Jiang Yan’s breathing stopped momentarily, and two physiological tears squeezed out from the overwhelming fear.
The "Hunter's" gaze flickered with a trace of panic as he hastily withdrew his hand, staring at the tearful youth before him. "What’s wrong? You don’t like it?"
The "hunting dogs’" howls outside rose in excitement, only to abruptly cease, as if sensing their master's precarious situation.
[Why does this feel so oppressive?]
[Doesn’t this feel like being caught by your wife after secretly topping up money in a game?]
[Thanks, I don’t have a wife.]
[Thanks, but I feel attacked.]
[Thanks, but Yan Yan is my wife.]
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Jiang Yan turned back expressionlessly and looked up at the "Hunter," who was still holding Xue Dun’s head.
The figure towering over him blocked most of the sunlight streaming through the window, enveloping Jiang Yan in shadow.
The devilish ram horns gleamed like knife edges, their sharp tips flashing dangerously. But what should have been a terrifying sight softened under the faintly ingratiating look in those emerald green eyes.
When the "Hunter" met the tear-filled, crystal-clear blue gaze of the little sheep, he tilted the boy’s chin up. "Are you angry?"
Jiang Yan didn’t hold back: "Yes."
The air inside the cabin plummeted instantly, the oppressive aura emanating from the "Hunter" making everyone sweat.
The "Hunter's" grip on Jiang Yan’s chin tightened slightly. "Alright, I’m sorry."
The players: "????"
"My dear little cat," the "Hunter" pulled Jiang Yan into a tight embrace, pressing a kiss onto the soft hair on his head. "So, you’re learning to use your claws now?"
Then, like petting a real cat he gently pinched the back of Jiang Yan’s neck, soothing him with light, rhythmic squeezes.
Jiang Yan was angry, but when he met those emerald green eyes, the familiar gesture left him briefly dazed.
Between the sudden terror and the surging fury, Jiang Yan felt his mind spinning.
For a fleeting moment, the emerald green eyes before him overlapped with a pair deeply imprinted in his memory—a pair as radiant and dazzling as submerged gems.
Suddenly, Jiang Yan's tears flowed like a broken dam.
The "Hunter" appeared flustered for a moment, then quickly masked it, his expression calming into a soft smile.
He softly coaxed the crying "little sheep" in his arms, as though pacifying an upset kitten: "I’m sorry! That head’s ugly. We won’t keep it! Don’t cry, Yan Yan."
Sunlight streamed through the wooden cabin’s windows. Amidst the howling wind and roaring beasts, the towering and terrifying "Hunter" stood silhouetted against the light, tenderly consoling the sobbing "little sheep" in his arms.
Jiang Yan cried unrestrainedly, and in his memory, he had never cried like this before.
This was because he was inherently someone who rarely showed emotions or one could say his emotions were always faint.
He wasn’t calm or detached; he was simply lazy. Lazy to the point of not bothering to generate overly intense emotions.
When Jiang Yan was just born, he didn’t cry at all. The doctor was frightened, held him upside down, and slapped his buttocks hard several times before he whimpered twice, narrowly avoiding being sent to the ICU.
Everyone has their own life’s undertone, and Jiang Yan’s undertone might be a pale blue, a kind of laziness mixed with an inexplicable melancholy.
Yet, this kind of "slow-moving," "light-floating" color one day collided with a vivid green.
Jiang Yan eventually calmed his emotions with the help of a cup of hot cocoa, returning to that familiar self—expressionless, his eyelids slightly drooping, and looking as though he lacked any energy.
It was as if the person who had just been sobbing uncontrollably wasn’t him at all.
The “Hunter” sat on a clean, soft sofa brought over by the caretaker, holding his “little sheep.” From time to time, he would nuzzle the soft top of Jiang Yan’s head with his chin.
Meanwhile, the severed head had already been thrown outside by the “corpse driver” to feed the “hunting dogs.”
This sudden turn of events not only left the newbie players in the cabin at a loss but also puzzled the players watching the livestream on the forum.
System NPCs were different from live NPCs. Every action and line of a system NPC was designed for the dungeon’s narrative. After all, they were just clusters of data generated by the main system and had no "personal" language or actions.
But what did the “Hunter’s” act of gifting Xue Dun’s head to Jiang Yan signify?
