https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-135-Meteorite-Pickaxe-and-Radiant-Bullet/12973876/
Chapter 134: Meteorite Crater
Chapter 134: Meteorite Crater
Typically, mountain ranges are characterized by undulating terrain, with peaks and valleys forming a continuous landscape.
These ever-changing elevations divide the mountain range into distinct sections.
After climbing to the top of the outermost peak, Lin Sai expected to see a downward slope, a natural gradient leading to the next segment.
But reality presented a different picture.
The terrain did descend, but instead of a valley, it revealed a vast expanse of charred black soil, a scar-like depression that seemed to stretch for kilometers.
As Lin Sai gazed forward, he noticed a massive crater at the center of this charred land, its depth indiscernible from his vantage point.
From his position, all he could see was darkness.
However, the sudden scent of burnt soil in the air hinted at the uniqueness of the scene before him.
"A meteorite crater? That's impossible!"
"A meteorite capable of creating such a massive crater would never cause a mere tremor as described in books."
Lin Sai's face was filled with confusion.
It was highly unlikely for a high-altitude mountain peak to exhibit such a sight.
But if this charred soil and the deep pit were indeed remnants of a meteorite impact from a century ago...
According to Lin Sai's limited knowledge, a meteorite capable of creating a crater with a diameter of several kilometers would have catastrophic consequences on Earth.
It could trigger global earthquakes and tsunamis, cause mass extinctions, and alter geological conditions on a grand scale.
Yet, here in front of him, the mountain beneath his feet had not even collapsed during the impact a century ago.
Moreover, the records in the Frontier Town's Chronicle mentioned only a minor tremor at the time of the impact.
"Could it be that the world itself is different...?"
At that moment, a flash of insight struck Lin Sai.
He recalled his discovery beneath the Clock Tower Lighthouse, where he had measured the distance to the world's edge.
In the hundred years since the lighthouse was built, the ground in the Hidden Frontier World had expanded a hundred meters towards the World Border.
This phenomenon was also beyond Lin Sai's understanding.
Perhaps the traces left by the meteorite were related to some unique rule of this world? At least, on Earth, there would be no giant vines connecting the two worlds.
With this thought, Lin Sai ventured towards the charred soil.
Upon entering this peculiar area, he picked up a few pieces of the charred soil and used his Appraisal skill to identify them.
【Soil: Charred Soil】
【Contains intense fire energy, making it almost worthless.】
【Nearly no market value.】
"Almost worthless..."
Lin Sai muttered to himself, double-checking the information on his workbench.
Assured that the charred soil held no value, he casually tossed it aside and continued his journey.
The path ahead became more challenging.
The chaotic arrangement of charred rocks, with their sharp and irregular edges, easily tore through clothing. The surrounding temperature also seemed to rise as he ventured deeper.
The few hundred meters ahead proved more difficult to traverse than the dense forest.
When Lin Sai finally reached the edge of the massive crater, the temperature had climbed to around thirty degrees Celsius, giving him the illusion of stepping from winter into summer.
At the crater's edge, Lin Sai leaned forward, peering into the abyss.
A flickering fire-red light in the dark depths immediately caught his attention.
"Fire? Is something still burning down there?"
"That's preposterous, it's been over a century."
"Could the meteorite have struck an underground coal mine upon impact?"
Lin Sai found it hard to believe.
But when he took out his telescope and looked down, the truth was indeed astonishing.
In the pitch-black meteorite cave, irregularly scattered red-hot stones gleamed like sparkling red gemstones. Among them, some had orange-red flames dancing on their surfaces.
The color that Lin Sai saw was the firelight from these stones.
Moreover, he could distinguish that these stones were not charred charcoal but had this unique property inherent in the mineral itself.
"The temperature and burnt smell originate from these."
"These must be fragments from the meteorite impact, right?"
Lin Sai raised his eyebrows slightly, filled with curiosity about the situation below.
After all, the purpose of his journey was to collect meteorites.
This suspicious giant meteor crater was definitely a place he had to explore today.
The problem now was that the vertical crater had no favorable terrain for human activities, and the few protrusions suitable for rock climbing were as sharp as the surface rubble.
Even though Lin Sai was confident in his abilities,
in such a place, any mishap could have serious consequences.
"Let's try using a rope first."
Lin Sai took out a rope he had prepared from his bag.
Using his Resourceization Skill, he imbued the rope with a special property, allowing one end to stand firmly on the ground.
Along the dark crater wall, Lin Sai laid out the rope while descending.
The descent was swift, but the rope's consumption was equally rapid.
After over a hundred meters, only one bundle of rope remained from Lin Sai's usual three bundles.
"..."
"Let's keep these as backup."
Lin Sai sighed and abandoned the idea of a quick descent with the rope.
Continuing to modify other objects would consume a large amount of Essence, so he decided against it.
Instead, he took out his workbench, combined iron ingots with wood to create a pickaxe, and then used his Resourceization ability to transform the pickaxe into a survival tool, devising a new descent strategy.
"If there's no path, I'll create one myself!"
Along the crater's edge, Lin Sai dug a spiral descending slope tunnel.
His physical fitness was already impressive, and the tools enhanced by Resourceization made the repetitive labor much easier.
With his mechanical digging motions, a passage extended along the charred black wall, resembling a threaded screw as it spiraled downward.
About half a day passed.
As Lin Sai struck the charred soil block in front of him, a scorching red patch appeared before his eyes.
This was the kind of ore that could emit flames!
"You're the one!"
Lin Sai's face lit up with joy, and without hesitation, he swung his pickaxe at it.
Bang! The iron pickaxe struck the red-hot ore, and a dull sound, distinct from normal digging, reverberated.
A situation that Lin Sai had not anticipated occurred.
The iron pickaxe, when struck against the red-hot ore, couldn't move the stone at all and instead bounced back immediately.
Lin Sai blinked, quickly realizing:
"Can't a low-level iron pickaxe mine advanced ore?"
In some survival games,
to provide players with a clear progression path, there are indeed similar settings.
Lin Sai hadn't used these tools to mine advanced ore before, so he was unaware of this setting.
"This is..."
"Now, where am I supposed to find the materials to craft an advanced pickaxe..."
Lin Sai felt troubled for a moment.
Suddenly, he paused and then laughed:
"Hehe..."
"I'm being silly."
"This isn't a real game world. If the Resourceization pickaxe can't dig it out, then I'll just do it myself and dig it out with my hands, right?"
(End of Chapter)
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