Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground - Chapter 1643 WaterFall

Chapter 1643  WaterFall

Atticus led the group along the treacherous route toward the Willguard headquarters.

They sliced through vast forests, crossed a river carving a golden path through the terrain, and pushed their way through a wide stretch of thick bush.

Their speed was excruciatingly slow. However, Atticus knew it was necessary. To evade the senses of the domain god, he had to manipulate the molecules around them as they moved.

Every step meant renewing his control, each movement placing a fresh strain on his mind. But because the area of focus was small, Atticus found the burden surprisingly manageable.

‘It has truly improved.’

If the past Atticus had attempted something like this, he would have collapsed long ago from the overwhelming strain.

Atticus glanced at the group as they moved. Thora remained quiet, the only person she seemed to relate to having suddenly left. The same was true for the Evoli.

He briefly glanced at Azeron. During the journey, he had caught the Evoli elder throwing several curious glances his way. Atticus couldn’t tell what the man was thinking.

Still, his mind kept drifting back to Whisker. He couldn’t understand why the man had chosen to leave. What business could someone like him possibly have in the Willguard’s domain?

‘He better not get caught.’

Atticus had no intention of rescuing anyone. He exhaled quietly the next second, shaking his head.

‘Why did he have to come?’

He had wanted to go for this mission free of burdens. Just his blade and his enemies.

He couldn’t care less if something happened to the Evoli or Thora, but Whisker…

Atticus had spent enough time with the man that he could no longer imagine Eldoralth without him. Abandoning him wasn’t something he could easily do.

‘I’ll find him after the mission.’

He fixed his gaze on the looming hill where the Willguard base stood and pushed himself forward faster.

Eventually, when they reached the base of a towering waterfall, Atticus frowned.

“Stop.”

The group froze instantly and turned toward him.

“Did you sense something?”

Azeron frowned as he scanned the surroundings. Nothing was visible, and there was no sound except the thunderous roar of the waterfall.

Yet Atticus’ eyes remained locked on the cascade, as though trying to see through it.

“There’s something wrong with the waterfall.”

The group immediately tensed, their hands moving toward their weapons.

“What do we do?” Thora asked quietly, her gaze sharp.

Atticus studied the waterfall for another moment before gripping his weapon.

“We’ll check it.”

He stepped forward, taking the lead as the others followed closely behind. As they approached the waterfall, a faint distortion rippled across its surface before dispersing, revealing a narrow opening carved into the cliffside.

Atticus’ eyes narrowed slightly.

‘A cave.’

The waterfall had been nothing more than an illusion.

Beside him, the others had half-drawn their weapons, their expressions tense. Atticus gave a small nod before cautiously stepping into the cave.

‘What is it?’

Omnicognition had remained active ever since he arrived in the Willguard’s domain. Outside, when he had first laid eyes on the waterfall, it had been as though he was staring at an endless block of code. Though he could have deciphered it given enough time, Atticus had still been surprised. He was currently at the peak of the Grand Sovereign rank.

Anything that could demand such effort from him could not be weak.

The cave was dark and silent. But sight had long since stopped being a problem for Atticus.

He remained on high alert until the narrow path eventually led them into a small cavern. It was even darker than the tunnel behind them and appeared entirely empty. There was nothing in sight. However…

“Come out.”

Atticus narrowed his eyes toward one corner of the cavern.

Azeron frowned slightly. An invisible aura rippled outward from him, and almost immediately his eyes narrowed as well.

Several seconds passed, yet no response came.

Atticus allowed his killing intent to slowly flood the cavern. He could feel Thora and the Evoli elder staring at him in shock, but he paid them no attention.

“I won’t say it again.”

Another moment passed. Then the air in that corner rippled before collapsing. A battered man clad in the golden armor of the Willguard appeared. His left arm was missing, blood still dripping from the ragged stump.

“P-please d-don’t k-kill me…”

But Atticus had already crossed the distance. He appeared before the man, his blade falling like judgment.

“Wait!”

The blade stopped just short of the man’s neck, leaving a thin streak of blood across his skin.

“A-ah…”

The man’s eyes widened to their extreme, and something warm quickly began pooling beneath him.

Atticus turned toward Thora, his blade still resting against the man’s neck.

“Explain.”

The Fragment Bearer squinted at the man.

“I… I think I’ve seen him before.”

Atticus frowned.

“He’s a Willguard. You must have seen him somewhere.”

“No, that’s not it.”

Thora shook her head, her brows furrowed.

“You remember the lab I told you about? The place where I woke up… I think he was there.”

Atticus narrowed his eyes. He turned back toward the man and studied him more closely. Sweat clung to the man’s fear-filled face, and his gaze carried a deep exhaustion. However, his physique was slender and completely unmuscular, the body of someone who had never trained a day in his life.

The Evoli elder also advanced forward, studying the man with a faint frown.

“…Strange. He looks familiar to me too, though I can’t remember where I’ve seen him.”

Atticus furrowed his brows.

At the sight of the warm liquid slowly streaming toward him, Atticus frowned and stepped back before it could reach him, though his sword remained pointed at the trembling man.

The man clutched at his neck, releasing a shaky breath of relief.

“I-I’m… alive…”

“Who are you?”

The man flinched as he looked around at the group now closing in on him.

When he turned back to Atticus, he abruptly blinked, then his eyes widened.

‘He recognizes me.’

“You’re… you’re Atticus Ravenstein…?”

Atticus tilted his head slightly.

“Answer the question.”

The man exhaled, and something that resembled resolve flickered across his face. He lifted his gaze and stared back at Atticus.

“My name is Thomas Derilic, and I—”

“Thomas Derilic… the famous inscriber?” Azeron cut in.

“…Yes.”

“Ah. That explains it. I knew I had seen that face somewhere.”

At Atticus’ stare, Azeron nodded.

“He’s a well-known inscriber across the Span. Almost every major faction has tried to recruit him. He refused them all.”

Azeron’s gaze sharpened.

“The last report I heard said you disappeared. So you’ve been working for the Willguard this whole time?”

“No!”

Thomas’ eyes suddenly turned fierce. He gritted his teeth as he glared at Azeron.

“I never joined them! Those bastards kidnapped me! They threatened me and forced me to work for them.”

Atticus exchanged a silent glance with Azeron before turning his attention back to Thomas.

“Then why are you here?”

Thomas’ expression darkened.

“I couldn’t take it anymore… the things they made me do. I… I escaped. Barely.”

Thomas clenched his remaining fist tightly.

“They call themselves the bearers of justice, but they’re worse than anyone else! Rotten to the core!”

Atticus could practically feel the hatred radiating from the man.

‘He’s the one they’re searching for.’

He hadn’t forgotten the countless airships he had seen swarming the skies earlier. Atticus regarded the man once more. If the Willguard had gone that far for a single individual, then his value had to be immense.

He didn’t even need to turn to see the serious look on Azeron’s face. The elder was likely thinking the same thing he was.

Atticus gestured toward Thora.

“Do you know her?”

Thomas squinted at her, and despite the darkness Atticus didn’t miss the brief flicker of recognition in his eyes.

He lowered his gaze slightly.

“…Yes.”

“Did you make the tattoos on her arms?”

The inscriber hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded.

Atticus eyes narrowed.

‘I see…’

Now he could understand why the Willguard wanted him so badly. Beside him, Azeron’s expression had also turned serious.

It was an opportunity to finally discover how the Willguard’s tattoos were created.

Atticus fixed Thomas with a cold gaze.

“Then start talking.”

Again…