Xue Dun was killed by the “Bear.” Could it be a hint for the players to go into the forest and investigate the whereabouts of the “Bear”?
Jiang Yan nestled in the “Hunter’s” arms, sipping hot cocoa while feeling a lingering fear in his heart.
He had already learned that he was the “thief” in the side quest and that the “flower” was currently on him. Yet, just now, he had lost control of his emotions in front of the BOSS!
If the “Hunter” had accidentally reached into his coat pocket, this towering ram would have snapped his neck in an instant.
“What happened to you just now? You didn’t even flinch when sneaking into the specimen room last night. Why were you so scared just now?” 663 asked with concern.
“Maybe it’s because Xue Dun was too ugly,” Jiang Yan replied perfunctorily.
With the “Hunter” present, none of the players dared to speak further, and the horrific state of that severed head left everyone trembling with fear.
Thinking about how the companion who was with them yesterday, keeping each other warm, now had their head hollowed out and presented in front of them—it was something no one could accept.
This only deepened their fear of the "Hunter" and the forest itself.
Seeing everything falling into a deadlock once again, the "Corpse Driver," loyal servant to the "Hunter," Ding Wanyu, spoke: "My esteemed master, are you planning to stay and help us search for the thief who stole the flower?"
"No," the "Hunter" denied. "I won't participate in your hunt. I'm only here to guard Yan Yan you know how fragile he is."
As the "thief" who was supposedly very "fragile," Jiang Yan's hands trembled slightly as he held the cup of hot cocoa.
Ding Wanyu furrowed his brows. He sensed something unusual about this system NPC.
By the rules of the game, daytime was the time for the "Sheep" and "Hunting Dogs" to play their game, and the "Hunter" wouldn’t be involved. Only at night would the "Hunter" return to the wooden cabin.
The "Hunter" was supposed to act solely as a judge.
Even with the added side quests, the "Hunter" had set his judgment period to begin at dusk.
In other words, this wasn’t supposed to be a time when the "Hunter" would be active at all!
Yet, here he was, back at the wooden cabin during this inappropriate time, bringing along a severed head to his "little sheep," even scaring him to tears!
What hidden meaning could this action hold?
In this game, the moment you begin to feel that the NPC's behavior is out of place is the most dangerous moment. It signifies that you’re going against the dungeon’s narrative. And the further you deviate from the dungeon’s narrative, the farther you drift from the correct answer.
Thus, Ding Wanyu furrowed his brows and pondered deeply about the true intention behind the "Hunter's" actions.
In the past few days, when players failed to escape, they were always polluted into becoming "Hunter Dogs," except for Xue Dun, who was killed by the "Bear." That was the first point.
Secondly, corpses of "passersby" often appeared sporadically in the forest. It was always his job as the "Corpse Driver" to handle these corpses. This was explicitly stated in his character script: all the corpses in this forest were to be managed by him.
Xue Dun was killed by the "Bear," becoming a corpse in the woods. Logically, that corpse should have been retrieved by him. So why was the "Hunter" carrying just the head back instead?
Right, just the head?
Ding Wanyu, as if realizing something, lowered his eyes and asked the "Hunter," who was currently playing with his "little sheep’s" hair, "Master, may I ask if I should now deal with that 'Sheep' who died in the forest?"
"I think you can bring his friends along too. After all, the game is still ongoing."
Ding Wanyu's eyes lit up. They had already searched this cabin thoroughly and found no trace of the "flower," which meant the "flower" was most likely hidden somewhere in the forest!
Right! Just now, the players had all left the wooden cabin at some point. The "thief" must have taken that opportunity to hide the "flower" in some corner of the forest.
Hearing this, even the slowest of the four players caught onto the hint. They got up, preparing to head to the forest with Ding Wanyu.
Xue Dun's gruesome death had indeed heightened their fear of the forest, but with the NPC giving them a clear hint about where to go, they naturally wouldn't refuse. Plus, going as a group lessened the fear in their hearts.
At this point, the players were also speculating. It seemed likely that someone had secretly hidden the "flower" in the forest earlier.
"Let's go. I'll take you to find your friend," Ding Wanyu said as he gently adjusted the sleeve of his long robe and turned toward the door.
