NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

The article did not stop there. The elves and the human kingdoms announced their allegiance from the meeting and notified everyone via their systems. An alert popped at their view and will remain there for the duration of the war.

The meeting is currently happening now, the author added, and the journal will issue further announcements soon.

With the powers infested with Queen Guinevere and Grandmother La Finta, they plotted on killing off the players, regardless of their race. The elves did not show mercy and slaughtered every adventurer, unbeknownst to them about the death game. These non-player characters showed no sympathy for the players and massacred them for their benefits, even with the Elven players.

They thought the adventurers went rogue after killing Arthur, the king of humanity. These long-eared creatures did not want to risk their people dying from the missions because of a player.

The news and the internet declared the present deaths of gamers playing Code. Everyone was aware of the killings and the names of their loved ones that died from the game.

The dwarves also made their move, but there was less news about them. These stout humanoid people were building arsenals and other equipment for various races preparing for the war. In return, they receive nourishments and resources needed for their everyday lives since they live in the Eastern District.

Their lands were full of mines and gemstones, but scarce with water and food. No animals lingered near their forest, but monsters who had poison in their veins. The dwarves were better off killing themselves if they had to eat one of those vile beasts.

Snow White, the crowned ruler of the dwarven race, was on her way fighting against other players. Some adventurers witnessed her image clashing blades against adventurers. A few dwarven died during the battle, but the journalist knew nothing about their numbers.

The article stated the battlefield had an intense blast that turned their empire into ruins. But that was the least of my concerns. All I wanted to hear was about Ryoshi's prevailing conditions.

Nobody knew how to stop the war or what to do with the situation. Players continued dying inside the game. Some parents or people tried forcing the holographic set out of their heads, leading to their immediate death. The government promises to give proper burials to these people that took their life inside the game. Their press conference included all the families affected by the game.

The Allied Forces and the governments worldwide announced their movements, confiscating spare equipment and cafes of holographic sets. These officials did not want any casualties to inflate with time. Over four billion people were suffering from this death game, and the council must stop this before it was too late.

The game developers and Warner Asimov, founder of the game, dispatched his unit and will invade the Elven territory, the Dwarven Empire, and the Dragonewt for last. Their plan remained hidden, but promised to put a stop to this catastrophe.

The journalists included all these in the blog.

I told all these to the Futaba Family, Ryoshi's mother and father, about the current situation. Although they had a troublesome time absorbing such an intricate explanation, his parents got the gist of the events.

Their son was in danger inside Code. We did not know the whereabouts of Ryoshi, and the elves might have captured him inside their den.

Ms. Aika filled the room with a stream of tears, followed by a deafening wail. Her husband could only sit and stare at her pitiful state, uncertain what to do.

Ryoshi was and forever will be my best friend. It may sound cheesy enough when I say it, but I meant my word. He was there for me when I needed someone the most. Ryoshi gave me sufficient money to provide food for my sister, Himari. I could never thank him enough for giving me a job back when I could not find one.

"It's my turn to repay you, Ryoshi," I whispered.

I looked around and spotted an untouched box in the corner. It had recognisable features and designs that made my eyes jaunting with delight. Ryoshi also told me he had a reserve holographic set for the two of us to play.

He was eager to show it to me before this entire impishness happened.

I stood up from my seat and faced the two parents. "Do you mind if I borrow another piece of that holographic set?"

I pointed my hands at the container and asked for their permission. There was only one way to save Ryoshi, and it needed my presence. If I was there with him, nothing could go wrong.

Code hailed me as the top player in the entire world. I was a veteran among the old-time players of the game, and nobody dared to take my throne. They knew me as the player-killer Lycan who smelled blood from miles away.

If there were one person who could guard Ryoshi, that player would be me.

Time is of the essence, so I needed to use the holographic device now. As the news stated, the government agents would distrain every holographic set from families, and would do a random search from the neighbourhood.

Ms. Aika and her husband gave me a nod and readied the unboxed console. I reached out for my pockets and took my phone out between my hands. I needed to contact my sister, Himari, and tell her I will go inside Code and look for Ryoshi. If I can help the government finding any means to complete the game, I would do so. But my goal remained. I needed to return here in one piece for Himari.

However, a knock on the door, followed by a masculine voice echoed outside. It was a sound that disrupted my focus.

"We are the people sent by the government. Please, let us enter and take your holographic set," a man shouted behind the door. "If you won't come out, we would have no choice but to force our way inside. Please cooperate with us. We have a receipt that Ryoshi Futaba bought a spare holographic set last week."

Speaking of the devil, someone arrived at the entrance. Those government people announced their presence and would retrieve the holographic set from me. It was like the article stated; they planned on taking all the holographic devices from everyone.

I rushed to the box and unravelled the pieces of cotton and bubble wrap protecting the helmet. Ms. Aika went towards the door, wiped off her sweat, and greeted the two men outside. She knew that the only way to save her son was to buy me time to play the game.

Before I could enter Code, Ryoshi's father touched my hands and stared into my soul. "Are you sure about this?"

I gave him a weak nod and strapped the helmet on my face. "You sure bet I am."

A long pause echoed between the two of us. Three footsteps are marching inside the house, but I already started the game.

"Can you tell Himari I'm sorry for lying?" I asked. "And tell Himari I love her so much."

I could not see behind the mask, but I knew what he wanted to express. Ryoshi's father tapped my shoulders and stood up from his seat.

"I will. Don't worry about it anymore," Ryoshi's father replied, before attending with the two men glaring at the two boys with the holographic set.

The piercing sounds of the game sucked my soul, zooming me inside the forsaken world I knew. I tried shaking my hands, but my efforts were to no avail. My limbs refused to obey my commands, so I succumbed to despair and waited for my return.

[Welcome, bigbadwolf.] The automated voice greeted my presence.

They muted my lips.

[Unfortunately, we cannot retrieve your Fenrir account (main account) anymore because of the war. Will you like to resume playing the game using your previously used character?]

Two buttons with different colours addressed my view. The one on the right had an azure hue with the word "yes" imprinted at the middle, and the left button had a scarlet hue with the word "no" scribbled at the centre.

I pressed yes and waited for the colours to change.

[Welcome to Code, bigbadwolf!] The system announced, and moved my body to a different dimension apart from my actual world.

A grunt escaped from my mouth as I landed at the recognisable house. It was the same building that threw rookies inside Code. However, things did not last for long.

Everything became different.

A fetid smell of burnt wood lingered through my nose, making me jerked backwards. I fanned the thick smog in front of me and stood up from where I had seated. The walls surrounding me had crimson liquid on each corner and a pool of blood forming at the entrance. There was no point looking at the window for now, since the smoke had already covered the glass.

I moved forward, hoping to meet the lively Mainland. However, there was nobody there to welcome me.

[Destroyed: Kingdom of Mainland]