Odyssey Of Survival-Chapter 73 Nate’s Instinct

When Nate said he might know a thing or two about Zoro’s movements, the entire group became noticeably more attentive. Every gaze locked onto him as if his words held the answers to all their questions.

Nate leaned forward, his expression serious as he began to recount his experience. "There was this one day," he started, his voice steady but laced with a hint of bitterness, "when Zoro had just finished torturing me. I was lying there, barely conscious, and one of the Keepers came in. His name was Spike. They didn’t realize I could hear them, so they just started talking like I wasn’t even there."

He paused for a moment, his brow furrowing as he tried to recall the details. "From what I heard, Zoro wasn’t just staying in that cave to torment us. He was mining something—some kind of strange crystal. Spike called it... Niyx." Nate’s eyes flickered with realization as the name fell from his lips. "Yeah, that was it. Niyx. They were collecting it and taking it somewhere."

"Somewhere?" Ryder asked, his tone sharp. "Where?"

"That’s the thing," Nate replied, shaking his head. "Wherever they were taking it, it wasn’t on this island. And whoever they were taking it to... Zoro was afraid of them."

The group exchanged uneasy glances. The tension in the cave was palpable as everyone processed the information. The idea that Zoro—a being who had terrorized them all—could be afraid of someone else sent a shiver through the room.

"So, he’s scared of them," Jack muttered, breaking the silence. "Who could possibly be powerful enough to scare him?"

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Nate shrugged. "I don’t know, but from the way they talked, whoever or whatever it is, it’s bad news. Worse than Zoro."

Everyone fell silent again, their expressions grim as they mulled over Nate’s revelation. It was Bella who finally spoke up. "This confirms something we suspected," she said, her tone firm. "Zoro’s not just here for himself. He’s transporting those crystals off the island, it’s like a business for him. That means he holds the key to leaving this place."

"Yeah," Ryder agreed, his jaw tightening. "If we want to find a way out of here, we’re going to have to figure out where those crystals are going and why."

Madison suddenly raised her hand, her voice cutting through the heavy atmosphere. "Hold on," she said, her tone uncertain. "Are we sure we even want to leave this place? I mean... think about what Nate just said. Zoro is afraid of what’s out there. Do we really want to walk straight into that?"

Her words hung in the air like a heavy fog. For a moment, no one spoke.

Bella, however, wasn’t one to back down from a challenge. "Madison," she said firmly, "if we want to go home, we’re going to have to take risks. Staying here forever isn’t an option."

Madison crossed her arms, unconvinced. "I get that, but walking blindly into something that scares Zoro? That doesn’t sound like survival to me."

Jack chimed in, his voice steady but determined. "Bella’s right. If we ever want to get back home, we have to find civilization—or whatever passes for it in this place. We need answers, and we’re not going to get them by hiding here."

Ryder nodded in agreement. "We’ve survived this long. We’ll survive whatever’s out there, too."

The group’s resolve seemed to solidify, but there was one glaring issue left to address.

"What if Zoro never comes back?" Alice asked, voicing what everyone else had been thinking.

"He’ll come back," Nate said with certainty, his voice cutting through the doubt like a blade.

"How can you be so sure?" Madison asked, her skepticism evident.

Nate smirked, his expression shifting to one of grim amusement. "Because he’ll want revenge. And when he comes back, we’d better be ready. It’s going to be tough."

The group exchanged uneasy glances. Ryder, ever the optimist, tried to lighten the mood. "Tough? We fought him before, and we almost won."

Nate’s mocking smile widened, and a low chuckle escaped his lips. "Oh, you mean when you fought an injured Zoro?"

The room fell silent again, the weight of Nate’s words crashing down on them like a wave.

Nate’s voice grew heavier as he broke the silence left by his earlier revelation. "Something happened to Zoro," he said, his tone grim. "I don’t know what it was, but whatever it was, it injured him badly. What you all faced—the Zoro that attacked you—that was only ten percent of his original strength."

The group froze, their minds struggling to process what they had just heard.

"Ten percent?" Jack whispered, his voice barely audible.

Madison’s face turned pale. She was the only one who had seen Zoro’s speed and raw power up close. If the Zoro they encountered had been operating at just a fraction of his capabilities, she didn’t even want to imagine what the fully powered version would look like. "He’d rip us apart," she muttered, almost to herself.

Nate’s gaze swept across the group, his expression unyielding. "When he comes back—and he will come back—you better pray he’s still not at one hundred percent. Because if he is..." He let the words hang in the air, their implication clear.

A heavy silence descended on the room. Everyone was lost in their thoughts, trying to grapple with the grim reality Nate had just painted for them.

After a moment, Nate stood up. "The best thing you can all do now is train," he said. "Train harder than you’ve ever trained before. Because if you’re not ready when he comes back, it’s over for all of us."

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Without waiting for a response, Nate turned and walked away, leaving the group to stew in their thoughts.

---

Back in the small room they had designated for him, Nate shrugged off the heavy cloth he had been wearing and bent over the water basin. He splashed cold water onto his face, letting it drip down as he tried to clear his mind.

"How the hell did they make this" He murmured as he was clearly impressed by it.

When he straightened, wiping the water from his face, he realized he wasn’t alone. Claire stood in the doorway, her eyes fixed on him with a hunger that was impossible to miss.

Before he could say anything, she stepped inside, letting the robe she was wearing slip from her shoulders. It fell silently to the floor, leaving her completely exposed.

Her skin was smooth and lightly sun-kissed, with a taut, athletic frame that highlighted her every curve. Her shoulders were delicate but strong, leading down to toned arms and a slender waist. Her legs were long and lean, and her posture exuded confidence, as though she knew exactly the effect her appearance had on others.

Nate, however, felt nothing. There was no rush of desire, no quickening of his heartbeat. He didn’t know why, but something deep within him had shifted.

Silently, he walked toward her, picked up the robe from the ground, and gently draped it back over her shoulders. Claire blinked, clearly caught off guard by his reaction.

"I don’t want to continue this deal," Nate said quietly as he adjusted the robe around her.

Claire’s brows furrowed in confusion. "Why?" she asked, her voice soft but probing.

Nate shook his head. "I don’t know. I just... I’m not interested anymore."

For a moment, Claire stared at him, her expression unreadable. But then, a strange light flashed in her eyes—something dark and calculating, though it was gone as quickly as it appeared. She nodded, her face calm and composed. "If that’s what you want," she said simply before turning to leave.

As Nate watched her retreating figure, a nagging feeling stirred in the back of his mind. Something about her reaction felt... off. He couldn’t shake the sense that he had made a mistake, but his instincts told him to trust his decision.

And Nate always trusted his instincts.