The World Beyond the "Gate," the Tutantlu Ruins

Although the "door" behind them remained completely still.

However, at this moment, the way Kim and Ian looked at each other was completely different.

After all, even the creatures of the Dark Continent, or rather, the White Stone Crab, which is now almost a "dominant" species, are so afraid of it.

To say it's simple is absolutely impossible.

"Luckily, we shrunk this thing beforehand, otherwise who knows what kind of trouble would have occurred..."

Ian was somewhat relieved.

This thing is about the size of a person, yet it still terrifies Big White.

If it had maintained its previous height of nearly 100 meters, who knows how terrified it would have been...

But.

This thing just stood there in the Forest, and without investigating it, Ian and Kim's curiosity couldn't be satisfied.

Ian and Kim exchanged a glance, their eyes flashing as if they were communicating.

"Shall we do it, or should we?"

Ultimately, it was Ian, with his better supplies, who attempted to explore this strange "door" for the first time.

He thought for a moment, then took a Toy Soldiers out of his pocket.

He had already amassed a large number of Toy Soldiers using the [Copying Mirror], so sacrificing one as a price for exploration was no big deal.

Go and check what's inside for me, and be back in five minutes.

Place a red Toy Soldiers on the ground and give it a command.

Ian and King nervously stepped back slightly. Neither of them knew what was behind this door that resembled a "Wormhole," and they wanted to be prepared in case it attracted some strange creatures.

"Yes, sir!"

The Toy Soldiers showed no fear, hoisted the cannon on his shoulder, and walked into the "door" through which liquid metal flowed.

Time passed by, minute by minute.

To Ian and Kim's surprise, nothing happened.

Five minutes later, the Toy Soldiers actually came out of it again, completely unharmed.

Unfortunately, its artificial intelligence is not advanced, and communication with it is very poor; it is almost impossible to describe in detail what it sees within it.

However, it is basically certain that the other party did not encounter any danger inside.

After confirming that the interior environment was not too different from their daily living environment, Ian and Kim hesitated several times, but finally decided to go in and take a look for themselves.

Anyway, the [Disaster-Repelling Sticker] hasn't expired yet, so it's not a problem for them to get in.

"Let's go, Jin, be careful, this is no joke..."

Ian gave Kim a slight reminder, and Kim, enveloped in a thick layer of Nen, led the two of them straight into the liquid mercury-like "door".

Sure enough... the moment they came into contact with that thing, the two of them felt a sense of temporal and spatial distortion, as if they were being torn apart.

Then, with a "whoosh," the two disappeared into the dark Forest, leaving only the eerie liquid door, still slowly and silently flowing.

With a "poof" sound.

Located in a brightly lit, dilapidated city ruin, Ian and Kim suddenly appeared there as if they had been vomited out.

As soon as they landed, the two quickly surveyed their surroundings, their bodies radiating alertness.

"Bang!"

Without saying a word, Ian pulled a huge Steel-Shell Beast out of his pocket and placed it beside him.

With the [Invincible Turret] by his side, he felt slightly more at ease, focusing his gaze on his surroundings, wary of any disturbance.

Jin, standing nearby, did the same; as soon as he arrived, he summoned a Rainbow Rabbit.

Although the Rabbit looked silly, it carefully protected the gold underneath its body.

However, the two seemed to be overly cautious.

There appears to be no life form present here.

"It seems we were overly cautious. This place should be safe for now. The Toy Soldiers' reconnaissance was correct."

After a brief moment, Ian relaxed slightly and spoke.

Jin nodded, but still looked around warily.

After all, in the Dark Continent, any unexpected situation that suddenly occurs is entirely within reason.

You have to understand... at this time, they were living in the most remote place from the human world, where it was almost impossible to get support from the outside world.

Everything... depends on them alone.

The two first surveyed their surroundings and made some startling discoveries.

Behind them, on the ground, stood a liquid metal "door" identical to the one they had brought out.

"It seems this thing really is a portal..."

Ian's expression turned slightly serious.

He never expected that such a thing would exist on the Dark Continent. This portal, or "Wormhole," was either a technological creation or an effect achieved through some kind of Nen Ability.

He understood whatever it was.

Even without the props, he couldn't have achieved this level of skill...

In any case, such a creation is not a simple thing.

Just then...

Jin looked ahead, his brows furrowed, his expression serious, and spoke slowly.

"Ian, look ahead. I have a feeling... this might be the site of an old city..."

Upon hearing Kim's words, Ian was taken aback and followed the other's gaze.

Sure enough... there were a large number of regularly shaped walls standing on the ground, and huge arc-shaped indentations on the surface. Even from a distance, one could sense that some kind of civilization had once lived here.

Ian clicked his tongue slightly and whispered.

"To survive on the Dark Continent, these ruins couldn't possibly have been created by humans..."

Since arriving on this Dark Continent, even though they are still in a remote corner, everything they have seen and heard has made them clearly realize one thing.

This is absolutely not a place suitable for human habitation...

It is at least extremely unsuitable for ordinary human survival.

They hadn't yet encountered those legendary giant creatures, but based on what they saw so far, they already sensed a problem.

In the Dark Continent, there are very few things, whether animals or plants, that can be described as "harmless".

Vines may be the tentacles of some plants for hunting, and all living things possess certain advantages, which are brought to the extreme in the hunting of ecological niches.

In comparison.

On the continent within Lake Mobius, where humans currently live, both animals and plants are far less aggressive than here...

That place truly resembles a peaceful haven suitable for nurturing humankind.

"Let's go. Since we're not in danger yet, let's go and see what this place is all about..."

"Even if it is Ruins some civilization, it is probably not left by humans. We should still be careful on the road."

Ian spoke up, and Kim, standing beside him, smiled and glanced at him.

"Ian, you're much more professional now."

