Godmode: The Dead Game Odyssey

Chapter 3: The Curse of the Mermaid Statues

Chapter 3: The Curse of the Mermaid Statues

Liam followed Gerald's gaze toward the mermaid wax statue. It remained as still as before; its head lowered, eyes fixed on the water, not moving an inch.

Andrew, startled by Gerald's outburst, swung at him with a punch. "What are you talking about? The statue didn't move! It's not moving! If you keep freaking out like this, I'll rip out your vocal cords and stomp them into the ground!"

Gerald, clutching his head where Andrew had struck him, looked up at him with fear in his eyes. He curled up, muttering to himself, "It moved... it really moved..."

Lucy, now unnerved by Gerald's reaction, forced a smile. "Gerald, how can you be so sure it wasn't just your imagination? The mermaid statue doesn't even have eyeballs, how could you know it was looking at you?"

The statue was made of milky-white wax with a strange translucent texture, and droplets of melted wax clung to its face. It had sculpted eyes, but they were completely white—no pupils, no irises—giving it an eerie, soulless appearance as it stood at the hotel entrance.

Gerald's voice grew quieter and more tremulous. "Didn't you notice? No matter where we drive, the statue's eyes are always on us. It's definitely moving."

Lucy, visibly relieved, laughed awkwardly. "Oh, come on, it's just like the 'Mona Lisa smile,' right? No matter the angle, it always looks like the person in the painting is staring at you."

"That's not possible," Liam calmly disagreed, cutting into the conversation. "The Mona Lisa effect only happens in two-dimensional images. A wax statue can't do that. Gerald's right. The statue's eyes are definitely following us."

Like the townspeople, the statue seemed to stare at them the moment they entered, as if they were prey entering its hunting ground.

Liam's thoughts were interrupted by the strange sensation of the coin vibrating in his chest. The game panel suddenly transformed into an ancient, medieval-looking book, opening slowly before him.

[Congratulations, Player, you have discovered your first game monster. Unlocking Monster Book — "Eclipse Port" Special Edition (1/4)]

The pages revealed a photo of the mermaid wax statue, its pale face submerged in deep ocean waters, showing only half of its face. Its eyes, devoid of pupils, stared directly at Liam, almost like it was about to crawl out from the photo.

[Monster Name: Mermaid Wax Statue (Cocoon Stage)]

[Attack Value:? (Unknown, will unlock after battle)]

[Attack Method:? (Unexplored)]

[Weakness:? (Unexplored)]

The areas marked with question marks looked like they had been smudged by water, making the text unreadable, but glowing words appeared to explain:

[Note: Exploring and completing this monster's page will reward players with points and special rewards. Collecting all pages from a game's monster book will allow you to claim the most valuable item from one of the monsters.]

The "Eclipse Port" monster book had four pages, but Liam could not turn the next one. It appeared locked, likely from monsters in other game copies.

It felt like a typical "monster hunting" system, where the higher the monster's danger level, the better the rewards. However, the exploration conditions, even with potential battles, clearly encouraged players to provoke monsters, asking players to risk their lives for loot.

Liam, whose combat power was barely as strong as a high school girl swinging a backpack, rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Lucy, clearly on edge, clung to Liam's arm. "...Is it really moving?"

"Impossible!" Andrew seemed swayed by Liam's argument, his face showing a fleeting look of fear that was quickly suppressed. He sneered at Liam, "Liam, you coward! If you are too scared to face the truth and are making excuses to run, run! Afterward, you can just give up on Lucy and lick my shoes!"

Liam realized this was part of the bet between him and Andrew.

Sensing the tension, the driver offered a strange chuckle but quickly tried to lighten the mood. "It is late. You must have misjudged it, right? There is no way a wax statue can move. We would have already turned it into a tourist attraction if it could! It would make us a fortune! Our town makes wax; the mermaid wax statues are just our town's specialty. You will find them all over; it's nothing special."

"Alright, we're here! Time to get some rest and enjoy tomorrow," the driver announced, opening the car doors.

Liam looked back at the fountain with the mermaid wax statue. From a distance, it still lowered its head, seemingly fixed on the water, not on them. However, Liam clearly remembered that when they arrived, the statue's front faced the entrance, not the hotel.

The hotel entrance had two other mermaid statues standing by the doors, each holding a scepter with a twisted, almost forced smile, as if they were pretending to welcome guests but were truly trapped in place.

