I Hunt in Their Hide and Seek

In the continent of Elysium, magic has dried up and monsters have descended. The only way to survive is to participate in a game called "Hide and Seek." Only the winning races receive rewards and a chance to live. The Werewolf Clan drew me—a twenty-two-year-old half-blood werewolf. I was painfully thin, having been locked in a dungeon for the past fifteen years. The live chat scrolling before my eyes was filled with despair: [What the hell? This is our clan’s representative?] [A girl a strong breeze could knock over? Is she even an adult?] [I bet she bursts into tears the second she sees a monster.] [It’s over. We’re so dead. I knew we’d lose this time. Are the werewolves really going to be wiped out...] But they didn't know that staring at the gloomy, ancient castle, I wasn't scared. I was thrilled. Best of all, I’d already found an interesting helper: a man kneeling to kiss the back of my hand, calling me his... "little master." Chapter 1 Beep— A piercing, mechanical voice drilled into my brain like an awl. [Welcome to the Hide and Seek game. Current location: The Dark Castle.] [All participants are in position. Players, please note: Once the game begins, you will have thirty minutes to hide.] [After thirty minutes, the monsters will enter to hunt. The hunt is two hours.] [Those who are caught will die.] [And their territories will be overrun by monsters.] [Survivors will receive rewards.] [The countdown begins now.] The emotionless broadcast echoed in the air. A blinding white light flashed. I crashed heavily onto the cold, hard ground. The rusty iron chains on my wrists and ankles clanked dully. The air didn't smell of moldy hay or rotting moss. It smelled of dust and the sweet, metallic tang of dried blood. I opened my eyes. Before me stood a ruined ancient castle. Moonlight streamed down through cracks in the collapsed dome. Before I could adjust to the sudden light, lines of glowing blue text popped up in mid-air. They scrolled past my eyes like a swarm of annoying flies. [What the hell? This is our clan’s representative?] [A girl a strong breeze could knock over? Is she even an adult?] [I bet she bursts into tears the second she sees a monster.] [It’s over. We’re so dead. I knew we’d lose this time. Are the werewolves really going to be wiped out...] The desperate words almost completely blocked my vision. I ignored the flashing chat and pushed myself off the ground, slowly standing up. My bare feet met the rough stone, sending a sharp sting up my legs. It wasn't a hallucination. I had really left that pitch-black dungeon. Fifteen years. When I was seven, I smashed the skull of a noble werewolf who constantly beat me. For that, I was chained in the depths of a dripping cell. For fifteen whole years, my only entertainment was listening to rats gnaw on bones. I turned my head, my eyes landing on a half-shattered mirror in the corner. Dragging my shackles, I strode over, the chains scraping against the stone with a teeth-grinding clatter. The mirror reflected a ghostly figure. Skin so pale it was nearly translucent, hair matted like weeds, and a tattered prisoner's uniform faded to an unrecognizable color. I reached out and touched the bloodless face in the mirror. "Hah..." A barely audible chuckle slipped from my throat. The chat scrolled even faster. [What is she doing? The monsters are about to come out. Why isn't she hiding?] [Is she scared stupid? I think I see her shaking.] [Poor kid, she must be crying. This 'trial' is just a slaughter!] [Somebody save her... and save us...] Crying? I slowly crouched down, my shoulders heaving violently as my chest shook. "Haha..." I couldn't hold the laughter back anymore. It poured from my lips. I threw my head back, simply lying down on the dusty stone floor, spreading my arms wide and laughing out loud. "Hahahahaha!" My laughter echoed, edged with a wild madness. This wasn't some desperate slaughterhouse. This was my playground! An endless hunting ground where I didn't have to be chained to a wall! Death? Every second in that dungeon was just waiting to die. Here, I smelled freedom. The wolf blood in my veins was boiling. My beastly instincts told me this place was crawling with danger. But danger meant fun. [She’s crazy... She’s absolutely insane...] A stream of ellipses drifted across the chat, followed by a fresh wave of wailing. I sat up abruptly and dusted off my hands. In the top right corner of my vision, a blood-red countdown was ticking. Twenty-five minutes until the monsters were released. I stood up. I didn't look for a hidden corner as the rules suggested, nor did I search for weapons. Dragging my shackles, I strolled leisurely into the depths of the castle. Chapter 2 I wandered aimlessly through the castle corridors until I stopped before an exceptionally ornate door. I pushed it open to find a luxurious walk-in closet connected to a massive washroom. The water in the sink was actually clean. I raised an eyebrow, walked over, and turned on the tap. Cold water washed the grime from my face. I picked up a silver comb from the counter and slowly worked through my tangled hair. Fifteen years. I finally got a clear look at myself. Water droplets rolled down my pale, gaunt cheeks. I turned and walked toward the rows of grand wardrobes. Without hesitation, I stripped off the sour, rotting prisoner's uniform and pulled on a soft white silk dress. The skirt was light and airy. