Even though there was no sound, the people outside could almost hear the monster's wet, squelching noises as it "ate."
The screen in the sky vanished. In its place, a bright red countdown appeared: [23:59:01]
No explanation was needed—everyone understood that the Dungeon "The Glutton" would open again once the timer hit zero.
Screams erupted. Some vomited. Others collapsed into sobs.
They all knew that if this Dungeon couldn't be closed, it would continue expanding until it reached them. There was no escape. It was as if only death offered any salvation.
Some of the more fragile-minded had already started glancing toward the cracks…
"Manager! Squad 4 has been confirmed to die! What are our next steps?" a voice crackled through Frank's earpiece.
Frank's face was pale, his trembling hands reflected in the glaring red numbers.
Then, suddenly, he clenched his fists, forcing himself to steady his voice.
"Send a rescue team to the live broadcast area—someone's bound to lose their mind soon. Request assistance from the Gabriel Angelic Order—we need them to help stabilize the crowd!"
"Understood, sir!"
Silvanus observed the growing chaos for a moment before retreating into the shadows. Then—his body vanished.
When he opened his eyes again, he was somewhere entirely different.
A starry void.
It looked vast at first glance, but it was no larger than five square meters. Worse yet, it was shrinking, dwindling in response to humanity's continued failures against The Glutton.
[Master, this is your final limit. When the Dungeon reopens, you will have no choice but to enter alongside the human!]
"I understand," Silvanus replied in a low voice.
Honestly, he still didn't understand how he had ended up in this mess.
He should've been standing on a grand stage, basking in the greatest moment of his career—becoming the youngest actor in history to win Best Actor three times in a row.
But instead, he had died.
A stage accident. A massive glass spotlight came crashing down, crushing him.
And then, he had awoken in this world.
With a system calling itself the "Acting System."
It claimed he was a god that he needed to save the world.
All he had to do was create a persona, act the part, and make people believe it.
Doing so would earn him Acting Points, which in turn would sustain this space—the "Acting Realm." Without it, he would be crushed by this world's laws.
Because, as the system oh-so-kindly reminded him, he was an outsider.
Acting Points could also unlock abilities that would make him a true god.
But as he stared at the System Interface, Silvanus couldn't help but think…
Was the system insane for expecting a random an outsider like him to become a god?
[God's Realm: Status - Unlocked]
[Traits: Can contain and absorb anything! A god must have their own domain—expand your space and grow stronger!]
It sounded impressive.
But it was… two meters wide.
Smaller than half of his already tiny Acting Realm.
[Cinematic Effects (Level 1): Can create up to two effects! Keep creating, and you are the director of this game!] Of course, these were just effects—no actual combat ability. As he looked at this system feature, Silvanus thought it could make his death look more spectacular.
[Creation (Level 1): Create up to five items (both combat and non-combat). The quality of the created items depends on your Acting Points!] That's right—more money, better items. If you're poor, don't even dream about it!
[Director Authority] This bar was grayed out, indicating that Silvanus hadn't reached the required level to unlock this feature.
[Director's Space: Spend 10,000 Acting Points to unlock your space today! Don't you want to upgrade from an actor to a director?!]
Although the last feature wasn't grayed out, Silvanus stared at his 1 Acting Point, his eyes burning from the pain of knowing he would likely never be able to use the [Director's Space] skill in his lifetime.
Additionally, he had character creation card. After spending a week in this world, Silvanus had accepted the harsh reality. He couldn't escape. His only choice was to struggle and act—after all, in his past life, he lived solely to act.
Even though he had never played a god before and the role had no protection (meaning he could genuinely die), Silvanus was willing to try. It was all for survival!
At this moment, Silvanus had already sketched out the god he imagined.
Although he mocked the system as useless, Silvanus would use whatever he could. God's Realm could absorb anything, perhaps even trap a monster. While he wasn't sure, it was worth trying!
He even wrote a backstory for the god he had created. Of course, there had to be a reason why this "god" had just started helping humanity, right? It couldn't just be because he was cold-hearted and indifferent; there must be some reason for his delayed assistance!
Moreover, the character's personality was also crucial. People aren't drawn to something just because it's firm but because of its contradictions—because of the unexpected! He couldn't make the god too powerful from the start; Silvanus knew his current abilities. Apart from the acting system, he was just an ordinary person.
Of course, Silvanus also had one advantage even the system didn't know about…
When he looked at the live broadcast in the sky, he not only saw the images of the players but also saw strange characters in the comments—comments he could read.
The information in the comments was far from meaningless. Silvanus felt he could use them to shape and complete his first god character.
He had finished creating his first character, preparing so he could make a smooth appearance in the Dungeon and earn as many Acting Points as possible. Now, all he had to do was wait for the Association of Espers to find him…
At that very moment, at the Association of Esper's headquarters, the night seemed never to fall. The lights stayed on as usual, and the meeting reached a climax.
"Team 4 has been completely wiped out, yet we still don't know much about this Dungeon! Captain Drake, what are your thoughts?"
Mr. Adonis, the chairman of the Association of Espers, glanced around the room before asking the tall man sitting casually to his right.
The man, known as Drake, smirked. His smile and demeanor made his handsome face appear even more provocative.
"Of course, Team 4 was too weak," Drake replied, his tone dismissive.
"I wonder why you're asking someone as brainless as Drake, Mr. Adonis," a woman's voice interrupted.
She had short hair, similar to a soldier's style, and her sharp eyes glared at Drake.
Drake scowled. "Captain Cocona, you looking for a fight?"
"Cocona, don't pay attention to him." At that moment, another voice cut through the tension. It was Silas, the captain of Team 2.
His eyes closed as if he were asleep, yet it still felt like he was staring intently at everyone in the room.
Silas turned to Mr. Adonis and spoke:
"According to reports, all the changes started with the announcement a week ago. The invading forces couldn't wait any longer. They're ramping up their attacks to take over this world immediately. After just two failures, Dungeon 'The Glutton' has expanded its range by another three meters. Arguing won't solve anything."
"Now, the Dungeon's transformation isn't just a life-or-death puzzle anymore; the mission has become more difficult. I suggest we enter Dungeon 'The Glutton' for the third time, collaborating with the Angelic Order's followers!"