The Ascendance Deceiver

Gods

"So, it appears there is another option for us to survive besides dying or completing the game," Luvern pondered aloud, a glimmer of hope in his voice. "But the question remains: how do we make our superior give up on the game? I'm quite certain that when Solarael mentioned 'superior,' he was referring to the gods."

Alayn quickly interjected, casting a shadow of doubt over the conversation. "Hold on a moment. While it's true that Solarael mentioned our superior giving up as a means to exit the game, let's not forget that he also stated we can exit by simply dying. What if, even if our superior were to give up, we weren't transported back to our original world and instead remained here, powerless and vulnerable? Or worse yet, what if we met our demise the moment our superior relinquished their role? There are far too many uncertainties in this regard."

A wry smile tugged at the corners of Alayn's lips as he silently contemplated the situation. "Well, I did concoct that question and answer myself, but I should at least steer their thoughts towards considering the correct possibilities," he mused.

"Yeah, you have a point there," Mortis chimed in, acknowledging Alayn's concerns.

Luvern, eager to shift the focus of the conversation, turned to Mortis and Aria. "Alright, what about you two? What did you use your question on?" he inquired, his eyes shifting between them. Mortis, shooting a quick glance at Aria, silently urged her to go first.

Aria, with her enchanting smile still gracing her lips, began to explain her question and the answer she received. "Well, my question was rather simple. I asked about the gods supporting the seven players in our team."

"THIS F*CKING B*TCH !!"

Alayn's world shattered into a thousand pieces. Cuase of this single question from Aria, everyone would get an understanding of the abilities of one another and it meant that Alayn could not just posion someone and steal their ability, and even if he stole someone's ability by killing them, it meant that he can't use that ability infront of the players in his team.

Anger surged through his veins, and he felt an overwhelming desire to unleash his fury upon Aria right then and there. The curse word on the tip of his tongue threatened to escape, but he managed to hold it back, instead keeping his anger hidden beneath a mask of calmness. The other players, unaware of the turmoil brewing within Alayn, wore puzzled expressions in response to Aria's question. Little did they know the storm that raged inside him.

"Stay calm, Alayn. Stay calm," he repeated to himself, trying to regain control of his emotions. The fury inside him burned like a wildfire, but he knew he couldn't let it consume him. Revealing his true feelings now would only create more problems, and he couldn't afford to lose his composure in front of the other players.

Taking a deep breath, Alayn forced a smile, though it felt more like a grimace. He kept his anger hidden, hoping no one would notice the turmoil he battled internally. The other players remained oblivious, their puzzled expressions still lingering in response to Aria's question.

In that moment, Alayn decided he would have to be more cautious and cunning in this game. He couldn't afford to let his emotions get the better of him, especially now that the others were aware of his potential to deceive and exploit. He needed to find a new strategy, one that would allow him to thrive in this unfamiliar world of god-given abilities.

As the conversation continued, Alayn focused on analyzing each player's reactions and responses. He started to piece together the dynamics within the group and assess how he could best use this knowledge to his advantage. For now, he would bide his time, observing and calculating his next move carefully.

As Alayn's anger began to dissipate, he noticed a piercing gaze coming from his side. Turning to his right, he saw Serene staring at him with a mixture of fear and confusion in her eyes. It was as if she had glimpsed something horrific, something that no one else could see. Alayn couldn't help but wonder if she had somehow sensed the violent thoughts that had consumed him mere moments ago.

"What the hell happened to her?" Alayn questioned silently, perplexed by Serene's reaction. The fear and confusion in her eyes seemed to imply that she had witnessed a ghost or something far more sinister. Could it be that she had somehow discerned his innermost thoughts?

"Wait. Did she just... understand my thoughts?" Alayn's mind raced with possibilities, struggling to make sense of the inexplicable connection he felt with Serene in that moment.

Interrupting his train of thought, Aria spoke up once again, her innocent smile still in place like a crescent moon in the night sky. "Do you want to know what I discovered as the answer?" she asked, her voice carrying an air of intrigue, as if she held a secret that would unravel the mysteries surrounding their predicament.

Alayn nodded in agreement, understanding that although it wasn't the ideal outcome for him, it was better to have the entire group aware of the gods supporting the players in their team rather than leaving that knowledge solely in Aria's hands.

