As daylight broke, the players gradually woke from their slumber.
Their reactions upon waking varied widely—some were filled with terror, others with confusion. Some seemed to radiate the pink aura of romance, while others wore sour expressions…
Gu Jiu was one of those with a sour expression.
Although she hadn’t been dragged back into the dream after falling asleep again in the latter half of the night, just thinking about that fish-faced creature left her feeling stifled.
“Ah Ji, did you encounter the fish-faced creature in your dream?” she asked.
Lu Ji replied, “I did. I didn’t wait for it to do anything—I attacked first. Then, I woke up.”
Gu Jiu’s expression eased a little, a smile forming on her lips. “That’s indeed a good approach. As long as you don’t get deceived by its fabricated illusions, you won’t fall for its tricks.”
That fish-faced creature, with such a hideous fish-like visage, wouldn’t fool any player who wasn’t blind.
The problem was, in the dream, players couldn’t control their bodies’ reactions. Upon seeing the fish-faced creature, they would inexplicably feel their hearts race, as if under the influence of some kind of love potion. They’d believe it to be their lover and fall under the creature’s influence. It must have been some kind of hallucinatory manipulation, capable of making players forget they were in a dream and not reality.
So, who knows how many players were tricked by the fish-faced creature’s illusions last night.
As the players gradually emerged from their rooms and gathered in the first-floor living room, an odd atmosphere hung in the air.
Gu Jiu descended the stairs, sweeping her gaze across the room to find that most of the players were already present.
“Miss Gu, Lu Ji, over here,” Ruan Yuan called out to them with a wave.
The players found places to sit in the living room, maintaining a safe distance from strangers. Ruan Yuan, Lu Haidi, and Qi Yuheng were seated together, clearly forming a group.
Gu Jiu walked over and greeted them with a smile. “You’re up early today.”
Ruan Yuan grinned cheerfully. “Didn’t sleep well last night, so I woke up early.”
Compared to Ruan Yuan’s lighthearted and playful demeanor, the other three men seemed far less at ease. Qi Yuheng’s face was dark, Lu Haidi stared blankly at his girlfriend, and Ge Guang wore a mask, obscuring his expression.
Gu Jiu asked in surprise, “Brother Guang, why are you wearing a mask?”
She noticed that as she posed the question, Qi Yuheng’s already gloomy expression turned even darker.
“I don’t want to either, but to make Boss Qi feel better, I have no choice.” Ge Guang’s voice carried a hint of grievance. Who could have predicted that Boss Qi’s aversion would intensify after encountering the fish-faced creature to the point where even seeing his face made him feel nauseous?
It wasn’t Ge Guang’s fault, yet it was his face that bore the blame.
Everyone looked puzzled.
Ge Guang explained, “It’s all because of that fish-faced creature in the dream last night… You all had the same dream, right?” Seeing them nod, he continued, “In Boss Qi’s dream, the fish-faced creature pretended to be me, trying to pursue him romantically—while still wearing that fish face. Who could stand that? So now Boss Qi…”
The players all looked at Qi Yuheng with sympathy.
C-rank players, being physically superior to ordinary people, had heightened senses. And since none of them were deliberately lowering their voices, everyone in the room heard the exchange loud and clear.
Ruan Yuan discreetly observed the reactions of the players in the room, realizing that everyone in the villa had experienced roughly the same ordeal the previous night.
Sure enough, they had all encountered a fish-faced creature in their dreams and were forced into a romantic scenario with “it.”
“Miss Gu, were you fooled when you encountered it?” Ruan Yuan asked. Without waiting for Gu Jiu’s reply, she confessed her own experience. “At first, I didn’t realize the ‘Brother Hai’ in the dream was actually the fish-faced creature. I was so happy when he carried me on his back and ran along the beach. We’d just been at the seaside during the day, and I didn’t expect to continue the fun in my dreams at night. The ocean in the dream was even more beautiful than during the day…”
However, fake was fake. The overpowering fishy smell from the fish-faced creature was unbearable for a normal nose.
