Chapter 18

    Chaos in the Mine

    (Let's get inside the mine before it gets dark.)

    Gumiho cheerfully led the way into the tunnel behind the tribal chief's hut. Inside, there was a large wooden door with a bolt on the outside, which Möbius figured was why no one had come out of the mine this way. Beyond it lay a long corridor that everyone found led to the main mine path.

    Inside, several players were mining various ores using pickaxes in different places. The mine was larger than the young man had anticipated—about 10 meters wide and with a ceiling about 5 meters high. It housed the occasional monster, mostly oversized bats, spiders, and rats, ranging from levels 25-35, which posed no threat to them.

    Unlike other caves, this mine didn't have luminescent crystals but used light bulbs instead, making the interior dim and somewhat eerie. However, what the two foxes disliked most about this mine was the intense heat. Even Möbius, dressed in simple cotton, was sweating profusely, not to mention the golden foxes with their thick fur, prompting them to maintain their human forms here since, at least, humans could sweat, unlike fox forms.

    “Möbius, it's really hot in here."

    Inari was even more alluring as she sweated. Her cheeks turned a rosy hue from the heat, forcing her to use the blossom fan to fan more vigorously inside her loosely pulled kimono, captivating Möbius every time he glanced at her.

    "Möbius, should we set up camp over there?"

    Gumiho, borrowing another fan from her mother, pointed towards a brighter area with lively noises. Most importantly, it smelled of food and cool drinks waiting for them.

    Möbius nodded to Gumiho, and the trio walked toward the light. As Inari and Gumiho, slightly sweaty and panting, passed by, the miners stopped their work to admire the beauty of the gorgeous women. Möbius, now highly leveled, could resist the leering stares of the male miners.

    As the three followed the light, they found a safe zone similar to the one in the Cave of Fate, intended for miners to rest. The area had vendors selling mining tools, food, and even furnished air-conditioned bedrooms.

    Möbius purchased a magic-powered drill that, although expensive, spared him from physical exertion, making it a worthwhile investment. He also bought a large quantity of blue potions, planning to stock up on metals. Additionally, he bought a map of the mine.

    The map revealed that the mine extended southward through the mountain, with the main entrance coming from Erisé Village. The route they had taken seemed like a shortcut that emerged in the middle of the mine, significantly shortening their journey. The middle of the mine, where they were now, had a resting room, and to the north, a path led to a lost volcanic city’s dungeon. The uppermost exit of the mine led to Paradiso City. The intense heat they were experiencing was likely due to the nearby dungeon.

    "Möbius, I can't take this heat anymore. Let's find something cool to eat."

    Gumiho, who uses real fire magic yet dislikes the heat, urged Möbius, who was busy studying the map, to hurry forward to find something to cool down.

    "Here, let’s try this."

    Inari, who was also hot in several different ways, stood watching a pâtissier player (dessert chef) who could use ice magic. The pâtissier was busy making a popular pink shaved ice, a best-seller in this hot environment. Soon, both women had large bowls of colorful shaved ice in their hands. Möbius, realizing that the heat was a significant problem for the two of them, continued to explore the market hoping to find a solution.

    "Hey brother, looks like your ladies really can't handle the heat."

    A merchant commented as he noticed the sweaty women walking with Möbius. Möbius smiled at the merchant and then checked out his wares. The merchant mainly sold bags, but these were not ordinary fashion items. They were unusually shaped bags. Möbius wasn't interested in bags anymore because he had the Hands of Möbius, which could store almost anything.

    "I recommend this one, brother, 'the refrigerator bag.' It will keep everything you put in it cold... blah blah blah... It even has a special feature to dispense water without opening it, energy-saving grade 5, with a 5-year compressor warranty. I made it myself, brother."

    Möbius was very interested in the refrigerator bag because the only thing he couldn't store was food and various potions. It was a red cubic bag, about 25 centimeters on each side, made entirely of metal. Möbius found it very uncomfortable to carry due to its shape. Moreover, it was about twice as heavy as a normal bag, but the weight wasn't a problem for Möbius. He just wanted the two foxes to be more comfortable with cold potions.

