NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

"Fine… I will allow it… I'll brief Match about the details."

As soon as I announced my thoughts, I rushed towards Match and hid behind the rock. The two of us nudged Ryoshi and Snow White aside while we waited for our signal. They were two unconscious bodies that we pushed to the other side of the platform. It almost exhausted all of our strength just by moving these two away from the danger zone.

I could not imagine how Match brought these two together in one place. It must have been difficult for her to carry all of them away from the fight. She did not even have any magic to heighten her muscular prowess.

But there was no point in thinking about those trivial matters. I brushed those thoughts away and focused on the problem in front of me.

Wolf also did his best to distract the worm while I explained the details to the little girl. When I glanced in his direction, Wolf waved his hand and allowed the worm to pursue his figure. That player looked stupid while running from the worm.

Since he did not want the monster to know our plans, Wolf placed his [wolf form] as a concealed spell while waiting for Match.

I returned to my position and stared at Match's face. Although I could feel the tremor in her hands, Match remained calm throughout this fight. She just wanted all of us to live and return to our normal lives.

"What's wrong?" Match queried me with a question, while returning my gaze.

She held and clasped my hand as I did to her before when we first met. Match flashed me a cheerful smile, regardless of what was happening around us.

"Match, listen to me… Do you want to help Wolf fight the worm? He has a plan, but I think it's too risky for you… But you're the only one that could win us this battle. Are you in, or are you out?" I asked,

Match stared into my eyes for a few seconds before giving me a response. Her hands also stopped trembling with fright as she stood up from her seat and opened her mouth.

"I will fight with you. Tell me what to do, Red," Match confidently answered, while preparing dozens of magic circles around her hands.

Those runes were also the ones she used before. But she added more arcane to her magic to take down the worm… I could already see it in Match's left eye, glowing in the darkened night.

"I'm ready… tell me what to do."

As soon as I heard her words, I briefed Match on everything she needed to know before entering the battlefield.

Match gave me a nod and hurried herself to meet with Wolf. When she arrived in front, Match revealed all the magic circles she prepared and aimed them at the worm. Although firing those spells was not part of the plan, Match discharged them anyway and created an explosion.

When the blaze crashed against the worm, an obsidian smog emerged from the blast. That smoke briefly spread throughout the tunnel before disappearing into the exit.

Within a few seconds, Wolf seized the moment and launched himself on top of the worm. He planned to strike the worm using his nails, but I doubt that would end the monster's life.

Wolf and Match needed to work together to destroy the five hearts of the worm hidden inside its body. But that was not an easy feat that they could do alone. They needed more than an army to stop the forces of the ferocious worm.

But luck was never on our side, especially when I would exclude myself from this fight. Since we had two injured people behind the stone, I had no choice but to protect them with my bare hands.

It was like the worm did earlier. Dozens of stones got hurled in my direction, and all of them came from the rampaging worm. The crawler aimed some stones directly at my figure, which I needed to destroy before it could hurt these two behind me.

I reached out for my blade and activated my right eye. As soon as my eye glowed, my senses heightened, allowing me to move twice as fast as before.

Although the Penitent's blade was not the overpowered weapon, it still did its job. I leapt from the ground and slashed all the incoming boulders at me. Within a few seconds, the rocks blasted into a million pebbles, raining from the ceiling.

Although I was not part of the battle with the worm, I still played a vital role in the back lines. Since Wolf and Match were the only ones that could deal damage at the worm, I let those two get the spotlights. As long as they would proceed with caution, I doubt the brainless worm could kill the two of them.

Despite my overconfidence, my hand violently quivered, wishing to hold Match fighting the worm. However, no matter how hard I wanted to be with her, Match had a job to finish. This fight would give her the experience to conjure her spells more than before.

"You can do it, Match….," I murmured, and hoped for the best outcome while watching the fight.

Wolf finally struck the worm's first heart. Although the arrows Ryoshi sent already injured that core, Wolf needed to give an extra mile to swing his claws. Just after his hands came into contact with the heart, the organ burst into a million tissues. Crimson liquid burst at every angle, drenching us with the blood coming from the worm.

All that Wolf and Match needed to do was find the rest of those hearts inside the worm's body before the monster could get them. But the question remained unanswered.

"Where the hell are those four hearts?!"

Even from afar, I could already hear Wolf screaming in pain. If this problem did not include me, I would laugh at him until I plummet to the floor. But this battle dictated whoever would leave this place alive.

There was only one survivor inside this tunnel, and Match and I were not the ones who would rest underground!

"Keep firing your fireballs, Match! Just aim at its body! And never hit me with one of those, or else I would turn into crisps!" Wolf shouted, as he ran in circles, trying to find an opening against the creeping creature.

It took an entire minute of running around the place before Wolf could land on the wolf's body. Just as the moment when Wolf reached the worm, the creature's skin became dry while crumbling with the air. Those features showed in front of me, with hundreds of crumbs falling from the worm's body.

I shielded the two unconscious people at the back and used my skills to block any falling debris. My eyes remained at the ceiling while stealing glances at the fight on my flank.

Ryoshi snuck his way to the worm's sides and let out a grin. I immediately knew he found the other heart hidden behind the creeping creature's body.

However, before Wolf could even raise his sword, the worm came prepared and wiggled its entire vessel. The skin serving Wolf as his platform also violently quaked, leaving Wolf in a challenging position.

Wolf needed to balance his body while aiming his sword at the pumping heart. He must also elude all the attacks coming from the worm. Although Match's spells kept the monster at bay, those blazes were not enough to burn everything from the worm.

"I-I'm not dealing any damage!" Match cried, while tossing her hands at the worm.

Beads of sweat cascaded from Merleen's face as she continued thrusting the flames in front of her. Those fireballs collided with the worm's body. But it was what Match had mentioned. Those fires did nothing but provoke the worm more!

Judging from her reaction, Match was at her wit's end. She kept pushing herself for this last straw, with her mana capacity already draining to zero.

But Match knew she had to continue this blitz! Wolf was doing his best to take down the worm. Resting right now was the least of her concerns, knowing that everything depends on her.

Wolf finally made his move and used his claws and struck the worm's body. He did not care if he would wound the worm without cutting the heart. As long as Wolf stopped the thrashing movements, the plan would move.

However, the worm continued ramming its body against the wall as it desperately pushed Wolf aside. But the persistent player never gave up while latching himself onto the worm's skin.

Fortunately for him, Wolf landed near the fourth heart. With one swift strike, the heart burst into smithereens once more. That occurrence created a fountain of blood everywhere inside the tunnel. The stench that came from the worm's residue spread inside the cave, filling our nostrils with a foul odour.

Wolf already destroyed two hearts out of the three… If this continued, we would eventually win this fight!