“Don’t worry, Brat. They’ll be fine. Kale Town is only a day’s walk from here, not to mention riding on a carriage. Besides, the Greenstone Mining Company caravans have plenty of guards. Verna’s parents even hired a genuine ‘Bodyguard’ to protect her…”

“I know. I just feel like I should’ve gone with them, just in case.”

“Hahaha~! And you said you hadn’t found anyone you were interested in yet!”

“Shut up!” Oliver glared up at the man and then ran off into the woods, “Damn it! I’m gonna be taller than you when I grow up!”

“The greatest Miner in Kresvalia was a Dwarf!”

“Screw you! Tall Bastard! I’m not a Dwarf! I’ll never be a Dwarf!”

“Hahahahaha~!”

With Klein’s obnoxious laughter getting quieter as he went deeper into the woods, Oliver looked down at his green t-shirt and black shorts. Then realized he forgot to bring any of his tools or equipment. He didn’t even have a backpack or bag with him.

“What the hell?!”

A simple wooden pickaxe suddenly appeared in his right hand! The handle was smooth and the double-sided pick at the top was shiny silver steel!

“Yes! Hahaha! Awesome!”

In his left hand, a small black metal shovel appeared. Then a fancy heavy-duty black backpack seemed to materialize already on his back. He was going to continue, but then he started to feel a little tired and weak…

“Ugh, so this is why Dad didn’t like to make gear very often.”

With a thought, the tools in his hands suddenly disappeared and his exhaustion vanished!

“Much better~! Hahahah~! I should go back and show-uh, never mind.”

Oliver shook his head and started following a familiar stream up the mountainside. The woods were still pretty thick, even around the tiny riverbed. The long branches dangled down and the big green leaves almost touched the top of his head… Almost.

Wearing a pair of protective steel-toed boots that reached half-way up his shins, he finally took a step back into that mysterious ruined village. Aside from a few deer that were grazing on the grass, there were no visible changes since the last time he was there. The cracked concrete and stone on the ground prevented large trees from growing freely, but there were plenty of flowers, vines and other plants. There were also some mushrooms that Klein collected to make medicines and soup, though he also warned that some were very dangerous.

“Let’s see… Where should I start?”

Oliver looked around for a while, finally he decided to try digging up some collapsed basements. A large shovel appeared in his hands, then he casually started digging down into the dirt where he guessed there might have been a house. A few minutes later, he gave up on that spot, because even if there was a house there at some point, it didn’t seem like they had a basement. He wasn’t too worried though, because he knew that all the big stone and brick houses definitely had basements. It would just be a lot more work to dig them up, so he saved that for last.

Several hours passed by and he really did manage to find some interesting things. Mostly just old coins and tools scattered around. However, the biggest find was a rotten jewelry box filled with mostly decayed garbage. There were still quite a few intact rings though. Along with some gemstones that were fine, even if their previous rings or necklaces were heavily corroded.

“Are these real rubies and sapphires?”

There were also emeralds and jade, but they were both relatively common. Sapphires, Rubies and Diamonds were very rare though. Especially in the surrounding area of Greenstone Mountain, their prices would definitely be much higher. The ancient golden jewelry was of course, also very valuable.

“Damn, maybe I should switch from a Miner to a Treasure Hunter at this rate? It seems way easier and safer.”

Even though he said that, Oliver obviously knew that it was impossible. Or at least very unrealistic. Besides, real Treasure Hunting was just as dangerous as Mining.

“Time to get started with the real work…”

Getting rid of his shovel, he conjured up another double-sided pickaxe. This one however, wasn’t a pick on both sides. The other end was flatter and used for lifting or prying. He was about to swing down the pick when he stopped himself.

“Umm, safety first.”

A protective gas mask appeared over his face, along with a heavy-duty black metal mining helmet. He was going to create some ear-protectors, but hesitated. In the end, he decided to risk hearing loss to prevent someone or something sneaking up on him. Then he started the familiar work of breaking apart the concrete, lifting up the big chunks and moving them off to the side with his super-human strength. 

The stairway down into the basement was blocked by the collapsed side of the building and he already checked around in the rubble for anything of value the other day. Now he just decided to go straight down. To avoid falling into the abyss, he stood in the doorway while carefully picking away at the concrete floor.

It didn’t take long before a small, dark hole appeared. Then he turned the flashlight on his helmet on with a small switch on the side. The first thing he saw was obviously the rocks that fell down and the dusty air. Instead of just jumping down recklessly, he conjured up a thick rope and tied it to a tree outside the building. Then he slowly descended about three meters to reach the ground. Realistically, with his strength, he’d be fine jumping down from twice that height, but only if the ground below was safe. He wasn’t sure whether there was a mine tunnel under the building or if there were other levels to the basement.

“Hmmm… What’s that?”

A quick cursory glance around the surroundings and he already found dozens of sculptures. All sorts of animals, including mythological creatures like dragons. The air was also a little thick and difficult to breathe, even through the gas mask. It reminded Oliver of the deep mines. In the corner of the room was a huge cluster of yellow crystals that felt warm or even hot to the touch and glowed in the darkness.

“Nice! Wow, there’s so much! Hahaha~! I’m gonna be rich! *Cough~! Cough~!* Ugh, damn! The air quality is terrible down here…”

He knew that he couldn’t keep breathing in the dangerous gasses down there for very long, so he went back to the rope and pulled himself up. After getting back above ground, he made the mask and helmet simply disappear in order to restore some of his strength. The mining pick also vanished shortly afterward.

“Phew~! I need to eat something first. Then I’ll make a big wheelbarrow? I just hope it doesn’t exhaust me completely.”

Oliver talked to himself as usual. After all, he spends most of his time alone lately. If he didn’t talk to himself or the ghosts in the mines, he’d probably go crazy by now.

*Crack~!*

*Schwoof~! Swish~!*