    Möbius bought the refrigerator bag for 45,000 reals, which was quite expensive. The seller also gave him a business card for warranty claims in case the bag broke, oddly noting his business card was actually a garage. Möbius transferred everything from his old boar leather bag into the refrigerator.

    He discovered for the first time that his old bag was filled with nothing but power-enhancing potions. On top of the refrigerator bag were three buttons: red, yellow, blue. When Möbius pressed any button, a potion of the same color would automatically pop out. He really wanted to upgrade his protective gear, but the hot weather and the fact that his old cotton clothes were excellent at dissipating heat made him delay this decision.

    Finally, he began mining, choosing a spot near the entrance he had used since the other side of the mine was less populated but hotter due to proximity to a volcanic dungeon.

    He tried using his drill on the cave wall for about five minutes and managed to obtain a piece of rock identified by the system as 'Raw Metal Ore.' Möbius immediately used the smelting and extraction book. Initially, he thought he might have to shoot himself again, but merely reading the book for a short time gave him new abilities, and the book vanished into light.

    ‘Player Möbius has acquired the basic ability to extract and smelt ores.’

    Feeling strange about putting the rock in the refrigerator, he pulled the ore into his left hand and tried his smelting ability, thinking it might work like his auto-reload ability, usable in his fourth dimension. However, what he didn't expect was:

    ‘The ability of the Hands of Möbius has been revealed.’

    "Huh, it’s so easy to gain skills like this."

    Möbius muttered to himself. Initially resigned to the idea that his abilities were limited to just absorbing and releasing, he quickly checked his new skills.

    Ability Window

    No.

    Name

    Ability

    1

    Hands of Möbius

    2. Particle Knowledge: Provides knowledge of the components of objects within the fourth dimension (innate ability). The ability to extract and smelt all kinds of materials is integrated with this ability, enabling the separation of objects with different compositions and the combination of objects with similar compositions.

    "See, I knew it wouldn't be very useful."

    Möbius grumbled to himself again, prompting Inari, who had just dispensed a blue potion from Möbius's refrigerator bag, to come over and place her hand on his forehead, checking on him with concern.

    "Möbius, do you have a fever? You've been talking to yourself for a while now."

    "It must be, Mother, with it being so hot."

    Gumiho, who had moved some potions from her lace bag into Möbius's refrigerator bag because she felt they tasted better cold, nodded vigorously in agreement with her mother.

    "Er... I'm fine. I just gained another useless ability that only tells me that the rock I found contains 18% stone, 20% copper, 30% iron, 20% lead, 2% titanium."

    Möbius explained before showing the two fox girls the face of his ability.

    "But we heard that usually, a single piece of raw ore extracts only one type of metal. Why does the rock Möbius found contain five different metals?"

    Inari, quite knowledgeable herself, said. Normally, ore extraction yields the most abundant mineral in the ore, like the iron ore Möbius found would typically only produce iron. Furthermore, ore extraction usually requires special equipment found only in cities, and some minerals require even more specialized equipment. She encouraged him to try his ore extraction ability right away.

    "Möbius, try extracting just the titanium."

    "Sure."

    Möbius responded, and then attempted to extract only the titanium as the fox mother requested.

    'You have obtained 10 milligrams of titanium.'

    A piece of silver metal appeared in Möbius's hand, making him reconsider the usefulness of his ability. It was extremely beneficial for him as the special ammunition he could create required rare minerals like titanium, which were typically hard to find and therefore very expensive.

    "In that case, no need to keep digging. Let's head back to our place, Möbius."

    Inari, who already had a plan to earn money for food, said to Möbius with a sly look in her eyes, leading the way happily with the young man and her daughter.

    Inside the mining dormitory:

    "Right this way to the ore exchange shop, sir. Just bring your raw ore here, add a little money, and get refined ore right away."

    Möbius invested in a mat to set up his shop. Sitting there, he looked for customers as the fox mother had instructed. Normally, 1 kilogram of mined ore yielded no more than 300 grams of refined ore, with the rest being destroyed in the process. This forced many players to frequently enter and exit the mine or carry several bags to haul away the leftover soil.

