The Magical Food God of Hogwarts

Chapter 12 The Foul-Smelling Monster

"There are others here!" Lucas held a knife in his right hand and a silver cylinder in his left, from which a dazzling beam of light radiated.

"No... I'm not sure if that was a person..." Ellie stared at the cylinder in Lucas's hand and said slowly, "In the forest at night, there are many terrifying legends... They imitate various forms to lure lost people..."

Lucas felt a chill run down his spine to the back of his head, and images from numerous horror movies uncontrollably flooded his mind.

Ellie couldn't help but point at the cylinder and ask, "What's this? It's brighter than 'Fluorescent Shimmer'!"

"A flashlight, a Muggle tool." Lucas pushed the switch at the end of the flashlight forward, making the beam brighter. He carefully surveyed his surroundings, wary of any sudden enemies. "Quick, put on your cloak, Ellie."

Ellie agreed, then shook the cloak that had served as both a medical instrument and a soup pot, washing away the remaining soup on the dragon skin. Without even washing it, she wrapped it around herself.

She and Lucas stood side by side, warily observing their surroundings.

"Maybe that thing is afraid of fire," Lucas said. "Now we can't hear anything at all."

Ellie confirmed several times before nodding: "Let's light the campfire and then take turns keeping watch."

The two gathered a pile of dry branches, preparing to burn a campfire all night. Just as Ellie insisted on taking the first watch, Lucas suddenly turned his head and looked into the depths of the forest, while Ellie, looking nervous, stepped closer to him.

"What's wrong, Lucas?"

Lucas took a deep sniff. His senses of smell, taste, and touch were fundamental skills for a chef, honed through rigorous training since childhood, making them exceptionally acute. He detected a faint stench wafting from behind the layers of trees.

A few seconds later, Ellie finally smelled the stench too. She frowned, feeling the stench growing stronger and stronger, like rotten socks piled together and a public toilet that had never been cleaned...

The horrible stench was a tremendous torment for Lucas. He simply tore off a bandage, soaked it in the stream, and tied it over his mouth and nose, which made him feel a little better.

Then both of them heard a huge commotion coming from afar, as if a colossal creature was pushing through the bushes.

Ellie's expression suddenly changed, and she shoved Lucas: "Quick, let's get up in the trees, the higher the better!"

Although Lucas didn't know why, he trusted Ellie's judgment. The two of them used both hands and feet to climb back up the large tree that had taken them so much effort to climb down. Lucas stayed below Ellie, occasionally helping her up to prevent her from losing her grip with only one hand.

The crackling sounds grew closer, and the stench intensified. Ellie lowered her voice, her anxiety evident: "There's no mistake, this noise and smell... Lucas, we have to be careful not to be discovered."

"I never expected that this place would have... a forest monster."

As soon as Ellie finished speaking, accompanied by a clear snapping sound, a huge black shadow pushed through the bushes. The first thing the firelight illuminated was the enormous wooden stick in its hand, probably ten feet long, covered in dirty moss, and made from branches stripped from a small tree, which cut through the air with a dull whistling sound.

Then, the flickering firelight illuminated its entirety.

It was a colossal creature nearly twelve feet tall, taller than a single-story building, with pale green skin covered in sparse hair and layers of grime.

Its body was disproportionate; thick legs supported a bloated torso, and two unusually long arms almost reached its knees. On a small head that was extremely disproportionate to its body, the facial features were squeezed together, and the small, dull, and cruel eyes were looking around.

Ellie and Lucas lay prone in the tree, too afraid to move. Although they had climbed quite high, it was of little use against this forest monster, whose every step caused a slight tremor in the ground and who wielded an enormous club.

The forest monster stopped by the fire, puzzled by the unattended flames. It tilted its head, made a muffled murmur from its throat, and then looked around repeatedly.

Ellie's heart sank. She realized she had made a fatal mistake—she should have put out the fire first! That fire was like a lighthouse in the dark!

"I hope everything's alright..." Ellie's lips barely moved, her voice barely a whisper. "Trolls have brains smaller than potatoes, they're stupid... they probably don't realize there are people around..."

The giant looked around, then stared blankly at the fire, seemingly unable to comprehend what was happening. It simply stretched out its massive club and slammed it down hard on the center of the fire.

With a loud bang, the ground shook, and the burning firewood was smashed into a shower of embers. The giant seemed quite pleased with its handiwork, muttered something, and then turned its heavy body, intending to leave.

Ellie and Lucas both held their breath, their hearts pounding in their throats.

A gentle breeze stirred the treetops, and Ellie's cloak fluttered in the wind.

The giant immediately stopped in its tracks. It sniffed deeply, then its eyes filled with excitement. With a roar, it spat out saliva. It smelled it—

The aroma of meat fills the air!

Lucas suddenly realized—it was the dragon skin cloak! The cloak that had been used to cook meat broth and hadn't been washed yet!

Before he and Ellie could even move, the troll had already looked up and seen the two figures hiding among the branches.

"roar--!"

The once dull eyes instantly filled with ferocity and excitement. The giant roared, and the wooden club in its hand emitted a heavy groan, leaving a blur before slamming into the tree trunk!

"Bang!"

The wooden stick slammed down beneath Lucas and Ellie, the howling air whipping up their clothes, sending branches and leaves flying with a crackling sound, and the entire tree shaking violently as if it were about to break at any moment.

"Climb higher!" Lucas shouted.

Supporting each other, the two, driven by their will to survive, gained strength and began to climb again.

The giant slammed down a few more times, the wooden club landing right behind their feet, splinters flying everywhere and drawing blood again on Lucas's body. The two once more experienced the jarring motion of riding a dragon's back, clinging tightly to the tree trunk to avoid being thrown off.

Fortunately, the tree was thick and strong enough that it was not broken by the giant. But there was no chance to catch his breath. With a loud whoosh, Lucas instinctively ducked down, and the huge black shadow shot past him, almost grazing his hair!

With a series of cracking sounds, the thick tree branch fell and hit the two men, causing them to cry out in pain.

Lucas clung tightly to the tree trunk, cold sweat beading on his skin. The troll had just hurled its massive wooden club! Had it been a fraction more accurate, it would have smashed him into a bloody pulp!

Then, with another loud bang, a rock whistled through the air and smashed the thick branch above Ellie's head right off!