I'm Trapped in the Block

Bai Zhou pulled out the files on the Sea Siren and placed them in front of Li Luo.

...

Sea Sirens are a rare species of creature from the 3rd Floor of the Abyss.

These creatures originally only appeared in human mythology.

They use their songs to lure lost ships and mesmerize their sailors, causing the vessels to crash upon reefs and sink. Then, they devour everyone on board.

But on the 3rd Floor of the Abyss, these creatures appeared before Hunters, alive and real.

When the exploration of the 3rd Floor of the Abyss first began, people were unaware of this peculiar creature’s existence.

There was a Hunter Corps leader named Odysseus who organized a group of Hunters, hoping to find the entrance to the 4th Floor by sea.

However, as they passed an island, he heard a song.

The song was exquisite, melodious and lilting, drifting from the beautiful island.

As Odysseus listened, an uncontrollable yearning grew in his heart, a desire to get closer.

Listening to that seductive song, he lost all reason and commanded his ships to head toward the island.

His crew members were also captivated by the song, thrilled, with nothing in their minds but the beautiful, echoing melody.

And so, the ships crashed upon the reefs.

Odysseus fell into the water and passed out.

When he awoke, he was already on another ship. A Hunter beside him explained that they had found him on an island covered in human bones.

He had been lying unharmed in the center of the bones, so conspicuous that he was spotted by a scouting party and rescued.

Having survived the ordeal, Odysseus thanked them profusely and told his rescuers what had happened.

"You don’t think you ran into a Sea Siren, do you?" one of the rescuers asked curiously after hearing Odysseus’s story.

’A Sea Siren?’

Odysseus thought back on his experience; it perfectly matched the characteristics of the legendary Sea Siren.

Especially that beautiful song—it was exactly the same.

Odysseus said with certainty, "It must have been a Sea Siren!"

After returning to the safety of the island base, Odysseus immediately uploaded his account to the database and then began to handle the affairs of his fallen crew members.

Once everything was done, he fell into a deep sleep. In his dreams, he seemed to hear the sound of sharp teeth gnawing on bone, echoing endlessly in his ears.

When he startled awake, he realized it was already noon the next day. The strange sounds had just been the noise of a janitor’s cart wheels scraping outside his door.

For the next several days, he had the same nightmare, leaving him mentally and physically exhausted.

So, a few days later, he made a decision. He would return to Dawn City to rest for a while, then apply for a position with the officials. He would no longer continue exploring deeper.

Only when he was on the ship returning to the 2nd Floor of the Abyss did the anxiety in Odysseus’s heart begin to fade.

"How much longer until we arrive?" Odysseus asked a young crewman.

"We’re almost there. About half an hour, probably. But the weather’s a bit bad today, so we might be a little slow," the crewman replied nonchalantly.

Odysseus nodded, thanked him, and then walked out onto the deck to gaze at the sea.

The wind was indeed quite strong today, and the waves rocked the ship back and forth.

But Odysseus wasn’t worried. This was an official vessel with all sorts of safety measures, possibly even protected by special relics. It was completely different from the old rust bucket he’d bought before.

He leaned against the railing, feeling the sea breeze, and watched as a dark line appeared on the horizon.

"Is that our destination?" Odysseus asked another passenger standing nearby.

But the passenger looked over, confused, and said, "Our destination isn’t a landmass. That must be an island over there."

’An island?’

Hearing this, Odysseus’s heart leaped into his throat.

He quickly tried to reassure himself. ’Islands are common. Don’t get overly anxious.’ Only then did his racing heart begin to slow.

But the passenger’s next words sent a chill down his spine.

"I’ve taken this ship many times, but I’ve never seen an island on this route. It’s pretty strange."

Odysseus looked toward the distant island, trembling. As the ship drew closer, his legs gave out.

It was the very same island where he had encountered the Sea Siren!

Ignoring any attempts to stop him, he burst into the captain’s cabin.

"Quick, tell the captain to get away from that island! There are Sea Sirens on it! Or tell everyone to block their ears!"

But just as he spoke those words, a faint song reached his ears.

’It’s over.’

’It’s all too late.’

When Odysseus came to his senses again, he was lying in a bed.

Odysseus was stunned. ’I didn’t die again?’

He looked around. It seemed to be the hospital at the island base from before. He’d been here once; he remembered it.

’How did I get back here?’

The doctors around him were busy. After seeing him wake up, one of them quickly made a phone call.

Before long, two formally dressed officials arrived at his bedside and began to question him about his experience:

"Ferry Number Seventeen, which was returning to the 2nd Floor of the Abyss, vanished without a trace. You were the only one found, floating in the water. Mr. Odysseus, what happened?"

Odysseus quickly told them about the ship’s encounter with the Sea Siren.

"I wanted to warn the captain, to tell everyone to block their ears, but it was too late," Odysseus said, filled with regret. "If I hadn’t hesitated when I first saw the island, maybe more people could have been saved."

As he spoke, Odysseus, this weather-beaten Hunter, broke down and wept.

"I promised them we’d find the entrance to the 4th Floor of the Abyss together. Now they’re all gone."

"Not only did I fail to save them, I couldn’t even save the people on the ferry. So many people... all gone, all gone."

Odysseus’s tears soaked his pillow.

"That crewman was so young, about the same age as my own kid. Why did he have to go through something like this?"

He grew more and more agitated. The two officials were at a loss and could only offer a helpless consolation: "Mr. Odysseus, this is the Abyss."

Hearing this, Odysseus’s tears stopped abruptly.

He wiped the tears from his eyes, sat up, and asked in a firm tone, "Is there anything else I can do to help? I will cooperate fully."

The two officials exchanged a look. One of them said to him, "Mr. Odysseus, are you able to walk right now?"

"Of course," Odysseus replied, jumping right out of bed. Aside from a little stiffness, he felt fine.

"Then come with us, just over there," an official said, pointing to a nearby balcony.

With that, the two of them walked toward the balcony.

Odysseus, though confused, followed them.

The two officials stood waiting for him on the balcony, leaving an empty spot by the railing.

"Do you see it, Mr. Odysseus?"

Odysseus stared blankly out at the distant sea.

There was a Shadow that filled him with immense terror.

An island.

"H-how is it here!"

Stunned, Odysseus stumbled backward, but the officials gripped his arms, preventing him from leaving.

"You have to warn everyone, now! Tell them to block their ears!"

But the two officials remained calm, saying flatly, "Don’t worry. We’ve already contained it."

"Mr. Odysseus, you’re a Third-level Hunter, correct?"

"Yes," Odysseus answered.

"As a Third-level Hunter, there are some things you should be able to understand after hearing them."

"This is your official notification. You have been infected by a conceptual being. As of now, we are tentatively calling this creature—

—the Sea Siren."