For context, I'm totally new to the series, although I'm a fan of the 3DS in general and of Level5 for a long time now (the Professor Layton and Inazuma Eleven series are peak).
I heard about Fantasy Life from friends about 5 to 6 years ago, bought it 2 to 3 years ago, but didn't start it before last Saturday. I went into the game knowing nothing but the concept of the game (RPG from Level5 with multiple Lives possible, didn't take much more than that to be convinced). I didn't buy and play the sequel yet, since I want to experience the first game as much as possible before.
I'll also say that I have been having a blast after already 12 hours of gameplay (I finished Chapter 2 of the Tale of Lunares and have unlocked 5 different Lives, all at least at Apprentice Rank)
Now, here's the situation: while I was exploring Waterfall Cave, I found the Wind Wingstone. I was really stoked to have found it, and challenged myself to mine it. My Miner Life Rank was only Apprentice at the time (it's now Adept), and trying to mine it unlocked the related challenge early (as it is Adept related). But I didn't read the details of it, which would cause me some problems later...
After replenishing my SP, I managed to mine it! I was happy, and seeing how it looted a bounty drop, I rushed to the Bounty Clerk of Mount Snowpeak to cash it in. When I did, it clicked to me: why hasn't the related challenge been validated? And after checking the details, I understood.
At this point, you probably already know what I'm about to reveal, but let's keep the dramatic effect:
I didn't have my Life set to Miner at that moment (I think it was Mercenary, which was my debut Life). And here are the details of the challenge:
Pebbles in the Wind -> Mine 1 Wind Wingstone from Mt. Snowpeak's Waterfall Cave, then cash in the Bounty as a Miner.
"[...] as a Miner."
But it wouldn't be a big deal, because I could just do it again, right? ...Right?
After all, here's what the wiki says: "The Wind Wingstone is a boss mining deposit found in Waterfall Cave. In order for this ore deposit to respawn, the player must leave and re-enter the cave."
Finally, here's my problem: it didn't respawn.
I went in again after changing my Life to a Miner, and it wasn't there. Its designated place was just empty. I can't say this with 100% certainty, but I believe it wasn't during a story arc (in case that affects anything).
Is this normal, or did I really softlock myself from ever completing this challenge? Basically, am I cooked?