Chapter 116: Welcome To… (8)
ouZOjhDWhat is life?gwqPGlf
WU7b6It is a deeply philosophical question.jFf4
UuJWYIAn existence that, at the same moment it receives life, also receives the promise of death.LGbMPrI
eapAn existence that runs toward death and therefore strives to leave behind descendants, whether biological or spiritual.pOXQB
fQdSMA subject worthy of deep study from both philosophy and science, a creation of the gods.i6OA
u3xbLife is, in itself, the embodiment of the strange.thRxrMd
eUH0Then a question arises.FclHixC
vL6VOgyWhat is the criterion for distinguishing what is alive?lym
bYXjJvScholars have proposed numerous criteria to define life, but all of them are, in the end, subjective.cnE9yi
KNq0From a completely objective perspective, distinguishing what is life and what is not is practically impossible.Ryx
1Ez4mAnd that is probably no different for the gallery’s system.jLVKuR
p10KW5ZIt undoubtedly reflects the subjective opinion of whoever created it.qOFsz1
3oMxr28The problem was that until now I had traded all kinds of objects without issue.DaJH
DO8tkvAnd yet the mithril vein shining majestically before my eyes…gz8N
MPoK2For some reason, the gallery had classified it as a lifeform.MGlpw
FWpnQz“……”oJRcVo
ZiOI looked at the mithril vein and sank into thought.QbHU
9KUfoJThe question “why?” occupied my entire mind.5s9PW
c2oen9The fragments broken off from that vein could be traded.OilPXf
yx8NBut the complete vein could not.QBMEMI
SjpW1hIt had been classified as a lifeform.rUBNG
71uKy7‘Could it have a core inside, like the Guardian?’XqDfQfC
iK7mxFiIf so, it was dangerous.VHBMqI
oxLMuBecause it would mean that the mithril vein might act like the Guardian.5t5o
0ETCEven though it was buried underground and I couldn’t be certain, the unease remained.Fr2
n4TPXkThe gallery had identified it as a living being.fdrJGg
24aTI had to proceed carefully.Mn4p
zvu‘After all the hits I gave it, it still hasn’t reacted…’M87V
JoJZThe Guardian reacted the moment I used mana.Xd5c
6BH9mQIn contrast, this thing showed no reaction even though I struck it using mana.XVXCdz
xkZzdWWhat kind of ecosystem did that vein have?OYla5p
oXjIt was difficult to understand.uT2
Kb1In the end, the only thing I knew was that the vein was alive.OJrFuz
hwGqQHqNothing more.dvQ6
Ru6fW2What if it didn’t take on a physical form like the Guardian?SFgymIc
PgfAt1VWhat if it maintained an amorphous form, like the slimes in some games?gfN
vqDjWhat if one day, while I was sleeping, a spike suddenly emerged and pierced my body?8JieWC
wCe2qNaThen what?R0gwAN
G8oAt the very least, a fatal wound.sCUTa
9eUcLThe human body is fragile.r2PlEe7
4HFIf it pierced my head, it would be over.u5Abjog
8nR8As long as that risk existed, I couldn’t ignore a living vein.G8ZwXP
EvU‘Should I ask the dwarf first?’9JmcH
7OQA living vein.gPPlZPJ
6rNWWxmThere was only one person I could ask about something like that.5mRe
d3RhWhWThe dwarf.DaxpYD
0XG8QmAnd if even he didn’t know the answer, then I would post the question in the gallery.nFJ
aTh[WildGrills: Hey. Emergency. Emergency. Let me ask you something.]whs2r
X7VD3[DwarfPassingBy: What is it?]zUoigV
LYzL[WildGrills: Do… living mineral veins exist?]uno
qiQIyBi[DwarfPassingBy: What kind of nonsense are you talking about?]RuKD
MR1wcg[DwarfPassingBy: What grade did you get in language class when you were in school?]0XnhmpY
