Atticus’s Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground -
Chapter 1314: Rent
There was a moment of silence before Atticus finally spoke.
“I was targeted during the ascension trial, and you allowed it.”
“Ah, I see.” The Great Verge nodded, calm. “So? I owe you nothing. I simply turned a blind eye. That shouldn’t be nearly enough to earn your ire.”
“You owe every god undertaking your surprise trial fairness. If I had been any weaker, I would have died. All because you chose to ’turn a blind eye’.” Atticus’ eyes furrowed.
“It speaks for your character. My first impression of you is that you are a corrupt, rotten star that can’t be trusted.”
“My my, such blunt words.” A smile that shocked Atticus stretched across the Great Verge’s face.
“I guess it’s expected. I had been told respect should not be expected from children. I’m only just experiencing it.”
Atticus ignored the jab, and he didn’t fall for any one of the Verge’s jokes or attempts at breaking the obvious tension between them.
With everything that had happened, he knew that this entity could not be trusted, no matter how friendly he appeared.
He had confirmed from Whisker already. While each plane had different rules, there was one that was always constant: a star could not hurt a god and their world, regardless of the situation.
Finally, the Great Verge quieted down and stared at Atticus.
“You are an anomaly,” he said, and suddenly laughed, catching Atticus off guard. “I struggled to understand why during your trial. But now, taking a closer look at you, it’s finally clear.”
Atticus was silent.
“You’re him.” The Great Verge spoke the confusing words with so much certainty that Atticus couldn’t help but raise his eyebrow.
“The one whose name shall not be mentioned brought past the Verge decades ago.”
Atticus’ gaze narrowed at those words. And the Great Verge hummed, glad he finally got a reaction from Atticus.
“You bear the mark of Solvath. Oh, this is far more interesting than I ever thought.” He sounded excited, and his six eyes lit up like a kid who’d found a toy.
“Solvath?” Atticus finally asked, feigning ignorance.
“The mark of the fallen primordial,” he explained. “I see you’re not well informed. Unfortunately, though I would like to break the tension between us, I value my existence too much to spill. I apologize.”
The frown on Atticus only intensified. He wasn’t sure what to say. However, he didn’t feel good that literally every star he met could tell he carried some mark.
’It means others will be able to find out too,’ he realized. He hadn’t forgotten the warnings he received from Elderish in the past.
There would be people hunting his kind down. And Atticus wasn’t sure if he should focus on retrieving the remaining fragments from the other kins. He couldn’t even awaken his mark yet.
A thought suddenly struck him and he decided to ask.
“Since you can’t tell me about that nameless being, can you tell me how to awaken my mark?”
The Great Verge narrowed his six eyes. “Hm. I guess that shouldn’t step on any toes,” he said and suddenly smiled. “But I hope this would ease up any tension between us?”
“Yes,” Atticus answered. He had never planned on trusting the star in the first place, even if the incident hadn’t occurred.
“Good. Easy way or hard way?” the Verge asked.
“Easy.”
“Fight with another kin. Do that and the mark has all likelihood of awakening.”
Atticus frowned. ’I can’t even tell if I’m marked…’ he shook his head. If he couldn’t even do that, how was he supposed to find and fight with another kin, with the trillions of people on the middle planes?
“The hard way?” he asked after a second.
“Sit and meditate for millennia.” He shrugged.
Atticus’ frown only deepened. He couldn’t afford to do that.
“How do I find other kins?”
“Unfortunately, my magnificence cannot be taught. The best I can tell you is, you’ll know in your first clash.”
Atticus went silent for many seconds but finally nodded. “Why was I called here?” he asked.
“Right, I was having so much fun I almost forgot. Embarrassing.” He sounded down that they were getting right to business.
“I called you here to educate you on the middle planes,” he started, taking Atticus’ silence as go ahead.
“The rules governing this plane are strict. I will highlight only a few for you. A god and god can fight in the arena of gods only if both parties agreed to it. This gives everyone a fair chance.”
“After every year, a Verge wide competition is held between worlds. It’s voluntary and there’s a required wager that every world must stake to participate. Don’t worry, it’ll be something everyone can afford.”
“What is the purpose of the competition?” Atticus asked.
“Good question. The purpose is to give some sense of order and decency in the ongoing game.”
“Game?”
“Yes, child god. Every god is racing to climb and reach the top. Without the competition, there will be nothing but disorder and chaos. That’s not interesting at all.”
“You said participating was voluntary. Does that mean each world has the option to choose to remain alone and not ascend?”
The Great Verge smiled, glad that Atticus was catching on quickly.
If the choice was voluntary, and a challenge had to be backed by both parties to have any effect, then people could choose to sit out of this war and simply live their lives. But the smile on the Great Verge’s face told Atticus that it wasn’t that simple.
“I call it rent,” he began. “Every two years, every world is mandated to participate at least once in the competition or else the rules will cease to apply to them.”
“That means…” Atticus’ eyes widened.
“Yes, child god. Other gods will be able to challenge and raid them freely with no consent required.”
Atticus hid the shock that threatened to appear on his face. If what the Verge was saying was accurate, then a god from the top of the Verge, with multiple worlds under their belt, could challenge a newly ascended god. The result would be instant.
“So at the end of the day, participation isn’t voluntary.”
The Great Verge laughed. “Well, not if you want to survive.”
Atticus regained his composure and finally nodded.
“One last thing before you leave.”
Atticus raised an eyebrow. The Great Verge tried to hide his amusement.
“You have to go to school.”
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