2025-04-08 22:37:55As the mermaids closed in on Liam's boat, the viewers grew frantic, shouting at the small TV in an attempt to rouse him:
"Wake up! Get up and fight the monsters!"
"Can’t you wait until after you wake up to sleep? Do you really need that extra hour of sleep? Didn’t your mom teach you not to AFK during games?!"
"I’ve watched so many game videos, but I’ve never seen someone so ready to lose. You could win, but you're just throwing it away!"
Amid the chaos of their shouts, Liam, on the small TV, seemed to stir, his eyes fluttering open as if awakened by the noise.
He looked toward the boat, now cutting through the water with half a fish head poking out, the mermaids coming closer to his ship.
Liam could see their legs below the water, now transformed into eel-like tails. They slithered through the water like serpents, moving swiftly toward his boat.
On the boat near Andrew, bloodied and broken remnants of his body floated around, now a mere skeleton, still stained with blood and scattered bits of meat.
Andrew’s lower body had begun to merge with the sea, taking on a fish-like form. His torn clothes hung from the side of the boat, floating in the water, a grim testament to how vicious the mermaids were.
In the face of this danger, Liam did nothing but slowly dip his blanket into the water, then pull it back over himself as if trying to avoid facing the situation, shaking under the covers. This sluggish, turtle-like reaction stirred a wave of frustration among the spectators.
Yet, Liam continued to move in such a slow and awkward manner, almost as if his body had been frozen by the cold.
Liam’s once pale fingers began to develop marble-like veins, signalling the descent of his body temperature.
He was now in the same condition Lucy had been in earlier—his body temperature had dropped drastically, making him feel like he was slowly turning into a block of stone. His brain and movements were sluggish, which was why he couldn’t stop shivering.
Liam stared at his inventory, where several bottles of alcohol were listed, and ordered: "Take out one bottle of alcohol."
System message: Alcohol bottle retrieved.
A bottle of alcohol appeared on the boat, making the small vessel sink lower into the water, causing the audience to hold their breath in anxiety. The monsters were almost at Liam’s boat!
Liam pulled out a matchbox from his pocket. While shivering beneath the wet blanket, it took him several tries to strike a match. His movements were slow and deliberate, but his expression remained calm.
Once the match was lit, Liam lifted a corner of his blanket, stood up with difficulty, and stepped onto the alcohol barrel. He slowly poured the alcohol into the sea.
The audience watching could hardly bear to look.
"Pouring alcohol into the sea… Did he come up with that idea because his mental state is too low?"
"Well, it’s not completely useless. High-proof alcohol can float on the water and burn for a few minutes, but it's a drop in the bucket. And it won’t do anything to these mermaid monsters; they aren’t afraid of fire."
Liam tossed the match into the alcohol-soaked sea, and flames erupted instantly. The heat rose and illuminated the surrounding water as Liam, wrapped in his wet blanket, watched the approaching mermaids with an eerie calmness as if he had been waiting for them to come closer all along.
The blazing fire cast an intense light against the dark, cold sea, and the mermaids surrounded the boat, circling it, their tails thrashing in the water as they gazed greedily at the flames.
Liam sat in the centre of the boat, staring at the flames as they flickered in the water. His eyes reflected the dancing fire and the surface of the water, giving him a mesmerizing, almost hypnotic look.
His gaze, illuminated by fire and alcohol, now looked less human and more like a sea creature from the depths—an alluring and dangerous figure, his features marked by the corruption of the sea.
As the mermaids surfaced, drawn by the fire, the sound of their flesh sizzling could be heard as they screeched in pain, their bellies turning over as they struggled, their bodies floating on the surface.
The smell of burning fish filled the air, a grotesque yet intoxicating scent that seemed to be both repellent and enticing to the mermaids. Their attention shifted from Liam to the scorched mermaids, and the small boat was surrounded by the sounds of cracking bones and tearing flesh.
Liam could smell the sharp, bloodied scent mixed with the stench of fish, and the strange, delicious smell made him lick his lips. But his face remained unperturbed, as though he were indifferent to the chaos around him.
The mermaids, now devouring their burned kin, were too preoccupied to notice Liam. He simply sat there, a passive observer of the madness unfolding, his face no longer pale but flushed from the fire and alcohol.
As he looked at Andrew’s empty boat, an odd smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
It was the smile of someone who had gained something, as though he had been rewarded for a task well done. Still, something was unsettling about it—almost as if he had become as monstrous as the creatures surrounding him.
