As if some hidden mechanism had suddenly been triggered, the red markers on the System Map began moving toward them from every direction.
The sentinels that had been scattered throughout the ruins were changing course one after another, abandoning their patrol routes and rushing toward the massive gate ahead.
Alex's expression immediately became serious.
'What happened?'
He hadn't felt anything. Even Aurora, who was floating beside him, seemed just as confused.
"I don't know," she said, her expression unusually serious. "I didn't notice anything either."
'Then what triggered them?'
Alex quickly glanced toward the gate. It was still some distance away, yet compared to the rapidly approaching sentinels, it suddenly felt far too close.
They didn't have enough time to retreat.
"Everyone, hurry!" Alex turned toward the others. "They're coming back!"
The researchers looked toward him in confusion before noticing the urgency in his voice.
"What?"
"The sentinels. They're heading this way." Alex pointed toward the massive gate. "Get to the gate. If we can reach the next section, they might not be able to follow us."
There was no guarantee that his assumption was correct, but staying here was even worse.
The researchers immediately understood the situation and began moving. Alex followed for only a moment before slowing down.
The massive gate stood at the end of the ruined street, its surface covered in the same intricate runes found throughout the ancient complex. It looked like an ordinary door at first glance, but Alex already knew better.
Just like the gate separating the first section from this abandoned city ruin, this one wasn't something that could simply be forced open.
Alex glanced at Sherry and the three researchers.
"You all focus on the gate. Find a way to open it."
They nodded and hurried ahead.
Alex, meanwhile, turned around. The distant sound of heavy footsteps was already beginning to echo through the ruins, announcing the sentinel's approach.
"I'll hold them off."
Alex knew he couldn't defeat them, and he had no intention of trying. All he needed was to buy enough time for the others to open the gate.
He immediately began casting
Dense black fog spread outward from Alex, rapidly covering the surrounding streets and swallowing the ruined buildings in darkness.
Within moments, the approaching sentinels were completely engulfed by the dense black fog.
'Let's see if this can buy us enough time.'
Even though the sentinels were completely engulfed by the
Despite this, they continued moving forward.
Unable to see anything, the sentinels relied on whatever method they used to detect their targets and slowly made their way through the dense fog. Their movements were slower than before, but Alex couldn't afford to let even one of them reach Sherry and the other three researchers.
He stayed behind, intercepting any sentinel that came too close while keeping track of the others.
"I'll go check on them and see if I can find some clues." Aurora suggested as she flew toward Sherry and the others.
Several minutes passed like this.
The sentinels continued advancing through the darkness, but none managed to break through Alex's defense. Just as he was beginning to wonder how much longer they would have to keep this up, Aurora's voice suddenly reached him through their soul connection.
"Alex, they found something!"
Alex immediately turned toward the others and made his way through the mist.
Sherry and the three researchers were gathered around the massive gate. Sherry was standing directly in front of it, carefully examining a particular section near the center.
"We found a way to open it." she said, pointing toward an indentation in the gate. Its shape was unusual, resembling a hexagonal slot, as if something had been designed to fit inside it.
Alex's eyes narrowed when he saw it. The shape was almost identical to the hexagonal disc they had used to activate the hidden entrance to the ancient ruin.
"Could it be that disc?" one of the researchers asked.
Sherry nodded slightly before taking it out.
"We should try it."
She carefully placed the hexagonal disc into the indentation, and it fit perfectly.
Alex stared at the gate for a moment before stepping forward. If this mechanism worked in a similar way to the entrance outside, he should be able to activate with Aurora's help.
"I'll try activating it." Alex placed his hand against the disc and began channeling his mana into it. Through their soul connection, Aurora immediately began guiding his mana through the formation.
The response was immediate.
The runes surrounding the indentation began glowing one after another, spreading across the surface of the massive gate in an intricate pattern. Mana flowed through the formation just as it had with the previous entrance, guided precisely by Aurora through their soul connection.
A deep rumble echoed through the ruins as the massive gate slowly began moving inward.
"It actually opened..." one of the researchers muttered.
Alex glanced at the dark passage beyond the gate before looking back at the
Several red markers were still moving through the darkness toward them.
