Chapter 37 - The Mining Expedition is Finished

[Through sheer discipline and an unwavering spirit, even the hardest rock can be conquered, and the miner who demonstrates such positivity deserves to be rewarded with the ultimate accolade.]

[Congratulations - you have achieved the remarkable feat of being the first person to mine the Moonstone, a precious mineral said to be blessed by the goddess of the moon.]

[For this outstanding accomplishment, you have been bestowed with the title of 'The Miner and the Moon's Connection'.]

[If you mine under the moonlight, you will have the opportunity to obtain higher-quality minerals.]

[Moreover, you also receive a reward of 50 stat points.]

Broken was filled with enthusiasm when he finally achieved his first Moonstone. It was especially impressive considering the arduous effort he had put in over the last few days. Subsequently, he earned a new achievement and title, granting him access to higher-quality minerals if he mined at night.

"Well then... let's keep mining until the morning," he murmured.

Finally, morning arrived. Broken had been making the most of his online time in Immortal Legacy, then using the rest of the day to exercise, jog, do homework, and attend to his other obligations, such as eating and completing other tasks.

"How many days have I been away from campus?" he said softly with a grin, but for some reason, he was determined to finish his quest before he could return to his university activities, as he had only submitted his assignments online and had not been attending classes.

After roughly three weeks in Yunatea, Broken found himself surrounded by the lush forest of the mountain. Despite spending most of his time with three strangers, he had not had a chance to become acquainted with them. That night, however, he was spotted sitting by the campfire with RememberMe, who appeared to be in high spirits and talking with the other two.

PussyCat, who had long blonde hair cascading down her left shoulder, smiled warmly at Broken and asked, "It looks like you're getting close to completing your quest, right?"

"Yes," Broken replied. "I just need one more to finish it."

RememberMe then chimed in with a laugh, "I'm actually enjoying this mountain more now that I get to fight monsters every day, and my level goes up quickly too. Ha ha ha!"

Forever then interjected, "That's not what you said when Broken wasn't here, RememberMe."

Broken smiled, his face illuminated by the light from the roaring fire in front of him. "I can't express enough how grateful I am for all you've done for me," he said.

"So it seems you're finally accepting us as friends?" PussyCat said with a light chuckle, the back of her hand covering her lips.

"That's not what I meant," he replied, realizing he had subconsciously been shutting himself off from the three people due to his first impression of them.

"Who wouldn't be annoyed if they met this idiot RememberMe, huh?" Forever interjected. "If I hadn't known him first, I probably would have killed him on sight in the game!"

"You guys still blame me?" RememberMe said with a laugh. "I've apologized thousands of times already, you know!"

"A power is something that should be kept very well hidden," PussyCat said, causing the others to look at her in surprise. "I understand why you don't want to join our party, even though we've been adventuring together for a few weeks."

"That's definitely true," RememberMe said assertively. "He seems to have something amazing that he's keeping to himself like he's been given a special gift from the gods!"

Broken smiled softly and replied, "Not really. I'm just not used to being at a party; I've only been playing this game by myself for the past year because I don't have a lot of time to play."

"You don't seem to have a limited amount of time playing games," Forever interjected.

"Yes," Broken continued, "I mean, yeah... I mean, the first year I played this game, but in the last few weeks, I have decided to focus more on playing this game."

"You certainly have something interesting planned for the future, don't you?" PussyCat asked.

"Why don't you create a guild, Master?" RememberMe exclaimed, grinning. "We would be more than happy to become your first-ever members. And if you still have any objections, I don't mind being your slave, hahaha…."

"Guild?"

Broken was silent for a moment, processing the word 'guild'. He wanted to play the game more seriously, and he knew that owning or belonging to a guild was necessary to achieve that. However, he hadn't thought that far ahead yet, plus he had no experience managing people. As an introvert, he was more comfortable working and moving around alone.

"I think you guys are overestimating me," he said, "but thanks, I'll think about this."

Afterward, Broken persisted in his mining endeavors, growing increasingly passionate with each passing day. With only one more Moonstone required to finish his quest and descend the mountain, he had thus far collected four low-grade Moonstones, far from the high or medium quality he had hoped for.

Regardless, he was content, having also obtained a wealth of resources from hunting monsters and collecting iron ore.

At last, the notification that he had been eagerly anticipating arrived.

[Congratulations! You've obtained one high-grade Moonstone!]

