Nothing else was needed; the massive chunk of Iron Ore before him explained everything.
On this ink-black plain, flat as a salt field, that conspicuous piece of Iron Ore perfectly matched the information Jude had mentioned before.
At the location of a ruin's entrance, there would be a representative object—the very thing after which the ruin was named.
So...
Mu Fan raised his head and looked into the distance, at the silent gate set within the black wall.
...This was the Steel Ruins!
He took a deep breath.
Mu Fan strode forward.
"If we're going in... we should be careful together." Black's voice was unusually grave. It had gathered pitifully little information on the Ancient Ruins.
When it came to areas possessing unknown powers, Black had always believed in staying as far away as possible.
Mu Fan merely gave a casual grunt.
He walked calmly toward the gate.
Behind him, Shura still knelt on one knee, resisting the inexplicable pressure of this space.
"I'll be back as soon as I can."
Mu Fan walked up to the gate and placed both hands on its rings. The icy touch made him feel as though he had only just returned to reality.
Then he slowly pulled it open.
With a creak, the gate opened, and dim starlight spilled down at Mu Fan's feet.
His shadow stretched long behind him.
A thin membrane seemed to writhe slowly before him. It was as if the outside air wanted to blow in, yet was somehow blocked.
Mu Fan blinked, took out his dagger, and thrust it forward to test it. Three seconds later, he swiftly pulled it back.
His fingers lightly brushed over the dagger.
Its temperature had not changed, and both sides of the blade remained as smooth as ever.
Then, without the slightest