NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

"Are you not going to stop those two from fighting? Snow White might kill that red girl…," Ryoshi murmured, as he spared a glance at the person beside him.

After a few seconds, Wolf met his gaze and replied, "I doubt that one of them would die during the clash… And if that happens, I would intervene in their battle. Any more objections?"

"None."

After their exchange, Ryoshi and Wolf remained standing on their ground, watching the scene from afar. Those two players thought I could not hear their conversations, but I did. And my ears caught every word.

"I guess we're really on our own, Match," I announced, and prepared my penitent's dagger.

Wolf crushed the existence of faith inside my brain as he continued observing the situation from afar. Although he had no power to stop Snow White, Wolf could have, at least, tried reasoning with the dwarf.

However, that never happened. And right now, Match and I had to face this overwhelming foe. I could only think that Snow White would be the perfect training dummy we could have asked for on our journey.

As soon as Ryoshi started the match, I dashed straight to Snow White, planning to distract her from sight. Match had an original role and aimed most of the magic circles she prepared beforehand. Those fiery balls heeded the motion of her hand and hovered towards Snow White.

I led those spheres to their destination and snuck my knife at Snow White's neck. It was the only move that retained itself within my muscle memory. Since I already activated my [shadow walk] before, moving to Snow White's said became a walk to the park.

The only thing we needed to do now was land those hits on Snow White's skin, intending to kill.

In spite of all our efforts, none of the attacks landed at Snow White. Instead, those fireballs that Match created vanished in the air as soon as they came into contact with Snow White. Those balls of fire generated smog, which also created my entrance. Snow White expected nothing as I emerged from the black smoke.

When my eyes came into contact with Snow White, the blade's tip crashed against an unseeable force. As I narrowed my eyes, a barrier of some sort addressed my attack. That fence protected her skin, chanting no protective spell before and during the fight.

It was as if that skin protected Snow White this entire time, even without touching my dagger.

The recoil from my attack sent me tumbling backwards. It was a good thing that I recovered my balance, as I kept my injuries to a minimum. I landed on the ground and returned to my defensive position, analysing every detail I witnessed from that brief fight.

The fog of war disappeared within a few seconds, slowly revealing the face of our opponent. When the dark smoke vanished, Snow White's glittering eyes greeted mine. Despite all the damage Match and I did, we never made a scratch on Snow White's face.

It just showed how powerful and sturdy our enemy was, even with our combined abilities. Match and I were only alive because Snow White never made her move. If she planned to attack us, now was the right time.

And I jinxed my fate by thinking about those words. Snow White leapt from the soil and dashed straight towards Match.

A warrior would always know who to take down during a fight. And Snow White understood the situation well, given the little time she prepared for this clash.

That dwarf aimed her hammer at the defenceless Match, staying far behind the clash as much as possible. Since she was a mage, Match wanted to fight anyone from afar, casting spells with ease and accuracy. She did not have any means to fight in close range, especially against a warrior that would close the perimeter.

But the situation reversed, challenging all Match's senses against all odds… against Snow White.

I never allowed such a thing to happen as I sprinted from my place and headed towards Match. At the speed of a racing car, I traversed the plains, praying to reach my comrade before it was too late.

"Your combination surpasses the players I've seen so far! This is a fine battle!" Snow White shouted, before hurling the hammer into her hands.

I thrust my dagger forward and aimed at Snow White's chest from behind. I knew that nobody could defend against this deadly attack. And if this blade could land behind her, I would have killed Snow White.

However, something stopped me from my objectives.

A beginner's dagger welcomed my eyes, with Wolf glaring into my eyes. He defended my attack without batting a single sweat from his face.

As I glanced behind him, a bow greeted my eyes, with the hammer beside the bolt stuck on the ground. Snow White's hand remained on the handle, refusing to release her weapon from her hand.

However, no matter how hard she struggled, Snow White couldn't fight the force coming from the arrow. That dart drew her closer to the ground. As long as that bolt remained intact on the stone, Snow White would keep still in that position.

"Why would you?" I asked.

Wolf probably knew what I wanted to know.

"I already tested your skills, including Match… That little girl would go places!" Wolf exclaimed.

Wolf gingerly lowered his weapon without letting go of his sight from me. When our blades pointed to the ground, Wolf offered a truce, telling me that the battle finished. Thousands of question marks floated above my head, wondering what the fuck had happened since that fight.

But before I could even voice my concerns, Wolf continued his sentence. "I'm just checking what you're capable of. You can't complete the game if you don't have the skills to do it."

Wolf's words rang inside my help, telling me he wanted to help me achieve my goals. I, who trusted nobody but Match and the merchant, shook my head. "Go fuck yourself, Wolf. I don't need you or your killer friend."

Wolf remained silent and gave me a nod. He must have known the weight behind my words, since his so-called "best friend" killed someone close to me. It was that boy who started all of this.

If Ryoshi… that man did not pull the string, Clementine could have been alive right now. But she was not, so I needed to take my revenge.

After ending our conversation, I glanced behind and spotted someone standing on a cliff. As I squinted my eyes, the figure of the archer welcomed my eyes. I wanted to pluck my orbs and become blind after seeing that ranger's face.

But instead of taking my eyes off from my socket, I walked towards Snow White and asked Wolf from behind. "Why did you save Match? I thought you're going to kill her? And why would your friend save Match when he was the one who killed my sister?!"

My voice trembled every time I spouted a word. All the reserved anger burst from my heart, overflowing all over my arteries and veins. It was as if the dam that contained my emotions got destroyed by this scene…

I couldn't appreciate what that ranger did to protect Match… Even with this act of kindness, I still hated that man with the arrow.

"And you, Snow White! Why would you kill that girl?! I told you to hold back, but you didn't!" Wolf shouted.

Snow White finally released her grip from the hammer's handle and turned to Wolf. With watery eyes, she endlessly bowed.

"I'm really sorry, Wolf… I didn't mean to do it! I'm really sorry, Wolf! I am so sorry!"

Snow White's fierce appearance earlier changed to a loyal dog begging for forgiveness. Although, I couldn't bring myself to blame Snow White for the matter, since Match and I aimed to kill her, too. If somebody needed to apologise, it was the two of us, not Snow White.

I had no grudge against her. I only locked my eyes with the ranger in the distance.

After the scene ended, Match ran straight towards me and hugged my waist. I returned her warmth and snuggled with all my remaining might to the little girl.

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" I asked, ensuring Match's safety.

Match nodded as her reply and continued concealing herself from Snow White behind me. After witnessing such a dangerous situation, Match would never approach Snow White again, knowing she could kill her again.

Since Match was a maze, experiencing a warrior chasing after her to the ends of the planet became a frightful memory. However, that downfall also served as a lesson for Match to improve her spells and defensive tactics.

Now that we got out of our way, I stepped forward and called Snow White's attention.

"Snow White, you're coming with me. A deal is a deal," I said, and dragged Snow White's hand.