Becoming a God Starts with Acting-Chapter 52: [The River God’s Wife] - Nerio’s Part

"Hello to those who haven’t managed to escape the northeastern region. Right now, we can no longer avoid the truth—the chances of you being chosen are very high. So, quickly review the survival skills compiled on our website and do your best to stay alive. You can do it!"

The northeastern region was in turmoil due to the sudden appearance of a dungeon. Those who failed to evacuate either descended into madness, fearing for their lives and the looming death or fell into complete silence, resigned to their impending fate.

"Ha! The government always says this, but ordinary people can’t survive in these special dungeons! Even veteran espers die so easily!"

"I hope the Prophet will appear and save us..."

"There’s no Prophet coming to save us! That damn deity only saves the strong! Damn it!"

"We’re going to die. We’re all going to die. What do we do? I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die—please, save me... huhuhuhu..."

"The dungeon won’t choose me, right? Please, choose the espers instead... please, please..."

At this moment, everyone wanted to survive.

"...A new god may appear in this dungeon, so do your best to stay alive and pray sincerely. He will not abandon humanity."

The broadcast announcement ended, bringing humanity even the faintest glimmer of hope.

"What? A new god? I didn’t mishear that, did I?"

"I still want the Prophet. No other god could be stronger than him..."

"There’s no guarantee we’ll even be chosen. Let this world be destroyed already!"

Whispers and murmurs filled every corner of the northeastern region.

Just then, a team of espers entered the area. Someone caught sight of their leader and couldn’t help but exclaim, "Look! That’s Captain Cocona, Captain Silas, and Captain Drake!"

This time, the strongest espers on the continent had all joined the battle.

Someone muttered under their breath, "Please, let them be chosen. Just don’t pick us..."

Drake frowned as he scanned the northeastern region, now chaotic and devastated overnight. "Those big-shot believers still haven’t shown up, huh?"

Silas spoke softly, "Maybe they’ve already appeared somewhere without us knowing."

After all, the traces of high-ranking believers were always shrouded in mystery.

Drake scoffed coldly, saying nothing more.

At that moment, Cocona suddenly asked, "Are you planning to enter three dungeons back-to-back? That’s not a good idea. And besides, you heard it too—Prophet won’t appear in this dungeon."

Drake’s expression immediately darkened in frustration. "You’ve asked that twice now! Are you doubting my abilities? I’m a hero! A hero, you understand?! I’m just doing my duty, that’s all. Besides, there’s no way I’ll ever die in a dungeon. Worry about yourself instead!"

Cocona’s face turned cold. "Like a nuclear bomb... I wish you could explode and wipe out this entire world."

Drake smirked. "Yeah, that’d bring some real peace."

The two turned in opposite directions, leaving Silas in the middle, expressionless, with his eyes tightly shut—he looked as if he had fallen into a deep sleep amidst his teammates’ argument.

Meanwhile, Cocona’s and Drake’s subordinates were glaring at each other, ready to rip each other apart at any moment.

"Alright, the dungeon is about to open. Stay focused."

This time, Silas and Cocona had items that guaranteed the dungeon would choose them. They were supposed to be humanity’s hope inside this dungeon...

Or not.

As the bright red numbers in the sky counted down to zero, beams of light shot up from beneath the chosen ones, carrying them toward the sky.

"Why are you two still here?!"

Drake roared in disbelief as he stared at Silas and Cocona. They, too, were stunned by the unexpected turn of events.

"This... this can’t be happening," Cocona spoke through gritted teeth, pulling out the item meant to ensure their selection—a white diamond-shaped gemstone.

They had it with them. So why weren’t they chosen?!

"There’s something wrong with the dungeon," Silas spoke coldly. First, the sudden announcement had disrupted the evacuation, and now the dungeon was ignoring priority selections. Everything pointed to an invading force rapidly evolving and becoming even more dangerous.

"What the hell is wrong with this damn dungeon?" Cocona growled as she looked up at the sky.

At this point, aside from observing the dungeon, they couldn’t do anything else.

"Wait, do you hear that?" Cocona glanced at Silas, her expression skeptical.

Silas nodded, his voice low. "I do."

"We’re hearing sounds from inside the dungeon... Is this invasion force trying to create the greatest despair possible for ordinary humans? It has evolved, hasn’t it?" Drake sneered, his eyes burning with barely contained rage.

At that moment, the mist within the dungeon completely dissipated, revealing thirteen people. This number was significantly more prominent than in previous dungeons.

And among them, it was immediately clear who would rule this dungeon.

"Damn it! Why the hell did I get dragged into this dungeon?! This is all your fault, you damn jinx! I shouldn’t have been near you when the countdown ended, you bastard! You monster!"

A sharp, grating voice rang out as a young man cursed and repeatedly kicked another young man.

The attacker had an ordinary, forgettable face with freckles scattered across it. If there was anything memorable about him, it was the sheer unpleasantness and malice in his expression.

Meanwhile, the young man being beaten curled up on the ground, arms wrapped around his head. He was skinny, his long, unkempt hair covering his forehead and eyes. His lips were dry and cracked like he hadn’t had water for days.

A girl witnessing the scene couldn’t help but plead, "Wait! This is our first time in a dungeon. Now, more than ever, we need to stick together. Please, stop..."

But the young man ignored her, continuing to rain kicks and punches down on the one on the ground. Blood trickled from the beaten youth’s mouth, yet he didn’t even let out a single sound of pain—like he was far too used to this kind of treatment.

Suddenly, the ground trembled, and everything fell silent.

Everyone turned to look.

A tall man with a sinister, icy expression stood there. He wasn’t alone—four others flanked him, all clad in sleek black combat gear. However, unlike the rest, his appearance was slightly more casual, making it clear he was their leader.

The dark colors and arrogant expressions on their faces immediately sparked unease among the others.

And sure enough, they were dark espers.

The leader picked his ear nonchalantly before speaking in a chilling voice. "I’ve temporarily agreed with the government not to go on a killing spree, but if you ordinary folks can’t behave yourselves, don’t blame us for getting rid of obstacles. Got it?"

One of the others grumbled, "I still don’t get why Captain made a deal with the government. Wouldn’t it be more fun to run wild?"

A sultry, languid female voice chimed in, "Idiot. This dungeon is dangerous. Keeping these ordinary people around means we’ll have disposable bodies when needed."

They were speaking among themselves but loud enough for everyone else to hear. And they didn’t care—because they were confident that no one outside the dungeon could listen to them.

"Those damn dark espers... I said from the start that we couldn’t trust them!" Drake growled, punching a nearby wall so hard that it shattered.

"Calm down. As long as they can shut down this dungeon." Silas’s voice, in stark contrast, was steady and composed.