[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-gamer-s-pov":3,"chapter-the-gamer-s-pov-the-gamer-s-pov-chapter-52":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Gamer's POV",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},996884,1300,"Chapter 52: Siren","the-gamer-s-pov-chapter-52",52,"\u003Cp>\"Go!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both Dion and I leapt off the cliff at almost the same time, plunging down below the fog and deep down into the water with heavy splashes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, the water struck like a sledgehammer, driving the air from my lungs and plunging me into a dark, churning chaos. For agonizing seconds, I was utterly disoriented and tumbling, but the current, while powerful, was manageable enough that I wasn’t held under.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I forced my eyes open, and spotted Celeste not too far from me. Without wasting any time, I reached for her, securing her arm over my shoulder and locking my hand around her waist, and began dragging her, swimming up as fast as I could.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a few long and tense seconds, our heads broke the surface and I was finally able to draw in a deep, hoarse breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’It’s so cold...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the first fragile thought that popped into my head. The water was so chillingly cold that I could feel it biting against my skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After sucking in enough air, I quickly spun around in the water trying to find Dion, but the thick fog prevented me from seeing much of anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Was he able to survive the jump?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Dion?\" I called out in a strained voice. I was too frightened to shout, and all my instincts were screaming at me to just... go on and move to the shore without him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took a quick glance at my map, which had appeared beside me to get my bearings. Then I began swimming to the right toward the shore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, just a few seconds after I began swimming, I heard the water splash a fair distance behind me, and then a panicked female voice called out. \"Cedric?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Ino! Because we were away from the ghouls’ immediate territory, she must have been able to re-materialize.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I immediately whipped my head around, but seeing only the thick fog, I called out, \"Hey! I’m right here. Follow my voice.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after I spoke, I began to hear the water moving in my direction, and in a few tense seconds, I finally saw Ino.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was shivering violently while clutching Dion tightly, and he looked to be in a really dire condition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I then quickly spoke through chattering teeth. \"Stay close to me, the shore’s not far.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still shivering, Ino nodded and we began swimming as fast as we could to the shore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, barely a minute after, something caught our attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a song.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...Someone, or rather something, was singing in the distance. The voice seemed to come from the fog and it sounded human, but it was so impossibly beautiful that it bordered on angelic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that was not all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We could even understand some of the words of the eerily beautiful song.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"W-wh-what is that?\" Ino stammered. \"Is there someone else here?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Shit!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I panicked as I immediately had a suspicion of what exactly was singing. It definitely wasn’t a woman, but if my hunch was right, then it was one of the most terrifying creatures of the seas called a Siren.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ignore it!\" I urged as I looked away from the direction of the voice. \"Just keep moving!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ino immediately looked away and quickly kept pace with me who had already continued swimming as fast as I could.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took a quick glance at the map, and a sliver of hope fluttered in my mind as I could see that we were already really close to the shore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Just a bit more...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thrashed my legs harder as I tried to increase my speed, ignoring the burning ache in my shoulders from towing Celeste.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, with every passing second, I noticed the singing voice was slowly growing louder, and more intensely beautiful. All of a sudden, I began to forget what exactly possessed that voice, and a wave of confusion washed over me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, an irresistible urge to turn and find the source of such exquisite beauty began to rise within me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I slowed until I didn’t even realize I had come to a halt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Huh? Where am I going swimming so fast...?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While I was still forming that thought, my confusion suddenly deepened:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Wait... I’m in the water? Why am I in the water? When did I get in here?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, Ino’s voice sounded right beside me, causing me to whip my head toward her: \"Should we go check what is singing? It’s... so beautiful.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My gaze shifted from her toward the direction of the beautiful song, and then I frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Weren’t we in a hurry to get somewhere?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Huh?\" Ino looked at me with a profoundly confused expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ino’s confusion made me frown deeper. I couldn’t gather my thoughts; I felt like we were in a hurry, but why?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Am I forgetting something?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was about to call out to Aika when her voice suddenly echoed.’Ced, do you mind if we go have a look? I’ve never heard something so beautiful before...’~~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing that, my gaze shifted back to the direction of the voice, and at this point, even I couldn’t control the urge any longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was indeed, irresistibly beautiful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked to Ino and nodded toward the singing. \"Alright, let’s go have a look.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She smiled, and we turned and began slowly swimming toward the direction of the voice. The closer we got, the louder and more beautiful it became.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could feel my heart race in a dizzying anticipation, a mix of confusion and absolute, dangerous yearning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As we kept getting closer, I began to think,’What on earth could possess such a beautiful voice? Could a human being really sing like that?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My confusion swiftly began to change into unsettling excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But just then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A series of notifications, violently popping up in red, caused me to flinch:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[The exclusive attribute Gamer Privileges has detected a distraction from immersion in the Gamer.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Cause of distraction: Compulsion.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Gamer Privileges has activated a Non-diegetic barrier.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Due to the effects of the Non-diegetic barrier, the Gamer has been granted brief partial willpower enhancement.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, even though I still couldn’t remember anything, like why I was in the water, or where I was going before I heard this voice, I began to have an instinctual, visceral feeling that the beautiful song I was swimming toward could actually be dangerous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, just as suddenly as that instinctual feeling came, it began to slowly disappear, replaced once again by the excitement I was feeling earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I noticed what was happening, I tried to hold onto the gut feeling. When it became too hard, and I felt myself about to lose it entirely, I stuck out my tongue and bit down as hard as I could.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood instantly filled my mouth, and the momentary shock caused me to flinch violently out of the compulsion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without wasting any time, I slapped my left ear three times, as hard as I could, until all I could hear in that ear was a high-pitched, deafening ringing.\u003C\u002Fp>",1170,"2026-06-03T08:29:12.867Z",1,"novelbin.me","ba5b2de4c18b4c67a985aa90f92cc50ef5cad420ef08774c669898e7b272c039","the-gamer-s-pov-chapter-53","the-gamer-s-pov-chapter-51",333,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-gamer-s-pov-cover.jpg"]