NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

Okami\'s Point of View

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This part is where we last took off from Okami (Just a recap)

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Friar, Robin\'s brother, walked up beside him as he counted down the numbers. He also prepared his weapon and aimed his gun at me.

".... One. Your time\'s up, Wolf. I can\'t let a criminal let loose. Who knows what you would do to these players."

After hearing the number, all the soldiers beside him fired their bullets while the rest charged straight towards me. I was just a man against the entire army of soldiers playing as players in Code. They brought their little gun that should not apply in this game. Not even the dwarves knew about these weapons. We did not even receive any updates at all that we can purchase guns like those soldiers!

Like stormtroopers firing at their targets, those bullets landed elsewhere. But some of them nearly hit me. If it weren\'t for my reaction time, I would have lied on the ground, together with La Finta\'s pixelated body.

The bullets zoomed through the wind, almost hitting me at an arm\'s length. It was a good thing that I activated my [first form]. That change amplified everything, including my reaction time.

My first form transformed me into half-wolf and half-man, heightening all of my senses. However, because of my low level, this spell had a shorter duration than when I first used it.

I went to the stone and used that boulder as my barrier against the bullets. But I had underestimated these bullets, as they pierced through the stone within a matter of seconds! I had no other choice but to display my acrobatic skills and dodge all the projectiles I could avoid.

Some of them hit my body and decreased my health points, while others crushed the remaining platforms I could use to shield myself from the raining assault.

"Running away is not an option now!" I shouted.

I dashed straight to the soldiers and sharpened my claws. These nails were also a feature for using the [first form] of my lycanthrope class. It was the only weapon that I could use besides gnawing at my enemies using my razor-sharp teeth.

"Please! AGH!"

"Spare my life, Wolf!"

"FENRIR! I-IT\'S THE LEGENDARY FENRIR!"

Thanks to the mass of my body, I could jump from one place to another. After landing on the ground, I swiped those players in front of me, using my claws, and cut them in half. I did not want to spare them, despite knowing killing these adventurers would cause their deaths on Earth.

If these players wanted to kill me, they must be ready to die as well!

Thousands of players continued screaming after they saw my figure, begging for me to spare their lives. I, who became a feral animal, killed anyone who dared aimed their guns at me.

However, despite attacking these soldiers in the front lines, Robin and Friar never moved a muscle. Friar wanted to help the soldiers defeat me, but his brother raised his hands and stopped him.

I did not know what was running inside his head. And those two brothers not helping the soldiers was good news for me. But even after learning about these details, I still needed to monitor Robin and Friar before turning their face against me.

I tried taking a rifle from the soldier, but my hands could not pull the trigger. My monstrous claws could not reach and set off the gun, so these weapons that they hold became useless for me to steal. I had no other choice but to rely on my massive arms and ivory claws as my weapons.

After killing a quarter of the players, Robin and Friar made their move.

Robin shot me from behind using the arrow that he used. My body even gushed out a trail of blood after receiving such a deadly blow from his shaft. That man was more accustomed to that weapon rather than using those firearms inside the game. Even if I blocked the bolt using my arms, the bullet dealt more damage than the shells discharged by those guns.

His brother, Friar, wielded a two-handed battleaxe in both of her hands. Since I remembered Friar\'s words correctly, I would address him as her because of his relationship with his son. So, from now on, that girl dressed in a maid\'s outfit was a dude, but also a girl…

(Author\'s note: I know, it\'s very confusing. But if we later recall what Friar said, he dressed like that because of his bisexual son. So, yeah. It has a cause, and I think it\'s beautiful~. Friar\'s a cool dad!. And, by the way, I will address Friar as a she and a he. This thing would confuse you, since it confuses me as well XD)

Friar still observed my every movement. But as soon as the shaft hit my shoulders, that maid sprinted towards me. That girl even disobeyed the laws of physics as she ran at me with intense speed! With that crazy weight from her weapon, any sane person should not wield that. It was humanly impossible to carry such a heavy item!

However, as if defying all odds, Friar went to me like a cheetah pursuing her meal. She swung her battle axe towards me and aimed for my neck. I, who luckily dodged it, slid backwards and balanced myself.

After their combination attacks, the soldiers fired their bullets at me, thinking they knocked me over in one shot. These soldiers acted like villains to kill me from behind, even if they deemed themselves as the protectors of nations.

I threw the gun towards the combatants and killed them, using the weapons hurled at them with extreme speed. With a blaring thud, those pesky soldiers tumbled to the ground and left both worlds.

"Do you feel anything after killing these innocent soldiers? It was just like you when you killed me and snatched my gold away the last two years. Do you still remember that, Fenrir?"

"I don\'t even know who you are at that time! I\'ve stolen a lot of stuff from everyone. Even if you become popular right now, I won\'t keep tabs on the people I steal! It just sounds wrong!" I answered.

It was my honest reply, knowing that all the people present in the field wanted me dead. This Robin guy even dared to question me about my morals about killing all these people. Of course, I felt terrible! It was as if the world stripped me off from my human emotions.

The only thing that set me apart was the environment. Although I knew killing these people would kill them on Earth, it still did not give off that vibe. Everything surrounding me felt like a game. My character, who could leap over dozens of feet, was a breathtaking experience!

\'Maybe I have gone mad…\' I thought, and remembered the warnings that Himari told me from before.

However, I did not want to die right now. Himari was still waiting for me inside our house. Elina, Eve, and my best friend, Ryoshi, were waiting for my return inside the forest. If I fail now, these soldiers could kill them too, knowing that I was with them.

That thought kept me going. I wanted to escape this place as soon as possible without killing everyone. But if I had to kill someone, I would gladly do so for the sake of living. These soldiers also did not plan on doing this. Some of them might even have families to return to after this death game.

"I\'m sorry…" I mumbled, after killing once again a soldier that obstructed my way.

I only had a minute to use my [first form]. There were still hundreds of soldiers blocking my way, with Robin and Friar standing in front of me. If I wanted to get out, I had to use that special move…

It may be a risky play, but I had no other choice but to do it.

After dodging countless arrows fired by Robin, I went back to my original position and stood in front of the two Tuck brothers. I slid into my system and found the hidden ability. It was a special prowess that I could use once my character reaches the [third form]. But… if I used it right now, that ability would take my body as its host and…

I forced myself to gulp my dried saliva while brushing those grim thoughts away from my mind. I did not want to think about my corpse lying on the ground without getting the chance to see my sister, Himari, once again.

[Caution… If you use your [berserk] ability without activating your [third form], your body might not handle the pressure. Wolf, you only have a 3% chance of activating this spell. Do you wish to turn it on?]

Before I could press the word "enter" on the screen, something from behind dashed straight towards the players.. Those arrows sent inside the forest came not from other players or my best friend, Ryoshi.