"This is the place."
Through the dense forest, a large structure came into view.
"Wow, it's a real ruin. I think I've seen something like this in a movie."
Seo Woojin nodded at Lee Ji-ah's admiration.
It indeed resembled the appearance of ancient ruins often seen in movies or games.
"…Amazing."
Ludian, standing nearby, looked at the ruins with a serious expression.
"There was definitely nothing here before."
"What do you mean?"
When Seo Woojin asked, Ludian took out a piece of paper from his pocket.
It seemed to be a map marking the outer areas of the Demonic Realm Helldane.
"This place has been subject to several imperial expeditions and explorations. I've been here several times myself. However, I've never seen anything like this."
Although Kang Byeong-gyu claimed to have discovered the ruins, Ludian didn't believe it.
He thought it might be a mistake or that the structure was so small that it couldn't be called ruins.
Otherwise, there was no way they could have missed it until now.
But that was not the case.
The ruins in front of them were massive.
Even judging from the visible parts, its scale was considerable.
Considering the portions hidden by the forest, it was impossible to estimate its actual size.
"But now it's here."
Seo Woojin's expression also became serious.
Ruins that did not exist suddenly appeared.
The situation is different from before; this time, there were Heroes.
That meant the Heroes might be the reason behind the sudden appearance of these ruins.
"What would you like to do?"
Ludian asked.
Although they intervened to confirm the facts, the knights' job was simply to observe.
So, the decision had to be made by the Heroes, not him.
However, Ludian hoped that Seo Woojin would refuse.
Undetermined risks should be avoided, that was the right course of action.
But, as if mocking Ludian's thoughts, someone stepped forward and spoke.
"You can't just go back after seeing something like this."
It was Seong Yura.
Her eyes were sparkling.
"But…."
"If we explore that place and become stronger, wouldn't that be a good thing for this world?"
As Heroes become stronger, the likelihood of defeating the Demon King increases.
Not only that, but the damage to the troops could also be reduced.
So, the growth of Heroes should be prioritized above all else.
However, Ludian couldn't nod his head.
No matter how important growth is, what's the point if you die in the process?
"The ruins are a dangerous place. Knights alone may not be able to keep you all safe."
The number of knights Ludian brought with him now was 22.
Even when combined with the knights from the elite friends, it was only 45.
Although all of them boasted intermediate or higher skills, they were still a stronger force than most knight orders…
"The ruins. Particularly when it comes to ruins in the Demonic Land, even the Empire will consider exploring them only after all preparations have been made."
Ludian spoke again to object.
But Seong Yura didn't pay attention to his words.
"We are different from those idiots over there. I'm sure the instructor knows, right?"
Five Heroes.
Although Seo Woojin simply called them elite friends, they actually had a different title.
[The Five Saviors.]
It was a truly embarrassing name to say.
However, looking at the five faces, it wasn't hard to understand.
They were all top-tier Heroes with S-rank or higher.
The grade was top-notch, the level was top-notch, and the effort was top-notch.
As Seong Yura said, they had a power and ability that was on a different dimension from other Heroes.
To the extent that, in the Empire, they considered Bai Siwoo as important as, or even more important than, Swordmaster Dariel.
"That may be true, but…."
Ludian glanced at Seo Woojin.
The Seo Woojin he saw was definitely not below Bai Siwoo.
Of course, it's still not enough.
Especially when there was more than a two-fold difference in levels.
Nevertheless, Ludian felt that Seo Woojin was even more amazing.
So he hoped.
Hoped for Seo Woojin to oppose.
"I don't feel inclined to do so either."
Fortunately, Ludiane's wish came true.
"Is there any reason to take unnecessary risks?"
The justification for gaining combat experience for the Heroes is enough just to catch the monsters of the Demonic World like now.
As Ludian said, there was no reason to enter a dangerous place without cause.
"You stay out of it then?"
Seong Yura's eyes narrowed.
"No one asked for the opinion of someone like you."
It was a clear dismissal.
Seo Woojin chuckled and took a step back.
"I didn't have any intention of going anyway, so."
In the first place, he came here because of Ludian's request.
Since he and his team decided not to enter the ruins through a vote, it was time to return from here.
Whatever happened to his elite friends, it was not his concern.
"Fine then. We'll go in."
Seong Yura smirked and turned to Baek Siwoo.
"Hey, let's go in."
It seemed like there was no intention of going in together anyway.
Although it was Kang Byeong-gyu who found the ruins, she acted as if the ruins belonged to them from the beginning.
"Just wait."
But Baek Siwoo raised his head at Seong Yura's words.
"Do you mind if we go by ourselves?"
He looked a bit disappointed.
He wanted to confirm Seo Woojin's real skills even a little in this opportunity.
But now, refusing to enter the ruins together….
"Do as you wish. We won't go in."
