Becoming a God Starts with Acting
Chapter 142: [The Corpse Collector] (18)

Chapter 142: [The Corpse Collector] (18)

Silvanus looked at Ryan and said softly, "I just wanted to learn a bit of experience from Silas. I want to contribute, too."

Ryan said nothing. Lucian snorted coldly, clearly in a foul mood.

Because Silvanus had been gone for so long without returning, they had gone to look for him by the lake. But all they saw then was Silas diving in and out of the water repeatedly. When he noticed their presence, Silas immediately gave them a cold stare. There was something about him that made it feel like he could transform into something terrifying at any moment that night, so they hadn’t dared to approach. Maybe Silvanus had been with Silas at that time, learning from him.

This only made Lucian feel even more frustrated. Silas—what the hell even was he? He was just...

The more Lucian thought about it, the more he wished he could burn Silas to ashes right then and there.

"Silvanus! You’re finally back. Everyone was about to look for you. So? Did you find Aboli?" Bryan ran up to Silvanus, worried but not forgetting to ask about Aboli’s whereabouts—ever the responsible team captain.

Seeing him like this, Silvanus wanted to say, "Maybe you know Aboli’s whereabouts better than I do."

But of course, he couldn’t say that. At least not right now.

He lowered his gaze, looking tired and sorrowful. "I searched everywhere... but I couldn’t find her... I’m sorry..."

"No, it’s not your fault!" Bryan quickly responded, as if afraid Silvanus might start blaming himself—but in truth, the four eyes silently staring at him from nearby were already weighing heavily on him.

Only then did Silvanus gaze toward the distant villagers, a bit puzzled. "What’s going on in the village? Why are they suddenly lighting fires? Are they... celebrating?"

"Ah, that..."

"Aaaaaaaa! No way, no way, no way!"

Just as Bryan was about to answer, a piercing scream echoed through the air, cutting him off instantly.

The villagers in the distance who had been celebrating also turned to stare in the same direction—towards the village entrance.

"That’s Ciel’s voice!" Silvanus said anxiously, then dashed forward. Ryan hurried after him, and Lucian clicked his tongue before quickly chasing after them.

The villagers’ hollow eyes followed their backs, wide and unblinking—a truly eerie sight.

At the village entrance, Ciel was seen collapsed on the ground, wildly hitting his head, struggling like a madman. He was biting his lip so hard it bled. His fingertips were stained with blood, and scratch marks covered his face—clear signs that he was mentally unstable to the point of injuring himself.

His clothes were in tatters, and his backpack was missing.

Bryan quickly grabbed his hands and asked, "What happened? You said you were leaving the village—why are you suddenly here again?"

Ciel stared blankly at them, and it took a long moment before he returned to his senses. He clutched his head tightly, muttering repeatedly: "It’s over... It’s over. We’ll never get out of here. It’s over. It’s all over!"

He screamed with all his might, and all the eyes watching them became clearer than ever.

Silvanus frowned and said, "Just take him back to the room first and ask questions later—this place isn’t suitable."

No one objected to Silvanus’s suggestion.

Ciel was quickly brought back to their room in the village. At this point, it wasn’t just Julie who had mental issues, and they still hadn’t found Aboli.

Their mission had descended into chaos, even though this was only the third day since they arrived in the village. Everything pointed to one thing—this village was not typical.

"I told you already, we should’ve left this place," Lucian raised an eyebrow at Bryan, his words and gaze full of implication.

Bryan kept calm and replied, "I think so too, but let’s at least hear what Ciel has to say first. He was supposed to have left the village, yet here he is..."

Seeing the concern on Bryan’s face, Silvanus couldn’t help but feel like his own position was being threatened—Bryan knew how to put on an act.

After downing two glasses of water, Ciel seemed more composed, but his hands were still trembling uncontrollably, and his bloodshot eyes showed how strained his mental state was.

Suddenly, he looked up at them all and began to speak rapidly:

"I tried leaving the village using the old path. But no matter how long I walked or how many times I tried, it always brought me back. I don’t know what I did wrong! I tried escaping in different directions but always ended up right back here!"

He gripped his head tightly, fingers clawing at his hair until strands began to tear out, but he seemed completely numb to the pain. He kept muttering,

"This village is cursed... We’re all part of it now... We’re going to die with this place. We will. We will. We will!"

