Survival in the Core: I'm writing a guide for the entire server.

"The first player to reach the second level of the Earth's core?!"

After reviewing the announcement, Lin You frowned.

Roger.

He was familiar with the name.

A few days ago, he also saw this player openly selling various recipes on the forum.

Much of this content has already been made publicly available for free.

Lin You simply shook her head at the time, not paying any attention.

Unexpectedly, this guy with a less-than-stellar reputation

He actually became the first player in the newbie zone (No. 25535) to enter the second level of the Earth's core.

"Minecart level upgrade by 1... 50 silver coins... Selectable blue quality blueprint..."

Lin You murmured the reward details in the announcement, her expression growing increasingly serious.

He was fully aware of the value of these awards.

Upgrading the minecart for free saves at least several hundred copper coins in material costs.

50 silver coins was an astronomical figure—equivalent to 5000 copper coins!

As for the customizable blue quality blueprints, those are priceless treasures.

"Unfortunately, I've been busy with the Underground Realm lately and haven't had time to explore it..."

Lin You took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

He re-examined the contents of the announcement, analyzing it word by word.

"The plague of the undead will gradually encroach upon the first level of the Nether, eventually turning it into a paradise for the dead..."

This sentence is the most crucial information in the announcement.

Lin You seemed lost in thought, murmuring to herself.

"Gradually encroaching...and ultimately becoming a paradise for the dead..."

What does this mean?

This means that over time, the number of undead monsters in the first level of the Earth's core will increase, and attacks will become more frequent.

Today he only encountered one wave of undead calamity, four skeleton soldiers.

Tomorrow we may encounter two, three, or even more waves.

What about the day after tomorrow?

What about the day after tomorrow?

"If we don't get to the deep Earth's core as soon as possible, the first level of the Earth's core will eventually become a dead zone."

Lin You made a judgment.

This is not alarmist; it is a statement clearly stated in the game's announcement.

"But the deep Earth's core isn't so easy to reach either."

Lin You recalled her previous experience during the excavation.

The passage to deeper levels does not appear out of thin air.

Players need to dig and explore to find the entrance at the end of a certain underground space.

This requires a lot of fuel, time, and luck.

"Roger being the first to find the entrance shows that he was lucky and his strength was not bad either."

Lin You opened the forum to see how other players were reacting.

As expected, the forum was in an uproar.

"Holy crap! Someone's reached the second level of the Earth's core?! Roger?! Who is that?"

"The one who sold the formula! The one who got really badly criticized before!"

"It was him?! I thought it was either Boss Lin You or Lu Ge."

"They were just lucky. The reward for being the first to find the entrance is way too generous..."

"50 silver coins... I've never even seen 5 silver coins before."

"Oh no! The announcement says there will be more and more undead, and I'm not prepared!"

"Me too. I've already encountered two waves of undead today, and I almost couldn't defeat them."

"Two waves?! I only encountered one wave, but it already beat me half to death."

"Hurry and find the entrance! Staying on the first level of the Earth's core is suicide!"

"Easy for you to say. The entrance isn't that easy to find. I've been digging all day and haven't found anything."

"Master Lin You! Has Master Lin You found the entrance yet?"

"I don't know, Boss Lin You didn't mention it."

Amidst the chaotic discussion, a new post caught Lin You's attention.

The post's title was concise, yet highly provocative—

The Second Core: A Paradise of Opportunities and Wealth!

Posted by: Roger.

Lin You raised an eyebrow and clicked on it.

The post is short, but it contains a lot of information.

"Hello everyone, this is Roger. As announced, I have successfully reached the second core of the Earth."

"Here, I want to tell you some of the truth."

"The abundance of resources in the second core of the earth far exceeds your imagination."

"Upon entering the first subterranean space on the second level, I discovered three iron ore veins and one silver ore vein!"

"Besides minerals, the monsters on the second level of the Earth's core are also more advanced, and the loot they drop is better."

"I killed a level 3 mushroom monster and it dropped a green-quality accessory!"

"Anyway, what I want to say is—come to the second level of the Earth's core as soon as possible!"

"Staying on the first floor means certain death; only the second floor offers a chance of survival!"

"Of course, some preparations are needed to come to the second floor. Fuel, weapons, and armor are all indispensable."

"If you need equipment or items, you can come and check out my trading stall."

"I have all kinds of weapons, armor, tools, and blueprints here. The prices are fair, and I treat everyone fairly, young and old."

"May you all reach the second level of the Earth's core soon, so we can survive together in this cruel world!"

The number of comments below the post has already exceeded four digits.

