"Let's just say . . . I got lucky."
Hoggy's round face split into a huge grin, his eyes folding into crescent moons as his belly jiggled with laughter. "Lucky indeed! With this haul, you've filled all my stocks! Great! Great!"
Before Ren could answer, Hoggy snatched the Ox Horn hanging by his side and blew into it.
The sound wasn't just loud—it was a thunderclap that rolled across the sand. The air vibrated, dunes trembled, and several players nearby clutched their ears, dizzy from the sudden blast. For a moment, even the dry desert wind seemed to stop.
When the echo faded, shapes appeared over the dunes—players trudging back from every direction, blinking through the haze and dust kicked up by the horn's call. The sun reflected sharply off armor and metal, and the Oasis glimmered faintly in the far distance like a mirage.
"Alright, gather up, you sand-eating adventurers!" Hoggy bellowed, voice booming over the dunes. "The competition's over!"
