Becoming a God Starts with Acting
Chapter 163: [Blizzard Manor] - Prophet’s part (10)

Chapter 163: [Blizzard Manor] - Prophet’s part (10)

"I can help you."

The butler’s trustworthy voice rang out from behind the door.

The rogue esper, now drowning in fear, his rationality teetering on the edge of collapse, didn’t think twice. He immediately grabbed the doorknob and flung the door open.

Almost the moment the door swung wide, the live broadcast screen of that rogue esper went black. However, unlike usual—when a human dies, their screen disappears entirely—this time, the black screen remained, still displayed alongside the others.

Silvanus frowned slightly at the sight, questioning the current condition of that rogue esper.

Meanwhile, upstairs, the instant the door opened, a triumphant smile on the creature outside became visible.

It was a pitch-black being, as thin as a sheet of paper or a shadow. It spread its arms wide and lunged forward, embracing the rogue esper who was rushing toward it.

At that moment, the esper seemed to awaken from his fear. Confronted with the eerie sheet-like creature before him, he tried to stop himself and flee.

But it was too late.

The creature’s arms stretched out. No matter how far the rogue esper tried to run, he couldn’t escape its reach.

Ultimately, the monster’s arms wrapped around him, pulling him tightly into its embrace.

"Shlup!"

The esper’s entire body was swallowed into the paper-like monster. He didn’t even have time to show a single expression before dying.

Then, something unimaginable happened.

The paper monster began to twist and contort, its shadowy form warping into various shapes.

Its 2D body swiftly transformed into a three-dimensional form, each part seemingly sliced and reassembled into a new figure—identical to the esper it had just devoured!

The monster stuck out its long tongue and licked a circle around its face as if confirming its new form. Its lips stretched to its ears in a grotesque grin.

But moments later, everything healed as if nothing had happened. The creature chuckled darkly, then staggered into the room with a strange, broken puppet-like gait.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The sound of doors being rammed echoed once more, though this time not from Drake’s room.

Ethan was moving from room to room, threateningly slamming each door.

With every step, it was as though something heavy and solid scraped across the ground behind him.

The sound resembled metal—perhaps a scythe, or maybe an axe, or even a hammer. No one could tell for sure.

As the sound of slamming faded, a knocking began.

It was the butler—or perhaps something merely pretending to be the butler.

"Hurry up and get out. Are you not planning to complete your mission?"

Saphen couldn’t help but glance at Drake beside him as the voice—Drake’s own voice—rang out from behind the door.

Drake furrowed his brow.

It seemed this monster could now mimic humans as well, not just the dungeon’s NPCs.

And from its words, they could now confirm that the boss lurking behind the scenes had some method of monitoring their every move.

Everything was getting more and more difficult, Drake thought grimly.

He looked at Saphen and said softly, "Ignore it. Go to sleep."

With that, he lay down and closed his eyes.

In any case, there was no way they’d be doing any missions tonight. If someone ended up dying later due to their stupidity, what did that have to do with him?

Saphen had been staring intently at Drake all this time. Then, he, too, closed his eyes and went to sleep.

"AAAAaaaaaaa!"

A piercing scream tore through the silence, echoing in their ears—and the ears of many others in the mansion.

But only silence answered that bone-chilling cry.

No one would sacrifice themselves for anyone else...

And so the night passed.

During that time, the monsters continued to take turns pacing outside the humans’ doors, never allowing them to leave their rooms.

The first night was a warning, a show of the monsters’ power.

Five screens had gone dark the next morning within Silvanus’s field of view.

Among them were one rogue esper, two dark espers, and two believers from Susan’s group.

As before, the blackened screens did not disappear. Instead, they remained in place—but upon closer inspection, their black color seemed faded, more like static interference than pure blackness.

At this point, Drake had brought Saphen downstairs. The others had also started coming out of their rooms and were gathering in the main hall.

"That monster knocked on my door last night—how dangerous!"

