Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: The Mysterious Ruin
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"Here it is."
Amid the dense forest, a massive structure came into view.
"Wow, it's a real ruin. Feels like something out of a movie."
Seo Woo-jin nodded at Lee Ji-ah's exclamation.
It did indeed resemble the ancient ruins from movies or games.
"...Incredible."
Ludein, standing beside him, gazed at the ruin with a grave tone.
"There was definitely nothing here before."
"What do you mean?"
When Seo Woo-jin asked, Ludein pulled a sheet of paper from his pocket.
It appeared to be a map marking the outskirts of Demon Realm Heldein.
"This is a place the Empire has raided and explored multiple times. I've been here myself several times. But I've never seen anything like that."
Though Kang Byung-gyu had claimed to discover the ruin, Ludein hadn't believed him.
He thought it was a mistake or something too insignificant to call a ruin.
Otherwise, they would have found it by now.
But no.
The ruin before them was enormous.
Even judging by what was visible, its scale was immense.
Considering the parts hidden by the forest, its full size was impossible to gauge.
"And now it's here."
Seo Woo-jin's expression grew serious as well.
A ruin that hadn't existed had suddenly appeared.
The difference from before was that this time, they had come with the heroes.
Which meant the ruin's appearance might be due to the heroes.
"What will you do?"
Ludein asked.
They had intervened to confirm, but the knights' duty was merely to observe.
So the decision had to come from the heroes, not him.
But Ludein hoped Seo Woo-jin would refuse.
Unverified dangers should be avoided.
Yet, as if mocking Ludein's thoughts, someone stepped forward.
"We can't just turn back after seeing something like this."
It was Seong Yu-ra.
Her eyes sparkled.
"But..."
"If we explore inside and get stronger, won't that benefit this world too?"
The stronger the heroes became, the higher the chance of defeating the Demon King.
It would also minimize casualties among the troops.
Thus, the heroes' growth took precedence over everything else.
Even so, Ludein couldn't nod.
No matter how important growth was, what would be the point if they died?
"Ruins are dangerous places. Even with the knights, we might not protect you all safely."
Ludein had brought 22 knights.
Adding the elite friends' escorts brought it to 45.
All were mid-level or higher, making them stronger than most knight orders...
"Ruins—especially in the Demon Realm—are places where even the Empire only considers exploration after full preparation."
Ludein tried to dissuade them once more.
But Seong Yu-ra ignored him.
"We're not like those mediocre heroes in there. You know that too, Instructor."
Five heroes.
Seo Woo-jin called them elite friends, but they had another name.
[Five Saviors.]
A terribly embarrassing title to say aloud.
But looking at the five, it made sense.
They were all S-grade or higher top-tier heroes.
Top grades, top levels, top effort.
As Seong Yu-ra said, they possessed power and abilities on another level from other heroes.
The Empire even considered Baek Si-woo more important than Sword Sage Dariel.
"That's true, but..."
Ludein glanced at Seo Woo-jin.
In his eyes, Seo Woo-jin was no subordinate to Baek Si-woo.
Of course, he was still lacking.
Their levels differed by more than double.
Yet Ludein found Seo Woo-jin more impressive.
So he hoped.
He hoped Seo Woo-jin would oppose it.
"I'm not thrilled about it either."
Fortunately, Ludein's wish came true.
"Why take unnecessary risks?"
Gaining real combat experience for the heroes was plenty covered by hunting Demon Realm monsters like this.
As Ludein said, there was no reason to enter a dangerous place.
"You sit this one out, then?"
Seong Yu-ra's eyes narrowed.
"No one asked for an old man's opinion anyway."
It was blatant dismissal.
Seo Woo-jin chuckled and stepped back.
"I wasn't planning to step in anyway."
They had come at Ludein's request.
His team had voted not to enter the ruin, so they could just head back.
What happened to the elite friends was none of his concern.
"Fine, then. We'll go in."
Seong Yu-ra snorted and turned to Baek Si-woo.
"Hey, let's go."
She hadn't wanted them along anyway.
Kang Byung-gyu found it, but she acted like the ruin was theirs from the start.
"Wait."
But Baek Si-woo shook his head at her words.
"Are you sure? Even if it's just us?"
He looked slightly disappointed.
