Within the room of the ancient castle, all eyes at the long table were fixed on Liam.
Just like a spotlight on a stage.
Liam sat at the table, hands crossed, his face wearing an expression of utmost confidence.
"If you trust me, winning this game isn't difficult."
Jack stared at Liam, furrowing his brows. "Why should we believe you? Just because you figured out that each of our professions relates to what we do in real life?"
"All this beating around the bush just to say I'm a hooligan in real life, and this Danny here is a thief?"
Jack pointed at Danny and said irritably.
Danny, standing nearby, also looked visibly uncomfortable.
"So you're saying neither of us are good people in real life, so we should just vote them out?"
As expected, after Liam's words, the two overreacted.
The others also regarded them with heightened wariness in their eyes.
Liam shook his head: "Gentlemen, I deliberately avoided mentioning your professions earlier to prevent misunderstandings."
"I said all this just to convince you that I truly possess the capability to lead us to victory - not just through my deductive skills, but also related to my 'professional ability'."
Hmm... The tone was perfect, the lines well-delivered—all thanks to his persistent practice of improvisational acting.
Liam's gaze swept across the group as he adjusted his "costume".
The British-style outfit appeared elegant and appropriate, instantly creating an impression of "wisdom" at first glance.
"My name is Liam, and my profession is... 『Detective』."
"My ability is to verify the identities of everyone present here."
Liam stated calmly, spreading his hands open.
"What?"
Hearing Liam's words, the other six participants all changed their expressions!
Identity verification?!
Rolly was the first to exclaim: "Holy sh*t! A Seer!"
"Impossible! How could there be such a shameless ability!" Jack slammed the table and shouted, "I think you're just spouting nonsense and sowing discord!"
"Veterinarian" Emmy immediately spoke up:
"You claim you can verify identities?"
"But this game is called [Who is the Outsider], an identity-related game. Your ability perfectly matches this game's theme... I believe you're lying."
"Teacher" Maive nodded slightly after hearing this: "Our professions were obtained before this game started. Logically, professional abilities shouldn't be directly related to this game's content."
Drake stared at Liam. Though silent, his eyes carried a scrutinizing gaze.
When they first heard about Liam's ability, they were genuinely startled.
This is inherently an identity game, and then you claim to be able to verify others' identities. What an improbable coincidence.
Only Rolly tentatively showed some belief.
"But in Werewolf games, there usually is a Seer-like role..."
Little Fatty muttered.
Seeing the varied reactions of the crowd, Liam felt a sense of nervousness inside.
He was checking whether he had obtained the "identity verification" ability he had just mentioned.
According to the Deceiver's ability, if they all believed him, he should have already obtained the "Detective" ability.
However, Liam hadn't felt a d*mn thing—he still couldn't verify others' identities at all.
It seemed they the present hadn't believed what he just said.
Or rather, the degree of belief was far from sufficient to enable him to acquire this ability.
However, although Liam was nervous, he wasn't panicked.
Though somewhat unexpected, it was still within expectations.
"These people aren't that easy to fool after all."
Liam let out a breath.
Before speaking out, he had known that his earlier statement contained flaws.
Still, having half the people instantly choose not to believe him still came as somewhat of a surprise to Liam.
That hooligan wasn't exactly stupid.
And those two women and "Soldiers" were also clever individuals.
Liam was thinking rapidly in his mind.
But fortunately…
His performance had been sufficiently exquisite.
The demeanor conveyed through Liam's gaze and subtle movements earlier was enough to convince everyone that he was a "Detective"!
Next, it was time to address the loopholes in his earlier claims.
Liam's mind raced, yet his face remained expressionless.
He adjusted his deerstalker hat, maintaining an air of composure.
"Correct, my ability is not to verify identities. But the reason I said so… is because my ability can indeed achieve that."
"What do you mean?"
"My true ability is to uncover a hidden secret about someone. In the context of this game, doesn't that equate to verifying identities?"
Liam spoke in an unhurried tone, appearing utterly calm and collected.
The group reacted with varied expressions.
Maive frowned slightly. "But why didn't you disclose this truthfully from the start?"
Liam had long prepared for this.
"Because I thought the idea of prying into others' secrets might make everyone resistant if stated directly, don't you agree?"
Liam said calmly.
This reason was indeed convincing enough for the group.
"I see..." Emmy murmured thoughtfully, "No wonder you phrased it that way initially."
"Knowing one secret of others does align well with the 'Detective' profession." Drake nodded slightly, "This explanation sounds much more reasonable."
"The Detective role seems overpowered in this identity-based game..." Jack clicked his tongue, suddenly feeling his role was not very useful in this game.
At least compared to Liam, it was far less useful.
Rolly chuckled: "Of course! This Seer-type role in werewolf games is meant to be a powerful divine role that leads the team! Rally around them and victory comes easily!"
The group all nodded slightly in agreement.
The "Detective" ability indeed held unique advantages in this identity-driven game.
Though Liam observed the expressions of the five individuals other than Rolly directed at him, he still felt a pang of lament in his heart.
"Indeed, no one enjoys the feeling of having their secrets pried into."
Although his ability was immensely helpful in this game, still...
Apart from Rolly, the remaining five gazed at him with varying degrees of wariness in their eyes.
Even among these looks, several contained outright disgust!
No one would enjoy the sensation of their secrets being exposed.
However, this disgust and wariness also implied...
They had believed the content of Liam's words!
At this moment, bathed in the crowd's gazes, Liam could sense... an innate "ability" awakening within him.
It was as if he could peer into others' minds!
If he wished, he could now choose anyone present and directly probe the secrets buried in their hearts.
It could be their "identities" in this game or other secrets—he could choose the general direction of the secret to uncover.
The Deceiver's ability,officially takes effect!
Liam's performance deceived everyone.