The bandits' attack

Rustle Rustle

"I know you are here, come out!" said Alex aloud, not bothering to look up from his book.

A regular person might think he had lost it, talking to himself, but someone with sharp senses would understand he was addressing the people surrounding their carriages.

'There are many more than last time,' remarked Alex.

If the first group of "adventurers" numbered around 20-30, now it easily doubled, and their average level was higher!

'Four at level 4, eight at level 3, and all the others between levels 1 and 2; they sure came prepared,' chuckled Alex as he made his own preparations.

Some might wonder how he was certain it was the adventurers from a few hours ago, but for Alex and anyone with a brain, it was evident. Who else could it have been? They were the only ones who knew of their presence here.

"I noticed it the first time, but you've got sharp senses," said a deep and masculine voice.

Without glancing at the person who spoke, Alex recognized the voice as that of the tattooed man. He chuckled, "You weren't exactly trying to conceal your presence, were you?"

"True" sneered the man.

"Like I thought, you guys aren't adventurers but mere bandits," Alex stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh, we are indeed adventurers; however, being one does not prevent being the other," shrugged the tattooed man.

Pointing the broadsword in his hand at Alex, the tattooed man said in a threatening voice, "Give us all your valuables, and we might consider sparing your life. Just so you know, those beautiful white-winged horses of yours are among the valuable items I'm referring to."

Faced with the man "threat", Alex burst into laughter. "You guys really take me for a fool huh?"

"A fool? Nah, not a fool. Rather a noble fool," the man sneered.

Then, Alex closed the book in his hand, and for the first time since they appeared, he looked towards the tattooed man.

"I will only say it this time, leave while you still can," he said with a smile.

The tattooed man suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Unconsciously, he took a step back, trying to increase the distance between him and Alex.

'What's with him? He brought us here and is getting cold feet just because of a few words and a gaze? Pathetic.'

The other level 4 individuals that the tattooed man had brought snorted at his display of cowardice.

Seemingly realizing his mistake, the tattooed man composed himself and stepped forward, his eyes red with fury.

One could only wonder if he was mad because he felt fear the instant his gaze met Alex's or because of the embarrassment he was currently feeling.

"We don't have time to waste. Give everything you have!" he bellowed.

Alex plugged his ears.

"No need to yell, I heard you the first time"

"Then what are you waiting for? Also-"

Before the tattooed man could finish speaking, another level 4 stepped forward and interrupted him.

"Stop speaking already; you are starting to sound like a broken record."

The man that had stepped forward had his face entirely covered by a mask, with the only visible features being his jet-black eyes.

The man pointed at Alex, "You heard what he said, give everything. We will also be taking the girls that are in the carriage with u-"

*Slice, Slice*

Before he could finish his words, the man sensed something slicing through the air and coming towards him with great speed.

He tried to evade, but he was too slow. A split second later, something collided with his neck.

"Arg..."

The masked man groaned in pain as he stumbled back several feet.

'Fortunately, I activated my ability just in time,' he thought while pressing his hand on his bleeding neck.

The masked man's ability allowed him to toughen his body until it was as hard as iron. If not for that, he might have well died just now.

Turning around, he asked, "Is everyone alr-"

The masked man's words choked in his throat as the horrifying scenery that greeted him seemed to have been ripped straight from the darkest corners of a nightmare.

Here, in front of him, the bodies of the people he called comrades stood just as they had before, the only macabre difference being that their heads were missing; no, not missing, they had been severed from their bodies like flowers ruthlessly plucked from a once-vibrant garden.

The man glanced down at the ground, only to see their heads strewn about like discarded pieces of a gruesome puzzle, each face frozen in a silent scream that echoed the horror of the nightmarish tableau.

Dread took hold of the masked man's heart, and without a second of hesitation, he started running away.

The instant he witnessed his comrades' decapitated bodies, he understood that he wasn't a match for Alex.

Beside himself, there were three other level 4 individuals, yet he was the only one alive while all the others had been killed in less than a second. He would be a fool to think that he could handle Alex alone.

'This guy is a monster, I need to escape, fast!!'

Without caring for his stamina or the fact that he was currently huffing, the masked man kept increasing his speed.

'After I escape, I will-'

"Where do you think you are going?"

The masked man's heart skipped a beat when he heard a voice sound just behind him. In fact, the person to whom the voice belonged was so close that he could even feel his breath against his ear like the icy touch of a malevolent spirit, sending shivers down his spine.

However, despite the fear he was feeling, the masked man was still a warrior, so he stopped his course, spun, and sent a powerful kick!

The strength and speed of his kick were so remarkable that, in just a split second, it landed precisely where the voice whispering to him had been, showcasing a swiftness that seemed almost instinctive.

Yet, all that met his kick was empty air.

The man's eyes, the only visible thing on his face, widened in surprise.

'Impossible, he was just here-'

"Where are you looking? I'm here," said a voice behind him.

Hearing the voice that was behind him again, the masked man spun, this time throwing a punch towards his opponent.

Fortunately, contrary to the last time, his fist landed on something. Unfortunately, it landed on his enemy's palm, and by the wide smile on his face, it was evident that he wasn't feeling pain, or at the very least, he was really good at hiding it.

"Like I previously asked, where do you think you are going?"

The masked man didn't even take the time to listen to what Alex said because he was busy trying to get his fist free from Alex's grip. Unfortunately for him, Alex's grip on his fist was like a vice; he couldn't free his hand despite using all his strength.

"D-Don't do something you might regret; you don't have an idea for whom I wor-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Alex's palm covered his mask. An instant later, the back of the man's head smashed against the hard ground.

The impact of the man's head against the ground caused countless cracks to emerge on the surface.

The man immediately lost consciousness. At the same time, the mask he was wearing came off.

"Ooof, I don't understand why he wore a mask. With a face like that, I would have also worn a mask," sneered Alex.

Although his face below the mask wasn't as ugly as Alex made it sound, it's just that compared to himself, he felt that the man was no different from a pig.

He took the man's mask, then lifted his body with his smoke.

"Let's return; I need to deal with the other one."