NPC Code: Red Riding Hood Chapter 11 - Welcome To Code, Red Rose

(Back to Red's perspective)

.....

Just as I expected, I saw all the players in the world cradling around the obelisk and reading the damned quest. They cannot let this opportunity slide since the reward would give them one billion gold coins for beheading the king and another billion gold coins for kidnapping each family mber.

I knew that the ga developers would reward them with the gold, not from . The rules said that all NPCs had the right to request any quest with a corresponding reward. It did not matter how much or how little the rewards would be given to the players as long as it was indicated in the mission. It did not show here if the NPC were the ones to pay soone with their money or not.

I did not return ho with Match for now, since the players had already sward the citadel. She knew that I would return to the inn later this evening, so I had all the ti in this world to proceed with my goal.

The players ard themselves with high-class weapons and armour, which could defend and deflect most of the physical and magical attacks thrown in their direction. I also sensed their arcane releasing from their bodies as they chanted various spells that I did not know.

The soldiers from the castle guarded the ingress and fired their ballistas, cannons, arrows, and magical spheres outside their base. Each of the attacks brought terror to the villagers standing nearby. Those roars coming from the blast created chaos from its surroundings. The players who died beca minuscule particles and eventually disappeared without a trace. However, the bystanders from this world died as soon as they ca into contact with the blitz.

This scene proved I was a character in this ga, and the players were only here for their entertainnt. Our lives did not matter to them, but their lives inside the ga did.

I gritted my teeth and felt the tallic liquid oozing from my wounds and inside my throat. My dry lips beca dampened with the blood mixing with my saliva. The crimson blood soon dripped from my mouth and wet my feet. I also sensed my hands clenching in despair and anger as I saw the battle in front of .

That warm feeling jolted awake.

Before proceeding to my sche, my system announced sothing that seed important for to slip aside. An azure-looking box popped in front of and showed the words written inside.

[Welco to Code, Player _ _ _ _ _]

[Have you read the terms and conditions of the ga?]

A flash nearly blinded my eyes as the docunts it had ntioned ran straight inside my head. All the information pierced through my face like a dashing arrow reaching through my orbs. A searing pain etched on my skull as I morised what was inside the prominent rules.

Two words appeared at my fore. On my right was a yes button with a blue hue, and on my left was the no button painted with red. I clicked the blue button and proceeded. The screen took my answer and summoned another window.

[Your na is Red Rose. Would you like to change your na?] The automated voice inside my head asked.

The two buttons yet again materialised before . I shook my head and chose the no button, since my na was the only thing I had in this world to rember my deceased parents.

[Choose a class]

"A class?" I asked.

According to my system, Code had various categories or classes that a player could choose from: a warrior, mage, paladin, knight, archer, assassin, and more. However, the window disappeared before I could pick anything and the word "assassin" appeared in front of .

[Welco to Code, Red Rose.]

The machine-like voice announced. I gawked ahead and noticed a glittering treasure box lying on the floor. An arrow above told that the container was for .

I titled my head and looked at what was inside.

My hands fiddled the lock and raised the lid open. My eyes greeted the a chest. The box contained all the basic equipnt presented to newbies in the ga that my system told .

I slid the treasure open and peered through the inside. A dagger, a transparent and stout armour plate ant to defend from slight slashes, and a pair of gloves and boots, which hastens my pace, welcod my eyes.

"How can I even fit all of these inside my pockets?" I asked myself a question

The system heard my calls and introduced the [Astral Space]. It was a skill that allowed players to store their items inside a celestial container that only the users can activate.

All the excess baggage with went inside the bag, including the red and blue potions packed into als from before. My Penitent's Blade equipped itself in my hands and notified of a quick-equip set-up.

The automated voice explained the storage used by players that allowed them to summon their weapons whenever they wished. There were four boxes in front of , with the dagger on the top and three spaces in each direction: South, West, and East.

I saw my system placed the flasks on the right side of my quick inventory. The reason was so I can effortlessly call them out if I need to consu the potions.

I also noticed two new skills that I learned because of my class. As an assassin, I could manipulate my status window and change my appearance for an amount of ti. The skill had a na called [Trickster].

My system called it [Shadow Step]. It allowed to travel at insane speed through the shadows surrounding . I did not teleport myself to one place after the other but moved at a haste pace through darkened areas.

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I dashed straight to the entrance and found the ingress. I used my hands and pushed the block apart from the stones. Despite my fragile body, my hands could move the rocks and eventually led a passage ahead.

The stench coming from the tunnel was overwhelming even for , but I continued striding forward and clipped my fingers to block my nose. There was no light coming inside the passage except for the moonlight from outside.

But sothing cut off the radiance.

My eyes spared a peek behind and discerned the pushed doors nudging back from where it had belonged. Like automatic doors of the dwarven kingdom, the hidden track shut itself before , enclosing inside. With the gates trapping inside, I saw nothing but utter darkness.

I paid the event no mind and resud my pace. Thanks to my abilities as an assassin, I could see anything despite the blackness. However, shades of green and grey rather than vibrant hues beca visible through my eyes. I looked at the side and read the words saying "Night Vision Level One". According to my system, that night vision permitted to see through the murk tunnel.

Everywhere I looked, I noticed three pathways that I could tread. The purpose of these multiple roads was to confuse any intruders who found this place. As luck would have it, my system allowed to look through the maze with a rectangular screen showing on the upper side of my view. It was the map of the underground canal and the citadel close by.

[The royalties made this tunnel for escape, Master Red.] My system confessed and showed a window with the exact phrase it said.

I marched ahead and finally reached a door leading through the other side. But my gut stopped from entering the gate. Before I could open the door, my system warned that there were dozens of people inside. The automated voice also told that the princess and the queen were in the adjacent area.

I stood by for a couple of minutes before sneaking myself inside. With my current profound abilities, I used [Shadow Step] and travelled across the walls, waiting for the dozen figures marching in our way.

My system sensed and told that the group heading in our direction were the player, elite knights, and the king.

The player opened the doors and addressed the queen and princess with respect. The two ladies widened their eyes as soon as they saw the crowned head and embraced him. A stream of tears flowed from their faces afterwards.

But that mont was cut short after hearing blaring noise outside.

The general walked towards them and disrupted their intimate eting. All of them nodded their heads and followed the lead of the player.

I used my scan to see his status and noticed that he was a low-level adventurer that had barely entered the ga. He had no interesting abilities and items compared to the players I saw from before.

However, there was sothing bugging . Despite his underwhelming figure, the man had confidence in him as he sliced and diced the players ambushing them.

As I had suspected. The entire world wanted to claim the bounty on the king's head.

I glided my way outside and saw the carriage in the forest. The coachman perched himself on his seat, waiting for the royalties to arrive. He was also a non-playable character that had no intentions of doing sothing without listening to the instructions inside his head.

He was like from before, brainwashed and a puppet.

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