Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground novel Chapter 917

Chapter 917 Rudimentary

"This should be useful to you."

Atticus stared silently at the core Elderish had handed him, his gaze narrowing. His mind raced. The core radiated an overwhelming amount of power, so intense that Atticus found it difficult to comprehend.

"Wha—"

"It's one of the 19 cores," Elderish cut him off before he could ask.

Atticus froze, his eyes widening in shock. He was beyond stunned. Just moments ago, he'd been plotting how to acquire each of the 19 cores. If his assumption was correct and the apexes held the cores, then his mission was bound to be grueling, filled with relentless challenges.

And now, here he was, being handed one of the cores, just like that? Atticus wasn't buying it.

"What do you want?"

'Good. You're learning,' Ozeroth praised, his earlier rambling about the future suddenly stopping.

'Good to see you back in reality,' Atticus remarked.

But Ozeroth clicked his tongue.

'Tch. Always be in doubt, bond. Never trust anyone.'

'Even a centuries-old man who just felt like bonding with me?'

'Of course I'm an exception, you fool! The great Ozeroth wouldn't lower himself to do something as belittling as sneaking!'

'If you say so.'

'You!' Ozeroth growled, though he could practically feel the sarcasm dripping from Atticus's words. And before long, the spirit was off on another rant.

"This time, I demand nothing," Elderish said, cutting through the noise in Atticus's mind. "It is a gesture of goodwill and a hope that, when the time comes, you will choose to be Eldoralth's guardian."

Atticus didn't respond. Elderish wasn't asking for a promise or an oath, but the entire situation felt more like a bribe than an act of pure kindness.

After a long pause, Atticus nodded slowly. "Alright, I'll accept this, but I still won't be sacrificing my life."

Just because he didn't plan to lay down his life didn't mean he would reject a free gift. _{freёwebnovel.com}

Elderish smiled, nodding in approval. "Here," he said, tossing something else toward Atticus.

Catching it, Atticus looked down to see a ring.

"This is the artifact I mentioned. When you're close to one of the 19 cores, it will tighten around your finger. Try it on."

Atticus hesitated, Ozeroth's words about trust resonating in his head. He studied the artifact carefully.

Artifacts were mysterious in Eldoralth. Their effects were never fully defined unless the creator explicitly intended them to be. Anything could happen. They ranged from simple trinkets to powerful, world-shaping tools.

Upon seeing any artifact, especially in battle, caution was paramount. It could be anything, a treasure of immense power or something deceptively dangerous.

'This could be a trap,' Atticus thought. What if the ring bound him to something he didn't want, or worse, controlled him in some way?

'What do you think?' he asked Ozeroth.

Ozeroth paused, uncharacteristically serious, before answering.