NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

"Now that I\'ve protected our ship for at least an hour, I hope you could learn to control your lightning more," Ryoshi said, while checking for his arrows once again. "Do you want me to shoot you with my electric bows as your practice?"

"Even though I\'d hate it, I have no choice but to accept your offer," I answered, while shrugging my shoulders.

The two of us went in separate directions, preparing for our roles in this sparring fight. But the only difference was Ryoshi would be the only one to attack, while I dodged and redirected all this electricity in his direction. And I also needed to be as fast as lightning if I wanted to control it.

I already did that before, but luck was on my side. However, I needed to perform this now, or else we would die from the Kraken... There was also a slim chance that those sea creatures beside our boat would end our lives.

We could just hope that Wolf would carry us to victory, since he was the number one of this game.

"I know you hate me, but I don\'t hate you. I also don\'t know how this works, but I will fire my arrows as if I\'m going to hurt you," Ryoshi warned, as he pulled the string of his bow. "Tell me if you want to start."

"Ready when you are."

After our exchange, Ryoshi fired multiple arrows in my direction. All of them produced sparks and blueish lights that instilled fear in my eyes.

Within a second, those bolts finally reached me. But instead of catching and redirecting those arrows, which I explained before, I did nothing. Before I could even react, the arrows pierced my arm, wounding me instantly. Fortunately for me, Ryoshi lessened the damage of these shafts. But despite those nerfs, those bolts still packed a punch.

"Are you okay? T-Tell me if that thundershock disabled your nerves... I mean your body," Ryoshi cried, and attempted to go near me.

But with a wave of my hand, I instructed him to stay back while saying my fill, "D-Don\'t come any closer…. Just fire those damn arrows and do your job!"

I did not want my frustration to get the better of me. So I stood from my ground and prepared myself for the second round of attack. Ryoshi shook his head while reluctantly firing that set of arrows at me. He did not want to hold back, since they needed me to learn to control lightning.

And if I didn\'t, those sea creatures and the Kraken would devour everyone on board.

Match watched the scene without averting her eyes, hoping that I would overcome my obstacle. Wolf also had a worried expression in his eyes. But despite his anxious demeanour, that man still believed in me.

"Come on, Red! You can do it! I know you can! My big sister can do it!" Match cried, while cheering at me in the back.

"Come on, you bastard. I know you can do it," Wolf whispered.

I did not know if those were the words that asshole said. But there was no doubt Okami continued cheering for me.

However, all their efforts turned into waste as I failed my fifth attempt of redirecting the electric current….

Forget about redirecting that electricity…. I couldn\'t even catch that element even if I tried.

A sea of ocean slipped through my body as I continued getting up from the floor. But for the sixth try, my legs finally gave up, refusing to heed my instructions. I could even feel the buzzing sounds in my ear, mocking me for my failures.

"How many minutes do we have before your barrier gets destroyed?" Wolf asked, as he approached us.

"Twenty minutes. All the cannons, arrows, magic circles made by Match are already locked and loaded…. But I have no idea if those things would work against the Kraken," Ryoshi answered while scratching his head.

"Change of plans…. We won\'t use them against the Kraken. We would use all of those against these sea creatures banging our boat."

It was accurate enough that those pesky swimming creatures crashed their heads against our raft. Thankfully, Ryoshi\'s impenetrable barrier bought us some time.

But those shields would get checked when a dark figure emerged ahead of us.

"He\'s coming!" I shouted.

I was the first person who caught sight of the approaching Kraken. All of us knew this monster would only attack travellers who drifted around its territory. However, little did we know that this ugly squid followed us to the depths of the world, hunting for its next meal.

"Is that barrier of yours impenetrable?" Okami asked, while transforming himself into his first form.

No... It\'s just a shield to protect us from physical attacks. Actually, your sister was the one who suggested that to me. And who told you that shield was impenetrable?"

"My sister? Anyway, it doesn\'t matter. We need to deal with that right now…. Everyone! Give this fight your best shot…. And try not to die."

As soon as Okami announced those words, the Kraken emerged from the ocean and greeted us on our fore. That monster looked like a mixture of a squid and serpent, which made it more hideous than any monsters I had encountered. It even let out a screech that ruined my ears if it were not for the barrier Ryoshi placed beforehand.

After listening to that violent speech, the Kraken dove back underwater and continued lurking around us. Before it could even target our boat, the Kraken gobbled the school of fish... or creatures as its appetizer. Now that the Kraken had filled its stomach, we would not feel surprised if that monster planned on attacking us.

The black clouds from before also entered our atmosphere from the back, bringing chaos wherever it went. We finally realised that the Kraken had a skill that could call a storm. But right now, we could not run away as we did before.

We had to fight that monster head-on losing no one present on the ship.

But the problem still stained my head…. I couldn\'t use the electric strike, despite the training I had. As much as I wanted to admit this, it was not Ryoshi\'s fault. It was mine, since I did not have the proper understanding of lightning. Despite those player\'s teachings, I found it tedious to digest the descriptions of thunder. It almost felt more magical than the skills and system I possessed.

We also had a time strain of an hour, which further shortened when the Kraken arrived. Now that the party would start, I did not know any move that would be effective against this Kraken.

But instead of idling around, I activated my right eye and called forth the power inside of me. Although this strength would not be enough to stop those pesky creatures, I still needed to do something about it.

If Match, a mage who could only cast fire and wind elements, wanted to fight, I had no reason to back down this battle. And I wanted to protect Match from these creatures, while obtaining the obelisks from this game.

The only way out was to push forward! There was no better way than to fight off an opponent that would grant us a ton of exp….

But the tides went against us even before we expected! The waves that the Kraken produced moved our boat to the side, disrupting our balance. Those sea creatures also landed on the deck, with their eyes glaring at us and weapons aimed in our direction.

Those monsters include lobsters, turtles, and even fishes that could live and move without water. Although, they did not attack as fast as we expected them to be. Those fishes would first splash their way before even attacking us.

But those turtles and lobsters became a major threat to us. Those lobsters and turtles immediately rushed in our direction and bombarded us with their attacks. The lobsters use their claws to reach our figures, while the turtles enhanced them with their shields.

"And here I thought they would spin their shells and attack us…." Okami grunted.

"I even thought they would use swords and nun chucks!" Ryoshi continued.

Even without the Kraken, we already had trouble fighting against these minions. It became both a blessing and curse when these sea creatures fought us without the final boss.

Match used her fire abilities and turned some of the sea creatures into cigars. Ryoshi used his electric bolts and stunned all of them instantly without breaking a sweat. Wolf cleaned all the minions up even before they could even attack. I took care of the flank and blocked our enemies\' path with my penitent\'s blade.

Match also placed her wind element on us so we could hover in the air. But as soon as the Kraken noticed us flying around, it was time for the big boy to shine.

"Match and Ryoshi, I want you to stay on the ship. Guard the boat and don\'t let anyone or anything walk on our home. Do you understand?" Okami instructed.

The two of them nodded and went back to their stations.