Becoming a God Starts with Acting-Chapter 55: [The River God’s Wife] - Nerio’s Part (4)

Everyone’s gaze almost instantly focused on Nerio. The boy tilted his head slightly, looking at them with a puzzled expression as if he couldn’t understand why they were staring at him like that.

Maya chuckled and stepped forward as if she wanted to push Nerio behind her, but he dodged, seemingly disliking being touched by others.

Maya could only pull her hand back awkwardly and force a smile. She tried to say, "Nerio, what are you talking about? This isn’t something to joke about. You know what a dungeon is, right? If we’re not careful, we could really die..."

Ace’s face darkened. "This isn’t the time to listen to a kid rambling—think of a way out already!"

Clow adjusted his glasses. "At this point, our only option is to risk everything against the darkness."

His expression was grave as well, but they had almost no other choice.

Off to the side, Leon clutched his head, mumbling in terror, "No, no, this can’t be happening... I don’t want to die! And Prophet—aren’t they going to show up?"

Kely murmured as well, "The Prophet won’t appear... We’re doomed..."

They had nearly lost all hope. The heavy despair weighing on them made the others furrow their brows, feeling the crushing helplessness of their situation.

Just then, a blue light suddenly flared in the dimming space, drawing everyone’s attention.

They turned in shock, only to see Nerio’s entire body enveloped in a beautiful, ethereal blue glow. His pure white hair floated in the air despite the absence of wind.

The boy raised both hands before his eyes. Strange patterns began to appear in his palms, formed by interconnecting stars—stick figures, crudely drawn yet alive. Then, a forest emerged, with the stick figures piling on top of each other, running desperately. Soon, a village appeared before them.

Though the images created by the stars in Nerio’s hands were simple and rough, they were enough for everyone to grasp what was happening.

"How is this even possible?!"

Outside the dungeon, Frank slammed the table and stood up. "Is this really that kid’s first time in a dungeon?"

Layla, standing beside him, quickly confirmed, "Yes. There’s no record of anyone named Nerio. And if that boy had ever shown up before with a face like that, we’d definitely remember."

Frank agreed—it made no sense. How could a child on their first dungeon dive possess such terrifying power? If the visions Nerio displayed in his hands were accurate, then his ability was close to predicting the future!

No—it was even more potent than that. He could find solutions to their problems. freeweɓnovel.cøm

"A genius... This kid is definitely a genius! Drake looks like you’re about to have some company!" Frank exclaimed, thrilled. If this boy could make it out of the dungeon alive, he would be a talent worth nurturing.

Drake continued staring at the live broadcast in the sky. Unlike Frank’s excitement, his expression was far from comfortable. "If he manages to escape this dungeon, the price he’ll have to pay for that terrifying power won’t be small."

Drake knew this firsthand—he had been through it himself. Besides, Nerio wasn’t alone; Ace’s team was right there with him. Who knew if Nerio would die at the hands of a monster or at the hands of Ace’s group instead? Ultimately, no matter how strong or functional Nerio’s ability was, he was still just a 12-year-old child.

The reactions outside were countless, let alone the people inside the dungeon.

They stared at Nerio in shock, barely able to believe what was happening before their eyes.

Clow adjusted his glasses, casting a meaningful glance toward Ace.

Ace shot him a look in return, signaling for him to remain calm for now.

Meanwhile, the others were too ecstatic to notice Clow and Ace’s reactions.

Matthew stepped forward, eyes gleaming with excitement. "So, as long as we follow the vision you created, we can escape the forest, right?"

Nerio didn’t confirm or deny it—he said, "The stars will guide us."

Matthew had already noticed that Nerio wasn’t exactly normal. Instead, he didn’t dwell on the boy’s cryptic attitude and raised his voice. "Alright, everyone, let’s move!"

Alexis scoffed. "How can we be sure this plan is even right...?"

Matthew shot him a cold glare. "If you don’t want to follow, then don’t."

Alexis’ expression twisted with anger, but just then, Ace suddenly raised his hand to stop him, speaking in a deep tone, "I already told you—Matthew is the captain now."

