Becoming a God Starts with Acting-Chapter 74: [The River God’s Wife] - Nerio’s Part (23)

"Come on, why don’t you come up and play for a bit?"

Nerio smiled, his tone hovering between an invitation and a challenge. But as soon as they faced Nerio, the monsters abruptly shrank back, diving beneath the water’s surface at an astonishing speed, vanishing into the deep blue depths.

They could sense an unfathomable power from this person. They feared him!

Nerio burst into laughter at seeing the monsters fleeing for their lives. "Hahaha, such weaklings. When is this going to get fun?"

He leaned toward the water, tilting at an angle that would send anyone else tumbling in, yet remained perfectly steady. His face was so close to the surface it seemed like he might kiss it. He curled his lips into a smirk and whispered, "Hurry up and crawl out of the water already, you pathetic things."

Then, all of a sudden, his body snapped back, landing firmly upright. Stretching lazily, he remarked offhandedly, "Let’s go see how far those adorable little humans have gotten in tearing each other apart first. I’m looking forward to it."

At that moment, his face was alight with excitement and mischief—like a devil in the guise of an angel, far removed from the image of an innocent boy untouched by the world’s cruelty.

[What the hell just happened?!]

[I haven’t even finished processing everything—so Nerio isn’t going to die, huh?!]

[Honestly, the ones we should be worried about now are the regular humans... especially those dark espers...]

[I knew it! I knew Nerio was hiding something all along! I’ve been saying this forever, but you kept denying it!]

[Wait, but those water monsters were genuinely terrified of him. Just what is this kid’s real power?!]

[There’s no way he’s human, right? If so, this game’s outcome is practically set in stone!]

[I’ve never seen him before, but I’m telling you—he’s a total monster, no doubt about it!]

[Have the dungeon monsters already evolved to this level? Could there be some mutation happening here?!]

Agitated, astonished, and skeptical comments flooded the screen, crammed together and scrolling so fast they became unreadable.

Outside, everyone was equally stunned into silence. Drake covered his face, finding it almost unbelievable that he had been desperately praying for the Prophet to appear and save Nerio just moments ago.

"Get ready. We’re heading into the dungeon, Silas." Drake’s voice was filled with frustration.

Silas, standing beside him, nodded, saying nothing.

"But in the end... is Nerio human or a monster? Can a creature like that hide among humans? Just how much farther are these monsters planning to evolve?" Cocona muttered, her expression twisted in frustration and anger as she glared at the dungeon.

Frank lowered his eyes. "We were all fooled by a monster... let alone the people trapped inside the dungeon who have no idea."

Because Nerio had played his role too perfectly—never once revealing anything out of the ordinary.

"Drake, if Nerio and Leonard fought, who do you think would win?" Frank suddenly asked.

Drake’s voice turned cold. "I can’t see through Nerio."

His words made the others’ expressions grow even graver.

Significantly when they glanced at Leonard’s live broadcast—anxiety clouded their faces even more...

Earlier, Leon had dragged Leonard to the western chamber, a shelter for the lost.

The mutilated corpses of Kely and Elena were still there, now nothing more than dark red smears fused to the floor. Even Leon found the sight unsettling, but this place was the perfect location for what he had planned.

He turned to Leonard, curling his lips into a smirk. "Never thought a jinx like you would survive this long. It’s just the two of us here, so why don’t you start being honest?"

Leonard instinctively took a step back, fear creeping into his voice. "There’s... there’s nothing to confess. I-I just got lucky, that’s all."

Leon frowned. His eyes turned sharp and vicious as he lunged forward, catching Leonard off guard and yanking up his shirt.

What lay beneath was grotesque. Leonard’s skin had turned a sickly grayish-blue, deathly and unnatural. Tiny tendrils wriggled from his flesh like oversized worms slithering beneath his skin.

"AAAAAH!" Leon screamed in horror, immediately leaping back. He struggled to regain his composure, his expression twisting with rage. "You are a damn monster! I knew it! There’s no way a normal human could’ve made it out of that forest alive! Monster! Die! I’m telling everyone!"

Before, Leon had thought he would kill Leonard himself. But now, after witnessing the truth, fear gnawed at him.

Leonard was stunned. In a panic, he dropped to his knees, clutching Leon’s leg tightly. "No—little brother, we’re family! You can’t do this to me! I’m not a monster, I swear! I just... I want to live like a normal person!"

Leon’s rage only flared. He kicked Leonard away, the force sending him sprawling as pain shot through his body.

Then, Leon’s disgusted voice rang out: "Don’t touch me, you disgusting freak! A monster like you should die! I don’t know why our parents let you live this long—they must’ve seen your true face too! You should’ve been cast out of the family ages ago. Now hurry up and die already!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Leon shoved Leonard aside and turned to leave the room.

Leonard lay on the floor, his fists clenched tight, his eyes wide open.

No. He wasn’t a monster. They couldn’t find out. They must not find out!

That thought consumed him entirely, flooding his mind. In an instant, his pupils turned a deep crimson. His body flickered—and before Leon could take another step, Leonard suddenly appeared right in front of him!

Leon flinched, startled by Leonard’s sudden presence.

Leonard stood before him, his head hanging low, long hair veiling his face. Only then did Leon realize that Leonard was much taller than him when standing upright.

Leon tried to mask his unease with anger. "W-What the hell are you doing?! Get the fuck away from me!"

"You forced me... You forced me... You bastard... You forced me..." Leonard muttered under his breath, over and over.

Sensing danger, Leon raised his voice. "I said, get away from me!"

But his struggle was useless.

"You forced me!" Leonard suddenly roared—then lunged forward, jaws wide open, and bit down on Leon’s throat!

The last thing Leon saw was Leonard’s mouth—now filled with razor-sharp fangs.

CHOMP!

"AAAAAAAH!!"

Leon’s scream echoed through the room as bright red blood gushed from his severed carotid artery, spraying nearly three meters away. His cries quickly turned to strangled gurgles—until his furious, desperate expression drained of color until his entire body withered into a mummified husk.

He collapsed to the ground. What remained was nothing but skin stretched tight over bone, a grotesque grayish corpse.

Leonard took a step back, licking his lips. A long, satisfied breath escaped him. He could feel his body changing—his stomach, which had been disfigured before, was now smooth once more, just like before.

The benefits of drinking human blood. He had completely recovered.

Leonard curled his lips into a smirk, his crimson pupils gleaming with exhilaration.

"Did you just kill someone?"

A childlike voice rang out from the doorway.

Leonard froze. The red glow in his eyes dissipated, fading like smoke. Rationality slammed back into him like a tidal wave.

His body stiffened as he slowly, mechanically turned toward the door.

There stood Nerio, head tilted slightly, staring at him with curiosity.

The boy was spotless, utterly clean—a stark contrast to Leonard, drenched in fresh blood.

Leonard forced a smile, but his voice betrayed his panic. "No, I didn’t..."