Becoming a God Starts with Acting-Chapter 60: [The River God’s Wife] - Nerio’s Part (9)

Leonard kept mumbling, clawing at his wound in disgust. Suddenly, he froze, his hands trembling as he slowly touched his lips, then brought his fingers before his eyes. The moment he saw the blood smeared on them, he nearly couldn’t accept it—his body curled in on itself as he desperately gagged, digging into his mouth and retching. But aside from stomach fluids, there was almost nothing he could vomit.

The relentless hunger that had plagued him for years had disappeared entirely, but instead of relief, it only dragged him into a bottomless pit of despair.

What was even more terrifying was the transformation happening within his body.

Hesitant, afraid, he lifted his shirt—only to see that his left side, from his ribs down to his abdomen, had begun to change. The skin there had turned slick and somewhat decayed, and something resembling a small strand of seaweed had sprouted from the flesh.

"Aaaaaaa!" Leonard screamed, frantically trying to rip the thing off, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t cleanse himself of it!

[Hahaha, he’s practically lost his mind. Someone might’ve been right—his fear runs deep in his psyche.]

[Even after gaining such terrifying power, he still doesn’t intend to destroy the world. He just wants to remain human and fears being discovered as abnormal, even after slaying monsters! Hmm... I get the feeling he’s a genuinely good person. I wonder what he’s been through...]

[Honestly, seeing him like this makes the chance of world destruction even higher. If he ever snaps, the whole world is going down with him.]

The comment section buzzed with debates about Leonard’s future, while outside, the observers carried equally heavy emotions.

Who would have expected that an ordinary human—one who could have been killed at any moment—would gain abilities akin to a monster, all while being mentally unstable?

"Alright, we can start preparing to enter the dungeon again," Drake said, sounding bored.

Frank clutched his head, feeling like this was the most chaotic first dungeon attempt he had ever experienced!

None of them knew that an even bigger surprise awaited them soon...

Silvanus skimmed through the comments, hoping to find helpful information amidst the spam. Matthew’s voice suddenly rang out: "The village chief is here."

His words made everyone tense up instinctively, snapping Nerio out of his own thoughts.

And just as Matthew had said—the village chief had indeed arrived.

The moment they laid eyes on him, the humans couldn’t help but be taken aback, their gazes flickering with astonishment and contemplation.

The village chief appeared to be in his early thirties, with a gentle yet weary face. The dark circles under his eyes were strikingly visible. His body was thin and frail, his skin pale with a few burn marks—likely from sun exposure.

This was a stark contrast to the other burly men in the village.

He wore a long-sleeved garment with a bright red hem that swept the ground. The intricate embroidery on his clothing depicted a massive wave relentlessly engulfing fragments of land—a peculiar design, to say the least.

As the village chief walked, every movement revealed his frailty.

Alexis couldn’t help but mumble, "Is he feeding the village with his own blood or something? He looks like he’s about to faint any second now."

Clow shot him a glance. "Watch your words. Or do you actually think the village chief is just an ordinary human? Don’t be stupid."

Alexis gritted his teeth in frustration but had no comeback.

When the village chief saw his so-called "distant relatives," a bright smile quickly spread across his face. Stepping forward, he greeted them cheerfully, "Everyone is here—this is wonderful! Travelling all the way from the city to this little village must have been exhausting."

His voice carried such genuine emotion that Silvanus couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Memorable NPCs in dungeons always had an uncanny ability to act. It had been Gon in Frog Dungeon, and in this dungeon, it was the village chief.

Matthew shook his head with a smile. "It wasn’t difficult at all. What matters most is your wedding."

At that moment, Taylor suddenly asked, "Is there no water here?"

The others had been wondering the same thing. Walking under the blazing sun had left their throats parched, yet they hadn’t seen a single drop of water since stepping into this village. Now, they finally understood why the villagers always seemed dehydrated.