Once she noticed her “boyfriend” reeked of fish, Ruan Yuan was thoroughly repulsed and insisted he put her down. But the “boyfriend” refused. When he finally turned around to speak, revealing a fish face, she was so startled that she slapped it across the face, leaving it swollen.
That attack naturally jolted her awake from the dream.
Gu Jiu couldn’t help but laugh. That was classic Ruan Yuan—despite her playful and cute appearance, she was bold and aggressive when it counted, showing no mercy to a monster daring to impersonate her boyfriend.
She said, “Ah Ji and I encountered it too. Our situation was similar to yours.”
“And then there’s Brother Lu,” Ruan Yuan said, jabbing her boyfriend’s arm in frustration. “He was completely useless. Got scared stiff.”
The group looked puzzled. Wasn’t being scared normal?
Think about it—what seemed like a romantic scene, walking hand in hand on the beach with your girlfriend, suddenly turned into a nightmare when she transformed into a fish-faced creature. Anyone would be terrified, right?
Lu Haidi scratched his head, looking a bit aggrieved. “That fish-faced creature didn’t just impersonate Ruan Yuan—it used such a sweet and delicate voice to call out to me… I’ve known Ruan Yuan since we were kids, and the only time she acts that sweet is when I’ve done something wrong and she’s about to punish me. So, of course, I thought I was in trouble!”
The thought that he might be punished startled him so much that he snapped out of the illusion. Escaping the dream was easy after that.
The players exchanged subtle glances at him, their expressions peculiar. They hadn’t expected this guy to be afraid of his wife.
As the conversation carried on, the butler suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
His icy gaze swept across the players before he spoke. “I trust you all enjoyed a wonderful night. It was a gift from the Sea God, a special blessing.”
Apart from a few exceptions, the players stared back at the butler with blank, deadpan expressions.
Who would want such a nightmare as a “blessing”?
“For today’s first trial,” the butler continued, “you are to go into the sea and search for a type of coral stone called the Fish Eye. You will then present it to your lover.”
Fish Eye coral stone? Does such a thing even exist?
The players looked confused. However, when the word lover was mentioned, a few faces turned faintly green. They realized this so-called “Sea God” was about to stir up more trouble.
For real couples like Ruan Yuan and Lu Haidi, the task might not be too bad. But for fake “couples” and mere teammates, it was enough to make them wish for death.
Just as they were processing the instructions, several unsettling voices suddenly broke the tension.
“Darling, don’t worry, I’ll find you the most beautiful Fish Eye.”
“Alright, I’ll be waiting. I’ll also find you the most beautiful Fish Eye.”
“Shu Meimei, I’ll make you the happiest woman in the world.”
“Brother Wang, I trust you. I’ll make you the happiest man in the world too.”
The group shuddered at the saccharine exchanges, a mix of dread and secondhand embarrassment washing over them.
The group turned to look and saw two pairs of players embracing each other. One pair was a man and a woman, which wasn’t too unusual, but the other pair… were two hulking men, both with beast tattoos on their muscular arms. They clung to each other, speaking in saccharine tones, a sight so over-the-top that it made onlookers want to curse out loud, “Get a room, you lovebirds!”
The players stared, dumbfounded, at the two men.
They distinctly remembered that when they entered the game yesterday, these two seemed like normal partners—ordinary, straightforward guys. Who could have guessed that after just one night, they’d become a couple?
Was this game instance really that terrifying?
Just then, another eager voice broke the awkward silence.
“Brother Nian, I’ll definitely find the most beautiful Fish Eye for you. It won’t be any less perfect than theirs.”
Everyone turned again to see a scrawny male player gazing fervently at another male player, passionately professing his devotion.
The player being confessed to—presumably “Brother Nian”—looked thunderous. He grabbed his partner by the shoulders and growled through gritted teeth, “Skinny Monkey, wake up! Look at me! Who am I?”
The scrawny player replied, “You’re Brother Nian! I love you so much, Brother Nian. I swear I’ll make you the happiest man in the world!”
Brother Nian: “…”
Realizing his partner had turned into a full-blown lovestruck fool, Brother Nian erupted in fury, shouting expletives. Yet, unable to simply leave him like this, he turned pale with frustration and, when his partner tried to hug him, yanked him off and pinned him to the ground.
