Godmode: My Infinite Game Odyssey

Liam Watson followed Gerald's gaze toward the mermaid wax statue, which still appeared to be staring serenely at the water with its head gently bowed, unmoving.

Andrew, startled by Gerald's outburst, punched him angrily. "What are you talking about? That wax statue didn't move at all! You're just seeing things! If you keep freaking out like that, I'll rip out your vocal cords and stomp on them!"

Holding his bruised head, Gerald nervously glanced at Andrew, then curled up, muttering, "It moved... it moved..."

Lucy, feeling slightly unnerved by Gerald's behavior, forced a smile. "Gerald, how can you be sure it wasn't just your imagination? How do you know it was the mermaid statue that moved? It doesn't even have eyeballs; how can you be certain it was looking at you?"

The wax statue was a translucent, milky mermaid figure made from cold wax with a peculiar semi-transparent sheen. The face was unfinished, and though sculpted with eyes, they were just blank white orbs, devoid of pupils, standing lifelessly outside the hotel.

"Don't you guys notice?" Gerald's voice grew lower and trembled. "No matter where we go, it's as if the statue is always looking directly at us. Its eyes have to be moving..."

Lucy seemed relieved. "Oh, I thought you meant something crazy... It's like the 'Mona Lisa's Smile,' right? No matter where you stand, it always looks like the subject is staring at you."

"No, no," Liam interrupted calmly, "that's only possible in two dimensions, like paintings. This statue can't do that. Gerald's right; the statue's eyes are following us."

It was like the townsfolk had stared at them—silent and calculating as if they were prey entering a hunting ground.

This thing must be some kind of monster, he thought.

As soon as that thought crossed his mind, the coin on his chest vibrated. A new panel popped up, and the game interface shifted into the form of an ancient medieval book. It slowly opened in front of Liam.

[Congratulations, Player, for discovering your first game monster. Unlocking the Monster Book — "Siren Town Special Edition" (1/4)]

A photo appeared on the page, showing the pale face of the mermaid statue submerged in dark, eerie waters. Only half her face was visible, her blank, pupil-less eyes staring at Liam as if she were about to crawl out of the photo.

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

[Attack Value: ??? (Unknown, unlocked after combat)]

[Attack Methods: ??? (Unexplored)]

[Weakness: ??? (Unexplored)]

The areas with question marks were smeared, as if wet ink had blurred the text, with fluorescent text hovering nearby explaining:

[Note: Completing this monster's page exploration will grant corresponding points and special rewards. Collect all monster pages in a game instance to claim the rarest item from one of the monsters.]

The monster book for "Siren Town" had four pages, but Liam couldn't flip to the next one. It was locked, likely linked to monsters from other game instances.

It seemed like fighting monsters and gaining rewards was the key. The higher the danger level of the beast, the better the reward. However, given the exploration requirements, it seemed to encourage players to provoke monsters at their peril...

Liam rubbed his chin, feeling the weight of his meager battle strength—about the same as a high school girl with a backpack.

Lucy, growing frantic, clutched Liam's arm. "…Is it moving?!"

"Impossible!" Andrew seemed persuaded by Liam's logical explanation, momentarily showing fear in his eyes, which quickly vanished. He scoffed at Liam. "Liam, you coward! If you're too scared to keep playing, just quit! Go back home, give up on Lucy, and grovel at my feet!"

This was likely part of Liam's bet with Andrew.

The driver, sensing the tension, smiled awkwardly but then tried to brush it off. "It's late. You all must be seeing things. If there were a moving wax statue, we'd have put it in a tourist attraction long ago! It'd make us a lot of money! Our town makes wax, and the mermaid statues are a local specialty. You'll see them everywhere. There's nothing strange about it."

"Here we are! Get out, rest well tonight, and enjoy the town tomorrow!" The driver opened the van door, ushering them out.

Liam glanced back at the mermaid wax statue by the fountain. From a distance, it still looked like it was facing the water, head lowered in stillness, not gazing at them.

But Liam clearly remembered that when they arrived, the statue's front was facing the hotel entrance, not the van's. Two more mermaid statues stood at the hotel entrance, holding staff and wearing twisted smiles, almost like servers greeting them, though their expressions seemed forced.

Once inside, they noticed that mermaid wax statues were everywhere. A life-sized mermaid wax statue stood behind the reception desk, holding a wad of money, seemingly "working" as a cashier.

As the driver had said, mermaid wax statues were a specialty of Siren Town, scattered all around. But there were just too many of them—from the standing lamp wax statues to the mermaid pencil holder by the front desk. It wasn't just a local feature; it was inescapable.

