NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

"You're not Red….What did you do to her?" I yelled, while transforming into my form.

I couldn't gauge the strength of my enemy, since I first encountered this individual. And I wouldn't go easy at anyone who would go against me.

This person marching in our direction wasn't an opponent we could mess with. That individual had arcane twirling in every direction, which subtlety pressed against our skin. One spell cast by this monster could partially destroy a defensive wall, infused with magic.

I had never fought anyone strong enough to go against me, except for one NPC. Alice was the strongest enemy I ever fought in Code, excluding my little sister from that roster. But other individuals would do anything to win a brawl. Those scumbags would even stab someone from behind, especially using dirty magic tricks.

It didn't take a genius to know that this person had something to deal with Red's disappearance. Hence, my question to the mysterious individual.

"Fenrir, I cannot believe I've found you in this….ruined village. You and all the NPCs will feel my wrath unless you surrender. And when I said 'surrender', I meant killing you with my own hands," the shadowy person exclaimed, as he slowly revealed himself from the shadows. "I will stop at nothing to take you out from this game and kill you from that world. No one should take me away from this game!"

An armed kid, younger than my age, confronted me. That youthful boy wore a cladded armour plate, paired with a sharp blade clipped in his hands. He infused those items with arcane enough to create a high-tier magic spell.

"So, the sudden surge of mana came from you, you brat! What's the occasion? Kids aren't allowed to play this game. Not unless you chose to be a kid in this game since you have a weird fetish," I mocked the boy, while preparing my escape route.

I didn't need to fight this crooked knight. Even though this boy was still a kid, he had an absurd amount of mana circling his skin. It almost made me want to puke, considering the taste of these weird dusty magic.

The protected boy clicked his tongue and brandished his sword in front of me. "You don't know who you're fighting with, don't you?"

I shook my head and smiled. "I don't remember the names of weaker players. And you're just one of my list, hotshot."

Even though I was the strongest player in this world, I couldn't use my forms. Heck, I couldn't even access Fenrir, who was my companion throughout my painful grind. If it weren't for him, people would have stopped calling me the strongest.

But a little bluff could cripple this boy's emotions. It would be easier for Match and I to run away from him if we had the chance.

"You're not the strongest player in this game, Fenrir. I am! I am the only one who's the strongest! This game belongs to me, and me alone! I am Clement, I am the son of the owner of this game!" the boy, Clement, shouted. "That girl…. Her name's Match, right? Her sister…. Non-biological sister died a tragic death. But don't worry, Fenrir. She's half-dead and half-alive, depending on the circumstances. You could even call it a Schrodinger's test. And Red is our cat."

I gritted my teeth and yelled back, "Just fucking stop, you piece of shit! Well, even though I hate you, I'm thankful for knowing Red. You gave me more reasons to kill you."

My words weigh nothing but thin air. Even though my emotions boiled my heart, I knew fighting Clement would cause my befall.

After our exchange, Clement made the first move. He lunged towards me like a crazed lunatic while swinging his gigantic blade.

That feral boy tried to kill me. But thanks to my first form and experience, my body avoided the attack.

As soon as I slid at the side, I used my momentum and jolted from the ground. I slashed the boy in his head, hoping to deal damage against him. But Clement just ducked his upper body and glanced behind me.

My instincts screamed at me, saying that I should leap away. I heeded that instruction and sidestepped the attack before it could even happen.

It was just as my instincts had anticipated. When my body dove at my right, Clement whacked my afterimage, using the pommel of his sword. Fortunately, I had already escaped his latch and darted away.

Beads of salty sweat showered my entire body while I gasped for air. Despite our quick exchange, Clement didn't break a sweat as he glared at my figure. That boy even flashed me a smirk when he noticed my body becoming exhausted from the fight.

Although I still had some energy to spare, doing these moves consecutively would tire me out.

"Aaww, look at you, Fenrir. You look like a puppy in the rain… What a pitiful sight. And you call yourself the strongest player in my game who beat Alice. If you're this weak, I could have beaten Alice with my eyes closed…. I'd bet I could do that to you too!" Clement exclaimed, while playfully spinning the sword in his hand.

"Oh, really? Then come at me and beat me up!" I shouted, while looking at the forest.

While Clement and I clashed swords, the ground trembled. It only meant that an army would gather in this area soon. And those numbers belonged to the soldiers of this brat, who knew nothing but trouble.

As I focused on my thoughts, Clement disrupted them and raised his hand. "By this time, my army would come for you. You have two options, Fenrir. Dying from my hands to save me from my troubles. Or, slowly get sliced and punched to death by my bare hands. Whatever you choose, I will enjoy it to my utmost content!"

"You're sick in the head, Charmaine."

"The name's Clement," the boy corrected.

"Yeah, yeah, Cherman. You see, I never intended to fight you in the first place. In fact, I can't win even if I tried. It's a shame, but I can't fight you….not right now," I said, and glared in Clement's direction. "And I know your ability by just watching you move. You can copy any abilities you see and understand. You had no idea how to transform into a wolf, but you saw through my [Wolf Walk]. And since you fought and defeated Red, I could only guess you learned about [Shadow Walk], which Red usually used. That's the only spell Red has similar to mine."

When I went towards Clement's side, that boy noticed me from miles away. He reacted before I could even stab him in the back, which shouldn't happen, unless someone had my skill. Wolf Walk and Shadow Walk were two special abilities that Code considered rare to use and find. And since Red was a lucky player and NPC who had it, it was the perfect experiment for me to use. 

When Clement reacted to my attack, it only meant one thing….He learned the same ability I used. Clement also concealed that fact and tried bluffing me. But he can't escape my experienced eye who had played this game for thousands of hours.

"I see. They don't call you the strongest player for nothing, Fenrir. You're the first enemy who spotted my strength and lived another day. But let's see how that thinking will save you from this battle."

Clement had no other choice but to praise my deduction skill. And since I found out Clement's little secret, he would do anything to erase me from this game.

But I had already planned my exit after everything that had happened. All I had to do was to activate my skill that I rarely used in my gaming career.

"[After Image]"

Those times Clement caught me standing in front of him was just my after image. Clement thought that I was still in front of him, fighting me. But it was what I had mentioned earlier….I never intended to fight a losing battle. And this [After Image] only worked if I had placed him in an illusion.

This spell didn't work against players and Alice. It could only work if I use this spell against an NPC living in this world. Clement was only an NPC without the status of a player. Thanks to my appraisal skills I implemented on my system, I used that trickery against the spoiled brat.

I already ran away, together with Match by my side. The two of us were heading towards the base as I led the way. 

Clement remained on the battlefield, staring at the cloud of dust I left for him. He couldn't believe that I tricked him while using a skill he didn't know. I even doubted that the developers forgot that ability in this game. It was a useless ability that only worked against NPCs, not players.. And that skill was a difficult move to perform, since it required both precision and skill to master it.