Becoming a God Starts with Acting-Chapter 64: [The River God’s Wife] - Nerio’s Part (13)

Nerio looked at Matthew, and in the end, the boy obediently nodded. Even if he couldn’t understand Matthew’s actions, he would always follow what was right without protest.

Matthew let out a breath, and at that moment, Ace kicked the door open.

"I’m here!" Matthew’s voice rang out. At the same time, a voice as light as the wind murmured in his ear—Nerio’s voice: "You’ll regret this~."

It was so soft, like a breeze brushing past his ear, that Matthew almost thought he had imagined it. He wanted to turn back and look at Nerio, but before he could, Maya’s scream immediately stole his attention:

"Run!"

At the same time, Maya lunged toward Matthew. His reflexes were sharp—he quickly dodged and stepped back.

Maya’s body halted abruptly at the doorway as if something invisible was blocking her.

And at that moment, everyone in the room finally saw the state of those outside.

"Aaaaaaa!" Kely shrieked, stumbling backward in terror. But the room had only four walls and simple furniture—nowhere to hide.

"Shut the door! Shut it now!" Leon shouted. He wanted to rush forward to close the door, but fear paralysed him when he saw the grinning monsters perched on the backs of those outside. He stepped forward hesitantly, then back again, pacing anxiously like a trapped insect.

He turned to Matthew, urging him frantically, "Hurry! Hurry up and close the door!"

His panic and fear gave him enough courage to push Matthew.

The others, their faces filled with horror, huddled together, too afraid to move even an inch.

Taylor murmured, "It looks like... they can’t step past the doorway..."

Matthew shook his head. "No. They’re trying to move forward." And their efforts were working—slowly, painfully, but undeniably, Ace and the others were forcing their way inside.

The creatures clinging to their heads grinned and let out sharp, cruel laughter—the same chilling sound Matthew had heard while fleeing the forest.

"I told you, shut the door! Shut the damn door!" Leon screamed again.

Kely and Elena turned to Matthew, pleading, "Please, please! Close the door... If they get in, we’ll all die!"

"They’re all Espers, and we’re just ordinary people! You might not care about yourself, but at least think about us!"

Yet, at that moment, it was as if Matthew couldn’t hear them.

His gaze was fixed on Nerio sitting calmly in his chair. The boy tilted his head slightly as if puzzled by how Matthew looked at him.

"Nerio, you..." Matthew started to say something, but Taylor’s furious shout cut him off.

"Damn it, you slowpoke! If you don’t close the door, I will!"

With that, Taylor stormed forward and shut the door right before them.

Leon’s eyes widened, filled with relief and joy, but—

BANG!

A deafening crash echoed as Ace shattered the door with a single punch.

His rigid body moved forward, fist shifting direction toward Taylor. Taylor collapsed in fear, squeezing her eyes shut in despair.

But the expected pain never came. Ace couldn’t step past the threshold until he fully crossed the doorway.

Ace’s eyes widened as the three monsters on his shoulders shrieked in rage, urging him to move forward, to break through the boundary even faster!

Agony twisted Ace’s face as his body seemed to be crushed between the monsters’ weight and the invisible barrier’s resistance.

The others were in the same situation—trapped in torment, yet their bodies couldn’t resist the monsters controlling them.

Blood had already soaked the clothes of those leading the charge. Their bodies were squeezed mercilessly by the unseen force. Even if they managed to push through, they’d likely be nothing more than lifeless shells, mere tools for the monsters to use.

Alexis and Julia sobbed, their eyes filled with terror and hopelessness. Maya struggled to regain control of her body. Jack’s gaze brimmed with malice, his eyes locked onto the people inside the room as if he wanted to devour them alive. Ace and Clow’s expressions were grim, yet there was a flicker of something else in their eyes—a hint that they still had a way out. But whatever that plan was, now was not the time to act, and the situation remained dire.

Taylor scrambled backwards on the ground, trembling as she clutched Matthew’s leg. With unwavering resolve, she demanded, "Kill them... kill them all!"

Matthew stared at Taylor in disbelief.

—

[ Hahaha, I wish Taylor was an Esper right now. Matthew’s hesitation is so dull! ]

[ Matthew has a conscience! I didn’t expect Taylor to be so ruthless when it mattered. ]

[ Wait, Taylor isn’t ruthless—she wants to survive, right? ]

[ Nerio said Matthew would regret it... I’m sure Matthew heard his voice! Along with Nerio’s earlier warning, am I the only one who thinks the kid knows something? ]

[I always thought there was something off about Nerio. No human child could be that beautiful. I’d rather believe he’s a baby monster!]

