Ogre

"Your donkey cart… how many years has it been since it was last washed?" Punk sat on the edge of the donkey cart, barely able to breathe.

"It's good enough that we have a cart to use. Are you some kind of pampered mage who was born in a spice rack?"

Kane was lounging inside the donkey cart, cross-legged, chewing heartily on dried meat. His lance was hung on the cart's railing, within easy reach.

The two travelers were now far from Moke Village and on their way to Konola City. Punk couldn't be bothered to argue with Kane right now; he was focused on practicing a Divination Spell, hoping to avoid dangers like the Undead as much as possible.

They had set out at dawn. The smaller sun, "Mira," had already emerged halfway from the horizon, while the larger sun, "Chikasa," was still below it.

It would take about five days to cross the small wasteland. The Baron had packed the necessary supplies into burlap sacks and placed them on a wooden cart that had already sprouted mushrooms. Then, under Punk's speechless gaze and Kane's helpless one, he led out a… little donkey!

The Baron seemed a bit embarrassed, but he still smiled and said:

"A Red-eared Donkey, a specialty of the Kingdom of Kamos. Diligent and obedient."

Although horses, one of the "weapons" of ordinary people in Faerun, were the most expensive of all livestock, nobles as poor as the Baron, who didn't even have a horse, were still quite rare.

Punk observed the donkey at the time. He did indeed see a tuft of red fur on the tip of the little donkey's ears, which made it look a bit endearingly foolish. The little donkey pawed at the ground with its hoof, appearing energetic, but Punk still felt that this rickety cart, paired with a foolish-looking donkey, was hardly a combination that could cross the wasteland.

Now that he was sitting in the donkey cart, Punk genuinely believed that if the donkey couldn't cross the wasteland, it would likely be Punk himself who failed. The peculiar smell emanating from the donkey made it seem like a walking pile of dung rather than a donkey, and Punk almost felt the urge to hit it with a Minor Telekinetic Projectile.

However, without the donkey, they would have to "nomad" their way to Konola City on foot. So, Punk had to ignore the strange smell from the cart as much as possible.

Kane, on the other hand, was thick-skinned. Even with his head facing the donkey's rear, he sat in the cart, chewing dried meat with gusto.

"I say… do you mages… gulp… not like to talk much?" Kane swallowed the chunk of meat in his mouth and took a big swig of ale.

Punk didn't even glance at him. He sat on the side of the cart, trying to stay upwind, and pulled a parchment map given by the Baron from his mage robe pocket.

The parchment was yellowed and curled at the edges from age, depicting the rough terrain of the Kingdom of Kamos. The Kingdom of Kamos was a small kingdom, and this small wasteland was located in its borderlands, adjacent to the Biaren Mountains to the west. The thirty-odd villages around Moke Village were situated at the junction of the mountains and the wasteland. At the end of the small wasteland was a river called the Beberlo River, and Konola City was built next to it.

Finally, Punk concluded that a desolate border wasteland like this was the perfect place for evil individuals to hatch wicked schemes and establish evil bases.

However, Punk just wanted to stay far away. He hadn't even reached Journeyman Level yet. Whether the evil organization's goal was to destroy the world or steal children's lollipops, it was beyond his ability to manage.

Kane, however, seemed completely unconcerned with these matters. After failing to get a rise out of Punk, he shifted his attention back to devouring dried meat and ale. The way he tore at the dried meat made it seem like he had a personal vendetta against it. Punk had already figured out that this Knight was also someone who "only swept the snow from their own doorstep and paid no mind to the frost on others' roofs." In terms of alignment, he was at most Lawful Neutral. However, judging by his words and actions, which bore no resemblance to "chivalry," Punk guessed he was Chaotic Neutral.

"Heave ho!" Kane leaped off the donkey cart, startling the little donkey into snorting. He stretched his arms as he hopped along to keep up with the cart.

At this moment, Punk was casting an Apprentice Level Abjuration spell on the map – Sense the Road Ahead. The spell's effect was to detect any dangers on the path ahead, but the information received was rather vague.

The spell's information appeared in Punk's mind. His pupils constricted, and he quickly replenished the energy for "Minor Mage Armor." Such buff spells generally lasted about twenty minutes. (Note: Stacking the same type of buff spells usually did not exceed three, otherwise, spell energy could easily conflict.) However, Punk generally recharged his spells every ten minutes to maintain the maximum possible duration. The fact that he was recharging now, before ten minutes had passed, was because the divination had indicated a "threatening big guy" appearing on the road ahead, though its exact distance was unknown.

"Hey, hey, Kane, my divination spell detected a big guy. We might need to change course."

Punk alerted Kane while closing his eyes to carefully sense the vague information from the divination, trying to glean more intelligence.

"Is this big guy you're talking about the one with bright red skin, over three meters tall, and a sharp horn on its head?" Kane asked in a somewhat strange tone.

"Apprentice Level divination is a bit vague, I..." Punk opened his eyes and looked up. He was a bit taken aback. With the extraordinary vision granted by his Journeyman Level Ranger class, Punk could clearly see an Ogre about seven to eight hundred meters away, roaring happily as it searched for food.

"...Now I can tell you, yes."

"Damn it! What kind of divination is that!" Kane was clearly quite displeased with Punk's "hindsight" prediction.

But Punk didn't argue with him. He recalled the information about Ogres. These brutal monsters, who enjoyed eating humans, had thick skin that was quite resistant to magic, immense strength capable of crushing rocks, a vitality close to limb regeneration, and a… dull mind. Most adult Ogres could reach three Fighter class levels, and their natural great strength and thick skin gave them strength comparable to a peak Apprentice Level, or a Level Four Fighter. While their low intelligence made significant development difficult, they were a troublesome enemy at the Apprentice stage.

And now, this Ogre, engaged in a hunt, had clearly spotted the "tasty snack" in the distance. It was carrying a large wooden club, taller than a person, and was swaggering towards Punk and Kane.

"So, are we going to fight, or are we going to fight? If I have to just, aban, don, the, donkey, and run, I'll be super, unhappy."

Kane twirled his lance in his hand, tapping the side of it with his gauntlet-clad finger, making a "clang, clang" sound. He emphasized the words "abandon the donkey."

If they lost the donkey, which was skilled at traveling on grasslands, the time it would take to get out of the wasteland would double. Punk knew this fact very well, so he had no intention of abandoning the donkey to evade. However… Punk glanced at Kane and thought, "Can't this guy just say things directly?"

Punk showed no extra expression. He calmly put the map back into his robe pocket, then picked up the staff he had placed in the cart, and finally hopped lightly off the donkey cart.

"Since we're going to fight, let's lure that monster away, at least far from your 'beloved donkey'!"

After saying this, Punk cast "Lesser Haste" on himself and charged towards the right flank of the Ogre's path.

"Damn it!"

Kane gave Punk's retreating back a middle finger, then strode forward to follow.

Please collect and recommend. A newcomer seeking support. The next chapter will be a battle with an Ogre!