NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

I carried Match on my back and got the heck out of this shaking tunnel. The sounds of stones rang through my ears as I hurried towards the exit.

Wolf was also in front of me, carrying the two people in each of his arms. Despite the weight pulling him backwards, Wolf outran the calamity that pursued behind us.

Since the worm lost all four of its heart, it went on a rampage, wrecking the tunnel. That monster planned to bury us alongside its wriggling body, knowing that we schemed to flee.

However, the beast failed to bring us down as the Wolf and I raced through the exit. Our feet trampled the ground alongside the rubbles coming from above. Fortunately for us, we made it out of the sinister cave and stepped foot outside.

The morning light showered on our faces, with the cave collapsing from the entrance. Wolf and I gingerly placed everyone on the ground as soon as we escaped the collapsing cave. Our gasping voices were the only sound that reverberated in our surroundings. But it was an inevitable marathon, considering the danger coming from the feral worm.

"We made it….," I said, while turning around.

Wolf followed my eyes as we both stared at the destroyed tunnel. We knew we were inside the dwarven kingdom, and we experienced no casualties from the fight.

"Let's rest for the entire day before continuing forward. We're inside the dwarven kingdom, but we need to pass by some terrain before reaching the city. And beyond that point lies the citadel where we could meet this Draven guy," Wolf suggested.

It was a wise suggestion, considering the condition of our party. Although I hated the guy, I could not agree more with that plan.

I gave Wolf a nod and replied, "Fine. I'll go get the firewoods and-,"

Before I could even finish my sentence, Wolf stood up and walked by at my side. "I'll do it. You're in no condition to move or do anything at all, unlike me."

My head boiled around a hundred degrees Celsius after hearing Wolf's insults for me. I stood up and clenched my fist, ready to smack him behind.

However, just as Wolf had mentioned, I fell on the ground, unable to move any muscles inside my body. Wolf had to return to me as he leaned my body against the stone.

"I told you so," Wolf said, and turned his back from me for the last time to fetch some wood.

…

I had no other choice but to doze around and rest for the time being. Since I got myself bedridden from the battle, gathering my strength would be optimal for our plan. I could not function without rest, and this was the perfect time for me to do that.

Within a few seconds, I closed my eyes and slept for a few minutes. My body only woke up when the warm heat touched my skin.

As I opened my eyes, Wolf and the rest of our team welcomed my eyes. Throughout my schedule of resting, Wolf dragged the sleeping bodies around the campfire to warm everyone up.

What he did was a thoughtful action. But I cannot still find any reasons to forgive him for protecting that ranger from me. Despite these benevolent measures, my eyes and heart refused to believe in him.

I could only see him as an enemy in my eyes. As long as Okami treats Ryoshi as his friend, he will always remain a villain in my mind.

"You're finally awake," Wolf whispered, as he impaled the vegetables into two sticks.

He also had meat beside him. However, that was not all. Considering the strength that my mouth currently has, eating vegetables would be a perfect meal for now. Although I preferred soup rather than a kebab, Wolf was the one grilling the meat.

"Mhm….," I answered, while slowly picking myself up and seated in front of the fire.

The blaze crisps the dry twigs and pinecones as a source of firewood, heating our meal placed above the fire. Within a moment, the vegetables turned green to toasty green… I could only describe what I saw before my eyes.

"Here. This one's for you."

Wolf got up and offered me the kebab made of vegetables and sprinkled spices. It was a decent meal for ill people, which I considered myself in this situation.

I reluctantly accepted the offer and grabbed the food from Wolf's hand. As soon as the stick reached my hand, my abdomen let out a fierce growl that echoed throughout the forest.

"....."

I did not speak a word after letting out an embarrassing moan coming from my stomach. However, I disregarded all those emotions and helped myself from the meal.

After a few seconds, the meal vanished from my hand and went inside of my mouth. It did not even take me an entire minute to finish the damn thing. Considering the appetite that I had right now, I could eat a whole horse within a bite!.

"Pfft…."

Wolf held out his laughter after witnessing my peculiar side. I narrowed my eyes and glared at Wolf, which made him choke down his laughter inside his body.

"Sorry," Wolf apologised, and scratched the back of his head.

Wolf finally knew about the dark side of me. After seeing my reaction, Wolf mumbled to himself and vowed to avoid me throughout this journey. I wanted to add the word "brief'' since I never planned on teaming up with him and his body in the first place.

"Thank you," I whispered, and returned the stick to Wolf.

He would need that stick soon if I considered taking another round of meals.

And that was what I did.

I shook the stick and non-verbally asked Wolf for more. Wolf was not a douche as he immediately caught my body language. He let out a sigh and gave his share to me. When I quivered my head and rejected his food, Wolf nudged my head and told me that I needed it most than him.

"I still hate you for teaming up with Ryoshi," I said, unable to filter the name of his friend.

Wolf's eyes widened upon hearing his friend's name from my mouth. I never averted my gaze and kept my eyes looking at his face. The two of us never wavered from looking away, which told our individual confidence about each other.

Wolf finally leaned towards me and asked me a question, "How did you know our name?"

He included "our" instead of him, telling me that I already knew his identity. Although I already knew his name when I first glanced into his life, I did not bother remembering it.

"What are you going to do with our names?" Wolf asked.

"Nothing," I answered. "But if there's a way that I could use it against you, I would."

"I'll just let you know that I have a sister waiting for me back home. And I know how Clementine means a lot to you… Like Himari means a lot to me too."

"Shut up!" I shouted, ending our prolonged conversation.

Silence fell upon us as we concluded our talk about our past. Wolf had a point when he mentioned his sister. And since I glimpsed into his past, I knew the surface of his life, including Himari.

However, that was not enough to persuade me from plotting an advance against them. Considering what Ryoshi, his best friend, did to Clementine, I wanted to return the favour. I did not care what actions would take me to take my revenge.

And I would not stop at anything to achieve my goal. I already lost a lot, and the only thing I did not want to lose right now was the little girl.

I glanced at my side and looked at Match sleeping body. Match slept on the leaf and made it her make-shift bed as she always did on our journey. Match was the only one that kept me sane in this world, and I cannot stress enough how I love her.

I would do anything for Match, even save her at the cost of my life. I planned on taking down the game developer to create a better place for her and other NPCs living in this world. Alongside that heavenly goal was my revenge against those seated above the clouds.

If only those developers monitored our livelihood, my sister would not have died from the monster horde! And those players did not even help us fight those monsters….

I brushed those grim thoughts away while staring at Match. After a few seconds, the smell of cooked vegetables entered my mind, with Wolf's face gobbling up the barbecue he cooked.

'Nope. I'm not giving this to you," Wolf exclaimed without hearing my voice.

He already knew what I wanted to say after seeing my eyes.

I averted my gaze and slept again for an hour. By the time I woke up, Wolf fought back his exhaustion while taking watch.

I stood up from my seat and stretched my body. As soon as I finished my exercise, I went to Wolf and replaced his job.