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

Chapter 182: Chapter182-Sirens

Despite her words, John could still sense Lily's fear.

He completely understood. The fear of the deep sea, commonly known as thalassophobia, is essentially the fear of the unknown.

When your entire body is submerged in the cold, bone-chilling water, and your vision is limited to just a few meters in front of you, it's natural to imagine all sorts of scenarios, wondering if some monster might suddenly emerge from the depths.

Especially those monstrous, hideous, and massive creatures.

John had once seen a picture: on the left was the planet he lived on, and on the right, a blood-red fish far larger than the planet itself. That image had left a profound impact on John.

And now, Lily was in that exact state of mind.

But at this point, there was no turning back.

To enter Atlantis, there was only one way, and it had to be through this process. It was something they had to go through.

John didn't rush her. He waited until Lily finally gathered her courage, put the Waterproof Pearl in her mouth, and slowly walked into the water. Then he turned to Elaria.

"Are you alright?"

"I should be... fine, I guess? After all, this is my first time truly seeing the ocean."

Elaria took a deep breath and followed Lily into the water.

John remained vigilant.

During their deep dive, they would inevitably encounter various creatures and even monsters. John just hoped that these encounters wouldn't be too sudden.

As they passed through the clear shallow waters, the underwater world before them gradually darkened. With John's abilities, he could only see less than a meter ahead.

So when the three of them nearly collided head-on with those ferocious fangs, John realized something had quietly approached.

Looking at those eerie, glowing eyes, as big as a small mountain, Lily instantly felt her body stiffen, and even breathing became difficult.

This was what she feared and worried about.

It wasn't just Lily; even Elaria was terrified by the sudden appearance and let out a scream.

In contrast, John remained much calmer. He took out [Everchanging], held it in his hand, and explained in a low voice, "This is Arctios, meaning the vortex that swallows the sea. It's a gold-tier monster and won't attack us unless provoked. Stay calm. With me here, you'll be safe."

While comforting Lily and Elaria, John transformed [Everchanging] into a spear and held it in front of him. He said in a steady voice, "Just stay close to me."

"Jo... John, something seems to be coming towards us!"

Lily swallowed hard and pointed towards a rapidly approaching light. John followed the direction of her finger, and his expression changed immediately.

"Move quickly! These creatures are very dangerous!"

John knew that light all too well. It was the ghostly blue glow emitted by a swarm of Rift-Toothed Fish. Although each fish was only about ten centimeters long and merely a weak bronze-tier creature—so weak that even a group of cave goblins could easily crush them—in large numbers, they were among the most dangerous monsters in the Silent Sea. They were also the ones John hoped to avoid.

When tens of thousands of Rift-Toothed Fish appeared together, they could devour a massive creature in front of them in a single breath.

They probably appeared because they saw Arctios as food, not targeting them specifically. But if they didn't leave quickly, they would be caught in the swarm.

John had experienced being burrowed into by those tiny monsters, feeling them gnaw at his flesh. It was an experience he never wanted to repeat.

With no time to lose, John thrust his spear, slashing Arctios's skin. Orange-yellow blood instantly spread through the water, and John seized the moment to grab Lily and Elaria by the waist and dive rapidly.

"We're almost there, just a little further!"

John gritted his teeth and glanced back. Arctios was now completely surrounded by the swarm of Rift-Toothed Fish. Its massive body rolled and thrashed, churning the surrounding water. If John and the others hadn't escaped in time, they would have been caught in the chaos.

But it seemed fate intended to leave a lasting impression of their first trip to Atlantis for the two women. Just as they escaped the Rift-Toothed Fish swarm, an ethereal song echoed from the depths, reaching John's ears.

Almost simultaneously, a warning from Seraphina sounded in John's mind.

"Trouble ahead. It looks like we've caught the attention of Sirens."

"Damn it, of all times, it had to be now?"

In his two lifetimes, this was John's first encounter with Sirens, the legendary mermaids.

Unfortunately, these creatures had nothing to do with the word "mermaid." They were ugly, hideous monsters.

They used their enchanting songs to lure and mesmerize you into approaching. By the time you realized the truth, it was too late. They would reveal their grotesque forms, slashing your throat in an instant, and then devouring you piece by piece.

If encountering the Rift-Toothed Fish swarm was unlucky, then running into Sirens at this moment was downright disastrous.

As diamond-tier monsters, Sirens didn't just use their songs to lure you. If necessary, they would directly participate in the hunt, and their combat strength was not to be underestimated.

"Lily, Elaria, cover your ears quickly!"

John's warning came a moment too late.

In the corner of his eye, he noticed Lily and Elaria's eyes becoming vacant and their bodies instinctively swimming towards the sound. John's face darkened, and he held onto their waists tightly, urging, "Seraphina, is there any way to wake them up?"

"There's no time. The thing... it's already here."

As Seraphina's words faded, a sharp scream erupted next to John. A slimy tentacle coiled tightly around his leg, attempting to drag him into the depths!

"Damn it, what kind of luck is this!"

John gritted his teeth, using all his strength to resist the powerful pull from the deep sea. But suspended in the water, with nothing to leverage, and with the two girls struggling in his arms, he found himself rapidly sinking.

"Seraphina!"

"Don't shout, I'm thinking!"

"If you don't hurry... we're all doomed!"

"A solution... a solution, right! You can control black flames, can't you!"

"This is seawater! Will black flames even work?"

"It's better than doing nothing!"

At her words, a surge of fear of death spurred John to try anything to survive.

With a thought, black flames ignited, forming a fiery spear in John's hand. He thrust it along the tentacle, and a piercing scream rang out, weakening the tentacle's grip.

Taking advantage of this, John quickly broke free and swam towards Atlantis.

But the Siren, its shoulder pierced by John's fiery spear, wasn't about to let him go so easily.

Countless tentacles shot towards them at incredible speed. One even wrapped tightly around John's neck, dragging him back, making the almost reachable Atlantis feel impossibly distant.

Seeing this, John made a decisive move. He forcefully pushed the two women away. Enclosed in air bubbles, they quickly regained their consciousness, but the backlash caused John to be tightly ensnared by the tentacles and dragged towards the depths!

"Persistent bastards..."

John gritted his teeth, his face turning redder by the second, on the brink of suffocation, his consciousness fading.

Luckily, at this critical moment, Elaria used her vines to cut through the tentacles, narrowly saving John from disaster.

As they descended into Atlantis, John collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, deep purple marks clearly visible on his neck.

Fortunately, John hadn't been dragged into the abyss; he survived.

"This is... incredibly unlucky."

After a while of heavy breathing, John finally came to his senses and stood up with Elaria's help.

"Congratulations, we finally made it to Atlantis."

"I swear, I'll never let this happen again!"

Lily bit her lip, her face pale and bloodless.