Chapter 1375: Logoth

Chapter 1375: Logoth

Eventually, especially when he couldn’t even close his eyes to meditate and train, he moved to the balcony and simply stared at the sprawling city below.

‘I can’t wait to get this under control.’

He’d always wondered the sort of power he would gain once he awakened the mark. He had been excited, in fact.

However, he never expected it would have such consequences. Otherwise, he would’ve tried his very best to make sure that it didn’t awaken.

The night passed in a blur. And throughout, Atticus remained, overlooking the city. He made sure each blink was as brief as possible. The darkness had become his enemy.

“You look terrible.” A sweet, soft voice came from the side. Atticus didn’t need to turn to know who it was.

“I feel terrible.” He finally turned away from the city and faced her. The morning sunlight bathed her body in a bright glow, and Atticus couldn’t help but curse the darkness of last night. If not for it, he wouldn’t have waited until now to see such an enchanting scene.

Anorah dropped down from the ledge, approaching Atticus with grace. “Careful now. Your stare can bore holes through steel.”

Atticus blinked, catching himself. He ignored the slight glimpse of Solvath’s vision and quickly turned away before he would be lost in her beauty once more.

“How was the incident yesterday? Everything alright?” He changed the topic.

Anorah smiled, amused, as though she knew. “A few of our hideouts were raided last night and some of our people captured.”

“Because of me?” Atticus’ expression turned serious.

“Well, and me. I did reveal myself too by using the fragment’s power at that alley. They’re searching for both of us.”

“So we’re fugitives.”

Anorah tapped the air in front of her, and a ripple spread through the atmosphere. Two images suddenly materialized in front of them.

“They placed a bounty?”

In front of him were the pictures of him and Anorah with a bounty of a hundred thousand high-grade will stones. Dead, or alive.

It was a lot, an insane amount.

“Exciting, right?”

As Atticus saw the excitement on Anorah’s face he couldn’t stare.

“You’re not worried?”

“There’s nothing to be worried about.”

“I’m surprised to see you happy though. Thought you hated work.”

“I do.” Anorah smiled. “But this is interesting work. Way much better.”

Atticus shook his head. “So what next? The whole middle planes will be after us?”

“That’s what makes it interesting,” Anorah said. “The rules of the Verge will still hold. If people want to capture us, they have to challenge us and win.”

“It still sounds like a lot of challenge.”

“It’s not. Not only is it up to us to accept each challenge; not many people would issue them.” She explained. “There’re two types of places you should be wary of though, public worlds, and the Ascendant Games. There, the rules are more… distorted.”

‘A bounty, huh.’ Atticus wasn’t sure how he felt about that, but there was no changing it. He had to move on.

“About the lesson…”

The air turned heavy, and Atticus’ eyes met with Anorah’s piercing gaze:

“I’d like to believe you’re a man of your words. What I’m about to teach you is important to me, and if I find out that you’ve been tricking me in any way, I will go to the ends of the world to hunt you down.”

Atticus’ eyes remained placid.

“You’ll end up dead, just like the countless others who wanted to kill me in the past. But I’ll take your warnings to heart.”

The saint stared straight into Atticus’ eyes. She turned away after a few seconds, not responding. Instead,

“Are you ready?” she asked. Atticus straightened.

“I am.”

They both vanished in a flash, and appeared in a large space.

‘Underground,’ Atticus realized. The space was a massive cavern, and there was a single building ahead of them, just before a waterfall.

Atticus was cut out of his reverie when she began walking towards the building.

“I hope you’re a fast learner, or this is going to take a long time,” she said.

“I am.”

She turned to him as she reached the building.

“I guess we’ll see.”

Her countenance turned serious.

“The path to Logoth, this is what you aim to achieve. It is a state where one reaches perfect balance, stripped of attachment and clouded by emotions.”

‘Sounds like a monk thing,’ Atticus silently thought.

“In this state, you’ll cease to feel any emotions and only act.”

Atticus liked the sound of that. Now he was excited to learn it.

She gestured to the building. “Your first lesson will take place here. Go in and take a seat.”

Atticus listened. Moving up the stairs, he entered and settled down in the middle of the room. It was akin to a dojo. Wooden, smooth floor and weapon rack at one part of the room.

Anorah didn’t enter, but Atticus heard her voice echo across the room.

“The first lesson is disruption. We’ll be attempting to break your reflex,” she said, and suddenly the pressure in the room began to increase.

“You’re not allowed to use any of your powers to fight back. I’ll cut them off now, don’t resist.”

Atticus breathed heavily, but listened. The scene of last night continually played in his mind. Even blinking was a problem. He had to get this under control, immediately.

Atticus focused, and his will receded. He felt Anorah’s will act on him, and his mana was cut off.

A weakness he hadn’t felt for years assaulted him, and it was as though the pressure in the room multiplied.

He was on the floor before he knew it, the pressure pressing down on him. As the moments passed, Atticus felt an intense sweat drench his body, dripping to the floor.

“You will remain like this until you’ve learned the first lesson,” Anorah said.

“You’re not going to tell me what I need to learn?”

There was a brief pause.

“I asked my father the same question. Do you know what he said to me?”

“No.”

“The path to Logoth must be achieved, not taught. I can only guide you, but you must walk the path alone.”