clever terrain manipulation to trap them.
"Where am I supposed to find someone willing to party with a miner?" Finn asked, running a hand through his hair. "Most adventurers want fighters, mages, or healers."
"Mining is not exactly a combat-focused class."
"You underestimate yourself. An SSS-Rank Miner with your level of equipment crafting ability would be valuable to any party."
"You just need to find the right person, someone who sees your potential rather than judging by conventional class standards."
Finn stood and began pacing. The cave was too quiet, and isolated. He had been so focused on progression that he had completely ignored the world outside his mining network.
He had not visited Millhaven, the nearby town Pebble had mentioned on his first day. He had not talked to another human being since his reincarnation. The realization was oddly uncomfortable.
"I suppose I need to go to town," Finn said slowly. "Look for adventurers, maybe post a recruitment notice or something."
"That would be the logical approach. However, I should mention that Millhaven is fifteen kilometers away, and you would need to navigate through several potentially hostile areas to reach it safely."
"Perhaps we should consider alternative options for finding suitable candidates in closer proximity."
Before Finn could respond, a sound echoed through the cave network. It was faint, distant, but unmistakable. A scream. A woman's scream, filled with terror and desperation.
Finn's head snapped toward the sound. It had come from deeper in the cave system, from the unexplored tunnels that branched off beyond his current base.
He had mapped most of the Crimson Depths, but there were still sections he had not investigated, areas that the system marked as containing level twenty-five and above monsters.
"Did you hear that?" Finn asked, already moving toward his equipment wall.
"I did. It sounded like someone is in serious trouble. However, I must remind you that the deeper sections are extremely dangerous."
"You should not rush in without proper preparation and support."
Another scream rang out, closer this time, and Finn could hear the clash of metal against something hard. Someone was fighting, and from the sounds of it, losing badly.
Finn grabbed his best pickaxe, a reinforced steel model with enhanced durability that he had crafted just yesterday. He also snatched up a mining helmet with a built-in light crystal and a sturdy leather vest he had been planning to upgrade later. It was not combat armor by any stretch, but it was better than nothing.
"Finn, wait! You need a proper weapon! Your combat skill is barely developed! At minimum, you should craft a sword or spear before investigating!"
"No time," Finn said, already running toward the tunnel entrance. "Someone is dying down there."