CHAPTER 258: FINDING THE ANCIENT RUIN

The journey was smooth-sailing. Before everyone knew it, they had already arrived at their destination.

Given how dark the sky was, it was too late to start their explorations. They decided to get a good night’s rest and scale the mountain at sunrise.

Thanks to Princess Xenia’s reliable and competent retainers, everyone was able to have a simple breakfast before they started their hike up the mountain.

The airship couldn’t traverse the Heracle Mountain since there was a mysterious force that made airships lose control when they got too close.

If one were to look at the mountain from a distance, they would only see half of the mountain, for the rest were always covered by dark clouds, hugging its body like a black cloak.

There was a constant stream of missing people reports. Most of them scaled the mountain in an attempt to reach its peak, but they never came back nor were they heard from ever again.

"Captain, please be careful," the Vice Captain of Princess Xenia’s personal guards said in a serious tone.

"I will," Sir Alphonse assured. "All of you are to stay here and wait for our return. If we are not back after four days, please send a rescue party after us."

"Yes, Sir!" The Vice Captain saluted.

The other guards did the same and bade their Captain and Princess goodbye.

Mark and Spencer took the lead since only the two of them knew where the entrance of the ruin was located.

"Remember, do not wander around on your own," Mark reminded everyone. "Pay close attention to the people around you. In fact, it will be best to pair up so we can look out for each other’s safety."

"It’s better to be safe than sorry," Spencer added. "This mountain is very mysterious and may mess with your senses."

Alex took their reminder seriously and assigned everyone into pairs.

"I’ll pair up with Alex!" Vaan volunteered.

"Sure," Alex agreed easily. "Renard, who do you want to pair up with?"

"No one," Renard replied flatly. "I will only be responsible for myself."

Alex sighed but did not try to change Mr. I-Have-Trust-Issues’ mind.

"Lavinia and Chuck, the two of you will look after each other," Alex stated.

"Okay." Chuck nodded.

Lavinia hummed before glancing at Vaan, who was giving her a mischievous smile.

Alex then looked at Latifa, who was being carried by Lotte and guarded by Lumi.

She didn’t need anyone else to look after her since she already had two Alters ensuring her safety.

As for Princess Xenia? That was a question that didn’t need to be asked.

Mary and Alphonse walked a few steps behind the Princess, making sure that she was always within sight.

Everyone in the club was fit. Even Chuck, who seemed like a sheltered noble that hadn’t experienced many hardships, was in good physical condition.

The hike itself wasn’t that hard since they were following a trail that local hikers used to climb the mountain.

However, a few hours later, Mark and Spencer veered from the main trail, which didn’t surprise Alex one bit.

The two appeared so certain of where they were heading that it seemed impossible for them to get lost even if they tried.

However, if normal people were to take the same route as the two Fourth Years, most of them would probably find themselves disoriented because everything around them looked the same.

Four more hours passed, and they came across an overgrown path covered with a thick fog.

Mark and Spencer stopped and took out a rope from their storage ring.

Mark tied the rope around his waist and passed the end to Spencer, who did the same.

"Here, Alex," Spencer said. "Tie the rope around your waist and pass it to the others. The fog will be very thick and visibility will be reduced to a meter or two.

"This is the part where we might get lost from the main group, so it will be best if we are all tied up together. That way, we can ensure no one will end up wandering aimlessly into the fog."

Alex nodded and did as he was told.

"Tie it for me, Alex," Vaan said, raising his hands and doing a peace sign.

"You’re so lazy," Alex complained, but he still tied the rope around Vaan’s waist before handing the end to Lavinia.

The young lady took one look at the rope in Alex’s hand before raising her head to look him in the eye.

"I’m not good at tying ropes," Lavinia said calmly. "Can you tie it for me, Alex?"

"Umm... okay." Alex gently looped the rope around her waist. He couldn’t help but notice how slim Lavinia’s waist was compared to his.

He also had a bit of trouble. Tying the rope around a girl’s waist wasn’t that simple since he had to make sure that he didn’t touch her body inappropriately.

