Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 88

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Successor’s Unknown, but Let Me Heal — Episode 88

Mining.
It was a field quite popular among Lifekillers.
The satisfying impact of each strike, the solid rewards!
The allure was so strong that some players abandoned all other Lifeskilling pursuits entirely, seeking only ore.
Moreover, minerals played a significant role in In the World.
They served as basic crafting materials with consistently high demand, and well-refined iron fetched premium prices at the marketplace.
Armor was forged from them, weapons were wrought from them.
Even damaged items or those exhausted of Durability relied on minerals for repair.
It was precisely why newcomers, once they’d leveled their Gathering Proficiency to a certain threshold, seemed to migrate to the mines as if by pact.
Mining was slower than Herb Gathering, true, but if you simply settled in and persisted, the rewards came reliably.
And since it was a mine, there was no need to roam about searching—less tedium overall.
So Lion himself had ventured into the mines in those early days when coin was scarce, undertaking what might be called abandoned-mine training.
But.
That was only in the game; in reality, it saw far less use.
Swinging a Pickaxe demanded considerable stamina and finesse.
Why else would real mines rely on jackhammers?
So even Lion, skilled as he’d become in Gathering Proficiency, couldn’t wield a Pickaxe with true mastery.
Looking back, he’d always assumed the Pickaxe’s crude exterior meant you simply struck it hard, but it demanded surprisingly delicate control.

‘Another kind of charm, perhaps?’

A tool that, despite its rugged appearance, required a gentle touch.
Though it was a charm only Lion seemed to feel.

Tick!

[You have obtained Luminous Stone Dust.]
—Luminous Stone reduced to powder from failed Gathering.
—It has lost its value as Luminous Stone.

“Mm.”

Well, you can’t be full after the first bite, as they say.
Lion gazed at the shattered ore and smacked his lips.
The Pickaxe work was certainly harder than Herb Gathering.
It made sense that it only unlocked at Gathering Proficiency level one.
But.

“It’s fine. There’s plenty more to mine.”

Lion pocketed the Luminous Stone Dust, stowed it in his inventory, and moved immediately to the next ore.
Herb Gathering hadn’t gone perfectly from the start either.
There were plenty of times the roots had snapped off like Freyanya’s harvests, and no shortage of instances where he’d carelessly crushed important leaves in the process.

‘It’s remarkable when someone does it right from the beginning.’

Lion picked up the Pickaxe again with conviction.
He swung it once more at the fresh ore before him.

Clang!

[You have obtained Luminous Stone Dust.]

Another failure.

Clang!

[You have obtained Luminous Stone Dust.]

Another failure—yet a faint smile tugged at the corner of Lion’s mouth.
Looking at all the failed Luminous Stone Dust laid out in a row, he could see they were accumulating.
What’s more, the effort required seemed to be lessening with each attempt.

“Huh.”

He had the feeling success was drawing near.

“All right. Stay focused.”

He crossed his feet, carefully aimed the Pickaxe at its target with full concentration, and moved in.

Crack!

The Pickaxe swung through, sweeping away the soft earth and small stones around it.
It was the cleanest, most efficient motion he’d made yet!
The Luminous Stone caught in the rock crevice became far more visible.

“Huh.”

The shock this time was in a different league from clearing away mere soil.
The accumulated recoil from all his previous swings radiated through his arms and lower back in a tingling ache.

‘If it weren’t for the Travel Clothes, I’d have thrown out my back.’

The Travel Clothes that Andrea had made were absorbing nearly all of the impact he felt from the Pickaxe.
That’s why he could keep swinging with only minimal shock to his body.
Anyway, after a few more swings like that, all the worthless debris fell away, and the Luminous Stone Ore revealed itself completely.

[You have obtained Luminous Stone Ore.]
-The proportion of raw stone is still high compared to the Luminous Stone.
-Wouldn’t it be better to refine it a bit more?

Not dust, but ore.
A modest achievement, earned after countless attempts.

“Good. So this is how you do it.”

He was learning fast—very fast.
The knowledge and techniques organized in his mind were being absorbed into his body.
This was clearly the learning speed of someone with Gathering Proficiency Level 1.

[Gathering Types Available: Ore Veins and Poisonous Plants have been added.]

If he hadn’t reached Proficiency Level 1, he might have had to leave with only regret.

“I owe a lot to Mudu and Andrea.”

Without Mudu’s Tool Set or Andrea’s Travel Clothes, he might well have injured himself instead.

Clang!

Lion set down the Pickaxe and picked up the Hammer and Awl.
The next task was to knock away the stones and soil clinging to the Luminous Stone Ore.
Technically, he could have carried it as-is and handed it over to Mudu, but now that he’d started, he wanted to finish it properly.
It was a habit of his.

‘Enjoyment over efficiency.’

“Still, I should practice on some other stones.”

Lion rummaged through the Luminous Stone Dust.
Among them were some pieces close enough to raw ore that he could practice with.

“Everything has its use, after all.”

Lion pressed the Awl against the earthen part and tapped it lightly with the Hammer.
And then…….

Crunch!

“…….”

Even though he’d struck as carefully as possible, the Luminous Stone shattered uselessly into fragments.
It meant the stone was softer than he’d expected.

“Phew. Good thing I didn’t start on the real piece right away.”

After practicing a few more times to get the feel for it, Lion brought out an intact piece of ore.
Strangely, he felt nervous all of a sudden.

‘But this isn’t so bad.’

