Becoming a God Starts with Acting

The room was pitch dark. Aside from the darkness, only the silhouettes of people lay scattered across the floor, motionless, as if they had fallen into a deep sleep.

Its eyes rolled back terrifyingly, scanning everyone in the room with a sinister gaze before reluctantly retreating.

Only then did the people in the room dare to exhale, but none moved.

Drake lay on the bed, his gaze filled with boredom. He might have already leaped into battle with that monster if it weren't for the need to test the rules.

Ron spoke softly, "It seems the rule is correct—so long as we stay quiet and don't leave the room at night, the monster won't attack us. However, we don't know if this rule will hold on future nights."

The others nodded in understanding. Just then, Drake suddenly said, "Silence."

Almost immediately after his words fell, everyone instinctively fell quiet. At the exact moment, a faint sound reached their ears.

"...new friend, new friend, come play with us... new friend, new friend..." Accompanied by the rhythmic bouncing of a rubber ball hitting the ground, the chaotic mix of laughter, crying, and the pattering footsteps of children filled the air.

The sound grew clearer, echoing throughout the mansion, as if a group of children were playing at night—noisily, unnaturally.

"It looks like the troublemakers we need to investigate have arrived," Jessica said with a smile.

"Do we have to go outside?" John muttered, his face drained of all color. The sound of children at this hour was disturbingly eerie. There was no need to think twice—those children were monsters.

Fiona glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. "If you don't want to, you can stay in the room. It's your choice."

John pressed his lips together before finally saying, "I'll stay and watch over Mason." A flimsy excuse. He knew just how terrified he indeed was. If a monster appeared, he might not even be able to run.

At that moment, Drake suddenly spoke up. "Jessica, you and Stall stay in the room with John and Mason. Fiona and Ron, you're with me."

"Understood, Captain!"

The others responded in unison before splitting up to take action.

As the door closed, John breathed, reassuring himself that he was safe.

But as time passed, he didn't feel any more at ease. Instead, his tension only grew. Even the ticking of the clock made him strangely uneasy.

Stall glanced at John, then at Jessica. "He's already been affected psychologically."

Just then, the candle they had lit suddenly flickered—then went out.

Creak!

The sound of a door opening echoed through the room. White mist seeped in from the hallway, filling the air with an eerie haze. No one knew why there was fog inside the castle.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The rubber ball's dull impact against the floor grew closer. Jessica and Stall tensed. John gripped his wooden staff, his body trembling.

"Hee-hee-hee-hee... A new friend! How fun... hee-hee-hee..."

A small but unnervingly strange figure gradually emerged from the mist.

It was a child—but grotesquely so. Its limbs were long and skeletal, skin stretched thin over bone, yet its belly bulged grotesquely, far too large for its emaciated body.

Its eyes were wide open, but there were no pupils—just gaping black voids. Blood trickled from its hollow sockets, dripping onto the floor with a sickening plop.

It grinned, the corners of its mouth splitting unnaturally wide, stretching to its ears.

Behind those torn lips were rows of jagged, shark-like teeth, unevenly arranged. Blood and bits of flesh clung between them.

Saliva dripped from its mouth as it mumbled, "New friend... come play..."

The moment it finished speaking, its body suddenly lunged forward at a blistering speed—its target: John!

"Watch out!" Jessica growled, flicking her hand. Flames erupted, hurling the creature backward and slamming it violently against the wall.

The monster released a piercing screech, writhing in agony as the fire consumed it. The shrill, childlike wails sent chills down everyone's spine.

Jessica clenched her fist, and the flames roared even stronger.

[Oh, an elite follower of Lucifer! I didn't expect this!]

[Jessica is here? Why am I only now finding out she joined the Dungeon?]

[Burn these disgusting monsters to ash, Jessica! Just looking at them ruins my appetite...]

"Jessica, be careful! It's not over yet!" Stall shouted.

Still reeling from Alice's counterattack, John tensed up at Stall's warning. Suddenly, he felt something warm and wet drip onto his cheek. Stunned, he hesitated before looking up at the ceiling.

His pupils shrank instantly.

A small, childlike figure clung to the ceiling—but its form was grotesque. Its head was twice the size of its frail body, its limbs were disturbingly short, and its wrinkled, sagging skin made it resemble an oversized tardigrade.

It grinned widely.

At that moment, John felt a searing pain on his face.

The spot where the liquid had landed on his cheek was now corroding, a small hole sinking into his flesh as fresh blood trickled out.

The delayed pain finally hit him, and he screamed in sheer terror.

"Aaaaaaaa! It burns! It burns!"

Panic-stricken, he stumbled backward, but the creature moved with unnerving speed, pouncing onto his head. More of its corrosive saliva dripped onto his body, sizzling as it ate away at his skin.

John thrashed wildly, clawing at the monster, desperate to pry it off—but the creature latched on even tighter as if trying to peel his face right off.

But the nightmare wasn't over yet.

The charred body of the first monster suddenly twitched. More accurately—its grotesquely large belly was moving.

Rip!

The sickening sound of flesh tearing filled the room.

A long gash split open across its stomach, and another monster crawled out from within.

This one had unnaturally elongated limbs and a skeletal frame. It scuttled out on all fours, eerily resembling a spider. Its head twisted unnaturally, rotating a complete turn before snapping upright to face them.

The crackling of its bones was enough to make anyone's teeth ache.

Then, it shrieked.

The piercing sound rang in their ears, causing unbearable pain, and at the same time, it darted up the wall with astonishing speed, dodging Jessica's flames with agile, inhuman movements.

It shrieked repeatedly, weaving and twisting to evade the fire as it lunged for Jessica.

Meanwhile, Stall was furiously smashing his wooden staff against the bloated head of the creature clinging to John.

But something was wrong.

Since latching onto John's face, the monster had been growing. Its head was now three times the size of John's, its exposed brain folds pulsing grotesquely.

Each strike from Stall's staff drew fresh blood, yet the wounds healed almost instantly.

"Damn it! It's like a damn leech! Aaaaaaaa!"

Stall finally managed to pry the creature off with a roar of effort, ripping away a layer of John's flesh.

Blood poured freely down John's face as he clutched his wound, sobbing in pain.

"Jessica!" Stall shouted, hurling the monster toward the one attacking her.

The two creatures collided, tumbling to the floor. The skeletal one let out an ear-piercing wail—but before they could recover, hellfire engulfed them both.

Their agonized screeches filled the air, resembling the grating creak of a broken door hinge, before fading into silence as their bodies crumbled into ash.

"Shut him up!" Jessica snapped, glaring at John.

Stall obeyed without hesitation.

But at that moment—

A new sound filled the air.

A deep, rustling vibration.

Louder. Closer.

The massive creature lurking in the Dungeon had heard their commotion.

And now, it was coming.

Stall's abilities were rooted in intuition. Jessica's flames burned immense energy. Incinerating three monsters had drained her significantly.

If that thing entered this room—

They were as good as dead.