Suddenly, Ciel let out a scream, his entire body shaking—he was teetering on the edge of a breakdown.

Bryan quickly restrained him, keeping him from flailing and potentially hurting someone.

"All right, just rest and have some dinner for now. We’ll figure something out tomorrow, okay? We will get out of here," Bryan said.

Judging from his expression, it was clear that while he heard Ciel’s words, he wasn’t taking them seriously. After all, it all sounded wild.

And that expression of Bryan’s—calm and dismissive—set Ciel off again.

He suddenly lunged forward, grabbing Bryan by the collar and shaking him violently:

"What’s that look for?! You don’t believe me, do you?! I’m telling the truth! I am! You bastard! It’s your fault! You’re the one who brought us to this damn village!"

As he shouted, he raised his fist, about to punch Bryan.

But of course, Bryan wouldn’t just stand there and take it. He blocked the punch and then pushed Ciel down to the floor.

For the first time, the usually responsible, ever-smiling Bryan revealed a flash of cold anger on his face as he snapped:

"And what’s the point of you going crazy now? Julie’s already in trouble, and now you too? We still haven’t found Aboli!"

What a dramatic scene, Silvanus thought emotionlessly.

Bryan was playing his role so well it almost felt like he wasn’t the one responsible for all of this.

[Oh my god, even though I already know Bryan is a villain, his words still deeply affect my heart. He does seem like a good captain!]

[But Silvanus already captured his sister, right? He doesn’t know that yet, haha.]

[Can’t wait to see him go berserk and try to kill Silvanus when he finds out, lol.]

Silvanus glanced at the comments while stepping forward, trying to mediate with concern:

"Alright, now’s not the time for us to fall apart. We can’t afford to be fighting right now!"

Ciel opened his mouth, about to say something—when suddenly, a loud knock at the door interrupted everything, startling him into silence.

"Kids, come out and join the celebration with us. There’s a lot of good food today. Everyone’s having a great time," came the village chief’s muffled voice from behind the door.

Bryan straightened his clothes before going to open it. The older man’s hunched figure and deeply wrinkled face appeared before them.

He smiled at Bryan, the kind of smile that made all his wrinkles crinkle even more, exposing a toothless grin.

It looked harmless... yet strangely unsettling.

"You must be tired of porridge and pickled vegetables by now. Come on, there’s a big feast in the village tonight."

With that, the village chief turned and walked toward the bonfire where the other villagers were celebrating.

Silvanus frowned. "Didn’t the village chief say they couldn’t catch any fish and were too afraid to go near the lake? Why is there suddenly a big feast?"

Bryan, seemingly still irritable after the argument with Ciel, didn’t think much of it and said, "Maybe someone in the village managed to hunt something. Let’s go—I’m hungry."

Just as he finished speaking, a loud, growling noise echoed in the room.

It was someone’s stomach, but it hadn’t come from Bryan—it came from someone else.

Ciel awkwardly stood up, visibly frustrated. After running around all day, he was utterly exhausted and parched—hunger had now overtaken even his frayed mental state.

He brushed past Bryan, slamming his shoulder into him as he walked out, not sparing a glance at the others.

Bryan said softly, "Let’s go," and followed.

Only Silvanus, Ryan, and Lucian were left in the room.

Lucian shot Silvanus a glance, then warned,

"We have to go. But don’t be stupid—don’t eat anything."

He paused, then suddenly stepped close to Silvanus, dangerously narrowing his eyes.

"I know you know."

Silvanus pushed Lucian’s face away in confusion, frowning. "I have no idea what you’re talking about. Why shouldn’t we eat? What’s the problem? Do you guys know something?"

As he spoke, he looked toward Ryan. Even without his memories, he could instinctively tell who would still listen to him.

Ryan pressed his lips together, then lowered his eyes and said quickly,

"This is all we can tell you, Silvanus. Please stay alert if you want to leave this village."

They didn’t know what Silvanus’s mission was.

All they could do was protect him—as much as their permissions would allow—for as long as he remained in this dungeon.

Silvanus looked at the two of them, confused, but didn’t say anything more. He turned and walked out.

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