"I'll start with Mr. Luvern then," Aria began, her voice calm and composed. "Solarael said that he could only give me the widely known names of the gods or the domains in which they hold their power."

"Mr. Luvern's god is 'Chronos,' the god of time. His sister's god is 'Apollo,' the god of the mind." she said.

A wave of curiosity washed over Alayn as he absorbed the information. "Huh? Isn't Apollo known as the god of prophecy, knowledge, and music, though?" he mused silently. It seemed that the traditional understanding of the gods might not align with the truth. Perhaps the gods held more complex powers and abilities than what mythology portrayed.

And then it dawned on him—Apollo's ability to read minds could explain how Serene had understood his thoughts of killing Aria. Alayn mentally facepalmed, realizing that he would have to adjust his plans accordingly. And he thought that Aria was actually kind of useful for the first time, albeit in an unexpected way.

Turning her attention to Aidan, Aria continued, "Your god's name is 'Vulcan,' the god of fire." Aidan's eyes widened, a mix of surprise and excitement flickering across his face.

"And Neo's god is 'Hermes,' the messenger of the gods or the god of messages," Aria announced, her gaze shifting towards Neo. Alayn couldn't help but nod in affirmation, connecting the dots between Hermes and Neo's teleportation ability.

Finally, it was Alayn's turn. Aria's expression turned somewhat puzzled as she revealed, "For Alayn's god, Solarael didn't give me the name straight away. He said that Alayn's god is currently known as 'Marauder,' the god of deception and trickery."

"Ah F*ck !" Alayn's heart sank, realizing the implications of his god's domain. This revelation threatened to tarnish his image within the group, potentially casting doubt and suspicion upon his every action.

As Alayn glanced to his left, he noticed Neo looking at him with a gleam of understanding in his eyes. It was as if Neo had always sensed Alayn's inclination towards deception and trickery, and now the confirmation had solidified their unspoken connection.

As Alayn learned the name of the god supporting him, a memory resurfaced from his initial transactions in the Cosmo shop. He recalled jokingly asking Solarael, "Copying others' abilities. Is my god the god of exams or something?" The unexpected response, "God of exams is someone else. yours isn't him," had left Alayn dumbfounded. He had made the remark in jest, but it was startling to discover that a god of exams actually existed.

"Hmm... So it's not the god of exams after all," Alayn lampooned silently, a wry smile forming on his face.

"Moving on to my supporting god, or rather, goddess," Aria announced with a sense of pride. "Her name is 'Aphrodite,' the goddess of beauty." Aria's expression radiated confidence, her captivating smile possessing an enchanting allure that seemed to ensnare hearts within an illusory web.

"Hahaha, I knew it," Alayn chuckled inwardly, his lips almost twitching with amusement in reality. It became clear to him that Aria's ability must be closely tied to the realm of beauty. The profound impact she had on them, even when their ability potential was at a mere 0.5%, indicated that the god associated with her possessed immense power within the domain of beauty.

Alayn's mind raced with thoughts and calculations, recognizing the potential threat that Aria could pose if she were to become his enemy in the future. "She is going to become a huge problem if she becomes my enemy in the future. If she survives to see that future, that is," he thought to himself, his hand gently touching his lower lip—a habitual gesture whenever he delved into deep contemplation or strategic planning.

"Well, I already have a plan if it comes to that," Alayn thought silently, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. Alayn reveled in the thrill of outsmarting his opponents, and the thought of facing off against Aria only fueled his excitement. He wanted to see the despire on that beautiful face of hers.

As Alayn's mind delved into these dark thoughts, he cast a quick glance to his left side and noticed Serene looking at him with the same expression of fear and confusion as before.

"That confirms it. She can definitely understand my thoughts. But it seems like it's only the extreme ones, like my moments of bloodlust. Otherwise, her ability would be ridiculously overpowered if she could read every thought at just a 0.5% potential level," Alayn concluded, drawing from his observations. He realized that Serene hadn't picked up on the fact that Neo was faking his nauseous state after all. And through that observations Alayn was able to come to this conclusion.

Realizing this, Alayn felt the need to somehow explain the situation and the reason behind his thoughts to Serene. He didn't want to dismiss someone as powerful as her from his arsenal so easily.