Becoming a God Starts with Acting-Chapter 59: [The River God’s Wife] - Nerio’s Part (8)

Back in the jungle, when Silvanus was hesitating, unsure of whom to abandon, he initially wanted Jack to be the one to perish there.

He knew the man—a cruel dark esper. Compared even to his group, Jack was the most ruthless of them all, constantly coming up with wild ideas, torturing his kind to death just to experience the twisted pleasure he couldn’t find outside the dungeon.

But then, the acting system suddenly intervened and told him to leave behind Leonard instead. By all accounts, Leonard was already the obvious choice to be abandoned. However, Silvanus was intrigued by the system’s decision because it had never interfered with his choices until now.

[He will certainly survive. This will make him stronger. Moreover, consider Leonard if you seek a believer whose nature aligns with Nerio.

At the time, Silvanus couldn’t understand the system. He couldn’t see anything unusual about Leonard. Yet, despite his skepticism, he trusted it—the system he had always dismissed.

And now, everything was being laid bare before his eyes and before countless viewers worldwide.

Silvanus even thought that if Leonard had the acting system, he would have undoubtedly racked up an enormous number of acting points just from the stark contrast between his past self and his current state.

The towering creatures emerged with the murky water—not just one, but three.

Their forms were grotesque, their bloated bodies partially decomposed from days spent submerged. Yet, it was still clear that they had once been women. Their tattered clothing clung to their swollen flesh, from which tendrils resembling seaweed sprouted, stretching down to the ground. Their arms were unnaturally short, their faces and bodies grotesquely puffed, making them seem less like corpses and more like massive, parasitic abominations.

Slowly, they dragged themselves forward through the shallow water, inching closer to Leonard, who lay motionless on the ground.

Leonard felt ice creeping through his entire being—a coldness that didn’t just come from the jungle now swallowed in darkness or from the monstrous creatures before him. It was a chill that seeped deep into his very soul.

He was hungry.

So hungry.

Leon had said it wasn’t just the hunger of three days without food. No, it was a hunger that festered deep within him, a craving that had never been satisfied.

He knew.

Leonard knew.

Even the elders of the Curtis family had never been wrong about him.

He had been a monster since the day he was born.

Even if he had never wanted to be.

No—he never wanted to be a monster. He only ever wanted to be human.

Why?

Why had no one ever shown him kindness?

Why had he only ever wanted a family, yet never had one?

He hadn’t even harmed anyone...

So why?

Why did they treat him like this?

Why did they throw him into the dungeon?

Why did they abandon him in this cold, desolate forest?!

The monsters had drawn even closer now.

Their swollen mouths gaped open—at first appearing small, but when unhinged, they stretched unnaturally wide, more significant than their heads, as if they could swallow Leonard instantly. The insides of their throats were a dark, bloody red, and thick, crimson mucus dripped down, sizzling upon contact with Leonard’s body.

"Ssssss—"

The corrosive sound made him tremble in pain.

But Leonard didn’t even care.

His mind was drowning in thoughts.

What would the people watching the dungeon think of him now that he had revealed his true nature? How would they deal with him?

Perhaps he would be locked away in a larger facility than the Curtis family’s laboratory.

It could mean an agony multiplied a hundredfold.

Pain like that.

Despair like that.

What was the point of staying alive?

Leonard couldn’t help but wonder. His trembling body suddenly fell eerily still.

"Kill them all. Destroy everything. Then you won’t have to suffer anymore... isn’t that right, my child?"

Right at that moment, a distant voice—deep, ancient, wrapped in suffocating darkness—echoed from the depths of his mind.

Leonard shuddered.

His black eyes widened beneath his long bangs.

His irises remained a deep, pure black—but his pupils shrank into a single, glowing crimson dot.

"No... no..."

Leonard mumbled under his breath.

Then, his body abruptly lurched upright in a strange, jerky motion—like his bones no longer obeyed the laws of gravity.

He stood there—tall, thin, frail-looking—his posture slightly hunched.

Both hands clutched his face, long hair veiling his eyes, obscuring any glimpse into his thoughts.

The air grew heavy, tense, and unnatural.

The monsters glanced at one another as if confused—why had their prey’s presence suddenly changed?

But that didn’t stop them from devouring their meal.

"Plop, plop!"

