Treasure Hunting System： The Ocean Conquerer

CLANG!

A crisp sound echoed.

The head of the pickaxe they were using to dig through the iceberg snapped off. The broken pickaxe head spiraled away, leaving only a very shallow dent on the ice surface.

Looking at the pickaxe in his hand, Alka helplessly tossed it aside.

Chadite and the others did the same.

The ice-breaking pickaxes in their hands could hardly make a dent in the ice blocks before them at this stage.

Now, the only thing that could make an impact was the flames Alka could conjure.

But its effect was limited.

At most, it could only burn a thumb-sized depression. Trying to melt the entire ice surface was simply wishful thinking.

"What do we do now?" Jason asked, looking at the broken pickaxe in his hand.

They found themselves in another predicament.

These ice blocks were extraordinarily tough, their hardness bordering on the absurd.

Having come this far, their only option was to find a way to dig into the ice surface ahead.

Alka looked at the pickaxe in his hand. It's these tools that are restricting our chance to explore further, he realized. With our strength, if we had better tools, we should be able to break through this ice.

Alka thought for a moment and said, "Why don't you temporarily slow down the rate at which the ice reforms while I go and prepare some better tools."

Upon hearing Alka's words, the group nodded.

Alka then retraced his steps back to the ship, heading into the workshop in the ship's cabin.

His right arm became covered with the Hand of Precision, its blue stripes shimmering to life.

Alka prepared to use some materials to create a few Magic Pickaxes. Although it was extravagant, it was worth it for a Treasure.

At worst, the Church can reimburse me later, Alka mused. After all, I accepted their mission and am working for them.

With this in mind, Alka went to the workbench and began crafting.

「A little more than a day later.」

Alka returned to the excavation site with the tools.

At this time, Chadite and the others were resting inside a nearby tent.

Seeing Alka's arrival, they all stepped out of the tent and took the new ice-digging tools from his hands.

Jason swung the Magic Pickaxe in his hand twice.

"How do you use this thing?"

The Magic Pickaxe looked no different from an ordinary one, except that its materials seemed more refined.

On the handle, a square frame with an eye symbol was visible.

Alka placed his Magic Pickaxe on his shoulder and walked into the cave.

As he walked, he said, "Follow me in, I'll demonstrate for you."

After they arrived at the previous ice face, Alka raised the Magic Pickaxe high with both hands, letting Magic Power surge along the handle towards the head of the Magic Pickaxe, which was pointed at the ice.

A thin silver glow appeared on it, and then Alka forcefully struck the ice surface.

The 30-centimeter head of the Magic Pickaxe pierced directly into the ice surface, and Alka infused more Magic Power.

The Magic Pickaxe visibly vibrated several times. Then, Alka gripped it firmly and exerted force.

A large chunk of extreme ice split into several fragments, breaking away to reveal a roughly 40-centimeter-deep conical pit.

Seeing the effect before him, Alka nodded in satisfaction and turned to the group, saying, "What do you think? Not bad, right?"

Alka had inscribed this Magic Pickaxe with Spells. Besides being made of sturdier materials, it was enchanted for increased Sharpness and featured a powerful vibrating mechanism within its head.

When one end pierced the ice, it vibrated quickly several times, prying the ice block apart.

This significantly increased its ice-breaking efficiency.

Seeing Alka's actions and looking at the Magic Pickaxe in his hand, Jason stepped forward and also got to work.

However, due to differences in physical strength and Magic Power intensity, Jason only managed to create a 20-centimeter-deep pit.

But it was enough. It fully demonstrated the tool's effectiveness and would greatly accelerate their progress.

Their efficiency improved markedly.

"Okay, everyone, let's get to it! Keep up the hard work!"

With these words, the four began swinging the Magic Pickaxes in their hands, hacking at the ice wall before them.

"Keep going! Keep going!" A sweet, childish voice came from behind.

The doll Lucilia stood by, holding two ribbons, cheering them on.

Alka had given Lucilia many strange and quirky things.

「After a week of relentless effort...」

"Finally, finally, we've dug our way here!" Jason exclaimed, gasping for breath. He threw the Magic Pickaxe, now seriously worn out, to the side, then sat on the ice surface, heedless of the coldness of the ice beneath him, to rest.

The others were not in much better shape.

They leaned against various ice surfaces, panting for breath.

Their exhaled breath immediately turned into cold mist, dissipating into the air.

They had finally dug to the upper section of the cavern, where the cold had reached the limits of their endurance.

The three of them—Jason, Chadite, and Julia—felt the biting cold piercing through to their bones, despite wearing thick clothes and being inside this cavern.

To prevent illness and frostbite, they had no choice but to use Magic Power to dispel this bone-piercing Coldness from their bodies.

This further increased their consumption of Magic Power.

Even Julia, who was relatively resistant to cold, had put on a thick layer of clothing to keep warm.

But for her, this was enough.

It had taken them an entire week to finally traverse the 160-meter distance.

This was because almost every 10 meters of ice they dug, its hardness increased slightly, greatly slowing their pace.

Apart from resting and eating, they did nothing but excavate continuously.