Pass me a beer, would you?

Alex grinned as the lizardfolk rushed towards him. Due to his location in the alley, the lizardfolk were funneled to him one at a time. If not for that, he might be in serious trouble. A lizardfolk approached Alex with a cleaver and swung it wildly towards his shoulder.

Alex dodged the swing and threw an uppercut onto the lizardfolk's jaw. Upon impact, the lizardman's jaw made a crushing sound as the lizardfolk was launched into its companions. The beast snarled as it found its way back to its feet. Though its jaw was fractured, it refused to go down without a fight.

Alex pounded his chest and roared towards the lizardfolk, challenging them to attack. He didn't have all day. The injured lizardfolk furiously charged towards Alex and slashed towards his chest with its cleaver.

Alex swiftly evaded the strike and counter-attacked with a jab and a cross straight to its temple. This time when the lizardfolk hit the ground, it didn't get up. A new message appeared in Alex's vision.

[You have slain a Lizardfolk Mongrel and gain 75 xp]

Alex smirked as he cracked his knuckles. The Lizardfolk were a good source of XP; he would finish this quickly. The lizardfolk were enraged at the loss of their companion and dashed towards the arrogant human. They would feast upon his flesh before this day was over.

The next Lizardfolk to approach Alex bared its fangs as it leaped towards him with a dagger, attempting to pierce his throat. Alex stepped to the side, and roundhouse kicked the beast in the head, slamming it directly into the wall. He immediately kneed the Lizardfolk in the head. He brought an elbow down onto its skull, crushing it like a melon. A familiar message appeared in his peripheral.

[You have slain a Lizardfolk Mongrel and gain 75 xp]

Alex was delighted; this was a bountiful harvest of experience points. Though before he could fully celebrate, the next Lizardfolk attacked, it thrust its spear towards Alex's abdomen. Alex barely had time to react; though he managed to elude, it was only partially successful. The spear glanced off his side and left a deep cut on his body.

Filled with fury, Alex kicked the Lizardfolk into the wall and punched it in the head three times. He was killing it on the spot. There was no reprieve; as soon as one Lizardfolk fell, another was there to take its place. After nearly half an hour of fighting, Alex managed to work his way through the remaining Lizardfolk.

The last survivor was the Lizardfolk leader. He was enraged; all of his subordinates were wiped out by this one human. Until now, most of the humans he came across were easy prey. He underestimated the strength of humans.

None of that mattered now; the Lizardfolk leader knew what he had to do; he would kill this human even if he died trying. The lizardfolk leader growled maliciously, its roar echoing throughout the street. Simultaneously the two warriors charged at one another.

Meeting in the middle, Alex threw a flurry of punches, which the Lizardfolk leader countered. Alex was shocked; though the leader was larger than the others, he didn't expect him to be this intelligent in his defense.

The Lizardfolk leader swung let loose a frenzy of attacks with its spear. Alex nimbly evaded the attacks and counter-attacked on his own. Feigning across, he ducked under the strike and landed a shovel punch on the gut of the lizardfolk sending him back a few steps.

The lizardfolk grunted in pain, but this attack wasn't much to it. He rushed forward once more and met Alex in single combat. The two combatants were evenly matched. After a few moments of fighting, Alex was covered in cuts, yet the lizardfolk leader was enveloped in welts.

The two roared at each other as they stormed over; both of them intended to finish the fight here and now. As the lizardfolk stabbed with its spear, Alex smiled devilishly. Sending chills down the spine of the Lizardfolk leader. Alex ducked under the attack and grabbed ahold of the Lizardfolk's legs, lifting it into the air and slamming it as hard as possible into the asphalt below.

As the lizardfolk was slammed, he lost ahold of his weapon while the air escaped from his lungs. The creature was dazed; he was not expecting such an attack. Alex did not hesitate; he quickly passed the beast's guard and ended up in side control with a knee on the monster's belly. Alex landed a series of punches onto the lizardfolk leader's temple. With each blow, the back of the head bounced off the asphalt below, dealing more and more damage until all that remained was a caved-in skull.

Alex stood up and raised his fist in victory, roaring as loud as he could as if wanting all nearby monsters to know his accomplishment. This was the most challenging fight he's ever faced, and he came out on top. Emily gazed upon him from afar with shock. She was still hiding in the alleyway and couldn't help but smile at the sight of Alex's victory.

As Alex was celebrating, a series of messages popped up in his vision

[You have slain a Lesser Lizardfolk and gain 150 xp]

[Level Up! You are now Level 4!]

[Ares smiles upon your performance and awards you 10 favor]

Alex breathed heavily while reading his messages. Upon reading the last one, he was stunned.

'Ares? Favor? What the fuck is this?'

Alex shook his head and put it to the back of his mind. He didn't have time to think about such things. If it were necessary, it would surface later on. If not, he would pay it no mind. He looked over to Emily, who was smiling at him and motioned towards the gym bag.