NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

The soldier and I exchanged shots, hoping to take the other one down. My gun had lesser features compared to the man, so he fired more bullets than me. My system also displayed the damage comparison of our damage output. Of course, the man had the upper hand in this fight, since his bullets had more raw damage than mine.

But luck stayed on my side and protected me from my death. All those bullets the soldier sent at me missed while he took two shots from my gun. And to make matters worse, I got a headshot out from the guy.

Those bullets were not enough to stop me from my tracks. That soldier ended up living a sliver of health points on top of his name. After taking those hits from my rifle, his crimson health bar drained unto the bare minimum that kept him alive. The soldier's uniform saved him from his death, granting him enough defence to survive. He could barely even move a muscle, considering the headshot that the guard took.

However, the guard refused to give up and tried aiming his gun in my direction. I had no interest in staining my hands to a petty man and left him behind.

"You coward! Kill me as you did to the soldiers! I heard about you! You killed players for your own gain!" shouted the soldier.

But I paid him no mind and walked away without looking back. I already knew he had no energy to aim that gun at me, considering the one HP keeping him alive. That soldier would regenerate back his health in time, so leaving him was my wisest decision.

As soon as I returned to the previous battlefield, Wolf had already finished his battle. When he met my eyes, Wolf stood up from his seat and went to me. His health points did not lower while fighting the soldier. Wolf had a clean fight against the guard, despite having the gun clipped on the soldier's hand. He made the battle look like the elite man was a fool against Wolf.

I had no chance to watch the scene, but I knew that happened while I fought the other soldier. This field just showed how overpowered Wolf had become compared to me or anyone I met.

Wolf will always be the greatest threat that the game had, even without activating his other forms. And if I remembered his words, Wolf did not use his main form when the death game started. When the game granted his power from his previous account (Fenrir), he would have one-shotted everyone out from this game.

"You're late, Red. Before the battle had even started, I already defeated the crap out of him," Wolf exclaimed, while shrugging his shoulders at the man.

The soldier he mentioned wore his sleeveless shirt and shorts as he laid on the ground. When I first met the two elite soldiers, they wore uniforms that protected them from any attacks, except for bullets.

But Wolf destroyed the guard's clothing using his razor-sharp claws. And even if he did not have any weapons at his disposal, Wolf could effortlessly defeat any opponent in his way.

"Don't worry, he's still alive," Wolf continued, and trudged towards the shelter's entrance. "Oh, by the way, I already took care of all the small fries soldiers inside this shelter. They all went to help the elite ones. But they didn't stand a chance."

I couldn't give Wolf my reply and remained silent throughout our walk. My eyes expanded upon hearing his story. If any NPC listened to his narration, nobody would have probably believed him. But I knew those things happened, considering the unconscious bodies lying on the floor.

If Wolf told me a bluff, those soldiers would have still attacked us as soon as we entered inside. But they didn't, since all those guards could not move.

"How did you do it?" I could not help but ask the nonchalant Wolf.

Wolf slowed down his pace and met my gaze. He briefly revealed his claws and retracted them back inside his body. My system also notified an intense killing intent surrounding the cave, with an overwhelming arcane clouding my sight.

When I faced Wolf again, the shadowy figures were all I witnessed. Within a few seconds, those shapes disappeared, with Wolf standing in front of me once again.

"Did I answer your question, Red?" Wolf replied, with a snicker carved on his face.

"If you have this strength, why did you not use it inside the tunnel! We could've died because of you! Match could've ...."

My mouth refused to utter any words, since anger had already consumed me. But despite my emotions, I wanted to listen to Wolf's bullshit explanations before taking him out.

"If I hadn't done what I did, Match would not have learned to fight against stronger monsters. You want to complete this game using your pathetic skills and experience. But you accomplished these things with pure stealth assaults, fighting no one head-on," Wolf answered.

He stopped and stared into my eyes before continuing to his sentence. "Let me ask you, Red. What would happen if you face a stronger opponent that you cannot beat? Would you run away? There are other players out there that could kill you without breaking a sweat. This game has an Alice in Wonderland, Captain Hook, and even the game developers inside this game. You may have killed two leaders; King Arthur and La Finta Nonna, but you're too weak against other creatures."

After our exchange, Wolf pressed on and entered the shelter without me. I could not move my feet after I heard him chide my ideals.

All Wolf said to me hit the nail, mocking me while giving me a cold lecture. All those words went straight into my heart, piercing every vein and artery inside of me.

It was what Wolf had mentioned. I was still a naive girl, taking my revenge against the world. Although I defied most of my obstacles, the worst had yet to come in my direction. I planned all those murders without fighting them face to face.

If I fought against those NPCs and players, I would have already died before I could even reach the Elven Kingdom.

"But you can still change that, Red. Just follow me and get stronger," Wolf called out, despite entering the shelter.

He knew I would feel restless after hearing his sentences. Although I still hated Wolf's guts for being friends with Ryoshi, he made me realise my mistakes. If I remained ignorant about my situation, Match would have paid the prince in the future.

"I still despise you, Wolf. If I found the chance to kill your friend, I would gladly slit his throat."

"Yes. And I will never forget that."

As soon as we concluded our conversation, I finally progressed and stepped inside the shelter. The familiar light welcomed my sight, but the entire scenery changed before me.

The recognisable make-shift buildings turned into rubble, with corpses of dwarves kissing the ground. Those dead bodies included children and their parents snuggling against each other. Half of the dwarven villagers survived, while the rest of them barely gripped into life.

"Draven!" Snow White shouted.

The team that Wolf and I made ran behind us. I turned around and met Match's waiting arms as I pulled her closer to me. We hugged each other as we had never embraced before, unlatching ourselves apart.

"Are you hurt, Match?" I asked, while inspecting for wounds.

Fortunately, Match did not have any bruises on her skin. Light burnt marks covered her body, but that was just about it. It was not enough to make me panic.

The setting reminded us back to the world. Those players we met before did these for the sake of their goal. Wolf stood still and watched everything crumble, with his hands clenched up like a ball.

As soon as Snow White passed her by, Wolf dashed straight towards Draven. But before those two could even meet him, Draven's eyes…. left the world.

"We're too late….," whispered Wolf.

Draven sacrificed himself to defend this village at the cost of his life. Bruises covered his body, which came from the bullets and knives from the players. Those people were the only group who wielded guns, making them the biggest threat inside this game.

The dwarven villagers retreated inside their fallen houses after seeing Wolf. Since players killed most of their population, these villagers lost their trust in Wolf. They did not even know the guy, despite helping them defeat the soldiers outside.

As long as Wolf was a player, the entire NPC population became wary about him. They even showed us a hint of anger as those townspeople glared at Wolf's back.

But Wolf paid them no mind. He carried Wolf in his arms and placed him in a remote place. He grabbed a shovel and dug up a pit, planning to pay respect for the fallen knight of this kingdom.