    Inari encouraged Möbius to take in those raw ore pieces. He would jot down some notes, look closely for a few moments, and then shove them into his bag—which he'd had since the beginning—but in reality, he was absorbing the ore. He then pretended to pull refined ore from his right hand but actually released the refined ore from his right hand, charging 1 real per gram for refining.

    "Brother, I'd like to exchange this ore."

    A player approached Möbius with a 10-kilogram ore block. He took a magnifying glass to inspect the ore two to three times before gradually placing it in his left-side bag and then pulling 3.5 kilograms of refined lead from the right-side bag to give to the player.

    "Wow, I got more than I thought. It's really convenient to have an ore exchange shop like this."

    The player handed over 3,500 real to Möbius. The player thought it was more than worth it to avoid the arduous journey through a sweltering dungeon to the city to refine the ore. The 3.5 kilograms of lead could sell for about 14,000 real, and this was a decent profit for him. However, what he didn't know was that Möbius did not give him the 2.5 kilograms of iron, 2 kilograms of copper, 200 grams of titanium that were also in the rock.

    Thanks to this convenience, Möbius's shop attracted many players. They lined up to exchange their ore for a great deal, and some traders even waited to buy ore next to his shop. Although some wondered why Möbius's bag could hold so much, in this game, sometimes items that look very basic might have superior abilities. They weren't too concerned about it.

    The two fox girls took the money from Möbius's ore trading to splurge on shaved ice, making the shaved ice seller beam as the beautiful women sitting at his shop attracted a lot of male customers. He offered the fox mother and daughter free shaved ice as long as they stayed at his shop longer.

    Möbius ran his shop for two days and two nights. His ore exchange business made him a millionaire for the first time in his life, and he refined a great amount of ore using his fourth-dimensional abilities, unknowingly stepping on the tail of one of the major s federations, the Arc Magic Federation, which had invested in building an iron smelting factory in the Paradiso mines.

    "Alright, Miho, Inari, it's time to head to Paradiso City."

    Möbius, who was in a great mood, was packing his mat into his bag. This business venture had earned him both money and a significant amount of the metal ore he wanted. The two ladies were also in high spirits, helping to pack the ice cream and shaved ice they had bought into Möbius's refrigerator bag.

    They then traveled north through the mine, the hottest part due to its connection to the lost volcanic city’s dungeon. Although it wasn't a long distance, intense heat waves continuously blasted out, forcing even Möbius to grab a cold yellow potion to drink to cool down.

    Suddenly, a group of four people came running from the junction connecting the mine to the dungeon, urgently shouting to the miners along the way,

    "Everyone run away quickly. Someone has dragged a level 60 dungeon boss from the volcano dungeon out here. It's about to enter the mine."

    "Nonsense, who would believe that? The boss is deep inside, it can't be dragged out here. You just want to mine all the ores for yourself, don't you?"

    One of the miners remarked skeptically. Meanwhile, Möbius wondered whether to believe it, considering the complex paths of the volcano dungeon he had seen on maps. It wouldn't be easy to drag a boss out. The group of four quickly approached Möbius and urged,

    "Hey, brother, you need to get out of here."

    A man dressed in a light green warrior outfit spoke politely to Möbius before trying to wave his hand to get the young man to go back the way he came earlier.

    "Why hasn’t the boss reached here then?"

    Möbius asked, puzzled that if someone really intended to drag the boss out from the innermost part of the mine, it wouldn't stop at the mine entrance from the dungeon and should have reached this part of the mine by now.

    "Our leader has stopped it. Hurry up, he won't be able to hold it off for long."

    One of the two women in the group, wearing a long blue cloak and holding a staff that indicated she was probably a mage, replied.

    "If these people don’t believe us, then never mind. We need to escape so that Teppan won’t die in vain."

    The archer in the group, who seemed more hot-headed than his companions, urged his companions to flee. It seemed that the person named Teppan might be their leader.

    (Möbius, there really are sounds of fighting inside. They must be telling the truth. We need to escape now.)