It was precisely the kind of pleasant excitement he enjoyed.
Whether from the hot spring’s warmth or from anticipation, Lion’s face had flushed a vibrant red.
It might seem odd to others, but from Lion’s perspective, it was simply the thrill of acquiring a new toy.
Of course…… ordinary people would find it hard to understand.
But if he enjoyed it, wasn’t that good enough?
Lion held his breath, positioned the Awl with great care, and struck it delicately with the Hammer.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Cracks, he realized, could be surprisingly fatal to stone.
It was much like how a droplet of water could split a massive boulder in two.

Crackle…….

Then, in a single moment, it split wide open—like a ripe watermelon.
Lion swept away the chipped fragment with a brush.
Fortunately, the stone separated cleanly with no loss.
A little more. Tap-tap. Gently tidying the edges…….

[You have obtained a Hot Spring Luminous Stone (★)!]
-Flowing tears dried and hardened until they became stone.
-When possessed, you can open your eyes normally even underwater.
-When consumed or used through special methods, Beast Humans / Aquatic Races affinity increases.
-Only the skilled may gather Luminous Stone.
[Uses: Alchemy, Beast Taming, Cooking]
[☞Click to view recipes.]

“Done!”

Lion held the Luminous Stone carefully in his hand and savored the sense of achievement!
This sensation. This feeling!
And thanks to his equipment, the star had barely managed to stay affixed.

“Hm?”

Lion glanced at the description.

“Can it actually be used?”

When he’d examined it through an expert’s eye, the information had shown only an “ingestion” method, but now a usage method had been added as well.
Lion looked once at the flame grasses scattered about, then at the Luminous Stones, and his eyes gleamed.
A brilliant idea had suddenly flashed through his mind!

‘I’m not sure about Beast Human affinity, but perhaps…….’

It seemed he could make something quite remarkable.

“Good. Next!”

Lion picked up the Pickaxe again and wandered about the Hot Spring, mining Luminous Stones until he was sick of it.
Until his Travel Clothes—which boasted fairly impressive water resistance—were completely drenched in hot spring water!

“……Young master?”

Elvia, who had finally completed patrol several times over, could hold back no longer and called out to Lion.
If she left him alone like this, it was clear he’d keep at it until he caught a cold at the very least, if not frostbite.

“I think it would be best if you returned now, sir.”
“Oh.”

Lion finally gathered the last Luminous Stone and straightened his back.

Crack!

“Ow.”

From bending over so long, his back ached terribly.
The stamina he’d painstakingly accumulated seemed to have been cut in half again, but Lion smiled cheerfully nonetheless.

“Has it really gotten that late already? Since I snuck out, I should head back soon.”

Lion slung his now-bulging pack over his shoulder and stood beside Elvia.

“Then we shall depart.”

At her request to close his eyes for a moment, Lion did so.

“Chirp.”

Nature followed Lion’s lead and closed her eyes as well.

“You may open them now, sir.”

Slowly, he opened the eyes he’d kept shut for those brief moments…….
They had arrived at Bydentis Castle.

‘It really is remarkable.’

Long distances weren’t possible, but for short ranges, Teleportation could be executed like this.
Presumably, the abduction of Freyanya from Mimir Forest before had used this same method.
If long-distance warping had been possible, it would likely have been Elvia’s aid rather than a warp gate.
That nausea was truly dreadful.
Lion received fresh clothes and a towel, changed into them, and flopped onto the bed.
After finishing his impromptu water activities, drowsiness crept over him and sleep came calling.

“There’s still some time before dinner. You should rest a while.”
“Thanks.”

Lion closed his eyes slowly and fell asleep on the spot.
Without even having eaten dinner.
And so the dead of night passed.

……

Lion’s eyes snapped open, and he sat up.

‘What time is it?’

Checking his watch in the darkness, it was already well past dawn.
It seemed Elvia hadn’t woken him because he’d fallen into such a deep sleep.
As a result, Lion had rested thoroughly.
His back had recovered sufficiently.
Which meant……
He was hungry.
Ravenously so. And there was a particular food calling to him.
Namely……

‘Instant Noodles.’

The terrible thing about Instant Noodles was that once you started thinking about them, they kept surfacing in your mind until you actually cooked and ate them.
Especially after swimming—how could a single cup of Instant Noodles possibly taste so divine?

‘I can’t hold back.’

Lion bolted upright from the bed.

……

Nature, who had been deep in dreamland, tumbled off Lion’s stomach with a soft rolling sound and opened its eyes in bewilderment.

“Nature.”
“Chirp……”

Seeing Lion’s suddenly solemn expression, Nature tilted its head as if asking why he was acting like that.
For a chick, it had quite the range of emotional expression.

“Let’s go.”

Lion scooped up Nature and quietly slipped out of the room, heading for the kitchen.
Bydentis Castle, with its small staff, naturally had no one in the kitchen at this hour.
It was even dimly lit, but—it didn’t matter.
Lion pulled out several Luminous Stones and positioned them around the kitchen.
The light spilled in softly, and it was just right.
With this level of brightness, no one would come looking.

“All right.”

Lion instinctively rummaged through the kitchen and gathered ingredients.
To do it properly, he brought eggs and scallions as well.
But one could wonder: wasn’t the most crucial ingredient missing?
The noodles themselves.
Of course, Instant Noodles didn’t exist in this place.
There was no way fried and specially processed noodles existed in this world.
But did that mean he couldn’t make them?
Not at all.

‘This might work just as well.’

Lion had brought spaghetti noodles that came closest to instant noodles.
It was Fusilli Lunghi, to be exact.
It was a type of pasta, and its shape was as wavy and long as instant noodles, so it could pull off a reasonable approximation of that texture.
Years ago, back when Lion had lived alone and wanted to stay healthy, this was one of the methods he’d relied on.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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