Lucas Hall had a nightmare.
In the dream, he saw three incredibly beautiful women, standing in a circle, silently watching him.
Suddenly, the scene changed. One of the women took out an object and began chewing on it, blood dripping from the corners of her mouth.
At first, Lucas was confused, but when he focused, he realized that the object was his own right arm!
And as he looked at the women more closely, he saw that their upper bodies were human, but from the waist down, they had fish scales, and further down, they had fish tails.
His arm had already been severed, and a sharp pain shot through his head.
"Fuck!"
Lucas woke up from the excruciating pain, finding himself naked, lying on a slippery floor.
The place was dimly lit, and he could tell it was some kind of cave. The walls and floor were covered in a glowing liquid, likely the remnants of some soft-bodied creatures that had crawled through.
His body was covered in a thick layer of it, and the smell was sharp, awakening his senses. It felt like he hadn't eaten for three days.
He quickly glanced to his right.
Fortunately, his right arm was still intact.
The source of the pain was a woman who was biting into his arm with sharp, shell-like teeth, deep enough to draw blood, and the pain was unbearable.
"Let go! Are you a fucking dog? What the hell are you biting me for?" Lucas cursed.
The woman finally released her grip, leaving two deep bite marks on his shoulder.
"You're awake? I thought you weren't going to wake up," she said with dissatisfaction, her blood-red eyes glistening with a wicked allure.
"I'm sitting up, aren't I? You think I'm not awake?" Lucas replied angrily, rubbing his sore arm, trying to ease the pain.
He scrutinized the woman.
She had an Asian face, quite beautiful, but her frame was delicate, almost malnourished, and her skin had a tempting, sun-kissed hue.
She was bound by some unknown water plants, and it seemed she had crawled a long way to get here.
"Who are you?" Lucas asked, his headache intensifying.
"You were enchanted by a siren. It was I who saved your life," the woman reminded him.
Upon hearing this, Lucas quickly checked his activity log. It was filled with continuous enchantment notifications.
His sanity was at a precarious level.
Sanity: 51/100
"The sirens didn't eat you for three days? They really pampered you, huh? You're lucky," the woman observed, looking at Lucas.
Lucas quickly put the pieces together.
"I was captured by the sirens, and it's already been three days?"
"Yes."
"Not just one siren?"
"That's right. There were three. They seem to be a communal species, using their voices to enchant men, both as mates and as food..."
Lucas glanced at his own body and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
Not far away, there were pirate clothes scattered on the floor and a rusted flintlock pistol.
"These sirens are a legendary creature, but they really exist in this world, and their habits are just as the legends describe..." the woman continued, seemingly fascinated by the sirens.
Lucas felt a chill and immediately put on the pirate clothes, grabbing the flintlock.
[Put on the bloodstained pirate clothes, a wave of coldness sweeps over you, and your sanity drops by 1.]
At that moment, his sanity dropped to 50, and any lower would send him into madness.
"This slime is disgusting. Why do the sirens secrete it?"
"In the sea, many soft-bodied or scale-less creatures secrete slime for protection. It's normal for sirens to have slime. Also, this slime glows in the dark, which helps attract prey, much like the anglerfish's lantern. It shows off their seductive form, aiding them in the hunt..." the woman explained, mixing in her personal opinions on the sirens.
"Are you a player? How did you end up here?" Lucas suddenly asked.
This woman's origins were unclear, and her red eyes were eerie, almost identical to the eyes in his nightmare.
That made him cautious.
Despite her appearance seeming non-threatening, as though she was trying to help him, Lucas couldn't shake the feeling of unease.
"My name is Seraphina. I'm a passing player, and I was unlucky enough to get captured by the sirens and became emergency food," the woman explained.
"You said the sirens target only men. How did they catch you?" Lucas asked.
Seraphina was prepared for this question.
She didn't intend to tell the truth and instead pointed to a corner.
"I wasn't alone. My companions were eaten by the sirens. But for some reason, they didn't eat you," Seraphina explained.
Lucas followed her gaze and saw a male corpse nearby. It was already decomposing, its abdomen torn open, intestines missing, and the face twisted in agony. The man had clearly suffered unimaginable torture before dying...
Nearby, there were also human bones, picked clean, a grim testament to the sirens' ferocity.
But did Seraphina actually know this man?
