Player Farming in the Dragon’s Lair - Chapter 66

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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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66
[Black Mithril]
– Grade: SS
– Description: The divine mineral known to be the hardest substance in existence.
‘How… how did this Adventurer come by such a thing?’
Hephaestus found it utterly incomprehensible.
Black Mithril was an exceptionally rare mineral—no, beyond rare, singular—that he himself had handled only a handful of times throughout his entire existence.
He had crafted ornaments from Black Mithril before, but only because certain gods had commissioned the work and provided the material themselves.
Even as a demigod, even Hephaestus had never possessed Black Mithril of his own.
As a master craftsman who had devoted his eternal life to the forge, he had often dreamed of such an opportunity—to touch Black Mithril again. Yet such chances did not come often, if ever. To have one materialize so unexpectedly, without warning…
‘No, wait. That can’t be right. This must be some kind of mistake. There’s no way Lee Woo-jin could legitimately possess Black Mithril.’
If some god had carelessly dropped it in the Tower and Woo-jin had simply picked it up to commission him with it, both of them could face severe punishment.
“Listen here.”
“Yes?”
“I don’t know where you obtained this, but Black Mithril is a mineral that only gods may possess. It seems you’ve picked up something that was accidentally dropped. Since it belongs to the divine realm, it must be returned to its rightful owner. Do you understand?”
Woo-jin fell silent for a moment, as if lost in thought.
“Actually, I received this through a divine gift called Appraisal. But given what you’ve mentioned, I should ask the gods about it.”
What sort of nonsense was that?
It sounded as though the gods were standing right there with him.
That couldn’t possibly be true.
“They said it’s fine for me to use it?”
“…Ha ha. The gods approved it? That’s a hard claim to believe. If what you’re saying is true, I should see Constellation Traces in the sky, but there are none—”
That was when it happened.
Hephaestus’s eyes flew wide open in shock.
Where nothing had been visible mere moments before, five brilliant stars now blazed in the sky, arranged in a perfect line.
“Gasp!”
Thud!
Hephaestus dropped to his knees and performed a deep bow.
“This demigod, Hephaestus, pays his respects to the mighty gods!”
Now the voice of divinity could be heard.
[The God of Authority commands: Do not doubt Woo-jin’s words.]
“Yes, yes! I—I shall remember this always!”
One of the five gods.
The God of Authority had spoken.
A god’s word was absolute.
Hephaestus knew he had no choice but to obey unconditionally.
From the Constellation Traces, he could now confirm not only the God of Authority’s presence, but the existence of the others as well.
‘This is impossible. The God of Adventure, the God of Destiny, the God of Order, the God of Dominion—why are they all here?!’
The God of Adventure was fond of playing around, so that was understandable, but the God of Destiny, the God of Order, and the God of Dominion possessed exceptionally potent power over Causality even among the divine. They were forces to be feared.
As Hephaestus bowed deeply, the Constellation Traces vanished. Only then did he straighten, place a trembling hand over his chest, and exhale a breath of relief.
“Just what exactly are you?”
“Pardon?”
“Setting everything else aside—how is it that five gods are watching over you? It’s unheard of for gods to show such interest in a single mortal!”
Throughout eons, instances of gods showing interest or curiosity were few and far between. A situation where multiple gods kept their eyes on one individual was unprecedented.
“…In any case. I’ve confirmed that you are the rightful owner of this Black Mithril, and the God of Authority has spoken. I shall accept your commission.”
“Thank you so much!”
“But tell me—have you truly reconsidered?”
“What do you mean?”
Hephaestus gazed intently at the Black Mithril Woo-jin had presented him.
“As you can see from the item description, this is the hardest mineral in existence. It’s impossible to even scratch it without infusing a sufficient quantity of Divine Energy.”
If a blade were forged from it, it would become the only sword capable of cutting through legend itself—capable of severing anything in this world.
If armor were made from it, it would possess an invulnerability that no attack could penetrate.
“You have just enough Black Mithril to craft either a sword or a suit of armor—choose one. This is my advice as a master craftsman.”
But it was also his own desire speaking.
To touch Black Mithril—such an opportunity came perhaps once in thousands of years.
He could not bear to waste it on something as trivial as a stone pot.
Woo-jin fell silent at Hephaestus’s counsel, considering.
Did he truly need a weapon?
No. He had no desire to invite conflict, and should fighting become necessary, he preferred ranged combat with bow and arrow rather than close-quarters battle.
Making arrows from Black Mithril was out of the question.
It’d be a hassle to retrieve it later anyway.
Then armor is necessary?
It was ambiguous. It would be nice to have, certainly, but it wasn’t strictly essential. After all, Woo-jin possessed the Absolute Concealment authority, which allowed him to evade physical attacks perfectly.
And finally—was there any real reason to craft the pot from Black Mithril?
Absolutely.
Having one would be endlessly convenient—great for cooking rice, perfect for stews, and even useful as a makeshift grill lid for grilled pork belly.
This one I had to make.
Living in the tower, I’d eat three meals a day, after all.
A Black Mithril pot would prove invaluable, used again and again.
“I’ve decided.”
