Red Monster

Red returned to the village so quickly. He didn’t need to gather information and knew the way. It didn’t take long for him to go back. The guards were surprised to see him.

He didn’t heed them, going straight to the main kitchen. The main kitchen was filled with the workers. They got to eat after the warrior left.

He didn’t find Darla from the front, going straight to the kitchen and saw Darla was working on Crimson Scales Biter and another dish in the pot. It was grilled Crimson Scales Biter, and the other one was unknown.

He slowly arrived behind her without calling her out, looking at the pot she was working on. It was the fish soup, Crimson Scales Biter soup. The soup was less thick than the usual one she made.

It was less aromatic, soft with a little bit of spice. This was a new dish. The soup was white, not clear. He could tell it was not something he had tasted before.

Sensing his presence, Darla turned around and was startled at first. She complained in a human language that he didn’t understand, but Red kept his eyes on the pot.

That calmed her down and gave him a huh. The smell of his sweat and big presence was comforting. "The war is over?" She asked in a soft voice.

"No! Not over! I return to eat..."

Her shoulders slumped, letting out a sigh. She was happy for a moment, thinking the war was over. That was too quick to be over.

"Food... must return fast..."

Darla understood him and took out the grilled rabbon, placing it on the table.

Red glanced at the rabbon before looking back at the pot. "What food?" He asked as his hand grabbed the grilled rabbon.

"New food. It’s a new recipe, but it might not be good."

Red didn’t listen to the rest. He only knew it was a new dish. While the smell was not as aromatic as the other soups, he wanted to try it, the new food.

"I need food... must return quickly..."

Understanding his intention, she was quick with her action. She took another grilled dire wolf leg, a big pot of gruel, and the dire wolf steak. She made them all when Red was away from the village.

Red finished the grilled rabbon and was delighted that the blessing was renewed. It reset the duration of the blessing back to 4 hours.

[You have consumed Mystic Chef’s infused dish, Mystic Grilled Rabbon.]

[You have received Mystic Chef’s blessing, Dexterity +25. Duration: 4 hours.]

He then grabbed the big pot and gulped it down. He finished the big pot in less than thirty breaths. There was a change in expression as he tasted the gruel. There was a modification. There was a heat, different than spicy soup, but just a heat that warmed up his throat, relieving his throat and nose.

He realized it was a different type of gruel. It used fish, not the usual rabbon’s meat. There was more seasoning than usual as well. She seemed to add potato as well, adding the texture into the gruel. The soft potato and fish meat was a new experience. It was easier to gulp it down. Maybe she changed because of the way he ate it, a thoughtful change.

[You have consumed Mystic Chef’s infused dish, Fish and Potato Gruel.]

[You have received Mystic Chef’s blessing: Minor Health Regeneration I, Minor Stamina Regeneration I. Duration: 5 hours.]

The recipe was changed, but it still provided the same blessing. The difference was the duration. It gave him two more hours, which was actually good.

"Good... Very good!"

Darla beamed at the compliment. She didn’t know whether it tasted better because it increased the buff duration. The compliment was still good, satisfying. It made her happy that the food she made made him happy.

Red grabbed the dire wolf steak, starting to devour it. He made a chewing noise; his eyes were radiant as he finished the steak. The steak tasted different as well, much more tasty than before. It might be a blessing or a class. Whatever it was, the food was much better.

[You have consumed Mystic Chef’s infused dish, Dire Wolf Steak.]

[You have received Mystic Chef’s blessing: Strength +20, Stamina +20, Dexterity +20. Duration: 6 hours.]

Another new type of blessing, and it gave him more stamina as well. As he finished the steak, Darla placed the grilled fish. It was still steaming as Darla cut its head.

Red ate the whole fish, even the bones. That was why Darla cut the head for him. The crunching sound resounded from his mouth as he chewed the bone. His eyes shone, and he liked the fish even more. Among all the food made by Darla, this grilled fish might become his favorite.

[You have consumed Mystic Chef’s infused dish, Grilled Crimson Scales Biter.]

[You have received Mystic Chef’s blessing: Dexterity +35. Duration: 3 hours.]

The fish soup was not done, and Darla had to give him another grilled dire wolf leg that gave him Strength and Dexterity. There was no modification, something she made early in the morning. He didn’t mind it as he needed to renew the blessing.

The fish soup was done as Darla put the big plate before Red. The fish was half-submerged under the white broth as she put thin-sliced carrot above the fish.

Red grabbed the plate with both of his hands, bringing it closer to his nose. He smelled it first; it was not as strong as other soups, but it smelled delicious. He took a first slurp. There was this warm kick, the same thing he tasted when he ate the fish gruel earlier.

He expected it to be sweet, but it was not sweet at all. The fish flavor concentrated in the broth. He drank half of the broth before picking the fish by the tail. The fish was so soft, totally the opposite of the crunchiness of the grilled one.

The bones were also soft, and he chewed them easily without making noise. He ate the whole fish within a few breaths and drank the remaining soup.

"Fuwah..."

[You have consumed Mystic Chef’s infused dish, Unnamed Dish.]

[You have received Mystic Chef’s blessing: Dexterity +45. Duration: 4 hours.]

It wasn’t just tasty, but it also gave him a massive buff. Another Dexterity bonus, and he had additional Dexterity +145 from the blessing. That was equal to fourteen levels of Dexterity.

He hugged Darla and kissed her face. All over her face, cheek, forehead, lips, and neck. Then he put her down, kissing her on the lips once more.

"I leave now..."

Red immediately departed, but he stopped by his house first, retrieving his blade. If he returned without a blade, the Chief might think he was lying.

After getting his blade, he departed to rejoin the Chief’s force. Knowing the route made it easier for him. He traveled from the trees, and he moved so fast that all he saw was a blur. He moved so fast that he caught up with the Chief’s army in no time.

Red overtook them, "I am back, Chief!" He announced before showing up, in case he caused a misunderstanding.

That shocked the hobgoblins; their eyes fell on his waist. His excuse was to retrieve a blade, and he returned so quickly with a blade on his waist.

The Chief’s eyes were also on Red’s waist. A flicker of surprise could be seen in his eyes, but it quickly recovered, "Good. Now lead us to the kobold village."

Red nodded and climbed up. He stayed on the lowest branch and remained in sight. He led them through the path he had established, moving into the jungle. The travel was quite delayed by the goblins because they had short legs. The roots were quite an obstacle for them.

Red kept checking the time; the easy-to-track time was through his buff. It took them twenty minutes to arrive at the kobold village.

"We are here, Chief!"

He saw the village ahead of them and was surprised that a lot of houses were destroyed. More houses had been destroyed since he left earlier.

"Where is the village?" The Chief questioned him.

Red tapped his forehead. He could see the village because he was above, and they could not see it from below.

"The village is ahead of us. You will be able to see the village once you pass those bushes, Chief."

He pointed at the thick bushes ahead of them.

The Chief went ahead, cutting through the bushes with the black sword. That was when the village came into their sight. There was no plan or briefing as the Chief raised his sword.

"Kill them all! Kill!" His voice reverberated, which was followed by the hobgoblins and goblins. The Chief led the attack, rushing forward head-on.

The shout alerted the village as Red saw the kobolds were rushing out. He came closer as he readied his bow. It was time for another hunt. He positioned himself closer and started to fire his arrows before the two forces clashed.