Craig tightened his grip on the branch until his fingers hurt.
The hunting zone had become far worse than anyone expected.
Unlike the previous work tasks—mining, gathering, cutting wood, fishing—this section of the game offered no illusion of harmless labor. The forest here opened into a rocky slope where silver-furred predators moved below like patient shadows.
Silver leopards.
Their bodies were lean, muscular, and strangely reflective under the artificial daylight, each movement smooth enough that even when they crossed open ground, they looked difficult to track. Their fur shimmered like metal whenever they passed beneath the light, and their eyes held a pale glow that made them look less like ordinary animals and more like creatures designed specifically for this game.
Craig and several other participants assigned to hunting had climbed trees instead of taking direct risks.
No one had planned that together. It simply happened the moment the first leopard appeared.
