Spring 25, Thursday, rainy, 6:00 AM.
Drizzle, drizzle...
As soon as Daeren opened his eyes, he saw a steady rain falling outside the window.
"No watering today."
He got up and dressed, lit the fireplace as usual, and set a pot of water over the fire to boil an egg.
"Woof woof woof~~"
Little Doro trotted over, panting with his tongue out as he tried to look adorable.
Daeren rubbed the dog's head and said softly, "This cabin is too crude. There's no kitchen or stove, so even cooking is just making do."
It did not matter much, but it was somewhat inconvenient.
Only after the cabin was upgraded and had a kitchen and stove could he truly cook the dishes he had learned from the [Sauce Queen] program.
Some of those dishes even provided special bonuses.
While the egg boiled, he turned on the television to check the programs.
[Weather Forecast]: "Tomorrow will be a beautiful, sunny day."
[Fortune Teller]: "Well, that's rare. The spirits are feeling very cold today."
"..."
Daeren was surprised. "So this is the special case of a zero luck bonus."
Most of the time, aside from lucky days and unlucky days, it should say:
"The spirits feel no particular emotion today. Therefore, your luck is in your own hands."
Luck bonus: (≥0.02 and ≤0.02, but ≠0)
On a zero-luck day, luck bonus = 0.
Daeren said cautiously, "Looks like I need to be careful in the mines today."
After breakfast, he put on the Straw Hat he had won at the egg festival and headed out into the rain.
The rain struck the Straw Hat, yet did not splash onto his clothes.
Quite magical.
It was the twenty-fifth day of spring, and a batch of strawberries had ripened.
Daeren straightened his back, hummed a little tune about a bumper strawberry harvest, and began picking strawberries.
Ten minutes later.
He had harvested twenty-nine strawberries.
One gold-star strawberry, four Silver Star strawberries, and twenty-five ordinary strawberries.
"Not bad luck."
Daeren smiled, wiped the water droplets from the gold-star strawberry, and took a small bite.
The first gold-star strawberry had commemorative value, so he could not bear to eat it.
The second one was fine.
Gold-star quality was rare, making it excellent for either selling or gifting.
But Daeren was a clear-headed man who knew how to take care of himself.
"Mmm, delicious!"
The fist-sized, bright-red strawberry burst with sweetness on his tongue, followed by a faint tartness, like the most delicious candied hawthorn skewer imaginable.
Though it was definitely much tastier.
Then Daeren closed his eyes and felt a warm current rise from his lower abdomen, leaving his entire body pleasantly warm.
As expected of gold-star quality—it was far more effective than Silver Star and ordinary crops.
After coming back to himself.
He put away the Silver Star strawberries and sold all the ordinary ones.
There were still some farm chores to do.
Petting the chickens, adding hay to the Chicken Coop on a rainy day, collecting eggs...
"Time to go."
Daeren took a pack of medicine and set out with the Neptune Greatsword in hand.
4:00 PM.
Mine, Floor 49.
Wrapped in a thick cotton outfit against the biting cold wind, Daeren chipped away at iron-gray Iron Ore rocks.
The rocky shell burst open with a bang, spilling several pieces of Iron Ore.
"So cold!"
Daeren put away his pickaxe, took out a warm boiled egg, and wolfed it down.
From Floor 40 onward, the mine had become a frozen level.
Looking around, he saw frost covering the stone walls, cold, hard ground, patches blanketed in snow, and ice-hard rocks and fragile ice crystals everywhere.
The temperature had to be at least negative twenty-eight degrees Celsius.
It was not unbearably cold, but it greatly hindered Daeren's performance.
"Luckily, I've mined enough Iron Ore to make basic sprinklers."
After eating the egg, Daeren recovered and continued searching for the entrance to the next floor.
There was an elevator on Floor 50.
Bzz—
Suddenly, the temperature plummeted. It was as though dark clouds had gathered overhead, plunging the mine into darkness until even the air seemed to freeze solid.
Daeren was startled and thought, Damn it, damn it.
There was a chance for monster floors to appear in the mine, and even normal floors could trigger a "fog" event.
Under the cover of fog, flying monsters would appear in large numbers.