The village chief lowered his gaze, looking somewhat troubled. "Water can’t be brought into the village... but there’s a large lake at the forest’s edge. That’s also where I’ll be holding my wedding. Please wait until tomorrow to go there."

Taylor was about to ask why they couldn’t just go now, but then she quickly came to her senses. Venturing outside at night would be the most foolish thing they could do.

Glancing out the window, she saw that the entire village had already been swallowed by darkness. The dim golden glow of filament lamps barely illuminated anything, casting only faint, flickering light at the edges of the windowpanes—nowhere near enough to light up the streets.

The village chief looked at them all with a touched expression and continued, "I know you’ve always cared about me, even though we’ve been apart. That’s why I’m sure you’ll be more than willing to help me prepare for the wedding! Please note that there are still some unfinished tasks outside that the villagers couldn’t complete before nightfall. The wedding is approaching fast, and time is running out. Could you all lend me a hand?"

If he had seemed lively before, now he felt no different from an NPC in a game, mechanically handing out quests.

Almost as soon as the village chief finished speaking, a system popup appeared in front of everyone:

[You have received the village chief’s request: Help prepare for the wedding. Complete the quest! Reward: Clue x1]

A clue?!

Some focused on the potential danger, while others fixated on the reward—if they completed the task, they’d obtain a clue that could help them clear this dungeon!

"Since when has the system been this fair? Are we getting a clue?" Clow chuckled, clearly sceptical of the system’s so-called reward.

They could all see the system’s bias—there was a massive disparity between the power of humans and monsters in the dungeon. They had faced countless dangers before, yet never had the system promised them any reward.

"We have the option to either accept or decline the quest. The clue will remain confidential," Matthew suddenly spoke up.

Hearing this, Julia sneered. "I thought you said we were a team? If we’re a team, then obviously, we should all share the clue, right?"

Matthew looked at Julia, his expression serious. "Are you saying you want others to sacrifice themselves for you?"

Julia covered her mouth with a smile, her fox-like eyes glinting with an eerie light. "That would suit me just fine."

Matthew felt himself wavering under Julia’s gaze for a brief moment, but he quickly snapped out of it. He shook his head sharply, his eyes turning cold as he looked at Julia and the dark espers. "I don’t want us turning against each other right now. Control your people."

Ace merely shrugged, saying nothing. Julia giggled, utterly unfazed by Matthew’s attitude.

Just then, the village chief’s voice, now carrying a chilling edge, rang out:

"What’s wrong? Why has everyone gone so quiet? Could it be that you don’t want to help me? So it’s true... after all... even family ties fade after being apart for too long..."

His tone sounded regretful, but his expression grew increasingly cold.

At the same time, the entire room suddenly became unbearably hot, an unnatural heat radiating from nowhere despite the night sky outside. It felt as if the room itself was evaporating under an unknown force, and the village chief’s expression twisted into something grotesque and eerie.

Matthew shouted, "Whoever’s taking the quest, decide now!"

Without hesitation, he pressed the [Confirm] button to accept the mission.

Almost instantly, the suffocating heat vanished. The village chief stood before them once more, wearing the same kind, gentle smile as before. If not for the sweat still dripping down their foreheads, they might have thought it was all just an illusion.

With a cheerful voice, the village chief said, "Alright, thank you all for agreeing to help! Please carry the wooden planks outside the gate to the lake at the forest’s edge. There’s a separate path, so you won’t have to enter the forest. No need to worry."

"But... isn’t it dangerous at night?" Kely murmured. She seemed to have regained some composure, but fear still lingered in her expression—she actually looked more terrified than when they first entered the dungeon.

The village chief, however, ignored her question entirely. Without another word, he turned and left, looking completely content now that he had been assigned the task.

"Damn it!" Jack cursed in frustration.

"How many people confirmed their participation in the quest?"

Matthew’s sharp gaze swept across the entire room before finally landing on the dark espers.