The Hunter's Game - Chapter 7

The door had not been locked, and the room was empty. Why had she knocked?

I stood in the candy store, baffled, while her words repeated in my head.

“When moonlight shines as brightly as the sun, go where space is twisted. You will find a reward.”

The sentence made no sense. After turning it over for a while without finding an answer, I set it aside.

Another look at my phone lifted my spirits.

Five Black Goat cards could be exchanged for fifty game coins.

I had broken even.

I took a long, satisfied breath. The boulder pressing on my heart finally rolled away.

The thought of two more plush collectors waiting for me set my blood racing. I slung the bag over my shoulder and hurried to the other shops.

As long as there were cards to earn, I would work like a mule.

I quickly finished at the pizza shop and barbecue restaurant and, as expected, earned another ten Black Goat cards.

When the number 15 appeared on my screen, happiness made my steps feel unsteady.

I hurried back to the Black Goat Shop.

Seeing me transformed from dejection to radiance, the old man stroked his goatee and smiled.

“Young man, I was right. You must give something up to gain something.”

Embarrassed, I scratched my head, thanked him, and took out my phone to exchange all fifteen Black Goat cards.

The old man shook his head. “Cards cannot be exchanged for game coins until eight in the evening on the sixteenth, shortly before the game ends. But that’s no obstacle. Cards may be traded and possess the same purchasing power as game coins.”

I promptly spent four Black Goat cards on the remaining four Sage Goats. After my first success, I felt much more secure about the purchase.

It was already one in the afternoon. After running all morning, I needed lunch and a rest.

I waved goodbye to the old man and started back toward the villa.

Along the way, I avoided crowded places to prevent unnecessary trouble.

Ten minutes later, I reached the villa. I locked the shopping bag in my room, secured the doors and windows, and ate on the second floor. By the time I returned, it was two.

I removed the four goats from the bag, ready to hear their secrets one by one.

My phone chimed.

The Black Goat Game had sent a message to every player.

“Good afternoon, players. The game has now been in progress for five hours. From this point onward, each player’s card types, quantities, and game-coin balance will be made public and updated in real time. You may view the data in the app.”

My heart lurched. If the card data became public, my Black Goat cards—and the fact that I had triggered a hidden quest—would be exposed.

Then I reconsidered. Even if the others discovered the shop’s true purpose, what could they do? I owned all the Sage Goats. There was little to fear.

I was more curious about Snake Nine’s team. With such a huge numerical advantage, how well were they doing?

I opened the app and found the real-time player data.

Because Snake Nine’s members had signed an agreement and formally become a team, the interface displayed their combined results. The same applied to the Fat Man’s team.

Snake Nine’s team: 47 Sun cards, 63 Moon cards, 0 Star cards (Star quests not yet open), 550 game coins (total for eleven people).

Fat Man’s team: 31 Sun cards, 44 Moon cards, 0 Star cards, 400 game coins.

I sucked in a breath. Those were formidable results.

In only five hours, they had earned that many cards. There really was strength in numbers.

Their game-coin balances had not changed, however, and neither team had any Black Goat cards. They had not triggered a single hidden quest.

I scrolled to the bottom.

Li Mo: 0 Sun cards, 0 Moon cards, 0 Star cards, 11 Black Goat cards, 4 game coins.

The gap was enormous—and I still owed forty-six coins.

A fierce sense of urgency rose inside me.

I picked up a Sage Goat and pressed the button on its chest.

The familiar, adorable voice spoke again.

“Let me tell you a secret about Star cards.”

“The exchange ratio of Sun, Moon, and Star is one to three to ten. But that ratio does not remain constant. If you enter the trading hall between 3:00 and 3:20 p.m. on the fifteenth, you will discover that the stars shine exceptionally bright.”

“If you wait from 8:40 to 9:00 that evening, moonlight will illuminate everything.”

“Anyone who exchanges cards during both periods will trigger the hidden quest ‘Secret of the Space-Time Gate’ and gain a chance to open the gate.”

“The finest treasure in town is hidden beyond the Space-Time Gate. It opens only during a specific, very brief period. Good luck!”

By the time the secret ended, I could no longer contain my excitement.

This was far more incredible than the first one.

Forget the Space-Time Gate. The changing exchange ratios alone gave me plenty to work with.

If my assumptions were correct, this quest by itself could at least bring me level with the Fat Man’s team.

I quickly organized my thoughts and devised the perfect plan.

I admired what I had written, deeply satisfied.

Then the candy-store owner’s words flashed through my mind.

“When moonlight shines as brightly as the sun, go where space is twisted. You will find a reward.”

I chewed over the sentence, feeling as if my fingers had brushed against something.

Knock, knock, knock!

The sound at my door broke my concentration.

“Would you like your room cleaned?”

I opened the door. A housekeeper stood outside with a cart.

“No. Just give me two bottles of water.”

She handed them over, and I hung the DO NOT DISTURB sign on the door.

After closing it, I twisted open a bottle and took a drink.

Suddenly, lightning flashed through my mind. I shuddered.

“When moonlight shines as brightly as the sun…”

“You will gain a chance to open the Space-Time Gate!”

“It opens only during a specific, very brief period.”

The Space-Time Gate.

A gate.

My eyes widened. The candy-store owner’s knocking replayed again and again, each rap striking my chest.

In an instant, every clue joined together.

So that was what she meant.