Steven had no idea that simply taking out a block of raw ore would make the others label him as an overachiever.
After all, he could mine this stuff casually with little effort, so he naturally didn't think much of it.
What he really cared about at the moment was determining which chunk and coordinates had concentrated Originium veins. Without knowing the Y-axis position, even the most efficient branch mining technique would feel a bit off.
"Do I really have to enable an ore tracker? That would be kind of cheating, wouldn't it?"
Of course, Steven had mods for that, but he avoided using ore trackers, x-ray mods, and similar cheats because, to him, they weren't much different from outright hacking.
Besides, plenty of mods had features that achieved the same effect in a more balanced way. Sure, they might require some energy or resources, but that just made it more engaging, right?
For example, the Botania mod had the "Orechid," and the Thaumcraft mod had similar magical tools for locating ores. These sorts of pay-to-cheat mechanics were much easier for Steven to accept.
Unfortunately, he didn't have enough WAP (World Acknowledgement Point) to activate large-scale mods like these. If he wanted to rely on what he currently had, it definitely wouldn't be enough.
With a helpless sigh, Steven continued digging deeper into the ore vein. At the very least, the experienced miners had said that the good stuff was buried further down, so he had to verify that claim himself.
The deeper he dug, the tougher the surrounding stone became. Even with an Efficiency V pickaxe, Steven started to feel a slight strain while mining.
It was no wonder that the veteran miners had warned against digging too deep. Given how hard the rock was in this area, they simply lacked the ability to mine it efficiently.
That said, Steven only felt a slight difficulty—it wasn't really a major challenge for him. However, one thing the miners had been absolutely right about was that the deeper layers of this Originium vein had a much higher concentration of ore compared to the surface.
He turned back to glance at the straight tunnel he'd carved out, stretching like a path into the abyss. Since monsters didn't spawn in dark areas in this world, he hadn't even bothered placing torches along the way. The only light source was the torch he held in his hand.
The further down he went, the stronger the strange feeling of oppression became. It wasn't the result of oxygen deprivation or the sheer depth of the tunnel—it felt more like something was lurking beneath this ore vein.
"Well, now this is getting interesting. The deeper I go, the more Originium I find, but this sensation… it's definitely odd."
At some point—Steven wasn't sure how deep he had gone—something unexpected happened. Even though he hadn't touched any exposed Originium ore, a new status effect suddenly appeared in his status bar: Oripathy.
Moreover, as he stood still, he could feel the infection growing stronger, little by little.
If he had to describe it, it felt remarkably similar to radiation exposure.
"Is the Originium energy so dense here that it causes this effect? Or… is there something like active Originium deeper below?"
Steven rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He knew that only active Originium could produce this kind of radiation-like effect. But this ore vein had clearly existed for a long time—how could the deeper layers still retain their activity?
To be honest, he was more than a little curious.
But considering how deep he had already dug, he decided it would be best to return to the surface and empty his inventory first. Then, he could think about whether to continue further.
Besides, he could take the opportunity to consult the veteran miners—maybe they knew something about how this Originium vein had formed.
Having made up his mind, Steven placed a waypoint marker at his current position. Then, as he drank a bucket of milk to clear the infection, he turned around and began heading back toward the surface.
To be fair, the depths of this mine were practically a forbidden zone. With radiation this intense, it was no wonder ordinary miners couldn't handle it.
Ordinary people would probably get infected within seconds, and for those already infected, judging by the rate of catalysis, it wouldn't take long before the Originium inside them fully activated.
But that didn't matter—Steven was not an ordinary person. What was an unbearable level of Originium radiation for most Terrans was nothing more than a mild inconvenience to him. At worst, it was just a one-bucket-of-milk problem.
Even if the Originium inside him were to fully activate, Steven doubted it would be enough to kill him.
Tch, just a little Oripathy. No big deal.
Back at his furnace station, Steven dumped all the ore from his backpack into the furnace. Then, he unsealed the mining tunnel, casually grabbed a block of copper ore, and tossed it into his little pushcart—just for appearances.
