Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground novel Chapter 860

Chapter 860 Buffet

Atticus gazed down at Yotad with a piercing look, scrutinizing every inch of him.

'He looks okay,' he thought.

He had completely forgotten about his Ravenblade. Yotad had been in his shadow during his fight with Blackgate. With how intense the battle had been, along with the overwhelming power surging through him, Atticus had been worried that Yotad might have been affected.

"Are you okay?"

Yotad didn't respond immediately. Instead, he lowered his head further, his clenched fist pressed to the ground. It trembled with such intense power that the air around it vibrated.

Yotad's current emotions and expression could only be described in one word: shame.

He was ashamed.

The Ravenblades of the Ravenstein family were trained through gruesome methods from childhood, indoctrinated with a single purpose: protection. Their pride, their reason to hold their heads high, was their unwavering duty to serve and protect their assigned master.

But ever since Yotad had been assigned to Atticus, he had never felt useful. Usually, Ravenblades were assigned during their master's youth, and while Atticus had been young when Yotad was assigned, everything changed after Atticus's fight with the Aeonian apex, Ae'ark.

Yotad had realized one undeniable truth: Atticus had been stronger than him from the very beginning. Because of this, he never had the chance to fulfill his sole purpose.

During Atticus's fight with Blackgate, Yotad had witnessed everything. While others had been blown away by the overwhelming force of their clash, Yotad had remained in Atticus's shadow, unaffected. But no words could describe the shame he felt as he realized he couldn't do anything, nothing at all, to help.

If he had stepped out for even one second, he would have been obliterated by their mere auras.

"Y-yes, master," Yotad responded after a long pause.

Atticus studied him for a moment, sensing something was off. Beyond being able to hear Yotad's blood flow and heartbeat, Atticus's senses had reached a terrifying level after mastering the vampyros technique. Coupled with his recent boost in strength, he could instantly detect Yotad's emotions.

He understood why Yotad felt this way. But Atticus had no idea how to handle the situation.

The man was ashamed because he couldn't protect him. But what was Atticus supposed to do? Pretend to be in trouble just so Yotad could save him? Against master ranks?

At this point, Atticus could one-shot grandmaster ranks. He couldn't imagine a scenario where he'd need Yotad's help. And anyone who could truly pose a threat to him now was far beyond Yotad's capabilities.

Still, Atticus decided it was best to let Yotad figure it out on his own.

He nodded and dismissed Yotad, who bowed before merging into Atticus's shadow. Though Yotad still carried the weight of shame, it was a burden he'd have to overcome by himself.

'I'm not about to stunt my growth just to make you feel better,' Atticus thought.

It sounded cold, but it was the truth. Yotad's feelings were his own, and Atticus wouldn't let them interfere with his path to strength.

Once Yotad left, Ozeroth followed soon after. The spirit had muttered something about needing to "rest his magnificent self" after wasting time talking with "lessers."

Atticus didn't bother arguing, simply rolling his eyes as Ozeroth disappeared.

Finally alone, Atticus slumped back onto his bed and exhaled deeply. He stared at the ceiling in silence.

'It's only going to get harder,' he thought.

Raising his hand, he clenched his fist tightly. 'But I'll make it work.' His eyes blazed with determination.

His thoughts then shifted to the state of his body. On the outside, it brimmed with power, but inside, he felt weak and drained. Though he had been asleep for a long time, he knew he needed more time to fully recover.

'I could speed it up,' he pondered.

His gaze drifted toward his exo-suit and the draconic armor gifted to him by the dragon race. Both were excellent for recovery. However, when he glanced at his wrists, his eyes narrowed.

'It's not there,' he thought.

The armor from the dragon race, which was supposed to be fixed to his wrists, was gone.

As he tried to piece it together, his mind returned to his battle with Blackgate, a clash between paragons so intense it had destroyed an entire sector.

'It must have been destroyed,' he concluded.

Atticus was both baffled and sad. The artifact had been a grandmaster-rank artifact, but it wasn't durable enough to survive a clash between two paragons.

What baffled him the most, however, was that he hadn't even had the chance to use it before it got destroyed.

'There's no helping it,' Atticus thought, accepting the loss. 'At least I still have the Aeonian's orb. Plus, I got a major power-up in return.'

Despite the loss, the rewards far outweighed what he had given up.

Since the draconic armor was no longer an option, Atticus's thoughts shifted toward his exo-suit.