I, the Weakest Human, Start with a Hundredfold Bonus Talent?

Chapter 153 - 153-Acting Smart (Part 2)

"Oh? They're back, they're back, haha! Just as I expected, they came back after all!"

From the treetop, Babylon's eyes lit up as he caught sight of the returning group in the distance.

"Look at these pathetic people, you can tell what happened just by their appearance. Tsk, tsk, tsk, being selected along with such people is really an insult to me."

"Is it? I don't think you're that smart either."

Just as Babylon was feeling smug, an unfamiliar voice suddenly came from behind, startling him and causing his body to jolt, making him accidentally fall from the treetop!

With the treetop being nearly thirty meters off the ground, and with Babylon's physical condition, falling headfirst would probably leave him severely injured, if not dead.

Babylon could almost feel the excruciating pain of bones breaking and instinctively closed his eyes, shielding his head with his hands.

But...

The expected heavy impact never came.

He seemed to have stopped falling and was now suspended in mid-air?

Babylon cautiously opened his eyes and noticed that his hair was only about ten centimeters from the ground, and he was hanging upside down, with John holding him by the ankle.

"Babylon Elliot, isn't it?"

John glanced at Babylon with a mocking smile and said, "You think you're smart, but did you ever consider ending up in such a sorry state?"

"Jo-John? How did you find me?"

"Do you really think you're the smartest person in the world? People like you are easy to read, not hard to find."

John let go of his grip, letting Babylon's face hit the ground first, making him fall flat on his face.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch! If you're going to let go, at least give a warning!"

Babylon pouted, struggled to sit up, and rubbed his face.

"Stop talking nonsense and get back to the team."

John pointed to the neatly arranged group.

Although Babylon Elliot was unwilling to be ordered by John, he obediently got up and rejoined the team.

John then took another look at the group of boys and girls, connecting each name with a face.

"As you can see, this little test has shown that there were no monsters. What I wanted to test was your on-the-spot reaction to unexpected situations. To be honest, I am very disappointed."

John let out a heavy sigh and walked straight to the three people at the front of the team, stopping in front of the girl.

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"You are Meryl, right?"

"Y-yes, Lord John, I am Meryl."

"I ask you, just now when the three of you stayed in the commercial street, whose decision was that?"

"It was mine, Lord John."

Meryl swallowed hard, showing no intention of shirking responsibility or making excuses, and straightforwardly admitted it.

"Very well, tell me your thoughts. Why did you decide to stay directly in such a crowded place like the commercial street? What was your reasoning?"

"Lord John, the commercial street is crowded and has many travelers from out of town with little to no combat power. If a monster were to appear, it could cause a panic.

My thought was to control the situation and minimize losses as much as possible before support arrived, to reduce the panic."

Despite John's intimidating presence, Meryl's voice was almost as faint as a mosquito's, but she still clearly explained her reasoning.

John couldn't deny that her idea was good, although their execution was somewhat laughable.

"The idea is good, but there are a few points that need correction.

First, standing in the middle of a chaotic crowd makes it impossible to fight the monster.

If you were to use the commercial street as the final line of defense, the first thing you should do is evacuate the nearby people.

Second, you overlooked the most important basic aspect, which is your own strength.

With the strength of the three of you, if you really encountered monsters five times your number, you would become food for the monsters within minutes.

Lastly, the third point, it's good that Meryl has her own ideas.

Even though this idea is not entirely correct, it shows that you have some ability to respond to unexpected situations.

Well done, girl. Keep up the good work."

Hearing this, Meryl's eyes lit up instantly. When she lifted her head, she met John's gaze. Compared to earlier, his eyes were noticeably softer. After a moment of stunned silence, Meryl nodded dumbly and said, "I-I understand, Lord John."

"Alright, next. You six set up a checkpoint on the only road connecting the commercial street and the rest area, clearly divided your tasks, and worked methodically as a six-person team. Whose idea was this, and who organized it?"

"Reporting to Lord John, it was me!"

As soon as John finished speaking, Eden raised his hand sharply, a flash of pride in his eyes. As a member of the personal guard, Eden's experience and thought process indeed surpassed that of the others, something even Alice couldn't compare to.

When mistakes are made, punishment is necessary, but when someone does well, they should be praised. John wouldn't overlook Eden's merits just because of his own prejudices.

"In the face of a crisis, being able to come up with an appropriate response immediately, while also calming the civilians and being wary of monsters, Eden, you did well.

Of course, don't get too excited just yet. As I've said before, my attitude towards you won't change easily. Besides, both you and Alice have far more experience than anyone else here. Achieving this only means you fulfilled your duty, it's far from being exceptional, understand?

So, don't get too complacent."

"Yes, Lord John!"

Strangely, after John's reprimand, Eden's attitude had undergone a complete change. He showed much more respect towards John and dared not speak insolently anymore.

This is probably what they mean when they say a tree needs pruning to grow straight, and a child needs discipline to grow upright, right?

John withdrew his gaze, glanced at the last three-person team, and chose to skip over them directly.

Suddenly being ignored like this would naturally be incomprehensible to anyone, especially for a group of young, hot-blooded teenagers who couldn't help but voice their confusion.

"Lord John, why did you skip over the three of us?"

"Do you really need to ask me that? I clearly told you that the monsters would be released from the clearing in front of the palace, yet the three of you ran to the far edge of the habitat. If this isn't cowardice, then it's sheer stupidity.

Has no one ever told you that the purpose of the guard is to protect those who can't protect themselves? Imagine if there had been a sudden monster attack today. With your actions, I could have chopped off your heads, and no one would have cared."

John's aggressive questioning made the three of them turn pale. They hadn't expected John to have such an attitude, nor did he ask why they went to the edge of the habitat. From the incident itself, John was already extremely disappointed, making any explanation pointless.

"B-but..."

"No buts. You should be grateful I'm in a good mood today. Cleveland, tell them my rule!"

"Without permission, no one is allowed to act on their own, including speaking."

"Exactly, that's my rule. You'd better understand this clearly, or I won't hesitate to punish you harshly. I'm sure you wouldn't want that, right?"

"Y-yes, Lord John, we understand and are willing to accept the punishment..."

Hearing John's explanation, their leader, Kakarot, sighed deeply.

He had initially thought that with so many monsters, it was impossible for all of them to be released near the palace.

This would cause irreversible damage to the commercial area.

That's why they had the sudden idea to go to the edge, planning to intercept the monsters there.

John had to admit that these three had a lively way of thinking.

The only problem was that it was too theoretical.

They understood what to do but not how or why, making them overall more of a liability than an asset, thus failing to meet the standards.

"Now, I've recorded detailed evaluations of all fourteen of you. Elowen will score your performances each time, so if you really want to be chosen, I suggest you start using your brains more."