The Mermaid Princess

Upon entering the Infinity Game, my emotional apathy meant I went through everything with a completely blank face.
I looked at the horrifying sea creature—its body rotting and reeking—then scooped it up in a princess carry and tossed it back into the ocean.
Ugly fish, I said. Stay away. Don't get caught again.
Three days later, the merman wriggled his way back.
Blushing, he plucked a pearl from his tail and presented it to me, a frantic declaration of love in his eyes.
"You're the only one who didn't look at me with disgust," he stammered. "I... I like you. Be my mate."
I just stared. "?"
The live comments scrolling across my vision went wild: 【MERMAN KING, SNAP OUT OF IT! THE GUY'S LITERALLY EMOTIONALLY DEAD!】

1
【Player has entered the "Azure Cove" instance.】
【Objective: Survive and complete the main quest.】
【Loading instance...】
Chaos erupted around me—screams, curses, the sounds of men, women, and children panicking.
I stood in the prep lobby, my expression a perfect mask of indifference.
If it weren't for my emotional detachment disorder, which rendered me incapable of reacting, I might have felt the urge to curse someone out.
A girl sobbed, "Where are we? Have we been kidnapped?"
A burly man scanned the room, then violently grabbed me. "Why are you so calm? Spit it out! Did you bring us to this hellhole?"
I said nothing.
A synthetic, emotionless voice chimed in. "All of you are already dead in the real world."
"Only by surviving to the end of this game can you earn a second chance at life."
"Failure will result in complete annihilation."
The hall fell into a dead silence.
"What if I don't want a second chance?" I asked, my voice light.
"Players are free to play passively and experience the consequences of a gruesome death for themselves." The voice held a clear warning.
"What's so scary about death?" I replied. If I had been afraid, I wouldn't have chosen to end my own life in the first place.
Just then, a few lines of red text scrolled across my vision. It was a live comment feed only I could see.
【Who's this poser? Looks like some male model. He'll be crying his eyes out once the game starts.】
【Not afraid of death? Hah. The legendary player 'G-God' was just as arrogant. He ended up screaming and begging in this very instance before he died a miserable death.】
【Holy crap, his starting scenario is the Fishing Festival? He's dead for sure. I'm out...】

2
The instance finished loading.
Azure Cove, a small town twisted by the sea's corruption. All 20,000 of its inhabitants had been contaminated. Players had to activate and complete the main quest before their own contamination levels reached 100%.
My assigned role: an investor, here to survey the town.
The live comments were gleeful.
【The Fishing Festival always spawns a boss. This newbie's not going to make it.】
【Depends if it's a major or minor boss. If it's the Merman King, he's toast. Just looking at him is enough to get you contaminated.】
The air was thick with a foul, fishy stench. I looked around. A crowd of fishermen had gathered on the beach, arguing heatedly around something on the sand.
"This is the thing that polluted our sea, that cursed us all with this sickness..."
"Burn it! Burn the ugly monster to ashes!"
I pushed my way through the crowd.
Beside a massive bonfire, a heavily wounded merman lay on the ground.
I tried to get a closer look, but a kind-faced NPC, an old woman, pulled me back.
"Stay back, young man. These sea demons are evil. Get too close and you'll be contaminated."
"Really?" I asked.
She nodded grimly. "You're not from around here, are you? Don't say I didn't warn you. These mermen..."
Before she could finish, I darted forward, hoisted the merman onto my shoulder, and took off running.
The comments exploded: 【???】

3
The live feed flooded with messages. Some called me an idiot, others said I had a death wish. They weren't wrong. I did have a death wish. I was only twenty-six, but I was already tired of living.
After running for ten minutes with him on my shoulder, I finally lost the pursuing NPCs. I stopped to catch my breath and take a proper look at the merman.
At first glance, he was exactly as the fishermen had described: a monster. His body was rotting and putrid, scales peeling off to reveal mottled, diseased flesh beneath. A palpable aura of wrongness emanated from him.
And yet, his face was unnervingly beautiful. His hair was the color of spun silver, and with his eyes closed, he looked like a fallen god.
I leaned over him.
"Fish. Contaminate me."
"You hear me, fish?"
"Fish. If you're the boss, come and kill me."
He didn't move.
I sighed and lay down beside him, pulling his body into a tight embrace, hoping to absorb some of his contamination.
As I held him, the tips of his pointed ears began to turn a faint shade of pink.

