NOVGO.NET Chapter 1619 Lunch
Chapter 1619 Lunch
The hall was deathly silent. Every single Archduke stared at the large screen with the same shocked, grim expression.
An hour had passed since the Resource Wars began, and through their shared will, many Archdukes had established contact with their successors inside the competition, guiding them toward Atticus’ location.
It was something that should have been impossible, as influencing the competition from the outside was strictly forbidden. Yet somehow, the Span had not deflected their attempts.
But what they had initially believed to be an advantage had instead turned into a catastrophic mistake.
Their successors had found Atticus. They had converged on him exactly as intended.
But the clash they expected never happened.
Instead, what followed was slaughter.
Atticus had killed every single one of them in mere seconds.
The Archdukes had been so shaken by what they witnessed that those whose successors had not yet encountered Atticus were immediately ordered to stay as far away from him as possible.
‘He anticipated this.’
Edras thought grimly as he stared at the screen. The nature Archduke had believed Atticus’ declaration of war to be nothing more than arrogance, the reckless confidence of a boy intoxicated by his own victories that he believed himself to be the center of the world.
He would soon be put in his place by the combined might of the successors. This had been his earlier conclusion. But their actions had only ended up benefiting him greatly. With the deaths of many of their successors, the amount of wills Atticus had just absorbed was beyond estimation.
Edras gritted his teeth, his eyes turning cold.
Atticus had declared war on them because he had anticipated their response.
‘He manipulated us.’
…
‘I’ve gathered quite a lot.’
Atticus allowed a faint smile to form as he moved through the forest. More than an hour had passed since the Resource War began, and he had covered a considerable amount of ground.
‘They’ve stopped coming.’
He frowned slightly. The ‘geniuses’ of the major factions had stopped flocking toward him after his first slaughter.
‘It’s difficult to measure my increase.’
The Span restriction was blocking access to his world, preventing him from seeing exactly how much worlds he had gained.
It seemed the restriction extended even to his system, as he had not observed any visible change.
Still, Atticus was confident that he had gained an astronomical number of worlds.
‘The resources are valuable as well.’
As it turned out, not all resources were life stones. In fact, the deeper he ventured into the world, the more valuable the resources became.
Duke-rank weapons and armor. Will-conducting ores. He had even been fortunate enough to obtain a vein root. Each of these held immense value, and Atticus could already imagine countless uses for them.
‘It’s getting closer.’
Glancing behind him, Atticus could see the massive dome looming nearer. Even now, he had yet to determine its pattern, as it shrank at irregular intervals and distances.
It had long since entered the forest, and Atticus could not accurately determine how much closer they were to the center.
“Em…”
Atticus glanced back at Lyra, who was staring at him awkwardly. The siblings had been unusually quiet throughout their journey, resorting only to stealing silent glances at him from time to time.
“What?”
“…it’s time for lunch…”
Lyra cleared her throat, her cheeks slightly red, but her expression remained unusually serious.
“…?”
Atticus turned his gaze toward Zair, as if to ask, what?
“She won’t stop bothering you unless you agree.”
The brother said with a small shrug.
Atticus’ frown deepened slightly as he turned back toward Lyra, who was still staring at him with unwavering intensity.
She clearly had no intention of letting it go.
‘A short rest shouldn’t hurt.’
Atticus could easily order them to continue moving, but that was not how he intended to handle them. If he wanted to make proper use of them, earning their trust would be necessary.
“Alright.”
They chose a small clearing and stopped, and Lyra immediately started preparing camp with enthusiasm. Within moments, she had started a fire, taken out several pots, and began mixing various ingredients together without any clear order.
‘…?’
Atticus found himself staring blankly at the scene. It looked as though she was throwing together entirely random ingredients, turning the mixture into a brownish, unappealing sludge.
Atticus grimaced slightly as Zair walked over and stopped beside him.
“…”
“…”
A moment of silence settled between them until Zair exhaled softly and turned toward him.
“What kind of person are you?”
“…That’s a strange question.”
Zair’s expression softened slightly as he turned his gaze toward his sister.
“She’s the most important person in my life. I’ll do anything to protect her. As our… master… I need to know what kind of person you are.”
“What difference does it make?”
Atticus fixed his gaze on Zair, whose eyes were firm
“…It makes a difference.”
“You’re my slave. Who I am doesn’t change that.”
“It does to me.”
“…”
“If you’re evil, I’d rather die than serve you.”
Zair’s eyes hardened with resolve.
‘He’s serious.’
Atticus could see it clearly in his eyes. There was no hesitation. No fear. Only resolve.
“…You’ll have to decide that for yourself.”
“…What?”
At Zair’s confused expression, Atticus continued.
“You’ll have to see it. Words won’t mean anything.”
“…”
They held each other’s gaze in silence for several moments, until Lyra’s voice suddenly broke the tension.
“Food is ready~”
She lifted her head and noticed the two of them staring at each other, then blinked.
“…Did I interrupt something?”
“No.”
Zair replied calmly as he turned toward her.
“We were just talking.”
He walked over and took his seat beside the campfire.
Feeling both of their eyes on him, especially Lyra’s eager gaze, Atticus exhaled quietly before stepping forward and taking his own seat.
“Here… M-Master.”
Lyra happily held out a bowl filled with the brown sludge.
“…”
Atticus stared at the bowl, then at Lyra, then back at the bowl again.
“…I’ll pass.”
“Oh come on, just try it. It’s really good. And it’s good for you too. I’m your slave, remember? I can’t lie to you.”
‘That’s true.’
As his slave, she was incapable of lying to him.
‘Is it really good?’
Frowning slightly, Atticus reached out and accepted the bowl.
Under their watchful gazes, he slowly scooped up a spoonful and brought it to his mouth.
“…!!”
His eyes widened slightly.
‘It’s good.’
The flavor spread across his tongue in a way he had never experienced before. Rich, balanced, and strangely refreshing, it was nothing like the unappealing appearance had suggested.
“Well?”
Lyra smiled smugly, clearly pleased with his reaction.
“…It’s acceptable.”
“Hah! I knew it.”
“Don’t undersell it. Lyra’s cooking has always been exceptional.”
Zair scoffed, narrowing his eyes as though defending his sister’s honor.
“Brother, stop…”
“I’m serious.”
“…It is… better than it looks.”
A faint blush appeared on Lyra’s cheeks at Atticus’ praise, but he didn’t pay any attention and took another bite. ‘It’s affecting my body…’
He frowned slightly in thought. He had sensed it faintly before, but now it was unmistakable. The fatigue from continuous fighting and movement was fading rapidly, replaced by a steady surge of renewed energy flowing through his body.
His muscles relaxed, and his mind cleared. He fixed his eyes on the sludge once more. This was no ordinary food.