Liam whispered hoarsely, "Goodnight, Andrew."
[Side Quest - The True Love Ship: Complete the bet with Andrew and win, earning 100 points.]
[Side Quest - Gerald's Bloody Plot: Progress at 90%.]
[Main Quest - Participate in the Mermaid Catching Tournament: Completed, earning 50 points.]
[Eclipse Harbor Monster Book Update - Mermaid (4/4)]
[Monster Name: Mermaid (Larval Stage)]
[Weaknesses: Fire, Light. Relatively fragile, humanoid-like. ]
[Attack Methods: Bite, scratch. It will not trigger corruption. Low intelligence, cannot use tools.]
[Mermaid (Larval Stage): This page in the monster book is complete. Keep up the good work, player!]
The reward and achievement panel popped up, nearly stunning the audience in front of the small TV.
After waiting for so long, the viewer, who had been so sure that Liam was doomed, finally let out a shocked expletive: “What the hell!”
That expletive acted like a snap, bringing all the viewers back to their senses, and they immediately began to bombard the forum:
"What’s going on here?!"
"He didn’t lose?! He actually won while AFK! What a strategy!"
“Holy crap, I’m rushing to the forum to ask Mason Shepherd what happened!”
"Why didn’t the alcohol dissolve in the water?!"
"I found the alcohol he used; holy crap, guess what I found in the alcohol’s instruction manual—this is modified, insoluble in water, permanent oil-based semi-solid alcohol! I can’t believe it; how did this newbie even find this alcohol?"
"Did he read through every manual?"
"Mason replied! He said mermaid sculptures and mermaid sailors aren’t afraid of fire, but mermaid larvae are. In other words, mermaids without protection are vulnerable to fire."
"And Liam was smart enough to realize that cooked mermaid meat would attract the other mermaids, so he roasted some of the larvae. The mermaids stopped attacking him and went for the cooked meat instead..."
[2,300 people liked Liam’s small TV, 2,670 people bookmarked it, and 499 people donated to recharge it, giving Liam 499 points.]
[Liam’s reputation is rapidly rising as he gains over 2,000 likes in just one minute!]
[Congratulations to player Liam Watson for being featured, now on the recommended list in the single-player game section, with views skyrocketing...]
Liam sat on his boat, resting his chin in his hand, watching the mermaids tear each other apart, a wet blanket draped over him to prevent being burned.
Once the mermaids finished tearing each other apart, he would pour more alcohol and light it again.
Roasted mermaid meat was much more enticing to the mermaids than Liam, so they ignored him and continued feasting on their own kind.
Liam, like a self-made barbecue chef, continued his task of roasting mermaids, effortlessly managing the situation.
In his mind, he roughly calculated: four or five bottles of alcohol would be enough to last until dawn, earning only 45 points, which was just a small fraction of the 140 points required for two underwater bubbles.
And he still had five large bottles left.
Liam had bought the alcohol after hearing the curator of the Eclipse Wax Museum mention that mermaids could be cooked and that mermaid meat was quite tasty.
Fire was an effective tool since it could roast mermaids. After being cooked, the mermaids seemed to be drawn to their own kind, making it a perfect solution to the problem.
He had seen Andrew’s desire for fish fillets earlier—he ate raw fish tonight. Still, it wasn’t as satisfying as the fillets from the morning.
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Chapter 23: Unraveled Secrets on the High Seas
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Chapter 21: The Price of Fire and Fame
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Chapter 20: The Battle With the Mermaids
As the mermaids closed in on Liam's boat, the viewers grew frantic, shouting at the small TV in an attempt to rouse him:"Wake up! Get up and fight the monsters!""Can’t you wait until after you wake up to sleep? Do you really need that extra hour of sleep? Didn’t your mom teach you not to AFK during games?!""I’ve watched so many game videos, but I’ve never seen someone so ready to lose. You could win, but you're just throwing it away!"Amid the chaos of their shouts, Liam, on the small TV, seemed to stir, his eyes fluttering open as if awakened by the noise.He looked toward the boat, now cutting through the water with half a fish head poking out, the mermaids coming closer to his ship.Liam could see their legs below the water, now transformed into eel-like tails. They slithered through the water like serpents, moving swiftly toward his boat.On the boat near Andrew, bloodied and broken remnants of his body floated around, now a mere skeleton, still stained with blood and scattered
