Beyond the blue gate, the familiar smell of earth rushed over him.
Cheol-woo tapped the equipment pouch at his waist and walked inside.
Today, the notebook and tablet in his hand were more important than the old pickaxe.
He opened the abandoned mine map from the Association that he had downloaded in advance.
"That side has not filled in yet."
Cheol-woo’s gaze swept over one side of the rock wall.
The low-grade mana stone vein he had mined two days ago still had sparse empty spots.
It regenerated on a one-day cycle, but there were subtle differences in timing.
He did not bother taking out his pickaxe and simply passed by.
If he touched resources that had only half-regenerated, his routes would only become more complicated later.
He opened the management window and called up the minimap.
A translucent holographic map appeared in midair.
Cheol-woo alternated between checking the Association map on the tablet screen and the minimap in the air, as if overlaying them.
The Association map was a record completed by past raid teams who had explored the dungeon on foot.
He had seen it so many times while rolling around as a perpetual E-rank porter that he had a rough idea of what was in each area.
"This side matches the records. This place too."
Only the sound of his footsteps echoed through the mineshaft.
Cheol-woo circled along the edge of the abandoned mine.
The spawn areas where the goblins had not yet fully regenerated were quiet.
He did not bother going deep inside.
Since the boss Core had been destroyed and the detailed control authorities were locked, there was no reason to overdo it.
"Huh?"
Cheol-woo’s steps came to an abrupt halt.
His gaze fixed on one corner of the management window’s minimap.
The edge of the map.
It was the corner of a forked path marked as a dead-end rock wall in the Association’s records.
On the minimap, a fingernail-sized gray area was attached beyond that rock wall.
‘What is this? An error?’
Cheol-woo furrowed his brow and quickened his steps.
When he reached the forked path, he turned on his flashlight and shone it on the rock wall.
There was only a crude, rough wall of stone.
Even when he felt it with his hand, there was not so much as a gap where wind could leak through.
The previous raid teams must have judged this place to be a blocked path and moved on.
However, when he approached the rock wall with the management window open, the name of the gray area appeared clearly.
[Collapsed Mineshaft]
-Status: Entry Unavailable (Passage Collapsed)
-Owner Authority: Can consume dungeon mana to temporarily restore it.
-Mana Cost: 150
Cheol-woo blinked.
Other authorities, such as passage manipulation and environmental change, were all locked because the boss Core had been destroyed.
Yet this area alone was an exception.
Perhaps because it had been recognized as a target for the owner’s exploration, the option for temporary restoration was activated.
"Dungeon mana, huh."
Cheol-woo checked the number at the top of the screen.
It was mana that had accumulated little by little while his owned dungeon was maintained.
The current amount was 210.
If he spent 150 here, there would not be much left.
Pouring hard-earned mana into an unidentified space was close to a gamble.
‘But if it is a hidden area even the previous raid teams did not know about...’
It was well worth checking.
Leaving an unknown blind spot inside his personal production facility did not sit well with him either.
Cheol-woo set his backpack down on the floor.
He took a thick rope from his pocket and tied it securely around the sturdiest-looking stone pillar.
It was a lifeline in case the restored passage suddenly closed and trapped him inside.
"All right. Let us open it once."
Cheol-woo wrapped the end of the rope around his waist and pressed the restoration button on the management window.
[150 dungeon mana will be consumed.]
[Temporarily restoring Collapsed Mineshaft.]
A humming vibration rose through the tips of his feet.
Blue lines of light spread between the rock walls like a spiderweb.
The massive boulders that had been fitted tightly together pushed aside with a bizarre grinding sound.
RUMBLE!
A cloud of dust rose, revealing a mineshaft just wide enough for one person to barely pass through.
Cheol-woo covered his mouth, swallowed his cough, and looked inside.
At the same time, a red timer appeared in the air.
[Temporary Restoration Duration: 14 minutes 59 seconds]
"There is a time limit too. That is tight."
He shone his flashlight into the mineshaft and moved quickly.
He checked the condition of the ceiling with his eyes, making sure there was no risk of collapse.
Fortunately, the inside of the passage was sturdier than he had expected.
After advancing about ten meters, a dead-end rock wall appeared immediately.
"What? That is it?"
A dead end with nothing but empty space.
Just as Cheol-woo was scanning the wall with a deflated expression, the beam of his flashlight caught an unusual reflection at the center of the rock wall.
It was different from purple mana stones or black iron ore.
It was a faint, cold blue light.
Cheol-woo held his breath and moved close to the rock wall.
A thick vein had broken through the cracks in the rock and stretched horizontally across the wall.
He carefully took a small hammer from his waist.
