LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 1: Siren Town
This is a very plot-oriented novel and the author has plainly stated that the romance will occur later in the novel. The first arc is a bit slow as it sets up many things but things really start going once the MC starts forming his team and multiple twists happen. It is really exciting and there are some parts that I can’t wait for you to get to. I’ve been wanting to start this one for ages and I’m thrilled to have you all on the ride!
Bai Liu woke up and found himself sitting in the backseat of a car. The inside of the car was narrow and there was the vivid smell of smoke from the worn seats. Water was dripping down the window and the drizzle of rain outside the window could be seen. The sky was dim and it was difficult to tell if it was dusk or night. The faint smell of salted fish lingered in his nose, making him uncomfortable.
There was a panel floating in front of him that said: [Game Instructions]
Bai Liu frowned. Where was this? Why was he here? What was this panel?
The panel seemed to perceive the doubts in his heart and the answers were revealed in turn.
[You are in a deadly game. The reason you are here is because we detected you have a strong desire for money after being unemployed. This triggered the opening of the game.]
The words on the panel appeared one by one and Bai Liu finally remembered something.
Yes yes, he was unemployed.
In addition, he was a person with a strong desire for money. He had loved money to an abnormal level since he was a child. He was even diagnosed as a patient with ‘a desire to hoard money’ by a psychologist. The doctor warned him that if he didn’t control his desire for money, sooner or later he would do something desperate for money.
During the time when he had a job, Bai Liu had a certain fixed income every month and barely restrained his desire for money. However, once he lost his job, Bai Liu fell into a type of uncontrolled situation where he couldn’t control himself and wanted to desperately hoard money. His psychologist said this was a normal state of mind for laid-off social animals. He should adjust and calm down, go out to see the world and relax.
Bai Liu just wanted to sneer after hearing this. Without money, he would only see hell when going out, not the world.
Bai Liu satirized the psychologist. “After I go out and see the world, can I become rich?”
The psychologist exclaimed, “Of course not. You will become poorer.”
Bai Liu, “……” Fucking, didn’t this person know what was going to happen?
“However, once you become poorer, you will find…” The psychologist comforted Bai Liu. “It is just poverty. Money is something that isn’t part of your body. Why make yourself work so painfully for it?”
Bai Liu asked the psychologist in an expressionless manner, “Is it painful to meet a patient like me?”
The psychologist, “……” It was painful.
Bai Liu laughed. “Why are you struggling so painfully? Why don’t you quit your job and go for a walk?”
The psychologist, “……” For the sake of money. He didn’t dare go out without money.
A dog’s cry came out.
After making the psychologist cry, Bai Liu clapped his hands together and sighed that poverty was the best weapon to attack humanity. He hurt other people 800 times and himself 1,000 times. Fortunately, the psychologist was free in the community or Bai Liu would be even poorer.
The moment Bai Liu lost his job, he fell into a type of extreme anxiety. He couldn’t adjust at all. In his dreams, he dreamt he had become rich overnight, sitting on a pile of money and laughing happily. Once he woke up, the huge gap between dreams and reality made him even sadder because his savings was only five figures.
In this type of anxiety and conflict, Bai Liu couldn’t help dreaming. If only there was a way in this world that he could make money with high risks. It didn’t matter if he died as long as he got money!
He told his friend what he thought and his friend comforted him by saying, “Do you see the ‘Criminal Law’ on your bookshelf?”
Bai Liu said he saw it.
His friend told him, “You can casually turn to a page and find a high-risk job where you can make a lot of money. If you work hard, you can make it onto this month’s wanted list.”
Bai Liu, “……”
He didn’t want to break the law. Wasn’t there a way to make money quickly without breaking the law? His friend said, “You should dream faster.”
He wanted money even if it meant playing with his life. Bai Liu lay in bed dreaming of this. Then he lost consciousness and became involved in this game.
The memory was over. Bai Liu examined the game panel floating in front of him. Another line had appeared on the panel: [Yes, it was your strong desire that started the game. As long as you successfully pass the game, you can get everything you want.]
Bai Liu didn’t hesitate. “I want money.”
Regardless of the game, he just wanted to make money.
After a while, Bai Liu asked again, “Your game is legal right?”
The panel: […It is legal.]
The panel: [You will get points for clearing the game. The points can be exchanged for money and everything you want.]
Bai Liu asked, “What game is this? What do I have to do to clear the level and get the points you mentioned?”
The panel: [This is a horror escape game filled with ghosts, murderers and incredible things. You have to find out their weaknesses, complete the plot of the instance and smoothly survive.]