All three monsters lunged at once!

"NO... I DON’T WANT TO DIE!"

Leonard’s sudden roar thundered through the air.

His body shot forward like an arrow in a split second, slipping past the monster’s attack!

"BANG!"

The three creatures crashed into each other, their guttural shrieks vibrating through the air—yet their cavernous maws could only produce distorted, waterlogged echoes, like massive droplets falling onto the surface of a still lake.

They couldn’t even find their target anymore.

Suddenly—

A sharp whoosh cut through the air!

Leonard’s gaunt figure had already twisted behind one of the creatures, his eyes glowing in the darkness—wild, frenzied, ice-cold.

The monster thrashed violently, its tentacle-like appendages writhing as if they had a mind of their own.

Then—

They struck!

"Thud, thud, thud!"

Its tendrils impaled Leonard’s back, piercing through his body like a sieve.

Fresh blood gushed out, cascading down like a scarlet river.

Yet Leonard didn’t even flinch.

He didn’t feel pain.

His eyes locked onto the monster’s bloated, slimy flesh.

And suddenly—

He lunged forward—

—And bit down!

The beast let out a pained roar, its cries morphing into eerie sounds—like heavy raindrops falling as if it were weeping.

But its agony didn’t last long.

Its body rapidly withered, shriveling into a dried husk. Only now did it become clear—this monster had no bones. Its deflated corpse resembled a giant balloon that had been punctured, sagging, and twisting in the wind before collapsing onto the ground.

Leonard stood over the monster’s remains. His thin frame was slightly hunched, his head tilted back, and his broad, frenzied eyes gleamed with madness. A slow, twisted grin stretched across his face, dark crimson blood trickling from his lips.

At this moment, he still wore the form of a human—yet he looked far more terrifying than the monsters before him.

The remaining two creatures howled in fury and lunged at him.

Leonard roared in return and threw himself at them, tearing and biting without hesitation.

The monsters’ writhing tentacles pierced through his body, riddling him with holes.

Blood gushed freely.

Yet, as if utterly numb to pain, Leonard grew more frenzied, savagely ripping into the creatures.

[Holy shit! I can’t believe we’re witnessing such a high-level fight on the first night—with the first batch of humans, no less!]

[Is he a monster or a human?! Could Leon have been telling the truth all along?!]

[Hahaha, I feel like this is the beginning of humanity’s downfall. A monster disguised among humans—how thrilling!]

[Wait a second. No matter what Leonard is, he grew up in the human world. He wants to escape the dungeon, so he wouldn’t do something stupid like turning against humanity... right?]

[Exactly! If he kills humans, he’ll never be able to go back!]

[Blending into the dungeon doesn’t sound so bad, though. Hahaha.]

[But if he shows up again after tonight, won’t humanity start to suspect him? And what about Leon? That guy has bullied him for ages... With this overwhelming strength, do you think he’ll just put up with it?]

[He’s always endured it before. Maybe it’s a psychological thing.]

The comments poured in nonstop, shocked at Leonard’s sudden transformation and power.

[What exactly is he?] Silvanus asked his system.

[He was born human, my lord. But only the sins of humanity can surpass even monsters—can make a creature of the abyss tuck its tail in fear.]

There was a brief pause. Then, the system added in an almost sly tone:

[But you could make him submit with your abilities. He could become your most devout believer! And you—you could play your role so perfectly.]

Silvanus: "..."

For some reason, he suddenly felt like he was being mocked.

Meanwhile, the battle had reached its conclusion.

The two remaining monsters met the same fate as the first—their corpses lay flattened on the ground, reduced to nothing more than eerie, discarded husks.

Leonard gasped for breath, blood continuing to spill from the corners of his mouth. His face was twisted, deranged—like a demon.

Yet, even as his body was covered in gruesome wounds, those very wounds had already begun to heal.

"No! No! No! Stop healing! Stop, stop!"

Suddenly, Leonard screamed.

His eyes had returned to normal, filled with terror.

He clutched his own body, his cries frantic.

At the same time, his regeneration slowed—his wounds no longer bled, but they remained as deep crimson scars, still raw and seeping.

It was precisely what Leonard had wished for.

And yet, his face twisted with even more profound despair.

"No... why... why is this happening? Why... why...?"