Caelen sat in his wobbly wooden chair, sipping boiled leaf water like a fancy nobleman who'd just discovered indoor plumbing. Sparkfin sat nearby, grooming his feathers.
It was quiet. Peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Caelen narrowed his eyes. "This feels like trap music without the beat."
Then it hit him—a new idea, like a lightning bolt made of boredom and caffeine withdrawal.
"What if... I make a tunnel?" He tapped the side of his head. "A mine. Yeah! I can't wander too far into the forest with monsters hanging around, so why not dig my way to resources?"
Sparkfin blinked like, Took you long enough.
Operation: Underground Hustle
Caelen jumped up and pointed dramatically at the floor. "We're going down, baby!"
He went to his old bathroom tunnel—the one that weirdly had copper under it—and stood at the end.
"Alright, let's make this official."
He hammered a crude wooden sign above the tunnel.
[The Totally-Not-Dangerous Resource Mine™]
"Perfect. It's branding."
He grabbed his copper shovel, stepped inside, and started digging forward and downward, carving a narrow path lit by small torches he'd made from sticks and cloth.
Problem: Going Down is Easy. Coming Back Up? Not So Much.
After digging several meters down, he paused.
"...Wait. How do I get back up without climbing like a jungle gym escapee?"
Sparkfin chirped unhelpfully from above.
Caelen tapped his temple.
Search (1/20): Google, how to make a wooden ladder?
[Answer: Craft using long sticks and binding material. Place at vertical angles. Works best with support.]
"Alright."
Back at his workbench, Caelen grabbed some leftover wood and plant fiber rope he'd made earlier.
[Crafted: Wooden Ladder x4]
He returned to the mine and carefully placed them along the wall. Each one clicked into place, and soon he had a passable vertical path back up.
He tested it, climbing up and down like a kid on a jungle gym.
"Functional, sketchy, and mildly terrifying. Just how I like it."
With the ladder in place, Caelen kept digging forward and slightly down. The tunnel was cramped, but at least he was safe from monsters, rain, and the occasional bird poop from above.
He even started setting little signs along the way like:
"Tunnel of Moderate Hope"
"No Goblins Allowed"
"Dig Responsibly"
Sparkfin occasionally fluttered in to deliver encouragement in the form of headbutts and leaf snacks.
Hours later, Caelen sat at the entrance of his freshly named mine, arms covered in dirt, a little sweaty, but satisfied.
He looked at the flickering torchlight inside the tunnel.
"Step by step," he said quietly. "I might just turn this cursed forest into a kingdom."
Sparkfin nestled beside him, already dozing off.
Caelen leaned back in his chair again, eyes closing.
Tomorrow, he'd dig deeper.
And maybe... invent something ridiculous again.