Gvantsa wrote:

It's a Life Skill. There are different kinds of Life Skills in the game such as Alchemy, Mining, Cutting, Collection, Fishing, etc.

Mining is similar to the Cutting skill. The Cutting skill levels up when you collect wood from the Stumps. Collection works when collecting from Clay areas/deposits. Fishing works when you are fishing. They are passive skills.

Mining works in the cave. There are mineral deposits in some places in the cave. When you click on them you collect something from it. If you have the item called Vacuum (you get it from the Merchant's quest in Holy city) you can equip it and click on a mineral deposit area in cave. If you stay like that for awhile you collect different minerals and your Mining skill levels up. Vacuum collects one thing item every 5 minutes.

Higher leveled Life Skills means you can collect Rarer stuff. With high Alchemy you can Compound better things.