Ian readily agreed, a proud smile playing on his lips.

"Of course. I didn't have the opportunity to train before, but now that I'm in this kind of environment, it would be a huge underestimation of me if I didn't improve."

After he finished speaking, the two walked forward side by side, cautiously.

During this time, the two looked up at the sun in the sky, and for the time being, they were somewhat unable to determine where they were.

It is somewhere on the Dark Continent, or perhaps in another world.

After all, it was still nighttime where they had just left the Dark Continent...

In contrast, it's daytime here, which is something worth noting.

The ground was flat, paved with some kind of smooth-surfaced megaliths. Stepping on this ground, they seemed to sense the presence of a civilization that had once flourished here.

Along the way.

Despite the excellent lighting, it was completely silent; there wasn't even a sound from animals or insects.

Apart from the footsteps of Ian and King, the place was almost deathly silent.

Before long, the two arrived at the man-made Ruins ahead.

"It really is a giant rock..."

When Ian saw the towering walls, Ian was slightly startled, and then he was surprised to find that the dents in the ground were actually used to move these giant stones.

These massive, intact Brown Giant Walls resemble sliding doors with pulleys.

It seemed one could slide directly along the huge indentation in the ground.

These massive, semi-circular walls, extending inwards like Lotus Leaves, form layers upon layers of protection for this Ruins.

"I wonder why they built such a magnificent structure. Could it be that a humanoid species has developed here?"

Ian raised his doubts, after all, he had a strong sense of déjà vu when he saw those boulders.

It was as if I had seen something similar somewhere before.

He couldn't remember for the moment, so he didn't think much of it and walked inside with Jin.

Jin, standing to the side, subtly changed his expression.

He didn't reveal his discovery, partly because he found it too absurd, and partly because... he wanted to confirm it again.

Jin's Nen Ability, the Game World, when it was first created, drew heavily on historical documents from the past.

After all, as Ruin Hunter, he has access to far more heavy history than the average person.

It was after understanding those unknown mysteries that we learned about them.

He then had the urge to build his own Nen Ability world, and he discovered that some of the Ruins he found here were quite similar to the Ruins of a civilization he had once built.

He remained silent until he reached the giant wall.

Upon seeing the massive Stone Gate and the symbols carved upon it, he finally couldn't help but exclaim in horror.

"It's... Tutantlu's symbolic mark..."

"Hey, Ian, this might actually be a human-made Ruins..."

The shock on Jin's face was beyond words.

This is all because the discovery here completely overturned his ideas and even gave him a strong sense of disconnect from human history!

Is history... true or false?

What truths did humanity hide in the past?

Upon hearing Kim's words, Ian looked puzzled and turned to him.

Tutantlu?

Jin's breathing was heavy, his gaze fixed on a unique symbol resembling a hand and pupil carved on the massive stone wall they were approaching.

"That's right..."

"In the recorded history of humankind, there have been several civilizations, all of which fell and disappeared for unknown reasons. However, in some of the Ruins I have discovered, I have found records of these civilizations."

"Among them, in chronological order of my discovery..."

"They are Pasiayek, Tutantlu, Yamina, Atlantis, Kenawell..."

At this point, his throat bobbed involuntarily, and he hesitated slightly.

"In the records I've discovered, the earliest Pasiayek Civilization can be traced back to 10,000 years ago..."

"Tutantlu's earliest discovery dates back 6,000 years..."

He couldn't help but turn to look at Ian beside him, his face shrouded in a gloomy expression—the curse of knowledge, the inability to solve the unknown. He murmured to himself.

"And now... they've actually appeared here..."

"I can no longer distinguish which of the things I discovered before were real and which were fake..."

Hearing his words, Ian vaguely understood what Kim was trying to say.

That's absolutely outrageous!

Ian finds it hard to believe that humans established themselves on the Dark Continent 6,000 years ago and built such magnificent cities.

Make him believe it.

It's like making him believe that monkeys actually developed lithography machines, then destroyed them, and then voluntarily transformed into wild monkeys to pick fruit on the mountain.

"That's truly unbelievable..."

"Could there be a mistake?"

Ian continued to try to offer Kim solutions from different angles. Upon hearing this, Kim paused for a moment, but after thinking about it carefully, he shook his head.

"I can't remember exactly, but the probability is low..."

"I have a very deep impression of that mark, especially."

Ian hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Although I don't know the truth of history, I feel... if there is one and only truth, then it must be hidden here..."

"After all... this place is almost impossible for humans to discover."

Upon hearing Ian's words, Kim paused for a moment, then suddenly realized what he meant.

That's right!

Regardless of whether his past understanding of history was misleading.

But when they arrived here, all the mysteries were being revealed to them.

After all... if it weren't for Ian, even King believed that no other human could have reached this place.

That "Wormhole" hidden beneath the endless cavern.

It seems that if Ian hadn't been so resourceful, they would never have been discovered; it was fate that led them here.

"That's true. I overthought it. Anyway, now that we're here, let's see what really happened here..."

After being comforted by Ian, Kim was freed from the shackles of knowledge.

The two then continued walking forward.

Nothing unexpected happened along the way. The city didn't seem like a place that had ever been inhabited by humans; if I had to describe it, it was more like a war fortress.

Everything was enormous.

At the same time, everything seemed to be constructed to resist some kind of existence.

If it truly is Ruins of human civilization, Ian and King could understand it. After all, being on this Dark Continent, it would make perfect sense if it was built to defend against some kind of enormous creature.

However, the gaps left in the building made it convenient for them to move forward.

Finally, after passing through layers of massive defensive walls, we arrived at a high platform with a dome that reflected light.

Here, they found a stone seat.

Its entire body is white, seemingly intentionally placed there, with a ray of light from the dome shining on it, making it appear sacred.