Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground-Chapter 1309: Favor

Meanwhile, Atticus was currently going through one of the most baffling moments of his life. If he had to be honest, he had been taken aback by what he was witnessing.

The truth was, he had seen what Kancilot was about to do. Atticus could have evaded the world’s will, but he had chosen not to. One of the experiments he had wanted to carry out involved the arena anyway, so he let it happen.

Appearing in the golden world, Atticus’ intention had been to unleash his full power and see how Kancilot would measure up.

But just as he was preparing to do that, he saw the large aged man sink to both knees, head bowed so low it touched the golden ground.

The king didn’t say anything despite many seconds passing, and Atticus wasn’t sure how to proceed.

For his experiment to matter, Kancilot needed to come at him with full power. But the man hadn’t even activated his will.

His translucent body was the dimmest it could be. It was obvious he had lowered all defenses. If Atticus attacked now, he would die instantly.

Eventually, after the initial shock faded, Atticus looked down coldly at Kancilot, tilting his head slightly.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Awaiting your permission to speak, your eminence."

"Since when did you need my permission to speak? We’re here to fight to the death. I don’t have time to waste." Atticus’ voice was like ice.

"I apologize, your eminence. I will say my piece."

The king suddenly raised his head and slammed it against the ground with a loud bang. There was no blood, since this wasn’t their original body, but it still no doubt hurt.

"Please spare me and my men, your eminence!"

Atticus almost laughed. "You came to my world to kill me. In what universe do you think I’ll spare you?"

His will was already rising, and the king could feel his growing impatience. Kancilot swallowed hard.

He couldn’t remember the last time anyone made him feel this nervous. The king quickly spoke.

"Because of our usefulness. We’re a warrior world. We will fight for you and—"

"I crushed the best your world has to offer in seconds. That’s not useful, that’s useless."

The king held back his instinctive outrage. Atticus had just insulted his world and people. It felt even more insulting than the fact that he was on his knees begging.

The king steeled his heart and quickly said, "W-we have information!"

"What kind?"

The king felt the temperature still, and he knew he had Atticus’ attention. He had no intention of losing it.

"About how and why we received these weapons, and why we came here to kill you."

There was a brief silence, which the king took as Atticus contemplating the matter.

"Are you the only one among your people aware of this information? Don’t lie."

Atticus’ last warning froze the words on the king’s lips. He had been about to instinctively say yes. If he was the only one who knew, he’d have better bargaining power. But the weight of that gaze on him stopped him cold.

He clenched his fists. "No."

"So you have no use being alive then." Atticus’ words sent another shudder through him.

The king gritted his teeth. The conversation had spiraled beyond what he had anticipated. He had hoped to use this information to force Atticus to spare him and his people, but Atticus had seen through everything.

"B-but only one other person knows the full truth," the king finally said, voice strained. "And he would rather die than tell."

"Even if I threaten the lives of your people?"

Kancilot was so taken aback he raised his head, eyes wide. One would expect Atticus to have some mad grin or a cruel smile, only a deranged person would threaten billions for just information.

But there was nothing. No grin, no killing intent. Atticus’ eyes were clear, his expression impassive. He had stated a fact, nothing more.

The king gulped, harder this time. He realized he knew nothing about the one he was dealing with. But he knew one thing for certain, this child was not someone anyone should cross.

"Y-you wo-would k-kill b-billions f-for just i-information?" The king’s voice came out in stutters as his body trembled.

"Yes. If it fulfills my purpose."

The temperature rose again, and the king could feel Atticus’ will closing in on him. His mind raced, searching for a way out.

But no matter how much he thought, nothing came. It was over.

The king closed his eyes, a wave of acceptance washing through him.

’Maybe this is my punishment,’ he thought. He had forsaken his people for too long, maybe this was the price. He only hoped Atticus wouldn’t kill them.

’At least, with my death, they’ll have a more capable ruler.’ The king sighed. He opened his eyes and bowed once more.

"Can I ask you for a favor?"

"Favors should be repaid with favors. You’ve done nothing for me and are about to die."

"You mean..." the king’s eyes widened as realization struck. He clenched his fists, gritting his teeth as he looked up at Atticus.

"Dravek," he suddenly said, causing Atticus’ will to pause.

"He appeared in my chamber on Kariot and told me to kill you, in exchange for telling me how to revive my dead wife and daughter." His eyes dimmed at the mention of his wife and daughter. He realized that he had failed them too.

"He was the one who gave us these resources to boost our power."

"Describe him."

The king hid the fear that ran through him at Atticus’ voice. It wasn’t loud, but the sheer killing intent in it made his heart pound.

"Red eyes and hair. Average height, dressed in a flaming robe."

Atticus’ silence after that made the king nervous. He couldn’t tell if Atticus was truly a child, or a millennia old warrior in disguise.

"Was he the one who sent you to this world?"

"No." The king shook his head. "The main reason we’re here is because of the ascension trial. We would have attacked Eldoralth regardless of his interference since it was our turn. But his resources were meant to give us an advantage, to make sure we wouldn’t lose."

Another silence descended, and the king’s nervousness only grew. He had no bargaining chips left. Atticus could kill him and his people right now.

"What’s your favor?"

The question caught him off guard. He hadn’t expected it.

"You’re keeping your word?"

"I never promised to do anything. But I won’t repay goodwill with bad."

Atticus waited for him to speak. The truth was, this information had come as a shock to him. He never imagined he’d be targeted so soon.

Sure, he had disregarded some of the representatives, but he hadn’t done anything to deserve this much hostility. It was insane.

Still, Atticus didn’t care why they had chosen to target him.

From the description, he recognized the man, the Redflame representative. He was just glad he had discovered the enemy before it was too late.

Now, he had a target. This was the main reason Atticus had chosen to hear the king’s favor at all.