Not at all.
She was just using the corpse to tell a lie, making her own capture seem more plausible.
In reality, Seraphina had followed Lucas and the sirens, observing them in fascination. The moment she thought only one siren was around, she was ambushed by two others...
As for the man's body, it had been there before Lucas arrived. After Lucas appeared, the man lost all value and was eaten by the sirens.
Lucas believed some of Seraphina's story, but he remained suspicious.
"You said three days, but why do I feel no hunger at all?" Lucas asked.
He checked his stats again, and aside from his sanity, everything else was almost full.
Seraphina pointed to another corner.
There, a large flagfish—one of the more dangerous fish species—lay dead, its body covered with bite marks.
It seemed that Lucas had survived by eating this flagfish during the past three days.
But what about water?
"Don't I need to drink water?" Lucas asked, still feeling disoriented as he couldn't remember the past three days.
Seraphina seemed a bit impatient now.
"Can you help me untie myself first? In half an hour, the sirens will be back! I don't want to miss this chance!" Seraphina urged.
She had been bound the entire time, unable to move, like a caterpillar squirming helplessly.
She had observed the sirens for three days, learning their habits, and now was the time to take action.
But Lucas's eyes were full of suspicion as he looked at her.
She was too calm. Anyone else, with their life on the line, wouldn't be talking so steadily.
And she had appeared in his nightmare!
His nightmare was a warning: This woman would point a gun at his head, intending to kill him.
Lucas was torn, unsure whether he should save her or not.
But killing a woman who seemed harmless, even somewhat kind, was something he couldn't bring himself to do.
After some thought, Lucas finally made up his mind.
He was certain that Seraphina was hiding something from him, so he decided to play it safe and confront her, whether he was right or wrong.
His eyes narrowed as he looked at her, pointing the gun at her head and threatening.
"Alright, woman, three sentences. Give me one reason not to kill you!"
Seraphina's pupils contracted sharply, clearly unable to understand his thinking.
"What the hell are you talking about? Has the sea monster eaten your brain?" she said, bewildered.
"I've got a gun!" Lucas replied with a smile, shaking the gun in his hand like a robber enjoying his power.
He raised a finger to remind her.
"That's the first sentence. You've got two left. Make them count!"
The cold black barrel stared at her in silence, and the atmosphere became suffocating.
After a long silence, Seraphina's face showed a flicker of panic, mixed with regret and frustration.
Her voice sped up, "I can give you all my resources and equipment, including the food on my ship!"
Lucas shook his head. "Not enough. If I kill you, all that becomes mine."
Seraphina's breathing quickened, and her gaze shifted uneasily.
After a tense moment, she revealed her secret.
"I... I can give you a sea map. That way, you can sail more safely!"
"A sea map?" Lucas repeated.
"My ship is called the Starship, and I can check the surrounding seas with it," she added.
"Ah, so that's the game, huh..." Lucas's smile turned chilling.
"It was you who lured me here, wasn't it?"
He casually reached into the pocket of his pirate outfit and pulled out a map.
"You haven't seen this, have you? This is a ship blueprint. If I kill the ship's owner, I can break down the special ship and gain its skills."
He looked at Seraphina with a predatory grin.
"You tell me, why shouldn't I kill you and take your ship's skills for myself?"
Seraphina's face went pale.
This was the first time she had heard of a ship blueprint, and she knew Lucas wasn't lying. That pirate ship... it had been his work!
Her face contorted with anger, her calm demeanor gone. She glared at Lucas with pure hatred.
"You're so greedy, despicable, and vile! Fuck you!" she spat, before closing her eyes, waiting for Lucas to pull the trigger.
"You've got some guts, huh? I'll give you that," Lucas sneered.
Seraphina trembled slightly, but after a long wait, she felt neither pain nor the sound of a gunshot.
She opened her eyes, only to see Lucas searching through the pile of bones and picking up a sharp broken bone.
"Give me half of your ship's supplies, and a month's worth of sea maps, and I'll spare you," Lucas said calmly.
Seraphina was first stunned, then anger filled her face.
She understood now—Lucas had been bluffing all along!
Furious, she shouted, "What if I don't agree?"
"I have a gun," Lucas said, shaking it again with a smirk. "You'll have no choice but to agree."
Seraphina had no choice but to relent.