The Hunter Becomes the Hunted

After that quest was posted on the Goddess Hunter app, my world fell apart.

On my way to the classroom building, I felt like a naked animal. Stares, whispers, and whistles closed in from every direction, drowning me.

I kept my head down and rushed back to my dorm as fast as I could, then locked myself inside. Only when my back hit the cold door did I realize my whole body was shaking.

I opened the app.

My class schedule, my dorm floor, and even my usual seat in the study room had all been pinned at the top in highlighted text. I had become prey with no privacy at all.

However, anger burned through my fear.

With my eyes red, I rushed to the counselor Jack Miller's office.

Jack was sipping coffee when I arrived at his office. When he saw my bloodshot eyes, he only adjusted his glasses with cool indifference.

"This is just a prank, Sinead. Don't make such a big deal out of it. Students these days like to joke around."

I shuddered with rage. "This isn't a joke! This is harassment! It's a crime!"

He set down his glass, impatience in his voice as he said, "Then have you thought about why, out of all those girls, you're the one being targeted the worst? Maybe because you're too aloof? Too antisocial? Maybe you crossed someone?"

I looked at his face as he deflected responsibility, and my heart sank.

Without a choice, I went to campus security. After listening to me, the security guard on duty yawned and scribbled a few lines in his notebook.

"This counts as online harassment, miss. Since the app's server is based overseas, we have no way of investigating it. Besides, it hasn't caused any real harm yet. I suggest you put up with it for now. Everything will be fine once the attention dies down."

Put up with it…

Four easy words.

That night, when I returned to the dorm from the library, I deliberately avoided the quieter paths.

But I was still too late.

In the small garden below the dorm building, three young men with dyed hair suddenly stepped out of the darkness and blocked my way. They grinned as they approached me.

"Hey, don't run."

"That's one thousand dollars. Let us finish the quest."

One of them had already reached for my skirt.

I screamed, shoved him away with all my strength, then turned and ran. They yanked my backpack hard and the strap snapped, the books and papers inside scattered across the ground.

I did not even dare turn back to pick them up.

I stumbled into the dorm building with their wild laughter still echoing behind me. I curled up in the corner of my room, tears of fear rolled down my face.

I looked at the figures wandering outside the window and listened as new comments kept popping up in the app.

[I heard someone tried it just now. Too bad she got away.]

[I'll do it tomorrow! I can definitely rip the skirt off!]

[One thousand dollars is enough for the latest phone!]

I wiped my tears away in silence and slowly stood up from the floor before walking to my desk. In the dark, my eyes turned colder and calmer than they had ever been.

You wanted to play a game, did you?

Fine.

I would play this game with you to the end.

I opened my laptop, and my fingers danced across the keyboard.