The dungeon was pretty bland and boring, just a long and wide hallway. They were lucky enough to find 2 deer eating grass in front of the core room. They were only level 5 and were each killed with a single strike, but it was fresh food.
Chuck began the butchering process while making sure to save the blood and everything useful. Once he finished on, he brough out his potable cooktop/oven and two pans. He put down a splash of oil and cooked up to venison steaks. He lightly seasoned them both and cooked them to perfection. The recipe was simple and the ingredients were low level, but it was better than nothing.
Chuck quickly bit into his meal.
[Your Health and Mana regeneration will be increased to 1 point per minute for the next 10 minutes.]
He was thrilled. Although it wasn't much, it was more than he was expecting. Eating a steak was equivalent to resting for over and hour and a half.
Crumb also received a buff to his health and stamina regeneration.
They cleaned up after the meal and took the core and left. Chuck checked the location tracker and saw that Kyle was just over the next hill.
He eagerly ran up the hill while Crumb chased after him.
"Ha, ha, ha." Chuck burst into laughter when he saw his friend.
A man wearing dirty overalls with long blond hair down to his shoulders was sitting on a large black bull with fierce horns. The man had a piece of grass hanging from his mouth while holding a hoe over his shoulder. While the bull marched forward 7 dairy cows followed closely behind.
"Hey buddy!" Chuck yelled out while going down the hill.
"Broooo!" Kyle yelled out. "You like my surprise." He asked while motion to the cattle.
"Ha, ha, not bad."
Kyle jumped down from the bull and gave his friend a hug. "This place is crazy."
"You are telling me." Chuck replied. "This is Crumb by the way."
"Look at you two. What is a pair of chefs doing out in the wilds?" Kyle said with a chuckle as he laughed at his friend and the goblin who were out and about while wearing their chef's uniforms.
Chuck just shrugged. "I have been in a bunch of fights so far but I have yet to get it damaged. Even Crumb got slashed on his leg and the pants repaired themselves. This is some high tech equipment. You better respect it son."
"Ha, ha, I can't talk shit. Look at me. I guess this world thinks a farmer needs to be in overalls. Damn, I don't think I have ever once seen my uncle wear overalls."
"Well you do look like a farmer."
"Come on, let's head to my dungeon. We can talk on the way."
"Sure, sure, let's go." Kyle said while smacking the butt of the bull he was on.
The bull started going to the southeast where Kyle directed but Chuck stopped them.
"Let's take a bit of a detour. There is a level 14 dungeon on that path, I don't want to get too close."
"Good call, good call." Kyle said with a bit of fear in his eyes.
They made a detour and started heading towards Chuck's dungeon. Originally, Chuck had planned on trying the 7 Star dungeon on their way back but to do that, they would have to leave the cattle alone outside, or even worse, take them into the dungeon. It was better to get them to safety.
The cattle didn't move as fast Chuck and Crumb while they were on their own, but the pace wasn't bad. They should be able to get back around dinner time.
Chuck walked next to the bull while Kyle sat on it cross-legged. Crumb was having fun while he sat on one of the dairy cows and rode behind the two.
Kyle pulled a small pipe out of his inventory and lit it up as they traveled.
"How the hell did you get that?" Chuck asked.
"He, he, well funny story. When I passed out before this happened I had just packed it full. When I woke up it was still in my hand. I have hit it a few times before bed each night, but I haven't dared smoke in the wilds. But with you and goblin bro here I should be good." He said before he lit it up and blew out a cloud of smoke.
"Don't be dumb." Chuck said while shaking his head.
"It's not a problem man. For a guy like me, one or two puffs is nothing." Kyle said before hitting it again and then putting away the pipe. "This place may be deadly, but it sure is beautiful."
Chuck nodded.
"Don't worry bro. We will set up a great place for our families to come to. You already have the highest-level dungeon in the region. With me added we will take it to the next level. Let me tell you. My plant manipulation is getting pretty awesome. I can grow some stuff in a flash, I am getting pretty good at using plants to attack. And Milo here is pretty fierce, especially when anyone endangers his ladies." Said Kyle as he patted the bull on the head.
They continued to chat as the sun started to set. The tall mountain in the distance was getting closer and closer. They stepped out of the hills and into the tall grass.
"Snort"
*Stomp* *Stomp*
"Hold up bro." Kyle said.
Milo the bull was looking around anxiously after stomping on the ground. The dairy cows quickly came up and got right behind him.
*AHWOOOOOO!!!!!!*
A wolf howled in the distance from the edge of the forest. A wolf with a gash on its face stuck its head out of a bush. Chuck immediately recognized it. It was the wolf that had escaped last night.
*AhWOOO!!!* *AhWOOO!!!* *AhWOOO!!!* *AhWOOO!!!*
Several other wolves let out howls, some of them even sounded from the hills behind them.
Kyle jumped off the bull and the slapped its ass. "YAH! To the mountain Milo!" He yelled while pointing to the dungeon in the distance.
"MOOOOO!!!!!" The bull mooed loudly, and the dairy cows took off running right behind Milo while staying close to him.
*AhWOOO!!!*
The wolves darted from the forest while everyone ran towards the dungeon. Chuck wasn't sure how many wolves there were, but he was sure that there was over 50 running out of the forest while even more ran from the hills.
[Do you wish to invite the Farmer, Kyle Easton, and his subordinates to join your dungeon?]
Chuck quickly confirmed his decision. He needed to make sure Kyle and the cows could actually enter the dungeon once they reached it.
Kyle accepted the invitation instantly.
But the wolves moved far faster than the group of livestock. Chuck and Crumb could probably have made it to the dungeon, but that would mean abandoning the others.
The wolves encircled the group and stopped in front of them.
"Mooo!"
The wolves may have blocked their path, but Milo the bull had no intention of stopping. He lowered his head and impaled a wolf on his large horns before jerking his thick neck and tossing the wolf aside like a piece of garbage.
"You stay off of my babies." Kyle yelled as several wolves leapt at the dairy cows bringing up the rear.
While the wolves were in midair. Hundreds of strands of tall grass wound around their bodies and pulled them to the ground.
Chuck turned around as the cows began to climb the 200 foot mountain path to the dungeon. Kyle did the same and Crumb… Well Crumb was already charging into the middle of the wolves. His arms were glowing green as he bashed and slapped everything in his path.
Kyle gripped his hoe and connected with the face of a wolf that just leapt at him.
Chuck pulled out his knife and spatula and went to work.
Arcs of red flashed across the grassland. An enhanced blue spatula slapped down wolves and sent them tumbling into their brethren. Kyle commanded the long grass to strangle any wolf that stepped into his area of the control.
The grass was weak individual, but when over a hundred strands wrapped around a wolfs neck it become harder to free themselves. And the ones that did try to struggle soon found a knife in their heads.
Crumb started backing up as his power waned. He still smashed the wolves and even cut a few but there were too many.
It was a grizzly scene as the grass was dyed red and numerous carcasses were scattered across the field. The light was fading as the sun dipped down behind the hills in the west.
Chuck and the others were about to turn and run for it when something flew past them.
Gareth appeared.