Becoming a God Starts with Acting-Chapter 79: [The River God’s Wife] - Nerio’s Part (28)

"Nerio, Nerio, you’re here! I finally found you. Are you okay?"

Leonard shouted as he ran toward Nerio, with Matthew by his side.

Hearing Leonard’s anxious voice, Matthew couldn’t help but feel a bit suspicious. What exactly was the relationship between Leonard and Nerio? Since when did Leonard seem this worried about him? Was it just because they had both been caught up in the same trap earlier?

The water level reached up to their calves, making it difficult to move. From this distance, Matthew could see Nerio more clearly.

Nerio stood there, steady, as if the raging water couldn’t affect him in the slightest. His hair and clothes remained oddly dry, nothing like someone submerged in water. Look at them—soaked, weighed down by the water—yet Nerio was the complete opposite. He stood there, his white hair fluttering in the wind, revealing strands of deep blue. His clear, glassy eyes gazed at them from amidst the water, like a spirit cloaked in innocence, silently beckoning them toward the abyss.

Sensing Matthew’s gaze, Nerio suddenly looked at him and smiled. Matthew hesitated. He stopped moving forward and turned to Leonard before suddenly asking, "You didn’t kill Clow, did you?"

Leonard froze. However, he said nothing and continued striding toward Nerio, pushing forward despite the raging water. Did he not notice anything strange? He did. But he refused to step away from Nerio. This boy had stayed by his side, even when he had bared his fangs at him. No matter what Nerio was, he had to be kind and good. Or even if Nerio wasn’t...

"Why are you still coming closer?"

Nerio’s question cut through Leonard’s thoughts. He forced a smile. "I said I’d protect you."

With that, he reached out, pulling Nerio into his arms.

Nerio’s voice was soft as he asked, "Why don’t you run away? I’m very wicked."

"No, you’re not. Clow wanted to kill you first," Leonard murmured, though he knew full well that wasn’t what Nerio was referring to.

Nerio looked at Leonard with deep, unfathomable eyes before suddenly saying, "Leonard, anyone can call you a monster, but never—never think of yourself as one."

Leonard stared at him in confusion, at this person who seemed to see straight into the deepest fears buried in his heart.

Nerio tilted his head back to look up at Leonard, smiling as he said, "Because you truly are a good person, a very good person. Leonard, you don’t need their validation. You don’t need love from those who hurt you. What you should be chasing is not people like them."

Leonard gazed at Nerio, dazed. His thoughts were a chaotic mess—yet, strangely, perfectly aligned.

That’s right. He had always dreamed of a family where he was treated like Leon, not a cold, lifeless laboratory. He had always denied his power because of Leon’s scathing words, but from the beginning, he had never been a monster. A family? Those people? The only thing lingering in his mind was the blinding lights and an indescribable pain.

So he had been chasing after those wretched people all this time? He had always feared being abandoned by them—when they had abandoned him from the start? Not worthy, not worthy, not worthy. They were indeed not worthy!

It was as if Leonard had just discovered a new purpose in life. His small heart seemed to beat once more. The wind blew through his hair, and the chill sobered him up just a little.

"You are you. You don’t need anyone to define you. Give yourself the best you deserve. You were never the one in the wrong, you poor thing."

That last part didn’t sound like something Nerio would say, but Leonard didn’t care. His eyes widened before he pulled Nerio into a tight embrace.

"Thank you so much, Nerio. Thank you..." At this moment, he even had the time to sob.

Nerio could feel the burning hot tears rolling down into the hollow of his neck. Disgusted, he shoved Leonard away and said, "You’re all wet. Your tears are getting on me, too."

Leonard hadn’t expected Nerio to be so blunt. He looked slightly crestfallen but suddenly hugged Nerio again, ignoring his protests.

"Nerio, thank you for being here."

He had been afraid, living in fear. Even with his power, he had felt it was strange, something that should be buried away. But no, this was just him coming back to life after so much suffering. He had gone through so much. At this point, what was there left to fear?

Leonard placed Nerio on a high chair, seemingly a tool the villagers had used to construct the altar.

"Don’t worry, I won’t let you get dirty."

Nerio smiled at Leonard—a smile Leonard had never seen before. His eyebrows even lifted slightly, mocking him, as if asking, Can you do that?

Leonard smiled back without saying a word. He turned and waded toward where the espers had gathered—their last line of defense.

[What the hell is this feeling? Is Nerio a monster? I’m starting to hesitate—what exactly is that boy?]

[There’s no way a monster like that exists! Not! He must be a beautiful soul trapped in this dungeon, helping humanity!]

[Leonard’s eyes look like he’s found a new purpose in life, haha.]

[But Leonard is seriously treating Nerio differently, huh? He noticed something off about him. Yet, while Matthew stopped, Leonard kept going forward. That willingness to sacrifice—he’s utterly insane for Nerio!]

[Don’t make things sound so weird. Nerio’s just recruiting followers. We’re gonna see Leonard get assimilated into a monster and stay in this dungeon with Nerio, hahaha.]

At this moment, the massive waves had receded entirely. However, water was not available in the village. It had nearly flooded the entirety of the dungeon’s territory, and the monsters trapped beneath the surface had begun to crawl their way up.

But now, they were no longer just monsters.

"Plop, plop! Graohhhhh!"

First came the sound of raindrops hitting the ground, then a deafening roar. The screeches of the pigs echoed through the dungeon’s sky as if they were being torn apart most agonizingly by some terrifying entity.

"They’re here," Maya said gravely.

A massive silhouette blocked out the dim light, slowly emerging into their field of vision.

It had an enormous body—immensely enormous—because it was a masterpiece formed from the swollen corpses of countless others fused. Its flesh was a sickly grayish-white, with patches of brown scattered across it, resembling some grotesque, gelatinous mass.

Heads sprouted all over its body, their mouths stretched wide in endless screams. Countless hands and legs jutted out—some reaching toward the sky, others serving as its legs, crawling forward in an irregular, grotesque motion, just like a giant worm. The most enormous head at the front appeared to be the central command, controlling the entire abomination.

At that moment, it noticed the humans.

Its eyes narrowed in delight.

"Hahahahahaha!"

Laughter erupted from the many mouths across its body. Its numerous "legs" began moving in sync, cutting through the water as it charged at terrifying speed toward the humans!