diff --git a/nimbus/vm/interpreter/utils/utils_numeric.nim b/nimbus/vm/interpreter/utils/utils_numeric.nim
index 4274bf861..a57b1afb7 100644
--- a/nimbus/vm/interpreter/utils/utils_numeric.nim
+++ b/nimbus/vm/interpreter/utils/utils_numeric.nim
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ proc rangeToPaddedUint256*(x: seq[byte], first, last: int): Uint256 =
   let lo = max(0, first)
   let hi = min(x.high, last)
 
-  if not(lo < hi):
+  if not(lo <= hi):
     return # 0
 
   result = UInt256.fromBytesBE(
diff --git a/tests/fixtures/PrecompileTests/modexp.json b/tests/fixtures/PrecompileTests/modexp.json
index cd877bfaa..bb711b394 100644
--- a/tests/fixtures/PrecompileTests/modexp.json
+++ b/tests/fixtures/PrecompileTests/modexp.json
@@ -87,4 +87,4 @@
         "expected": "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"
       }
     ]
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}