Chapter 174: Opening the Ruins
Regardless of the cause, retreating from that sector was the only logical move.
Outside the "Vortex Zone," Ronin hadn't detected any signs of the spiral warping. However, as they hurried away, an unnatural tension hung between him and Vanessa.
When exactly does the mutation begin?
Ronin pondered this as they moved. Vanessa had barely spent any time in the Kurta sector. To be precise, she had only entered that specific cavern once, on the very first day they arrived.
This led to two possibilities:
The "Infection" happened the moment she stepped inside, but it possessed a latency period, only manifesting once a specific threshold of time had passed.
The entire sub-level—the "sealed" space they had entered—was already within the effective range of a massive, localized spatial Hatsu.
As they passed through the central hall, Ronin looked up at the ceiling. The rock was already beginning to display the same spiral patterns.
He leaned toward the second theory.
The entire cavern was an active zone. Simply being present within the stone walls subjected an object to the "Vortexing" effect.
Wait.
A darker thought surfaced.
What if the tunnel wasn't blocked by a natural collapse? What if the ancient inhabitants discovered the curse, realized it was unstoppable, and chose to entomb themselves to prevent it from spreading to the surface?
He didn't stop to look for proof. He activated his Enhancement speed and led Vanessa through the breach as fast as possible.
Even if they didn't know if the effect worked on living tissue yet, staying was irrational. Scouting required safety.
The extraction was flawless. Once they cleared the modern excavation tunnels, Ronin finally exhaled.
But as he performed a self-scan, he felt a chill.
Several items in his pouch—spare kunai, his own clothing, even the food packets wrapped in Owl's cloth—were beginning to warp. The steel of the kunai was slightly curved, and the fabric of his vest was developing a rhythmic, circular texture.
Fortunately, his and Vanessa's bodies showed no signs of biological distortion.
If the effect was currently limited to inanimate objects, it was manageable. But it meant any further exploration of the deep levels had to be done by Shadow Clones. If a clone "spiraled," it didn't matter; it was just Chakra.
Ronin monitored Vanessa closely for the next forty-eight hours. If she began to show psychological symptoms—like the obsession with "coiling" seen in the manga—he would have to consider Exorcism (Nen Removal).
But by the third day, she remained perfectly normal.
That afternoon, Kurapika and his team, led by Mashur, finally reached the ruins and regrouped with Ronin.
Ronin briefed Kurapika on everything. He hoped the "Pure" Kurta would recognize a detail he had missed or recall a clan legend that explained the subterranean spiral.
Unfortunately, Kurapika's knowledge of the clan's deep history was just as fragmented as Ronin's. They were both outsiders looking into a locked room.
The discussion inevitably turned back to the "Expert" problem.
Shadow Clones were great for scouting, but they lacked the specialized archaeological and biological training required to "read" a ruin. Ronin could see a wall; he couldn't tell you what the chemical composition of the paint meant for the timeline.
But the "Vortex" threat remained a barrier. How could they send people in if they might turn into human pretzels?
"We need experts, but we can't force them in," Ronin said.
"I feel fine," Vanessa noted. She had been Ronin's constant companion for the last few days. Her unit at the Rock Mercenaries didn't need her yet—with the V5 moving into the left-hand city, Muherr's team was focused on high-level security for the research teams. That was their specialty.
Even without her or Ronin, Muherr's unit was more than capable of holding a perimeter.
"Hiring experts is a headache," Kurapika analyzed. "Most Ruins Hunters are either already on a V5 contract or heading to the new discoveries in the Republic of Padokea. Our best bet is the Hunter Website."
"Actually, why don't we just open the gates?" Neon suggested. "Set specific rules—no structural damage, no 'violent' looting. Let the freelancers do the initial mapping for us."
Ronin realized he could use Shadow Clones to "police" the sector. It wasn't a bad idea.
"We add one more condition," Ronin added. "Any team that enters must agree to share all photographic and textual data with us. We aren't interested in the treasure; we're interested in the Kurta."
"Exactly," Kurapika agreed. "If they find gold, they can keep it. If they find history, it belongs to us."
Ronin used his Earth Style to reopen the tunnel he had sealed.
The news that the "private" sector was now open spread through the camp like a virus. The explorers who had been grumbling at the blockade swarmed toward the breach.
Kurapika stood at the entrance, reciting the rules to every group. Some turned back, unwilling to be monitored, but most—driven by the logic that Ronin hadn't finished clearing the loot in ten days—surged inside.
The sudden influx was fueled by another factor: V5 Bureaucracy.
The Isolation Agency had officially claimed the left-hand skyscraper city as a "High-Risk Zone," forcibly evicting all private explorers.
With the left-hand city closed, the only choices left for the freelancers were Ronin's sector or the central "Monster Nest."
The choice was obvious.
If Ronin had continued the blockade, the combined frustration of fifty Nen users might have led to an all-out assault on him. Opening the gates neutralized the threat and turned the public into a massive, unpaid research team.
As the waves of people entered the depths, Ronin's clones followed, maintaining a discrete oversight.
Valuable artifacts began to surface—items Ronin's cursory scan had missed.
But as the loot was brought out, a pattern emerged. Every single item carried out of the deep ruins—from gold coins to ceramic jars—was warped into a spiral.
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