As Alex stepped out of the carriage, he was greeted by the spectacle of the sun gracefully vanishing behind the distant mountain peaks, casting a warm orange glow that bathed the world in a tranquil, ethereal light.
Observing his surroundings, Alex remarked that it appeared as though they had landed in the middle of nowhere. The area where the carriage touched down was the only patch devoid of wild grass; yet, all around it, lush greenery, with grass tall enough to reach his knees, sprawled, and amidst the grass, you could see some tall trees scattered around.
"Why did we stop?" he asked Lilia and Cedrix.
"Um, I'll go find wood to make a fire," said the old man, looking embarrassed.
Alex raised an eyebrow. "Why does it seem like he's avoiding my gaze?" he wondered.
Lilia shot him an irritated glance. "Probably because he heard people moaning inside the carriages while we were flying."
"Oh, so you heard us," Alex chuckled, not too bothered about being caught.
"Seriously, couldn't you have waited until we landed and done it privately? The old man was so startled when the first moan resounded that he almost fell," Lilia shared with amusement.
Alex chuckled. "It must have been really shocking for him."
"As for waiting to do it privately, it's not my fault if those two couldn't resist my handsomeness and assaulted me. I merely went along with their lustful acts!" He exclaimed with a wronged expression.
Lilia rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'm certain they were the ones that couldn't keep their hands away from you."
"That's exactly it!"
As he spoke, he heard two snorts coming from inside the carriage, making him smile wryly.
"Anyway, why did we stop-"
Alex came to a stop, feeling a slight tremor running through the ground.
He looked towards the source of the tremor just in time to see a towering creature, at least five meters tall, with green skin and sharp teeth, charging. The creature held a massive wooden club and was heading straight for the unsuspecting Cedrix, who was crouching on the ground, picking wood.
Without a moment's hesitation, Alex sprinted towards the old man at his fastest speed. In an instant, he stood in front of Cedrix, extending his hand forward.
A split second later, the ogre was upon them, his wooden club descending like a relentless hammer.
Crack
The ground beneath Alex cracked into countless webs due to the sheer force of the creature's attack.
"Urg..."
He groaned, veins bulging in his forehead and arms as he gripped the wooden club.
The shockwave released by the creature's attack was so violent that Cedrix, who was crouching behind Alex, was sent flying towards one of the rare trees in their location.
Fortunately for the old man, Lilia managed to reach him just in time before he collided with the tree.
Meanwhile, Alex was still struggling to free himself from the creature.
'Insane, how does it have so much strength?' wondered Alex as his feet sank into the ground.
The reason he decided to block the incoming attack instead of just pushing Cedrix out of the club's trajectory was that he was certain this creature, who at first glance looked like an ogre, had a much lower level than him, probably around 1 or 2 levels lower. Yet, this creature was exerting significant pressure on him in terms of pure physical might, despite Alex's strength that was clearly above the normal level 4 strength.
'Really, the human race is weak' he mused with a bitter smile.
'However, its strength still has a long way to go compared to mine,' Alex grinned.
In a swift and decisive move, he pushed back the wooden club, creating distance between himself and the ogre, and retreated to the carriage.
Glancing back, he noticed Cedrix lying on his back with his eyes tightly shut.
"How is he doing?" Alex inquired about Cedrix's condition, turning his head to observe the ogre, wary of a potential attack.
"He just lost consciousness due to the shock; he should be fine once he awakens," replied Lilia, also keeping her eyes on the ogre.
Alex nodded in understanding.
Meanwhile, the ogre seemed oblivious to them, still fixated on its wooden club and arms, as if surprised by its failure to defeat the two seemingly insignificant creatures.
"Do you need help taking care of him?" wondered Lilia.
"Nope, its appearance is actually a good thing. I've been wondering for a while now about my strength, and this is the perfect opportunity to find out," Alex grin came back.
Lilia nodded in understanding.
Simultaneously, the ogre appeared to realize it had failed to kill Alex and Cedrix, and even worse, it was pushed back by Alex. Its eyes sparked with fury, and with a savage roar, it charged at Alex, wielding its wooden club.
However, before it could cover half the distance, Alex appeared in front of its face, his fist raised. In a heartbeat, his punch connected with the ogre's nose, a resounding impact echoing through the air. The ogre staggered backward, momentarily stunned, as Alex's strike disrupted its menacing advance.
Although his punch had been powerful, it only caused the ogre to stagger, drawing a little blood.
Not wanting to give the ogre a chance to recover, Alex leapt towards it the instant he landed on the ground.
However, just as he was about to deliver another punch to the monster's stomach, Alex suddenly blocked to his right side. In an instant, he could be seen flying through the air before crashing near the carriage.
Lilia glanced at the hole he had made when he collided with the ground and chuckled.
"Still don't need help?"
"No, I was just taken off guard. I didn't think it would recover so quickly, that's all. I can deal with him alone," assured Alex as he dusted off his clothes.
"You can deal with what alone?" wondered Amelia with a curious expression, exiting the carriage.
After Amelia exited, Anna's head bobbed out of the carriage, portraying the same curious expression as her friend.
"This guy here," Alex pointed at the ogre.
"Oh, an ogre," Amelia observed the approaching creature, "It looks bigger than a normal one, and it appears to be wounded. Were you the one to wound it?"
Alex shook his head. "No, I didn't even notice it was wounded until you mentioned it. Anyway, don't do anything. I will take care of him alone," Alex cracked his fingers.
A split second after speaking, he lunged at the ogre. He exhaled the multicolored smoke, which had been in his body since his fight against Amelia, wrapping a small part around his body and expanding the rest in their surroundings while still running.
When the two of them were near each other, the ogre brandished his wooden club with one arm and executed a vertical strike!
Alex easily evaded the club by sidestepping, then shot towards the ogre's face. He appeared in front of its eyes even before the club touched the ground, his hand balled into a fist.
Alex's fist struck the ogre's eye, penetrating it with force and unleashing a geyser of vibrant blue blood.
Due to the sudden, intense pain that jolted his entire body, the ogre staggered and released a guttural scream. Simultaneously, it wildly swung its wooden club, attempting to smash Alex or, at the very least, keep Alex away from it.
It had succeeded, and Alex couldn't attack its front, but that wasn't the case for its back.
Utilizing his smoke ability, Alex blinked right behind the ogre that was moving backward and punched, this time targeting the creature's spine.
To enhance the possibility of his fist passing through the ogre's thick skin, Alex concentrated a good part of his mana in his fist until he felt that he might wound himself if he continued to concentrate mana in it, then punched.
*Crack*
A cracking sound reverberated in the air as Alex's blow snapped the ogre's spine in two and even managed to cause the ogre's feet to detach from the ground as it was sent flying in the air, passing over the carriage.
The ogre's body collided with the ground in a loud boom, twitched a little, then grew limp.
Meanwhile, Alex landed gracefully on the ground and walked towards the girls, flashing them a smile.
"Told you I can take care of it alon-"
Alex suddenly stopped speaking and swept his senses in the carriage surroundings, his expression changing to a serious one.
"We are surrounded," he announced.
"By ogres?" wondered Anna.
"No, by humans."