“Okay.”
The Siren King closed his eyes and leaned down to kiss him without the slightest hesitation.
Bai Liu froze for a moment.
He had only been joking—like the way players liked to tease final bosses with ridiculous lines right before clearing a game. He truly hadn’t expected the final boss to cooperate so seriously.
The Siren King’s lips were soft and ice-cold, carrying a faint scent of damp creeping grass. The kiss ended almost the instant it began.
Bracing himself above Bai Liu, the Siren King looked at him with a strange trace of confusion in his expression.
“You are warm.”
“That’s normal.” Bai Liu found it slightly amusing. “I’m a warm-blooded animal. See you next time, Tawil.”
He lightly embraced the Siren King and patted his back as though comforting a child.
Bai Liu always felt a certain pity and affection toward final bosses in games. They were usually the hardest characters to design and inevitably the ones into which the creator poured the most effort and emotion.
And he had rarely seen a gatekeeping boss designed as perfectly—or as beautifully—as the Siren King.
He sighed sincerely.
“Tawil, I really like you...”
—your design.
But before Bai Liu could finish the sentence, and in the instant the Siren King hesitated over whether to return the embrace, Bai Liu’s body suddenly dissolved into countless firefly-like specks of light deep within the darkest part of the sea.
The glowing fragments slipped through the Siren King’s fingers and drifted slowly upward like stars rising through the night-dark ocean floor, ascending toward the sea surface gilded by the dawn.
The Siren King looked up at the chain of fading lights disappearing into the horizon above.
He watched for a very long time.
Only then did he fold his hands and lie quietly upon the seabed. Closing his eyes once more, he sank back into deep slumber.
“See you next time, Bai Liu.”
[System: Congratulations to player Bai Liu for returning the Siren King to the seabed. “Siren Town” cleared.]
[System: Player has achieved the True End of “Siren Town” — “The Old Town Returns to Peace.”]
[...With the salvaged mermaid returned to the depths where it belonged, the residents of Siren Town gradually recovered. The statues were destroyed, and the ghosts of the dead finally found peaceful rest beneath the sea. From that day onward, the waters where the Siren King had once been salvaged became a forbidden zone. No one knows that beneath those waves sleeps a taboo capable of awakening the dead. Perhaps one day, greedy humans will touch that taboo once more—but not today. Shh. Walk a little more softly, and do not disturb the sleeping Siren King... nor the ghosts who died with open eyes.]
[System: Player Bai Liu — “Siren Town Monster Book: Siren King” page collected.]
[Refreshing “Siren Town Monster Book” — Siren King (2/4)]
[Monster Name: Siren King]
[Weakness: None currently discovered (Player is not required to investigate this monster’s weakness)]
[Attack Method: Tail Strike (1/???) (Note: Since the upper limit of attack methods cannot be determined, collecting one attack method is considered complete collection)]
[System: Congratulations to the player for fully collecting the “Siren Town Monster Book”!]
Silence fell over the area in front of Bai Liu’s small television.
For several minutes, no one spoke.
Only the endless drip-drip sounds of likes and point donations continued ringing out.
Then finally, someone could no longer hold back and burst into tears.
“First place!!! Bai Liu’s comprehensive data ranked first for ‘Siren Town’!!! We pushed him all the way to first place with likes and charges!! He broke God Mu’s record!!”
“I’m going insane! He actually won!! He went head-to-head with a God-level wandering NPC and survived!! The rookie player I bet on is way too strong!”
“Holy shit, that final 0.1 mental value from Bai Liu... I’ll kneel down and write the word ‘legendary’ with my nose for him! That was insane!”
“In the end, didn’t the system say it couldn’t even calculate his attributes? If he endured an attack from a God-level NPC, then his potential limit must’ve reached S-rank!”
“I seriously feel like I just witnessed history. My god... besides God-level NPCs, Bai Liu is the second existence the system couldn’t properly evaluate and had to escalate upward?!”
Many spectators laughed and cried at the same time, hugging each other in excitement.
Even Wang Shun exchanged a grin and a high-five with Mu Shicheng.
Only the players who had been mocking Bai Liu the entire time wore ugly expressions.
They continued sneering bitterly.
“Tch. It was just a single-player instance. So what if he cleared it?”
“Let’s go watch the central screen instead. He’s just some rookie who cleared his first game and everyone’s already making such a fuss. Tsk. Better to stay low-key.”
Hearing that, Mu Shicheng slowly narrowed his eyes.
He pulled his cap lower over his head, the red glow in his eyes flickering darkly beneath the brim. Even the monkey embroidered on the hat split its mouth wide in a bloodthirsty grin, as though eager to feast.
Mu Shicheng rarely caused trouble over a rookie player.
But he had just watched a game entertaining enough to genuinely please him, and hearing these comments now made him deeply irritated.
