NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

Everyone present inside the room glued their eyes on the holographic map and reviewed its terrain. The base sat on the field, which where the citadel of Mainland first stood. But thanks to the aftermath, Asimov had time to build this structure and made it his own. 

Those trees and bushes still remained in their position from where we last saw them. Despite the detonation, the green nature still outgrew the damage. And it sustained its core on the terrain. 

  It took us hours to evaluate the location of our attack. Since the base occupied the entire space, we had limited options to choose the site. And when we did, all the present members of this board raised their claims and defended that area. 

After countless debates, taking the guards outside the entrance became a majority vote.

"Since those players don't guard their entrance much, we could use that opportunity. We don't have any choice to attack them from behind, since the real base is located underground. And then strike them when they're split! It would be a good chance for us to breach the building. There's an underground basement of that structure," Elina explained, as she pointed out different parts of the base. "That place is heavily guarded by those players. And considering the layout of that area, all we could do is to knock on their front door. And take whatever traps they had installed for us."

As we listened to Elina's plan, everyone agreed to that scheme. That plot could be a suicide mission to an untrained ear, but it was the best bet we could have. If we wanted to infiltrate the place, marching at the front would take us less time breaching the place.

When we finally concluded our plan, everyone exited the room. Since we would fight the players soon, we needed as much rest as we could. If our team planned on fighting against those armed players, having a good night sleep could also do the trick. 

Although this world was not our reality, resting still gave us extra stamina and mana.

"I guess we have to hold that feast for a later date, Fenrir, Ryoshi. For now, please gather some rest and prepare yourselves for tomorrow," Elina suggested, and gave us a nod.

Eve also seconded that thought and hopped around us. Even though that girl took out a macho man, Eve was still a little princess.

"Likewise, Elina, Eve….But before we could rest, I actually have an original plan. Could we delay the attack for tomorrow? Even for a few hours?" I asked.

Elina widened her orbs as soon as she heard my request. "Well, what happened? It depends on your reason."

I revealed my system and presented to them my party status. Within a few seconds, slides with names written on each box appeared before us. It was the party setup, which was also a feature in this game.

"What do you want to show us?" Elina persisted, and deeply gazed at the holographic screen.

"After fighting against Alice, we didn't know anything about the whereabouts of Red and Match. Some believe that Red abandoned us, while others didn't. Red isn't the type of person who would do such a thing. We've been through highs and lows without stabbing someone from the back...Well, except for Ryoshi. But that's not the point. If Red orchestrated that ploy, she would have done that before arriving in Wonderland," I explained, as I switched my tone. "And after a few hours, Red's status had a mark. It only means that she was either killed by someone or an error had occurred to her. I'm afraid that the players caught her, since Red was a stubborn NPC who would charge straight at the enemy's base. I just hope that she's still alive somewhere inside the base, which would hit two birds with one stone."

"But the thing is, Match didn't have any of those markings. She still remained healthy in our party despite Red falling to her despair. If we could add Match in our party, maybe we could have the upperhand against those players," I added, and eventually closed the holographic presentation.

Elina gave it some thought about my suggestion. Since time was not on our side, prolonging our attack could make the players protect their front even more. If they issued more players at the gates, our scheme would be for nought. And we didn't want that.

But….

"Match is Red's companion, right? The little girl?" Elina asked, while pondering to herself.

I gave her a nod and answered, "Yes. That's the one."

After putting it to some thought, Elina told me what she had devised. "Since you put it that way, our fight against players would be delayed by one day. You need to find Match within twenty four hours before we can fight. If you still haven't found Match, I will teleport you back to our army, regardless of your preparation. I will give you some brief rests, but that's all I could spare you, Fenrir."

"And that's enough for me," I answered, and dragged Ryoshi outside the room. "While I'm out, you could practice with the sword and the guns from the players."

After our exchange, I took Ryoshi out of his will and exited the place. Ryoshi had no other choice but to follow me around in this side quest. Since he was my best friend, Ryoshi didn't have the choice to choose from any options.

But after countless grunts from Ryoshi, that man eventually resigned his life to me. Since I saved his ass from the elven jail, this guy should be grateful for me. 

"But, Okami, where are we going to start looking for Match? You do know this is an open-world, right? There are endless possibilities of lands she would stay in! How on Code are you going to…."

Before Ryoshi could finish his sentence, I raised my hand and shut him up from yapping. My system gave me the exact location of Match, since she was a part of our party. Red had more freedom in her controls, which made it difficult for me to track her. But Match didn't have any securities from her settings. And Red forgot to organize her security, since it didn't matter.

"Match is around these areas, right past Mainland. We need to look for her and split up to shorten our hunt," I insisted, and tapped Ryoshi's shoulder. "If you run against players, you have the privilege to attack them or to scurry away. I don't want you to die, man. Please know your limits. I could help you, Ryoshi. But don't get too reckless about it. Do you understand?" 

Ryoshi nodded and replied, "Sure. You do the same thing too, Okami."

"I am literally the strongest player in this game, remember? Even one thousand players planned on attacking me, those losers would die against me. I am owning them even without using my third form and Fenrir, my dog."

It was like what Ryoshi had mentioned. Code was an open-world game filled with distinct places and environments. Even though the system located Match, that girl resided on Mainland's terrain. This place reached around a few hundred miles for us to search for a girl. And we only had technically a day and a half to prepare, including tonight. 

As soon as we concluded our conversation, Ryoshi and I parted ways. Ryoshi took the northern part of Mainland, while I searched around the southern areas.

  The northern terrains had hills and mountains that Ryoshi could use to look for Match above the ground. Thanks to his superior vision as a hunter, Ryoshi could notice Match from afar. And since he would stay away from enemies, Ryoshi could snipe guards wandering around. Those players won't notice Ryoshi, considering his superb positioning near the clouds.

The southern land had more complex structures meant for wall-climbing and parkour. Since I was a veteran player in this game, this place fit perfectly on my alley. And thanks to my powerful hind legs, I could travel even faster than a jaguar. Since my system granted me the power of a wolf, my forms would speed up my body. It would also enhance my abilities, which I could use to battle against nearby guards along the way.

It took me a few minutes before landing on a bark and sleeping for the time being. I didn't have to force myself to run around blindlessly in the wilderness. Monsters still roamed these areas, which could be a dangerous place for me to lurk around.

But as I placed my foot on the camp, a voice of a humming girl piqued my interest. And that tone belonged to the recognizable sound from Match. Since I had teamed up with her for several occasions, I couldn't miss her angelic pitch.

"Jackpot!" I exclaimed, and rushed to the sound's origin. 

After a few seconds, I arrived at a ruined place that looked like a village.. And at my fore was the girl singing a song at a destroyed house.