He had wanted to gauge Seo Woo-jin's true strength, even a little, this time.
But now he was refusing to enter together...
"Yes. We're not going in."
At Seo Woo-jin's firm words, Lee Ji-ah and Kang Byung-gyu sighed.
They had lost the vote but held faint 'what if' hopes.
Seo Woo-jin's words shattered that.
"...I see."
Baek Si-woo nodded reluctantly.
He couldn't force someone who didn't want to come.
But he didn't want to leave such a ruin behind either.
As Seong Yu-ra said, they could grow stronger here.
"See you next time, then."
Seo Woo-jin exchanged greetings with Baek Si-woo and turned away.
"Back to base camp, everyone."
The group began retracing their steps.
* * *
"...This is weird."
Kang Byung-gyu, leading the way, tilted his head.
"What's up?"
"No, it's just..."
At Seo Woo-jin's question, he scratched his head in confusion.
"I think we've lost our way."
Seo Woo-jin blinked.
Lost their way?
Was that possible?
Kang Byung-gyu was the best at finding paths and assessing surroundings.
It didn't make sense for him to get lost in a mere forest, not a maze.
"What do you mean? Lost? Can't we just follow the path we took?"
Lee Ji-ah poked her head in.
"I don't get it either. I was definitely following the right path..."
Kang Byung-gyu parted the bushes ahead.
A familiar sight emerged.
"The ruin?"
The one they had just left loomed there.
"Did we take a wrong turn?"
Nothing else explained it.
"No. I might have veered a bit, but the direction was spot on."
Seo Woo-jin scanned the surroundings with growing unease at his words.
The elite friends and their knight escorts were gone, likely inside.
"...Let's try again."
Seo Woo-jin borrowed Ludein's map and compared as they moved.
And again, the ruin appeared.
"...This can't be right, can it?"
"I'll take the lead this time."
Ludein stepped up.
The Demon Realm was familiar territory for him.
But nothing changed.
They tried multiple times, even heading in completely different directions.
Yet...
"Again?"
Every path ended at the ruin.
It felt like some will preventing escape bound them.
"This is trouble."
Ludein groaned.
"Feels like we're trapped, huh?"
"Magic or curses that disorient direction and cause wandering are common. But to fool a hero's skills..."
It was no ordinary situation.
"Any way out?"
Ludein shook his head.
The Empire's Arc Mage Roselia might manage, but not him.
"I'll fire a signal flare."
Ludein pulled a flare from his pocket.
A boom followed, red smoke painting the sky.
It was a call for emergency support.
In the end, it proved useless.
"We're trapped."
No rescuers came despite time passing.
Either they missed the signal or couldn't find them.
Whichever, rescue seemed impossible.
"Then there's only one option left."
Seo Woo-jin eyed the ruin.
Honestly, he absolutely did not want to enter.
But they couldn't wander forever.
If the phenomenon stemmed from the ruin, the solution lay inside.
Reluctantly, Seo Woo-jin decided to enter.
"Are you sure?"
Ludein asked worriedly, but there were no alternatives.
"We'll have to be as cautious as possible."
"I'll warn the men too."
They couldn't stick to just observing inside.
"We're going in?"
Lee Ji-ah sidled up and asked.
She had favored exploration initially, but now looked uneasy.
She had the sense to notice.
The mood wasn't good.
"Yeah."
"...Feels dangerous?"
It was just getting lost now, but who knew what evils lurked deeper.
"Better stay alert."
Seo Woo-jin remained vigilant.
"How's everyone's condition?"
He asked his team.
He was fully recovered via level-up, but not them.
"Much better than before."
"Not perfect prep, but not bad."
"Should be fine."
Not the worst—good.
"Then let's go in."
Seo Woo-jin headed toward the ruin.
The entrance was wide enough for five abreast.
But beyond was invisible.
Pitch black, no light penetrated.
Seo Woo-jin stepped forward tensely.
And...
Whoosh—!
The surroundings shifted instantly.
Like using a gate in the Empire's capital.
Reeling from nausea, Seo Woo-jin opened his eyes to a long corridor.
Torches on the walls provided enough light to see.
Looking back, no one was there.
Not his team, not the knights.
In this corridor, only Seo Woo-jin existed—no one else.