Chapter 18

I decide to get Mining for 200 credits, Smelting for 200 credits, Smithing for 300 credits, tailoring for 300 credits, and I check out tools for the tools I need to start these professions. I can get a smelter for 100 credits, an iron anvil for 100 credits, a grind-wheel for 100 credits, an orchelium pickaxe for 300 credits, and all the little things I need for the remaining 180 credits. It's nice to spend everything in one go.

I learn all the skill, and sleep through the night. Day 22, and now I want to test out my magic. I've got water and earth magic, do I try to manipulate the snow some.

It doesn't work. No matter what I do, I can't see to move the snow at all! I hope this is just some part of the skill being basic, so I uncover the stream and scoop some water out with my hands. With this water in my hands, I try to imbue water magic into it, and WOW! I can make the water move with my thoughts! I move it like a snake in the air, but then I realize how useless this power is. Okay, it might help with cleaning things, but not really much for fighting. I can't even control ice with it.

Next, I decide to check out earth magic. There is a cliff not too far from here, so I think I'll start my mine there. I might be able to convert the Black Mountain Snake Dungeon into a mine, but it might make the Black Mountain Snakes stop respawning. I hope to farm the dungeon in the future, so I can't go messing things up over there. I place my hand on the stone wall and try to extract some stone, but almost nothing happens. A tiny amount of rock comes protruding from the once flat wall. I get a little disappointed, but then I remember my Intelligence stat is only 10! I just need to increase my stats!

With newfound hope for my magic skills, I start working on a mine. With the orchelium pickaxe and the shovel, I can move large amounts of rock from my mine. I have the equivalent of super-strength with my high strength stat, and I easily move the pickaxe to break the rock of the ground.

>**Status**

>Name: Homogeneous Khalidius

>Level: 5

>Class: Novice

>Credits: 0

>Health: 50/50

>Stamina: 34/50

>Mana: 38/50

>Strength: 25

>Dexterity: 15

>Vitality: 10

>Inteligence: 10

>Wisdom: 10

>Luck: 10

>Stat Points Available: 0

Just a quick look at my level and stats, and I go back to mining. I am able to remove a large amount of stone and rock, but I don't know yet if I'm getting any ore, or if there is any ore around here. Fortunately for me, however, Mining Skill allows me to identify ores, and x-ray vision helps me see inside the rocks I pull up. With night vision and x-ray vision, I can actually see inside rocks and the stone walls of the mountain easily.

I don't find anything noteworthy on my first day, but I have a lot of stone to work with. I need to set up from support beams in the mine while I go deeper, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. The mine is only three or four feet wide, but it is tall. I am a tall guy, so I need a lot of space to move around in. I think I'll place support beams every 5 feet. It might be too close, but I don't want any collapsing to happen on me. The reason I can make the mine so thin is because I can put all the extracted stone into my inventory. To facilitate all this, I'll be visiting the town soon.

For now, instead of going to sleep, I work on the rock I've got. I can make a wall around my house with the rock, but it's not really shaped to fit nicely in a wall. Instead, I decide to do whatever I can with the rock to get the iron out. With my hammer, I break the rocks into smaller bits. I need a bucket. Once I've got all the stone smashed up, and only the relevant iron parts still in front of me, I get out the smelter.