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

Chapter 178: Chapter178-Acting Becomes Reality?

"Time to eat! Sherry and Leonard, go wash your hands."

Finally, Rachel and the others returned, bringing the dishes to the table in the courtyard one by one. [Deception] had his arm around Warner's shoulder, whispering something that no one else could hear.

John stood up and, as he passed by [Deception], grabbed his shoulder and squeezed hard. In an instant, [Deception]'s face turned red.

"Wha... What's the matter?"

"Nothing, any problem?"

"No problem, not a bit."

[Deception] took a deep breath, gritting his teeth to prevent himself from crying out in pain.

"That's good."

"What are you two talking about? Come on, aren't you hungry?"

"Coming, coming."

John squinted his eyes and gave [Deception] a fierce glare before following Sherry away.

Yes, John was getting his revenge. He had been put in a difficult position, and not retaliating wasn't in his nature.

When they returned to the table, [Deception] had already quickly blended in with the others. His enthusiastic expression made it seem as if he had really lived with Warner and the others, making John feel a bit of admiration.

"You're finally back, Leonard. I heard from Fila that during your travels, you saved a human girl? That human girl fell in love with you. What happened then? What happened next?"

Facing Rachel's eager gaze and the faint chill emanating from his side, John felt a shiver in his heart. Damn, there was no need to guess; this must be a trap set by [Deception]!

"There's no need to talk about that, right?"

John sat down and laughed awkwardly, "It's not worth mentioning, let's not talk about it."

"Come on, we're all curious. Sherry, aren't you curious?"

"Yes, I want to know too."

"...Alright."

John sighed softly, his mind racing, constantly thinking about how to gloss over the situation. After a long silence, he finally spoke.

"That human girl was named Renara. We met her in Spartonia. The first time I saw her, she was a slave, locked in a cage and being sold as an object. I couldn't bear to see her in such a miserable state, so I bought her for a small price. Since then, she traveled with us.

Initially, she was terrified of us and the whole world, but she gradually opened up until she eventually mustered the courage to confess her feelings for me. However, I refused her, not because of her status as a slave, but for other reasons."

John paused, appearing to be reminiscing, but in reality, he was still making up the story.

"Later, we continued our journey. As you know, Leonard and I were away for nearly a hundred years. Our underwater race has a long lifespan, and as long-lived beings, a century is but a moment for us. But Renara was just a human. During our travels, I didn't notice that she was aging. Until one day, Renara suddenly disappeared.

When we went back to find her, I realized she had become a hundred-year-old woman, which is quite a long life for a human. Later, I buried her in Deep Forest, a world full of flowers."

After finishing his story, John exhaled deeply, wondering if he had managed to pass it off, but then he heard the sound of sobbing.

John quickly looked up to find Rachel and Sherry with tears in their eyes.

"Her... her death must have made you very sad, right?" Sherry sniffed, choking on her words.

"For us, a hundred years is just a small part of our lives, but for Renara, it seemed like her entire life was spent busy, trying to keep up with us, always chasing. So if you ask whether I felt sad about her passing, the answer is definitely yes.

She was like a passerby in my life, from initially not being used to her, to gradually getting accustomed to her presence, until finally, she became like family to me. Yes, I was very sad."

"Leonard..."

Sherry bit her lip gently, lightly holding John's hand, already sobbing uncontrollably. Rachel was also crying, leaning on Warner's shoulder, being softly comforted by him.

Seeing this scene, John gave [Deception] a challenging look, and the latter clapped his hands in admiration.

"Sorry, brother, for making you recall that."

"No worries, I've already come to terms with it. It was my honor to be a part of her life."

…

The long dinner finally ended. During the meal, [Deception] and John kept trying to trip each other up, yet both were masters at spinning tales, making their characters more vivid. By the end, [Deception] had successfully portrayed himself as a playboy, while John had transformed into a lovesick romantic. Thankfully, it was finally over.

John extricated himself from Sherry's grip, grabbed [Deception] by the shoulder, and lowered his voice, saying, "Damn it, are you crazy? Why are you giving me such trouble? Can't you just keep quiet?"

"Ow, ow, ow... Brother, I was helping you! The more detailed our stories, the less likely we are to be exposed!"

"Then why don't you perfect your own story instead of making me fill in yours? Do you know how close we were to being found out?"

"I was confident I could cover for you, that's why I said it. Besides, you did great! The story of the human girl Renara, even I was moved."

"You're dead!"

John, annoyed, kicked [Deception] away and continued, "We'll leave in a while. You better not cause any more trouble. It's obvious we can't get any useful information from these people."

"Who says that? From what I see, that girl from the Ocean Guard must know a lot. She's a squad leader, after all."

"Easy for you to say. How am I supposed to ask? What if it raises suspicion?"

"Well..."

[Deception] smirked knowingly.

"We definitely can't leave tonight. Leaving abruptly would be strange. As for how to ask and what to ask, that's up to you, brother."

John looked at [Deception]'s meaningful smile, feeling a chill down his spine.

"What do you mean?"

"It doesn't matter what I mean. What matters is what she means to you. During dinner, her gaze was almost glued to you. Why not imagine what might happen if we stay here tonight? It's clearly to your advantage!"

"?"

John was stunned for a moment before quickly realizing something, his face suddenly changing.

"Damn it, this is all your fault!"

"That's ungrateful of you. Clearly, you're the one benefiting, yet you act like the victim? John, I'm helping you."

"Damn you!"

John clenched his fist, ready to give [Deception] a hard punch, but Warner unfortunately walked up just in time and invited John and [Deception] to stay the night. Before John could speak, [Deception] quickly accepted the offer.

"Well, that's settled then. Fila, you and Rachel can stay at my place. I have plenty of empty rooms. As for Leonard, you can stay at Rachel's place with Sherry."

"This... this doesn't seem appropriate."

"What's inappropriate about it? This is an opportunity the guys have created for you. Don't chicken out at such a crucial moment!"

[Deception] fanned the flames at just the right time, and Warner chimed in, "Since you're back and not leaving, Sherry has waited for you for so many years. If you can't take on this responsibility, even I will look down on you a bit."

Hearing this, John felt a headache coming on.

Responsibility? This isn't my responsibility at all! How can I take it on? If I really stay here tonight, then I would have to take responsibility for real!

"No, no, this isn't fair to Sherry. I can't do this!"

Warner then lowered his voice and said seriously, "Don't worry, this was Sherry's idea. We originally planned for the three of us to stay at my place. It was Sherry who insisted that we all leave so you two could be alone. So... Leonard, good luck!"

John: "?"