Siren’s Hollow – A Town of Secrets

"Damn it!" Shawn cursed, his frustration evident. "I haven't even gathered enough intel on the god-tier NPCs yet, and you're just throwing yourself into danger?"

"That wax figure—just touching it causes corruption! Once you're corrupted, your sanity drops, and when that happens, you'll start losing your grip on reality. You won't know what's real and what's not, and before you know it, you're dead!"

His frantic warning drew the attention of a few curious players.

In the Death Comedy streaming zone, players either thrived on reckless, high-risk gameplay for entertainment value or were just plain bad at the game, constantly making poor decisions. Viewers in this section enjoyed watching players meet creative, often hilarious, ends. But even among this crowd, the sight of Liam Watson reaching out to touch a mermaid wax figure made a few of them pause.

"Wow," one of the spectators murmured, impressed. "I've seen a lot of crazy plays, but walking up to a monster and poking it? That's a first."

Shawn turned to the group that had gathered and, with exasperation, jabbed a finger at the screen displaying Liam's reckless actions. "I've been following him from the main screen. This guy racks up points like crazy—he's already close to a hundred, and it's only Day Two. You know what he spent all those points on?"

"A hundred points already?" The spectator raised an eyebrow, glancing at the game timer. "That's an insane start… but why is he even in the Death Comedy section?"

Before anyone could answer, Liam leaned in closer to the mermaid wax figure, his fingertips tracing the intricate carvings on its face. The spectator watching twitched slightly as if secondhand embarrassment had hit him.

"Okay… I see why he's here now. But seriously, what did he buy? If he's in Siren's Hollow, he could've gotten some solid survival gear—Flame Torches and Underwater Breathers together cost around a hundred points. Those are the best tools for clearing this area."

Shawn sighed dramatically. "Nope. He didn't buy either of those. He bought—" he paused for effect, "—nine barrels of high-concentration alcohol."

The spectators stared.

"… You're joking."

Shawn shook his head solemnly.

"That's completely useless," one of them muttered. "Alcohol burns weakly. It won't do anything against the mermaid wax figures or the mermaid sailors."

"That's what I thought, too," Shawn admitted. "But hold up… why hasn't he been corrupted yet? He's been touching that wax figure for five minutes now."

The spectators leaned in.

"Yeah… by now, he should be completely corrupted. His sanity should be zero."

Yet, there Liam was—calm, relaxed as if examining a fine sculpture rather than a lethal monster. His fingers traced the wax figure's features with the precision of an artist. He even muttered softly to himself as if speaking to the figure.

"Huh. Your face didn't change," Liam mused, his voice hinting amusement. "The other mermaid wax figures tried to mimic me when they attacked… but you? You're still in your cocoon state. That means you can't corrupt me."

A slow smile spread across his lips.

"Because you've already—taken someone else's face. You're not here to corrupt me. You're here as a charm… a cocoon. You're protecting something, not attacking."

The mermaid wax figure bore the exact features of a sailor Liam had encountered on the ship's deck.

Now that he was examining it closely, Liam noticed that the figures weren't solid—they were thin, almost brittle. Their surfaces had cracks, and their edges flaked like dried paint. Shining a flashlight through the wax, he realized they were nearly translucent—empty shells like butterfly cocoons.

They weren't the real monsters.

The real threats were the sailors walking around the ship.

["Siren's Hollow Bestiary" Updated: Mermaid Sailors (3/4)] 

[Monster Name: Mermaid Sailor (Butterfly Form)] 

[Weakness: ??? (Pending Discovery)] 

[Attack Pattern: ??? (Pending Discovery)] 

Shawn and the spectators were stunned.

Shawn stared at the newly unlocked bestiary page. "I've watched dozens of Siren's Hollow playthroughs. No one has ever figured out that these wax figures weren't a threat. Even Mason Shepherd, the highest-scoring player of this level, didn't realize they were cocoons, not larvae."

"Aren't players usually forced to run when the wax figures start chasing them? That triggers the Mermaid Sailor pursuit event, which is how the third page of the bestiary is normally unlocked."

"How did Liam know he didn't need to run?" The spectator was just as baffled. "And why did he unlock the third page so easily?"

"… Is he actually trying to complete the full bestiary for Siren's Hollow?" someone asked, disbelief evident in their voice.

"No way," Shawn replied immediately, though a new glint of admiration flashed in his eyes. "He's unlucky—he already triggered a wandering NPC encounter."

The crowd collectively sucked in a breath.

"That NPC is the Siren King, right?" another player blurted out. "That's impossible! There's no weakness for the Siren King in the bestiary. The only way to fully document him is to trigger his attack pattern—but if he attacks, you die. There's no surviving it."

The gathered spectators were growing more animated.

"I've never seen a player encounter the Siren King and live. Most people quit the game the second they trigger his page."

"And this guy's just… still playing?! Like nothing happened?!"

"He doesn't even look nervous," someone muttered in disbelief.

"Probably because he doesn't know any better," Shawn chuckled. "He's a rookie."

More and more players gathered around, drawn in by the commotion.

The Death Comedy section loved players like Liam—bold, unpredictable, and crazy enough to survive when they shouldn't.

"This guy's insane."

"I love it. Nothing's funnier than watching someone play recklessly and not die."

"What's his name again? Let me check…"

—— 

[+205 players liked Liam's livestream] 

[+200 players saved Liam's live stream to favorites] 

[+35 players donated energy to Liam's stream (+35 points earned)] 

[Current Viewers: 297] 

[Congratulations! Liam Watson is gaining popularity in the Death Comedy section. Title earned: "Dark Humor Icon." Keep entertaining your audience with your dangerously hilarious gameplay!] 

—— 

After realizing the sailors were the real monsters, Liam stopped moving up the ship's decks.

If his theory was correct, the sailors were waiting at the entrance to ambush him. A high-stakes chase would begin when he stepped outside the cargo hold.

Most players wouldn't have known the wax figures were harmless, so they'd panic and flee. And in their blind escape, they'd be herded into a trap.

Lazy game design, Liam thought dryly. The solution to escaping was painfully obvious—just jump into the ocean. 

But he hated swimming.