Becoming a God Starts with Acting-Chapter 66: [The River God’s Wife] - Nerio’s Part (15)

"So as long as they touch the ground, these monsters will disappear!" Taylor shouted excitedly.

Elena, watching the light in Nerio’s hands intently, quickly added, "That’s why these monsters need someone to carry them on their backs—they can’t enter the village alone! Moreover, Maya and the others had just returned from the riverbank. This is probably related to why water can’t be brought into the village—this is the true source of the danger!"

Now that the solution had been revealed, everything suddenly seemed easy to deduce and connect, as if it had never been a challenge in the first place.

Taylor nodded vigorously. "And since they haven’t crossed the gate yet, the monsters can’t even attack us! Matthew, let’s go!"

With that, she grabbed a large wooden stick from the room. Now that she knew the monsters couldn’t harm her, nothing was left to fear.

Matthew glanced at Nerio, watching as the faint glow in the boy’s palms gradually faded. "Is that why you’ve been sitting on that chair all this time? Because you knew you wouldn’t be in danger?"

Nerio lowered his head, clasping his hands behind his back, saying nothing.

[Hey, Nerio just gave them the solution, and this is how you treat him, Matthew? You’re making the poor boy sad! My precious Nerio—these humans don’t deserve you!]

[Whoa, hold on, Matthew didn’t even say anything that bad! It was just a question! Can we all calm down for a second?]

[Nerio’s ability is seriously overpowered! Imagine if he could use it repeatedly—humanity would be unstoppable in the dungeon!]

[Please, Nerio must live!!!]

Seeing Nerio’s reaction, Matthew felt a twinge of guilt, wondering if his words had been too harsh. But now wasn’t the time to dwell on it. With Taylor urging him on, he quickly rushed toward Ace and the others outside.

"No, Matthew! What are you doing?!" Maya sobbed, tears streaming down her face.

Matthew’s voice was cold. "Stop pretending to be her."

He raised his hand, and light arrows shot toward the monsters clinging to the espers. Taylor also charged forward, swinging her wooden stick at the creatures, even as her legs trembled at the sight of their grotesque and terrifying forms.

The monsters shrieked, and one opened its mouth, biting through Taylor’s large wooden staff quickly.

"Fall back!"

Matthew roared. Taylor flinched and quickly retreated. At the same time, a massive vine burst from the ground, staggering toward her. It moved slowly and seemed weak—clearly, it couldn’t make Ace unleash his full power. However, if Taylor got too close, that vine alone could still kill her.

Matthew’s light arrows rained down on the monsters relentlessly. They howled in agony, their grotesquely oversized faces twisting like massive worms. The sound they made was like the pounding of a torrential rainstorm. Water gushed from their wounds, spilling into the room—but instead of draining away, it kept rising, as if, given enough time, the creatures’ bodies could flood the entire space and drown everyone inside.

[For god’s sake, Matthew is so weak! Even with a solid plan, he still can’t neutralize the threat quickly enough!]

[Come on, not everyone is a top-tier esper! Matthew is doing his best!]

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Three massive monsters crashed to the ground at once, their roars echoing like waves crashing against the shore. Their bloated bodies writhed violently on the floor, but before they could do anything else, they dissolved into pools of water, vanishing almost instantly as if they had never existed.

"Alright! You’ve got this, Matthew!" Taylor clenched her fists, her eyes shining with determination. Those standing across from him also seemed to find renewed hope.

But only Matthew knew just how drained he indeed was. And yet, he had no choice but to keep going.

Fortunately, he knocked the monsters off Ace and the others before they could fully enter the room.

Matthew and the others collapsed to the floor almost simultaneously when the last monster disappeared. The group that had carried the creatures also dropped to their knees, their legs trembling from exhaustion and pain.

Matthew’s face contorted in agony, his complexion turning deathly pale from sheer fatigue. He panted heavily, then suddenly coughed up mouthfuls of blood, writhing on the ground.

"Matthew!" Taylor screamed, rushing toward him in a panic.

Matthew weakly waved a hand, trying to signal that he was fine—but given how he looked like he was about to cough up his entire insides, he was very much not okay.

"Please, you can’t die!" Taylor cried out.

And then, as if responding to her voice, a miracle occurred. A faint light suddenly enveloped Matthew, and his violent coughing stopped just like that. Though he still looked wrecked, he was undeniably in much better shape than before.

Not only Matthew but even Taylor was stunned by the phenomenon. However, before they could say anything, Jack’s furious voice cut through the air:

"You knew everything beforehand, didn’t you?! That’s why you refused to take the mission! And yet, you didn’t say anything about this danger! You little bastard—so cruel! Now that you’re useless, I guess I can kill you, right?!"

As he spoke, he stormed toward Nerio, his legs still trembling from exhaustion, but his rage was utterly unaffected.

Elena, standing beside Nerio, quickly stepped in front of him. Her face showed fear—but also fury.

Summoning all her courage, she shouted, "What the hell are you saying?! What are you even trying to do?! Nerio just saved all of you! If it weren’t for him, you’d probably be dead by now! Is this how you repay him for saving your lives?!"

Jack opened his palm, conjuring a flame of eerie blue-black fire. His face was still flushed from the strain of carrying three monsters earlier, and combined with his furious expression, he looked more like a monster himself.

The way he stood there—it was as if he was ready to kill Elena, too.

Maya’s voice rang out, cold as ice. "I don’t mind risking my life against you, Jack, you ungrateful bastard."

Jack curled his lips into a mocking sneer as if he was about to say something, but Ace’s icy voice suddenly cut in before he could.

"That’s enough, Jack. How much stupidity is enough for you?"

Jack clenched his jaw, his teeth grinding audibly in frustration. But in the end, he had no choice but to withdraw his flames.

[Honestly, I like villains, but Jack looked pathetic back there...]

[He’s nothing more than a wild animal who can’t control himself, lol.]

"I don’t know anything. I only know how to use my ability."

Nerio’s quiet voice broke the silence.

He lowered his head, making it hard to see his expression. But the way his small hands gripped the hem of his clothes, the droplets of water splattering onto the ground—it wasn’t hard to imagine his pitiful, tear-streaked face.

Maya frowned deeply while Matthew stepped forward, standing protectively before Nerio. His gaze swept coldly over the dark espers.

"Nerio sacrificed the last use of his ability to save all of us, and this is how you treat him? I made a promise to protect him until the very end. If any of you lay a finger on him, I will fight you to the death."

Maya moved to stand beside Matthew. "Me too. Don’t even think about touching Nerio."

Alexis and Jack scoffed, while Clow, on the other hand, smiled in a friendly manner.

"Come on now, let’s not get so tense. We’re truly grateful to Nerio—why would we ever harm him? Jack just lost his temper for a moment. Nerio, don’t be scared. I’ll protect you, too."