Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground - Chapter 1639 Prison

Chapter 1639  Prison

There was a problem.

Though the destination of their target was clear, Atticus had to learn the hard way that reaching it wasn’t nearly as simple as he had assumed.

The space between each floating island wasn’t merely empty airspace, but one filled with condensed streams of Willguard will. It flowed across the entire domain like a vast current of energy.

‘Like an infinite force source.’

Atticus stared up at the golden shimmering wave cascading above him, a faint frown settling on his face. He couldn’t help but think about the implications of this new discovery.

Unlike before, he was in the world of another. Here, he no longer possessed the infinite energy or restorative properties Eldoralth had supplied him.

 It had played a major role in his defeat of the combined might of the major factions and the Judicator. But that advantage was now gone.

‘I’ll have to make do… and end fights as quickly as possible.’

A second later, he turned away. All around him, every eye was fixed on him, as though waiting for his next move. Well, everyone except Whisker and Thora, who were busy talking and laughing in the distance. The two seemed to be getting along surprisingly well.

‘I guess they see me as the leader.’

‘Of course you are. A student of mine cannot possibly serve under someone else.’

Ignoring the Arbiter’s remark, Atticus turned toward the Evoli elder.

“So how do we reach it?”

According to the elder, they could probably force their way through it, but doing so would alert the entire domain. That was something Atticus couldn’t afford, at least not right now.

The elder nodded, as though he had been expecting the question.

“Willguard airships.” “They can pass through it?”

The elder nodded.

“They’re designed for it.”

“…And where do we get one?”

The elder lifted a hand and pointed toward the distance.

“There.”

Following his gesture, Atticus narrowed his eyes until he spotted a faint dot resting on a distant island.

The elder spoke again.

“The prison.”

…

Moments later, the group began traversing the island. Though everything around them was gold and shining, Atticus could see that the fauna here didn’t differ much from what he had seen on Eldoralth. Well, aside from the leaves and grass being golden, and the trees towering as high as skyscrapers.

Even so, Atticus found it surprisingly easy to adjust to the sight. But that was until he encountered their first stretch of water.

The river was vast, flowing in an endless cascade before plunging down a cliffside at the far edge of the bank. Atticus stared at it, feeling a bit shocked. It wasn’t the vastness of the river, nor the waterfall that caught his attention.

It was the fact that the entire stretch of water was… golden.

It turned out he wasn’t the only one who found it odd, as Whisker whistled the moment he saw it.

“Damn, these golden freaks really committed to the theme, huh? Who the hell makes their water golden? They’re even worse than Ozzy.”

Atticus couldn’t help but agree. They continued their journey, and soon they crested the hill Azeron had pointed to, coming into full view of the large structure sprawled below.

‘The prison.’

A towering fence enclosed the entire complex, with multiple golden buildings arranged in neat rows within it. Atticus could see a faint shimmer surrounding the entire complex, and guess it was some sort of shield. “Finally, some action!”

Thora advanced forward with a wild grin, staring at Atticus with excitement gleaming in her eyes.

“So what’s the plan, leader? We storm the place and kill everyone? Or plant a bomb and watch it go up? Personally, I’m rooting for the first one.”

“Easy there, toots.” Whisker chuckled, staring at Thora with amusement as she spoke with excitement.

“Maybe dial back the murder talk a little, yeah? It’s getting a bit creepy.”

“Huh? Oh! Right. Got it.”

Thora scratched her head and cleared her throat, though she still stared at Atticus expectantly.

Atticus turned to Azeron.

“…What do you think?”

The elder narrowed his eyes as he studied the prison below.

“If we still want to remain unnoticed, then charging in would be unwise.”

Atticus silently nodded. He had already come to the same conclusion. Even if they managed to kill every Willguard in the prison before anyone could alert the others, there was no telling what routine procedures they might have in place.

What if someone arrived on the island later and found them all dead?

Atticus narrowed his eyes on the prison. “Then we sneak in, take an airship, and leave before anyone realizes what happened.”

“…Alright.”

Moments later, a procession of figures clad in Willguard uniforms, leading a group of chained prisoners, descended the hill and approached the prison below.

As they reached the gate, a hatch suddenly opened and a pair of eyes peered out.

“Totem? Finally decided to show up.”

A batch of bolts clicked free, and the gate swung open to reveal a smiling Willguard warden.

“What in the Star took you so damn long?”

“Haha, slight delay on arrival.” Whisker, now posing as Totem, gestured toward the prisoners bound in chains and clicked his tongue.

“Sinners. You know how they are.”

“…Yeah.”

The warden glared at the prisoners fiercely, as though he wanted to slit their throats where they stood.

“Hmph. Filthy sinners.”

Clicking his tongue, the warden turned toward Whisker and nodded.

“Alright. Bring them in.”

Seconds later, the entire procession stepped through the gate and into a vast courtyard.

‘We were right to use him.’

Atticus cast a glance at Whisker, who walked ahead with a casual grin on his face, as though he owned the place. He was a natural. Unlike before, Atticus had taken the role of a Willguard Warden. He was the one holding the whip, constantly throwing harsh glares at the prisoners to keep up the act.

The smartest way to sneak into the prison had been to pose as Willguards escorting prisoners. But since Atticus had disintegrated the Willguards earlier, they weren’t able to use their uniforms as disguises.

Atticus had to use his element to perfectly replicate their armor and alter their appearances to match the Willguards from before. While some of the Evoli posed as prisoners, he had also used his element to replicate the chains binding them.

As they walked, Atticus glanced around. Numerous wardens littered the courtyard, and while many threw glances at them as they passed, their gazes were directed mostly at the prisoners trailing behind them. Their expressions were fierce, and he even caught some showing outright killing intent.

‘Why build a prison in the first place?’

They clearly held an fierce hatred for the prisoners. It looked as though they would rather murder them than imprison them. Still, Atticus was relieved that none of them saw through their disguise.

‘Good.’

Atticus fixed his gaze on the building ahead. While there were many doors, he was glad to see they were conveniently labeled. At least this way they wouldn’t have to wander around searching for the right place to go.

‘Prisoner Processing.’

Whisker also seemed to have noticed it. But when they reached the building, the warden standing in front of it frowned.

“What are you doing?”

‘Did he find out?’

Atticus narrowed his gaze. Not even a Judicator should be able to see through his aspect, much less a mere warden. Around him, Azeron and the others had already tensed, their stares turning cold.