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, I had the illusion of being human. The annoying blue chat exploded again. [Is this really the time to play dress-up? Does she think this is a beauty pageant?] [Is she out of her mind? She’s still looking in the mirror?!] [Go hide! The other races are already hidden. Even the weakest goblins have dug their holes!] [Oh my god, the Elder Council is arguing about using our only communication lifeline to drill the rules into her head!] [But on a side note... this girl is actually pretty. Couldn't tell when she was covered in all that dirt.] I continued to ignore them. I casually snapped a thorny rose stem from the windowsill, twirling it between my fingers. Then, humming an ancient werewolf lullaby, I walked out of the closet. "The moon rises, the bones crack..." It was the same song I hummed when I was seven, right as I crushed that noble’s throat. I made my way to the castle's armory, which was piled high with dusty weapons. I needed to deal with the nuisance on my feet first. I picked up a heavy, clunky sword and raised it high. Clang! The iron chains on my ankles snapped. I tossed the useless sword aside, rubbing my wrists. The impact had sent a numbing vibration up my arms. Too heavy, too slow. I picked up a lightweight dagger and slashed it through the air a couple of times. Too short, not sharp enough. Finally, my eyes landed on a wooden crate in the corner. Inside lay a pair of claw blades forged from refined steel. I slipped them onto my hands. Ten razor-sharp steel claws gleamed with a cold light under the moon. These were weapons fit for a werewolf. I leaped nimbly onto the edge of the bell tower, hiding behind a massive gargoyle. From here, I had a bird's-eye view of the castle courtyard. Outside the main gate, a dark purple barrier was flickering. Five minutes left on the countdown. I narrowed my eyes, my pupils shrinking into vertical slits. Outside the barrier, ten huge, dark shadows paced restlessly. A pungent smell of sulfur drifted up on the night breeze. Their skin was like cracked rock, with boiling lava flowing through the fissures of their flesh. They had no eyes on their faces—just massive maws full of fangs. They dragged flaming whips behind them. By the looks of it, a single strike would peel the skin right off your bones. But my smile only grew wider. Interesting. The chat kept saying I was scared stupid. As I watched their movements, my mind was racing, calculating. "One whip strike comes with a five-second recovery." "Thick limbs, low center of gravity. They can climb. Speed is about 1.5 times that of an adult werewolf." "A straight 500-meter sprint would take them thirty seconds." "To grid search this entire castle, they'd need at least an hour." Analysis complete. My conclusion: not much of a threat. [What is she doing? Is she analyzing the monster stats?] [What's the point?! One hit from that whip and you're dead meat!] [The countdown is almost over! Go hide!] The clock ticked down to the final ten seconds. Ten. Nine. Eight. I raised my hand and crushed the thorny stem I'd been playing with. BONG— A massive, dull bell tolled over the castle, startling a flock of crows into the air. The cold mechanical voice pierced my eardrums again. "The thirty-minute hiding phase has concluded." "Monsters are now entering the field." "Enjoy your death, prey." Chapter 3 Boom! The dark purple barrier at the gates shattered into pieces. Ten monsters roared as they charged into the courtyard. From the bell tower, I watched them from above. They didn't just scatter aimlessly. They split into three highly organized groups. Left flank, right flank, center. Interesting. They know how to coordinate. A bloodcurdling scream quickly tore through the night sky. A demon on the left flank shattered a stone statue in the courtyard with a single whip crack. The dwarf hiding behind the statue was crushed before he even had time to scream. On the right flank, a burly orc panicked and sprinted out of the bushes. He raised his battleaxe, trying to fight back. But the demon's whip coiled around his waist like a viper. Rip! The