Vortex Hill (7)

Gregory carefully read the mysterious letters. However, he couldn't decipher some of the characters in between. Because the ruins were so ancient, the letters appeared rather faint.

"From 1... to 9. Each used once...."

At that moment, when the unfamiliar letters were causing him visible discomfort, Ernest cut in.

"You must use the numbers 1 to 9, each exactly once, to make the equation OOOOO-OOOO=33333 true; what numbers should fill each blank?"

There was a mechanism within this door. The function of this device was to prevent monsters from passing through the door. At that time, no one knew that monsters were formed by absorbing impure mana, so such a special mechanism had been installed.

But in fact, it was more likely that animals entering these ruins had naturally transformed into monsters. Just as the giant worm underwent mutation earlier, this suggests other animals could experience similar changes.

As Ernest read the ancient script with ease, silence filled the air around them. His companions, impressed by Ernest's brilliance, thought he was cool.

Alessandro's eyes blazed as he stared at Ernest.

"Wha—what? How did you read that?"

Ernest, though outwardly composed, couldn't help but feel a sense of pride.

"I did study some ancient script when I was young."

As everyone looked at Ernest with awe, there was one exception. That was Gregory. He had no interest in being able to read ancient script. He instead began to ponder the problem presented.

"Oh... so that's what it means. Hmm... no repeats allowed, huh."

Ernest sighed, as though he had never expected anything from Gregory in the first place. Eventually, he came over and started looking for the answer with him.

"Yeah... I guess that's just like you...."

"Ernest, calm down...."

"It's fine. Doesn't matter. One day, if I keep at it and achieve something, I'll get recognition."

It made no difference to Gregory. After all, in a previous life he had already achieved the status of Swordmaster. He had overcome the curse on his body twice, and rapidly reached his current level in a short time.

What, then, could possibly inspire awe in such a man?

"What numbers should I use?"

Gregory simply tackled the problem methodically. He gripped his chin with his thumb and forefinger and spoke.

"Right. I think I'm getting the gist of this...."

His companions stifled their laughter, thinking Ernest seemed a bit pitiful. But Ernest paid them no mind.

"Alright, I won't lose. I'll solve it first and flatten your nose, Gregory!"

Seeing this, the others quickly changed their posture and joined in on the problem-solving.

"Ugh, fine. Then I'm going to get it first!"

Alessandro scratched his head and used all his fingers, folding them one by one as he spoke.

"Wait... how am I supposed to calculate this?"

Ernest offered the first analytical thought. If the second number is four digits, no matter how large, the first digit of the first number can only be 4 or 3.

Elisabeth added her own thought to Ernest's suggestion.

"Then, if we assume the first digit of the first number is 4, digits from 4 to 9 can't go in the second space."

As they began to steadily piece their way through the clues, Gregory suddenly exclaimed the answer.

"41286-7953."

He then smiled with satisfaction.

"What? Don't tell me you already knew?"

Ernest asked Gregory.

"No, how could I have known? It's not even in the books, so how could I possibly know that?"

At those words, Alessandro was frustrated.

"Damn it... he beat me to it again. This time, I really wanted to get it first."

Brea turned her head sharply, showing clear annoyance.

"Hmph! How annoying."

Gregory looked at his companions, almost as if he was enjoying their reactions.

"Is this hard?"

Gregory then began searching nearby for stones. There were nine dice-shaped stones scattered on the floor, each carved with a different number.

Gregory picked them up and placed each stone in a blank space on the door.

Kiiiiiiik—

At that moment, the heavy stone door, which seemed unlikely to budge, began to open.

The door turned with a deep, rumbling sound, transforming into a passage large enough for several people to walk through. Gregory and his companions moved on.

'Is this when the real part begins?'

Passing through the corridor, many thoughts ran through Gregory's mind. Afterward, he quietly observed his companions. By now, they all must have realized they were running low on food.

If they didn't find what they needed quickly enough, everyone's morale would drop as they ran out of supplies, and, in the worst case, they might even starve on the way back.

It meant that, should things go awry, they might have to retreat quickly to avoid disaster. Gregory resolved to find the best—or at least a decent—solution to avoid such an outcome.

"As before, we'll split up the group and continue exploring."

Gregory planned to divide the party. He figured that if these ruins were located under such a vast desert, their size would be immense as well.

Now that the results were in sight, failure would mean a second expedition might never even be possible.

With the collapse of the giant worm, the surrounding area had risen and eroded, naturally revealing the location of the ruins to others as well.

He couldn't afford to lose the credit while reorganizing for a second attempt. That was why he was determined to finish it all in one go.

'Looks like we'll need to explore efficiently.'

However, contrary to Gregory's plan, Ernest suggested a different idea.

"This time, how about we all stay together?"

Gregory hesitated for a moment. He felt responsible for encountering the giant worm in the first place. There was a chance they might face another powerful monster in these ruins.

It was safe to infer that there would almost certainly be powerful monsters inside.

Rather than risk his companions' lives, he thought that if the legendary sword was taken away while they regrouped, it was simply fate.

"Hmm... perhaps we really should stick together this time."

Moreover, even a glance from the outside showed that the ruins' structure looked complicated. If they got lost here, it could end up being more terrifying than being lost in the desert.

Gregory agonized over the decision several times in a very short period but ultimately decided to adopt Ernest's suggestion.

"Alright, then... let's go together this time."

Perhaps putting too much faith in his companions, Alessandro immediately started dashing around the room as soon as Gregory announced his decision.

Meanwhile, Adrian, watching the others, followed close behind Alessandro to stop him.

***

A stream surged alongside the passage. The ruins ahead spread out in a maze-like, complex structure.

Being located underground and at such depth, darkness filled the area so thoroughly that visibility was poor even though the distance wasn't far.

Fortunately, there were torches affixed to the walls, so it wasn't impossible to move forward. If Gregory had thought things would be so difficult, he would have advised on regrouping.

Alessandro was quickly gripped by fear, unlike his previous excitement. The reason was the path splitting into three branches. Even though there were torches, the atmosphere remained ominously dim.

Elisabeth asked,

"Which way should we go?"

Gregory closed his eyes and began to sense the presence of impure mana. The reason he aimed for the direction of impure mana was straightforward.

Not only is impure mana the source of all mana, but according to the books, the legendary sword had been embedded in the ruins specifically to block this impure mana.

"If we go down the center, that should be it."

But that was only how it was described in the books. The legendary sword was just a sword handed down through legend.

People in those times were overly superstitious, and wanted to believe the legendary sword could ward off misfortune or nullify evil energies.

Knowing this, Gregory saw an opportunity for a windfall. Usually, legendary swords are said to bring misfortune to their holders. Isn't that often the lore?

Just look at Durandal. Even that sword brings a terrible side effect known as Verk's curse to those who try to wield it.

However, even without any side effects, it could greatly boost combat power. Besides, the fact that it was the sword that Alessandro of his previous life wielded wildly was, no matter how many times he thought about it, an incredible gain.

Everyone followed Gregory down the path. He believed that searching for impure mana would quickly lead him to the legendary sword.

At least, until they encountered a powerful monster.

'Ah... I had hoped it wouldn't come to this, but in the end, here it is.'

Chojohjok—

With a strange, rustling sound, something appeared before Gregory and his companions, blocking the already narrow path.

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