Becoming a God Starts with Acting-Chapter 78: [The River God’s Wife] - Nerio’s Part (27)

At this moment, the riverbank was covered in white flags, fluttering violently in the wind—identical to the ones the monsters carried in their hands.

The altar, which had still been unfinished yesterday, was now somehow complete. Matthew and the others saw it was still under construction even this morning.

Now, the altar stood tall and ominous. Beneath it, a cage was already waiting—just large enough to hold a bride.

The river had revealed its true form. It no longer shimmered with a beautiful, clear blue but had turned murky and foul, exposing the heads of countless monsters lurking beneath.

Their faces tilted upward, eyes glowing beneath the surface, waiting eagerly for anything to be thrown into the water.

The sight almost made Julia want to scream in sheer despair.

And it was then she realized—she could move again.

But she didn’t dare.

Two massive creatures still hovered threateningly beside her, so close she could barely even shift without them noticing.

Cold sweat trickled down Julia’s forehead as she glanced back toward the humans trailing behind her.

Matthew took a step forward, but Ace stopped him.

"The ceremony won’t be complete until she’s thrown into the river," Ace said flatly.

"She’s your teammate! Are you really going to stand by and do nothing?!" Matthew growled.

Ace shot him a mocking look. "And what do you think you’ll accomplish with that useless kindness of yours?"

Just then, a sweet, intoxicating scent suddenly spread through the air.

The monsters froze in place, their eyes on Julia losing their previous malice.

Julia forced herself to smile—her most professional, seductive smile—as she turned toward the two monsters restraining her and cooed, "Let me go, won’t you?"

Desperate to leave herself a way out, she added slyly, "There are two other women back there... you can choose them instead. How about it?"

The creatures leaned toward her, their pig snouts greedily sniffing at the sweet scent radiating from her.

Their rancid, foul breath hit her face, making her frown in disgust—but she had no choice but to endure it.

And right at that moment—

Thin, whip-like vines suddenly burst up from the ground and lashed harshly at the two monsters.

"Éc! Grahhhhh!"

The sharp pain instantly snapped the creatures out of their daze.

With enraged snarls, they violently shoved Julia into the small cage, forcing her into a posture that made it impossible for her to escape once she was thrown into the water.

Julia’s eyes widened in shock as she stared at Ace in disbelief.

"No, you can’t do this to me! No, let me out! No, I don’t want to die—please, save me!"

But Ace stood there indifferently, waiting for Julia to be thrown into the river.

The decision might have been difficult if this were a dungeon filled with ordinary espers. But for dark espers, sacrificing someone else was nothing but a simple choice.

And so, the monsters lifted Julia onto the altar before being thrown straight into the river. The layers of crimson fabric draped over her obscured her face, leaving only the sound of her desperate screams echoing through the air.

Dark espers were truly despicable, but even so, witnessing such a hopeless death still left an uncomfortable weight in one’s heart.

Standing atop the altar, the village chief burst into laughter. "Ha ha ha! The bride has consummated! The bride has consummated! Oh great River God, grant us rain! Bestow more rain upon us, upon your devoted followers!"

His voice rang out to the heavens, and the already gloomy sky darkened even further.

"Boom! Crack!"

A sudden clap of thunder roared across the sky, lightning splitting through the heavens as if to tear them apart. Moments later, heavy raindrops began to fall, sparse at first but dense and forceful. The once-still river suddenly turned violent, its waves surging with terrifying intensity, crashing against the altar and shaking it violently.

A fierce wind howled through the air. The humans’ expressions grew grave.

At that moment, the village chief suddenly screamed, "What is happening?! No—The offering has already been delivered! Why are you still angry?!"

His frantic voice rang out, but no answer ever came.

His eyes widened in horror as he looked into the depths of the river—where, at the very center, lay a withered corpse, surrounded by other bloated, swollen bodies.

The chief’s face contorted in shock, and he roared, "Since when... Since when did you become like this?! You are not the River God—you’re an imposter!"

He pointed at the river, his voice rising in fury, his expression verging on madness.

As if enraged by his accusations, the waves surged even higher, their fury unstoppable.

In an instant, the altar was shattered into countless fragments by the relentless waves. The village chief staggered backward before plunging straight into the water.

"Aaaaaaa!" His scream pierced the air—only to be swallowed instantly by the wind and crashing waves.

The moment his body hit the water, the bloated corpses rushed toward him at an unnatural speed, engulfing him completely. Their rotting mouths tore into his flesh, ripping him apart. Even his bones were crushed into tiny fragments—

All of it happened in the blink of an eye.

"Squeal! Squeal!"

The pig-like monsters shrieked endlessly, scattering in fear as they fled from the monstrous waves.

"Well, the good news is we only have to deal with one boss," Taylor forced a smile, trying to lighten the mood.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The water suddenly surged to an unnatural height—perhaps more than ten meters—before crashing down at an unimaginable speed.

"Run!" Matthew shouted.

The group sprinted at their fastest pace, desperate to escape the raging waves. Leonard grabbed Nerio and bolted. However, they were no match for the sheer power of the wave, which swallowed them whole along with the pig monsters.

Engulfed in the massive flood, their eyes filled with despair and pain as they struggled to regain control of their bodies, desperately searching for a way to break free from the water’s grip.

Leonard fought his way to the surface, gasping for breath as he called out, "Nerio! Nerio, where are you?!"

All he could see were the rolling waves and the pig monsters floating lifelessly. There was no sign of Nerio anywhere. Desperation flickered in Leonard’s eyes. Taking a deep breath, he dove back down, determined to find him.

He didn’t know that, at that very moment, Nerio was effortlessly gliding through the water as if he were strolling on solid ground. Within moments, he had already reached the village’s center. From that point on, his feet touched the earth beneath him—the water barely reached his waist.

His hair remained tousled, his clothes completely dry, showing no sign that he had ever been submerged.

Viewers watching the scene couldn’t help but laugh—first at Nerio’s casual ease, then at Leonard’s frantic desperation.

[I know this is supposed to be a tense moment, but lol, what the hell? Leonard’s the only innocent one here]

[Poor Leonard... The one who needed protection was never Nerio]

[Nerio looks seartless and ruthless like this, but somehow... still adorable!]

[So, can we now confirm that Nerio is stronger than Leonard? The kid’s probably the new boss of this dungeon. The humans are doomed, lol]

[In other dungeons, it was too early to tell. But this time, humanity has made it all the way to the final stage. Why hasn’t the Prophet shown up yet?]

[I was wondering the same thing! I’ve been waiting for him to appear—especially since Nerio is pretty special. Shouldn’t he have shown up in this dungeon?]

[He joesn’t like making appearances. That’s all. Are people really still wondering about this?]

[MI mighthave to wait until the second or third run before Prophet shows up. He’s like that]

[I’m seriously looking forward to seeing Prophet and Nerio fight, hahaha]

[Prophet’s going to win]

[Don’t forget—Nerio can predict the future too...]