Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground novel Chapter 978

"Atticus Ravenstein,"

Colonel Zenon said slowly. His eyes were wide as he stared at Atticus on the screen, as though he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

"That’s a human?" He sounded curious, unsure of everything.

The current Atticus was the personification of perfection in every way. While humans could be like this, Atticus had taken it multiple steps beyond.

Zenon could feel it.

His calm demeanor.

His aura of domination.

As though he was above it all.

As though they were all beneath his feet.

And the most terrifying part? He wasn’t even trying.

This wasn’t some forceful exudation of power.

This was simply him.

Zenon couldn’t understand it.

Even their Paragons weren’t like this. What was different?

A slow smile crept onto his lips.

He was curious. He loved things that challenged his mind. He loved curiosities.

"Colonel."

Zenon turned to the Staff Sergeant, Voren.

"I believe it’s not fair for a Paragon to be pitted with the others," Voren said succinctly.

The other sergeants sent glances at the Nullite.

His expression bore no change, but they knew what he had done.

He had known Atticus was joining the competition, yet he hadn’t mentioned anything about this until now. A colonel wasn’t one that just anyone could meet. However, right now one was here.

He was trying to appeal to Zenon.

Aside from his curiosity, Zenon also valued fairness.

Regardless…

"Will you stop him?" Zenon asked with a smile.

Voren froze, his eyes furrowing.

"Stop him?"

"Yes. If you don’t want him there, go and stop him."

A Grandmaster stopping a Paragon?

It would be akin to an egg trying to stop a moving truck.

"But—"

"If you can’t, shut up. I don’t care about your feelings."

Zenon’s sword-like gaze turned back to Atticus, as though Voren was wasting his time.

Voren’s eyes narrowed, and just as he was about to speak—

A crushing aura slammed down on him.

He staggered forward, struggling to stay upright.

Turning toward the cause, he saw that Zenon wasn’t even looking at him.

Voren gritted his teeth but remained silent.

’This is why she wants him…’

Intrigued, Zenon focused all his attention on Atticus.

Even through a screen, he could feel everything.

…

The roars were deafening.

Intense.

The humans had long since shot up from their seats, their legs slamming against the coliseum floor, making the entire place quake from the force of their cheers.

One name burned into their minds.

Their mouths opened wide as they started chanting at the top of their lungs, their voices so intense they could shatter glass.

"Atticus!"

"Atticus!"

"Atticus!"

The other races, once focused on their respective Apex battles, had fallen utterly silent.

Their gazes had left the fights.

Instead, they turned toward the single screen showing a figure whose name was sure to be burned into the history of Eldoralth.

And then, a sickening realization hit them like a sledgehammer.

He was joining the competition too.

It was a thought that sent a chill down their spines.

Something was about to happen.

"The entire mountain range is a no-mana zone," Drill Sergeant Viktor explained. "You won’t be able to use mana actively or any arts for that matter. To win this competition, you must reach the top however way you can."

Viktor’s voice carried through the intense wind whipping against Atticus’ face.

His silky hair flowed behind him like a wave, his azure and purple eyes staring down at the mountain range with a calmness that betrayed the chaos his presence had just caused.

Atticus said nothing, simply acknowledging Viktor’s explanation with a curt nod.

His steps remained undisturbed as he kept walking, his footsteps simple yet explosive.