The four players and the "Butcher" followed closely behind.
Seeing this, Jiang Yan also put down the hot cocoa in his hands, intending to get off the "Hunter's" lap and go with everyone into the forest.
But as soon as he shifted slightly, the next moment, the "Hunter" scooped him up like a child.
"What are you doing?" Jiang Yan propped himself up against the "Hunter's" shoulder and asked.
The "Hunter" didn’t answer Jiang Yan’s question. Instead, he held the person in his arms even tighter and said to the rest of the group, "You go ahead. I need to grab a blanket for Yan Yan."
"...."
[So, Ding Wanyu, are you envious?]
[Hahaha, well, I’m jealous to death! I’m almost tempted to become an NPC myself!]
[Isn’t this dungeon supposed to end at dusk today? Jiang Yan is really just coasting through this one lying down!]
[That analysis just now made it seem like he was going to step up, but in the next second, he’s back to lying down again.]
—
Everyone stepped through thick snow to the edge of the forest. The players, wearing only thin clothing, shivered from the cold and even Ding Wanyu accustomed to the damp chill, frowned from the biting frost.
The "Hunter" and "Butcher," as system NPCs made of mere data, naturally felt nothing from the cold.
Jiang Yan on the other hand, was bundled in a wool blanket within the "Hunter's" embrace. The "Hunter" himself wore a green velvet cloak, carefully shielding Jiang Yan from the wind and snow.
At this moment, Jiang Yan was nestled in the "Hunter's" arms, dozing off.
"Wake up! You’re the thief! Have you thought about how to get away yet?" 663 chastised him, exasperated.
Jiang Yan lazily yawned, clutching the front of the "Hunter's" clothing, and said, "As long as they don't find me, I don't need to get away."
What kind of logic is this?!
At that moment, the main system’s announcement echoed through the forest along with the howls of the "Hunting Dogs":
[Instance: 'Sheep’s Forest,'
Instance Progress: 75%.
Side Quest: Find the rose lost by the 'Hunter.'
Personal Quest: Have the 'Rabbit' recognize their 'Rabbit,' have the 'Magpie' forget they are a 'Magpie.']
[Participants: Player Wang Yu, Player Zhou Hao, Player Lei Li, Player Zhong Yun, NPC Jiang Yan, NPC Ding Wanyu.]
[What’s going on? Why is there suddenly a personal task now?]
[I swear, if the main system didn’t want them to survive, it could just delete them directly!]
[Honestly, even the boss of this instance feels odd.]
[Level B instance right? Hilarious.]
"Why is there suddenly a personal task?" Jiang Yan asked 663, confused. "Isn't that only supposed to happen in level A instances?"
663 replied, "...Maybe the Main God is feeling generous and wants the newbie players to grow faster."
At this moment, the "Hunter" chuckled lightly and announced, "I already explained the rules of the game before. Now, I’m changing one."
Everyone's hearts instantly leapt into their throats.
The "Hunter" removed the blanket wrapped around the "little sheep" in his arms, placing Jiang Yan gently on the ground. He then removed his deep green velvet cloak and draped it over Jiang Yan’s shoulders.
The "Hunter," with his massive two-meter frame, caused the cloak to trail far behind Jiang Yan in the snow after being placed on him. It became the sole splash of green in the forest.
The "Hunter's" cold, piercing voice echoed through the woods:
"The judge is now changed from the 'Butcher' to Jiang Yan."
Jiang Yan: "????"
All the players: "??!!"
[???!!!]
[What? It’s not over yet?!]
[What’s going on?! How can a character like the "Judge" be assigned to a real NPC?! Did the main system glitch?!]
[I swear, the more I watch this NPC, the more I feel something’s off. It feels like… they have way too much power?]
[Why aren’t you thinking Jiang Yan is the problem? The BOSS of the instance is generated by the main system, every action and word is preset by the system! The real issue is with Jiang Yan, right?]
[What are you talking about? It’s not an anomaly. System NPCs don’t make mistakes, but if a real NPC messes up, doesn’t that mean the players could be doomed?]
[No way! Jiang Yan’s character script definitely must have been altered.]
[I just took a walk over to the next copy and when I came back, I couldn’t understand anything.]
