Seated near a pond that was shallow enough for sunlight to reach the bottom and surrounded by green trees, Charles patted his full stomach, feeling content.
"Did I mention you’re a great cook? If not, let me just say you really are."
Skyler’s lips twitched. He scoffed and turned the clean, thin tree branches laden with pieces of meat over the fire. Of course, the meat didn’t belong to the spiders. They had discovered a flock of ordinary quails in a hidden grassy area and caught some.
Charles was the one who ignited a fire by gathering dry branches and leaves. He did this easily by striking two stones together, as if he had done it many times before.
Only when he was done did Skyler realize his evil scheme! Since he lit the fire, Skyler had to do the work of cutting and cleaning the meat. And, fuck, it was so hard! Why? Because he only had a spear!
Ultimately, he also ended up cooking.
That explains their current situation.
Skyler tsked softly as he grabbed a branch laden with meat and bit into it reluctantly.
"It’s bland and tasteless. What’s so great about roasted meat?"
Charles shook his head.
"Your taste must be on a whole different level. For me, this is the best meal. It’s far better than what I usually cook."
Riruru gazed intently at the sizzling meat, enchanted by its aroma. She had no idea why they needed to char the food to eat it when they could consume it raw. But she had to admit it smelled incredibly good.
Skyler noticed her gaze. He blew on some meat and then extended it toward her.
"Here, give it a try."
She blinked and hesitated, but when she finally ate it, her eyes widened at the taste. Then, for the first time since they had met, she left Skyler’s side to go and hoard all the remaining cooked meat for herself.
Skyler was dumbfounded. Did his Riruru just abandon him for food? It seemed he had to make sure she wouldn’t taste better food, or who knows what might happen.
Charles felt aggrieved because when he reached for more, Riruru hissed at him.
"Your little snake is greedy."
Skyler was too shocked by the sudden betrayal to focus on Charles. He stared at Riruru, waiting for her to come back.
But when she didn’t, he was ticked off. So, when she came back after eating all the meat—who knows how she managed it when she was so small—he ignored her.
Charles cringed at Skyler’s behavior, but Riruru’s heart dropped when he turned his head away. She didn’t like it, not in the least. So she hurriedly moved to touch his fingers and stared at him with adorable eyes.
Skyler’s heart melted immediately, and he scooped her into his arms with a chuckle.
"Damn, she is so cute."
Charles narrowed his eyes at the pair. Something was odd about their behavior, but he just couldn’t quite put his finger on it. It was hardly surprising considering there was a snake and a human before him. This poor youth would likely have known what was wrong if the snake were a woman.
Before his thoughts could wander and reach a conclusion, Skyler stood up.
"Let’s go. We are done with food and..."
He glanced at Riruru.
She was a water elementist. They had found a pond, but the water was unclean. So, they were frustrated since they didn’t have anything to boil the water in.
However, Riruru, who was watching them, suddenly conjured a ball of cold water out of thin air, and the issue was resolved.
"...Water is no longer a problem thanks to Riruru. It’s time to move forward."
With a nod, Charles extinguished the fire and stood up. It was good that they didn’t need to worry about the dead bodies of the spiders they had killed up until now. Unlike the outside world, if no one picked up the dead bodies of monsters for an hour here, they dissolved into the land on their own.
It was a beneficial function of the crystals that kept the environment in them clean.
That’s why Lights who cleared crystals for money and resources always made sure to collect the bodies of their slain beasts.
Charles watched as Skyler hastily drew a tulip with a branch on the land and showed it to Riruru, who looked at it with confusion.
"You are good at drawing as well."
Skyler rubbed his nose, sheepishly.
"Jealous?"
Charles just gave him a blank look. He shouldn’t have praised him. He knew him like the back of his hand in just a day, but his cookiness never failed to amaze him.
It’s annoying, but he had to admit it suited him, since he had the ability to live up to it.
Riruru’s crimson eyes flickered with understanding when she grasped Skyler’s intention of showing her the sketch of the tulip. He wanted her to find more tulips, or perhaps similar healing treasures.
Having lived in this dimension for a long time, she knew every nook and cranny. With a turn of her head towards the left, she let out a soft hiss, indicating the way.
Skyler smirked and gave her a thumbs-up before practically sprinting in the indicated direction. Charles followed close behind.
They both channeled their Evol to increase their speed, but in truth, they were secretly competing to see who was faster.
None of them were winning. They were actually equal in speed. The reason being, even though Charles was stronger, Skyler’s light element was faster than his wind.
Suddenly, Charles recalled something important and rushed to Skyler’s side.
"Umm, I was thinking... how am I going to collect the herbs or treasures? I don’t have a storage ring that can keep items fresh or anything else to store them."
Skyler flashed him an innocent look. He didn’t think Charles would notice it so soon. But damn, he did. He showed him his ring.
"No worries at all. As a good friend, I will help you store them. You can count on me."
Charles’ eyebrows twitched. The time he had spent with Skyler was enough to make him understand when he was scheming.
He was wondering why Skyler shared the good news of Riruru finding the treasures with him when he could have gone on his own to look for them without sharing.
Now, he understood!
This jerk wanted him to work with him but keep everything for himself in the end!
"You are a jerk with no conscience."
Skyler gasped dramatically at his words and pointed at his nose while running.
"Me? No way! I am a good person!"
Charles rolled his eyes at his words.
"Yeah, yeah, a very good person."