Chapter 12: The Jellyfish Becomes a Man

Wen Chu thought for a long time but couldn’t come up with an explanation.

After all, he had lied to Xiu. That was a fact.

The system told him to play pitiful, so he did. Now that Xiu had seen through his act, the system went silent, leaving Wen Chu to stare blankly at Xiu.

Xiu waited a moment. Seeing Wen Chu’s expression, he knew the jellyfish couldn’t explain itself.

He had actually been deceived by a jellyfish’s pitiful act for so long.

Recalling all the times he had felt sorry for Wen Chu, Xiu only felt ridiculous. He shot Wen Chu a glance and swam away.

“Xiu, wait for me,” Wen Chu chased after him in a panic.

But it was obvious that as a small jellyfish, he couldn’t catch up to a merman determined to shake him off, even if he spun his tentacles like a propeller.

Wen Chu could only watch helplessly as the distance between him and Xiu grew wider.

In despair, Wen Chu tapped the system: [What do I do? He found out I was faking it. Xiu really seems to want to abandon me. You can’t ignore me this time.]

[Is there any way for me to swim faster? I’m really going to be abandoned by Xiu.]

System: [He won’t go so far as to abandon you. You are both heading towards the nearest seaweed field. He’s likely just throwing a small tantrum to teach you a lesson.]

Wen Chu didn’t feel reassured by this: [That’s not okay either. I made him angry again. What does he like? Is there any way to make him less angry?]

Regret. He was filled with regret.

He had spent three hard days acting pitiful in front of Xiu, only to have it all crumble in an instant.

If he could do it over, he would have definitely made sure to pick up his severed tentacle.

The system, however, was calm, seemingly very familiar with Xiu: [There’s no good way. Just wait for him to cool down. If you could cry, crying in front of him might work.]

But Wen Chu was a jellyfish. He had no tear ducts. Even if he could fake crying, Xiu wouldn’t believe him.

Wen Chu was at a loss.

After a moment, he asked: [Can I turn back into a human? If I cry in human form, it should be more convincing, right?]

[I can’t produce tears, but it shouldn’t matter in the sea, right?]

System: […]

He actually thought Wen Chu had a point.

System: [You can, but your lifespan will drain ten times faster in human form. Also, you won’t completely turn human; there will be other changes depending on the world’s setting.]

Wen Chu was confused: [Other changes?]

System: [For example, growing tentacles, becoming a ghost, things like that. All sorts of strange forms. I don’t recommend it. Xiu prefers things that look good.]

That sounded a bit grotesque.

Wen Chu hesitated.

The lifespan issue wasn’t a huge problem; he had a full sixteen days left. But if he turned into some bizarre shape, it might be counterproductive.

He was anxious and conflicted, but at the same time, he didn’t forget to keep chasing after Xiu, trying his best to at least keep the merman’s figure in sight.

With his full attention on swimming forward, Wen Chu completely failed to notice that after he and Xiu passed a subtle stone wall, several small fish poked their heads out from the cracks.

These fish were either bent-spined, one-eyed, or had patterns so faded they were almost white.

“Is that Lord Siren up ahead?”
“It must be Lord Siren.”
“Can we go make a wish to Lord Siren?”
“Will he agree?”
“Why is there a jellyfish behind him? Does that jellyfish not know that this is…”

The small fish whispered among themselves, but all of them looked towards the largest and most brightly colored fish in the center.

In truth, this fish was only palm-sized, with an oval body and orange-and-yellow stripes. She also had only one eye.

But it was obvious she was a clownfish.

The clownfish in the center pondered for a moment and quickly made a decision. “Everyone, let’s send that jellyfish away first. Explain the situation here to him, and then we’ll go find Lord Siren. Saving the fish is what’s important.”

At her command, the fish moved quickly, all swimming out from the crevices.

More than twenty fish, led by her, suddenly appeared in the open water. The sight was somewhat spectacular and gave the chasing Wen Chu a big fright.

The system promptly displayed an information page.

【Category: Clownfish】
【Remaining Lifespan: 15 days】
【Primary Food: Zooplankton, small invertebrates, algae, etc.】
【Hint: They probably want to drive you away more than they want to find food right now.】

Seeing the group of deformed and disabled fish before him assume an attack stance, Wen Chu understood what was happening. He slammed on the brakes the moment the system notification appeared.

“Excuse me, please let me pass. I’m chasing Xiu,” Wen Chu hesitated. Considering he was a jellyfish and couldn’t fight a school of fish, he chose not to force his way through.

The lead fish acted as if she hadn’t heard him, leading the school forward and closing in. “Leave this place immediately. This is our territory,” she said coldly.