"Holy crap! The second level of the Earth's core is this awesome?! Silver veins?! Green gear?!"

"I'm so envious... I want to go to the second floor too."

"Hey Roger, are your things expensive? I'm dirt poor."

"Same here, I have less than 1 silver coin in all my possessions, can I afford it?"

"Roger, please, please release a guide to get to the second floor!"

"Yeah, teach us how to find the entrance! I want to get to the second floor as soon as possible!"

"I second that! A walkthrough! A walkthrough!"

Roger replied to several messages in the comments section.

"The strategy is not convenient to disclose at the moment, since everyone's situation is different."

"However, I can tell you a principle—try to dig in one direction as much as possible, and don't dig randomly."

"Entrances are usually located on the edge of the Earth's core, and require a lot of exploration to find."

"As for the price, my stuff is indeed not cheap, but it's definitely worth the money."

"After all, good things don't wait for anyone, so everyone should consider it carefully."

After reading the post, Lin You's brows furrowed even more deeply.

He didn't doubt the veracity of what Roger said.

The second level of the Earth's core has richer resources and more opportunities, a fact that is told to players from the very beginning of the game, and Roger simply proved it.

But Roger's last words made Lin You sense something was amiss.

"I need to prepare something for the second floor...weapons, armor, tools...my trading stall..."

"The strategy guide cannot be released at the moment..."

Lin You leaned back in her seat, tapping her fingers on the armrest more frequently.

"This guy is trying to take this opportunity to do business."

He saw through Roger's intentions.

First, attract players with the "abundant resources of the second level of the Earth", creating anxiety and a sense of urgency.

Then they used the threat that "staying on the first floor will only lead to death" to scare the players into rushing to the second floor.

Finally, he revealed his trading stall, implying that "you have to buy my stuff if you want to survive."

With this combination of tactics, panicked players can easily fall for the trap.

"But... what does this have to do with me?"

Lin You shook her head and closed the post.

What Roger is plotting is Roger's business.

He doesn't need to expose it, nor does he need to agree with it.

He simply kept the information about "the second level of the Earth's core" in mind.

Then I opened my own strategy post and added a line at the end:

"New information: The second level of the Nether is now open, with richer resources and stronger monsters. The plague of the undead will gradually encroach on the first level of the Nether. Please find the entrance to the deeper levels as soon as possible. Specific methods will be added later."

That's it.

He won't sell anxiety like Roger did, nor will he take the opportunity to peddle products.

He just needs to do his job well and write his own strategy guide.

As for the rest, let fate decide.

After closing the forum, Lin You stood up from his chair and stretched his limbs.

"Keep mining."

He gripped the copper pickaxe, stepped out of the mine cart, and walked toward the exposed iron ore vein in the Earth's core.

There are at least five mining sites in this area, all of which are iron ore deposits.

This is exactly the resource he urgently needs right now.

"clang!"

The copper pickaxe struck the dark red ore, sending up a few sparks.

A crack appeared on the surface of the iron ore vein.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Lin You slammed the ground repeatedly, his movements mechanical yet powerful.

You have obtained 1 piece of "Iron Ore"!

[Gold Miner's Ring effect triggered: Double production!]

You have received an extra "Iron Ore" x1!

"pretty!"

Lin You's eyes lit up.

The double output effect of the Gold Miner's Ring has been triggered again, giving you two rewards for every stamina you put in.

He was full of energy and continued swinging his pickaxe.

One piece of iron ore after another broke off from the vein and was put into Lin You's backpack.

Whenever he was half-exhausted, he would stop to eat some roasted mushrooms and drink some water to replenish his energy.

Whenever his backpack was full, he would return to the minecart to organize the supplies and put the iron ore into the treasure chest.

And so it goes, mining, replenishing, and sorting, in a never-ending cycle.

Time passed by, second by second.

After an unknown amount of time, Lin You finally managed to excavate all the iron ore veins in this underground space.

He wiped his sweat and opened his backpack to check his spoils.

Iron ore: 220 pieces!

With the remaining inventory, the total amount of iron ore has exceeded 250 units!

Lin You looked at the number and grinned from ear to ear.

"This much iron ore should last us for quite a while."

However, an even bigger surprise was yet to come.

As he cleared the last few pieces of iron ore, the effect of the Gold Miner's Ring was triggered again.

But this time, the double output wasn't iron ore.

Instead, it was a piece of ore that shimmered with a dark golden light.

It was encased in iron ore, and if it weren't for the ring's special effect, Lin You would never have noticed it.

[Gold Miner's Ring effect triggered!]

