Lord of Solva: Players as My Pawns

The air in the mine was thick with the scent of earth and the sound of constant drilling. Shaoran stood at the edge of the cavern, watching the female goblin, now named Tika, and Gorx, the male goblin, work. The two had adapted quickly, though they still weren't the fastest miners. It had only been a week since he summoned them, but already, they had become a key part of the operation. They followed his orders without question, understanding that their lives depended on it.

Shaoran leaned against the wall, his eyes focused on Tika as she struggled with the drill. The heavy equipment was difficult to manage for such small creatures, but she was determined. After a few more attempts, the drill finally roared to life, spinning against the rock with a grinding noise. Shaoran felt a flicker of pride in his chest. She was getting better.

"Tika, Fking Focus. You will get your food." Shaoran said, his voice encouraging, though his tone was still flat. He had to remain detached to avoid emotional distractions. 

Tika nodded, her face flushed with concentration. The goblins had already learned how to operate the machines . As the days passed, their skills were improving, though it was slow progress. Still, they were reliable. And that's all Shaoran needed.

Gorx, on the other hand, was more adept at carrying the stones once they were drilled out. His muscles were well-defined for a goblin, and he moved with a strange, deliberate grace, despite his rough appearance. He picked up large chunks of stone with ease, placing them carefully into the storage boxes Shaoran had set up.

The process was repetitive. Eat, sleep, drill, and repeat. There was little time for anything else. Shaoran was content to keep it that way. Focus was everything. The more they drilled, the more he could gather the precious stones that he needed. Ruston, the red-like ruby stone, was vital to his plans.

By the end of the week, Shaoran had devised a solid system. He assigned Tika to operate the drill, Gorx to carry the stones, and he focused on overseeing everything. The goblins were catching on quickly, even if it meant they would have to work for hours on end. They never complained. They just did as told.

One evening, after a long day of drilling, Shaoran sat down to inspect the progress. The crates were filled with stones, each one more precious than the last. There was still so much to do, but he could feel the momentum building. His system was working, and he was beginning to see results.

As the days stretched into a week, the monotonous rhythm of mining continued. The goblins never seemed to tire. They ate their small rations and kept working until Shaoran ordered them to stop for rest. But there was no real downtime—sleep was brief, and the moment they woke up, they were back to the drills. Tika had become proficient enough to handle two drills at once, and Gorx was now hauling large stones with minimal effort.

Shaoran felt a sense of satisfaction with the progress, but he knew he couldn't stop there. There was so much more to accomplish. He'd need more goblins—perhaps even stronger ones—and more resources if he was going to make a real impact. The virus threatening the universe, the reason for all this, was still out there, lurking in the shadows, and it wasn't waiting for him to catch up.

Late one night, after another grueling day of work, Shaoran checked his system interface. The numbers on his stone count were climbing, but it wasn't fast enough. He needed to upgrade the machinery, find better ways to mine, and quickly. His resources were still limited, but the potential was there.

The goblins had learned quickly. But they were still only level 1 heroes, and they were far from perfect. The drills they operated were small and crude, even with the system's help. He needed to gather more powerful Equipment For now, he was stuck with what he had, and that meant relying on the goblins to carry out the bulk of the work.

He took a deep breath, letting the air fill his lungs before releasing it slowly. The goblins, Tika and Gorx, were already working tirelessly. The sound of the drills filled the space, and the clattering of stone against stone echoed off the walls. Shaoran had made his decision. He needed more mining tools, better equipment, and faster drilling systems. He couldn't rely on these small drills forever.

The next morning, he began to pack up. It was time to move forward. The drill was working, the goblins were working, and the stones were piling up. It was just a matter of time before he could make the next step—whether that was upgrading his system, or venturing to other worlds for new resources.

But before he could continue, a sudden notification from the system interrupted his thoughts: