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As night fell, Mistwood began its "breathing." The mist thickened from all directions, making the already gloomy and dark forest even more obscured, with a heavy black curtain shrouding everything.
Even with the magic lanterns enhancing the brightness, one could see no further than five steps ahead. EeDeChi had initially planned to hunt some small magical creatures to improve their dinner, but she had no choice but to retreat to the camp.
Determining the arrival of night in a forest that was already dim and shadowy seemed difficult, but the nocturnal creatures of the forest had their own reliable biological clocks.
Some yellow lights flickered in the distance, moving up and down. These were the bioluminescent moths beginning their courtship rituals.
The once-clear chirps and flapping wings of birds were gone, replaced by the sight of large bats with massive wings occasionally passing through the hazy glow of the lantern.
At this moment, Barrett had kindled a bright and warm campfire and was adding dry twigs from fallen trees to it.
image [https://wallpapers.com/images/hd/firepit-cooking-at-campfire-z4h9vyrcqrc5jfpa.jpg]
The fire crackled and popped, with a new iron pot sitting atop, its bottom scorched black, bubbling away. Inside the pot were chunks of salted beef jerky, potato slices, pumpkin pieces, and a few onions.
Barrett had even luxuriously cut some black cheese into small pieces and added them to the pot. Thanks to EeDeChi's spatial ring providing ample storage space, they had plenty of food.
Next to the campfire were two sharpened pine branches, on which two plucked wild chickens were roasting. The chicken had turned golden brown under the flames and oyster sauce, filling the air with a tantalizing aroma. Barrett had taken it upon himself to prepare both the stew and the roast chicken tonight.
image [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iBrNnxL_2So/maxresdefault.jpg]
EeDeChi approached. Though her stomach was growling with hunger, she maintained a dignified expression.
She placed her hands behind her back, bent slightly, and sniffed the steam rising from the pot. Nodding slightly, she praised:
"Not bad, the stew is well-made. I didn't expect you had such cooking skills. Though it's not quite up to the standard of the dinner I had with the lord of Montell City, it's good for you. Keep it up."
Barrett grumbled inwardly. Going on an adventure, just having a hot meal was already a luxury, and comparing it to a lord's feast was a bit much. How did this person get involved with a lord anyway? And why did her tone sound so oddly bureaucratic?
The seasoned adventurer shook his head, too lazy to think further. His stew-making skills were indeed impressive, a real standout among adventurers who typically forage and cook for themselves. If he couldn't be an adventurer in the future, he'd consider becoming a chef.
After they had enjoyed their meal and filled their stomachs, they prepared to sleep in the damp and chilly makeshift treehouse.
Barrett used the remaining soup to extinguish the campfire, set up magical wards around the camp for protection, and installed a few simple traps beneath the trees. He also sprinkled a light layer of insect-repellent powder inside the treehouse.
Before going to sleep, he and EeDeChi agreed on their watch schedule: EeDeChi would take the first half of the night, and Barrett would take the second.
Barrett reminded EeDeChi, "Don't wander around at night; don't be drawn to strange noises; if you need light, use cold glow stones instead of lanterns or torches; there might be small magical creatures in the treetops, so avoid climbing up…"
Though many of these were common sense for adventurers, Barrett wasn't sure if this orichalcum-level adventurer had the same experience.
EeDeChi nodded in agreement and settled into her part of the treehouse. Barrett said no more, wrapped himself in a blanket, and turned in for the night. He quickly fell asleep, a skill every elite adventurer had mastered to stay sharp during intense adventures and battles.
As the night deepened, the boundless darkness gradually filled the world. EeDeChi sat in the treehouse, eyes wide open, listening intently to the forest's quiet, rhythmic breathing in the night.
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Bats flapped their wings as they flew between the tree branches. On the ground, tiny insects crawled, and worms worked hard to tunnel through the decomposing layer of soil. A nameless bird woke up inexplicably in the night, cooed twice, and then fell back asleep.
In the distance, two nocturnal monsters fought fiercely, their blood-curdling roars shattering the silence, disturbing the slumbering forest. One monster emerged victorious, and the sound of it crunching the defeated bones echoed through the trees before the forest fell asleep once more...
Meanwhile, Barrett was having a gentle dream.
In his dream, a hazy pink mist enveloped him as a girl with wine-red hair approached. She wore a light blue off-the-shoulder gown that swayed as she walked.
Who was this girl? Barrett seemed to have forgotten her name, only recalling that the wine-red-haired girl had once admired him. Later, Barrett believed he couldn't provide the stable life she longed for, so they parted ways.
The girl drew closer to Barrett, her slender fingers brushing aside a strand of her wine-red hair, her hands gently sliding down the straps of her gown. The dress slowly fell away, revealing her graceful figure and her smooth, full breasts swaying slightly, flawless and beautiful.
