994 Chapter 994 Risk or Retreat
Standing at the sight of the expedition squad's battle with the robot's Marcus looked around him with a frustrated expression.
While most of the expedition squad were still recovering from the fierce battle, he had come to collect the remains of the colossal robot.
However, when he arrived everything had disappeared. Other than the devastation of the area there were no signs that a battle had taken place here.
'Where could it all have gone?'
Marcus had been planning to collect the metal that made up the robot's armor and study it. He also had a keen interest in its weapons that were similar to what could be found on Earth.
"Do you think that more of those robots came while we were gone and took everything?" Mrazivy asked. She had accompanied Marcus since it would be dangerous for him to go alone.
"No, I doubt that is what happened. If there were more robots, they would have come and attacked us. Plus, even the parts of the stronghold that were still standing are gone. Only a small part of it was breached by the colossal robot. It used to span the entire seven kilometers of the land bridge's width; I don't see how normal means could have just made it disappear without a trace." Marcus responded, a baffled look on his face.
All he could come up with was that this was like some sort of event in a game that vanished once it was cleared. Though, the only time he had ever experienced anything similar was within the special dungeon, Realization of Self Perfection. Drawing on this comparison, Marcus toiled around with the idea that it was possible this entire island was considered a dungeon. It showed a few similar characteristics and was not out of the realm of possibilities.
Marcus passed his theory onto Mrazivy since she was more familiar with the workings of this world and wanted her opinion.
"I can't be sure, but this place doesn't feel like a dungeon. We haven't come across any bosses that drop treasure chests and the environments all blend seamlessly together and don't just change drastically from one area to another. If it is a dungeon, it is not like any I have ever heard of. And if it is considered a special dungeon, it is far different from Realization of Self Perfection. This island doesn't have a limit like that place did, and we know from Boreas that the special dungeon he had been in also had an entry limit. We are lacking in information to determine whether this island is considered a dungeon or not." Mrazivy said, shaking her head.
Unfortunately, the disappearance of the robots and their stronghold was going to remain a mystery. Marcus might have been able to figure something out if the administrator had responded to his message, but so far all he had received was silence. He did not know whether he had upset her by using the line of communication for something it was not intended, or if she just hadn't seen it.
Still, he could not shake the feeling that something was amiss here. Some of the things in this world were astounding and made the technology on Earth look lack luster in comparison, but they had all been magical in nature. The robots they had fought did not fit with this world's nature as far as Marcus was concerned.
'I should have collected some of the pieces immediately after the battle.' Marcus thought, admonishing himself for his carelessness.
Perhaps if the colossal robot had not fired its last attack and nearly ended Fianna and Ashton, he would not have been so distraught and forgotten to collect the spoils of their battle.
"Well, there is nothing else for us here." Mrazivy said. "Let's return and inform the others of what we've found. Afterwards we'll decide what we are going to do next." With nothing else to do here, Marcus and Mrazivy turned around and ran back to where the rest of the exposition squad had set up camp.
After the intense battle with the robots many had voiced their concerns and suggested that they retreat. Nevertheless, there were others that wanted to continue now that they were so close to the center of the island. They had just won their most difficult battle yet, and what lay beyond was certainly going to be more valuable than anything the expedition squad had come across so far.
But before a final decision could be made, the status of the robot's stronghold needed to be assed. If it was teaming with more enemies, then it would simply be too difficult to continue. No one wanted to go through another fight like the one they had just barely made it out of. This was another reason that Marcus and Mrazivy had revisited the sight of battle.
'I'm not sure whether hearing the stronghold and the robot's remains have disappeared will be good or bad news.' Marcus thought.
He and Mrazivy had already discussed with one another and concluded to push towards continuing. Both of them were naturally curious and wanted to find out what was at the center of this island. For how difficult it was to get this far, there was definitely something special that this island was hiding.
Once the two of them returned, Mrazivy immediately held a meeting with the other leaders of the expedition squad, while Marcus told everyone else what they had found.
Most everyone was shocked to hear that the stronghold and the remains of the colossal robot were now missing. As if they had never existed in the first place.
"I think that this is probably good news. Perhaps that stronghold and those strange creatures were like guardians protecting a boss room, and that big one was the boss. I bet there is some great treasure just beyond." Kollo said optimistically. Others quickly agreed with her, and even some of those that had been leaning towards retreat seemed enlivened. Hearing that the way forward was completely open quashed their fears.
Eventually, the four leaders of the expedition squad exited from the tent where they had held their meeting and announced their decision.
Together the four of them had unanimously agreed to continue the expedition. Finding out what lay at the center of the island was one of their main objectives set forth by the adventurers guild's higher ups. After coming this far, they could not return with their tails in between their legs. Taking risks was part of being an adventurer.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l