Resource Gathering Phase

With a clear new goal, Arion began to explore the dead city once more. But this time, he wasn't running or looking for an exit. He was hunting for treasures.

He used the scanning pulse methodically, sweeping through every building, every alley, every abandoned mining tunnel. His mind, once flooded with fear, now pulsed with possibilities.

"Metals... I need the best metals."

He headed into the deep mining tunnels, guided by the mental map drawn by his pulses. The tunnels were a complex labyrinth, but his new understanding of Dwarven designs helped him grasp their logic.

He activated Ore Appraisal as he walked.

> [Discovered: Iron Ore (Low Quality)]

> [Discovered: Silver Vein (Purity 70%)]

"Not enough," he muttered in disdain. "I can't defeat an emperor with a silver sword."

He kept pushing deeper, ignoring the scattered bones and the rust coating everything. He reached a tunnel blocked by a massive boulder. But his scanning pulse revealed something behind it. Something glowing with a different metallic density.

There, deep within the wall, was a vein of a metal he had never seen before. Its color was a dark blue, streaked with silver specks that shone like stars in a night sky.

> [Discovered: Star Mithril Ore (Excellent Quality)]

> Description: An extremely rare Dwarven metal, known for its exceptional lightness, strength, and unmatched mana conductivity.

"Found it!" Arion felt the rush of victory.

But his joy faded quickly. He grabbed a rusty mining pick he found nearby and struck the rock with all his strength.

Clink!

The rusty pick shattered to pieces, without leaving so much as a scratch on the blue metal.

"Damn it! It's harder than steel!"

He tried using his basic Telekinesis to pry off a small piece. All he got was a splitting headache and the feeling his brain was being squeezed.

He sat down on the ground, staring at the treasure he couldn't reach. "Perfect. I've found the best material in the world—and I'm too weak to break it."

But he didn't give up. He thought like a player, like an engineer. He looked up at the tunnel ceiling above the ore vein. Thanks to his understanding of Dwarven runes, he could see faint markings on the rock—markers the Dwarves had left to indicate structural weak points.

"If I can't break it by force… I'll make the mountain do it for me."

Using his new knowledge of Basic Trap Design, he began to plan. It wasn't a trap to kill a monster—it was a trap to mine rock. He spent the next hour removing key stone supports and wedging small rocks in precise spots to trigger a series of controlled collapses.

When he was ready, he retreated to a safe distance and used Telekinesis to knock down a small trigger stone.

Doom... Doom... Craaaaack! BOOM!

A small, perfectly controlled cave-in rumbled through the tunnel. When the dust cleared, he saw that a large chunk of the stone wall had collapsed, revealing a massive nugget of Star Mithril, as big as his head, split from the main vein.

Arion smiled. "The mind... is stronger than muscle."

---

The Hunter Becomes the Prey… Then the Hunter Again

As he carefully cleaned the precious metal chunk to store it away and return to the city, he felt that familiar tremor in the ground. Vibration Sense screamed at him.

Something was coming. One thing. But strong and fast.

"Ghoul..." he whispered, heart pounding.

There was no time to run. He didn't want to run anymore.

"You stepped into my workshop. Now you'll become part of my materials."

He glanced around quickly. He was in a huge hall filled with the remains of ancient Dwarven mining machinery. He saw a massive mining cart loaded with rocks, resting on a rail track suspended from the ceiling, directly above the main passage.

"A trap..." His eyes glimmered.

He dashed away, leaving the metal behind. He climbed the rusted machinery with an agility he hadn't possessed before. He reached the cart. It was held in place by a thick, rusted chain.

Using his knowledge of metals, he found the weakest link in the chain. Then he waited.

The ghoul appeared at the hall's entrance. It was massive, green steam rising from its body. It paused, staring curiously at the lump of Star Mithril lying on the ground.

That was the bait.

The ghoul stepped slowly toward the shiny metal. It was smart, cautious. Its beady eyes scanned the place suspiciously.

"Come on... just a bit closer, you bastard." Arion whispered from above.

When the ghoul was directly beneath the cart, Arion didn't waste a moment. He used his simple steel sword and focused all his strength into one strike at the chain's weak link.

Craaaaack!

The chain snapped.

For a moment, the ghoul looked up in confusion. Then its eyes widened in horror.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

The mining cart, weighing several tons, crashed down from a height of thirty meters. There was no chance. No room for regeneration. The ghoul was crushed, turned into paste of flesh, bone, and green sludge. It wasn't killed with a single blow—it was erased from existence.

Arion dropped to the ground, panting. He stared at the chaos before him. It was the first real battle he had ever won alone. Not by luck, not by misunderstanding—but by intelligence, planning, and using the environment.

A wave of confidence swept through him. "One down... many more to go."

Ding~

[You have killed a Low-Rank Ghoul +248 XP]

Current Level: 4 <250/ 248>

The Avenger's Stats and the Beginning of His Rise

The system's voice still echoed in Arion's mind, but this time, it wasn't annoying. It was like beautiful music. 248 experience points from one monster! This was a whole different world compared to slaying hedgehogs in Arcadia Forest.

"This is insane!..." Arion muttered, eyes gleaming with greedy light. "One ghoul almost pushed me to the next level instantly! The XP here is on a whole different scale than the weaklings I used to hunt."

Now he understood. The greater the danger, the exponentially greater the reward. He had been playing in the "beginner's zone" this whole time. Here, in this hell, lay real power.