8Az[WildGrills: My parents died, so I focused more on working than studying.]d7l
8VVsp2[WildGrills: I barely met the attendance requirements.]3LkaL
YFQh[DwarfPassingBy: Ah, damn it. When you put it like that, I sound like an asshole. ;;]0qO
QYMYv4s[WildGrills: Then stop joking around and answer seriously.]S58
6qb[DwarfPassingBy: What do you mean by a mineral being alive?]u0WD4Dr
ntMvj[DwarfPassingBy: Are you talking about the mithril?]JBK3HSC
pPkw[WildGrills: Yeah.]MKNJR2
uvW[WildGrills: After hearing what you said, I started observing it.]BtF5s9m
5FcEXn[WildGrills: The fragments around it started wriggling and then reattached themselves to the vein.]OPYqF
RLBc[WildGrills: Just in case, I tried trading it, but a window appeared saying that living beings cannot be traded.]xYvuuX
b1pgqak[DwarfPassingBy: No idea.]8xwFr
LjhIJr[DwarfPassingBy: Ask in the gallery.]hhP
NcV1k9[DwarfPassingBy: I know you’re not talking nonsense, but I simply have no clue. Haha.]ga82
sXRPvWEven the dwarf, the expert, gave up trying to understand it.uLT
HRBG2EIn the end, I decided to ask in the gallery.3DM
4GGSurely someone would know something.bfW
X6QWQlJust in case, I recorded the entire process on video.RCrf7
cZ7oIncluding how I broke off some fragments.pKI1
uindBbSince I could also record the gallery window, there was no problem.3M5F2g
BK1toTitle) Can minerals have life too?hf6k
voyPlWildGrillsg5ui
WdoxUu(Photo of the mithril vein)tKGLYtr
VCIV2k(Video showing the message that it cannot be traded)9BKJ
dho1qd(Video of the fragments slowly crawling back and reattaching themselves to the vein)Zm26bkg
bcDxJust as you can see in the videos.XrPp
8W3DwarfPassingBy told me this is mithril.R1f02ug
6rfpBut he also said mithril isn’t alive.6OrXUio
XBSHas anyone ever seen something like this?RqQ
Ro6What the hell is this thing for something like this to happen?8YPTLK9
QvMK└HeavenlyDemon: They crawl like worms. It seems they’re desperately struggling to survive.lh4RQ82
pYX└Swordmaster: It looks like they’re trying to increase their size.O9LJN
cxJU2└What the hell am I looking at?XslEn
1mJgHQB└In my entire life, I never thought I’d see mithril fragments crawling around like worms. ;;OwLrE
MxC└Even if we’re talking about the Forest of Four Seasons, does this make any sense?UZCm
aL5BL4└What if it has something like a core inside it?2WjIm
o37MXM└Putting that aside, Grills. Give me some mithril. I’ll put it to good use.GM28
1kND└Now that I think about it, it really was mithril. Hahaha.gHS
y1FrNI└Everyone’s so shocked by the video that they forgot about the mithril. Hahaha.JL9Y
N4Uf└And yet someone still managed to identify what was important immediately. Hahaha.M87H
qH8mmf└AllFather: The gallery classified it as a lifeform…UgvBkW
tyDW1└AllFather: That is equivalent to saying that mineral possesses an “ego.”pv4F5HL
6Yw└WildGrills: An ego?6ryZ
w9d82T└AllFather: Yes.RDd3
NGuwB└AllFather: Based on my years of research, it seems the gallery blocks trade whenever it determines that something possesses its own ego.dPxTa
gTu└Then plants don’t have egos? Medicinal herbs and trees can be traded without any problem.AmMh
uiU└AllFather: Having an ego means thinking.ewJn6
Tje4R1└AllFather: Thinking, learning through that thought, and eventually evolving.K6tgEO
fv2e6└Then you’re also saying cancer is alive. Why doesn’t cancer count?wRkiPO
