Jiang Yan returned to his bedroom as if nothing had happened. The moment he stepped inside, he was met with the sharp gaze of the "Hunter," who was sitting at the bedside. His piercing emerald green eyes held a lazy smile, but there was a chilling undertone of menace beneath.
"I never realized the little sheep I’ve been raising turned out to be a mischievous kitten, wandering around the house in the middle of the night," the Hunter said, his voice thick with drowsy amusement and a hint of danger.
Jiang Yan’s heart skipped a beat. If the BOSS decided his behavior was out of character, it could mean immediate elimination.
[Oh no! The BOSS is awake!]
[Is he going to get found out? This is bad!]
[It’s over for him! My beautiful little sheep is done for!]
[Noooo! Somebody save him!]
Locking eyes with the Hunter, Jiang Yan forced himself to remain calm. He walked to the bed, pulled off his socks, and climbed onto it. Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms lazily around the Hunter’s neck, making himself appear casual and relaxed. "I was hungry, so I went to the kitchen to find something to eat."
"I recall you ate dinner tonight," the Hunter said, his tone sharp and scrutinizing.
"I don’t want to eat moose meat anymore," Jiang Yan replied, his voice soft and hoarse, his gaze downcast as though sulking.
The Hunter’s grip tightened around his waist, a mix of affection and threat. He leaned closer, sniffing lightly at Jiang Yan’s ear. "But there’s a scent of corpses on you. Did you go and feast on your fellow sheep?"
"No," Jiang Yan replied honestly. "I ran into the Corpse Driver in the living room."
"Oh?" The Hunter’s eyes turned icy, and the hand on Jiang Yan’s waist tightened even more, enough to signal the very real danger he was in. One wrong word, and the Hunter might snap him in half like a twig.
[What is he doing?! Don’t tell him everything!]
[Oh my god, he’s digging his own grave!]
[Somebody stop this sheep before he gets eaten alive!]
The tension in the room grew palpable. Outside, the wind and snow battered the windows harder, as though mirroring the storm inside.
But instead of explaining further, Jiang Yan burrowed under the blankets, burying himself in the covers. His muffled voice came out, soft and indifferent, "Good night. By the way, I don’t want to see moose meat tomorrow."
[....]
[You wake up!! Aren't you even going to struggle a bit?!]
[Oh no!!! My beauty!!]
663 also got anxious: "What are you doing?!"
Jiang Yan lazily replied, "Have you ever kept a cat before?"
"Aren't cats the kind of creatures that run around the house at night, make a mess of everything, and absolutely ignore your complaints?"
Sure enough, the "Hunter" just let out a helpless laugh, then scooped the "little sheep" buried under the blanket into his arms, and whispered softly into Jiang Yan's ear:
"Then tomorrow, I'll let you eat something new."
"Goodnight, my Yan Yan."
[... What just happened?]
[Nothing at all happened.]
[I'm confused, is this the game I know? Am I even playing the same game as him?]
[In the neighboring instance, a real NPC was torn apart by all the other NPCs for saying just one wrong word.]
[What is this? Luck?]
663 also let out a long sigh of relief: "Sometimes, your luck really is just too good."
"This has nothing to do with luck, it's a display of skill," Jiang Yan lazily replied.
"Are you referring to the skill of lying in bed for five days before deciding to take a walk downstairs?" 663 mocked.
Jiang Yan lazily snorted, "These five days, I was carefully playing the role of a cat."
"Why are you so certain he thinks of you as a cat and not a dog?" 663 asked, puzzled.
"Because people who keep dogs take them out for walks every day, but people who keep cats are always worried about them running off to play," Jiang Yan answered matter-of-factly.
"Plus, his attitude towards me is exactly the same as my husband's attitude toward our cat."
663: "..."
Jiang Yan: "…Ex-husband."
---
The brief stroll Jiang Yan took downstairs yesterday was the most exercise he had gotten in days, so he slept particularly soundly that night.
In his dream, there was a cat, and a pair of eyes like emeralds immersed in water.
Jiang Yan was woken by the sound of the wind outside.
When he opened his eyes, he saw the "Hunter" sitting by his bedside, the goat-like head resting on the bed, looking at him with a hint of pity.
"Good morning," Jiang Yan reached out to touch the Hunter's horns.
[Good morning, koi fish! You survived last night! What kind of divine koi luck is this?!]
[Thought for sure the Hunter would have you as dumplings for breakfast yet here you are, still alive.]
[Did he use some kind of special item?]
[What kind of item is that powerful? I'd trade ten years of my life for it.]
[His total points are only 100 right now, he's nearly dead, what points could he have left for items?]
[Unbelievable!]
[Truly amazing!]
[Good morning! Absorbing some of your luck!]