“Heh heh. So, what’ll it be? Armor? Or perhaps something more fitting for a man—a weapon…?”
“Pots, please! One for rice! One for stews!”
“….”
“Please use this as a reference for the size.”
Thunk!
Woo-jin pulled the Unknown Stone Pot from his Subspace Backpack.
Hephaestus broke into a grin.
* * *
Glug, glug!
[You have consumed Carrot Juice. Stamina permanently increased by 0.02.]
[For 30 minutes, stamina recovery speed increases by 20 percent.]
“Khh, then let’s begin.”
“Thank you so much!”
As Hephaestus drank the Carrot Juice Woo-jin offered, vitality seemed to surge through his entire body.
Hephaestus grasped the Black Mithril with tongs and placed it into the Furnace.
Hephaestus was a demigod.
Which is to say, he carried Divine Energy within him.
Inside the Furnace, the Divine Energy flames that Hephaestus had breathed forth flickered and danced.
Whoosh!
Black Mithril touched by the Divine Energy flames.
Had it been ordinary iron ore, it would have melted without a trace, but the Black Mithril, befitting divine stone, merely glowed an angry red.
“Huuugh!”
He poured more force into it, intensifying the heat further.
Thanks to having worked with Black Mithril several times before, Hephaestus moved with practiced efficiency.
As if he’d been waiting for this moment, he extended the tongs, pulled the Black Mithril free, and immediately placed it upon the anvil.
Clang!
The moment the hammer struck, a heavy metallic ring reverberated so forcefully it made the ears ring. It sounded similar to striking ordinary ore, yet Woo-jin found himself marveling involuntarily.
‘The sound is incredible.’
Clear and crystalline.
As the hammer fell, there was nothing grating or harsh about it.
Rather, it brought a strange sense of calm.
Clang!
With each hammer blow, shards of black flame scattered into the air.
Hephaestus, showing no hesitation, hammered the Black Mithril, rotated it, plunged it back into the flames, and withdrew it again in an endless rhythm.
The stone pot Woo-jin had brought sat beside him.
Between strikes, Hephaestus glanced sideways, examining the pot’s size, depth, and thickness before returning to his work.
Clang!
With that single blow, the flat Black Mithril sheet began gradually taking on rounded, curved contours.
Hisssss!
Clang!
Heat, hammering, and cooling repeated in succession.
With each cycle, the pot revealed itself in ever-clearer detail.
Woo-jin sensed Hephaestus growing fatigued.
He couldn’t quite place it, but a white aura rippled across the god’s frame intermittently.
Each time he wielded that power—dense and colossal—his strength surged explosively, yet the cost showed plainly in his growing exhaustion.
“Sir Hephaestus, are you all right?”
“I’m fine!”
“Would you like more Carrot Juice?”
Hephaestus nodded vigorously.
The moment Woo-jin handed him the glass bottle of Carrot Juice, he drained it in one go.
Gulp, gulp!
Refreshing and delicious.
And the recovery rate of stamina had increased.
This proved a tremendous aid to Hephaestus.
.
.
.
A few hours had passed.
“All done!”
“Wow!”
Two stone pots lay before them.
They matched the design Lee Woo-jin had commissioned exactly.
Beyond that, the finish work was far more refined than the stone pots Lee Woo-jin had made himself.
[Black Mithril Pot]
– Grade: SSS
– Effects
– Heat retention rate +100%
– Effect of dishes prepared in this pot +100%
– Flavor bonus +100%
– Minimizes nutritional and magical loss of ingredients during cooking
– Unbreakable
– Description: A pot crafted from Black Mithril, the divine mineral known to be the hardest of all. It retains heat long after receiving it, and draws out the full potential of whatever is placed within.
“Incredible!”
Lee Woo-jin let out a genuine cry of admiration.
The performance was incomparably superior to the Unknown Stone Pot he’d been using before!
The other pot’s performance was excellent too.
But the flavor bonus of one hundred percent—that truly captivated him.
And on top of that, a hundred percent bonus to cooking effect as well.
“Thank you so much, Hephaestus!”
“If anything, I should thank you. The chances for a blacksmith to work with Black Mithril are rare indeed. I’m truly grateful for this opportunity.”
[You have stored the Black Mithril Pot in your Subspace Backpack.]
[You have stored the Black Mithril Pot in your Subspace Backpack…….]
After bowing politely,
Lee Woo-jin left through the Manager’s door with an eager stride and slipped into the Teleportation Ring with a soft whoosh.
Watching his retreating figure, Hephaestus broke into a smile that resembled a grandfather gazing upon his grandson.
Farmer Player in Dragon Rare (Serial Ongoing)
Author | Kaebvok S
Publisher | Kim Joo-hyung
Publishing House | J Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing | Han Jae-hyuk
Address | 401, Acetech Tower 8, 11 Digital-ro 33-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea (Guro-dong)
Email | [email protected]
Website | www.jayplemedia.com
ⓒ Kaebvok S 2026
※ This work is published by J Plus Media Co., Ltd. pursuant to a contract with the copyright holder, and the contents may not be used in any form or by any means without permission from the publisher and author.
Violation of this restriction may result in criminal and civil liability.

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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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