NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

"If all-out war breaks out against players and NPCs, all of you would lose that fight! There are billions of them out there that we haven\'t even met! And half of them have guns instead of swords and arrows! I know the dark elves are proficient archers, but you guys can\'t fight against guns!" I exclaimed, while waving my hands.

I wanted to tell the truth to them, since clashing against the players would mean suicide to the NPC. Those players also included me in the wanted list of the players, considering the title that I had from my previous account. Although I did nothing during the death game, those players thought I would become a player killer and steal their valuables during this death game.

"How are you so sure about that when we won and escaped the players earlier? Aren\'t they incompetent against us dark elves if we had the upper hand?" Kouran remarked, and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

I shook my head and answered, "Yes. We won last time. But that doesn\'t mean we would never lose for the second time. All of us were just lucky to escape the soldier\'s sight, since we knew the terrain better than them. However, if those players learned about the environment, we might not have the second chance that we expect to have."

"I know these players better than any of you present inside this cave, since I am a player myself. And if those guns hit a part of your body, you would die, unlike those arrows that needed more shots to take down an enemy," I added, while returning the gaze of those staring in my direction.

Although I might have stepped on the dark elves\' pride, what I told them was the truth. I knew our chances of winning were hitting rock-bottom, and the only way to turn the tides around was by bringing the numbers and advantages to our side.

"Then what do you propose, Wolf?" Kouran asked.

All the dark elves emerged from their hiding place and lent us their ears. They, too, wanted to do what they could to win this war. I, who did not want them to perish, would help them with my capabilities.

However, there was one thing that I became concerned about. If we were going up against the players, those people might die because of Ryoshi and me. Since the two of us were also players, the feeling would be like killing our people on Earth.

Ryoshi set his foot forward and raised his concerns, "I have a plan."

All of our eyes stared at his figure, waiting for him to add more details about the scheme he thought and raised.

"If we go against them alone, we would lose the battle. But if we gather more NPCs before the players kill them, our army might grow, and we would have the chance to fight these players soon. We need to ask for help from the dwarves, dragonewts, and other villages near the Mainland. We also need to steal the soldier\'s weapons and create our own guns with the help of the dwarves and the blacksmiths," Ryoshi explained.

I appended his plot and exclaimed, "While the dark elves do these, Hunter and I will follow Red and complete the game. Once we collect all the obelisk and return to the altar, a grand fight will occur afterwards. But if we go together with Red, the soldiers and players might show up, and all of us would die. We need to win the last fight and let Red complete this game. If the players return to their homeland, so do all of you, NPCs."

"So we don\'t have to fight these players alone? Is that what you\'re saying?" Elina asked.

I gave her a nod. "If we plan to save every NPC, that\'s the best bet we have."

Every dark elf murmured to each other, talking about the plan. Kouran, whom I assumed was their leader, silenced them upon lifting her hand. She told everyone to maintain a quiet place for her to think in peace.

Ryoshi and I just waited for them to finish their conversation. However, before the dark elves could even finish their talk, Kouran went to me and asked for something.

"Why are you helping us when you\'re a player yourself? You won\'t gain anything from us, and we don\'t plan to give anything to you. And besides, you told us you became a player killer, which I could only guess kills people to steal their equipment? I am not aware of the game and this Code you talked about, but I know to never trust people that easily."

That dark elf had a point. If I were in the shoes of the non-players position, I would have done the same thing too. However, there was something that made me want to protect the NPCs. And this idea of mine was more peaceful than fighting against the players.

If Red were right about completing the game without killing these NPCs, that would be our ideal goal for now.

"You\'re right. But I want to help you guys… since my sister would be very pissed off if she finds out that I sided with the players and killed you. Trusting me is your choice, and if I want to kill you, I would have killed everyone right now. And if you want to kill me, you could\'ve done that by now." I offered Kouran my hand for her to shake. I could only hope she accepts my handshake and truce for now.

Although it was a bluff, I could still show up in a fight against these dark elves, especially when I have Ryoshi by my side. However, I did not want to do all of that. I wanted to gain the dark elves\' trust to put a stop to this death game.

Despite these NPCs being works of fiction, they felt real to me.

Kouran stared into my eyes and checked if I was telling a lie. I returned her gaze, confident that I would pass her little test to show her my genuine concern for the non-player characters.

After a few seconds, Kouran heaved out a sigh of defeat as she finally gave in to my offer.

"Fine. We will work together and meet at the altar. In the meantime, my team and I will gather all the NPCs that we can. And make an army of our own. Do you have any means of contacting each other?"

"I can add you to my party and notify you if that happens. We can send messages to the chat box." I answered.

However, Kouran raised an eyebrow and asked, "What\'s a chat box and a party?"

Now that I remembered, these NPCs were not aware of the system and the game-like settings. All they knew was the setting surrounding them. Those abilities that some mercenaries used were all named "magics" that these non-player characters could use. They did not consider these abilities skills, unlike us players playing the game.

As soon as I explained everything Kouran needed to know, we prepared our leave. Ryoshi and I planned to set our goal in motion, heading towards the dwarven village. The rest of the dark elves would gather all the troops and add more numbers against the players.

"Kouran…" I whispered. "Aren\'t Elina and you not on good terms?"

I wanted to ask that since the two were both different species. The long-eared elves considered the short-eared ones as terrorists for countless years. Those two might not work together as a team when a situation arises.

"Oh, you\'re worried about that? Don\'t worry. Elina and I are great allies, since I\'m great friends with La Finta," Kouran answered, and gave me a nod.

I returned her gesture and finally took our leave. I called out to Ryoshi and went to the exit of the cavern.

But before leaving the cavern, a voice called out for me. It came from Elina, the long-eared elf.

"Hey, Wolf… I\'m sorry for attacking you in Nirvana. I thought you\'re a bad person."

"You thought wrong," I said, and flashed her a smile. "Take good care of Eve for me. She would be the one to lead the Mainland\'s empire."

Eve, who was standing right next to Elina, shook her head up and down in response. Although she was still a child, Eve\'s parents taught her about becoming a ruler and a queen. That child knew how to rule that kingdom better than anyone of us in the cave.

"I will," the little Eve answered as she flashed me a warm smile.

After our exchange, Ryoshi and I took off on another quest to find the dwarven village. But before that, the two of us needed to visit that place. The dark elves also mentioned that a few NPCs lives in that rural town, which we could also invite them over to the dark elves cavern.. It would also serve as a brief stop before arriving in the dwarven kingdom.