Extremely irritated.
He turned lazily toward the loudest spectators, clearly intending to identify them first and then kill them later inside a game.
Wang Shun immediately noticed his intention and hurriedly blocked him.
“They’re all from the Kings Guild.”
“Oh, the Kings Guild?” Mu Shicheng curled his lip. “That idiotic guild is full of useless people with their eyes stuck on top of their heads.”
“Ahem.” Wang Shun coughed awkwardly. “God Mu... I’m also a member of the Kings Guild.”
Mu Shicheng: “...”
“God Mu, I know there are a lot of idiots in our guild, but I still advise you not to provoke them.” Wang Shun lowered his voice kindly. “Insulting them is one thing, but killing them... better not. Our Guild Leader is...”
Mu Shicheng clicked his tongue impatiently.
“I know. The Kings Guild leader is the second-ranked player on the total points leaderboard—[Queen], Queen of Hearts. That lunatic is absurdly protective of her people and vicious when crossed. Best not to touch her guild members.”
Still, Mu Shicheng bit down hard on his lollipop, eyes darkening.
“But hearing a bunch of trash who aren’t even half as good as Bai Liu criticize him like this...” He laughed coldly. “Annoying.”
“It reminds me of when I was a rookie.”
Wang Shun sighed softly.
New players always had a difficult time, especially lone-wolf players like Mu Shicheng who refused to join major organizations. They were almost guaranteed to be suppressed by large guilds.
Many players in this game naturally formed guilds to support each other, dramatically lowering mortality rates. Among them, the largest and most influential was the Kings Guild, founded by the second-ranked player on the leaderboard, [Queen of Hearts].
The guild possessed internal systems dedicated to scouting and nurturing talented rookies. Veteran players regularly guided newcomers through instances.
Wang Shun knew that years ago, when Mu Shicheng first displayed extraordinary talent, the Kings Guild had attempted to recruit him.
Mu Shicheng refused.
After that, he had been openly and covertly suppressed by the Kings Guild for years, which was why relations between him and the guild had always remained hostile.
Lower-level players in major guilds were often particularly hostile toward gifted newcomers.
After all, once a talented rookie attracted upper management’s attention, they would immediately receive resources, items, points, and special cultivation. The gap between them and ordinary players would widen overnight.
Calling it “ascending to heaven in a single step” would not be an exaggeration.
Jealousy was inevitable.
Some especially extreme players would even band together to trample promising rookies before they had the chance to rise.
Like the group standing there now.
Wang Shun noticed that whether they were viciously mocking Bai Liu or praising Mu Ke, these people had only ever pressed the dislike button.
Watching the crowd celebrate and continuously donate points because Bai Liu had successfully cleared the game, they continued grumbling sourly.
“He’s still nowhere near the top gods on the central core rankings, okay? Is this really worth celebrating over? Have you people never seen someone clear a game before? Ridiculous.”
[System Notification: Bai Liu has entered the final small television evaluation—]
[24,000 players liked Bai Liu’s small television. 26,700 players bookmarked Bai Liu’s small television. 7,190 players donated points to Bai Liu’s small television. Player Bai Liu has received 10,200 points.]
[Player Bai Liu received over 20,000 likes and 6,000 point donations within one minute! His popularity is rapidly rising! You are overwhelmingly beloved by the audience!]
[Congratulations to player Bai Liu for obtaining a final promotion slot and entering the Central Screen Core Homepage Promotion Area. Viewership is rapidly increasing...]
Wang Shun stopped breathing for a moment.
“Core?! The core promotion area?! Bai Liu made it into the core promotion area?! Are you serious?! My god!”
“Even I have trouble getting onto that board.” Mu Shicheng looked at Bai Liu’s small television and the celebrating crowd with a complicated expression before laughing. “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have donated this guy so many points. Tsk.”
Then, deliberately raising his voice just enough for the Kings Guild members to hear, Mu Shicheng lazily added:
“Wow. Speechless. He only got one core promotion slot.”
The phrase “core promotion slot” was emphasized with unmistakable mockery.
The Kings Guild players had not left yet.
Seeing Bai Liu directly promoted into the core area, they looked even more shaken than the other spectators.
Several people’s expressions cracked completely.
They nearly rushed up to the screen.
“System, are you serious?! Bai Liu got into the core promotion area?! On what basis?! That area is for top-tier gods! How can a rookie qualify?!”
The system answered flatly:
[Player Bai Liu’s comprehensive clearance data ranks within the top 500 site-wide and fulfills the conditions required for promotion.]
“Top 500?! That high?! It’s only his first game!! How is that possible?!”
[Player Bai Liu’s comprehensive small television ranking is currently 497th among all games in the same period.]
The Kings Guild members collapsed into stunned silence.
Bai Liu’s strength had exceeded every expectation.
And the system did not lie.