fk7Yau└AllFather: And who said it doesn’t?cvbWxv
iNms0Rm└I read it in an old book.0Qn1Z
giw0s└AllFather: It seems you don’t have an ego. Judging by how you don’t think for yourself and instead delegate your judgment to others. If you’d like, I can trade for you. I happen to have a friend who needs a head.kdlbh
AO6SJ3v└Sorry. ;;qlniV
I767nJQ└WildGrills: In any case, are you saying this vein has an ego? An ego capable of thinking and making decisions on its own?t7hrExc
U0u└AllFather: Yes. Besides, it’s not impossible for an inanimate object to develop an ego. Have you heard of Ego Weapons? They are weapons that possess their own consciousness.dPL70Xk
4eg└HeroDontThrowAway: Ah! I know about those too! The Hero’s Holy Sword is also a weapon with its own ego!GQN1X
LyCoqbt└AllFather: An excellent example. However, this is the first time I’ve seen a mineral that possesses an ego without first being turned into a weapon. I recommend being cautious. It could eventually become a Guardian.sNE
oVj91oZ└A mithril Guardian? Hahaha.gzzQaCV
9xa└Could something like that even be defeated?GeSJc2i
1ie6bm└Mithril is already hard enough to deal with. If a Guardian appears, Grills is dead.UM7T2H
yMCldS└That’s terrifying. ;;nHJqp
NCTmpw└WildGrills: Then there must be some part that is responsible for that ego, right?IfGj2
xEwd└AllFather: Most likely.feJl2Xh
THoGAsy└HeroDontThrowAway: In the Holy Sword’s case, it’s the gemstone embedded in the center of the hilt!dZR
OPL└WildGrills: I wasn’t asking you.pfj8XI
TZLrO└HeroDontThrowAway: Yesss……!1weEsQ
VYL└WildGrills: Sorry. I’m a little worked up and spoke too harshly.Pd4hPm
nNET└HeroDontThrowAway: It’s okay! I’ve been told much worse things! One time someone even called me a son of a b***h!1vfo
0SYo1└WildGrills: …FiC3F
qIYOWI1For a moment, I felt sorry for the head moderator, but I decided to let it go.iPXF
anqoFThose were the hardships that came with wearing the moderator’s armband.AaAJ78l
57KmaqRI looked at the mithril vein that supposedly possessed an ego.kcZJxB
6rt9QHow the hell was I supposed to get rid of it?W6mg
FrEThe thought of some kind of accident happening while I was mining it terrified me.T1EJrF
kade“Ahem. Friend?”eRXHZ
fS7Le1I“……”OPHt
902“If you can hear me, would you mind moving somewhere else?”2Ul
aLG2JOkSo I made the request in the most polite way possible. It sounded stupid, but I was completely serious.YEo
Cq2og7VOf course, the vein didn’t move.OCwsbl
IXe12IIt had no ears.y8vg8
X0WS0ERAnd just because something is alive doesn’t mean it has ears.TtkxE
AWlrDoes a jellyfish respond when you talk to it?PIUWNJ
XZkXCOf course not.CH95ot
2LZT“Hmm. This won’t work.”w6c9v
dYdI couldn’t leave it like this.8NZ
LJGpI made a drastic decision.lokJJI
20BHp3Even if I had to destroy the entire rear section of the cave, I would extract all of the mithril.QsHKCS
UxP3It was better to personally defuse a bomb than sleep on top of it.MUKje
MMaSR0A‘If neither of us had known about the other’s existence, this thing probably would have remained quiet.’Vd8zD
lHctP6They say ignorance is bliss.tK9tle9
b41lMaybe I had awakened something that should have remained dormant.JADOL8W
hJOAJ0But it was too late now.GMds
17cvwM2What was done was done.Wx10f
Uv7Just in case, I put the sloth on my back and started mining.v2Ml8Zj
