My body, frozen stiff, turned towards the ogre, ready to flee at any moment.
Perhaps the sound of my clothes snagging had reached the ogre's ears, for it suddenly stopped chewing and its monstrous head swiveled left and right, as if searching for the source of the noise.
I immediately held my breath. It wasn't that I feared the ogre; my priority was to return to camp, and any delay here was most inconvenient.
The ogre looked around, unable to pinpoint the sound's origin. Finally, it abandoned its food and stood up from the ground.
Hiss--!
A colossal shadow enveloped the clearing, threatening to engulf the entire space.
I made a rough estimate: this ogre before me must be about three and a half meters tall.
What is three and a half meters? That's the height of a two-story building!
My own height is nearly 1.9 meters, making me a veritable giant among normal people.
Yet, compared to the ogre before me, I was like a child next to an adult.
Damn it, I truly couldn't imagine how I would fight this creature. It was like a walking mountain of flesh before me, making me not even want to entertain the thought of combat.
Earlier, on a certain platform, I had seen a record of human physical limits. The tallest recorded human in history was a man named Robert from the United States in 1918.
He stood a full 2.7 meters tall, seemingly from a different species.
In his time, he was considered an anomaly. Many people, upon hearing of him, traveled great distances just to see him; he was almost charging admission.
Even now, one could find photos online of tourists posing with a 1:1 replica of Robert in a wax museum. An 1.8-meter tall strong man would look like a child next to him.
The medical conclusion at the time was that this American named Robert suffered from gigantism, a type of genetic mutation.
As I slowly retreated, inevitably making noise, I gathered my focus, hoping the creature wouldn't find me and would sit down to eat again, giving me a chance to escape.
But as fate would have it, things took the worst possible turn. I watched as the ogre twitched its nose a couple of times, then turned directly towards me!
Damn it, are you a bloodhound? Your nose is that sensitive!
I cursed inwardly and immediately turned to flee.
Facing such a monster head-on would be a nightmare. Of the thirty-six stratagems, fleeing is best!
I darted swiftly through the forest, the ogre's roars faintly echoing behind me.
Damn it, judging its position from its roars, I was shocked to find that not only was it not falling behind, but it was actually closing the distance!
Running, I lost my bearings and ended up at a cliff face!
A sheer cliff loomed before me. Just as I was about to turn, the ogre burst from the forest, its face contorted in a grimace, revealing a set of yellow teeth!
There was no escape. I firmly gripped my hunting knife and stared directly at the ogre.
"You have bad breath, you know!"
I yelled, charging at the ogre and slashing down.
The creature didn't dodge. It used the unfinished food in its hand as a weapon and charged directly at me.
We quickly became locked in combat. I had to admit, its strength was truly terrifying.
At first, I could exchange a few blows, but soon the dull ache in my hand made me abandon that approach.
This creature was clearly powered by some extraordinary substance; its strength was at least double mine.
Under its attacks, I continuously dodged. Fortunately, my smaller and more agile frame allowed me to hold my ground.
The more we fought, the more my heart sank. The ogre's sheer size and physique were incredibly unfair. Its strength was something I couldn't contend with, and only its speed was slightly slower than mine.
I fought and retreated, attempting to lure the ogre towards the cliff face, hoping to find an opportunity to escape back into the forest.
The gap in our raw power was simply too immense; this was not a disparity that skill alone could bridge.
It was the perfect embodiment of the saying "quality over quantity," a creature that, if transported to ancient China, would be an unparalleled warrior like Xiang Yu.
This creature fought with no technique, relying solely on instinct. Even so, it was still overpowering me.
Constant defense would eventually lead to defeat. I waited for an opening, but there is no perfect defense in the world. Just as I dodged its weapon, the ogre unleashed a kick directly to my abdomen!
I was flung through the air like a rag doll, landing heavily on the ground from a height of two meters.
Puff!
I spat out a mouthful of blood, nearly losing consciousness on the spot.