sound of tearing flesh reached my ears, clear as day. The orc was ripped clean in half. Blood rained down. [Oh my god... that's brutal...] [Even a strong orc couldn't survive one hit. What chance does she have?] Dead? I licked my dry lips, the excitement in my eyes thickening. "Looks like the rules didn't lie," I muttered. "Being found doesn't kill you instantly. You only get eliminated if they actually kill you." But that dwarf was hiding perfectly. Why was he found? I needed to test a theory. I broke off a piece of rubble from the gargoyle's base and threw it hard toward the fountain on the left side of the courtyard. Splash! The two demons closest to the pool froze instantly and whipped their heads around. They had no eyes, but their heads locked perfectly onto the direction of the fountain. Then, they lunged at the water in a frenzy, their whips striking the surface until steam hissed into the air. I grabbed a burning torch from the nearby wall and threw it straight onto the empty ground on the right side of the courtyard. The torch hit the ground, flames flaring. But the demon on the right flank completely ignored the fire right next to it, continuing to pace blindly in circles. I smiled. They were blind. They hunted entirely by sound. As long as you didn't make a noise, you could dance right in front of them and they wouldn't see a thing. With their mechanics confirmed, I lost interest in lingering in the bell tower. I walked casually down the stairs, making no effort to hide, and headed straight for the second floor. Pushing open a set of gold-inlaid doors, a rich aroma of wine hit me. It was an incredibly lavish banquet hall. The long dining table was piled with a feast; roast meat was still sizzling. What caught my eye was the bottle of aged red wine sitting dead center, already decanted. I pulled out a high-backed chair and sat down like I owned the place. In my fifteen years in the dungeon, the cleanest thing I ever drank was muddy rainwater leaking through cracks in the wall. I picked up a goblet and poured myself a full glass. The crimson liquid glowed invitingly in the moonlight. I took a sip. Sweet, mellow, with a hint of oak. The wailing in the chat had turned into hysterical cursing. [What is she doing?! Is she drinking wine?!] [Three people downstairs are already dead! The monsters are coming upstairs right now!] [Does she think she's gonna die anyway, so she might as well die on a full stomach? She’s a disgrace to the Werewolves!] I tuned them out. I even picked up a knife and fork, cut a piece of roast meat, and popped it in my mouth. Tender, juicy, cooked to perfection. "Hey." A voice as thin as a thread suddenly came from the nearby fireplace. I turned my head. From the ashes of the hearth, a pair of terrified green eyes peeked out. It was an Elf participant. Her face was covered in soot, her usually elegant pointed ears drooping weakly. "Are you crazy?" the elf girl, Chloe, whispered, her whole body shaking. "You're eating the food here? What if it's cursed?" I swallowed the meat, skewered another piece with my fork, and tossed it with perfect aim right into the fireplace. The meat arched through the air and landed squarely in Chloe's lap. "Want a bite?" I asked, holding my wine glass, smiling at her. Chloe nearly screamed in terror and quickly shoved the meat aside. "Hiding in there is just waiting to die." I stood up and walked toward the stained-glass windows at the end of the hall. "This place is a dead end. Once the monsters come in, one sweep of that whip and you'll be a literal roast elf." I pushed the heavy glass window open hard. Outside was a sheer drop, with nothing but thorny vines clinging to the castle's outer wall. The ledge was barely four inches wide. I climbed over the sill without hesitation, my bare feet stepping onto the vines. Right then, a voice rang in my ear: "Zoe! It's the Werewolf Grand Elder!" "We used our only communication chance! Listen to me! The monsters are coming upstairs! Retreat immediately, head for the attic! Do not make a sound!" I frowned. Too loud. I hadn't even finished my wine. I just replied, "Oh." Then I cut the comms. The chat started screaming again: [She’s asking for it! She’s totally asking to die!] In the fireplace, Chloe had also just received a warning from the Elf clan. She completely broke down, her tears carving two clean tracks through the soot on her face. "They're coming up..." Chloe covered her mouth in despair. "I'm dead..." I sighed and set my wine glass on the windowsill. "Do you want to wait to die in that chimney, or do you want to come play with me and see something exciting?" THUD! THUD! THUD! Heavy footsteps had already reached the second-floor corridor. Two minutes until they entered the hall. I reached my hand out to Chloe