Ore Machine

Pickaxe in hand, check. A cheap pickaxe from a common stall would do the job. Navigating the mine was the real challenge.

"Are you sure you can feel the Ore Machine?" I asked the system internally.

[I am sure, Dear Host. I can sense a sibling from here,] the voice echoed in my mind, reassuring me.

As the system matured, it developed amazing abilities. Sensing artifacts? That was unheard of. Although legends spoke of an artifact that could locate other artifacts, it was a dream for artifact hunters.

Getting the Ore Machine sooner seemed impossible. I had to jog my memories. The path might be different this time, possibly undeveloped.

"Are there no other ways of pinpointing its exact location?" I asked, frustration washing over me.

[We will depend on your memories, Dear Host,] the system replied.

I sighed, accepting the challenge. "Call me by my name. I'll be more comfortable that way."

[Noted, Jaxon.]

I entered the mine, located uphill from the city gates. The place buzzed with activity. People with pickaxes at their sides, some travelers mining what they needed, others were professional miners, hired for the job.

The mine was like any other. The scent of earth was strong. The entrance was huge, with trails and rails for transportation. Carts lined the sides.

I paid the mining fee of 30 copper coins, a reasonable amount considering a lucky day of mining could yield three silver coins. The fee was small because luck was the main tool here. It could take hours to find a small ore.

As I ventured into the mine, a familiar scene unfolded. This was the same route I had taken with the artifacts expert before. It was the same, but as I went deeper, the air thinning, the path started becoming fuzzy in my memories.

The only problem was I couldn't remember the exact path we took. It felt like I was new to this mine all over again.

I sighed, trying to calm myself, recalling small fragments of my memories.

Following what I could remember, I reached a dead end. The path seemed to continue, but the support structures were sparse, and fewer people ventured this far.

The lights were sparse as if people avoided this path. This was a good sign—no one had discovered the artifact yet.

I just realized why we hadn't found the artifact sooner in my first life. We never expected it to appear in a place where there were no signs of ore.

Even though the darkness was closing in, I took the pickaxe and started digging. Hours passed, and my hopes began to fade. My determination was waning with no progress in sight.

'So this is why no one digs here,' I mused, seeing there were really no ores. That's probably why there were no support pillars or brighter lights, they expected fewer gains from this area.

Despite the signs, I didn't stop. I kept going until my hands shook from exhaustion.

[Jaxon, take a rest. You won't find the artifact if you tire yourself out. There's no point.]

I shook my head. I didn't feel tired.

But when I lifted the pickaxe, it was heavy. I realized I had been at it for almost ten hours. The ground wasn't hard at first, but as I went deeper, making only a few inches of progress, my hands grew heavier.

The repetitive action wore me out. My mind and body didn't complain, but my arms were different.

'What if I use magic?' I asked.

[Negative, Jaxon. You know it's prohibited. It risks collapsing the tunnel.]

'No, not explosive spells. What if it's just the same impact as a pickaxe?' I looked around and saw no one else. The miners who were nearby must have left after seeing no gains.

[Understood. You can use it, Jaxon,] the system replied, sounding reluctant.

I chuckled and started recalling all the projectile spells I had learned. Special Arrow was one of them, but I had already registered it.

"Register this."

I stared at the dent in the wall, feeling mana circulating within me. Chanting a few phrases, an arrow materialized before me. It was made of pure mana, without any element.

"Pure Arrow!"

I followed with the rest I could cast and registered them in my spell slots.

"Pressing Arrow." A blue medium-sized arrow, the length of my forearm, appeared.

"Liquid Arrow." This one had a water element. It could soften the ground a little.

"Double Arrow."

"Elemental Arrow." A colorful arrow with the same effects as the Special Arrow, but it contained different elements that could adapt to the environment.

"Moonlight Arrow."

I avoided spells with fire elements since they would make the air thinner.

Once I finished, I summoned the Control Panel interface and looked at the spell slots.

---

[Spells]

[Calamity Bringer] – 120s

[Void Bringer] – 60s

[Wide Range Explosion] – 30s

[Undead Hands] – 10s

[Special Arrow] – 10s

[Pure Arrow] – 10s

[Pressing Arrow] – 10s

[Liquid Arrow] – 10s

[Double Arrow] – 10s

[Elemental Arrow] – 10s

[Moonlight Arrow] – 10s

[?] [?] [?] [?] [?]

---

If I had thought of this sooner, maybe I would have made half to the artifact by now. But I had initially considered that magic was prohibited here. The chance of being discovered was now slim since it was likely already nighttime.

One arrow after another, I cast them instantly, shooting different arrows in a rotation, just enough to cover their cooldown. A white arrow appeared, hitting the mark I made, and a block of land dropped. A smile spread across my face—it was double the progress I had made with digging. With this, I could reach the artifact sooner.

Following the white arrow was another arrow of pure yellow mana. The rest came one after another. Each arrow struck the ground with precision, the magic chiseling away the earth more efficiently than any tool. The land before me gradually transformed, the blocks of soil and rock breaking away to reveal the hidden layers beneath.

I paused for a moment to catch my breath. The pile of dug earth grew larger, the cavernous hole deepening.

With each successive arrow, my confidence grew. The initial fear of being caught had faded into a resolute focus on my task. The rhythmic casting became almost meditative, the mana flowing through me in a steady, controlled stream.

As the yellow arrow hit its mark, another section of earth fell away, revealing a glint of something metallic.

My heart raced. Could this be part of the artifact? I quickened my pace, alternating the arrows faster.

I wiped the sweat from my brow, my eyes fixed on the shimmering object partially buried in the soil. The thrill of discovery was intoxicating.

Summoning another white arrow, I aimed carefully, directing it toward the metallic glint. The arrow struck true, and a large chunk of soil fell away, revealing the artifact in its entirety. I ran toward it, brushing away the remaining dirt with my hands.

I took it out, now in my hands—a fist-sized, irregularly shaped metallic orb. Its silver surface gleamed under the dim light of the mine, adorned with intricate patterns of circuitry that seemed almost otherworldly.

[Congratulations, Jaxon. You succeeded in finding the Ore Machine.]