Wen Chu tried to reason with them. “I’m just passing through. I won’t disturb you.”

“Passing through isn’t allowed either,” the lead fish said unreasonably. “No fish are allowed to enter here. Get out, now, or don’t blame us for being impolite.”

By now, Xiu’s figure was completely blocked by the school of fish. He was too far from Xiu; Xiu probably hadn’t even noticed he had been stopped.

This group of fish looked determined not to rest until he was gone and had already started crowding him, pushing him outward.

A jellyfish was powerless against the push of a school of fish. In an instant, he was pushed a great distance away.

It was bad enough that he couldn’t figure out how to appease Xiu. Now, a random group of fish was blocking his way. Wen Chu, fearing he’d truly lose Xiu, felt a rare surge of annoyance.

He hadn’t thought much of being a jellyfish before. At most, he was a little weak, and it was even suitable for playing pitiful in front of Xiu. But now, he couldn’t help but grit his teeth.

So annoying. Why am I a jellyfish right now? If I were still in human form—

Wait, human form.

Wen Chu quickly said: [System, I want to change back to a human now. I don’t care what strange form I take.]

The system paused: [You can, but I suggest you listen to what they have to say. You don’t need to be in such a hurry. Isn’t it better to wait where you are for Xiu to come find you?]

Why was even the system trying to stop him from going to Xiu?

Wen Chu was so angry he wanted to bite the system panel: [Change me back to a human, now! I don’t care how much lifespan it costs. I need to find Xiu!]

The system let out a “tsk” and no longer hesitated.

【Switching to human form. Please note, in human form: lifespan consumption rate is increased tenfold.】
【Remaining Lifespan: 15 days, 23 hours, 09 minutes】

As the system pop-up appeared, Wen Chu’s vision suddenly shot upwards.

The clownfish that had surrounded Wen Chu watched in astonishment as the jellyfish they had cornered suddenly transformed into a young man.

The youth had long white hair, azure eyes, and a translucent, light veil draped over his head.

He was a little too perfect. From his finely sculpted features to the handsome V-line and lean muscles of his upper body, every inch seemed to have been meticulously crafted.

It was a flawless beauty, so beautiful he didn’t seem real.

More like a 3D model that had come to life.

Even though fish and human aesthetics were not the same, the clownfish were stunned for a moment.

Wen Chu didn’t pay them much mind. He reached out and pushed aside the fish blocking his way, frowning as he said coldly, “Excuse me, please move, or I will get physical.”

He was strong enough that the current he created, even before he touched the clownfish, sent them scattering in disarray.

This was for the best. He didn’t know his own strength; if he had touched them, they might have actually gotten hurt.

Just as Wen Chu was about to swim away, he heard the clownfish, as if waking from a dream, exclaim in shock as they scattered:

“It’s a monster!!”

Wen Chu: …

Even if he suddenly turned into a person, that didn’t classify him as a “monster,” did it?

He thought his human form was quite good-looking.

As Wen Chu thought this, he didn’t stop moving. He instinctively tried to step forward, but felt a familiar tangled sensation from his lower body.

An ominous guess surfaced in his mind.

Wen Chu looked down, only to see that his legs were gone.

From the waist down, they were replaced by dozens of thick, transparent tentacles—an enlarged version of his jellyfish tentacles. Two of them were tangled together, the very same ones he had just gotten into a knot.

Only his upper body had turned human. His lower half was still a jellyfish.

[Pfft…]

The system’s soft chuckle sounded in his ear.

The low male voice brushed past his ear, sending a shiver through Wen Chu and once again reminding him that the voice sounded familiar.

Wen Chu glanced at the system panel, his eyes full of grievance.

Being stared at with grievance by a jellyfish and being looked at with grievance by a beautiful young man were clearly two completely different things.

The system went silent. The panel reflected Wen Chu’s round, azure eyes from under the white veil.

Wen Chu lowered the corners of his eyes and said dejectedly: [I’m so ugly. There’s no way I can see Xiu like this.]

He wasn’t ugly at all. The combination of the exquisite, beautiful youth and the grotesque tentacles created a kind of bizarre beauty.

As everyone knows, the core element of any outfit is the face. By the same logic, what your lower half looks like doesn’t affect how good-looking your face is.

And Wen Chu’s face was truly stunning.

The system was silent for a moment.

Based on Wen Chu’s earlier hostile tone, the system offered some venomous comfort: [It’s okay. You’re not that ugly. At least you now look like a blooming crispy sausage that’s been sliced open at the bottom.]

Wen Chu: QvQ?

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Author’s Note:
That sounds delicious.