[Just a reminder, in this B-level instance, there’s an A-level side quest, an A-level personal quest, and now a real NPC is acting as the judge]
[Wait, seriously? A real NPC is acting as the judge?]
[I’m seriously starting to suspect Jiang Yan is the main god’s illegitimate child.]
After the "Hunter" said this, Jiang Yan suddenly had a golden-edged sickle in his hand, signifying his new role as the judge.
The players were confused, and Jiang Yan was equally baffled.
"Well, at least this proves Jiang Yan is connected to the sub-quest and personal quests," Wang Yu said, adjusting his glasses.
Ding Wanyu furrowed his brows. The only reasonable explanation he could think of was that the main system was trying to reduce the difficulty for the players.
Clearly, the difficulty of this instance was no longer that of a typical B-level quest. The main system likely assigned the "Judge" role to Jiang Yan in order to eliminate unnecessary wrong choices for the players.
However, eliminating just one wrong choice—wasn’t that a bit too easy?
Jiang Yan stared blankly at the golden sickle in his hand, as clueless as anyone else about what was happening.
He’s the "thief" in the side quest, the most important character in the entire side quest, and needs to maneuver between all the "detectives."
Now he’s directly given the role of "judge," essentially clearing his suspicion right in front of the "detectives." Is this… for real?
663's voice echoed in Jiang Yan’s mind: “You’re right. As long as they can’t find you, you don’t need to escape. Are you happy now, little sheep?”
663’s tone carried a strange hint of sarcasm.
Jiang Yan ignored 663 and instead stared at the golden sickle in his hand for a moment, then looked up at the "Hunter" who was watching him with a smile in his eyes: “Thank you.”
"Yan Yan, as long as you’re happy," the "Hunter" replied, reaching out to gently ruffle Jiang Yan’s soft hair.
Jiang Yan froze for a second and lowered his head.
“Yan Yan, are you happy? As long as you’re happy…”
The voice from his memories always liked to say that. It seemed like nothing else mattered in the world except his happiness.
Jiang Yan took a deep breath, feeling like he was a bit too tired today. He was even reminded of that person while facing a monster.
With that, the "Hunter" placed a kiss on Jiang Yan’s head and said, “But if Yan Yan makes a wrong judgment, you’ll be punished, you know!”
Jiang Yan stiffened, and the players suddenly understood.
[I knew it. How could a real NPC be a judge?]
[This actually counts as Jiang Yan’s personal quest.]
[I seriously suspect the main system made this quest just because it saw him so comfortable.]
[This makes it even more like he’s the main god’s illegitimate child, right? I see my son not progressing and get frustrated!]
[Wait, why does it have to be the illegitimate child and not the wife?]
[Bullshit! Yan Yan is my wife! Right now, he’s lying on my bed!]
[Game Forum Punishment Report:]
[Player: Li Ze Bai, banned from the forum for three days due to inappropriate comments.]
[Huh? What did this guy just say?]
[He said Jiang Yan is his wife.]
[????]
Jiang Yan looked at the "Hunter" in disbelief.
Sure enough, there’s no such thing as a free lunch! It would be better if he just stayed a thief!
Judgment? He’s the thief, so of course, he wouldn’t judge himself.
What does he need to judge? Who is the "rabbit"? Who is the "magpie"?
Wang Yu, Lei Li, Zhou Hao, Zhong Yun, and Ding Wanyu stood in front of Jiang Yan, surrounded by the dark wood that resembled the undead, and they looked like restless spirits seated in front of the dead.
Logically speaking, it shouldn’t be hard to pick two out of five individuals, but the "Hunter" just mentioned there would be punishment.
Thinking of the horrific scene of Xue Dun’s head earlier, Jiang Yan didn’t want to know what the punishment was.
He gently tugged at the "Hunter's" sleeve and obediently asked, “Master, can I not be the judge?”
“Of course,” the "Hunter" answered.
Jiang Yan’s eyes lit up, ready to return the golden sickle in his hand to the "Hunter."
However, the "Hunter" refused, saying, “Yan Yan doesn’t want to be the judge? That’s fine, but there’s a condition.”
“What condition?” Jiang Yan asked without hesitation.
The "Hunter’s" azure eyes darkened slightly, and he whispered, “Complete the kiss you didn’t finish that night.”