"Good morning," the Hunter's voice was clear and beautiful, tinged with a youthful laziness.
Jiang Yan's hand froze for a moment, this "Good morning" felt strangely familiar.
It must be a coincidence…
"Time to get up and have breakfast, my Yan Yan."
The Hunter pulled Jiang Yan out of the blanket, tenderly helping him wash up. For the first time, the Hunter dressed Jiang Yan in a thick coat.
The fireplace inside was roasting chestnuts, filling the room with a sweet aroma. Jiang Yan's cheeks were flushed from the indoor heat, and wrapped in the double-breasted sheepskin coat, he looked even more appetizing than the chestnuts.
Unable to resist, the Hunter pressed a soft kiss onto Jiang Yan's hair. "How I wish I could lock you in this house forever, so you could only ever look at me."
"Are we going out?" Jiang Yan asked.
"We’re going downstairs to eat," the Hunter replied.
With that, the Hunter picked Jiang Yan up in his arms like a child and carried him downstairs.
As Jiang Yan observed the environment on the first floor, he realized that the space, which had seemed ominously empty in last night's darkness, now appeared to be a normal and cozy wooden cabin. The wooden floors were polished to a bright shine.
"This is the corpse-driver’s job; the Hunter has severe OCD," 663 explained.
[They’re all NPCs, but the "Corpse Driver" is truly pitiful.]
[Honestly, while staying close to the BOSS might be scarier, Jiang Yan’s character is so satisfying!]
[Satisfying? Not kissing the BOSS costs 100 points. You try it.]
[I’ll kiss him! Eating and sleeping all day isn’t satisfying enough?]
Jiang Yan was carried into the kitchen by the "Hunter."
In the kitchen, the remaining five players, dragged up from the basement, sat at a long wooden dining table. The "Corpse Driver" and the "Butcher" stood on either side, glaring at them intensely.
On two walls of the kitchen, there were human heads processed into a clay-like texture, three hanging on one side, and two on the other.
Even though there was a fire burning in the kitchen, the players wore only thin, tattered clothing and were shivering uncontrollably.
The combination of fear and hunger had pushed them to the brink of collapse.
As the "Hunter" carried Jiang Yan into the kitchen, the main system began broadcasting:
[Instance: " The Sheep’s Forest"; Instance Progress: 39%]
[Players: Wang Yu, Zhou Hao, Lei Li, Xue Dun, Zhong Yun]
[NPC Clue Acquisition: 0%]
Jiang Yan, cradled in the Hunter's arms, looked at the players sitting at the table. Their expressions were a mix of terror and numbness. Jiang Yan recognized Wang Yu and Zhou Hao from yesterday, one was Li Xue's boyfriend, the other was the overly dramatic teen.
Lei Li was the short-haired girl. 663 had mentioned yesterday that she was Zhou Hao’s girlfriend.
The remaining long-haired, cold-looking girl must be Zhong Yun.
"Do you see the chubby guy trembling all over?" 663 asked.
Jiang Yan responded, "Is he Xue Dun?"
"Yes, and he has an item, though for some reason he hasn’t used it yet," 663 explained.
Jiang Yan nodded. Since this was a game, each player naturally had access to corresponding items, which were obtained through points.
Players could possess up to three items at most, distributed by the system based on their individual traits. They couldn’t choose the items themselves, and the same rule applied to NPCs.
The items’ appearances and effects varied wildly.
For example, the "Corpse Driver" Ding Wanyu had an item called the "Soul-Summoning Banner," which could conceal his presence from the dead and control low-level ghosts. This likely explained why the system assigned him the role of "Corpse Driver" in this instance.
By now, Jiang Yan had completed two instances and should have had at least one item. However, due to his abysmally low points, he wasn’t eligible to exchange for one.
"Another person with an item is Wang Yu," 663 continued. "Not sure what it is, but the system indicates he’s already used it in this instance. No idea what for, though."
"Probably gave it to Li Xue," Jiang Yan said casually.
Thinking about how Li Xue managed to escape from the dungeon, running such a long distance in the freezing snow while wearing only thin clothes, it’s likely related to Wang Yu using an item.
"Last night, my Yan Yan got tired of the same meat, so today he wants to try something new," the "Hunter" said as he sat in the main seat at the table, holding Jiang Yan on his lap.
The players froze upon hearing this. What... does this mean?
[Wow!]
[Finally, this instance is starting to pick up! The first eight days were so slow I felt anxious.]
[Slow? Didn’t you enjoy watching the little beauty sleep for days?]
Jiang Yan reached out to stroke the "Hunter's" face, a gesture that mimicked a cat stretching its paw in its owner’s lap.