[A game instance is loading… loading finished.]
[Name of the game instance: Siren Town]
[Level: Level 1 (games with a player mortality rate of less than 50% are level 1 games)]
[Mode: Single player mode]
[Comprehensive description: This is a combination of exciting action and deciphering. The game is very popular among players but it doesn’t seem friendly to newcomers. The death rate of newcomers is very high.]
[Player information is loading… loading finished.]
[Player name: Bai Liu]
[Health value: 100 (once the health value is lower than 60, the player’s attack power will decrease. The player will die once it reaches zero)]
[Physical strength: 80 (full of strength)]
[Agility: 24 (You sit at a desk all year round and your body is stiff. You aren’t very agile)]
[Attack: 30 (it is the attack power of a female high school student hitting people with a schoolbag)]
[Intelligence: 89 (you are unexpectedly smart)]
[Luck: 0 (you’ve been surprisingly unlucky all your life. If your company wants to lay off one person, that person must be you)]
[Skills: None (you don’t have any skills)]
[Mental Value: 100 (you are the first player this year who has maintained a full mental value after entering the game)]
Below the mental value was a small note in red.
[Note: Please ensure that the player’s mental value is higher than 60. If the mental value is lower than 60, the player will become confused and the attributes in the character panel will be halved. If it is lower than 50, the players will see illusionary content that isn’t part of the game, leading to an increase in the difficulty of clearing the game. If it is lower than 20, the player will become mad and the attack power attribute will randomly soar, allowing the player to kill all types of creatures. If it is 0, the player will be completely assimilated by the instance and become one of the monsters.]
[Comprehensive player panel attributes evaluation: F level player. The lowest ranked player but due to the special determination of the mental value and intelligence value, the rating is doubtful. The final level of the player is recorded as F-(?)]
Bai Liu scanned the entire character panel and saw the question mark after the F. He felt like he was being ridiculed. He exited out of the character panel and a new panel popped up on the screen.
[You have logged into the small TV screen (1/100) in the newcomer area. No one is stopping for you at the moment. The player Bai Liu’s popularity level is 0 and the game recharge rate is 0.]
Bai Liu frowned. “What is this?”
The panel: [Your game process will appear on a small screen in the newcomer area in the player lobby for other players to watch. However, no one is watching your gameplay. You are currently unknown.]
Bai Liu understood a bit. It was similar to a game anchor. However, this didn’t matter. His focus was on the game recharge rate. “If someone recharges for me, can I get points?”
[Yes.]
[Next, the game is staring. Good luck, new player.]
The panel was like a turned off TV screen. It flashed with a white light in front of Bai Liu’s eyes and disappeared.
Then in a certain game lobby, a small screen suddenly lit up and showed Bai Liu’s clear, white face. There were many similar screens around it that showed the faces of various newcomers and players who collapsed in horror. Some people shrank back and hugged their heads like a hedgehog, refusing to accept reality. Others were crying and hitting the screen, wanting to get out.
Only Bai Liu’s face that wasn’t frightened looked completely different among the panicked newcomers. The people in the area looked at the screens that suddenly lit up and discussed it with interest.
“There are newcomers here again. I don’t know how many days they can last.”
“Looking at the background, isn’t it the instance Siren Town?”
“This group of newcomers has really bad luck. The mortality rate for newcomer players in Siren Town is very high. Wasn’t there 100 people logged in last time and only one survived?”
“Recently, they’ve been giving new players random instances that are too hard. Still, it is quite funny to see these new players frightened!”
“Wait!” Suddenly, a passing player seemed to have discovered something terrible. He approached the screen where Bai Liu was located and looked at Bai Liu’s character panel attributes in an incredulous manner. “There is a new player here with a full mental value!”
“What?”
“Get out of the way. I want to see!”
“Damn, newcomers are so abnormal these days? A mental value of 100?!”
“The last one who logged in with a mental value of 100 is now in the top 10 of the game’s total scoreboard.”
“A seed of potential! Let me see as well!”
Bai Liu’s small screen flickered and a mechanical sound reported flatly:
[There are 50 people gathered around player Bai Liu’s TV screen. The player Bai Liu has achieved the initial achievements and unlocked the ‘one click, three link system’.]
[28 people have liked the video of player Bai Liu, 56 people have saved player Bai Liu’s small TV. No one has recharged for the player Bai Liu. Please continue to work hard, player Bai Liu.]
6th Anniversary Event Page (Final Submission Date: 15th November)
Proofreader: Purichan