Chapter 16: Mining Directions

Kevin walked through the dimly lit mine, where the density of miners was low, and only those with significantly stronger bodies were working. As he strolled, he noticed a solitary, brown-skinned woman mining for blue crystals. A smile formed on Kevin’s face as he approached her, his gaze drawn to her sweaty figure. She wore the same-colored uniform as him, a grey one, but instead of a T-shirt, she sported a black sports bra, revealing her glistening, well-defined abs that Kevin found himself admiring.

‘She’s surely a muscle mommy,’ Kevin pondered in his mind as he made his way closer to her.

Approaching her, he couldn’t help but let his playful nature come forth. “How’s my ‘booty call’ doing today?” Kevin asked with a mischievous grin, causing Sia’s mouth to twitch at the question. Nonetheless, she smiled and replied, “Just working.”

“yeah I can see that.” Kevin said admiring her body making Sia annoyed but she still kept the smile.𝑜𝓥ℯ𝗅xt.𝐂𝞸𝓂

Kevin continued while picking his axe and started to mine some distance away from her “You’re really good at taking selfie you know.”

‘Shitty bastard,’ Sia cursed him in her mind as she continued mining, speaking up while working. “Really? I can send you more?”

“I don’t mind more, but I would prefer to see it live rather than just in images,” Kevin muttered as he picked up his first spirit crystal of the day.

“You can see it after work,” Sia said with a sly smile, her tone suggestive.

“I was already planning on it,” Kevin replied casually, collecting another blue crystal, this one the size of a tennis ball.

‘What does this asshole think I am? He thinks I’m his fucking toy, someone he can play with after school,’ Sia thought angrily, glaring at Kevin while cursing silently. ‘And why the hell is he mining? Shouldn’t he be earning money through something more fitting for a cultivator?’

Curiosity got the best of her, and she decided to voice her question. “If you don’t mind me asking, why are you working in the mines despite being a cultivator?” She worded her inquiry carefully, genuinely curious about his choice of job as a miner when cultivators typically earned money through monster hunting or other means. She knew that cultivators were usually wealthy, even if they were only slightly more powerful regular elite athletes.

Kevin understood Sia’s query and answered, “I needed some money to buy equipment for hunting monsters, and this was the easiest way for me to earn a substantial amount in a short time.”

“This is the easiest way?” Sia looked at him with a mix of disbelief and curiosity. She knew it paid well, but the physical labor involved was exhausting. She herself had been working since the early morning, usually opting for morning shifts to avoid crowded mines and maximize her mining output while minimizing human interaction.

“Yeah, it is. Look at how much I’ve already mined in just 10 minutes,” Kevin replied, pointing at his pile of blue stones, which amounted to slightly less than half a kilogram and was only two or three hundred grams less than Sia’s.

She was shocked by his speed, finding it unbelievable. Sia had been mining for at least three hours, and her mining speed was considered above average, usually yielding around 2 kilograms.

“How can you mine so fast?” Sia asked, wide-eyed, wondering if Kevin had some tricks or techniques related to his cultivation that aided him.

“I guess I just have really good luck,” Kevin replied casually, continuing to mine more and more shiny stones. He pointed to a spot near Sia and said, “You don’t believe me, do you? Well, why don’t you try mining a bit deeper there and see if I’m right or wrong?”

Sia looked at him with annoyance, knowing that he was likely lying. She didn’t want to waste her time, but her curiosity got the better of her. She started mining at the designated spot, and after a minute, she discovered two blue crystals as big as her finger. Excitement flooded her, and she turned to Kevin, blushing but undeterred in her curiosity, asking, “Now what?”

“You really love money, don’t you?” Kevin asked, amusement evident in his tone, to which Sia nodded without hesitation.

“Haha,” he chuckled, amused by her straightforwardness. “I feel the same way. But you know, it’s hard to earn money, don’t you think?”

Again, Sia nodded, acknowledging the challenge of acquiring wealth. As Kevin moved closer to her, he observed, “But I’m making it easier for you, right? That means I also deserve something in exchange.”

Hearing his words, Sia’s excitement waned, realizing that as his “booty call,” she was already fulfilling a certain role. She wondered what more he could possibly want from her.

“What do you want?” she asked, her tone serious.

“For now, nothing specific, but in a week or two, I may ask you to do a couple of things that you can’t refuse. Don’t worry, they won’t involve anything dangerous or illegal, but they may be a bit mischievous,” Kevin offered.

Sia pondered for a moment before requesting more details. “Can you tell me in detail what those things might involve?”

Kevin shook his head, annoyance flickering in her gaze as he looked at her angry eyes expression.

‘this bitch.’ She cursed under her breath, growing more irritated. However, she managed to control her anger and thought calmly, realizing that while it might involve something vulgar or veiled, it could also help her earn money more quickly. If she could become stronger, she wouldn’t have to rely on someone like him anymore.

With this in mind, Sia nodded and firmly stated, “Okay, but I will not do anything illegal, okay?”

“Don’t worry, they are not illegal. Now, let’s mine some shiny stones, shall we?” Kevin said, picking up his axe and pointing to various locations. “Mine here, there, and there. After you’re done mining in those places, ask me for more.”

With newfound determination, they both started mining, Sia becoming more enthusiastic, quickly finding stones at a rate of nearly one per minute.