NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

There was no other way but to move forward, and the gate up ahead was our ticket towards the surface. However, the monster stood tall and hindered us from proceeding. Since this place was the worm's territory, it wanted us to scram away from its home.

The throbbing pain in my right hand continued to slow me down. But I doubt we could win this fight even if I could freely control my right arm.

We also have three members to attack the worm, with the "other" remaining two on the back lines. The three of us did not have any coordination at all, which would make our battle five times more difficult than earlier.

"Wolf, what are we going to do?" I asked.

I kept Wolf's name a secret to him. If he had found out, Wolf might do something horrible to me.

"Wait… I'm thinking," Wolf answered. "Can you give me some time and distract the monster for me? Give me two minutes… I'll think of something. If you want to win this fight, place your trust in me, Red."

Although Wolf's method would toss me on the front lines, it was the only option we had. I had no other choice but to confide our fate to his hands, considering that Wolf was the best player in this world. This fight would prove his powers and live up to the title of his name.

I gave Wolf a nod and faced the worm, together with Snow White. The dwarf's job was to protect Wolf from all ranged attacks from the monster, while I would keep it busy. It won't be too long before the two of us could buy Wolf two minutes to think of a scheme.

If Wolf himself still couldn't come up with a grand plot,... we might have to resign to running away from this place, even with the cost of drawing the worm close to the shelter. Snow White was also well aware of that outcome… And I doubt she would agree to that suggestion.

However, considering our situation, any option of escaping was the best option we would ever have.

"I trust you, Wolf…," I murmured, while glaring at the worm.

Although Wolf was friends with the hunter, he was still a dependable player. I saw him from before, saving everyone inside our village and killing those bastard players. And if he could do it from before Wolf could do it again.

My right eye glowed a bright red hue, activating my inner skill that heightened my senses. The system knew that I needed all the skills I had against such a ferocious monster. And did not plan on dying in this fight since I still had a goal to achieve.

No worm could ever separate me from my revenge against the person who created this game. Clementine did not deserve to die in this world, and I wanted justice from her death.

I rushed towards the worm and went in front of the worm, changing my tactics on approaching this beast. I also activated my spell [shadow walk] and avoided stomping the ground. Since the creeping creature did not have eyes, it did not matter where I would attack. The only thing that I needed to avoid was to make sounds that would give my position.

Much to my surprise, my planned work, and I was now in front of the dumb worm. But as soon as I leapt from the ground, the worm evaded my attack and stormed off backwards. The dagger was my initial thought when it eluded my attack. However, that thought might not be the correct answer.

It was as if it knew my position before I could even attack.

"Tsk."

I clicked my tongue and rolled my body backwards as soon as I landed on the ground. The worm seized its chance and charged straight towards me with full force.

Within a few seconds, the worm zoomed in front of me, wanting to tackle my figure. It was a good thing that I slid to the side, avoiding the attack.

However, the worm continued charging towards Snow White and Wolf. Since I dodged the attack, the worm came crashing straight in their direction.

"Snow White, look out!" I shouted, warning the dwarf warrior to defend Wolf.

Considering that Wolf was our mastermind for our next plan, we needed him alive.

Snow White heeded my advice and defended the Wolf by standing parallel to the worm. She clipped her blade in her hands and blocked the attack using her weapon. The impact from the blast spread everywhere, except her behind. That blast even caused me to hover backwards, nearly slamming against my body at the wall.

"Such... power," I whispered, while witnessing such an exceptional scene.

I never knew that Snow White had this power all along inside of her. I knew she had exceptional strength within her muscles. But never did I expect her to block an attack from the worm.

Snow White's body revealed all the veins inside her body, imbued with an arcane charge inside of her. Her magic reached a different level, but still incomparable from what Match had. Despite this comparison, Snow White held her ground and used that excessive power to block the worm.

Snow White then tossed the worm to the side with her bare hands. The sword clipped in her fingers shattered into a million shards, telling us it did not handle the pressure of that fight. I knew that Snow White was also a blacksmith, making the sword enchanted with magic. However, even that blade did not withstand the force coming from Snow White.

The worm mourned in pain as it slammed itself on the ground. The ground shook as soon as the creeping creature landed on the soil, but it was not enough to take the beast down.

After giving Snow White her all, the veins and arcane magic faded away from her body, rendering her unconscious for the next fight. She closed her eyes and let her body plummet to the ground.

But before Snow White could hit the floor, Wolf caught her in his arms and carried her towards Match and Ryoshi. Wolf also used his [wolf form] and [wolf walk] to arrive at the back lines.

Wolf and I were the only ones left fighting against this monster. However, I knew that if we could not defeat that worm before, we could not defeat it now. It was not a pessimistic thought.

I was just being realistic about our situation.

After sending Snow White to the safer spot, Wolf went beside me within a few seconds. I knew that magic that Wolf cast upon himself would not last that long. If I had to guess the spell's duration, Wolf had around ten minutes for that form.

Now that a closer look at Wolf, he did not look the same as before. Wolf had the skin of a real hound, with fur enveloping his body. Wolf also had sharper claws in his paws (hands) and narrowed eyes. A cloud of arcane also surrounded his body, which was even stronger than Snow White showed earlier.

"Did you come up with a plan?" I asked, while observing his figure for the nth time.

"I have… that's why I unlocked my first form…," Wolf answered.

"I thought you could already activate that before?"

"Yes. But that form gave me limitations. And right now, I feel like my old self again."

After our exchange, the worm found its balance and returned to its position. Even after taking that blow, the worm still moved as if nothing had happened. But there was no time for me to commend the monster as it glared in our direction without having orbs.

"So, the plan is simple…. Take everyone towards the door and leave Match beside me. I need her fire to dry the worm's skin," Wolf explained, while positioning himself in an offensive stance.

"Are you out of your mind, Wolf? Why does Match have to help you fight that thing?!"

"I recalled... Hunter told me the details about worms before entering this place. He told me that if worms appeared, our best option was to burn them down into cinders. Just...trust me about this, Red. Please."

After hearing Wolf's sentence, I glanced behind and observed Match, desperately pressing the wounds of Hunter and covering Snow White with a cloth. She did what she could to protect those two from the worm. Match also thought her powers were useless against the worm, since her fireball did no damage to the creature.

However, she had thought wrong, as Wolf explained the details to me. All we needed to do was for Match to help Wolf attack the worm.

"I know it's dangerous, but I won't let Match die because of me… In fact, I will sacrifice myself if I think the worm plans to attack Match. If we need to stop this monster, I need your cooperation, Red…"