Intrigue.
This was what overwhelmed the underground space.
It was like a world of its own, bright sunlight illuminating the entire area, forests, wildlife, an ecosystem.
There was a small building off to the side, and in the middle of the space stood a tall hill with a beautiful, well-maintained garden.
It was a breathtaking scene, one that showed the simplicity of the man.
And as he heard Jezeneth's words, the space responded to his feelings. An intrigue so intense that even Jezeneth's anger was being overwhelmed.
"That's unlike him," he could instantly notice the oddity of the situation. Aside from what Jezeneth had told him about Atticus that day, he had requested more information, basically everything about him.
As he received it, he dissected every detail, forming an accurate assessment in his head. To him, he should be able to anticipate every one of the child's moves.
His smile widened.
"He found a way to ignore the contract…"
Jezeneth's gaze narrowed. To her, and all of Eldoralth, mana contracts were absolute. They were tied to one's mana core and could not be broken, ever.
Then, in the next second, her eyes widened.
'It's possible.'
'He could change the mana signatures of my people to that of other races. If he can do that, then there's a possibility…'
Jezeneth pondered. And as she did, an intense anger surged through her body.
"That sneaky little—"
"Drop it."
Her words caught in her throat as the man spoke.
"There's no way you can prove it. Let it go."
His tone offered no chance for refusal.
Jezeneth gritted her teeth, saying nothing.
"He was also able to discover the imposters I personally made. He's growing at a rate that shouldn't be possible in the scope of your lower world."
He tapped his fingers on his desk rhythmically, a thoughtful expression on his face. Somehow, his expression had lost all its casualness.
He had wanted to test Atticus and see how he responded to certain situations. Now he had the results, and…
It was too much.
At first, he had felt a bit of interest in a boy who had managed to bond with a core in such a short time. But now, it had gotten more serious than that.
As a being from a higher plane, he had a way of circumventing the effects of any mana contract of the people of Eldoralth. He knew the way, and it could be achieved through mimicking and altering the mana signatures.
'This is not a power a lower worlder should have.'
It was not a power that an Eldorian should possess. The implications were profound.
'Someone high up might be involved.'
The atmosphere took on a darker tone, the air becoming heavier.
'Another player?' he pondered.
They weren't the only powerful world in the middle planes. It was very possible that one of the other rulers had sent someone down for training or something.
Regardless…
'If that's the case, he's too dangerous. I shouldn't allow him to grow.'
His thoughts darkened. Playtime was over. Atticus' threat level had just magnified in his head.
'My siblings are here. I can't reveal myself. Not yet. I have to find out who among them is using the aliens to attack.'
His fingers tapping the desk increased in intensity as his thoughts ran freely.
'The war… he's going to the military soon.'
His eyes glinted.
'I'll wrap it all there. I can't leave it for too long.'
…
After the brief meeting at the citadel, Atticus went to his training room directly. Oberon hadn't talked about anything new.
He made sure to remind them all that the Vampyros threat was still very present. Complete caution was necessary, and they needed to ensure every imposter was weeded out from the human domain as soon as possible.
Atticus entered his training room and walked to the control terminal at the side.
He changed the scenery, the pristine white room shifting into a hellish landscape filled with searing lava and fire. The temperature was staggering.
But Atticus appeared unaffected. He took off his clothes before jumping into one of the lava pits.
He floated on his back, eyes closed, allowing his thoughts to drift.
'You're welcome.'
Atticus sighed at the obvious disturbance.
'I've thanked you a million times already. What more do you want?'
'It's not enough! The great Ozeroth just saved your ass, you should bow down and praise me!'
Atticus took a large inhale before exhaling.
'What a needy spirit.'
'I heard that!'
Atticus shook his head. 'Alright. Thank you… happy?'
'Hmph! It would've been better if you got on your knees, but I guess I am merciful.'
His voice turned excited in the next instant.
'So, where will you keep it?'
'I'll just leave it there. A compressed mana core could come in handy later.' A smile appeared on Atticus' face.
He suddenly focused, his mana responding to his call. In the next instant, from his belly, a mana core phased out, hovering just above his palm.
"It really was a smart idea," Atticus' smile widened.
'Of course! This is nothing for a being of my magnitude.'
Atticus ignored his remarks, and instead, his thoughts drifted as he reflected on what he had done.
A mana contract was absolute. This had been his mindset from a young age. However, Ozeroth had shattered that mindset.
He had to sign a mana contract, or else the other races would attack the human domain.
Instead of racking his head, Ozeroth had thought of a very simple solution.
Mana contracts were such that they bound the mana core of those who signed them.
So, what Atticus had done was simple: he created another mana core.
Normally, it wouldn't have been easy, but as a paragon, creating a grandmaster rank core had been possible. It was mainly compressed mana.
The next steps had been the key. Atticus had altered the outer mana signature to match his while changing the inner into another random signature, but he made sure it was human.
The others could sense the outer, but the inner couldn't be sensed by them.
After this, he used his innate skill, the ability to hide his rank. He used this to hide his original mana core signature, making it nonexistent.
Then, as he received the mana contract, Atticus had signed it, using the signature of the created mana core along with his to envelop it, making sure the other paragons hadn't noticed that it wasn't his signature.
With this, Atticus had linked the mana contract to the mana core he created. One that he could discard anytime he wished.
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The process had been simple, but what he had achieved was something no one in the history of Eldoralth had ever achieved before.