"Okay." The Siren King closed his eyes and kissed Bai Liu without hesitation.
Bai Liu was stunned for a moment. He had only been joking, like players who flirt with the final boss while clearing an instance. He hadn't expected the final boss to be so cooperative. The Siren King's lips were cold and soft, carrying the faint scent of creeping vines as their lips touched.
The Siren King supported Bai Liu, his expression strange and puzzled. "You are hot."
"Of course." Bai Liu seemed amused. "I'm a warm-blooded animal. See you next time, Tawil."
Bai Liu gently hugged the Siren King and patted his back, treating the final boss like a child.
He had a certain fondness for the final boss in this game. Designing a final boss was extremely difficult; it was usually the character the designer spent the most time perfecting. He had rarely seen one crafted as flawlessly and beautifully as the Siren King.
He sighed sincerely. "Tawil, I really like you very much." The design.
Before Bai Liu could finish speaking—at the very moment the Siren King was hesitantly holding him—Bai Liu's body scattered into countless glowing motes of light, like fireflies blooming across the dark seabed. They slipped through the Siren King's fingers and drifted upward, slowly rising like stars toward the sea surface gilded by the dawn.
The Siren King lifted his head and stared at the fading specks of light in the water. After watching them for a long time, he lay down at the bottom of the sea, hands folded together. He closed his eyes and murmured softly as he drifted into sleep, "See you next time, Bai Liu."
[System: Congratulations to Player Bai Liu for sending the Siren King back to the bottom of the sea and clearing Siren Town.]
[System: Player has reached the true ending of Siren Town — Return to the Peaceful Old Town.]
[…As the salvaged merman returned to the bottom of the sea, the townspeople of Siren Town gradually reverted to normal. The statues were destroyed, and the ghosts sank into dormancy beneath the waves. The sea that once yielded the Siren King became a forbidden zone. People knew that breaking the taboo would awaken the undead slumbering under the sea. Perhaps one day, greedy humans would touch this taboo again—but not for now. Hush. Let us leave quietly, without disturbing the sleeping Siren King and the deadly ghosts…]
[System: Player Bai Liu has collected the Siren King page of the Siren Town Monster Book.]
[Siren Town Monster Book has updated — Siren King (2/4)]
[Monster Name: Siren King]
[Weakness: None (Player is not required to explore the monster's weaknesses.)]
[Attack Mode: Fish Tail Strike (1/???)(Note: Since the upper limit of this attack mode cannot be determined, collecting one attack mode is sufficient to obtain the page.)]
[System: Congratulations to the player for completing the entire Siren Town Monster Book!]
The viewing area in front of Bai Liu's small TV fell silent for several minutes. Everyone lowered their heads; the only sounds were the notifications of likes and charges. After a while, exclamations burst out uncontrollably.
"First! Bai Liu's comprehensive data for Siren Town is ranked first! We gave him enough likes and charges to break God Mu's record!"
"This is insane! He actually won! He beat a god-level NPC! The rookie I'm rooting for is way too strong!"
"Damn, his final mental value was 0.1! I'll kneel and write his name with my nose! That's insane!"
"In the end, even the system couldn't determine his stats! If he withstood a god-level NPC, his potential must reach S-tier!"
"I feel like I just witnessed history. My god—aside from the god-level NPC, isn't Bai Liu the second one whose data the system couldn't evaluate?!"
Many spectators laughed and cried at the same time, hugging each other in celebration. Even Wang Shun and Mu Sicheng high-fived, smiling at one another. Only the players who had criticized Bai Liu wore ugly expressions.
They continued their sarcastic remarks.
"Che. It's just clearing an ordinary single-player instance. What's so impressive?"
"Let's see if he can reach the central core screens. He's just a newbie who cleared one instance, and you're all jumping around like this. Tsk. Better stay low-key."
Hearing this, Mu Sicheng's eyes narrowed slightly. He slowly placed his hat back on his head, the red gleam in his eyes flickering. The monkey embroidered on the hat seemed to bear its bloody grin, as if eager to devour someone.
Mu Sicheng rarely took offense on behalf of a newcomer, but he had just watched a performance that genuinely pleased him. Hearing those comments left him deeply irritated. He lazily glanced at the spectators still talking and was about to walk over to confirm their identities—so he could kill them later in-game.
Wang Shun quickly noticed his intent and stopped him. "They're all members of the Kings Guild."
"Oh? The Kings Guild?" Mu Sicheng sneered. "That idiotic guild full of self-important players who can't accomplish anything."
