A Cave King’s Road to Paradise: Climbing to the Top with My Almighty Mining Skills! (Manga)

In a world where crests grant powers that decide one’s fate, Prince Heale is born with Cave King—a crest just as obscure and useless as he is. Deemed a disgrace to his family, he’s exiled to a barren, deserted island without a single living thing in sight. Alone and miserable but determined to survive, he reaches for a pickax to expand the cave he takes shelter in—and uncovers the true power of his crest! It turns out Cave King makes mining and building within caves as easy as breathing. Useless no more! Instead of a life in limbo waiting for rescue, what Heale finds on this island are otherworldly discoveries and life-changing encounters!

Alone, shunned, and powerless—that was how Heale would describe his past self in Sanphales. But in a strange twist of fate, all of that changes after his banishment. The Sheol Reef community continues to grow, packed with slimes, goblins, spiders, a naked guy, and more—each with a unique talent! Together, they develop their once-barren island into a thriving domain in its own right. Armed with the power of Cave King and the otherworldly minerals he discovers, Heale finds a happy life finally within his grasp. Feasting, building farms, forging bonds—life is looking up for the residents of Sheol Reef. But then, Heale learns that the surrounding ocean currents may bring more than blessings to their shores... Heale must face challenges new and old: defending his idyllic domain and putting his own demons to rest!

Riale’s vision of a leviathan shatters the peaceful life on Sheol Reef. To defend their new home, Heale and his people must prepare for the attack of the mythical beast that once slaughtered the Tiberis tribe. But how can they defeat a creature immune to both weapons and magic? Heale’s gamble depends on digging out yet another miracle from the mining shafts of Sheol. The entire community comes together for this all-hands-on-deck situation, pouring in every drop of effort and wisdom they have. Finally, the fateful day comes. The leviathan arrives, a towering beast piercing the heavens themselves—and it’s not alone. Will Sheol conquer the invaders, or will everything crumble beneath their might?

With the leviathan slain, peace has returned to Sheol. Everyone gets to catch their breath and recover while welcoming the new additions to the community. That is, until exciting discoveries underground appear out of nowhere! The first on the list is a hot spring—and who can say no to a nice bath? Certainly not the residents of Sheol, so it’s time for yet another grand construction project! The second is a long-anticipated discovery: more ruins, this time equipped with ancient technology. Finally, Heale gets a glimpse of the island’s mysterious past...which might have heavier implications than he ever expected. But there’s no need to fear, because his trusty comrades have some surprises of their own...

After a period of respite and growth, it’s finally time to move forward. Camus and her crew set sail, aiming to fetch their families and find trade partners, but not before Camus voices her suspicions: The combination of <Cave King>, the miraculous minerals, and the ancient ruins is an astounding coincidence. Is it truly simple chance at play? Or did the king of Sanphales, knowing <Cave King>’s true power, serve his own agenda by dispatching Heale to Sheol? There’s only one way to find out, and that’s to dig down—a specialty of the Sheol mining team by now. Together with his teammates, Heale ventures into the mysterious underground of Sheol Reef...and what awaits him are new encounters and shocking discoveries!

The mystery deepens! Under Nona’s guidance, Heale discovers that a pattern matching <Cave King> is carved into the base of a statue in the underground ruins. More and more questions surface with this discovery, but Nona’s amnesia keeps her from offering any explanations. Nonetheless, she grants them permission to explore this uniquely preserved area of the ruins, and Heale and his teammates begin their search of the intact facilities for clues. The crew descends in search of more of Nona’s people in this new territory—residents who could finally provide some answers. Nona, knowing the ruins like the back of her hand, remains skeptical, but what is a ruin without a mysterious sealed door, battles against powerful opponents, and long-awaited clues to the mysteries of Sheol? But once the team has descended so far, will they be permitted to leave?

The battle between Nona and Sera reaches its fierce finale! Sera reveals her plot to turn all the surface dwellers into vessels for the souls of the Velour citizens awaiting revival, while Nona insists that their leader would abhor such an outcome. Neither is willing to back down. But such clashing values mean that, likely, only one automaton can come out of this battle alive, and the amnesiac Nona’s prospects of victory are slim. Meanwhile, Heale has a mission of his own: rescuing the kidnapped Riena! But when he tracks her down, he finds a mysterious woman has taken possession of her body! To win back Riena, Heale must negotiate with the Velouran possessing her body—but this strange figure has some terms of her own! Who is she, and what does she want with Heale? And will she finally shed light on the mysterious downfall of the prosperous Velour Empire?