Roaring Heroes Battle the Overlord (Ainz)

Chapter 11: Python Devouring Humans

As darkness fell, Mistwood began to "exhale." The mist from all directions grew thicker, making the already eerie and dim forest even harder to see through, as a heavy black curtain draped over everything.

Even with the glow of magic night lamps enhanced for brightness, anything beyond five steps remained invisible. EeDechi had planned to hunt some small magical creatures to spruce up dinner but had no choice but to retreat back to the campsite.

In a forest where the light was already gloomy and faint, figuring out when night arrived could be tricky, but the nocturnal creatures of the woods had their own steady internal clocks.

Flickering yellow dots floated up and down in the distance—those were the glowing feather bugs starting their mating dance.

The crisp calls of birds and the flapping of wings no longer filled the air above. Instead, only the occasional shadow of blood-sucking bats, with their massive wings spread wide, cut through the hazy glow of the night lamps.

By now, Barrett had lit a bright and warm campfire, tossing in dry branches split from dead trees.

The fire crackled and popped. A shiny new iron soup pot hung over it, its bottom blackened by the flames, bubbling away noisily. Inside simmered a stew of salted beef jerky, potato slices, pumpkin chunks, and a pinch of onion.

Barrett even splurged by cutting a chunk of fancy cheese into small pieces and tossing it into the pot. Thanks to EeDechi's spatial ring providing plenty of storage, food wasn't a worry for now.

Two sharpened pine branches were stuck into the ground near the campfire, each skewering a wild pheasant stripped of its feathers. The roast chickens had turned golden under the licking flames and a brush of oyster sauce, giving off a mouthwatering aroma. Tonight's stew and roast were both handled by Barrett alone.

EeDechi strolled over. Though her stomach was growling, she kept a cool, composed look on her face.

Hands behind her back, she bent over and took a whiff of the steam rising from the soup pot, giving a slight nod of approval. "Not bad. The stew's pretty good. Didn't expect you to have a knack for cooking. Sure, it's not up to the fancy dinner the Montell lord treated me to, but for you, it's decent. Keep it up."

Barrett grumbled to himself. Out here adventuring, a hot meal was already a win—comparing it to a lord's feast was ridiculous. How the hell did she even get tangled up with a lord? And why did her tone have that weird, stuck-up official vibe?

The veteran adventurer shook his head, too lazy to dwell on it. His stew-making skills were legit top-notch, a rare talent among adventurers who all fended for themselves. If this whole adventuring gig didn't pan out, he figured he could always become a chef.

The two dug in, polishing off the food and filling their bellies before settling into the damp, makeshift treehouse to sleep.

Barrett doused the campfire with the leftover broth, set up some magic trinkets around the camp to sound an alarm if needed, and rigged a few simple traps under the trees. Inside the treehouse, he sprinkled a thin layer of powder to keep bugs and ants away.

Before hitting the sack, Barrett and EeDechi made a deal: she'd take the first half of the night watch, and he'd cover the second half, trading off sleep shifts.

After setting everything up, the seasoned adventurer didn't forget to warn EeDechi: "Don't wander around at night; don't get lured by weird sounds; if you need light, skip the night lamp or a torch—use a cold glow fluorite instead; there might be small magical critters up in the treetops, so don't climb up there..."

Sure, most of this was basic adventurer know-how, but Barrett wasn't entirely convinced this orichalcum-level adventurer had the experience to back it up.