At Seo Woojin's firm words, Lee Ji-ah and Kang Byeong-gyu sighed.
Although they lost in the vote, they harbored some hope of 'what if?'
Just now, Seo Woojin's words shattered that hope.
"…Is that so?"
Baek Siwoo nodded helplessly, as if there was nothing he could do.
It was something he didn't want to do, but he couldn't force himself to go along with it.
Yet, he didn't want to turn back in front of such a historic site either.
As Seong Yura had said, being at a place like this could make them stronger than they are now.
"Then, until next time."
Seo Woojin exchanged greetings with Baek Siwoo and turned away.
"Let's go back to the base camp."
The group started walking back the way they came.
* * *
"…Something's strange."
Kang Byeong-gyu, who was leading the way, tilted his head.
"What's going on?"
"No, this."
In response to Seo Woojin's question, he scratched his head in apparent confusion.
"It seems like we might have lost our way."
Seo Woojin blinked.
Lost their way?
Was that even possible?
Kang Byeong-gyu is better than anyone else at finding his way and understanding the surrounding situation.
It didn't make sense for him to be lost in a forest, not even a maze.
"What are you talking about? Lost our way? Can't we just go back the way we came?"
Lee Ji-ah interjected, tilting her head.
"I don't understand either. I was definitely moving along the correct path."
Stopping there, Kang Byeong-gyu raised his hand and parted the bushes in front of him.
Then, a familiar sight unfolded.
"The ruins?"
The ruins they had just left were spread out in front of them.
"Did we take the wrong turn?"
If not, there was no explanation.
"No. Even if we deviated a bit, the direction was correct."
Seo Woojin looked around with a hint of unease.
The elite friends and the knights protecting them were not visible as they had already gone inside.
"…Let's go again."
Seo Woojin even borrowed Ludian's map and compared them before moving.
And once again, the ruins revealed themselves.
"…Do you think this is wrong?"
"This time, let me take the lead."
Ludian stepped forward.
Helldane was a place that was quite familiar to him.
But nothing had changed.
He tried several times, even attempted to go in a completely different direction.
Still…
"Again?"
The end of the road always led to ruins.
It felt as if the will to escape this place was binding them.
"It's a disaster."
Ludian muttered with a grim tone.
"Do you feel trapped?"
"Magic or curses that deceive the sense of direction and lead you astray are quite common. But to deceive the skills of a Hero…"
It was definitely not an ordinary situation.
"Is there no way?"
Ludian raised his head.
If it were Roselia, the renowned Arc Mage of the Empire, it might be different.
But for him, it was too much.
"I'll fire a signal flare."
Ludian took out a signal flare from his pocket.
Soon, with a loud boom, red smoke filled the air.
It was a signal flare requesting urgent support.
In conclusion, it was of no use.
"We're trapped."
Despite the passage of time, no one came to their aid.
Whether they didn't see the signal or couldn't find them.
It was unclear which of the two it was, but rescue seemed impossible.
"Then there's only one remaining option."
Seo Woojin glanced at the ruins.
Honestly, it was a place he absolutely did not want to enter.
However, he couldn't just wander around here for the rest of his life.
If this phenomenon was because of the ruins, then the solution might also lie within.
Reluctantly, Seo Woojin decided to enter the ruins.
"Are you going to be okay?"
Ludian asked with concern, but there was no other choice.
"We have no choice but to be as careful as possible."
"I will also warn my subordinates."
It seemed impossible to adhere to the principle of just observing the ruins.
"Shall we go inside?"
Lee Ji-ah approached and asked casually.
Though she initially supported exploring the ruins, now her expression showed discomfort.
She was observant as well.
She had already noticed that the atmosphere wasn't turning out well.
"Yes."
"…Do you think it's dangerous?"
At the moment, it was just a matter of getting lost, but there might be some hidden evil inside the ruins.
"It's better to be careful."
Seo Woojin remained vigilant.
"How is everyone feeling?"
Seo Woojin asked his team members.
He had recovered through leveling up, but the others hadn't.
"I've recovered quite a bit from earlier."
"Not perfectly prepared, but not bad."
"I think I'll be okay."
Fortunately, it wasn't the worst-case scenario.
"Alright, let's go in."
Eventually, Seo Woojin began walking towards the ruins.
The entrance was large enough to accommodate five people at once.
However, what lay beyond was not visible.
It was because not a single point of light entered, and the entire space was filled with darkness.
Seo Woojin nervously took the lead and took a step forward.
And…
Waaaah!
In an instant, the surroundings before his eyes began to change.
It felt like using the gate again, similar to what he had experienced in the capital of the Empire.
Seo Woojin, who was staggering with severe nausea, opened his eyes, revealing a long corridor.
Torches were hung on the walls, providing enough brightness to distinguish objects.
When he looked back, there was no one.
No team members, no knights.
Except for Seo Woojin, there was no one else in this corridor.