She gave a seductive smile, stepping forward with her left leg, then her right, seemingly moving closer to Barrett.
With a sharp "snap," a steel animal trap clamped down on her right leg. The trap's sharp steel teeth dug deeply into her calf, blood splattering.
An animal trap? Barrett jolted awake from his dream, grabbing the sword from under his pillow and quickly climbing out of the treehouse. Looking down, he saw EeDeChi, holding a torch, awkwardly staring at him with a trapped expression. A closed animal trap was firmly clamped onto EeDeChi's foot.
Barrett hadn't expected that the trap he had carefully set for the monsters would end up catching his own employer!
"Didn't I say not to wander around at night?" Barrett rubbed his sleepy eyes, speaking with a hint of frustration.
Fortunately, EeDeChi had high resilience. The medium-sized trap, which was capable of breaking a goat's leg, had left no mark on her foot, which relieved Barrett somewhat.
"Also," Barrett scolded from the treehouse, "I told you before that you can't use fire at midnight. You should use magical cold glow stones instead. Torches can attract dangerous creatures."
EeDeChi shrugged, pulling open the trap on her foot with one hand while holding the torch in the other. She pointed into the darkness and said, "I heard fighting and cries for help in the distance and wanted to check it out. Besides, if leaders always listen to their subordinates, the hierarchy would be upside down."
Barrett paused, momentarily stunned. The Mistwood at night was as silent as a graveyard, and he hadn't heard any fighting or cries for help. Of course, he trusted that an orichalcum-level adventurer might have more sensitive hearing and could pick up sounds he couldn't.
"Anyway," Barrett waved his hand urgently, "put out the torch quickly before it attracts any creatures."
EeDeChi scratched her head. "It's too late. Something is already coming this way."
As if in response to her words, a rustling sound grew louder, coming closer through the endless darkness. It sounded like a massive creature sliding over fallen leaves and tree trunks.
Hearing the slithering sound, Barrett felt a chill run down his spine.
He pulled a crossbow and a 1st Tier magic "Realm of Clarity" bolt from his spatial leather bag, loaded the crossbow, and shot the bolt in the direction of the noise.
The bolt, trailing crystal fragments, briefly cut through the darkness with its glow.
A colossal triangular snake head emerged in the night. Its mouth slightly open, it hissed with its forked, crimson tongue. Its body, covered in black and white scales, was as thick as a cow and agilely wriggled through the trees, rapidly approaching them with its nearly twenty-meter-long length.
A fully grown Titan Python! Barrett was at a loss. Throughout his journey, he had used the skills honed from years of close escapes to guide EeDeChi through the Mistwood, which had claimed countless adventurers. They had narrowly avoided frost wolves, demonic giant brown bears, Ogre vine monsters... and now EeDeChi had attracted such a monstrous creature!
If EeDeChi weren't his employer, he would have already jumped down to give this reckless person a good beating!
Of course, even if EeDeChi weren't his employer, now wasn't the time for a lesson. The immediate priority was to escape. A fully grown Titan Python would require at least five well-coordinated mithril-level adventurers to defeat, and now they were just offering this giant serpent a midnight snack!
"Sprinkle the ice amber powder I gave you on yourself, THEN RUN!" Barrett shouted to EeDeChi. The girl was still watching the Titan Python with curiosity, completely unaware of the terrifying beast she was facing.
With years of experience, Barrett jumped down from the tree to gather the cooking gear from the campsite, preparing to flee in the opposite direction.
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The Titan Python seemed to sense that its prey was trying to escape. It stretched its neck and accelerated its slithering, quickly cutting through the dense forest. Its massive mouth opened wide, lunging at EeDeChi.
Barrett couldn't spare a thought for EeDeChi's fate. The clever serpent was attacking from both sides. Its thick tail smashed through several tree trunks, flinging them at him.
Barrett reacted swiftly, pulling a steel-covered oak shield from his spatial leather bag and activating Martial Art: "Fortress of the Faith."
The tail hit the shield like a battering ram. Despite the defensive Martial Art enhancing his shield, Barrett's arms tingled from the impact, but he held firm.
When the tail withdrew, Barrett peeked out from behind the shield and saw the enormous snake head, which should have bitten EeDeChi, raised high. The head had smashed through five pine trees, and half the serpent's body was flipping around.
Looking at EeDeChi on the ground, holding a broad, heavy giant sword in one hand, Barrett quickly understood: the Titan Python, with a body thicker than a water buffalo, had been sent flying by EeDeChi's single strike.
"Oh my gods," Barrett licked his parched lips, abandoning the thought of giving EeDeChi a thorough scolding.
"Is the strength of an orichalcum-level adventurer really that terrifying?"