b4kK7dyClang! Clang!qyXAZM
s6tI wasn’t mining the mithril directly.Wa4
tj4ZysI was carefully removing the surrounding rock.59ue
YXyxzoYI needed to see with my own eyes how large that vein really was.KceMPg
EBqmFortunately, it seemed to extend only within the cave.GVfs
Dciwy3‘Games and reality really are completely different.’RMqZaU
fNuKR7GIn a certain block-based world, all you needed was an iron pickaxe to dig down into lava-filled areas.lOJ
TVGYOnly superhuman protagonists could do something like that.5AFVj
JmYZ6J1I was just a human who had fallen into the Forest of Four Seasons because of a joke played by the gods.rvHa
RmMdFuHI sighed, but right now the important thing was to keep digging.OdKzP
xToClang! Clang!7WrcY1
buvJbHow much time had passed?Xs97MZ
1ChzWhen I dug down to a depth roughly equal to my height, the overall outline gradually began to reveal itself.008
BS0vOi“Ah, damn it. Seriously.”VhFDx
tcDILjI take it back.RfJ4
oCKsUUxWhat I had seen so far was nothing more than the tip of the iceberg.w4Tg1jq
bYJ7UFNo matter how much I dug, I couldn’t find the end.pQt
saA7bScJust how far did this vein extend?FbhKu
WJS9It was impossible to estimate.2AmJn
d5CI7‘I’m going crazy.’4bf
WifoGAt this rate, I would have to destroy not just the back of the cave but the entire cave.dQY5ivd
bRIDAnd even then, I still needed a place to sleep.BMasr
V0iZBUHI was already starting to feel like giving up.64005
pYswI stared at the shining mithril vein with a defeated expression.SvFBh
kST‘Was it Gyeongju?’Q2stP9
Jd1uhThey say that in that region, all you have to do is dig in your yard to find relics.VtBJhU6
0LJy7And here I was getting a headache because I found mithril.hBAJO6G
1N5oAnd not just any mithril.MHy59dp
L4KkgOne that could turn into a Guardian.mgU
QF1xFpOrichalcum was already scary enough.GtK
p2SoBA mithril Guardian sounded even worse.W3H
R0W4‘There’s no alternative. I’ll have to extract all of it.’TE413
tUOGI changed my plan.Xyr
PR0My goal now was to find the source of that life by excavating the entire vein.Cr5HiOP
2qiTMaybe it would never become a Guardian.BnAau
bozGrBut I couldn’t ignore the worst-case scenario.N6qQI
IqVlClang! Clang! Clang!8dh
XE5z3So I kept mining.GqJp
TwcMy hands gradually began to go numb, but I endured it.k2v
BOrNMFAIf I didn’t get rid of this thing, my life would be in danger.kmE1
02EXtThis was literally an excavation where my life was on the line.Zo0y
6KgsbeiFortunately, I also had the pickaxe DwarfPassingBy had given me.iuF1tp
XUZThe mithril fragments and blocks I extracted were stored in the storage bag.GXSH
3Pl“Haah… haaah…”StS5H
iSiZAfter an entire hour of using the pickaxe, I was the one who ended up exhausted.6d1X
TElCXAnd the mithril vein still looked just as imposing as before.QEdfz71
AfSYIn fact, the more I struck it, the harder it seemed to become.4P862
zq9PqRfOr rather, the deeper I dug, the tougher it became.F8h
RVkaA‘I definitely need DwarfPassingBy to make me a mithril pickaxe.’8SfupKT
MP2ENOr I needed to finally complete the Aura Blade.e4KXCu
9c4mI wasn’t making any progress at all.rNLKa
EqtIg4CStill, I had to keep doing everything I could.x2umujo
pCadRome wasn’t built in a day.voc1a
Xpm[WildGrills: HeavenlyDemon. I’ll give you a block of mithril. Use it to make yourself a weapon.]HZ3g
YfxHE[WildGrills: It’s my way of repaying you for the sword you gave me.]EmPVhv
