Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground novel Chapter 985

Unlike the previous weapon simulator, this opponent was unarmed. But Atticus could feel it.

Lethality. Precision. Calculated movements.

Its stance was unlike anything he had ever seen. It was as though only that stance covered all its openings.

"This is a hand-to-hand combat specialist, programmed with the knowledge of every recorded martial artist, warrior, and master in Eldoralth’s history," Viktor explained before putting distance between them once again.

It assumed a neutral stance, body relaxed, yet perfectly balanced.

Atticus stood across from it, hands resting at his sides, his posture completely unassuming.

As Viktor reached far enough—

"Begin."

The air snapped, and the machine moved.

A blur of motion, its right leg cutting through the air in a precise, lightning-fast roundhouse kick aimed at Atticus’s temple.

Atticus didn’t move.

The kick sailed past, missing by a mere hair’s breadth, but Atticus had already read it.

’A controlled feint. The hip rotation suggests a follow-up—’

The second kick came instantly, transitioning seamlessly into a low sweep, aiming to take his legs out.

Atticus simply lifted his foot, letting the attack pass harmlessly beneath him.

The machine didn’t hesitate.

Palm strike to the ribs. A sudden elbow toward his jaw. A shifting knee aimed for his core.

Each strike was fast. Unrelenting.

Yet none of them landed.

Atticus weaved through the flurry of attacks as though they were moving in slow motion. Each strike barely missed him, grazing past his clothes but never touching his body.

Once again, to Viktor, it was absurd.

This was one of the most advanced combat training simulations ever designed. It was built to adapt, to counter, to overwhelm.

Yet—

Atticus hadn’t even lifted his hands.

He wasn’t fighting.

He was observing.

The machine suddenly switched styles, adjusting mid-combat.

Its movements became looser, more fluid, an entirely different martial art.

Atticus narrowed his eyes.

’It’s also learning,’

The opponent suddenly closed the distance with a burst of footwork, aiming for an intricate combination of joint locks and nerve strikes.

Atticus let it come.

Let it reach for him.

Then—

He moved.

A single step.

A shift in weight.

He redirected the machine’s momentum, twisting at the last second.

The opponent’s attack collapsed in on itself.

And before it could recover, Atticus’s fist snapped forward.

A clean, precise strike on the chin.

The impact sounded like thunder.

BOOM!

The machine launched backward, skidding across the training platform, its metallic limbs dragging deep grooves into the floor.

It slowly raised its head. But the moment it did, the air changed.

Atticus rolled his shoulders.

Then, for the first time since the fight began, he raised his hands.

Then—

End.

"Next," Atticus called out.

Viktor snapped out of his reverie and tapped on his device again.

The island changed.

Endurance Training Without Mana

Atticus stood at the edge of a survival course, an endless stretch of hostile terrain sprawled before him.

Jagged cliffs. Unstable rock formations. Dense forests filled with hidden dangers.

In the distance, mechanical drones hovered, locked onto his heat signature, ready to fire stun projectiles at the slightest movement.

This test was designed to break recruits. It was meant to push both body and mind to the absolute limit.

A loud klaxon blared.

Viktor’s voice came through the speakers.

"Begin."

Atticus took a single step forward.

The course activated instantly.

The drones fired.

A storm of projectiles rained down, moving at speeds that should have been impossible to avoid.