Chapter 283 Underground Facility
The underground facility was rather well intact, despite the desolated look from the outside, The stone walls were filled with green moss and cobwebs, but the corridor hallway was rather long and extensive. Not to mention there were writings, pictures and murals on the wall, which indicated that this complex was not just a dungeon nor was it a simple facility.
If given time, Jin would probably ask the System to take some of it down to decipher the texts and pictures, but he was in a rush to get the defunct core. Less than a few minutes into the ruins, Jin and the others were welcomed by a group of humanoid looking robots. The monsters did not hesitate, and rushed forward to intercept the enemies.
The monsters struck first and many of the robots toppled effortlessly. Heads were torn, legs were bitten and torsos were tossed as if it was some Black Friday sale. Even Sebastia and the rest of the battle maids were doing pretty well themselves.
"I thought you said they were difficult to kill?" Jin managed to catch up with Sebastia and asked as he slashed down another humanoid robot warrior. He discovered that most of the humanoid robots were similar to what Sebastia had brought back for him as a specimen.
Expressionless.
The major difference was the armour and weapons they were wearing. A low level humanoid robot could be recognized by the attire it was wearing. The minotaurs were able to effortlessly differentiate them in a second, but Jin perceived them as too similar to each other, to make out clear differences. After all he was not from this world.
"These are just fodders. It is similar to when you fought against us, we used cannon fodder to waste your strength and resources before we sent in the big guys. It also gives the enemy a pretty good picture of what he is up against, since we have to use some of our abilities!" Sebastia explained as she chopped the humanoid robot archer into two with her bare hands and the shockwave impact destroyed another that was behind the robot.
It was at this moment the facility ruins had a fork and Sebastia informed Jin that the dungeon core's wave signature was coming from the left. However, Jin saw that Sandy, the Sand Witch, and the rest of the enlightened group stepped forward. "We are not very interested in the dungeon competition so we will be fighting on our own with the goal to train ourselves. If we find anything worthy, we will ask the System to retrieve it for you, Master." Sandy who was the appointed leader for the Enlightened group excused themselves as they took the other path. Then they were also followed by Derek the Half Lord and his zombie army. In the meantime, Gold, Yem and Mer rushed to the left fork knocking out numerous weak humanoid looking robot, leading their own groups forward.
"Awww, Master, you sure we cannot participate? I want to blow some stuff up." Peppers grumbled as she had to follow the Werejackals. "Yeah Boss, I do not see any point coming down here full force. I'd rather be treating some patients than babysitting these brainless cows." Milk complained.
"Zeru did not complain when he went with the Enlightened group and the Zombie horde." Jin tried to retort, but the girls only rolled their eyes in boredom. It was not as if the bellators were hard at work counting how many metallic bodies their respective group were racking, especially since the System was doing it all for them. Hence, it was not unfair to call it a waste of time for the bellators to babysit the monsters. Yet Jin who had been through various encounters in these recent weeks, learned not to underestimate the situation.
Well, it was true that Milk could quicken the pace of recovery of his cultivators back in the store. Peppers could also rather use the time to further prepare the basic layout for the city building so that when Qiu Yue arrives to help, it could speed up the entire process. But Jin felt that this dungeon would not be so convenient to have the defunct dungeon core exposed for them to take. If it were so easy then there would have been no need for Sebastia to ask for help… and they had yet to encounter any powerful enemies.
Suddenly, the ground started to shake and even the monsters who were enjoying rampaging against those helpless robot guards stopped what they were doing and stayed on high alert.
"I guess I did not bring you guys for nothing." Jin giggled as half of the walkway crumbled right in front of them without the weight of the soil above to bury them. An enormous sized robotic looking knight with a broken set of armour rose from the depths of darkness where the walkway crumbled.
It was so mammoth-like that it occupied more than six times the size of the extensive underground walkway they were in, scaring most monsters and Jin except for Peppers.
"Manipulation of space time in the works. There is no way this thing could exist without the manipulation of space time and perhaps gravity too, especially when the ground above did not fall. Besides, everything that surrounds us now and beyond is a pitch of pure black darkness while we could still see the enemy so clearly." Peppers concluded as Jin could now see fear staining her eyes yet excitement dancing on her lips.
Furthermore, the walkway that they were standing on shook, which made bits and pieces of the walkway fall into the abyssal darkness, causing Jin and his monsters to run. The rest who could not catch up with the speed of the disappearing walkway fell through the cracks. Yet, the only one not running away, was none other than Peppers.
"DO NOT RUN! Those who are falling, image yourself on stable ground!" Peppers shouted, and the minotaurs and werejackals who were falling endlessly into the abyss thought of the ground they desired and poof! A solid transparent ground appeared which intercepted their fall. They were so happy that they kissed the invisible block of 'soil' underneath them.
"This room or corridor or whatever the monsters called it, uses your fear to simulate your thoughts into what is happening around you!" Peppers screamed as she pointed her trusty wooden staff in front of the Titan looking Knight with glowing red eyes on it.
"You fear that the walkway will crumble, that is why the dungeon made it true for you! Ask for thy ground and thou shall receive!" Peppers exclaimed, and the monsters who grasped the concept immediately stopped running and thought of the ground. The abrupt solution that Peppers gave worked wonderfully and many began to try to assist the others up, both minotaurs and werejackals.
"Ha ha ha! Looks like someone managed to understand the magic of this dungeon doom!" A low booming voice echoed in the darkness. "But no matter how you think about me, this mechanised titan knight will bring all of you to meet your maker!" The voice proclaimed as the knight materialised a two handed sword, way more prominent than the colossal knight himself and attempted to cleave the entire black dimension into two.
Many tried to dodge it by running or thinking of falling once more. However, there was a deafening sound of clashing coming and interrupting the Titan Knight's cleave. At closer look it was none other than Jin himself.
A tiny size human with his unbreakable katana held on against the attack of the Titan Knight. It was a great feat that Jin did not realise he was able to achieve, until he utilised what Peppers said by thinking he could do it.
But belief was the only source Jin could rely on, as he struggled against the blasphemously gigantic sword. Tens, if not hundreds of humanoid looking robots, now no longer dressed in any adventurer garb nor looking like another adventurer, crawled out of the crevices of the gigantic sword like spiders and moved to intercept Jin.
"Master! Hang in there!" Peppers cried as she chanted some in weird sounding language, that made no sense to Jin. She swung her staff in the direction of Jin and the next instant, a series of explosions was seen on the sword itself. From afar it looked as if there was some colourful fireworks parade as the explosions were controlled and in succession.
"What are you two groups waiting for?! AATTAAAACKK!!" Milk screamed at the top of her lungs towards the Werejackals and Minotaurs as she released a golden God's Punch directed towards the face of the Titan Knight, giving it a dose of its own medicine.