Alexis gave Ace a confused look but ultimately said nothing more.

Matthew also glanced at Ace in suspicion, but all he received in return was a fake smile. However, there was no time to dwell on it. He quickly instructed, "Based on what Nerio showed us, we need to carry each other—one person carrying three others."

Maya frowned. "But that would leave one person out..."

The atmosphere instantly grew tense. No one wanted to be the one left behind—especially the ordinary people.

Everyone knew that in this situation, only Espers had the strength to carry three people. Ace smirked as if he had been anticipating this moment all along.

Matthew hesitated for a second, then looked toward Nerio. The boy met his gaze, his expression still innocent, as if lost in his own world.

At that moment, Leon suddenly spoke up, his voice loud and sharp, "Just leave him behind! He’s useless anyway—there’s no way he’ll survive for long, and he’s not even helping!"

As he spoke, he pointed at Leonard, who was curled up on the ground.

At Leon’s words, Leonard’s body trembled slightly. He struggled to move as if trying to stand, his cracked lips parting as if he wanted to say something. But all that escaped was a pained whimper, fresh blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His near-death state only served to prove Leon’s point.

At that moment, Ace suddenly raised his voice. "Alright, we’re heading out first!"

As he spoke, he grabbed Nerio and handed him off to Clow, who then passed him to Julia. Just like that, their team formation was complete, and they disappeared before the others could even react.

Maya’s face was filled with worry. "He definitely has no good intentions of taking Nerio with him!"

Alexis chuckled. "Don’t say that. We’ve already made an agreement with the center—at the very least, we won’t kill you guys today."

"But tomorrow... who knows?" Jack added with a laugh, joining Alexis as they both burst into unrestrained laughter.

Matthew frowned coldly, taking a deep breath before finally allowing Maya and a girl named Elena to go with Alexis and Jack.

Now, only five people remained—Matthew, a terrified-looking Kely, a calm Taylor, an impatient Leon, and Leonard, who lay trembling on the ground.

"Alright, let’s hurry up already! What are you waiting for?!" Leon urged Matthew impatiently.

He had initially wanted to go with Ace’s group, but they had abandoned him. Now, Matthew was moving too slowly, and everything was making him furious. Once they got out of this dungeon, he would definitely have his father deal with all of them!

Matthew ignored Leon’s attitude and bent down, saying, "Alright, get on."

Leon immediately lunged onto Matthew’s back, shoving Taylor aside in the process.

Taylor staggered, glaring at Leon in fury. "What the hell is wrong with you?! Trying to rush to your next life or what?!"

Despite being a woman, Taylor was tall and powerfully built—she looked like she could send Leon flying with a single punch.

Leon shrank back slightly, his bravado faltering, but he forced himself to act tough. "Hurry up, or do you want to die in this forest?!"

Taylor said nothing more and let Kely climb on first before following after.

Kely’s sniffling voice broke the tense silence. "What about him?"

By "him," she was, of course, referring to Leonard.

Leonard remained motionless as if he were already dead.

"Of course, we’re taking him with us," Matthew responded firmly, lifting Leonard up and tucking him under his arm. Compared to Matthew, Leonard’s frail body looked no different from that of a baby chick.

Leonard seemed surprised that Matthew had chosen to bring him along. His body stiffened momentarily but soon relaxed.

Matthew dashed forward, carrying the weight of four people as if it were no great challenge.

Leon, however, shouted angrily from his back, "Why the hell are you bringing that useless deadweight?! We’ll never escape if he’s with us!"

Smack!

Taylor’s hand landed hard on Leon’s loud mouth, her voice as cold as ice. "If you don’t shut up, I won’t wait for Matthew—I’ll throw you off myself."

Leon gritted his teeth in rage but didn’t dare say another word.

However, soon, a glaring problem became apparent.

Matthew had been running for nearly five minutes, yet they had ended up back at the same place!

The fading twilight grew even dimmer, and the entire forest seemed to twist and warp unnaturally.

Leon’s voice trembled with anger and fear. "I told you! We’ll never escape as long as we bring him along!"