"Ahem." Wang Shun coughed awkwardly and lowered his voice. "God Mu… I'm also a member of the Kings Guild."
Mu Sicheng: "..."
"God Mu, some guild members might be foolish, but I advise you not to provoke them. You can insult them, but forget killing them. Our president is…"
Mu Sicheng sighed irritably. "I know. The president of the Kings Guild is the second-ranked player overall—[Hearts], the Queen of Hearts. That lunatic is extremely protective and ruthless. Best not to offend her people."
"Still," Mu Sicheng bit down on his lollipop until it cracked between his teeth, his eyes darkening, "hearing Bai Liu being looked down on by people who are completely beneath him… It's really unpleasant. It reminds me of when I was a newcomer."
Wang Shun sighed. It was always difficult to be a newcomer—especially a lone-wolf player like Mu Sicheng, who hadn't joined any large organization. They were inevitably excluded by the big guilds.
Many players in this game formed guilds to support one another, significantly reducing their mortality rates. Among them, the guild with the largest membership—and second in overall standings—was the Kings Guild, founded by the Queen of Hearts.
The guild had a special recruitment mechanism: talented newcomers would be selected and nurtured, while veteran members were regularly assigned to guide rookies through instances. Wang Shun knew that Mu Sicheng had received an invitation from the Kings Guild when he first rose to prominence, but he had refused. Since then, he had been deliberately and subtly suppressed by the guild. It was no surprise that Mu Sicheng and the Kings Guild had never gotten along.
Lower-ranked members of large guilds were often hostile toward powerful newcomers. Once such rookies appeared, they were quickly recruited by high-level guild members and provided with abundant items, points, and resources for training. The gap between them and the lower-tier players widened instantly—it was practically a meteoric rise.
Jealousy was inevitable. Some extreme individuals would even band together to suppress outstanding newcomers, preventing them from rising.
The group just now was a typical example. Wang Shun had noticed them before. Whether it was Bai Liu, whom they had viciously criticized, or Mu Ke, whom they constantly pressured, they stepped on anyone without discrimination.
Seeing the audience excitedly liking and charging Bai Liu's small TV, they couldn't resist spitting out more sour remarks.
"Isn't he still far from the top gods in the central core rankings? What's there to celebrate? Haven't you seen someone clear an instance before? I'm speechless."
[System Tip: Player Bai Liu's final small TV rating—]
[24,000 new likes. 26,700 new bookmarks. 7,190 new charges.]
[Player Bai Liu has obtained 10,200 points.]
[Player Bai Liu has received 20,000 likes within one minute and 6,000 points from charges! Rising to fame! Unstoppable! You are wildly adored by the audience!]
[Congratulations to Player Bai Liu for obtaining the final promotion slot and entering the core promotion position on the central screen homepage. View count rising rapidly…]
Wang Shun held his breath, utterly stunned. "Core?! The core promotion slot?! Was Bai Liu promoted to the core position? Seriously?! Oh my god!"
"It's hard even for me to secure that spot." Mu Sicheng looked at Bai Liu's small TV and the spectators who were practically ready to set off fireworks in celebration. He laughed lightly. "If I'd known, I wouldn't have charged him that much. Tsk."
Then his faintly glowing eyes swept over the guild players, and his lazy tone rose just enough to be heard.
"Ah, speechless, huh? It's actually the core promotion slot."
"Core promotion position."
The words Mu Sicheng spoke were laced with unmistakable mockery.
The earlier group from the Kings Guild hadn't left yet. When they saw Bai Liu rise to the core promotion position, their disbelief far exceeded that of the other spectators.
Several of their expressions cracked on the spot. They rushed to the small TV and questioned it frantically. "System, are you sure? Did Player Bai Liu actually obtain the core promotion position? Why? That spot is reserved for the big gods! How can a newcomer qualify?!"
The system responded mechanically.
[Player Bai Liu's comprehensive game-clearance evaluation ranks within the site's top 500. He meets the requirements for the promotion slot.]
"Top 500? That high?! This was only his first game! How is that possible?"
The system remained emotionless.
[Player Bai Liu's small TV comprehensive data ranks 497th among players in the same period.]
The Kings Guild spectators collapsed to the ground in a daze. Bai Liu was far stronger than they had imagined. The system did not lie. In his very first game, he had secured a core promotion position and climbed into the top 500 of his cohort…
They could already picture Bai Liu being aggressively recruited by major guilds—and eventually stepping on their heads. If he joined the Kings Guild, then with his strength, he would undoubtedly outrank them. At that point, he could do whatever he pleased with them…
The rest of the spectators paid no attention to the stunned Kings Guild members. They excitedly rushed toward the central core screens to witness Bai Liu's promotion firsthand. They had followed him all the way—of course, they had to see the moment he rose.
