NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

Match's Perspective

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Suddenly, the big 'ol monster stopped attacking us. All the tentacles roaming around the place fell like flies when they approached the blazing fire. It was as if all the mana left inside its body, which ended this gruesome battle.

"Did we win?"

"I guess…. It's over."

The two players asked each other as we all witnessed the scene. But with Okami's reassurance, the three of us realised we had won the arduous battle, having no casualties on our side.

However, my mind couldn't celebrate our victory. As I looked around, the familiar face of my sister, Red, did not welcome me.

Red would always be the first person to pounce on me and rub my head. She would praise me and my techniques during this battle, hoping that I learned something out of it. But that did not happen right now.

Despite waiting, Red did not show up, even after the Kraken froze to its death.

"Red! We need to save Red!" I shouted as loud as I could, hoping that these players would hear me.

Fortunately, Okami and Ryoshi lent their ears and turned their faces towards my figure. Upon realising my words, the two of them snapped out from their blank expressions and dashed straight towards the surrounding.

Okami had an original plan and dove under the ocean. His eyes were dead set at the bottomless pit, hoping he could see Red floating somewhere there.

Okami's figure slowly vanished from the water as he went deeper into the abyss. Ryoshi and I could hardly see his image swimming underwater despite squinting our eyes. Within a few seconds, a turbulent twister emerged from the ocean. Okami afterwards splashed upwards, carrying someone in her arms.

Okami finally placed Red on the ground as we all stared at her sleeping body. Nobody knew except for me that something critical had happened to her.

"Way to go, Ryoshi! You saved Red! You're the only one who could swim! I should've enrolled myself in a swimming lesson if I knew this was going to happen," Okami shouted, while catching Red's unconscious body.

But I knew something better than these two idiots had claimed. Red did not just drown from the ocean. Her entire body was in danger!

"RED!" I shouted, but Red did not receive my energetic tone.

Instead of scoffing at Red, I went towards her and checked if she was okay. Upon arriving beside Red, she barely opened her eyes while raising her hands. She wanted to pat my head but couldn't.

Since there was no time to spare, I opened my system and checked her mana capacity. If someone lost all of their mana, that person would instantly die. It was because the mana supported the structure of our body. And if that arcane disappeared, all the muscles and bones inside would tear itself apart, which would eventually kill the person.

I was a magic-user. So learning these threats became second nature to me. I did not want Red to worry about my well-being, considering that she allowed me to stay by her side during battles. And if our positions got reversed, I would have wished the same thing.

"No! Red! You got to snap out of it!" I cried, but my tears would not save Red.

I had to do something before Red would die in vain.

But after contemplating for a few moments, an idea flew inside my head. But that spell was not something that I could take lightly. It was sorcery that could harm the mage if the sorcerer was not carefully conjuring the magic.

However, how could I abandon Red when she was right in front of me? If I remained idle, Red would slowly die from her body. That magical disease would away all her healthy cells, which would eventually kill her.

"Get out! MOVE!" I shouted, and shoved my hand against the two players.

Ryoshi and Okami got surprised and moved away from my fore while raising question marks on top of their heads. Ryoshi wanted to question my words, but Okami trusted me with everything he had. He extended his arms and motioned Ryoshi to shut the heck up for a few minutes.

"We need to trust the kid. Match might have something under her sleeves," Okami exclaimed, and narrowed his eyes.

He placed all of his bets on me, despite knowing the weight of this moment. I did not have the time to thank him and placed my hand on top of Red's chest.

I planned on transferring most of my mana to Red, since she already ran out of it. All I had to do was pour my bucket of magic to Red and pray for the best.

But that was my problem. If I pour too much, I might receive some life-threatening side effects because of the sudden loss of my arcane. But If I poured too little, Red would reject my mana and could release all my efforts down to the drain.

Despite knowing these consequences, I shook off all my uncertainty and did my best with this procedure. As soon as I shared my mana with Red, my strength also fled away from me. It was as if I ran a couple of miles away and swam the briniest ocean just to reach this place. And when I finally had time to rest, someone bombarded me with a barrage of sucker punches on my entire body.

It was now five minutes since I transferred my mana, but the process never stopped from there. I needed at least another five minutes of maintaining my balance before quitting this job. And if I surrendered now, all my efforts would go to waste, and I wouldn't save Red.

She was my sister, after all.

Tears cascaded from my eyes as if it was a waterfall. My vision became blurry as I continued pouring my arcane to Red. But within a few minutes, a pair of footsteps went towards my side.

The two players finally reacted and tried wiping off the salty liquid coming from my orbs. Ryoshi conjured a freezing arrow and created a cool environment for me to handle. Okami wiped my face using a clean fabric stored inside his pockets. As soon as they dried my eyelids, I resumed the procedure and kept my head on the game. I swore to myself that I would never close my eyes and flail my body.

"Thank you," I whispered, while maintaining my focus on Red's crippling figure.

After a few more minutes, we finally hit the five-minute mark. That striking of the clock only meant one thing, and it concerned Red.

I pulled out my hands away from Red and waited for the results. We needed Red to open her eyes and feel her surroundings. And if she didn't…. there would be nothing left for me to do but join her.

"Come on, Red…. Fight it... Wake up…." I prayed, while staring deeply into her closed eyes.

I gritted my teeth and crunched my nails while waiting for Red's awakening. But after those few seconds, Red did not move a muscle. Red never reacted to the magic, despite tapping her shoulders.

"Match…." Okami mumbled, while resting his hand on top of my head.

But I refused anyone's comfort and removed Okami's hand from my body. The only person who could touch me was Red…. There was nothing in this world that would replace our bond between Red and me.

I wept for the second time because of Red's unresponsive body. The two players did not comfort me, knowing that I needed to vent all this sadness stored inside my mind.

The feeling of loneliness covered my head, haunting my soul. As if it was not enough, losing arcane inside my body finally kicked in. The side effects unravelled, creating a throbbing pain in my entire body.

But I couldn't scream or do anything about it. Since Red had finally passed away, there was nothing I could do but join her side.

However, before I could take my life, a soft sensation warmed my hands. And when I stared at my fingers, Red's palm rested on mine.

"R-Red…. RED! YOU'RE ALIVE! THANK GOODNESS YOU'RE ALIVE!" I shouted, while dancing on the ground.

I dashed straight towards Red and embraced her with everything I had. But Red couldn't return my strength as she slumbered around my arms.

"Thank…..you," Red answered me with her weakened voice.

She desperately tried looking into my eyes before sleeping around my arms. I caught her unconscious body and rested her head on my thighs. Red slept like a baby when she stayed beside me.

Red had never slept for days when we first met each other. If I wanted to be an honest mage, this aftermath let Red recharged herself for the time being.

As soon as Ryoshi and Okami knew Red's condition, the two of them fell backwards and heaved out a sigh. They carved their mouths with a smile, knowing that our teammate survived.

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