c0qasMf[HeavenlyDemon: There was no need to go that far. Your kindness will be your downfall someday.]KKrl
SwThO[WildGrills: I owe my life several times over to that sword.]gNLJIVq
58Ek26[WildGrills: If it weren’t for it, I’d already be dead.]AiQM2w
5AYQgfr[WildGrills: So please accept it.]pY1
ZyIOeP[HeavenlyDemon: Refusing it would also be disrespectful.]SmVH
4KvyN9[HeavenlyDemon: I will accept it with gratitude.]glIny
cdwV5wI took a break and gave a block of mithril to HeavenlyDemon.8MYvvn
nezI[WildGrills: Mithril isn’t exactly cheap, so I hope you’ll accept it.]ngiE
lJHq1[SunForEver: Saying mithril is pocket change is something not even a king could get away with saying. ;;]4QWxgqV
pm5m[WildGrills: Then please accept it.]rBQ
5F8[WildGrills: It’s my way of thanking you for all the shields you’ve given me.]B6zf
CWyTlc[SunForEver: Didn’t you already give me an adult mandrake? I think that was more than enough.]Zhsa
PIm[WildGrills: So you don’t want it?]N4ZpmF
9jKrm8w[SunForEver: There’s no one who refuses something free.]iEj5
16bxsD[SunForEver: Thanks. I think I’ll make some kind of accessory with this.]GwB
LSWcC[WildGrills: Thank you very much.]auh8
kfvI also gave a block of mithril to SunForEver, who had been providing me with shields.kVnnnmk
QdvAfter that, I returned to mining.q7udJLd
OgUIt was a never-ending battle.DUjVc
YqAgHowever, even when night came, I still hadn’t managed to extract the entire vein.oqUUR4w
CJB‘I guess I’ll have to sleep as far away from it as possible.’KfozHhI
zCZ1McnAfter spending the whole day swinging a pickaxe, my hands were completely numb.G5IJhza
v1sWhile massaging my aching palms, I opened the gallery.DZdB
VVz86There were about thirty minutes left until dinner, so I planned to pass the time browsing.YMo
0jU2ds‘I’ve got a message from DwarfPassingBy.’BB80d2
EvxWxI had been sending him mithril every time I extracted some.4Ce0lN
18sEAnd along the way, I kept insisting that he make me a solid mithril pickaxe.y3Z1Kv
ZhTJudging by when the message arrived, I assumed he had already finished it or was working on it.83o
RWe[DwarfPassingBy: Hey. We’re screwed.]2sfqF
UOWguHowever, the message was far from what I expected.G5f
VXUyEIt was short, direct, and perfectly described the situation he was in.w1q3Wb
MTRk1Seeing it made me more curious than worried.YikU
OCoZ[WildGrills: What happened?]vdLC
HeW[DwarfPassingBy: The mithril won’t melt.]JrEXG
3Ib8Mo3[WildGrills: …? What do you mean?]GTKh4
SDNiccj[DwarfPassingBy: No matter what I do, I can’t melt it down to pour it into a mold.]mHy25
PaV[DwarfPassingBy: And it won’t break either.]6ONVnSL
W4nXl3Then he added:Mcb
BRi[DwarfPassingBy: I investigated it.]atWu
VVYZ[DwarfPassingBy: It contains an absurd amount of mana.]TBwXqJ
1THmE26[DwarfPassingBy: It would take a special furnace to melt it.]FPC
xhv2o[DwarfPassingBy: So I think I’ll have to return it to you.]Yq3
JpFULo[WildGrills: You’re not telling me I’ll have to melt it down and make my own equipment, are you?]NngH
MtE7Nq8[DwarfPassingBy: Yes. Exactly.]qYDF
aviLZDamn it.mf1b
HY7Kre0[DwarfPassingBy: But one thing is certain. The performance will be ridiculously good. Hahaha.]fZfw
lVhtJcWhat he really meant was that he had just added even more items to the list of things I needed to do.LE7EZm
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