    Inari, her ears attuned to the echoes of battle within the cave, heard genuine fighting sounds. It certainly wasn't the sound of a normal monster attack. This made the young man lower his head slightly, as he had a different idea.

    (We should go help them instead. It’s not right to let someone who knows they’re facing an unbeatable enemy just to protect their friends die while we do nothing. We’d be no different from the federations who only think about their own interests.)

    (I knew you would say that, Möbius. Hehe, you’re not only sweet but also kind.)

    Gumiho smiled warmly at Möbius and nodded in agreement. The fact that the young man was such a person made her have no regrets that the system forced her to travel with him. The fox mother also smiled affectionately at the young man.

    (Hmm, you’ve made the right decision. We should help those who need it. Ah… I’m really good at judging people.)

    Inari nodded in agreement with Möbius's decision, knowing that a gentle person like him would never let good people die.

    "We'll go help your leader. It’s not my way to let kind-hearted people die."

    Möbius told the group immediately after receiving support from the mother-daughter foxes.

    "Are you crazy? Even the five of us can't handle it; how can you guys possibly fight?"

    The warrior in the light green outfit was shocked by Möbius's response, not expecting to find such a person still existed. He appreciated the young man's courageous spirit.

    "If your leader can hold off the boss long enough for everyone to escape, he must be quite skilled defensively. In that case, we who are good at offense should be able to do more if we go help."

    Inari analyzed, judging from the sounds of combat that seemed to consist of heavy, one-sided attacks. The continuous noise suggested that the group's leader was effectively using a shield or other defensive weapons to block every attack.

    "Exactly, we can't just leave Teppan like this. Let's go back and help."

    The last woman dressed as a priest with a cross on her chest urged hurriedly.

    "We don't have to kill the boss, but if we can help your leader escape, that should be enough. Why should you care about those who won't listen to you? Do they deserve your leader sacrificing his life for them?"

    Inari pointedly asked. The four of them looked at each other, then nodded in agreement with her.

    "Then, we'll be in your debt, young man. Thank you for making us see reason."

    The green-clad warrior bowed to Möbius and his companions before leading the way out of the lost volcanic city’s dungeon. As they raced through the steaming path, the four introduced themselves to Möbius.

    "I'm Sashimi."

    The green-clad martial artist, with a handsome face reminiscent of a movie hero, had a slender build that suggested he was around 22 years old. His brown hair was tied back in a ponytail, and he ran with great speed, leading the group. Judging by the sound of his footsteps, which seemed to be tapping on the wind, he must have been a very agile player.

    "I'm Kujikatsu."

    The archer was dressed in blue with a beret. His body might not be bulky, but his muscular arms, adapted to using the large bow on his back. His short light hair and sharp features gave him the aura of a famous football player who was both skilled and good-looking.

    "I'm Shabu-Shabu."

    The petite mage in blue waved her large staff for attention as she introduced herself. Her long blue hair and blue eyes gave her a youthful, adorable look. Since Sashimi was running quite fast, she had to breathe heavily to keep up with the others.

    "And I'm Tempura."

    The priestess in a tight white dress that showed off her impressive figure, but still no match for Möbius’s two foxes, had long, wavy blonde hair and jet-black eyes. Her face resembled that of a spoiled and capricious young miss, and she eyed Miho and Inari intently.

    Once everyone had introduced themselves, Möbius felt their names oddly familiar, as though he didn't know them yet knew them somehow. He followed behind Gumiho, who was using her umbrella to block the heat.

    "Ah, our leader's name is Teppanyaki."

    Sashimi, who was leading the way, thought that Möbius looked confused because they hadn't mentioned the leader they were going to save.

    "Well, that's a hunger-inducing name, right?"

    Inari, who was using her pair of fans to deflect the hot wind as she ran, asked. This was because all of their names were related to food.

    "Our leader likes this kind of name, big sister."

    Kujikatsu, running behind Shabu-shabu who was using a water shield against the heat along with Tempura, replied as he gazed admiringly at the fox mother. He had never seen a woman with such charm before. The other one, who might be her sister, was just as beautiful but in a different way.