You have obtained 1 "Gold Ore"!

Lin You's breath caught in her throat.

"Gold...gold ore?!"

He carefully held the dark golden ore, his hands trembling slightly.

Gold ore is much smaller than iron ore, only about the size of a fist.

But it weighs far more than iron ore, pressing heavily on the palm of your hand.

Its surface had a dull golden sheen, which shone brightly under the torchlight.

……

Gold ore

Grade: 5 (Blue)

[Note: This is a rare precious metal ore that can be used to smelt gold ingots and craft advanced equipment, facilities, or minecarts.]

[Additional Information: Gold ore requires a level 3 or higher pickaxe to mine.]

……

"Level 3 pickaxe... My copper pickaxe is only level 2 in mining, it can't dig at all."

Lin You belatedly realized this.

He was able to obtain this gold ore entirely because of the Gold Miner's Ring's effect of "1% chance to obtain 1 piece of gold ore".

This effect is independent of the mining level and directly produces finished gold ore.

"Luckily, I made that deal with Qi Chuan back then..."

Lin You was filled with emotion and carefully put the gold ore into the innermost layer of her backpack.

During the subsequent mining, the double-output effect of the Gold Miner's Ring was triggered several more times.

Although no more gold ore was found, the iron ore harvest remained substantial.

Finally, Lin Youqing tallied up her total gains.

Iron ore: 260 pieces.

Gold ore: 5 pieces!

"Five gold ores, if smelted into gold ingots..."

Lin You licked her lips and began to calculate.

Five pieces of gold ore, three pieces plus one unit of fuel, can be smelted into one gold ingot.

However, the smelting conditions for gold ore are more demanding than those for copper and iron ore.

A more advanced furnace is needed to smelt it.

"Looks like we need to upgrade the furnace."

Lin You sat beside the mine cart, focusing her attention on the gold ore in her backpack.

……

[Additional Information: Gold ore detected! You have unlocked the blueprints for the "Metal Furnace" and "Metalworking Table"!]

[Metal Smelting Furnace: 20 Iron Ingots, 10 Copper Ingots, 50 Stones, Requires Anvil]

[Description: Advanced furnace, used for smelting high-grade minerals such as silver ore, gold ore, and magic ore. Smelting efficiency is 3 times that of a rock furnace.]

[Metalworking Table: 15 Iron Ingots, 15 Copper Ingots, 20 Wood; Requires Anvil]

[Note: This refers to a facility specifically designed for metal processing, which can process metal ingots into various parts and semi-finished products, such as gears, metal plates, screws, etc.]

……

Lin You's breathing became rapid again.

Metal furnace!

This is exactly what he needs!

With a metal furnace, he could smelt gold ore and make gold ingots.

Gold ingots are one of the essential materials for making the S-class minecart "Gold Miner"!

As for metalworking tables...

Gears, metal plates, screws...

Aren't these exactly the materials that S-class mining trucks need?!

"I searched high and low without finding it, but then it came to me effortlessly."

Lin You took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her excitement.

"The timing is perfect; let's do everything we can in this subterranean space."

Lin You made a decision.

He opened the treasure chest and took stock of the materials at hand.

Iron ingots: The iron ore that was just mined has not yet been smelted, and there are only about 30 ingots in stock.

Copper ingots: More than 50 pieces, plenty.

Stones: More than 200, more than enough.

"We don't have enough iron ingots; we need to smelt them first."

Lin You took out 100 pieces of iron ore from the treasure chest, preparing to smelt them.

But he only had one rock furnace, which was too slow for smelting.

It takes at least several hours to smelt 100 pieces of iron ore in batches.

"We can't wait that long."

Lin You frowned and pondered for a moment, then suddenly his eyes lit up.

"Why not just build more furnaces?"

Making a rock furnace doesn't take much time and only requires a few stones.

Stones, even on the market, don't fetch much money.

You can buy a whole bunch of them for just a few dozen copper coins!

"Make it!"

[Crafting complete! You have obtained "Rock Furnace" x1!]

[Crafting complete! You have obtained "Rock Furnace" x1!]

[Crafting complete! You have obtained "Rock Furnace" x1!]

[Completed...]

In less than two minutes, Lin You had created a bunch of rock furnaces.

He distributed the iron ore evenly among these furnaces.

Then take out the charcoal and coal and add them in as fuel.

The dark underground space was gradually illuminated by the firelight emitted by the furnace.

"While smelting iron ingots, there's just enough time to do something else."

Taking advantage of a lull in the furnace's operation, Lin You opened the trading market.

……