Farming Games are All About Grinding

The owner of the spider silk is a gigantic ice-cold spider, standing over three meters tall. Beneath its densely packed compound eyes, its eight icy legs are razor-sharp, capable of puncturing through the hard ice layers with ease.

"This huge? Could there be some special item down here?" Han Qiwu speculated in his mind, using the high-speed movement boost granted by the Ice Phoenix's flurry to circle around to the back of the giant ice-cold spider. He pulled out his Ice Slingshot and launched a few rocks at it.

"Clatter, clatter!"

Han Qiwu was swift, but the giant ice-cold spider was no slouch either. Its eight legs sprang into action, deftly dodging his probing attack.

"If only Xiao Lai could spit some poison mist right now." Han Qiwu reminisced slightly. Today, he had come to the mine without bringing Xiao Lai or Little Lightning.

The main reason being that the two of them had been busy all morning and were exhausted, their tiny eyes barely able to stay open. So he decided to let them rest at home.

Truth be told, leaving them behind made Han Qiwu miss them a little.

"Next time, I'll bring them along. Even if they just sleep on the side, it'll still be fun."

"Shhht!"

A dozen strands of spider silk shot toward Han Qiwu.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

With lightning-fast reflexes, Han Qiwu shifted and maneuvered at his position, easily dodging the attack.

But then he suddenly noticed that the giant ice-cold spider was playing a different game altogether!

The strands of spider silk had sealed off the already narrow path behind him entirely.

Seeing the success of its road-blocking tactic, the giant ice-cold spider channeled all eight legs into a powerful burst, transforming into an icy projectile and charging at him with terrifying momentum.

Its speed was so great that the air resonated with sharp whistling sounds.

Just as the spider was about to collide with Han Qiwu, he remained calm and extended his hand, saying softly, "Little spider, don't even think about harming me!"

"Screech!"

A phoenix's cry echoed behind him as a half-fire, half-ice phoenix apparition emerged, spreading its wings and scattering radiant beams of light, enveloping Han Qiwu in protection.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!"

The charging giant ice-cold spider transformed into a frenzied tentacle beast, planting two of its legs on the ground while the other six darted wildly like motorized drills, furiously striking the radiant barrier around Han Qiwu.

Luckily, the Phoenix Shield skill granted invincibility. The barrier of light rippled in concentric waves, resembling the surface of water in a torrential storm.

"These little legs—they're like they've been fitted with a motor." Han Qiwu didn't waste time, seizing advantage of his invincibility status. He loaded an explosive snowball into the Ice Slingshot, pulled it taut, and aimed right at the giant ice-cold spider's compound eyes.

"No dodging while you're unleashing your ultimate move, huh?" Han Qiwu chuckled, retreating a step backward.

Just as he predicted, the giant ice-cold spider was locked in the stiff posture of skill-release mode. Even though it saw the explosive snowball flying toward it, dodging was impossible.

The spider hadn't anticipated Han Qiwu's robust defense capabilities—by past experience, its venom should have already been coursing through its prey's veins by now.

"Boom!"

With a thunderous explosion, the spider's loot spectacularly appeared on the scene.

Han Qiwu played masterfully, landing a direct hit on the giant ice-cold spider's compound eyes and inflicting massive damage.

"Close call—another few seconds of its strikes and I'd be Swiss cheese like SpongeBob SquarePants."

Approaching the radiant spot, Han Qiwu scooped up some snow nearby to wash his hands, then bent down carefully to retrieve the drop.

The loot's appearance was somewhat familiar, resembling a specimen of sorts, at least one and a half meters in length.

[Giant Ice-Cold Spider Relic (Silver Star Quality)]

[Value: 1500 Gold]

[Purpose: Crafting Material]

[Special Effect—Death Piercing: Equipments forged with this relic will gain the skill "Death Piercing"]

[Notes: Gwak went to his grave still puzzled as to why his Death Piercing ability failed.]

"Because you ran into me," Han Qiwu muttered with a grin while stowing away the spider relic.

He had to admit, the giant ice-cold spider was genuinely formidable—swift, powerful in its attacks, and possessing a degree of cunning intelligence.

The spider silk road-blocking strategy was undeniably innovative.

If not for his invincibility skill, this encounter would surely have left him battered and bruised.

"This relic might be worth trying out to create a spider puppet. Who knows, I might end up crafting a giant animated puppet." Determined, Han Qiwu put the relic away.

Following the trail left by the giant spider, Han Qiwu soon stumbled upon a vein of high-quality ore deposits. The iron ore here was mostly Silver Star quality, and among them, he even spotted a few fragments of Cold Iron ore he had discovered previously.

Jackpot!

Han Qiwu pulled out his Snowman Miner figurine and positioned it to the north, while he himself began mining diligently from the south.

[Cold Iron Ore] x2

[Iron Ore] x1

[Jade Stone] x2

...

A steady stream of gains flooded his vision like a ticker tape.

Half an hour later, Han Qiwu straightened up, rubbing his sore lower back. He gazed at the dim stairwell nearby, pondering whether to proceed.

Judging by the strength of the giant ice-cold spider earlier, the creatures in this mine were bound to be formidable.

Moreover, he had already used up the Phoenix Shield today. If he encountered another adversary with close-contact strategies, he'd have to rely on brute force.

After some thought, Han Qiwu decided to venture into the next level but resolved only to skim the surroundings without diving too deep.

[You've entered the 79th level of the mine.]

"Rumble, rumble!"

As soon as he landed, Han Qiwu heard a distant tremor from beneath his feet. Glancing around, he noted there were no mine creatures visible yet. The ice layer on this level was noticeably thin—barely ten centimeters thick—allowing a faint glimpse of the soil's color beneath. The air temperature had also begun to rise, suggesting the arrival of early-spring warmth outside.

"It seems like the 80th level onward really transitions into hot territory. I'll need to prepare in advance." Han Qiwu nodded gravely. Fortunately, he had plenty of fire-related items on hand, and his Snow Armor could help him adapt to the hotter climate.

Still, he would need to bring plenty of water.

Hot weather tends to deplete water supplies quickly.

"Plunk, plunk!"

"Plunk, plunk!"

"Plunk, plunk!"

Deep in thought, Han Qiwu suddenly caught the sound of heavy rumbling across the ice layer. Glancing toward the source of noise, he spotted six large Frost Slimes, each standing about 1.8 meters tall, hopping toward him energetically.

Before they could fully close the distance, the lead Frost Slime couldn't help itself—it curled into a tight ball and rolled toward him like a big chunk of ice.

"Clunk, clunk!"

Watching the relatively sluggish rolling speed of the icy sphere, Han Qiwu chuckled.

"Is that all?"

A few seconds later, the remaining five Frost Slimes followed suit, morphing into massive icy spheres and rolling toward him. Due to slight size differences, their speeds varied—a staggered formation emerged.

Han Qiwu nonchalantly extended a hand to calculate their paths, mentally estimating the timing. With an effortless leap, he positioned himself beside the lead ice ball and activated Fury of the Fire Phoenix.

"I've never lost at marbles!"