NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

"Really? I'll take your offer," Wolf said, with a reluctant look in his eyes.

It took him a few moments before ensuring my expression. And since I did not have any mirrors, I never knew what image I shared with Wolf.

As soon as Wolf realised, he laid on the grass and turned to the side. A blaring thud echoed throughout our vicinity, with the pile of leaves fluttering at the side. Wolf never uttered a word to me as he faced the opposite direction.

That man stared for a while before shutting his eyes.

He did not even mind the plain ground and went to sleep right after. After a few seconds of our exchange, Wolf snores echoed throughout the vicinity. No monsters lurked in the area, so I did not have to wake him up.

Despite our conflicts in our beliefs, Wolf was still the man who saved us from the soldiers. If it were not for him, maybe Match and I would have died inside the tunnel.

Within a few seconds, I had no one to talk to but myself and the whirling wind. Now that I had realised my role, I sat beside the campfire and stared at the crisped firewood. The blaze had already died out, inviting the chilly wind to touch my skin.

I hugged myself and felt the warmth inside of me. As I glanced at my side, Match's face welcomed my eyes. It was the only light that basked me with hope and the only glimmer I had throughout this journey.

However, that blissful feeling disappeared as I glimpsed further besides. An image of a man holding his bow entered my sight. My eyes narrowed down while glaring at the figure.

I contained my dimmed thoughts while staring at the player. But no matter how hard I tried, my fingers refused to shiver. Upon clenching my hands, I finally knew what to do.

I revealed my penitent's blade and aimed the tip at Ryoshi's throat. Since this was the only chance that I could have to slit his throat, I wanted to make the most out of my window.

My hand nudged closer to Hunter, wishing to cut his neck open as I did to my victims. One slash from my weapon would instantly kill the man, and nobody on our team knew any healing magic. That absence of spell made my life easier and arduous for Ryoshi.

However, before my dagger could reach the skin of Ryoshi, a sudden kick landed on my thigh. Upon turning around, Match's leg was the only thing I caught sight of and delayed the inevitable.

"....."

My eyes stared for a while at Match's sleeping figure. She was like an angel in disguise sent to me to calm my senses. That girl was the only one who denied my grim past and supported me until the very end.

I averted my gaze and glared at Ryoshi again, but my killing intentions ceased to boil my heart. I could not find any more motivation after seeing Match's face in front of me. It was as if she warned me about the consequences of my actions, despite fulfilling my revenge.

Although there was nothing more in life that I wanted but to kill the murderer of my sister, I sheathed my dagger back on my scabbard and turned around. I could find no more chances besides this day, considering the sleeping Wolf. He was my sole obstruction from my achieving plan.

And now, that dream went down the drain.

"Fine… I won't kill him," I murmured to myself, while reaching out my hand towards Match.

I caressed Match's crazed her-like I always do and kissed her on her forehead. It was always things I did for her, even the first time we met. She was all I had in this terrible life, and I did not want to lose her…. like I lost Clementine.

But I had never forgiven Ryoshi for killing Clementine. Even if it was a mere accident, I still held a grudge towards that man. However, my intentions for killing Hunter became slim as a stick.

How could I, when I risk Match, hating me for my actions? If Match knew I killed the man we partied up and escaped from the tunnel, that might be the end of my life. Match's face would be enough to kill me without placing a dagger on my chest.

The night had gone by, and the world moved once again. I already fixed the campfire and prepared our morning meals since Wolf had assigned me to that job.

Wolf was the first one to wake up, followed by the others. All the sleeping people roused from their beds and addressed Wolf and me. Fortunately for me, the failed plan remained a mystery to everyone, since they mentioned nothing about it.

I watched Wolf if he would ever bring that part up in our conversation. However, he approached me like on any other day, trying to comfort or get close to me. But I never wanted to be his friend or anything, apart from adventurers travelling together.

After escorting Snow White back to her homeland, Match and I would get on that boat that the dwarf recommended and surf the sea without Ryoshi and Wolf on board. If the two of us were lucky, we could ask Draven to upgrade our weapons and make use of this bow and gun at my disposal.

But before we could even move to our destination, a blast coming from the northern area reverberated in the distance. Our startled faces looked forward and spotted a dark smoke reaching the heavens above.

"We need to move, right now!" Wolf ordered, and was the first one to exit the campsite.

All of us followed him close behind and passed by dozens of collapsed trees and rubbles. The scenery changed along the way, making our eyes lose visuals in front of us. I even slowed down my movements just to observe the place surrounding me, looking for clues about the crashing sound.

Hundreds of ruined houses and burned bodies of dwarves greeted our eyes, which were also the things we saw before. We did not notice these variables from before, which only meant one thing.

Some bodies felt fresh in our eyes, with some recognisable dwarves I already met earlier. All of them kissed the ground with their eyes, looking at the world's core. The smell of rotten bodies flew through our nostrils, making me puke at every inhale I made.

"Fuck…. Did Robin make it through here? No… He can't be. There's no way he could reach this place... Not unless," Wolf mumbled to himself, and gritted his teeth.

I could see the crimson blood flowing from his lips as he bit his skin. But Wolf never grimaced at his pain and allowed his teeth to bury themselves to his lips.

"Wolf, get a hold of yourself! And who are these people that you mentioned?" I asked, and alerted Wolf about her self-harm actions.

As soon as he heard my voice, Wolf turned around and met my gaze. He looked down and confessed the news nobody wanted to hear.

"They're coming… Those players reached this place. We better chase them away and meet Draven as soon as possible."

It was the first time I agreed to his decision. Since we had the same aim, our team needed to pair up once again and fight these players. Although Wolf and Hunter were players themselves, they weren't as crooked as those bastards holding their guns.

"Players? I will smash their heads from existence!" Snow White exclaimed, while cracking her knuckles.

However, Wolf shook his head and retorted, "We don't have to kill them… I hope we avoid that part. I killed thousands of them before meeting you, Red. I don't want to make the same mistakes as I did before."

I could not bring myself to agree with Wolf's words. After hearing his thoughts, I remained silent and stared at the ground. It was difficult for me to agree to his concerns, especially protecting Match when the fight would start later. Although I avoid killing anyone against me, I will still do everything to defend Match.

If I had to kill everyone else for the sake of hers, I would gladly do so with a smile on my face.

All five of us went towards the road, leaping from one obstacle after the other. The only rest that we had was the one we got from the campsite, which soothed our senses for a short while.

Our road became crystal as we made it past the streets near the shelter. But before we could enter the structure, the players emerged in front of the entrance, waiting for our arrival.

These players armed themselves with the same guns we saw before. But now that they had more designs attached to their firearms, oozing with enormous arcane. Those people had different uniforms that granted them bonus defences against minor attacks.