He could not waste time. He hurriedly struck the nearby rocks, searching for the entrance to the next floor.
Flap flap flap!
A disorderly flapping of wings sounded out as three black bats flew from the eerie fog.
He could not keep searching. He had to ensure his safety first.
Bats were easy to deal with!
Daeren waited for the bats to approach, then swung the Neptune Greatsword and chopped them into pieces in a few quick strikes.
Splat!
The three bats died, dropping three pairs of Bat Wings.
Killing monsters dropped materials.
Bat Wings obtained from killing bats could be used to craft Lightning Rods and Monster Perfume, and could also be used for bundles and item exchanges.
He collected them and continued searching for the next-floor entrance.
The basic pickaxe was old and cumbersome. It took two or three clangs to break through a single rock on the frozen level.
Flap flap flap!
He had only smashed two rocks when another four or five black bats flew over, surrounding him from all directions.
"I'm seriously done with this."
The monsters came far too quickly in the fog.
With nowhere to evade, Daeren backed up against a rock wall and prepared to fight back.
"Woooooo~~"
As the bats charged, a strange sobbing echoed through the fog, sending chills down his spine.
Daeren suddenly turned his head.
Near the ladder leading out, a phantom figure drifted toward him. Its body was hazy, covered by ragged grayish-white cloth, and it radiated the stench of decay.
"A ghost!"
Daeren treated it like a formidable enemy.
Among Stardew Valley's many monsters, some of the most troublesome were ghosts, mummies, and Flying Serpents.
Ghosts had extremely high health and would not die after a few strikes.
Every time they were attacked, they would retreat, making pursuit impossible.
And once a ghost hit someone, not only would it inflict damage, it would also blink farther away and wait for another chance to attack.
"Then let's see what you can do."
Daeren slowed his breathing and drew upon the abundant Life Force within him, strengthening every aspect of his body.
Reality was not a game. He could not simply eat some food and recover from injuries.
Ghosts were real supernatural creatures. He had no idea whether their attacks dealt physical or magical damage.
If he got hit even once, Maester Harvey's medicine might not help.
"Caw! Caw!"
The four or five bats flew in first, their scarlet eyes wide and their fangs bared as they attacked.
Facing five enemies alone, Daeren swung the Neptune Greatsword like a windmill, defending every inch within three meters of himself.
The bat monsters were not very intelligent. Before they could dodge, they were chopped into materials.
"A two-handed greatsword really is useful!"
Daeren panted slightly. The continuous mining and fighting had rapidly drained his stamina.
Come to think of it, he lacked a weapon.
As a swordsman who wielded a blade with both hands, he could only use the Neptune Greatsword for now.
Ordinary weapons from the outside world were worthless against mine monsters; after only a few swings, their edges would chip.
"Fighting away from home without enough weapons—I'm just asking for trouble."
Daeren adjusted his breathing and fixed his gaze on the slowly approaching ghost.
"Woooooo~~"
The ghost moved slowly. As it floated up and down toward him, the azure greatsword struck it and forced it back.
It even let out a resentful moan.
"Even if you beg me, I won't let you go."
Daeren was utterly merciless.
Using the terrain to his advantage, he repeatedly forced back the approaching ghost. At last, on the fourth strike against its grayish-white rags, he cut it into a cloud of mist.
"Woooo!!"
The ghost let out one final wail. Its phantom body vanished, leaving behind a golden item that radiated warm sunlight.
Daeren stepped forward and picked it up.
Sun Essence: Its glowing surface felt warm to the touch.
"So it's this thing."
Daeren examined it closely.
It was warm and hot in his hand, radiating a brilliant glow.
Its smooth surface was not as hard as he had imagined. Instead, it had the bouncy feel of a non-Newtonian fluid, as if it were some sort of condensed energy.
Daeren touched it for a while and felt the chill leave his body. Wherever the sunlight-like glow fell, warmth spread through him, and every cell in his body seemed to send out signals of delight.
It was like... like...
Returning to his mother's embrace, the glow of a fireplace at night, sunbathing on a summer beach...
Daeren felt that holding the Sun Essence was even more comfortable than basking in the warmth of a fire.
"I think I've discovered something incredible!"
Before you continue