A rookie who entered the core promotion area during his very first game... and ranked in the top 500 for the period...
They could already foresee the future.
Every major guild would soon scramble desperately to recruit Bai Liu.
And if Bai Liu joined the Kings Guild, someone with his ability would undoubtedly become their superior.
At that point, he could do anything he wanted to them.
The rest of the audience paid no attention to the devastated Kings Guild members. [N O V E L I G H T] Excitedly, they rushed toward the central core screens.
They absolutely had to witness Bai Liu’s promotion personally.
——————
Central Hall — Central Screen — Core Promotion Area.
The decor here was visibly far grander than the outer areas of the Central Hall. The hall was lavishly furnished, many small televisions framed in gold. Posters of famous players decorated the walls, while the players present conversed quietly and politely.
The moment Mu Shicheng looked up, he spotted Bai Liu’s screen immediately.
Mainly because it stood out too much.
Among all the promoted player broadcasts, Bai Liu’s was almost the only free stream.
The rest belonged to genuine top players, and most god-tier broadcasts required payment. Spectators had to spend points to enter the viewing area.
Otherwise, they could only watch system-selected highlight clips displayed outside to attract viewers.
Only Bai Liu’s television remained free.
Placed among the luxurious atmosphere of the core area, it looked oddly out of place—almost cheap.
As a result, despite being free, Bai Liu’s stream initially had very few viewers.
Most people who came to the core promotion hall were there specifically for the paid broadcasts. They generally looked down on suddenly rising rookies like Bai Liu, believing such players were usually flashes in the pan.
And honestly, that assumption was often true.
Most players who rose quickly also fell quickly.
But before long, even these spectators found themselves unable to ignore Bai Liu’s screen.
The reason was simple.
The system notifications from Bai Liu’s television simply would not stop ringing.
[System: Player Bai Liu reward summary.]
[“Siren Town” True End cleared — Reward: 600 points.]
[“Siren Town Monster Book — Mermaid Statue Page” collection reward — Item: Statue’s Outer Shell (Common)]
[Function: Increases defense by 100 points after equipping.]
[“Siren Town Monster Book — Mermaid Page” collection reward — Item: Sea Area Stealth (Common)]
[Function: Increases movement speed by 100 points after equipping.]
[“Siren Town Monster Book — Mermaid Sailor Page” collection reward — Item: Siren’s Amulet (Excellent)]
[Function: After equipping, the player may activate the amulet during any life-threatening situation, granting one “golden cicada sheds its shell” effect (a narrow escape from death). Consumable item. Automatically shatters after one use.]
[“Siren Town Monster Book — Siren King Page” collection reward — Item: Siren King’s Inverse Scale (Quality Unknown)]
[Function: Unknown. Represents the Siren King’s affection toward the player. It is recommended that the player keep it close at all times.]
[“Siren Town Monster Book” full collection reward — Item: Siren’s Bone (Quality Unknown)]
[Function: A fish bone bestowed personally by the Siren King. It is a sacred skeleton capable of piercing time, space, and all visible or invisible barriers—]
[—Born before truth existed. Extinguished after lies perish. Appears to be an offensive item. The player must explore its usage independently.]
[System: Player Bai Liu small television evaluation.]
[This “Siren Town” gameplay video received 49,074 likes, 52,899 bookmarks, and a total of 15,069 points in donations. At the same time, 1,238 players disliked and “stepped on” this video. During peak hours, more than 50,000 viewers watched Bai Liu’s stream simultaneously.]
[Player Bai Liu’s gameplay video undoubtedly possesses extraordinary audience appeal!]
[Bai Liu’s small television data has exceeded 100,000 total engagement. Evaluating player Bai Liu’s “Siren Town” gameplay video—]
[The video originally qualified as a Silver Badge video. However, due to the unusually high dislike-to-like ratio (approximately 1:40), the video has been downgraded. Final rating: Bronze Badge video.]
[Bronze Badge videos qualify for entry into the VIP Library — Player Bai Liu’s gameplay video has entered the VIP Library.]
[After entering the VIP Library, players wishing to watch Bai Liu’s “Siren Town” gameplay video must first become VIP members and then pay 40 points to the system. Revenue will be split equally between Bai Liu and the system.]
[Bai Liu has achieved the following accomplishments:]
[Highest single-video donation total among rookie players]
[First rookie player to enter the Core Promotion Area]
[Highest point-clear record for “Siren Town”]
[Fastest clear among the same rookie batch]
...
[System: Congratulations to player Bai Liu for clearing the game. Please note that the player must enter another horror game within one week. Failure to do so will result in fatal punishment.]
[Countdown begins now — 7 (days): 00 (hours): 00 (minutes)]
[6 (days): 23 (hours): 59 (minutes)]
[Wishing player Bai Liu a pleasant game next time~]
