Hunter's Game 2: Terror Valley - Chapter 4

Time was short. I hurriedly called to the other three players, “Everyone, I’ve figured out how to beat this game.”

They stared at me in confusion.

With no time to waste, I laid out my reasoning as quickly as I could.

“We’ve gone through four rounds. The videos were completely different and seemed unrelated.”

“But all four have one crucial thing in common.”

“Every answer was connected to a shape.”

“What? A shape?”

They were stunned. All three turned toward me at once.

“Yes. Remember the first round? The answer was kimchi. I thought back to it—the kimchi was served on a square plate, while the other dishes were on round ones.”

“At the end of each round, the screen shows a close-up of the correct answer. That’s why I clearly remember the kimchi sitting in a perfectly square dish.”

“I think you’re right. Keep going.” The American rubbed his chin, listening intently.

“The second answer was a swim ring. That one needs no explanation—it’s round.”

“The third was the road sign. It was triangular!” the Russian shouted, slapping his thigh before I could speak.

Everyone burst into excited cheers.

“And the fourth was a star!”

“Square, circle, triangle, star! Every question was about a shape!”

If the fifth round had not been about to begin, the American might have thrown his arms around me.

“Then what shape will the last answer be?” the tattooed man asked.

“A heart,” I said with certainty.

“How do you know?”

“At the beginning, the dealer said this was a three-star game. In other words, it isn’t particularly difficult. There are still six- and seven-star games above it.”

“If we observe carefully, there has to be a way to solve it. The dealer actually gave us the clue right from the start. We simply never noticed.”

I pointed at the Black Goat logo on the giant screen.

“The answer is in that logo.”

Every gaze followed my finger.

The logo was a black goat’s head rendered in simple lines. Beneath it ran a decorative band made from five shapes: square, circle, triangle, star, and heart.

The players had seen the logo so often since entering the hall that no one bothered to look at it anymore.

Who would have imagined the clue to clearing the game was hidden there?

The more ordinary a thing appeared, the easier it was to overlook.

Realization dawned on the players, and excitement filled their faces.

At that moment, the five-minute break ended.

“The fifth round begins now. Video duration: three minutes. Countdown commencing.”

This was our final chance. All four of us focused with everything we had.

“Last round, everyone. Watch for every heart shape in your assigned area. This is our final shot!” the American shouted.

His rallying cry set our blood on fire.

Three minutes later, the video ended.

“This round’s question is: how many heart shapes appeared in the video? Your one-minute countdown begins now.”

The dealer’s question was exactly as I had predicted.

We quickly pooled our observations and arrived at the answer.

“Congratulations, players. Correct answer. All remaining players have cleared the stage.”

The system’s voice echoed throughout the hall.