Alex genuinely believed that Sherry could solve the puzzle.
From a young age, she had studied ancient texts, relics, and the remnants of civilizations from the past. If anyone could decipher the complex magical puzzle before them, Sherry was undoubtedly one of the most suitable candidates.
Still, Alex couldn't completely shake off his doubts.
After all, Sherry's parents had been part of a team of experienced researchers and explorers—people who had dedicated years of their lives to studying ancient ruins and forgotten civilizations. If they had managed to solve this puzzle, could Sherry really accomplish the same thing on her own?
'Can Sherry really solve something like this alone?'
It wasn't that Alex doubted her abilities. He simply couldn't ignore the difference between a talented individual and an entire team of experienced researchers.
However, they weren't exactly out of options.
Alex glanced toward Aurora. She had already identified the gate as a complex magical puzzle. Even if she didn't know the complete solution, her vast knowledge could still prove extremely useful.
'At the very least, she can help if Sherry gets stuck.'
With Aurora and Sherry working together, even if indirectly through him, Alex felt their chances were considerably better.
Yet, as it turned out, his concerns were unnecessary.
The moment Sherry began seriously examining the formation, her entire demeanor seemed to change.
Her usual timidness and hesitation disappeared as her attention became completely absorbed by the countless runes covering the massive gate.
She slowly moved closer, her eyes traveling across one pattern after another. Raising her hand without touching the gate, she traced the formation with her finger from a distance.
"This isn't part of the main sequence."
Alex watched silently as she shifted her attention to another section.
"Instead, it's connecting these multiple smaller formations together into a complex web."
Her voice was quiet, almost as though she had forgotten that Alex was standing beside her.
She continued studying the runes, carefully untangling their connections and trying to understand the logic behind the formation. Alex watched her in silence, gradually becoming impressed by how quickly she was deciphering it.
A few minutes passed, then several more.
Sherry occasionally muttered to herself as she worked through different possibilities. Sometimes she confidently identified a connection, while other times she frowned when something failed to make sense.
Eventually, she reached a section that brought her progress to a halt.
She stared at it for a long moment.
"I don't understand this part."
Alex looked toward the area she was examining.
"What is wrong with it?"
"The sequence doesn't follow the same principle as the others." Sherry frowned slightly. "If this rune activates first, the mana should flow toward the central formation, but that would cause these two sections to overlap."
Alex turned toward Aurora.
"Can you figure it out?"
Aurora immediately floated closer and studied the runes. "Hmm..." She carefully examined the formation for several seconds before her eyes suddenly lit up.
"She's looking at it from the wrong direction. That section isn't the beginning of the sequence."
Alex relayed Aurora's words to Sherry.
"Try looking at it from the opposite direction. That section might not be the beginning."
Sherry blinked. "The opposite direction..."
She looked at the formation again. Her eyes moved from one rune to another before suddenly widening.
"I see it."
She quickly pointed toward another section.
"This one activates first. The mana flows backward through this part before returning to the central formation."
Aurora nodded approvingly. With that obstacle overcome, Sherry continued. The process repeated several times.
Whenever she encountered something she couldn't immediately understand, she stopped and carefully examined the formation from different angles. Whenever she reached a genuine dead end, Alex consulted Aurora and relayed her thoughts to Sherry.
It wasn't simply Aurora solving the puzzle for her.
Sherry was doing most of the work herself, using Aurora's observations only when she encountered something beyond her current understanding.
The more she deciphered, the more the formation began to make sense.
The countless runes that had initially appeared chaotic slowly became an interconnected system in Sherry's eyes.
Her concentration became so intense that she barely seemed aware of the passage of time.
Alex watched her silently.
'So this is what she looks like when she's completely focused on something she loves.'
There was no trace of the shy girl who would hesitate before speaking to others.
At this moment, Sherry was simply a researcher standing before an unsolved mystery, determined to uncover its secrets.
Eventually, she reached the final section of the formation.
She turned toward Alex and gave him a small, nervous smile.
"Let's hope everything fits together this way."
Alex nodded. "Then let's try it."
Sherry carefully began activating the sequence she had worked out.
One rune lit up, followed by another.
Then another.
The glowing patterns spread across the massive gate, connecting one section to the next as the entire formation gradually came to life.
They watched as the intricate network of runes illuminated one after another.