through the window. "Come out now, or you're on your own." Chloe gritted her teeth, stumbled out of the fireplace, and threw herself at the window. I grabbed her slender wrist and yanked her out. We pressed flat against the freezing outer wall, balancing on the suspended vines. The exact second the stained-glass window clicked shut, the heavy oak doors of the banquet hall were smashed open by a terrifying force. Chapter 4 BOOM! The heavy oak doors were blown to splinters, raining wood like shrapnel. Three monsters roared as they charged into the banquet hall. I pressed myself tightly against the freezing stone wall, toes digging into vines barely four inches wide. One hand was locked into a crevice in the bricks, the other holding tightly onto a shivering Chloe. Inside the glass, the demons were venting their destructive urges. CRACK! The flaming whip swept across the room. The fireplace Chloe had just been hiding in collapsed instantly into a pile of rubble. The antique display cabinets were sliced clean in half. "Ah..." Chloe gasped. Her legs gave out, her feet slipped, and her entire body jerked downward. "Shut up!" I hissed. My arm muscles bunched. My steel claws dug deep into the stone, hauling her back onto the vines. Chloe bit her lip so hard it bled, tears streaming down her face, but she didn't dare make another sound. Just then, a towering figure burst out from behind the heavy curtains in the corner of the hall. It was the Centaur player. He had been hidden perfectly, but one of the monsters accidentally stepped on a wine bottle near him, exposing his position. "Get back, you freak!" the centaur roared, thrusting his spear at the monster. But he was too slow. The whip struck like a viper, instantly wrapping around his neck. "Save me—!" He lunged desperately toward the stained-glass window where we were, his desperate grasp clawing at the glass, as if trying to drag us down with him. Crash! His massive body slammed against the glass. The next second, flames swallowed him whole. Blood splattered against the stained glass, sliding slowly down a sacred portrait of the Virgin Mary. Just a pane of glass away. I watched him turn to ash without so much as blinking. The monsters circled the room blindly a few more times. Smelling only burnt meat and hearing no other movement, they turned and lumbered out of the hall. Crisis temporarily averted. The chat went dead silent for a few seconds before erupting into unprecedented cheers. [Oh my god! She survived! She actually dodged them!] [Zoe is so calm! The way she hauled the elf up was badass!] [I take back what I said. She's not trying to get killed; she actually understands the rules!] [The Werewolf clan is saved! Hang in there, Zoe!] I ignored the backseat praise and looked down at the courtyard on the first floor. The trial timer had just hit exactly one hour. Suddenly, I noticed a chest glowing with a faint blue light in the middle of the empty lawn. No lock. The lid was slightly ajar. Loot. I let go of Chloe's hand and pressed her fingers into the wall crevice. "Hold tight. Don't move." "Where are you going?!" Chloe's eyes went wide with terror as she whispered, "Don't leave me!" "To get the loot." I ignored her pleading and scrambled swiftly down the thorny vines like an agile spider. Landing smoothly, I hurried over to the chest and threw it open. There was no god-tier weapon capable of slicing through iron, nor was there any magic potion to instantly restore stamina. At the bottom of the chest lay a cold, black stone etched with ancient dark-gold runes. "That's it?" I was a bit disappointed. But the wolf soul inside me was going crazy. It seemed to have a natural craving for this rock. I reached out with my clawed hand and grabbed the soul stone. The moment I touched it, the stone turned into scalding liquid and melted straight into my palm. "Ah!" The intense burning made me let out a low cry. A blinding white light shot into the sky, lighting up the entire courtyard like day. When the light faded, a tall, slender figure stood before me out of thin air. He wore an elegant, out-of-place evening suit, the complex lace at his collar screaming of ancient decadence. He had long silver-gray hair, features so flawlessly deep they barely looked human, and a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on his lips. The man looked around in confusion for a moment before his deep purple eyes locked onto my face. He looked me up and down with interest, his gaze bold and sharp. "You're the one who woke me?" He took a step forward. His voice was low and lazy, carrying some kind of bewitching magic. "My... little master?" I narrowed my eyes and took a half-step back, my steel claws glinting coldly in the moonlight. The chat lost its mind: [What is that?! A man?!]