Once inside the hotel, Liam noticed more mermaid wax statues—large and small—positioned everywhere. A life-sized mermaid statue stood behind the reception desk, holding money as if it were checking out guests.

As the driver had said, mermaid statues were the town's signature, but there were too many. From floor lamps shaped like mermaids to pencil holders behind the front desk, the statues were everywhere—almost inseparable from the hotel's identity.

Liam soon realized that no matter where he went in the hotel, every mermaid statue seemed to be staring directly at him.

These statues did not have pupils, which should have made them incapable of appearing to look at him, but Liam could not shake the unsettling feeling. The sheer number of these statues—placed so densely—made it uncomfortable, even for someone like Andrew, who had been mocking Liam as a coward. He shuddered and rubbed his arms while Gerald hid behind Andrew, trembling, no longer afraid of Andrew's threats.

Lucy, clinging to Liam's arm, looked pale, almost sickly, as she seemed disturbed by the eerie decor.

Liam, however, remained calm and approached the reception desk. "Hello, my name is Liam. I made a reservation for a room."

The receptionist, a young man with skin as pale as marble and wearing a kilt, stood motionless at the desk. His appearance was so lifelike that for a moment, Liam could not tell if he was a person or just another wax statue.

As they approached, the receptionist suddenly moved, startling Lucy. "Oh my God! You look like a wax statue!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry," the receptionist apologized, giving them a sheepish smile. "I have albinism. I must have startled you. My apologies! Mr. Liam, right? You reserved four rooms for a week, and the payment's already been processed. Here are your room keys. Have a pleasant stay."

Liam took the keys, relieved he would not share a room with Lucy. He did not want to deal with her romantic advances just yet.

After a moment of recovery, Lucy seemed to understand and shot him a teasing look, though Liam continued to ignore her.

Liam finally turned back to the receptionist. "I was just wondering... Why are there so many mermaid wax statues in the hotel?"

The calm and unhurried receptionist replied, "Sir, the mermaid gave us everything. Eclipse Port was nothing before we discovered the mermaid's corpse. Since then, tourism has flourished, and we have gained wealth and prosperity. We are very grateful to the mermaid. Every household here has many mermaid statues. For us, they are like protective talismans."

Liam pointed to the statue behind the receptionist. "That one behind you looks a lot like you. Its material seems different from the others."

The receptionist nodded. "Yes, that mermaid statue is my personal talisman. We make mermaid statues in our likeness, and when disaster strikes, these statues take our place and bear the brunt of it, melting away in our stead."

Liam found this intriguing. This "protective wax statue" was different from the others. 

[Player gained new insight — "Eclipse Port Monster Book" Mermaid Wax Statue panel updated]

[Monster Name: Mermaid Wax Statue (Cocoon State), Talisman Wax Statue (Chrysalis State)]

Cocoon and Chrysalis? Did this mermaid wax statue monster have two different stages? 

Liam thought it over carefully. The cocoon was the unhatched stage, while the chrysalis was the fully transformed state—the protective shell. 

This matched what the receptionist said about using the statues to protect them during disasters.

Liam suspected the mermaid wax statue had a larva and butterfly stage, and his intuition told him that these stages would be much more dangerous.

For now, the cocoon and chrysalis stages did not seem to have any direct intent to harm. However, Liam suspected that their attacks might not be obvious, perhaps involving mental influence or other unseen methods.

The sheer number of these statues in the hotel, constantly staring at him, felt like mental contamination.

Liam handed out the room keys, and Lucy, eager to share a room with him, was brushed off with Liam's excuse, "I haven't proven my bravery for you yet, so I don't deserve you!" 

Surprised but charmed, Lucy returned to her room, throwing him a fiery look before she left.

Liam genuinely hoped Andrew would survive the night, as it seemed his intervention had saved him from unwanted attention.

Finally, Liam entered his room with the key card. As soon as he stepped inside, he froze.

The room was as luxurious as he expected, with fine decorations—but there were mermaid wax statues everywhere, even on the lampstands and bedside tables. In the dim light, their oily, shiny textures seemed almost alive.

As soon as he entered, he noticed the statues' eyes subtly shift toward him, all locking in on him simultaneously.

The game panel flashed:

[Main Quest Activated: Survive the night safely in your room and live to see tomorrow without being "hatched." Task reward: 20 points.]