Central Hall — Central Screens — Core Promotion Area
The décor here was noticeably more luxurious than the edges of the hall. Everything gleamed magnificently. Many small TVs were trimmed in gold, and posters of famous players adorned the walls. The players gathered here spoke in hushed tones, conversing politely.
The moment Mu Sicheng lifted his gaze, he spotted Bai Liu's small TV on the opposite wall at a glance.
The reason was simple—Bai Liu was too conspicuous.
Among all the core promotion slots, his was the only small TV that was free to view. The others belonged to established big-name players, just as the Kings Guild members had said. Most of those live broadcasts required payment—viewers had to spend points to enter the viewing area.
Without paying, one could only watch short highlight clips compiled by the system outside the viewing area to attract potential viewers. Every small TV surrounding Bai Liu's required payment for full access. Only Bai Liu was free.
In this otherwise grand and glamorous setting, that free access created a subtle sense of cheapness.
As a result, although Bai Liu's small TV required no payment, it initially had no audience.
Most spectators who came to the core promotion area were there specifically for the paid players. For someone like Bai Liu—who had just surged upward—few cared. In their experience, players who rose too suddenly were often short-lived. And indeed, most such players fell just as quickly. So the audience here didn't pay him much attention.
However, before long, those same viewers couldn't help glancing toward Bai Liu's small TV.
It kept beeping incessantly. It was impossible to ignore.
[System: Comprehensive evaluation of Player Bai Liu's rewards]
[Cleared Siren Town True Ending: 600 points awarded.]
[Reward for collecting Siren Town Monster Book — Mermaid Statue Page]
[Item "Statue's Shell" (Normal Quality).]
[Effect: +100 Defense after equipping.]
[Reward for collecting Siren Town Monster Book — Mermaid Page]
[Item "Stealth in the Sea" (Normal Quality).]
[Effect: +100 Movement Speed after equipping.]
[Reward for collecting Siren Town Monster Book — Mermaid Sailor Page]
[Item "Mermaid Amulet" (Excellent Quality).]
[Effect: Can be activated once in a life-threatening situation to escape using the "golden cicada shedding its shell" effect. Consumable; shatters after one use.]
[Reward for collecting Siren Town Monster Book — Siren King Page]
[Item "Siren King's Reverse Scale" (Quality Unknown).]
[Effect: Unknown. Represents the Siren King's response to your affection. He hopes the player will wear it for a long time.]
[Reward for completing the entire Siren Town Monster Book]
[Item "Siren's Fishbone" (Quality Unknown).]
[Effect: The Siren King has given you his fishbone—the bone of a god. It can pierce time, space, and all visible or invisible barriers.]
[—Born before the existence of truth and after the destruction of lies. Presumed to be an offensive item. Player must explore its usage independently.]
[System: Comprehensive evaluation of Player Bai Liu's small TV]
[This Siren Town gameplay video received 49,074 likes and 52,899 bookmarks. A total of 15,069 points were obtained through charges. Meanwhile, 1,238 players disliked the video. At peak viewership, over 50,000 players watched simultaneously.]
[Player Bai Liu's gameplay video demonstrates extraordinary audience appeal!]
[Player Bai Liu's small TV comprehensive data has exceeded 100,000. The Siren Town video qualifies for a rating. Based on total metrics, it should receive a Silver Badge. However, due to an excessive like-to-dislike ratio (approximately 40:1), the rating has been adjusted. Final rating: Brass Badge Video. Eligible for entry into the VIP Library. Player Bai Liu's gameplay video has been archived in the VIP Library.]
[After entering the VIP Library, viewers must purchase a VIP membership and pay 40 points to watch Player Bai Liu's Siren Town gameplay. Points will be split 50:50 between Player Bai Liu and the system.]
[Bai Liu's small TV has achieved the following milestones:]
[Highest single-video charge points among newcomers.]
[First newcomer to enter the core promotion position.]
[Highest point-clearance record for Siren Town.]
[First among his batch of newcomers to clear the instance.]
-----------------
[System: Congratulations to Player Bai Liu for clearing the instance. Reminder: The player must enter another horror game within one week, or a fatal penalty will be imposed. Countdown begins now.]
[7 days: 00 hours: 00 minutes]
[6 days: 23 hours: 59 minutes]
[I wish Player Bai Liu a pleasant next game~]