4
【HOLY SHIT! That's the Merman King, the highest-level monster in the instance! I've seen a player's contamination level shoot up to 90% just from a single glance from him! They barely survived after chugging a dozen bottles of psychic cleanser.】
【This newbie is about to get wrecked.】
The text was distracting. I found the setting to turn off the live comments.
Just as I did, the merman's eyes opened. They were as unsettling as the rest of him—a flat, lifeless grey. When he stared at me, it felt as though he was about to suck the soul right out of my body.
I met his gaze for three seconds.
Then I pulled his head against my chest and continued to cuddle him.
"..."
He twitched his tail fin. I pinned it with my leg.
He moved his fingers. I laced them with mine.
After a few minutes of this all-encompassing embrace, the System's voice announced:
"Player Kai, contamination level has increased by 1%."
I blinked. "."

5
That's it? Just one percent?
This couldn't be a boss. It had to be some low-level mob.
Without a second thought, I got up and started to walk away. I took a few steps, then paused and looked back. I sighed, walked back, and carried the merman to the edge of the rocks.
"Ugly fish. Stay away this time. Don't get caught again."
I tossed him back into the sea. The water was a thick, oily black, reeking of decay. The merman floated on the surface for a moment before slowly sinking, his lifeless grey eyes fixed on me, as if committing my face to memory.
"Congratulations, Player, on surviving the initial story point."
"Your compassion and great love are truly moving. The title 'Angel' is yours. Personal skill: Angel's Wings has been awakened."
"What does it do?" I asked.
"Using this skill, the player can grow a pair of beautiful, pure white wings."
"Oh," I said. "What a useful skill."
Out of my sight, the live comments were in an uproar.
【This has to be a bug! How did he only get 1% contamination?!】
【Everyone knows contamination is transmitted through psychological fear. Does this mean he has zero emotional response? That he's almost impossible to contaminate?】
【I don't believe he's not scared! He must have used some special item. I'm sticking around to see what happens!】

6
I went to the town square to meet up with the other players. Of the hundred or so people from the prep lobby, only about half were left. Most of them looked terrified, their faces pale with shock. I noticed their skin was bloated and they all smelled strongly of fish—early signs of contamination.
"Welcome, everyone, to Azure Cove. I am Lisa, the mayor's daughter."
A beautiful young woman stood in the center of the square, holding a ring of keys. "You've all come a long way. Please forgive our humble hospitality. I have some lodgings for you, though the conditions vary. Some are quite safe, while others are... a bit more remote. Please, choose as you wish."
The moment she finished speaking, the crowd surged forward, scrambling for the keys.
I couldn't be bothered to fight. I stood off to the side, slowly smoking a cigarette. When the chaos died down, I walked over and picked up a single, rusty key that had been dropped on the ground.
Lisa looked at me with concern. "Sir, that cabin is quite isolated. Please be careful."
The NPC's eyes were a startling sea-blue, the same color as the gemstone necklace she wore.
"Thank you," I said, adding offhandedly, "Your necklace is beautiful."
She blinked, then gave me a shy smile.
As I turned to leave, she called out after me. "Oh, and sir! Please try to go to bed early tonight. No matter what you hear, do not go outside!"
A helpful tip from an NPC. I made a mental note of it.
And decided to stay up all night.

7
The cabin was a dilapidated shack on the edge of the sea. For the first two nights, I stayed up, smoking, and waited. But all I heard was the sound of waves crashing against the rocks. Nothing else.
On the third night, I went to bed early.
But I woke up abruptly at two in the morning.
I could hear singing coming from the beach.
【It's over. He's going to be lured in.】
【I just came from another stream. A female player heard the song, walked into the sea, and was immediately... swarmed by mermen.】
【These sea demons are terrifying during their mating season. Let's see how our 'calm' protagonist handles this.】
I opened the door.
The water was a writhing mass of mermen, a chaotic, orgiastic scene. I quickly located the source of the singing.
In the moonlight, the merman sat on a rock, his silver hair blowing in the sea breeze. His pale eyes were fixed on me, his lips parted in song. The melody was deep and enchanting, a siren's call that wrapped around me. I thought I heard him whisper, Come... come to me...
So I walked right up to him.
"What is it?"
The merman smiled. "Come... into the water..."
I took another step forward. Just as the sole of my shoe was about to touch the water, I heard him say, "Come... kiss me..."
I stopped short.
I looked up. The merman's face was flushed. Below his navel, his ventral fins were slightly parted.
"..."
I looked at the shameless merman before me.
And said, my face a perfect blank, "Slutty fish."

8
【Wait, a second ago I thought he was completely mesmerized. What did he just call the Merman King? Did I hear that right?】
【Is it just me or is his deadpan expression super dominant...?】
【Kai, master of all masters.】
I turned and went back inside. The merman behind me seemed agitated and began to sing again. I had no idea what the point of his singing was. Maybe it was for ambiance.
I have to admit, it worked.
It was the best night's sleep I'd had in ten years.

