The Hunter's Game - Chapter 6

“Let me tell you a secret. Three shopkeepers in town collect plush toys.”

“They own the candy store, the pizza shop, and the barbecue restaurant.”

“Give each of them three different goat plushies to trigger the hidden quest ‘Plush Collector.’ A wonderful surprise awaits. Remember: none of the goats given to one person may be duplicates.”

The Sage Goat’s secret plunged me into an icy abyss. I felt as if I had been conned.

Nine different goats for three shopkeepers—how much would that cost?

Mouthy Goat, Strong Goat, and Math Goat cost five, four, and three coins respectively.

Nine goats came to thirty-six game coins.

An astonishing sum.

I had forty coins left. Spend thirty-six, and I would be down to four.

“Any shortfall below fifty must be repaid as debt.” The dealer’s cold words echoed in my head.

A forty-six-coin shortfall meant a debt of four hundred sixty thousand dollars, plus the one-million-dollar penalty for last place.

One million four hundred sixty thousand dollars in all.

Dizziness washed over me.

Was I really going to gamble that much?

What if my analysis was wrong? What if it was a trap? What if I really buried myself under that mountain of debt?

Cold sweat broke across my back. For the first time, I questioned my original conclusion.

At present, my debt was only ten coins. I could still recover. But completing the Plush Collector quest would raise it to forty-six.

I could never fill a hole that deep by myself.

My grip tightened around the Sage Goat.

Do it, or walk away?

I drew a breath and clenched my fist.

Fuck it.

Hadn’t I accepted this when I entered the game? I would either be ruined or change my destiny.

This was the moment to change it.

No longer hesitating, I grabbed a shopping basket and swept nine goat plushies from the shelves with the frenzy of a Singles’ Day shopper. Mindful of the Sage Goat’s warning, I took three each of Mouthy Goat, Strong Goat, and Math Goat.

Thirty-six game coins. Three hundred sixty thousand dollars. At an exchange rate of 7.2, that was 2.6 million yuan.

About the full price of the apartment whose mortgage I could no longer afford.

My hands trembled at checkout.

The old man seemed to see my fear. He chuckled reassuringly. “Young man, you must give something up to gain something. Besides, have you forgotten? These nine goats are support items. Apart from the hidden quest, they can help you earn cards.”

His words jolted me awake.

Of course. Anxiety had made me forget something that important.

“How do I use a support item?”

“Simple. Open the Black Goat app. Your purchase history contains QR codes. Have a shop employee scan one, and they will summon an NPC to complete the quest.”

I hurriedly opened the app. Sure enough, it showed nine opportunities to use an item.

“The plushies themselves are ordinary toys now. Hurry along and complete your hidden quest.”

I thanked the old man, hefted the enormous pink shopping bag onto my shoulder, and left the shop at nearly a run, heading for the candy store in the center of town.

Of the three destinations, it was the closest.

As I approached, I slowed and checked my surroundings. After watching through the display window and seeing no other players, I finally went inside.

The owner was a pretty woman in her early twenties, diligently wiping down a display case.

I approached, took three goat plushies from the bag, and delivered my rehearsed line.

“Hello. I heard you collect plush toys, so I brought you these. I hope you like them.”

She looked up in surprise. An extravagantly delighted smile soon spread across her pretty face.

“Kawaii!”

“Are these really for me? They’re adorable!”

She hugged the goats and spun around three times. Inside, I was nervous enough to curse, but I kept smiling.

“Thank you for such a wonderful surprise! How did you know I collect plushies?”

How the fuck would I know? All I knew was that it was her turn to surprise me.

Suppressing an eye roll, I rubbed my hands together and put on the most ingratiating expression I could manage.

“Since you’re a collector, miss, don’t you perhaps have something for me?”

She blinked. “How about some candy?”

Cold water seemed to drench me from head to toe.

“Look at that pathetic face.” Her expression turned teasing, as if she had become another person. “Give me your phone.”

Now we were getting somewhere. I handed it over at once. After a flurry of taps, a chime sounded and a message arrived.

“Congratulations! You have completed the hidden quest ‘Plush Collector.’ Five Black Goat cards have been deposited into your account. Please check the app.”

Holding back an indescribable surge of excitement, I opened the black-goat icon. Five cards sat in my account. Immense happiness flooded every part of me.

As I reveled in sudden wealth, the woman leaned close and whispered a few words into my ear.

My mind short-circuited. “What does that mean?” I blurted.

She gave me a mysterious smile. “You were sincere enough, so I’ll throw in a free tip. Whether you can solve the riddle depends on your insight.”

She lightly knocked on the door to the workroom behind her. No one answered. Unconcerned, she turned the knob and stepped inside.

For the instant the door stood open, I saw the cramped room beyond. Not a single person was in it.

Something about that felt indescribably strange.