Whistling leisurely, he headed toward the miners' gathering spot.
Time had no real meaning underground—there was no sun, and Steven never kept track while mining. He wasn't sure how long had passed, but logically, if he waited at the ore delivery station, he'd eventually see others dropping off their hauls.
Sure enough, when he arrived at the delivery point, pushing his fully loaded cart of raw ore, he spotted several miners taking a break. Among them was the same guy who had kindly suggested he go eat earlier.
But the way they were staring at him made Steven pause.
'What's with these guys? Why are they looking at me like I'm some kind of monster?'
Before he could even push his cart all the way in, a few miners hurried over and helped him push it.
"Uh… what's up with you guys? Why so enthusiastic all of a sudden?"
Steven scratched his head, completely clueless as to why they were acting this way.
"Holy crap, where the hell did you dig up all this ore? How did you do this?"
One of the miners gawked at Steven's cart, which was once again filled to the brim with raw ore. Their minds were blown.
Sure, it wasn't as absurd as his half-a-ton-in-thirty-minutes stunt from earlier, but this was still just half a day's work—how had he managed to haul another full load already?
And the strangest part? No one had seen him dumping out any waste rock. Where was all this ore coming from?
Steven coughed lightly. "Ahem. If you put in enough effort, there's nothing you can't accomplish, right? I'm new here, so of course, I'm stronger and have more energy than you guys. It makes sense that I can mine a bit more, doesn't it?"
He shrugged, pretending like this was just normal.
Honestly, he had no idea how much ore an average miner dug up per day—he just assumed they could mine a few tons. But judging by their reactions, clearly, he had been mistaken.
"…Really?"
The miners exchanged skeptical glances.
Technically, his explanation was plausible. If he happened to strike a rich vein, and considering that new workers usually had more stamina and strength, it wasn't completely impossible for him to produce these kinds of results.
Still… they couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
But that would mean working himself to death. He was just a newcomer—was it really necessary to work this hard?
"Ah, isn't this just what I should be doing? Besides, our performance is linked together anyway, right? The more I do, the more you guys can rest. That's a good thing!"
Steven scratched his head. Lying wasn't his strong suit, so he could only hope they'd buy into his reasoning.
Fortunately, what he said did make some sense. The miners glanced at each other, and their expressions softened.
He was right—there was no point in competing in this mine. Their output was measured collectively, and only by working together could they secure more food. Having someone like Steven who worked so efficiently was undoubtedly a good thing for them.
"Kid, you're a good one. Come, have some water."
A middle-aged man sitting nearby waved Steven over and handed him a cup of water, its surface covered in a thin layer of limescale.
Steven took it, gave it a glance, but didn't drink. Instead, he just smiled and sat down beside the man, taking the opportunity to rest.
The other miners also gathered around. With Steven's cart full of ore, they could afford to relax for another ten minutes or so.
"How long have you guys been working here?"
Holding the cup, Steven looked at the group of sweat-drenched workers. He didn't mind their smell; instead, he casually struck up a conversation like an old friend.
"No idea. Ever since we were captured and thrown into this mine, we've lost all sense of time. We just dig until we're too exhausted, sleep for a bit, then wake up and start again. If you slack off even a little, you don't get to eat. Who has the energy to keep track of time?"
An old man, likely the eldest among them, let out a weary sigh. His thin, frail frame made it clear he had been here for a long time.
"You shouldn't push yourself so hard either," another miner added. "It's pointless. Those bastards aren't gonna reward us for turning in extra. Down here, just staying alive is already a blessing."
Several others chimed in, offering similar words of caution.
Though Steven's work benefited them, they couldn't just sit by and watch a young, strong newcomer burn himself out so quickly.
"Hmm, I get it now," Steven nodded. "By the way, does anyone know how this mine was formed? I heard someone say that we shouldn't dig too deep—why is that? Wouldn't there be even richer ore deposits further down?"
<+>
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