The massive gate suddenly trembled. A deep rumbling sound echoed through the chamber as the sealed structure slowly began to move.
Sherry's eyes widened.
"It worked..."
The enormous gate continued opening, revealing a dark passage beyond.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. They had finally overcome the first major obstacle standing between them and the rest of the ancient ruin.
And with the gate now open, the path to the next section had finally been revealed.
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆
With the massive sealed gate finally open, nothing remained to prevent them from moving forward.
Alex and Sherry stepped through the entrance together.
The moment they passed beyond the gate, the environment changed dramatically.
The vast, open space of the spatial maze disappeared behind them, replaced by an enormous area that looked nothing like the previous section.
Alex stopped in his tracks. Before them stretched what appeared to be the remains of an ancient complex.
It was enormous, far larger than the maze they had just crossed. Broken stone buildings were scattered throughout the area, with countless structures either partially collapsed or reduced to piles of rubble.
Some of the buildings still retained portions of their original walls, while others had been almost completely buried beneath debris.
Cracks ran across the remaining structures, and in several places, entire sections of the ancient complex had collapsed.
There were even areas where vegetation had begun reclaiming the ruins.
Thin vines crawled across broken walls, while patches of greenery emerged from between cracks in the stone. Yet even those signs of nature couldn't hide just how long this place had been abandoned.
There wasn't a single visible sign of habitation.
Alex slowly looked around.
According to the System Map, the area resembled a small abandoned city. Now that he was actually standing inside it, however, the feeling was somewhat different.
'This place was simply abandoned and left to decay.'
The entire complex gave him the impression that it had already been deserted for an incredibly long time before eventually deteriorating into the ruins they were seeing now.
It was almost as if whoever had built this place had vanished long before the passage of time began taking its toll.
Alex couldn't help but mutter, "Now this looks like an actual ancient ruin."
Compared to the strange spatial maze outside, this place finally matched what he had imagined when he first heard the words "ancient ruin."
Sherry also stood silently beside him, her eyes moving across the broken structures. The sheer scale of the abandoned complex seemed to leave her momentarily speechless.
Alex continued examining their surroundings.
There were practically no signs of life anywhere nearby. More importantly, unlike the previous section, the boundaries of this area were clearly visible.
The massive space was enclosed by towering walls in the distance, making it possible to understand just how large the area actually was.
Alex raised his head.
Far above them, suspended within the enormous space, was a massive artificial light source. It wasn't the sun, nor did it resemble any ordinary magical lamp.
Yet it illuminated the entire area with a steady, pale light, ensuring that even the deepest corners of the ruined complex remained visible.
Alex stared at it for a moment.
'So that's where the light is coming from.'
The strange artificial light source made the abandoned city feel even more unnatural. Everything around them was ancient, broken, and lifeless.
Yet despite the countless years that had apparently passed, the place was still illuminated as though someone had deliberately ensured that darkness would never completely consume it.
Alex carefully examined the map. 'They should be somewhere in this area.'
The entire section they had just entered was highlighted, indicating that the expedition team should be somewhere within this area.
The highlighted region covered a considerable portion of the ruined complex, meaning they still had quite a bit of ground to search. However, at least they now knew they were looking in the right place.
But then there were the red markers scattered throughout the map.
There were quite a few of them, and unlike the highlighted area indicating their search objective, the red markers represented threats.
Alex's expression became slightly more serious as he glanced toward the ruins ahead.
At first, the abandoned complex looked completely lifeless. There was no movement between the broken buildings, no sound coming from the surrounding ruins, and nothing that immediately suggested they weren't alone.
Yet the System Map told a different story. One of the red markers was moving through the ruined complex, heading in their general direction.
Alex narrowed his eyes. He couldn't tell whether it had detected them yet.
The distance was still considerable, and the ruined buildings provided plenty of cover. For all he knew, the creature might simply be following a predetermined patrol route.
But that didn't mean they could ignore it.
He didn't want to alarm Sherry unnecessarily, especially since they had only just entered this section.
For now, their most important objective was finding her parents and the rest of the expedition team.
Still, with so many red markers scattered throughout the abandoned complex, Alex knew they couldn't afford to let their guard down.
Whether the patrolling creature had detected them or not remained unknown.
And Alex had no intention of finding out the hard way.