[Exactly! There’s no way someone with abilities that strong is appearing in a dungeon for the first time! But this is his first time here—everything about him is suspicious!]

[But I’ve gone through this dungeon’s script many times, and there’s no monster like Nerio. The creatures in this dungeon are all grotesque and ugly...]

[Stop trying to make Nerio seem dangerous. It’s just an effect of how unnaturally beautiful he is—beyond human standards. The truth is, he’s been sitting there doing absolutely nothing this whole time!]

[Honestly, even the fact that he’s just sitting there is weird...]

[That’s because he has some intellectual disability, OK!]

The arguments flooded the comments nonstop. Silvanus could imagine that if he had system notifications turned on, his ears would now be ringing from the flood of acting points, he was racking up.

Wherever there was support, there would always be opposition. Everyone had their reasoning. This time, whether the viewers believed Nerio was a threat or just an idiot, all of it contributed to Silvanus’s acting points.

He might’ve even laughed if this weren’t such a profound moment.

—

Taylor stared at Matthew, forcing herself to stay calm. She knew that only Matthew could do what needed to be done right now.

"Kill them. As you can see, they can’t move right now, and neither can the monsters on their backs. By the time they cross the doorway, their bodies will already be crushed to death, but the monsters on them will attack us! That’s eighteen monsters—do you think you can win against them?! Kill them now and trap those things outside. That’s the only way we survive!"

The others were stunned. Leon was the first to back Taylor up.

"She’s right! Kill them! If we don’t, we all die! The better half of us survive than all perish, right?!"

Kely nodded frantically. Elena buried her face in her hands, sobbing, her eyes filled with despair and terror.

She didn’t want this. She just wanted an everyday life. She couldn’t bring herself to urge Matthew because she knew how hard it was to decide this in the heat of the moment. Who would want to kill someone? Who would want to die?

Matthew clenched his fists tightly—then, suddenly, a system notification popped up in front of everyone in the room.

—

[Mission: Protect the room from the monsters.]

Oh no! The monsters are invading the room—defend your base!

Reward: Clue x1

—

"Do it! We even get a clue out of it!" Leon shouted excitedly.

Matthew’s pupils trembled. This damn system was outright encouraging them to slaughter each other!

Maya saw the look in Matthew’s eyes as he stared at the space before him. She knew he had just received a mission—a mission to kill. Just like the one she and the other dark espers had been given...

Maya wouldn’t hate Matthew if he killed her. She could feel the pain tearing through her body—at this point, she would rather die than continue suffering. Besides, Taylor was right. They’d already be dead if they crossed that doorway, but their bodies would still bring monsters into the room. It was better to die now than to be used against their allies later...

Her mind understood this.

But at this moment, her face was filled with sheer terror and agony, tears welling in her eyes as she sobbed and shook her head.

"Don’t... don’t kill us. We’re all human... you can’t do this..."

Even Julia was crying now. The once-dominant dark espers were trembling in pain and fear like never before.

The pressure surrounding Matthew was suffocating—the desperate voices urging him from behind and the hopeless cries in front of him. It was crushing him, driving him to the brink of madness.

Why?

Why was he always the one forced to make these choices?

He had already abandoned Leonard in the forest. And now, was he supposed to take the lives of six human beings personally?

—

[Hahaha, these "monsters" are such great actors.]

[Matthew looks like he’s about to lose his mind. Honestly, I feel bad for him...]

[This dungeon shouldn’t have had normal humans in the first place. Things would be much simpler if it were just a bunch of dark espers. I swear, if Ace or any other dark esper were in this situation, the answer would already be six severed heads rolling on the floor, lol.]

[The more ruthless you are, the better your chances of survival in this dungeon. Too bad Matthew isn’t that kind of person. He’s even a follower of the angel Gabriel...]

[Hurry up and end this! Or wait for the monsters to break in and wipe them all out—either way, I’m looking forward to the next batch of players!]

—

Blood dripped from Matthew’s palm—his nails had dug so deep into his skin that they broke through.

He snapped his eyes open, took a deep breath, and, as if he had finally made up his mind—

He stepped forward.