Becoming a God Starts with Acting-Chapter 73: [The River God’s Wife] - Nerio’s Part (22)

Julia smirked, shrugging as she spoke indifferently, "Who knows? Maybe by now, he’s already buried at the bottom of the river."

"You’re all a bunch of bastards!" Maya shouted before preparing to storm out of the room.

Julia watched her retreating figure, her enchanting voice ringing again: "Don’t you think this is the best outcome for all of us? You won’t die, Matthew won’t die—only the useless ones deserve to die here. Besides, do you think you’ll make it in time? The moment you step out that door, Nerio might already be strangled to death by Clow. No matter how much you want to, you won’t be able to save him. Just give up and leave the dungeon with us."

Maya’s gaze wavered with hesitation. At this moment, she wasn’t even sure if Julia’s power was influencing her, but—she stopped in her tracks.

Julia looked at Maya, smiling mockingly. "I don’t even need to use my ability this time. Looks like you’re much easier to deal with than Matthew."

Maya stiffened, her face contorted with shock and fury. She clenched her fists so tightly that her hands trembled. But what could she do? She couldn’t deny that Julia’s words weren’t wrong...

In the end, Maya could only close her eyes as her fists slowly loosened. Maybe Julia was right—this was the best ending for all of them.

The fan in Julia’s hand hid her smirking lips as she lowered her gaze, concealing the gleam in her eyes. A low-level esper like Maya could never escape her ability—Julia had always known that.

Meanwhile, deep in the forest, Matthew looked at Ace and said thoughtfully, "I’ll die. Just let Nerio go."

Ace raised an eyebrow, his gaze filled with contempt. "And if you die, do you think Nerio will survive and escape the dungeon?"

Matthew remained silent, but the despair in his eyes made it clear—he knew exactly what would happen to Nerio without him.

"In that case, Nerio should die here and now. At least he can become a stepping stone for humanity’s victory." Ace spoke with utter indifference.

Matthew glared at Ace in fury, but then his expression shifted—he seemed to have realized something.

Ace burst into laughter. "Haha, too late, hero."

When he finished speaking, strange markings suddenly appeared beneath Matthew’s feet. At the same time, massive vines shot up from the ground, forming a cage that trapped him inside.

Matthew reacted instantly, firing arrows of light in all directions to attack the vines. However, his first round of attacks didn’t leave so much a scratch on the cage!

His eyes widened in shock. At that moment, Alexis suddenly appeared, placing both hands on the ground. He looked at Matthew, grinning. "I worked hard to reinforce the captain’s vines—did you think you could destroy them in one go? Haha, give up! Nerio is already dead!"

Matthew’s eyes burned red with rage, but he didn’t say a word—he simply continued his relentless assault on the cage.

Ace curled his lips into a mocking smirk. "Pointless effort."

And just as Ace had said, Matthew’s struggle was truly futile—because at that moment, Nerio was already by the riverbank with Clow.

Clow hadn’t expected Nerio to be so obedient. When told to follow, the boy hadn’t even questioned him—he walked silently behind him.

Of course, it made sense. Ever since they had entered the dungeon, aside from often zoning out and getting lost in his thoughts to the point of ignoring others, Nerio had always been a well-behaved boy who cared about everyone.

Clow glanced at Nerio, who was standing by the riverbank. The boy seemed fascinated with staring into the water, though Clow had no idea what was so captivating about the still, silent surface.

Not paying much attention to it, Clow said, "Nerio, I know you’re a good kid. You want everyone to survive, don’t you?"

Nerio turned his head to look at Clow briefly before returning to the water. He didn’t say a word—just nodded.

That attitude always made Clow uncomfortable. But thinking about what he was about to do, a smirk appeared on Clow’s lips as he continued, "If possible, would you let me borrow your ability? I’ll return it to you once we’re out of this dungeon. With your ability, we could save everyone twice."

That was Clow’s power—he could steal another person’s ability, but only with their consent. Of course, he could only hold one power at a time. Every time he acquired a new ability, his previous one would disappear.

As long as Nerio agreed, Clow would obtain his power. And if Nerio refused? A little bit of suffering would surely change his mind. It didn’t matter. Nerio’s fate was already sealed—death was the only outcome for him.