"Woahahahaha…"

Broken shouted in excitement, his body shaking with joy. He picked up the shimmering stone and held it aloft.

The other three people rushed towards him and congratulated him on his success.

"Yeah!" PussyCat said cheerfully. "Congratulations, Broken! I'm so happy for you."

"Well done, Broken," Forever added.

"Uh yeah!" RememberMe screamed. "I'm sure you can create something legendary with that sparkling stone, right?"

Broken lifted his face, smiling at the three people. "Thanks, now we can get off this mountain," he said.

After completing all the requirements of the quest, the four of them descended from the mountain the next day and returned to Deadbay City. When they stopped in the plaza at the city center, Broken jumped off the carriage and said his goodbyes.

"If you ever need my help, please let me know," he said, as they had added each other as friends and could now send messages to one another.

Beaming with excitement, Broken raced to Gia's residence. In a few short minutes, he stood before the wooden door of the old house. He knocked on the door, and soon enough, he heard the familiar voice of an old woman - Gia.

The door opened, and there stood Gia. She looked at him and said, "You have returned?"

"Yes!" Broken replied, grinning from ear to ear. "I have successfully completed the quest that you gave me."

Gia raised her head, and her eyes widened. There was a moment of silence before she spoke with a trembling voice. "You managed to get the moonstone?"

"Yes," Broken nodded quickly.

The two of them then entered Gia's house, and Broken proudly presented her with the Moonstone he had managed to acquire.

She seemed to tremble with excitement at the sight of the high-quality Moonstone in front of her.

"You managed to get this high-quality moonstone in just a few weeks of mining?" she said, looking back at Broken with admiration.

"Yes," Broken nodded quickly.

Gia then smiled broadly, "I think I should give you a higher award than this."

Gia stood up from her chair, walked into the room, and returned with a wooden box in her hands. She carefully placed it on the table and spoke in a low voice.

"My husband has spent decades chasing that dream. However, it seems that he can rest easy now, as a young man has proven his capability to continue that dream."

Broken tried his best to process the information Gia was giving him, eager to learn more about the significance of the Moonstone.

Gia opened the box and presented its contents to Broken. "I think you deserve this," she said.

[Your affinity with Gia has strengthened to 45%.]

[Broken was finally able to prove his competence, which moved Gia's heart as it was reminiscent of what her late husband had dreamed of and fought for. It seemed that there was somebody else who was equally passionate about continuing his legacy.]

Broken slowly shifted his gaze to the contents of the wooden box when he was suddenly presented with a flurry of notifications in front of him.

[The quest "The Heirloom of the Moonstone Miners" has been upgraded to an A-rating, which will significantly increase the rewards for successful completion.]

[Congratulations! You have completed the quest.]

[You have earned 1 High-Quality Moonstone.]

[You have earned 1 The Unseen Universe Necklace blueprint.]

"Blueprint?"

"Yes." Gia responded slowly, "If you've encountered Fokil, I assume you also want to become a blacksmith. That is why I believe this blueprint could be beneficial to you."

"Thanks, Gia."

Broken decided to depart immediately, eager to meet Fokil and fulfill the quest he had been working on for weeks.

"I'm excited to see what the Necklace looks like," he said. "Just from the name, it sounds really cool. I hope I'm not disappointed when I manage to craft it."

As Broken approached Fokil's smithy, he noticed a figure in the distance that he was certain he recognized. It looked like they were dragging someone with them, and as he watched, the figure and the person they were dragging came closer and closer.

Finally, he realized it was Boo-ba who was dragging a miner called Dredge by the collar. Broken knew Dredge as the man who had introduced him to Gia.

"Boo-ba?" Broken said, not taking his eyes off Dredge.

"Broken…. Ha ha ha!" Boo-ba said, grinning. "I've found someone who knows where the Moonstone is. I bet you've been pretty confused the last few weeks, huh? Ha ha ha…."

"You stupid asshole!" Dredge shouted, struggling to break away from Boo-ba's grip. He was clearly seething with anger. "I have met him, and I've told him where the Moonstone was."

"Huh?" Boo-ba looked confused, then glanced at Broken.

Broken gave a subtle nod in response.

Boo-ba then released his grip on Dredge and stepped towards Broken. "Hahaha, long time no see. Are you okay Broken? Do you need help fighting monsters? Ha ha ha."

Dredge sneered before finally storming off, mumbling curses under his breath.