Chapter 5: Mining My Own Business

Chapter 5: Mining My Own Business With his initial industrial setup underway, Karl decided it was time to explore. His objective was clear: a suitable location for the mines. He descended through the familiar coffin rooms of the deepest floor, the air growing heavier, colder, until he reached the entrance to dark, expansive caves. He gripped a flickering torch, its light casting dancing shadows on the rough cavern walls. He walked carefully, his skeletal feet making soft, scraping sounds on the uneven ground. His eye sockets scanned the darkness, wary. He half-expected to see the glint of spider eyes or the shambling gait of a zombie, but the cave was initially unremarkable, just "pretty much cavey." He arrived at a crossroads, two diverging paths disappearing into the gloom. He chose the left first. It narrowed quickly, the air growing stale, and soon, a solid rock face blocked his way. A dead end. He turned back, his bony shoulders shrugging. The other path descended downwards. The cave slowly expanded, the darkness deepening, pressing in around him. He continued more carefully, the torchlight barely pushing back the oppressive black. He expected a bioluminescent ecosystem, glowing fungi, or strange, sparkling crystals. Instead, it was "more common than a beggar’s shirt," dark and quite empty. Then, a faint light caught his attention in the right corner. It was the Dungeon Core, sitting atop a cavern cliff, its familiar, gentle hum barely audible. Karl’s skull tilted. He’d inadvertently hidden his core in this very cave system. He let out a dry, almost inaudible sigh. Anti-climactic. He continued scanning the cave walls. Surprisingly, one side was full of rusted, striped stones – an iron ore vein. Beside it, a small patch of black-colored stones. Karl reached out a bony finger and touched them, the texture rough and granular. Coal. He opened his map. The deepest level now showed a newly connected region: "The Caves." And within it, two distinct markers, glowing faintly: "Iron Vein" and "Coal Vein." He tapped the hammer icon and selected "Mines." A red-outlined structure appeared, refusing to solidify. Confused, he wandered everywhere within the cavern, dragging the transparent outline, trying to find a green placement spot. Thirty minutes later, a faint green shimmer appeared at the very entrance to the cave system. Apparently, cave structure is indeed an entrance, or a mine entrance. He tapped the checkmark, and the transparent outline solidified, waiting for construction. On his internal map, the skeleton workers glowed with distinct outlines. The lumberjacks were diligently working outside, the rhythmic thwack-thwack of their saws echoing faintly. The process workers, however, were idly waiting for the first log to be delivered to the Lumber Yard. Meanwhile, the builders were already clattering towards the cave entrance, their hammers and saws glinting. The Builder’s Yard was finished. [ Builder’s Yard Construction finished +25 NP ] A new panel shimmered into existence, detailing the requirements for the Mine: [ Mine – Starter Tier Requirements ] [ 40 Rough Lumber ] [ 15 Wooden Support Beams ] [ 10 Iron Spikes ] [ 2 Wheelbarrow ] Karl’s eye sockets scanned the list. Rough Lumber and Wooden Support Beams... He could get those from the Lumber Yard. He mentally assumed the builders, once assigned, would automatically queue the orders to the Lumber Yard. His immediate problem, however, wasn’t resources. It was minions. He checked his command limit. With 11 minions already deployed across his nascent industries, he had only 1 left. His skull tilted. "How do I upgrade more? Hmmm..." He considered his options. He could take 2 skeletons from the Lumber Yard and 2 from the Builder’s Yard to staff the mine once it was finished. He pictured the logistical nightmare of reassigning them, the temporary slowdowns. He planned to build the Blacksmith and Workshop next, then assess blueprints. He briefly thought about making swords, but dismissed it as "overrated" for his feeble skeletons. Then, a sudden thought. "Wait a damn minute." A different path. He quickly opened the System Shop, navigating directly to the "Specials" category. [ ???? SPECIAL OFFERS ] [ Skilled Worker Pack (x5 units) – 80 NP ] [ Adds 5 specialized workers to your labor pool. ] [ Core Energy Capsule (Single Use) – 30 NP ] [ Recharges Dungeon Core by 5%. ] [ Map Expansion Token – 100 NP ] [ Unlocks 1 additional grid zone for construction and exploration. ] His eye sockets lit up. Specialized workers! This was it. He hoped it bypassed his command capacity. "That’s it!" Karl exclaimed, a dry, triumphant sound. He mentally tapped the "Skilled Worker Pack" and confirmed the purchase for 80 NP. A new panel appeared, its text a clear directive: [ Please Assign Each worker a Specialized Job ] [ Warning: You can not assign them to unspecialized task. ] [ 1. Specialized Minion - ? ] [ 2. Specialized Minion - ? ] [ 3. Specialized Minion - ? ] [ 4. Specialized Minion - ? ] [ 5. Specialized Minion - ? ] Karl’s mind raced, his strategic foresight kicking into high gear. He knew he’d soon have blacksmith and workshop buildings. He’d need skilled workers to avoid wasting resources on "shitty equipment" just to train basic skills. He couldn’t afford inefficiencies. He assigned 2 Specialized Minions to "Blacksmith" and 1 to "Artisan." He considered the remaining two. He’d need a "really good trader soon," someone skilled in negotiating, marketing, and selling products. He assigned 1 to "Trader." Then, food. "It won’t be good if I only sell weapons or armors or generally dry goods. You attract people by the smell of food." He assigned the last one as a "Chef." A dry, rattling laugh escaped Karl’s throat. His old business philosophy, now twisted by his undead nature, resurfaced. "Most of the times, one way you can tell how advanced a civilization is, is their food. How they cook it, what technique they used to make it taste good. You attract customers with a variety of goods available to sell, it looks pleasing to the eyes, not only in the eyes but tongue, nose, that is food. They may come to your store, buy only one thing, but sometimes you persuade them, when you have a lot of goods available to sell and that is called merchandising." His laugh grew, a more chilling, evil sound. "And sometimes, weapons gives a real visual appeal, especially when you have a grudge against somebody. Weapons show a man’s primal nature." He connected it to his past life, the world he’d left behind. "It’s not about killing, of course, it’s about the feeling of superiority. It’s also the reason why cold war happens on Earth, not through direct war, but an arms race. Under the surface, nations with a lot more money can buy or sponsor weapons research to surpass your rival nations. In my future company’s case, everyone’s a customer, your winning chances just vary how much money you got." Karl’s evil laugh echoed in the cavern, a chilling promise of the industrial empire he intended to build.