"We're not out of danger yet. We should get inside."
Sherry was the first to approach the opening, followed closely by the three researchers. However, the moment she tried to step through the gate, she suddenly stopped as if she had walked into an invisible wall.
"Huh?"
Sherry looked confused and reached forward, only for her hand to be stopped by something she couldn't see. The three researchers quickly tried to enter as well, only to encounter the same invisible barrier.
"What is this?"
One of them pressed his hand against the empty space in front of him, but no matter how much force he applied, he couldn't move forward. Even reinforcing his body with mana made no difference.
Alex had remained behind to keep an eye on the approaching sentinels, but he quickly noticed what was happening and walked toward them.
"What's wrong?"
"We can't enter. There's some kind of barrier blocking the entrance."
Alex frowned and looked at the gate. He couldn't see anything unusual, but the researchers were clearly being prevented from passing through.
He decided to test it himself. Alex reached forward, and his hand passed through the entrance without encountering any resistance.
"That's strange."
Alex tried again, confirming that he could freely pass through the gate. Aurora also floated through without encountering any obstruction, proving that the restriction wasn't simply preventing everything from passing through.
"So only you can enter?" one of the researchers asked.
"It seems that way."
The researcher looked thoughtfully at the gate before turning his attention toward Alex.
"Perhaps you're special."
Alex raised an eyebrow.
"Special?"
"You were the one who activated the gate, weren't you?" The researcher pointed toward the hexagonal disc. "Maybe opening the gate wasn't the only requirement. Perhaps the formation recognizes the person who activates the mechanism and grants them permission to enter."
Alex considered his words for a moment.
It made some sense. The ancient ruin had already demonstrated how complex its magic was, so a restriction like this wasn't particularly surprising.
The other researchers tried several more times to force their way through, but the invisible barrier didn't budge. No matter how much mana they used, they couldn't pass through the entrance.
"After finally reaching this place, we're stopped by a barrier we can't even see."
One of them sighed in frustration, while Sherry looked toward Alex with a slightly troubled expression.
"So you have to go alone?"
"It looks like it."
Alex glanced toward the passage beyond the gate before looking back at them.
"I'll go ahead and see what's on the other side. If I find a way to remove the restriction, I'll come back."
Sherry hesitated for a moment before nodding.
"Be careful."
Alex nodded and turned toward the passage.
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆
Finally, Alex stepped through the gate. The moment he crossed the threshold, the surroundings changed completely.
The ruined city behind him disappeared as though it had never existed. Alex immediately turned around, but there was nothing there. The gate, the ruins, and even Sherry and the researchers were nowhere to be seen.
He frowned slightly before looking at the System Map. His objective was clearly marked ahead of him.
Alex walked forward for a while before finally breaking the silence.
"What do you think this place is?"
Aurora floated beside him, carefully observing their surroundings as they moved deeper into the strange space.
"I'm not sure yet. But I don't think this was ever meant to be an ordinary ruin."
Alex glanced at her.
"What makes you say that?"
"The fact that you were able to enter while the others couldn't is probably not a coincidence. This place seems to have been designed with a specific type of person in mind."
"A witch?"
Aurora nodded.
"Most likely. A witch was probably involved in creating the hexagonal disc. If the person who created that disc also created this place, then the restriction makes sense. It feels less like an ancient ruin and more like some kind of treasure vault, one designed to recognize witches or someone who possesses similar magical characteristics"
Alex frowned slightly.
"Someone like me?"
"Yes. You possess SS-rank affinity for Dark magic, which is what allowed us to activate the entrance. Perhaps whoever created this place designed it to recognize someone with an exceptionally high Dark affinity."
Alex looked ahead again.
'So that researcher might have been onto something.'
If this place really had been designed specifically for witches or a particular type of individual, then the restriction on Sherry and the others suddenly made much more sense.
"Alex, look."
Aurora's voice suddenly caught his attention.
"There is something up ahead. I can see an altar, and there's something glowing on top of it."
Alex immediately looked in the direction she indicated. Far in the distance, he could now make out an altar with something glowing and floating above it.