9
The next day, there was a knock on the door.
"Sir, have you been enjoying your stay in Azure Cove?"
It was Lisa. "It's been fine," I said.
"That's wonderful to hear," she smiled. "This afternoon at one o'clock, I would be honored if you would join me for a tour of our cannery. I hope you can make it."
The main quest was progressing. I'd been cooped up in the shack for a few days and was getting bored. I decided to go.
When I arrived at the factory, there were even fewer players than before. Their skin was more swollen, as if they had been submerged in water for days. Some even had grotesque scales sprouting on their arms.
"This is our town's main industry: deep-sea fish canning," Lisa explained, leading us along the production line. "Our canned fish used to be a bestseller, but since the sea changed, our business has suffered."
"In what way?" I asked.
Lisa sighed. "The water's contamination level is too high. Every fisherman who goes out to sea gets contaminated. We had to change our fishing methods."
She then took us to a fishing site.
With a deafening roar, a huge plume of black water erupted from the sea in the distance. The acrid smell of explosives filled the air.
"Blast fishing," Lisa said calmly, watching as a dense carpet of dead fish floated to the surface. "We sacrifice some of the freshness, but the taste is the same. The only difference is a slight increase in cost."
She nodded at us. "But the resources Azure Cove provides are far more than just food. Another day, I will show you more."
"..."
After the tour, I walked back to my cabin, lost in thought.
Lying on the beach was an unlucky, burnt-to-a-crisp fish.

10
It was the same pathetic, battered merman. I didn't know his name, but this was the third time we had met.
I walked over to him, my face expressionless, and poked his body. "Fish. Wake up."
He didn't respond.
I thought for a moment, then carried him into the cabin and laid him on the floor. I leaned against the bed and lit a cigarette.
About twenty minutes passed.
By the time I noticed, his cold tail was wrapped around my ankle.
"Let go."
I looked down. The merman was lying on the floor, a faint smile on his lips. His sharp teeth were just visible.
"You saved me again..." His voice was a hoarse, captivating whisper. He slowly pushed himself up, his slick tail coiling around my calf. "Last night... I wanted to mate with you, to let you die in the sea..."
"But... now I don't..."
His eyes burned with a feverish intensity as he suggestively caressed my leg with his tail.
"You are the only human who has not looked at me with disgust and fear."
"I like you... be my mate."
System: "Player Kai, contamination level has increased to 2%."

11
To my surprise, the merman's wounds were already starting to heal. I glanced at him, then calmly raised my hand and flicked the ash from my cigarette onto his tail.
He let out a muffled grunt and quickly retracted his tail, cradling the tip in his hands.
"If you're fine, you should go before the townspeople find you." I gestured towards the door with my chin. "Wriggle your way back to the sea."
The burn must have hurt. His gaze was now tinged with resentment. He watched me for a moment, then a slow smile spread across his face, his tongue darting out to lick his sharp teeth.
"You're worried about me."
I said nothing.
I didn't want to waste any more words. I simply picked him up, opened the door, and walked towards the sea. He took the opportunity to wrap his tail around me again. He tried to lick my neck, but I dodged him.
I tossed him back into the water. He swam in a small circle, then turned to look at me.
"My name is Silvan," he said. "I am the king of this sea."
"The next time we meet, I will bring you a bride price. And then we will mate."

12
After all that, my contamination level was still only at two percent. The other players were diligently searching for clues to the main quest. I had nothing to do. I found a few salted fish in the cabin and started cooking to pass the time.
The fish was tough. It took me a while to cut it. I didn't notice when it got dark.
A puddle of viscous black liquid seeped in from under the door and spread to my feet.
【Forget about the lovesick Merman King for a minute. A purely aggressive monster is here. Let's see how Mr. Cool handles this.】
【He's really done for this time. This monster is a pure psychopath, hates humans, and kills on sight.】
A massive tentacle burst through the door. My feet left the ground as I was yanked outside, my back slamming against the splintered wood of the doorframe.
Before me was a giant octopus, about twenty feet in diameter. Its body was covered in tumors, and its head was a mass of compound eyes. One bloodshot eye fixed on me, its expression crazed. The next second, it opened its massive beak, ready to crush my head.
I was fine with this. I didn't struggle.
When its beak was just inches from my face, I used my knife to flick out a fishhook embedded in its flesh.
"Ooh?"
The giant octopus froze. It seemed to be processing the sensation. It tentatively extended another tentacle towards me. This one also had a rusty fishhook stuck in it.
I flicked that one out too.
"Eee? Eee-eee?"
It rubbed its two tentacles together excitedly. Its pupil dilated. It set me down, turned around, and sat down with a plop.
At first, I didn't understand what it wanted. Then I saw them. The horrific, festering gashes on its body were caused by discarded fishing lines cutting into its flesh.
I watched it for a moment, my face blank, then uttered a single word: "Pathetic."

First, search for and download the MotoNovel app from Google. Then, open the app and use the code "248924" to read the entire book.