Godmode: The Dead Game Odyssey

Chapter 5: Don't Blink

Chapter 5: Do not Blink

Liam could hear the crisp clack of marble tapping against the door, and the doorknob rattled violently.

Though the door was locked, the force of the mermaid wax statue's grip caused the metal to groan, the handle screeching with an awful metallic crackle as if it were on the verge of snapping clean off.

The thing outside wanted in.

Its lifeless white eyes scanned Liam's room through the peephole. After a few moments, the doorknob stilled. Everything outside fell deathly silent, as though the statue had lost interest and walked away.

However, Liam held his breath. He knew better.

The creature made a distinctive dragging sound when it moved—heavy and wet, like something sliding over the thick carpet—but that sound was nowhere to be heard.

No. It was still there. Waiting.

Faking him out.

Liam shifted his gaze toward the peephole. The lens, which had blended back into the door's color, turned milky white again—like an eye—a white, unblinking, glassy eye.

It was still there. Watching.

Unwilling to give up, the thing outside twisted the doorknob harder. The metal shrieked under the pressure, deforming into a jagged, crumpled shape. It was going to break in.

Some viewers watching Liam's small screen turned their eyes away, too nervous to keep watching.

> "Damn… he was such a promising player. What a waste."

> "Eclipse Port is hell for new players. This isn't a tutorial level—it's a slaughter."

However, Liam's mind was razor-sharp.

The game had made it clear—these monsters had weaknesses. There had to be a way to escape if he could figure it out. That was the point of this death game.

Find the flaw. Break the loop.

Liam closed his eyes, mentally retracing everything that had happened since he arrived.

Any game with no solution is garbage. He had spent years designing horror games—he knew there had to be a clue.

He began calmly analyzing every mermaid statue encounter:

- First, the statue outside the hotel fountain. Gerald had freaked out. The statue appeared to move silently, rotating behind the car. It was not watching them, just the water.

- Second, there are statues in the hotel lobby. Dozens of them stared at the guests—but did not move.

- Third, the room statues. All stared directly at Liam. After he fell asleep, they moved. The mirror statue moved the fastest. Once Liam woke up, they froze.

However, staying awake was not enough to stop them—the thing outside his door was already trying to force its way in.

So what changed? What variable had shifted between safety and danger?

Liam opened his eyes.

He had figured it out.

Liam suddenly threw the door open and stared directly into the face of the statue.

The wax figure was so close it could have kissed him. Its face hovered just inches from his own, blank and pale, with one hand still gripping the doorknob. Its dead white eyes were fixed on the peephole—right at the spot Liam had just been hiding behind.

So it had seen him. That is why it had tried to get in.

However, now that Liam was directly looking at it—it froze.

Its movement stopped entirely, fishtail brushing against Liam's feet, halted mid-drag. It stood like a mannequin, as if caught mid-act, paralyzed.

Bingo.

The screen-watching Liam went wild.

> "HOLY SHIT! He figured it out!"

> "No hesitation—just flung the door open like a boss!"

> "Most players wouldn't dare do that. Even if they guessed the mechanic, they'd never risk it."

> "I had goosebumps when they made eye contact—his calm face was insane!"

> "What's his name?! This guy's not a newbie, he's a freaking legend!"

The crowd around Liam's little screen ballooned.

[168 viewers watching Liam's feed. Achievement unlocked: Newbie Crowd-Killer.]

[102 likes. 143 bookmarks. 3 donations. Liam earns +3 points.]

Liam's expression on the screen remained as calm as ever, not even blinking.

It all made sense.

Once he had fallen asleep, the statues started moving. Once he woke up and opened his eyes—they stopped.

It was not being awake. It was the act of being watched.

Specifically, directly watched.

Indirect viewing—through mirrors, peepholes, or water reflections—only partially limited their movement.

That is why the fountain statue could slowly rotate.

That is why the mirror mermaid moved faster than the others.

That is why the peephole had not saved him—because it was not true direct eye contact.

Liam's mind clicked through the logic like a lock falling open.

["Eclipse Port" Monster Book Updated]  

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

[Weakness: Human Eye Contact (1/3)]  

[Attack Method: Hatching]

The wax statue before him now looked angelic.

Its head tilted slightly, and its lips barely curved into a smile; it exuded divine beauty. Frozen under Liam's gaze, it had transformed into a work of art—eerily still, no longer a predator but a sculpture.

[Player Liam has unlocked the Item Store.]  

[You have 3 points. Not enough to purchase anything. Try harder.]

Liam glanced through the shop. Everything was blacked out and locked. Some were mundane—flashlights, knives, tools. Others were strange and ominous:

- "Flawless Heart"  

- "Love at First Sight Potion"

All absurdly expensive.

> "So this is what they meant by points can buy you anything..."

Liam closed the store and turned back to the statue.

It was not moving anymore, but he could not stand guard all night. The broken door handle alone told him that these things could be dangerous.

He studied it.

From what he had seen earlier, the wax statues seemed to rely solely on sight to hunt.

When blindfolded, they fumbled. When white sheets covered them, they thrashed about unthinkingly. They could not detect his breathing or scent, even in the same room.

So...

They had no hearing. No smell. Just sight.

If that was the case, then as long as they could not see him, they could not find him.

They had brute strength—enough to crush a doorknob—but could not detect anything not in their direct visual path.

That made them powerful but predictable.

Liam's eyes narrowed as a mischievous idea formed.

He tilted his head, a deceptively sweet dimple appearing on his cheek.

> "So... attacking it directly makes it hold a grudge, huh?" Liam murmured. "But if it gets hurt on its own... that's not my fault."

With a smile, he wrapped the frozen statue in a bed sheet again, tied it tightly, and then gently—almost lovingly—dragged it to the stairwell.

He placed it right at the edge.

The statue, blindfolded, would eventually move.

Moreover, when it did—it would fall.

Gravity would do the dirty work.

He did not want to break the statues, as that could backfire, but he wanted to test their durability.

Could they be destroyed?

After returning to his room, Liam peeked through the crack of his door.

As expected, the statue began to stir.

Even though Liam was technically still watching, the blindfold confused him. It couldn't perceive his gaze, so thinking itself unwatched, it moved.

Proving something important:

The statues only stopped if they knew they were being watched.

It was not about the player's gaze. It was about the statue's awareness of being seen.

Which meant—they had a level of intelligence.

Not high, but present.

The statue fumbled at the top of the stairs, staggered a step—

CRASH!

A thunderous sound echoed down the corridor.

Dust exploded into the air.

Liam strolled to the stairwell and looked down, arms folded.

The statue had tumbled to the bottom.

It was still intact. Curled slightly. Not a single crack.

> "Tch. Damn thing's tough... Physical damage doesn't work, huh?"

Meanwhile, viewers at his screen were gaping in silence.

> "Wait. Is he... experimenting on the monsters?"

> "Did he just wrap one in a sheet and shove it down the stairs?!"

> "I was scared for him five minutes ago—now I feel bad for the statue!"

> "Is he even a player anymore?! He's acting like a game dev!"

> "Other players are trying to survive. He's trying to wipe the monsters off the map..."