Published at 26th of December 2025 7:38 am

Chapter 431: Its Better to Include Things That Dont Go According to Plan in Your Plans.

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Despite Tias adorable blunder, we managed to enter the Nikuo ruins without any significant issues. However, we were forced to retreat before even completing half of the initially planned 20 battles.

Moreover, this wasnt limited to just that day. A month into our investigation, I found myself eating a rather salty mealnot in taste, but in moodat a diner in the town of Nihak.

Sigh

Whats wrong, Ed-san? Thats quite a heavy sigh.

As I poked at something resembling a green sausageapparently made by mixing and kneading various aquatic plantsAnemo asked while nibbling on her portion. Despite her small stature, she seemed to eat about twice as much as me, suggesting poor fuel efficiency.

Well, its just I feel like the investigation isnt progressing as quickly as Id hoped.

Huh? What are you talking about? Weve mapped over half of the outer area in just a month. Thats an incredible pace!

Thats well, I thought wed be able to reach the center more quickly, you know

It cant be helped, Ed. The passages dont extend towards the center at all.

Tia, munching on her aquatic plant salad, responded with a wry smile. Anemo nodded in agreement.

Thats right. Theres nothing we can do about the lack of passages. If anything, its thanks to Ed-sans perverted mapping ability that weve been able to progress this far without getting lost.

Who are you calling pervert?!

I retorted sharply at the unwarranted criticism. Indeed, the disconnected passages were one reason for the slow progress of our investigation. The dungeon walls, like the corridors, were three meters thick, making them impossible for even me to cut through in my normal state.

Of course, I could probably cut through them if I used the Demon Kings power excessively, but I didnt want to pick a fight with the very structure of the dungeonthis world itselfjust to create a shortcut in a non-urgent situation.

Thats not it. Well, that too, but the real problem is those huge Encounters! Whats with them? We never encountered anything like that before coming here!

Ah, you mean the Huge ones? Indeed, those only appear in places with a considerable concentration of mana. Unless youre in a completely unexplored area far from town, you wont encounter them.

It would be quite troublesome if they appeared regularly.

The Encounter we were discussing was a giant that filled the three-meter-wide dungeon corridors to capacity. Standing well over two meters tall, it was impossible to pass by, and the blows from its sturdy arms could even crack the dungeon walls slightly.

But its strength wasnt the real issue. The sheer size of the opponent itself was a significant problem for us.

The problem is that those things are rapidly depleting our Nukimizu stock. Since its just us there anyway, couldnt we just leave them be after defeating them?

We cant do that! Besides, if we left debris of that size lying around, it might quickly revive into Balls or Tallmen.

Huh? Do Encounters revive like that?

Well I dont know for sure. But doesnt it feel like they might?

Sorry, Ed. I kind of feel the same way.

Ugh.

When Anemo posed the question, Tia agreed somewhat apologetically. Well, I understood that we couldnt just leave debris blocking the corridor after defeating an enemy that filled the passage. I knew we couldnt just defeat them and ignore the aftermath. I understood, but that didnt mean I had to like it.

What should we do? Should we go back to Nihak to replenish our Nukimizu? I think we could buy a bit more there.

Nah, wouldnt we end up using Nukimizu for that round trip too? Wouldnt it be about the same in the end?

Well, yes

The town of Nihak where we were staying only had a population of about 600 people. Consequently, its production capacity was low, so the amount of Nukimizu available for explorers to purchase wasnt very high. If the issue was a lack of supply rather than transportation, even if I revealed my [Stranger Box] it wouldnt make a difference, so we were at an impasse there as well.

Hah, I guess we have no choice but to keep plugging away. At least were earning money.

Yes! The receptionist praised us, saying theyve never seen such accurate maps before.

Anemo, who had been selling my maps to the Explorers Guild after each expedition, exclaimed happily.

Unlike many other worlds, Encounters here didnt leave anything behind when defeated. So, the biggest source of income for explorers was the purchase of these unmapped area maps. There were other jobs like searching for missing persons or escorting merchant caravans between towns, but map-making seemed to be the most lucrative.

Well, it was like the whole world was a maze. No matter how much you walked, there were always unexplored areas, and large-scale collapses can change the routes. Considering the total population, it would probably be thousands of years before explorers in this world ran out of work.

Well then, lets keep working hard tomorrow just like we have been. Cheers!

Cheers!

Cheers Was there anything in that conversation worth toasting to?

Oh, dont sweat the small stuff, Ed.

Thats right, Ed-san. The Heijin race says that worrying too much about little things makes you go bald.

Im not going bald!! Thats

Drowning all the small stuff that came to mind with the fizzy alcohol, we continued our investigation as usual. However, our exploration pace didnt improve, and it took another month before we finally found a passage that seemed to lead to the center.

Yeah, this looks like it connects to the center from here. Phew, finally.

Id like to say lets dive in right away, but we need to retreat for today.

Ugh, even though we still have plenty of energy left

Well, we did defeat three of those big guys.

While all of usmyself, Tia, and even Anemostill had plenty of energy, we had used up a lot of Nukimizu on the massive amount of Encounters, leaving us with just over 20% remaining. Usually, wed retreat when it dropped below 30%, so honestly, we were cutting it a bit close.

That said, in the worst-case scenario, we could always hit and run, making it easy enough for us to return. So it wasnt a situation dire enough to panic. As we retraced our steps, keeping our usual level of caution and comparing our progress to the map, suddenly something small and white darted out from the depths of the passage.

Whats that? A white lizard?

It was a pure white lizard about the size of a palm. However, it had what looked like a red gem on its forehead, and its eyes were also red.

Kyui?

Wow, wow! What is this? Its so cute!

With a cry, Tia raised her voice at the sight of the tilting lizard. Although she didnt jump at it recklessly, her outstretched finger wiggled as if pleading for something, and her ears twitched.

Living creatures in the dungeon Well, I guess its not that strange?

Until now, we had only encountered stone-like Encounters of various sizes and shapes. But if humans could live here, it wasnt odd for other creatures to exist as well. Given the nature of the dungeon, corpses would probably be absorbed quickly, so small creatures that idnt catch the eye would be even more likely to survive.

Kyuu?

Ed, Ed! That little one is twitching its nose! Hey, do you think its okay to touch it?

Eh? It doesnt seem hostile, but be careful, okay?

I know! Here, theres nothing to be afraid of~

Passing by me as I stepped back cautiously, Tia extended her finger towards the lizards nose. The lizard sniffed Tias finger, and in the next moment, the gem on its forehead flashed brightly.

Ah!?

Tia!? What happened? What did it do to you!?

No, Im fine. But this little one

Aaaaaaaaah!?!?!?

Interrupting Tias words, Anemos scream echoed. When I hurriedly turned around, I saw Anemo crouching with her head in her hands.

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