Seth had his katana ready, it was chipped from the last battle but still ready to fight. And so was Seth. He stood ready and resolute agianst the monster forming.
It was a solid 8ft tall, green skinned monster with tusks in its mouth, and it had a large war axe ready. However unlike the other orcs this was a true orc. Muscles were taught against its body as it flexed them in preparation for combat. And this monster had on leather combat pants, a huge armored shoulder pad on both shoulders, thick spiked leather bracers, and its chest had on a thick chest plate. Its glowing red eyes bore into Seth as the system warned him.
Opponent Orc (core race) Has appeared, player has a choice, get one more choice of rewards by fighting him with 7 average stats. Or get two bonus choices by fighting him at average of 9 stats. Unlock all rewards by fighting him at average 12 stats.
Seth looked at the choices and thought about it... for all of 3 seconds. He grins like a loon and yells out, "Let me fight him at maximum! 12 in stats! Bring it!"
The system seems to rumble in acknowledgement as it has green energy flow over the orc, making it look even bigger and stronger by the end of the green glow. Seth gulps slightly in nervousness but his smirk never leaves his face.
He thinks to himself, Many saw me as a masochist for playing games at hard mode on my second play-through, or training only with black belts in the dojo classes I went to when i was still only a low ranked color belt. But it only helped my skill and strength in my previous life. And now... this life will use all of that to its advantages here! Bring it you green skinned bastard! And its a gamble but I hope my skills work together as I think they should!
Soon Seth charges as the orc rushes him as a blur. Seth brings his sword up in a block with a tilt to redirect the axe. He barely registers that his shoulder and arms are now shaking from the heavy blow he barely redirected as the axe slams into the floor and creates spider web cracks a solid 10ft in diameter.
Seth is wide eyed and glancing at his near death experience and then up at the orc who is growling in his face and retrieves his axe from the ground. Seth leaps away from a horizontal slash as he desperately creates distance between himself and his current foe. The orc swings a bit wide and Seth heaves himself into the Orcs guard. With the orc open he cuts across its chest. Barely making a small cut going from shoulder to shoulder. Its blood seeps slowly from the wound. It was a shallow cut, but he managed to damage it despite the huge difference in stats.
With a grin of hope Seth readies his next move, only to be punched right in the sternum, all his air leaves his lungs from the hit and he goes flying across the dreams-cape. Seth coughs out a bit of blood as well during his flight as his ribs just barely withstand the hit and mostly creak and groan from the punch.
Seth lands in a heap nearly 70f away from his foe who roars out at him and readies its axe to charge again. Seth grunts a bit as he tries to catch his breath and sees the orc blur again as it rushes him, the axe reared up and ready to cleave his head from his shoulders. Seth leaps to the side as another ground splintering blow lands and makes another near crater in the floor. He notices one thing as he tries to regain his bearings, the orc seems to charge in a straight line. It doesn't change course once it begins its attack.
Meaning that the Orc must be using an attack skill, one it can't end mid use. Seth grunts and goes into a defensive stance, hoping he was right or he would be down a limb soon.
The orc turns and seems to set itself into a charging stance again, giving his theory more support as the orc comes at him once again to attack and try to cleave Seth in half. Only to suddenly feel a burning pain erupt from its chest and out the back of its shoulder. It looks down to see Seth is shaking hard at the force of its charge he just withstood, but his katana was embedded nearly up to the hilt in the shallow cut he made in the orcs flesh earlier. The orc feels the blade protruding from its back as it roars in pain. The shoulder that was pierced was the one holding the axe so it tried to continue its movement. Only to suddenly feel the bone begin to grind and crack against the recently upgraded katana metal currently stuck in its shoulder blade.
Seth grunts as he struggles to keep his katana in the orc but knew this was a stalemate at best, and a losing battle of stamina at worst. The orc was nearly triple his stats. If this kept up, he would die against it.
But he gained a manic grin as he relished the challenge before him. He tugged on the blade and felt it truly stuck in the shoulder blade of the orc. Making said orc roar in pain and glare at him as it went to use its other arm to punch him. Seth grits his teeth and goes, "Oh this better be worth all this pain!" As the fist connects and breaks two ribs from Seth while the rest all crack a bit from the force of this punch.
However, while Seth was in a ton of mind numbing pain he was able to enjoy the sight of his now freed sword be torn from the abused flesh of the orc with bright purple blood spilling from its chest. Its arm with the axe goes limp as the shoulder blade has a few too many cracks in it now to be used comfortably. Seth lands hard as he coughs up and spits out a wad of blood and winces hard at the pain of his ribs trying to poke through his skin.
His body was adjusting quickly thanks to his recovery skill, but it would still take him the better part of an hour for proper healing to take place on his ribs. And even then he would need a proper rest to be able to have any sort of recovery from broken ribs. He might only need a week of recovery now, but the point stood, he will need time to heal after this.
But he shakes his head as the orc has switched hands with the axe and coughs up a huge mouthful of blood from its pierced shoulder blade and recently cut up lung from the katana being pulled so harshly from its own body.
Both fighters were not feeling great. And one more good strike would finish it. Seth knew, he might die, but he would die as a warrior, without regrets that he lived much better than his previous life. Well... he would regret leaving the community so soon after not even a week living among them, and not having a wife. But he shoved those thoughts aside in favor of surviving this fight.
The orc huffed hard and readied its skill charge again. Seth knew he wouldn't be able to do the same strategy, so he thought fast. He couldn't over power it, and the same strategy is shot with his ribs and internal organs as they are from the two punches he took.
He grins as a crazy plan took place in his mind. One so stupid that it should only work in anime. But he went, "Fuck it! Its do or die time!" And he threw his katana as a javelin into the orcs direction as it started its movement. The charge ensured the katana pierced right through its body. The pointed tip easily piercing through the skin, but stopping half way down the blade as the orc finishes its movement. It grunts it pain as the katana is embedded in its sternum, but it would live. At least... it thought it would.
Seth appears from the dodge roll he did to avoid its attack and grabs the katana, but from the back where it was barely poking out. He roars out as he pulls the blade further through while angling it to cut and slice other organs on its way through. The orc widens its red eyes and scream/roars in immense pain. Seth nearly goes deaf from the roar, but continues his insane plan. His palms fingers were getting cut up from gripping the blade but he grit his teeth and heaved.
The katana hilt explodes out of the orcs back next in a spray of gore. The orc slumps to its knees in pain as Seth climbs its back and holds his katana the correct way and pierces the orcs throat from behind. Making sure to sever the spinal column protected by the spine. The orc finally falls silent and disappears as Seth falls to the ground, jostling his ribs as he cries out in pain. He sees the message pop up saying he won and to choose his rewards. But with a weary gaze he chooses three and falls unconscious, not knowing his choices just saved his life.