The "Hunter" lovingly held Jiang Yan's hand and ordered the "Butcher" nearby, "Bring Yan Yan a cup of hot chocolate, no milk. his stomach doesn’t handle it well."
Everyone watched in stunned silence as the "Butcher" put down his bloodstained cleaver, washed his hands thoroughly, put on clean gloves, took a packet of cocoa powder from the cupboard, and made a cup of hot chocolate, which he respectfully handed to his master.
Jiang Yan curled up in the "Hunter's" arms, leisurely sipping the hot chocolate, looking completely at ease.
The "Corpse Driver" Ding Wanyu watched this scene in disbelief, his black-ringed eyes widening. So... the kitchen did have clean things in it?
For days, he hadn’t dared touch anything in the kitchen. The sink was always filled with human skin or body parts, how could he bring himself to use it?!
Damn... Suddenly, being a "Sheep" didn’t seem so bad.
"You... What exactly are you trying to do?" Zhou Hao asked, his voice trembling.
"Naturally, I’m letting Yan Yan have a change of taste," the "Hunter" replied matter-of-factly.
Zhou Hao’s heart tightened. He assumed the "Hunter" planned to use this opportunity to chop all of them up and turn them into pork buns for Jiang Yan’s meal, so he became agitated.
"You can’t do this! We’re his kind!" Zhou Hao shouted emotionally.
The other four players looked at him in terror, afraid he might provoke the "Hunter" into a rage.
Ding Wanyu exchanged a glance with Jiang Yan.
Courage in a young man is admirable, but it was clear to both of them that Zhou Hao might be a bit too brave for his own good.
The "Hunter" stared at the bold young man before him and said, "And how do you think I should handle this?"
Zhou Hao froze for a moment, not expecting the "Hunter" to ask such a question.
"What should we do?"
The "Hunter" chuckled softly and then said, "If you don’t want to end up as Yan Yan’s lunch, it’s simple. Something happened in this house last night. I lost something."
All eyes focused on him.
The "Hunter" casually twirled a strand of Jiang Yan’s hair between his fingers and said lazily, "If you can help me find what I lost or catch the thief who took it, I’ll consider it as you winning the game."
The "Corpse Driver" frowned and asked, "Are you changing the game rules, my lord?"
"Yes," the "Hunter" replied.
[Change the game rules?! Is that even allowed]
[This is just a B-rank instance, right?]
[A B-rank instance can modify the rules? Isn’t this supposed to happen only in A-rank instances? What’s going on with this boss? A bug?]
[Definitely a bug. Even that announcement and criticism yesterday felt off. This instance seems broken.]
In the basement, the " Hunting Dogs" began to howl, their ghostly wails resonating with the howling winds outside, as if the entire house were trembling.
The "Hunter," cradling his little "Sheep," announced the new game rules:
"From now on, all of you are 'Detectives,' but any one of you could also be the thief. Find my missing item and return it to me."
"Of course, the previous rules still apply. If you manage to escape this forest, you’ll gain your freedom."
[Instance: Sheep’s Forest, Instance Progress: 40%]
[Side Quest Triggered: Find the 'Hunter’s' Lost Item]
[Participants: Player Wang Yu, Player Zhou Hao, Player Lei Li, Player Zhong Yun, Player Xue Dun, NPC Jiang Yan, NPC Ding Wanyu]
Jiang Yan froze for a moment, looking up at the "Hunter" and asking, "Do I have to participate too?"
The "Hunter" regretfully replied, "Because you snuck out of the room last night baby."
[What?! Even the NPCs]
[In A-rank instances, side quests are sometimes designed for NPCs and players to complete together.]
[What? This is a group of rookies! And they’ve brought along rookie NPCs? If this follows A-rank gameplay mechanics, how are they supposed to handle it?]
[Oh no! The main system clearly doesn’t want these players to survive!]
[Honestly, if these rookies manage to get out of this instance, they’ll hit the jackpot! Various guilds will definitely compete to recruit them.]
[Get out? Forget it. Not just the players, even that NPC called Jiang Yan feels doomed to die here. The only one who might make it out is the "Corpse Driver."]
[Let’s be real the skill level of this group of players and NPCs isn’t exactly high.]
"Is it because I opened that specimen room yesterday that this side quest was triggered?" Jiang Yan asked 663.
"Yes! Congratulations! Now you have the perfect chance to showcase your skills!" 663 replied gleefully.
Jiang Yan: "...."
He had absolutely no interest in this "opportunity."
"What exactly did you lose?" Ding Wanyu asked the "Hunter," slightly furrowing his brows but maintaining a respectful tone.
The "Hunter" looked at Jiang Yan in his arms, his emerald-green eyes as deep as an abyss, and said:
"A rose."