A twisted glint of amusement flickered in Clow’s eyes as he smiled.

[I knew this would happen. When Clow set his sights on Nerio, I saw this coming!]

[No, my precious Nerio can’t die like this! Just kill the Curtis brothers instead! Why Nerio?!]

[Hahaha, because Nerio is utterly useless in an actual battle. At least the Curtis brothers can act as shields. Besides, if Clow were targeting Leonard instead, Clow would probably be the one dying.]

[Agreed. I don’t think anyone here is more potent than Leonard. Don’t forget, he took down three monsters at once.]

[Nerio doesn’t even realize the danger. My sweet child, is it time to say goodbye?]

[Nooo! I can’t accept this! Please... I can’t watch him die like this! With that power, he should have had a brighter future!]

[Why did the writers create such a perfect-looking character only to kill him off? This is wild!]

[Please, please let Nerio live!]

The comments flooded in—some desperately pleading for Nerio’s survival, others gleeful that he was finally about to disappear.

Clow’s glare darkened as he stared at Nerio, his patience wearing thin. The longer the boy took to answer, the more irritated and restless he became.

Clow stepped forward. Just as he reached out to grab Nerio—

"Brother Clow, I think I see something in the water."

Clow paused, momentarily startled.

Nerio continued, "It looks like... a notebook."

Clow frowned. If it was a clue, it was worth checking out. He should take a look.

Stepping closer to the river, Clow peered down into the water. The surface was a deep, undisturbed blue, impossible to see through. There was no notebook.

His brows furrowed as he turned back toward Nerio—only to feel a sudden, forceful shove against his body!

His eyes widened in shock.

Before him, Nerio’s face was lit up with an exhilarated grin, his expression wholly transformed—like a different person.

"You little—" Clow barely had time to curse before—

SPLASH!

He crashed into the water, the impact sending waves splattering everywhere.

"You think you can get away with this?! I’ll kill you!" Clow thrashed violently, struggling to resurface. His rage burned—he swore he would tear Nerio apart when he got back on land.

But he never got the chance.

Something suddenly coiled around his ankle.

And before he could react—

It yanked him down into the depths.

At that moment, Clow and the others, watching through Clow’s live broadcast feed, witnessed the horrifying scene unfolding beneath the water.

The riverbed was littered with bones, and standing atop them were massive corpses—all women. Though tattered, Their garments and jewelry suggested that they had been adorned in breathtaking beauty before they drowned.

Yet their bodies had grotesquely transformed. Bloated and monstrous, their flesh had warped into something unrecognizable. Only one figure stood apart—a gaunt, skeletal corpse with unnaturally long limbs and elongated ears that nearly touched the riverbed.

Clow was so terrified that he forgot he was still underwater. Panic overtook him as his lungs filled with water, sending searing pain through his chest. He struggled desperately to swim upward, but the tendrils coiling around his legs only tightened, suffocating him further.

That was when he realized—he couldn’t even use his ability down here!

Suddenly, the emaciated creature at the center snapped open its eyes. Instantly, the three bloated corpses lunged toward Clow, their gaping jaws ready to tear him apart!

Clow’s eyes widened in horror. freewebnσvel.cøm

And in the final moments of his life, he couldn’t even let out a single scream.

Blood and shredded flesh quickly spread through the water, staining the depths in gruesome crimson. The monstrous figures hovering in the abyss twisted their grotesque faces into eerie, satisfied smiles, reveling in the taste of fresh blood.

Their eyes flickered open like they had been awakened from an eternal slumber.

Snarling hungrily, they jostled against each other, desperate to ascend toward the surface. They could feel it—more prey awaited them above!

On the shore, Nerio stood motionless, watching as the blood spread through the once-serene waters. The lake, once still and peaceful, now rippled with violent waves.

Then, slowly, enormous, unblinking eyes emerged from beneath the surface, followed by the grotesque, looming bodies of the creatures.

They stared at Nerio, their gazes filled with hunger as if they were looking at their next meal.

Yet, Nerio showed no fear.

Instead, he laughed—a bright, carefree laugh brimming with defiance and unshakable confidence. His eyes curved into crescents, and at that moment, his gem-like pupils glowed with a breathtaking blue light.

"Well? Why don’t you come up and play for a bit?"