He lightly tapped the edge of the vein and broke off a piece the size of his thumbnail.
Placing the blue-tinged mineral fragment on his palm, he attempted a system appraisal.
[Azure Mana Iron (Rare)]
-A special mineral with extremely high mana conductivity.
-A core material used in the production of magic tools and high-grade equipment.
At that moment, Cheol-woo’s hand froze.
Azure Mana Iron.
Even he, an E-rank porter, had heard of it at least by name.
It was a rare resource said to be found only occasionally in dungeons of C-rank or above, or in special environments with high mana density.
It was a grade of resource that should never appear in an F-rank goblin abandoned mine.
He could not understand how something like this had been hidden here.
"Insane."
Cheol-woo inhaled sharply without realizing it.
His heart pounded fiercely, as if striking against his ribs.
The urge to mine that enormous vein immediately and take all of it outside surged up inside him.
If he sold it all, he felt that it would easily fetch enough to buy a decent car.
His hand unconsciously tightened around the handle of his pickaxe.
But in the next moment, Cheol-woo set the pickaxe down.
He exhaled roughly and shook his head.
He opened the management window again and focused on the Azure Mana Iron vein.
A detailed information window unfolded.
[Harvestable Amount: 100%]
[Regeneration Time: 15 days (based on current state)]
It was not a one-time windfall that would vanish forever once mined.
This was also part of the owned dungeon.
Given time, it would fill in again as a permanent production resource.
Once he confirmed that fact, the excitement boiling inside him cooled.
‘There is no need to rush.’
This place is mine.
No one can steal it, and no one knows about it.
If he mined it rashly and ended up suspected over its source or accused of handling stolen goods, all his plans would go awry.
If an F-rank porter suddenly showed up with an armful of Azure Mana Iron, the Association’s audit team would obviously come knocking first.
Cheol-woo placed only the small fragment on his palm into a plastic container and sealed it.
Then he took out his notebook and quickly moved his pen.
"Exposed vein length is roughly two meters. Width is around thirty centimeters."
He drew a rough diagram and marked the location.
He also carefully wrote down the amount of dungeon mana consumed for today’s restoration.
If he wanted to calculate the return on investment, the mana cost had to be entered into the ledger as well.
[Temporary Restoration Duration: 3 minutes 12 seconds]
The red timer in the air was shrinking urgently.
Cheol-woo turned around without hesitation.
Rewinding the rope, he exited the opened mineshaft.
As soon as he returned to the forked path, the rock wall began closing again with a thunderous noise.
RUMBLE!
Once the dust settled, only the original rough rock wall remained there again.
A cleanly blocked path, as if nothing had ever happened.
Cheol-woo tapped the wall once and slung his backpack over his shoulder.
"This is enough for today."
Large-scale mining was on hold.
First, he had to confirm the exact quality and market price of the Azure Mana Iron with this small sample.
He also had to open a route to convert this valuable item into cash without arousing suspicion.
Cheol-woo opened the exit button in the air and pressed it without regret.
Flash.
His vision flashed, and the familiar linoleum floor of his rented room touched his feet.
Cheol-woo removed his equipment pouch and sank into the chair in front of his desk.
The room, with the blinds lowered, was quiet, but his mind was turning busily.
He took the sealed plastic container from his pocket and placed it on the desk.
Under the fluorescent light, the Azure Mana Iron fragment emitted a faint blue glow.
"So this is what money smells like."
Cheol-woo let out a wry laugh and leaned back against the chair.
It felt as if his life as a perpetual E-rank porter was being shaken from its very roots.
But just because he was shaken did not mean he had any intention of losing his composure.
He took out his smartphone and opened an internet browser.
He did not even glance at the list of ordinary purchasing offices he usually visited.
With the judgment of the employees there, they would not be able to properly assess the value of Azure Mana Iron, and rumors would spread in no time.
"A specialized materials dealer would be better."
Cheol-woo began searching hunter-only communities and trading sites.
A place that kept its mouth shut, did not pry into sources, and had solid connections with reliable equipment crafters.
He had to find a company like that.
"If I quietly slip in just one sample, I should be able to get an estimate."
As he scrolled through the screen, Cheol-woo’s eyes stopped on the name of a certain business.
It was a small materials dealer with no flashy advertisements, said to be used mainly by veteran hunters in the crafting field.
Cheol-woo copied the company’s contact information into his notebook.
Tapping the Azure Mana Iron on the desk, he let out a short breath.
"Tomorrow, I should dress a little more neatly before going out."
Cheol-woo’s fingers tapped against the smartphone screen.
Only the quiet sound of typing echoed regularly through the room.
A relaxed smile hovered around his lips as he considered how to introduce his first high-grade resource of his own to the market.