Not to mention, he had to be mindful of where to look. He didn’t want to be mistaken for a pervert who had the audacity to lust after his master’s sister!

It didn’t help that Lavinia’s body was curvaceous, even though she was a warrior.

Vaan chuckled beside Alex, fully understanding what Lavinia was thinking.

When he was done, he passed the rope to Chuck, who easily tied the rope around his waist as if he had done it countless times in the past.

Renard, Charles, Nessia, Latifa, Princess Xenia, Mary, and Sir Alphonse did the same.

The Knight guarded the rear. Latifa, on the other hand, was at the middle of the queue, protected by Lotte and Lumi.

After making sure that the rope was tied securely to everyone, Mark led the way, passing through the mist that quickly engulfed his entire being.

The tug on the rope allowed the others to follow him even though they couldn’t really see him through the fog.

"Dim Dim, make sure to not go anywhere, okay?" Alex reminded the little bun that was perched on top of his head. "You might really get lost here."

Dim Dim nodded. "Dim."

In the game, Alex had also entered this fog. In fact, there was even a walkthrough on how to navigate inside of it.

A hundred steps forward, fifty steps to the right, fifty steps to the left, and another hundred steps to the right.

That was how it was in the game, but real life was obviously different.

They had surpassed that number of steps and were steadily climbing higher.

Within the fog, several pairs of golden orbs observed them from a distance.

These orbs weren’t really orbs, but the eyes of monsters who lived within the Heracle Mountain.

They were paying close attention to Alex and his companions.

Some of these monsters were daring enough to get closer to their group, standing only a few meters away from them.

Everyone was ready to fight, so whenever this happened, they would stop walking and hold their weapons at the ready.

The tense situation would only end when these monsters backed away.

But there were a few instances where Chuck and Nessia had to unleash Fire Bullets in the direction of these monsters, forcing them to flee using pure firepower!

Dim Dim also joined and threw some brittle vials at these monsters, making them cry out in pain after the mixture of chili peppers and black peppers exploded right on their faces.

The journey continued with everyone feeling on edge.

They could see something moving within the fog.

Shadows and misty apparitions that might only be the product of their over-active imagination...

Alex had to admit that it was a little stressful since even his map was unable to detect these monsters.

More hours passed before they finally came to a stop. It was time for a lunch break.

"How long will it take before we reach our destination?" Chuck asked the seniors, who had just finished eating the sandwiches they had prepared for the journey.

"I don’t know," Mark said. "The entrance is sometimes near and sometimes far. We can only find it due to a special feeling."

"A special feeling?" Chuck frowned.

"It’s hard to explain," Spencer replied. "All I can say is that finding the entrance to the ruin also depends on luck. We can feel the entrance when we get close, but it’s not a fixed location. It’s like... the entrance is teleporting or something."

"Huh?!" Chuck’s face suddenly became pale after hearing Spencer’s explanation. "Do you mean we can continue to hike and never find the entrance?"

"The short answer is yes," Mark admitted. "But I am certain we will find it eventually. It will just take some time... or."

The Fourth Year wasn’t able to finish what he was going to say next because he felt a faint magical ripple a few meters away from where he was sitting.

It wasn’t only him who felt it.

Spencer and Chuck also felt something in the distance, which suddenly popped out of nowhere.

"It’s here," Mark exclaimed. "Let’s hurry before it disappears!"

The young man immediately urged everyone to follow him since the entrance to the ruin would disappear again after two or three minutes.

Everyone followed behind Mark, who seemed to have disappeared over a rocky wall of the mountain.

Spencer didn’t hesitate to follow behind and also passed through the rocky wall.

One by one, they entered the ruin’s entrance, which didn’t look like one.

They only knew that it was there because the rope that was tied around their waists was pulled in that direction.

When Alphonse crossed over to the other side, the monsters paying close attention to them rushed to follow them.

However, these monsters only slammed into the rocky wall for the entrance of the ruin had once again disappeared, teleporting somewhere within the mysterious mountain that was once a stronghold of the Dwarves during a time when the world had still been ripe with danger and chaos.