No matter what, getting out of that section first was the right call.
Outside the sealed space, Ronin hadn't seen any signs of the vortex distortion yet.
Still, both of them felt uneasy as they left.
When exactly had the distortion started affecting things?
Ronin kept turning the question over in his head the whole way out. Vanessa had barely spent any time inside the Kurta section. She had only gone in with him on the very first day.
That left two possibilities.
One: the dagger had already been exposed when they first arrived, but whatever was causing the distortion had a long incubation period. It only started showing after enough time had passed.
Two: the moment they stepped into this sealed space, they had already entered the range of whatever ability or phenomenon was causing the twisting.
When they passed through the main hall again, Ronin looked up. The ceiling itself carried the same spiral distortion.
He was leaning toward the second option.
The entire sealed section was probably already under the influence of this vortex effect. Anyone inside it was exposed.
A darker thought followed.
What if this place hadn't collapsed naturally? What if the original inhabitants had discovered the distortion, realized they couldn't stop it from spreading, and deliberately sealed the entrances themselves?
He didn't stop to look for proof. The second they got close to the blocked tunnel, he activated his ability and pulled Vanessa into a fast retreat.
They still didn't know if the effect could twist living people, but it was better to get clear first and investigate safely afterward.
The escape went smoothly. Ronin felt some of the tension leave his shoulders.
Once they were outside, though, he noticed several of his own items had started showing the same spiral warping. The kunai in his tool pouch. Parts of his clothing. Even some of the wrapped food and supplies inside the Fun Fun Cloth.
At least neither he nor Vanessa showed any physical changes yet.
Distorted objects were still within acceptable limits. But it meant any further exploration of that section would have to be handled by Shadow Clones only.
Over the next few days, Ronin kept a close eye on Vanessa. If she started showing mental changes—like the people in Uzumaki who began believing twisting their own bodies felt good—he would have to figure out how to remove the effect.
By the third day after they left the depths, nothing like that had happened.
That same day, Kurapika and the others arrived, guided in by Maschur. They met up with Ronin inside the ruins.
Ronin explained everything that had happened. He hoped Kurapika might remember something useful or notice details he had missed.
Unfortunately, Kurapika didn't know much more about the Kurta than Ronin did.
Their knowledge was roughly equal.
That left them back at square one: deciding whether to send people into the sealed section.
Relying only on Ronin's Shadow Clones wasn't realistic. It wasn't that he lacked clones—it was that he lacked the specialized expertise needed for proper archaeological work.
There was also the bigger question no one could answer yet.
Would the vortex effect actually twist people? And what was causing it in the first place?
"We need experts inside," Ronin said.
"I still feel fine," Vanessa added. She had been staying close to Ronin since they left the section. The mercenary group's current job was protecting the V5 specialists exploring the underground city, so she wasn't needed back with Muir's main force right now.
"Bringing in experts is going to be complicated," Kurapika said. "The fastest way is probably posting a request on the Hunter website. There should be professional Hunters who specialize in ancient ruins, but they might already be committed elsewhere."
"We should make the risks clear upfront," Neon said. "Honestly, we could just open the area completely. Set some basic rules—no irreversible damage, no violent or destructive exploration—and let people in under supervision."
With Ronin's Shadow Clones monitoring everything, enforcing those rules wouldn't be difficult. They could also require that every team operate under oversight.
"We're mainly after information about the Kurta," Kurapika agreed. "Not treasures. And if something valuable does turn up that we actually need, we can always buy it at a high price later."
Ronin nodded.
Once word spread that the section was being opened and Ronin used Earth Style to clear the tunnel again, people who had been waiting impatiently gathered quickly.
Kurapika laid out the rules. Some teams chose to back out, but most decided to go in anyway.
They didn't believe Ronin and Vanessa could have fully explored the place in just ten days. Bringing in more people now was the logical next step.
The team leaders took Kurapika's warnings seriously. Ruins exploration was always dangerous. Even with the added risks, when Ronin stepped aside from the entrance, group after group moved into the tunnel.
More people showed up than Ronin had expected.
Part of the reason was simple: V5 had forcibly cleared everyone out of the underground city and turned it into a restricted zone. That left explorers with only two real options—Ronin's section or the monster nest in the middle passage.
The monster nest had almost no exploration value.
If Ronin had kept blocking access, the gathered explorers might have eventually banded together and tried to force their way in.
Opening the area was the smarter move for everyone.
As more teams entered and began working, items that Ronin's clones had overlooked started turning up. Valuable artifacts and relics were slowly being recovered.
But something else was happening too.
Every person who went into the depths noticed the same thing.
Their belongings were starting to twist.