WorldCrafter - Building My Underground Kingdom-Chapter 47: Next Step

BAM! BAM!

The forge roared to life, sending deep vibrations through the ground. The smooth, black metal of its frame shifted and unfolded like a living machine, releasing bursts of steam as vents along its surface expelled excess heat.

Elvira's eyes widened in curiosity as she stepped closer, mesmerized by the strange design. The entire structure gleamed with an otherworldly glow, pulsating blue circuits tracing intricate patterns across its metallic body, giving it an almost organic feel.

At its core, a floating crucible hovered in midair. Deep and obsidian-black, its edges were smooth yet constantly shifting, adjusting in size as though it recognized the materials it would soon process. Beneath it, red flames burned in complete silence. Unlike normal fire, these flames didn't flicker or spread—they were contained, controlled, responding to the forge's commands.

Above the forge, a floating projection screen flickered into existence, glowing runes dancing across its surface. Temperature adjustments, material compositions, crafting progress—everything was displayed in real time. Elvira let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "This is amazing..." she murmured, eyes scanning the intricate web of magical formulas etched into the forge. She could already tell—this was beyond ordinary craftsmanship. The runes, the mechanisms, the combination of it all... She could spend months studying this and still barely scratch the surface. If she could decode even a fraction of its design, her magic would reach a whole new level.

Three hours had passed since they left the caretaker's dungeon. Neither of them hesitated when making the decision to retreat. They both knew they weren't strong enough—at least, not yet. Who knew what kind of enemies lurked further inside?

After returning, Ben wasted no time. He immediately began constructing a new building to house the forge, placing it close to Elvira's workshop and the storage area. The structure was simple—another square-shaped facility—but with a specially designed vent system to channel the smoke away.

What was even more impressive were the workers he had assigned to the forge. It was like they had been absorbed into another dimension—he couldn't see them in reality, but in his system, they were there, working. The interface even showed what kind of boost they provided to the forge.

Unfortunately, the current Krell workers gave negative stats. Ben frowned. "-10% working speed... well, that's not too bad." He figured this was probably due to incompatibility—maybe their body structure, or their intellect just wasn't suited for this kind of work. He needed to experiment, test different setups, or maybe even hunt for better body parts. His gaze shifted back to the forge interface. Right now, it was in the process of melting Grimslate Blocks, refining them into ingots, and then crafting a pickaxe.

The process chain was simple: Grimslate Block → Grimslate Ingot → Pickaxe. Honestly, it amazed him. In the games he had played, only metal materials like bronze ore could be refined into ingots, but reality was different. After all, on Earth, extreme heat and pressure could turn ordinary rock into one of the strongest materials—diamond.

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The problem, of course, was the cost. "A hundred blocks for one ingot... and three ingots for one pickaxe..." His eyes moved to the fuel slot, where 100 white gemstones were burning. Judging by the rate of consumption, each gemstone could fuel the creation of about 100 pickaxes, factoring in the mana needed to melt the Grimslate Rock.

Just then, a block of black ingot with a metallic sheen appeared in his hand.

***

Grimslate Ingot x1

Type: Ingot

Use: Crafting material, forging, enchantment

Understanding: 100%

Max Stack: 999

Rarity: Rare

Description: A refined ingot smelted using a special flame from Grimslate rock. Its dense, dark surface holds a faint shimmer, as though absorbing ambient mana. Often used in forging durable weapons, reinforced armor, and arcane constructs.

***

"A faint shimmer of mana..." Ben's gaze flickered as he imagined a pickaxe with an enchanted attribute.

So far, everything he crafted was just normal pickaxes, but the results were still satisfying—twice as strong as a regular Grimslate Pickaxe. "I'll wait until I have 20 pickaxes before moving on to armor and weapons for the soldiers."

Right now, he had 20 Krell workers, with four assigned to this forge while the rest were spread out, four Krell logistic units and four Krell soldiers. The ones left guarding the dungeon entrance were safe, still holding their positions. He planned to turn the area into a proper mining site, covering the entrance with a reinforced gate and stationing even more soldiers there. "I need to expand—more workers for farming, more logistic units... and maybe a bridge for easier transport. Or should I just use boats?" He smirked.

Ben pondered the idea. Using a boat meant he'd need to logistically transport the gemstones onto it, assign a Krell scout or worker to steer it, then have another logistic team at the main base to unload and move the cargo into storage. Too many downsides. Building a bridge or even a pathway connected to the tunnel wall seemed like the better option.

The only real advantage of using a boat was that it could carry a much larger load and move way faster than Krell logistics since it used mana. But when factoring in the time needed to load and unload—the difference wasn't that significant. 'If I could make tracks like in a mine... it'd be way faster.'

For now, he shoved the idea onto his growing to-do list. First, he'd build a bridge leading all the way there, then focus on increasing his Krell population. 'After this, I need to explore more and find a proper food source. My stockpile won't last much longer,' Ben thought, eyeing the dwindling food reserves in his storage. He turned toward Elvira. "Elvira, I'm continuing construction. You take care of the base."

"Of course, my beloved," Elvira replied absentmindedly, her gaze still locked onto the forge.

Ben sighed. "Don't forget to make more talismans. We need them."

"Don't worry, just go and do what you need to do," she said, waving him off without even looking up. Ben smirked, shaking his head as he walked away. She was completely absorbed. At least that made things easier.