All the statues shared one common trait—no matter where Liam moved in the hotel, they seemed to be staring at him.

Though these statues didn't have eyeballs, Liam still felt their gaze on him. It was unsettling.

With so many statues, it felt more than uncomfortable—every time he looked at them, they were all focused on him, and even Andrew, who had mocked Liam as a coward, shivered as he walked in, rubbing his arms. Gerald was trembling, hiding behind Andrew, as though even Andrew's threats didn't scare him as much as the statues.

Lucy, clinging to Liam's arm, looked pale, as if the eerie atmosphere had gotten to her.

Liam, however, remained calm. He walked up to the front desk. "Hello, I'm Mr. White. I made a reservation."

The receptionist, a young man so pale he looked like marble, was wearing a Scottish kilt and moved stiffly, robotically, as if struggling to walk. It was hard to tell if he was a person or another wax statue when he stood still.

As they approached, the receptionist suddenly moved, startling Lucy. She screamed, thinking the statue had come to life, covering her face. "Oh my God! You're so pale; you look like a wax figure!"

"Sorry," the receptionist apologized, looking at them sheepishly. "I have albinism. I didn't mean to scare you. Mr. White, right? You reserved four rooms for the week. Your payment is complete, and here are your room keys. Enjoy your stay."

Liam took the keys, relieved to hear four rooms were booked. He wasn't keen on sharing one with Lucy.

Lucy, realizing this, gave him a teasing look, clearly delighted. But Liam remained unfazed and ignored her playful gaze.

"I have a question," Liam asked, pointing to the mermaid statue behind the receptionist. "Why are there so many mermaid wax statues here?"

The receptionist answered in a calm tone. "Sir, mermaids gave us everything. Siren Town had nothing until we discovered the remains of a mermaid. Since then, tourists have flocked here, bringing us wealth. We're grateful to the mermaids. Every household here has many mermaid statues, and they're like protective charms for us."

Liam pointed to the statue behind the receptionist. "And the type of mermaid statues here... they're quite varied. That one behind you looks almost like you. The material seems different from the others."

Lucy couldn't tell the difference between the receptionist and the statue. Still, Liam noticed that the statue behind the receptionist resembled him closely—its expression even more exaggerated and sinister than a human's.

It was almost as if the statue was staring directly at the receptionist, silently glaring, as if it wanted to crawl out of the wax and devour the person it was modeled after.

Other mermaid statues seemed to have melted, but this one looked newer, almost translucent, with a lighter texture, unlike the heavy and dusty others.

"Yes, sir," the receptionist said, looking at Liam seriously. "That mermaid statue behind me is my protective charm. We shape them to resemble ourselves, and when disaster strikes, these statues take our place and melt in our stead, saving us."

Liam was intrigued. This "protective charm" statue was different from the others.

[Player's new insight unlocked — "Siren Town Monster Book" mermaid wax statue panel refreshed]

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

Cocoon and Chrysalis states? Did this mermaid wax statue have two additional forms?

Liam thought it through slowly. A cocoon was a state before a creature emerged, and a chrysalis was the shell left behind after a successful transformation.

Protecting oneself with a shell—just like the receptionist had said about using them to defend against attacks...

Liam had a strong hunch that this mermaid wax statue also had "bug" and "butterfly" states, and the latter two forms were likely far more dangerous than the cocoon and chrysalis.

It seemed that the mermaid wax statues in the cocoon and chrysalis states had no immediate intent to attack, but their methods might be subtle, like mental contamination...

He couldn't help but feel the oppressive atmosphere of all the wax statues watching them.

Liam handed out the room keys. Still clinging to him, Lucy wanted to share a room, but Liam deflected her, saying he hadn't proven his courage yet and thus wasn't worthy of her.

Lucy, slightly disappointed but understanding, walked away. Before leaving, she leaned in to kiss him but was interrupted by an angry Andrew.

Thank you, Andrew! Liam sincerely hoped he'd survive the night.

This woman was too forward, and Liam wasn't great at dealing with that type.

He swiped his room key, opened the door, and stopped.

Inside, the room was luxurious, with beautiful decor. But to his surprise, every lamp and every small figurine by the bedside was a mermaid wax statue glistening under the dim light.

As soon as Liam entered, he noticed the eerie movement of the statues' eyes, shifting slightly to lock their gaze on him.

A new panel appeared:

[Main Quest Activated: Player Liam must survive the night in his room, remain unharmed until morning, and avoid being incubated — Completion Reward: 20 points]