Leon didn’t rush to start mining. Instead, he pulled out his Galaxy Waterlon Knife, extending its length on purpose so he could keep his distance from whatever foul-slling monster was lurking ahead—one he hadn’t even seen yet but could already sll.
If he got that stench on him during the fight, he wouldn’t hesitate to turn around and leave the mine.
And once outside, he’d dive straight into the lake, soaking for at least half an hour before daring to face another human being.
He also rembered Marlon’s warning. As he moved toward the Slis he could see, he kept well away from the cave walls and avoided stepping on the patches of sandy ground. Every step was cautious.
That caution soon proved its worth. After only a few steps, a bug the size of his head—its body covered in a greenish-blue chitin shell, with a pair of pale gray wings—darted from the shadows of the rock wall, lunging straight for him.
Its clumsy, straight-line flight made it easy for Leon to track its path. He swung the extended Galaxy Waterlon Knife in a powerful vertical chop.
The sharp blade tore through the chitin shell, slicing into the soft flesh beneath. The bug split cleanly in two, spilling a gush of thick green fluid that reeked even more than the air already did.
The kill was instant. Leon stepped back quickly, putting distance between himself and the falling corpse. He covered his nose and mouth, trying to block out the stench.
It didn’t work. The sll seeped into the air, invading his nose with every breath. The water and bread he’d eaten earlier churned in his stomach, making him feel sick.
“What the hell is this thing? Did it drink straight from the Ganges or sothing?”
He backed away several more steps until the air felt cleaner—relatively speaking. The stench was still there, but at least it wasn’t enough to make him gag.
The corpse soon disintegrated into dust, leaving behind a sticky pink chunk of at. Leon had no desire to pick it up—it looked revolting.
His attention instead went to his Galaxy Waterlon Knife. This weapon was his greatest reliance in the mines.
But thinking about the blade making direct contact with the bug’s body fluids made his scalp prickle.
If there were still traces of that green sli on the blade, he wasn’t sure he’d even want to keep his prized weapon.
Of course, he was joking—there was no way he’d fight one of these bugs barehanded. Lifting the extended Galaxy Waterlon Knife, he checked the blade. It was as dazzling as ever, with no strange residue in sight. He let out a breath of relief.
So this was what “no blood on the blade” looked like in real life.
Ard with experience now, Leon pressed on carefully. Even though he’d killed one of the bugs, who knew how many more might be lurking? He decided to scout the entire third floor of the mine before starting to mine any ore.
Sure enough, after circling more than halfway around, he spotted another of the stinking bugs. It lunged at him in the sa brainless fashion, and once again, his knife cut it neatly in two.
Without the stench, he’d have doubted if these things even deserved to be called monsters.
“Hm?”
Just after killing it, Leon noticed several green Slis bouncing toward him. Unlike before, when they’d been in a mating state, these three ca straight at him with hostile intent.
The leader was noticeably bigger than the two behind it and less perfectly round. Other than size, though, it wasn’t much different from the others.
Unfortunately for them, Leon swept his knife in a single stroke, cutting all three down. This ti, alongside the Sli jelly, he found sothing else—a purple crystal about the size of a baby’s fist.
“Athyst (Mineral): A purple crystal.”
“System, if you don’t have anything useful to say, maybe don’t bother labeling it at all. How is that any better than saying nothing?”
He couldn’t resist complaining at the lazy description. The system, as usual, ignored him, so he cheerfully stashed the crystal in his System Backpack.
He was pretty sure it had dropped from the larger Sli, which must have swallowed it at so point.
He’d initially thought bigger Slis might be elite or boss monsters, but apparently, they were just bloated from swallowing sothing big.
Still, it was good information to rember—next ti he saw a not-so-round Sli that was a bit bigger than the rest, he wouldn’t let it get away.
This one had an Athyst inside. What if next ti it was a Prismatic Shard?
Unlikely, but not impossible. Like buying a lottery ticket—you do it for the dream.
Only this ti, the odds of a big Sli dropping a Prismatic Shard were definitely higher than winning the jackpot.
Leon collected the Sli jelly without hesitation. As for the sticky chunk of at dropped by the bug, he hesitated.
Normally, he never left loot behind—he’d risked his life to kill the monster, after all.
But looking at its disgusting appearance and off-putting color made him pause.
In the end, reason won over disgust. He used the Galaxy Waterlon Knife to lift the at, prompting the system to label it:
“Insect at (Monster Loot): A small chunk of juicy insect at.”
“…Seriously? ‘Juicy’? Is the system being bribed by these bugs? That’s just dishonest.”
Leon had no interest in finding out exactly how “juicy” it was. What mattered was whether he could store it without touching it directly.
Thankfully, it worked. As long as he’d made contact with sothing—directly or indirectly—the system could store it. Leon was relieved to have avoided holding the thing in his bare hands.
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