Ace furrowed his brows at Nerio, but before the latter could say anything, a resounding sound like a massive bell echoed through the house, shaking its foundations. The sheer force of it suggested the noise had spread throughout the dungeon.
At the sa ti, the sunlight outside began to change—darkening, as if sothing had obscured half of it.
"It’s not ti for nightfall yet," Maya quickly assessed. "This might an the wedding is about to begin."
The mont she finished speaking, a system notification appeared before all of them.
[Congratulations! You have received an invitation to the River God’s wedding. Please bring the bride on ti!]
—The bride?
"Wait, what the hell?! This wasn’t part of the mission before!" Julia shouted, a deep sense of unease gripping her, making it impossible to stay still.
"The mission briefing has been against us from the start," Maya said coldly.
At that mont, the door Nerio had firmly shut began to tremble violently as if countless hands were pounding against it.
"—The bride... the bride... the bride..."
The eerie chant echoed in unison, swirling around the room like a deathly incantation.
"Prepare for battle!" Matthew roared.
Bang! Boom!
The wooden door finally gave way under the pressure, splintering into countless shards as the "villagers" flooded in from outside.
"Hand over the bride and join the wedding, honored guests from afar," the village chief declared, stepping forward. He was clad in a bright red ceremonial robe, with a tall hat and a long veil cascading behind his head. His face had grown even more gaunt, and his cheeks sunken in. His lips curled into a grotesquely high grin, and his narrow eyes slit into thin lines, making his smile resemble that of a bizarre wooden puppet.
But the villagers were even stranger if they could still be called thats. They had beco unnaturally bloated, their bodies smooth and glistening with a pallid white hue, nothing like human skin.
Their limbs had shrunk as their torsos swelled, turning them into grotesquely round figures. They dragged their swollen bodies forward in slow, heavy movents, murmuring "the bride" over and over.
They had co to claim a wife.
Before Matthew and the others could do anything, Julia’s body suddenly moved stiffly, stepping forward toward the grotesque creatures.
She scread, struggling to turn her head toward the others. "No! No! Attack them! You have to save !"
That was all she could manage before her head snapped back toward the monsters with such force it was as if her neck might snap.
Her face was twisted in terror and despair. She had done everything to avoid this fate—so why, in the end, was she still the bride? Why her? Why not soone else?!
[Because Julia dared to spy on the River God...]
[The bride was initially supposed to be Kely, lol. Julia will never know what she missed. If she had saved Kely, maybe Kely would be dragged away right now.]
[At last, the final act begins. I can’t believe the first group that entered the dungeon survived to this point—it’s honestly a miracle!]
[Yeah, this dungeon is infamous for being brutal. I’ve seen countless worlds fall in the first quest, yet these humans made it...]
[Thinking about it, if not for Nerio, these humans would’ve indeed died in the first or second stage. I’m starting to question whether Nerio is even human. Hmmmmm.]
[Sa here. But who knows? Maybe Nerio just brought them this far to savor their despair.]
[Sothing about all this still feels off. 1 to doubting Nerio’s true identity.]
[...]
[ 78 408]
Comnts flooded the screen, but Julia had no say in her fate inside the dungeon. No matter how much she resisted, her body moved chanically toward the monsters.
They panted hungrily, their breath hot and steaming. Their twisted, hideous faces contorted in wicked anticipation as they surrounded Julia, draping a brilliant red wedding robe over her shoulders. The fabric was embroidered with exquisite golden threads, shimring with an eerie beauty.
A golden headdress was placed atop her head, its intricate jewels glinting under the dim light.
She had never looked more magnificent.
And yet, her expression had never been more wretched.
She wanted to turn back, to beg for help—but she couldn’t. Her body was entirely beyond her control.
Once they had finished dressing her, the creatures ford a makeshift palanquin using two of their own as carriers. Lifting Julia onto it, they carried her out of the room.
The village chief led the procession.
Not a single one of them paid any attention to the remaining humans.
"Are we just going to let this happen? Is there truly no way to save her?" Maya asked, watching the monsters carry Julia away.
Matthew muttered, "We have to complete the wedding."
Anyone could call him heartless, but deep down, he felt relieved that Julia had been chosen instead of Maya or Taylor.
"We need to be on ti for the ceremony. Let’s go," Ace reminded them. Right now, survival takes precedence over any personal conflicts. Without hesitation, they followed after the creatures.
They realized sothing unsettling when they stepped outside—the monsters had been waiting for them.
Their unblinking eyes fixated on the humans as if silently warning them: Had they taken even a second longer, the creatures would have stord in and dragged them out by force.
The mission stated they had to escort the bride on ti. No one wanted to find out what would happen if they were late.
"Hurry up!" Matthew barked, rushing forward.
Leonard grabbed Nerio’s hand, his voice firm. "I’ll protect you. Don’t worry."
Nerio looked at him but said nothing.
Once the humans caught up, the procession resud.
The village chief led the way, followed by the two creatures carrying Julia’s palanquin. Their short, stubby legs, too small for their massive bodies, forced them into a comically awkward waddle.
The humans trailed behind, flanked on both sides by rows of monsters. Each one held a white flag, fluttering in the wind—a stark contrast to the bright red attire of the bride and groom.
And the path they walked? None other than the road leading to the river.
As they marched forward, the monsters began to change.
At first, their limbs were shorter than usual, still retaining traces of a human form. But now—
Their arms and legs had fully transford into pig-like hooves.
Their bodies swelled grotesquely, becoming heavier, bulkier.
Their heads distorted, reshaping into monstrous pig heads, their massive tusks jutting outward. Their eyes, buried beneath folds of fat, narrowed into thin slits.
They wheezed and snorted as they walked, their breath reeking of decay.
Thick, oily sli oozed from their bodies, forming a putrid film that didn’t even drip—it simply clung to them, exuding a stench reminiscent of rotting corpses.
Julia could feel the dampness seeping through the palanquin beneath her.
The foul, rancid sll so close to her face made her stomach churn, but no matter how much she wanted to retch, to scream—she couldn’t do anything.
A procession of humans and monsters, moving steadily forward.
And the river ahead, once a beautiful shade of deep blue—
Had lost its color entirely.
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