Ronin was the type who acted the second he made up his mind. Once things in Greed Island were wrapped up, he didn't stick around to watch Kurapika and the others train. He used a [Pass] card, picked the port in the Etoria Kingdom, and left the game without hesitation.
That was one of the most convenient things about Greed Island.
The only downside was that if he wanted to come back in, he'd have to return to Battera's castle first.
Before he left, Ronin handed every card he had over to Kurapika. There weren't many, but according to the game rules, if he stayed out for more than ten days, those card records would vanish anyway.
The only thing he took with him was Owl, who had been smuggled in with the Fun Fun Cloth from the very beginning.
He hadn't dared let Owl show himself inside the game. There was no point in testing it. The manga had already shown what happened when someone tried to sneak things in—if they got caught, they got kicked out. If Ronin brought Owl out and someone spotted him, worst case they might expel both of them. That would just waste his time. Best case, they only kicked Owl out, and that would be a real loss.
He'd gotten used to using Owl as his personal storage over the past month and change.
The Etoria Kingdom was a small country, but it wasn't far from Kakin. The moment Ronin stepped off the boat at the port, he contacted Muir.
He was a week earlier than they'd originally planned for November.
Muir sounded genuinely surprised when he picked up, but he told Ronin to wait where he was—someone from the mercenary group would come get him soon.
Ronin agreed and found a café to sit down in.
Everything he knew about the Etoria Kingdom came from quick internet searches, so following Muir's arrangements was the smartest move for now.
One advantage of a small country showed up right away. The Mahavi Ruins were over a hundred kilometers from the port, but the drive only took a few hours.
Ronin ordered some desserts, flipped through a newspaper for a while, and his ride showed up.
Because they'd already spoken on the phone, there wasn't much small talk once they met. They just got in the car.
The driver was someone Ronin recognized from the manga—a guy with a watermelon-style haircut and a thick, solid build. He looked honest and a little simple at first glance, but the steady Ten wrapped around him made it obvious his strength wasn't ordinary.
"Name's Maschur. We met at Heaven's Arena," the driver said as he pulled away from the curb.
"Ronin," Ronin replied, even though the guy clearly already knew. "You were the one who helped stop the Troupe from surrounding me at the arena, right?"
Back then, Yadley had pulled Maschur in too. His asking price had been extremely high.
"Yeah," Maschur nodded. "I got to watch you put on a hell of a show up on that stage."
The massive fire Ronin had unleashed during that fight had genuinely impressed him.
Ronin gave a small smile. "Thanks for the help last time."
"Didn't really do much," Maschur said, waving it off. "But this time we'll be working together. Temporary teammates, I guess."
"Looking forward to it," Ronin said politely.
Maschur laughed, loud and straightforward. He didn't seem to have any hidden motives when he talked—just open and easygoing.
The drive passed pleasantly enough. Maschur filled Ronin in on the Mahavi Ruins. Right now, the Etoria Kingdom's soldiers were doing most of the excavation work. The mercenary groups only got called in when monsters showed up.
The ruins were huge. Once they pushed deeper, the soldiers wouldn't be much use anymore. That was when the mercenaries would have to handle the actual digging and exploration themselves.
Muir hadn't just invited Ronin this time. He'd hired a lot of professional Hunters too.
The conditions the Etoria Kingdom offered were pretty attractive for both mercenaries and Hunters. Anything they brought out of the ruins could be auctioned off for serious money.
"You should know the ruins are definitely more than two thousand years old based on what we've found so far," Maschur said, eyes lighting up with excitement.
The older something was, the higher the price tag. If they dug up something from the ancient era—or even managed to pull useful information out of it—the payout could be massive.
Listening to him, Ronin found himself getting curious too.
Had the Kurta Clan already been here two thousand years ago?
Once they left the city and entered the dense forest, the road got rough, though tire tracks were still clearly visible.
"Kingdom army made these roads," Maschur explained. "Makes it easier for the exploration teams to move in and out, and lets them bring in heavier weapons to keep the monsters from breaking out and reaching the nearby cities."
Armed soldiers started appearing along the roadside as they drove.
Maschur pulled out two work IDs—one his own, the other already prepared for Ronin. They passed every checkpoint without issue.
This was Ronin's first time exploring actual ruins in either of his lives, so his curiosity had been building since they entered the forest.
They stopped the car two kilometers from the entrance and walked the rest of the way.
From the moment they got out, Ronin could see signs of heavy fighting everywhere.
"The monsters inside broke out once before," Maschur said. "Kingdom army took heavy losses driving them back. That's one of the reasons they opened the ruins up to Hunters and mercenaries."
He continued as they walked. "Kakin heard about the ruins too and tried to negotiate with Etoria. But they got greedy—wanted more than just access to the site. Things got messy until V5 stepped in and shut Kakin down for now. Still, Nasubi Hui Guo Rou's an ambitious guy. I wouldn't be surprised if they make another move soon."
Ronin nodded. He agreed with the assessment.
What surprised him was that Maschur was even bringing up Kakin at all.
With Beyond's people already embedded in Kakin, Maschur's team would definitely know if something was moving. So was this just casual talk, or was Maschur testing him?
He didn't push the topic. They'd already reached the entrance to the ruins.
And waiting there was Muir.