Chapter Thirty-Five: Fourth-Tier Residence

It looks very much like a Sand-Eyed Demon, doesn’t it? In truth, there is a fundamental difference between the two. It’s like comparing pasteurized milk to milk straight from the cow.

Fang Tang: “…”

That analogy feels somewhat odd.

After hitting the ground, the eye transformed into a stone statue, with the arrow firmly embedded within, impossible to pull out. The Disassembly Hammer, however, paid no heed to whether the arrow was a part of the eye, and, governed by its peculiar rules, it simply disassembled the arrow as well.

A bead, red to the point of almost glowing purple, and an iron ingot.

Alongside the Demon’s Hand, there was also a bronze chest.

Having cleared out all supplies from Cavern No. 73 and reloaded his AKM, Fang Tang made thorough preparations before continuing in search of the next cavern.

One had to admit, the danger had increased significantly since the novice period ended, but correspondingly, the available resources had also multiplied.

Previously, wooden chests and emptiness were commonplace; iron chests were considered premium, bronze chests rare, and silver was no less than legendary.

Now, the resources as a whole had been elevated several notches. Iron and bronze chests had taken the place of the once-ordinary wooden ones. Even silver chests were no longer quite so rare. Of course, they remained scarce, but it was all relative.

Others, unlike Fang Tang, lacked the benefit of the Eye’s hints and could only stumble upon the most resource-rich caverns by sheer luck.

Delighted, he took the silver chest from Cavern No. 74—a solid gain of three hefty silver ingots, bringing him one small step closer to completing the Heart of Mithril.

Fang Tang had developed a good habit now: he would explore at the fastest possible pace, then use the remaining twelve hours of rest time to take on commissions and earn money.

It was a reasonable allocation of time, and his savings grew richer by the day. For instance, after a couple of days with this routine, his stockpile of silver ingots had surpassed five hundred pieces—enough to craft ten Hearts of Mithril.

The Heart of Mithril, detailed on the second page of the newspaper, was slowly coming to fruition.

Humming a little tune, Fang Tang stepped into Cavern No. 75.

There was a crocodile inside.

Crocodiles now posed no pressure to him at all. With his AKM in hand, three consecutive headshots left the creature on its last breath.

The crocodiles in the caverns seemed to be cast from the same mold, all possessing the “Death Struggle” ability.

As per his usual practice, Fang Tang split open the crocodile’s skull.

The burst of blood, once strikingly beautiful at first sight, had long since lost its charm; now, it only gave a sense of numbness.

It was that kind of boredom that comes from a lack of challenge.

Perhaps, in his subconscious, Fang Tang was a warrior at heart?

Perhaps!

Pocketing the crocodile’s bead, he left behind only a pile of crocodile skins.

The skins were worthless to merchants—one or two credit points at best. Collecting more beads was much more profitable.

After breaking down the bronze chest in the corner, Fang Tang gripped his pickaxe.

“Oh~ my God! Guess what your adorable Eye has discovered? A beautifully crafted blueprint—what an intoxicating delight! I think the goddess of luck has finally smiled upon us; that wretched woman has finally cast her gaze our way.”

The Eye was uncharacteristically excited.

Fang Tang raised his eyebrows, a trace of happiness flickering across his face.

To make the Eye this excited, it had to be either a great wave of resources, or a high-level blueprint that could be used immediately.

“Where is it?”

“Down below!”

Without hesitation, Fang Tang dug a hole in the ground and jumped down.

In the corner was a low table, upon which the blueprint glowed with a soft, alluring light.

Drawing closer, he saw that the blueprint depicted a dwelling.

“A Blueprint for Upgrading the Dwelling?”

Fang Tang paused for a moment, thinking, “No wonder the Eye is suddenly so worked up.”

Whenever the Eye had shown such emotion before, it had usually been at the sight of a dwelling upgrade blueprint; in that case, it wasn’t so strange after all.

He stored the blueprint in the newspaper.

Level Four Dwelling: Level Three Dwelling ×1, Iron Ingots ×50, Copper Ingots ×20, Wood ×300, Glass ×10, Fire Elemental Stone ×1, Wind Elemental Stone ×1.

“Hm?” Seeing the synthesis tree, Fang Tang was surprised. “Two Elemental Stones, this much wood—could it be a wooden house?”

Recalling the image on the blueprint, his guess was confirmed.

If it was a wooden house, what would his backpack become?

A scholar’s wooden chest from ancient times?

Wouldn’t that affect mobility!

But for now, it was just speculation; he would only know once the Level Four Dwelling was constructed.

Coincidentally, he had all the materials at hand, with just over a hundred wood left after using what was needed.

Upgrading the Level Three to Level Four Dwelling would take three hours.

By the time Fang Tang finished his remaining fifteen explorations, the upgrade should be complete.

Perfect timing.

“Let’s get to work.”

“Up ahead—I know you need silver ingots. The creature inside is an old acquaintance. Could you be a bit gentler? Dogs like gentle petting, even if this one stands four meters tall.”

“Rotting Corpse Guardian?”

Fang Tang nodded and picked up his pickaxe.

He stepped into Cavern No. 76. In the corner stood a lone dog-headed figure.

Upon seeing Fang Tang, it immediately bounded toward him on legs over two meters long.

Fang Tang calmly raised his AKM and took aim.

Tat-tat-tat…

Five consecutive shots, plus the additional fire damage, left the dog-head battered and broken.

“Tsk, tsk. This was a little boss during the novice phase, and now it’s so frail. Your strength has improved greatly, though it’s still not recognized by the Rules.”

“What level of strength does Rule Recognition require? The kind possessed by creatures with levels?”

The Eye offered no reply; it must have touched on an unspeakable secret.

Still, the longer he survived in the caverns and the more secrets he encountered, the more Fang Tang could infer about the rules governing the place.

Whether he was right or not—he’d find out when he could buy proper information.

He pocketed the dog-head’s bead, cleared out Cavern No. 76, and moved on.

“Elemental Stones have been consumed quickly lately. You can replenish one ahead.”

Fang Tang reloaded his AKM and entered Cavern No. 77.

The illusory flames from the Fire Elemental Stone still enveloped the entire cavern.

Of the four Elemental Stones, the visual impact of the Fire Elemental Stone surpassed even that of the Lightning Stone.

He even felt that no matter how large the cavern grew, the Fire Stone could always fill it with its phantom flames.

“A marvelous Creator.”

He tucked the Fire Elemental Stone into his newspaper and approached a nearby iron chest.

The supplies from iron chests had become almost inconsequential to Fang Tang now.

Even exchanging them for credits yielded only seven or eight points.

Still, it was better than nothing.

At least the contents of the iron chests could fill his stomach, couldn’t they?

Even if mineral water and bread weren’t exactly gourmet fare.

Yes, Fang Tang was getting spoiled—he’d begun to turn his nose up at bread and mineral water.

Much like Xie Ling, who, after two days in the caverns, could still put on weight.

Such is the world of the high-rollers.