By this point, the players watching had started piecing things together.
“Hey, did you notice? These five people all ate that sashimi last night,” Ge Guang remarked.
The previous night, five players had succumbed to temptation and eaten the mysterious fish sashimi. Initially, since everyone showed up alive the next morning, it seemed harmless enough. But now, the horrifying effects had become apparent.
So eating that sashimi turned you into a lovestruck fool?
What kind of love potion was this, capable of creating feelings of love where none existed?
Compared to Skinny Monkey, who kept trying to cling to Brother Nian and was mercilessly shoved away, the other two pairs were already tangled in each other’s arms, whispering sweet nothings. Their overly affectionate displays sent shivers down everyone’s spines.
Now aware of the sashimi’s terrifying effects, the players who hadn’t eaten it silently heaved a sigh of relief.
The butler, utterly indifferent to the players’ reactions, brought out a sample to show them what a Fish Eye coral stone looked like.
The players stared at it, their expressions growing strange.
That was no coral stone—it was obviously a fish’s eyeball, about the size of a lychee! How blind did you have to be to mistake a fish’s eyeball for coral?
They felt mocked by the game’s NPC logic.
The butler ignored their skepticism. Seeing that they now understood what a Fish Eye looked like, he took the sample back and left without further explanation.
Despite doubting the authenticity of this “Fish Eye,” the players had no choice but to participate in the Sea God’s trial. Refusing might provoke the so-called Sea God, and no one wanted to take that risk.
A group of players trudged toward the beach.
Once at the shore, some players donned diving gear and entered the water, while others used tools or summoned special items to search underwater for the coral stones.
Gu Jiu and her group arrived at the beach, keeping a fair distance from the others.
The weather was as dismal as ever, with a strong wind whipping up waves and dark clouds pressing heavily against the sky, blotting out any trace of sunlight.
The so-called “Love Island” was shrouded in gloom, its black rocks along the shore matching the oppressive atmosphere. There was no romance to be found here—only unease.
“This place is nothing compared to the Love Island in the dream,” Ruan Yuan remarked wistfully. “Look at this weather—it’s not suitable for diving at all.”
The others nodded in agreement.
Ge Guang, still wearing his mask, turned to Qi Yuheng. “Boss Qi, are you going to dive?”
Qi Yuheng’s expression remained icy. “No. This seawater is filthy.”
His response came as no surprise. Ge Guang shrugged and headed behind a massive rock to change.
When Ge Guang emerged wearing only swim trunks, Qi Yuheng looked as though he was about to retch again.
Ge Guang frowned. “Boss Qi, my face is covered, and you still want to puke?” He gestured to the mask he still had on.
“Seeing your body makes me want to puke. Stop parading around half-naked in front of me,” Qi Yuheng muttered in a trembling voice, already nauseous beyond endurance.
Ge Guang defended himself with a hurt expression. “I’m wearing swim trunks! I’m not naked!”
Qi Yuheng turned away without another word, doing his best to suppress his gag reflex.
Meanwhile, Ruan Yuan and Lu Haidi were also preparing for their dive.
Gu Jiu glanced at Lu Ji and asked, “Are you planning to dive?”
Lu Ji shook her head. “I’d rather not. I’ll just send one of my paper figurines into the water to find a Fish Eye for me.”
The butler hadn’t specified how the players needed to retrieve the Fish Eye, so those who didn’t want to dive—or couldn’t swim—planned to use tools or other methods instead.
Gu Jiu decided not to dive either. Without her glasses, she’d be practically blind, and who knew what dangers lurked in these waters? It wasn’t worth the risk. She still had some of the paper figurines Lu Ji had given her, so she’d let them do the work.
Under normal circumstances, Gu Jiu might have enjoyed diving, but in this world, it was better to stay cautious.
Once Ge Guang, Ruan Yuan, and Lu Haidi were ready, they dove into the water together.
Meanwhile, Lu Ji, Gu Jiu, and Qi Yuheng stayed on shore, each controlling their tools or figurines to search the sea for the Fish Eyes.