    Soon, they saw the exit leading to the lost volcanic city’s dungeon. The exit opened into a vast clearing, about 700 meters wide and 800 meters long, leading to a city perched on many tall stone pillars. Below these pillars was glowing red lava, providing light throughout this giant cavern. The ceiling above was covered with large stalactites.

    Clang...!!!

    "Why haven't you fled yet?"

    A well-mannered young man immediately shouted at the newcomers. He was fully armored except for his head, with short dark brown hair and light brown eyes, slightly taller than Möbius, and quite muscular. In his hands, he held a round shield, taller than himself, which enabled him to defend against the monster's attacks in front of him.

    "Hmm... !!!"

    'You have encountered a level 60 boss monster, Efrik.'

    Efrik roared loudly upon seeing more enemies. It was a large monster, about 5 meters tall, with lower limbs like a goat's, capable of standing on two legs. Its upper body was muscular like a human's, and its head resembled a monkey's, covered with a long red mane. It had L-shaped horns protruding from both sides of its head. Its entire body was engulfed in flames, though it seemed unaffected by the heat.

    "We've come back to help you, Leader, at least getting away is still good."

    Tempura took out a yellow potion to drink before immediately casting a healing spell on Teppan, though it was a bad choice as Efrik turned to look at Tempura with its bright red eyes and charged crazily.

    "This is bad, hurry up and invite me to the group."

    Möbius urgently requested to join the group, as his attacks were somewhat erratic and it would not be good if he accidentally hit his own team. In this game, friendly fire doesn't affect members of the same group.

    'Player Sashimi invites you to join the group "Japanese Restaurant." Would you like to join?'

    "Yes!!! Inari, enhance everyone's abilities. Miho, start with a low-level magic attack."

     Möbius commanded the two foxes immediately after joining the group.

    "Acknowledged."

    Inari waved her fan, utilizing wind power as a medium. Despite the strong opposing winds, there was no problem with the gentle breeze coming from Inari's fans. She used her power, which was like a wind current, to surround everyone in order to reduce the impact of the hot wind blowing against them and increase their speed.

    "Okay~~~"

    Gumiho replied cheerily, then tried a basic fire spell on Efrik, which appeared instantly, causing Tempura and Shabu to be shocked that the fox girl did not need to chant.

    +500

    "It had no effect, Möbius, and it seems to have made it even stronger."

    Gumiho was not startled by the magic's outcome, which instead of damaging, turned into green numbers floating above Efrik's head. If someone had used fire magic on her, the results would likely have been the same. But if that was the case, she wouldn't be able to attack the demon at all.

    At that moment, Sashimi and Kujikatsu began their attacks on the monster. With the speed boost from Inari's winds, Sashimi, who excels in speed, circled around Efrik, slashing at it with his sword. Kujikatsu aimed precise arrows at it, but the flames engulfing Efrik burned the arrows in an instant.

    -300

    "Ouch, it's hot, hot, really hot."

    Sashimi, seeing the damage numbers spring from his head, nearly dropped his sword as the fire from Efrik scorched him when he got too close.

    ‘Water Bullets’

    Shabu used three water bullets on Efrik, not forgetting to split some to cool down Sashimi as well.

    100×3

    "This is hopeless, the water bullets evaporated, and with hardly any moisture in the air, how can we possibly summon more water?"

    Shabu complained, but it seemed like a sign of desperation as every type of attack appeared almost ineffective against the demon, a characteristic of this fire beast that only large groups like federations could hunt.

    Bang Bang Bang Bang!!!

    65×10

    95×3 (Critical hit from abilities)

    It was Möbius who pulled out Purple Spider’s machine gun and fired at the charging monster. Due to its large size, he hardly missed. The demon, struck by Möbius’s shots, scratched where it had been hit. Interestingly, no blood came out, even though the shots hit sensitive areas like the fingers or navel.

    "Hmm... !!!"

    But that was a stroke of luck because Efrik changed its target from Shabu-Shabu, who had very low life force, to someone else. Unfortunately, that someone else was Möbius, who had less power and was thinner than the female mage. It seemed like it wanted to retaliate for the itching Möbius caused earlier, echoing the system’s justice.