A familiar voice rang out. It was that same rogue esper. He clenched his fists, speaking with a hint of relief:

"Luckily, I’ve dealt with this kind of thing before. As expected, the first night isn’t too dangerous."

"That’s right. We’re lucky we all made it through safely."

Everyone began talking, one after another.

They were all here, intact and seated as if that agonizing scream last night had never happened.

But clearly, five screens had turned black.

The rogue esper, two dark espers, and two believers from Susan’s team should be dead.

They had opened their doors. Silvanus was certain he hadn’t seen wrong.

Then... what exactly is standing here now?

[Oh? That stare... anyone else think Saphen knows something?]

[Might be a coincidence.]

[Kids always have a sharp intuition. I’m sure there’s a reason Saphen made it into this place. This dungeon favors the strong, after all.]

[You say that like strength is going to be a weakness here. In the end, the weak ones will die first. Simple as that.]

That last comment wasn’t wrong in the slightest.

"Honored guests, I trust you all had a wonderful night after yesterday’s dreadful snowstorm. Before we begin breakfast, I will go over the manor’s rules. I hope that you will abide by these rules during your stay with us."

He paused for a moment, then added with a slightly embarrassed tone, "I do ask for your understanding—our master is rigorous, and I have no choice in the matter."

No one voiced any objections, but Jessica spoke up:

"We came here to relax and have fun. Is there nothing else to do besides staying in this boring old manor?"

The butler’s expression didn’t change in the slightest, even when Jessica called the manor boring.

He replied, "I’m terribly sorry, but the weather outside simply won’t allow it. The forest is buried in snow—going out there would be very dangerous. As I mentioned yesterday, it’s best you wait for the rescue team to arrive."

"When exactly will they arrive?" Jessica pressed, her expression casual yet taunting, the kind that made it clear she was intentionally trying to provoke him.

The butler answered calmly, "That depends on their speed. I can’t say for certain."

He then smiled at her and said, "But of course, if the young lady insists on going outside, that’s fine as well. Just know that we will bear no responsibility if you are buried in the snow."

Jessica snorted, clearly intent on heading out regardless of the butler’s tone.

But the butler no longer paid her any attention and continued with the rules of the manor.

First, guests must attend meals on time—breakfast at 7 a.m., lunch at 11 a.m., and dinner at 7 p.m.

Guests are not permitted to go outside or make loud noises during the night.

Guests are also strictly forbidden from entering the fourth and fifth floors, which are considered off-limits.

"We are quite hospitable, but these are the basic rules that must be followed. If one cannot even manage that, then perhaps one is of no use to society at all," the butler said slowly.

So if someone breaks a rule, do they just get killed? Fiona couldn’t help but grit her teeth at the thought.

"The time has come. Ethan has finished preparing the meal. Dear guests, please follow me," the butler said, then turned toward the kitchen.

Just as he had said, a warm meal had been laid out on the table.

As with last night, the master’s chair remained empty.

Sensing the guests’ unease, the butler quickly added, "Our master wasn’t feeling well, so he had breakfast earlier. Please, enjoy yourselves."

Jessica smirked while Susan’s expression softened with concern.

"Would it be possible for us to visit him? Since arriving at the manor, we haven’t had a chance to greet him," she asked.

The butler smiled and shook his head. "No, that won’t be necessary. You’ll all meet him soon enough—whether you want to or not..."

His words left everyone with a lingering sense of unease.

Before anyone could dwell on it, Drake gave a cold chuckle.

"Always unwell, huh? Your master isn’t dying or something, is he?"

The butler and the two servants turned to glare at Drake in perfect unison. Their synchronized movements and shared look of fury were disturbingly identical.

Drake only laughed, unfazed. "What? I was joking. Or... maybe I wasn’t. If that is the case, then my condolences."

There was no denying that Drake’s words had struck a nerve. At the very least, the butler was clearly struggling to maintain his composure.

The tension was so thick it felt like a fight could break out at any moment.

Everyone instinctively tensed, bracing themselves for whatever might happen next.