Chapter 19 - A Whole new enemy

Seth awoke in the dream world, but only this time, he was in a clearing. With grass and a ring of trees there. He noticed it was seeming more alive than usual. Before, it was just a white void with gray ground on which to stand. Now, it had a living world-like energy to it all.

He looked around at grass growing and trees swaying in the wind from out of nowhere, and he also saw a couple of bushes. It looked like an actual real forest had appeared for his new trials.

He sees the message appear: Player has reached the next tier of challenges! Please enjoy the tier two stage! This stage will include enemies with basic magical abilities and the more varied skills that players will find challenging if unprepared! Please be ready to form a party as you pass through the second half of these tier-two challenges! or you will find it much harder to survive future fights. First battle in this tier two challenge is the Ogre! Average stats are 45-60.

Seth readies his katana and sees the entry reward choice appear: Please choose one of the following rewards for a successful re-entry into the dream realm.

1. Upgrade armor

2. Upgrade weapon

3. New weapon

4. new accessory

Seth thinks hard as he considers the pros and cons of each. The new weapon would be tempting, but he wasn't sure if he was allowed to choose which one he is given, or is it random. The upgrades are always welcome to have so they are a high possibility. The accessory though is interesting, Seth can't be sure if it is a magic accessory, a strengthening accessory, or something else. He will be nearly a perfect match for the new opponents stats so he had to choose wisely, gambles are dangerous, especially if you have no clue what they can yield.

He thinks safer is better and grabs the weapon upgrade.

His katana grows a bit heavier and gains a new shine to it as its metal hardens and improved from tempered iron to a steel alloy. It feels better in his hands and he can feel the difference in weight and power from just the one upgrade.

Soon enough he is ready for the match as the Ogre begins to appear in the flurry of magic energy that most monsters appear in.

It is a gray skinned opponent, it has a pot belly, but still has very muscular arms and legs, it wields a huge club made of wood and iron in an even mix. Though the club is easily 5ft long and thicker than a a man. The Ogre itself is a solid 9ft tall and wearing thick animal hides from bears and wolves. Seth readies his blade as the Ogre palms its club and roars out a challenge at the puny human that dares challenge it.

Seth charges in to bait it as it swings it club around, and Seth then leaps back, completely prepared to use the feint to strike, however he is forced back further as he sees a surprise. The Ogre seemed to have used a skill. The club struck the ground like normal, however a shock wave shot out from the impact and cracked the ground into large uneven chunks. Seth barely escapes the destruction area as the floor breaks up and shatters all around himself.

he leaps back desperately and barely avoided the 50ft diameter of destruction the Ogre left in its wake as there was now a crater formed beneath it.

Seth gulps as he activates his mana reinforcement skill. He even forces an extra coating onto his blade to aid his fight. And he leaps off the jagged rocks and cracks to use them as stepping stones to head right for the shoulders and neck of the Ogre.

The Ogre roars out and a new skill pules around its body. Seth meets the ogre and clangs off of its skin with barely a nick on its skin. Seth lands behind it and sees the gray skin now has a metallic sheen to it.

He goes wide eyed as he says, "Shit! It has the most annoying defense skill Iron Skin! I need to cut through that while I'm at it?! Oh crap!!"

The last part was said as the Ogre activated the shockwave smash again making him leap back and land near the trees to avoid this hit. He is panting a bit as he is being forced to use everything he has to avoid being hit hard by this Ogre.

Seth makes a plan in his mind as he avoids, tries a few slashes here and there, and then repeats the process.

he pants hard after nearly an hour of this pattern, and even the Ogre is sweating buckets. But both fighters were not about to quit until their foe was dead.

Seth had been brewing an idea in his mind as he cut and slashed at the Ogre. A blade enhanced by mana left a small cut, a sword by itself left either just a nick, or maybe a scrape. However when he double and triple layered his sword he drew blood, and at one point even slashed across the chest through the iron skin. it wasn't perfect, but it had potential.

Seth was missing a key detail though, "I'm stuck on how to imagine a mana blade! it works best here, but it is hard to imagine it, collect the mana, and form it all at once! Why is it so easy in the manga books I have read?!"

He checks the ogre who is taking a small breather while keeping an eye out for the swift foe it is battling. Seth takes stalk of his own condition while trying to figure out the problem. His armor is dented in the metal areas, the leather is torn, and his bones are aching from the near hits he kept dodging, and the three lucky blows have not helped his condition.

Thankfully his recovery and regeneration skills have helped keep him healthy enough to continue. But he was losing steam. Seth thought long and hard about how he wanted a mana blade to look. He thought through manga, anime, and even movies. Until a bolt of inspiration hit. He thought back to a comedic but also very skilled ranking player from a manga he loved. The guy and his pet bear tangy would fight hard to grow, while also showing off their troll skills. He focused on the main characters aura blade skill. How is shot out, how it formed, and how it was focused.

Soon he felt a thrum of energy around his blade, and he saw a metallic silver aura crackling around his sword, almost like a sheath of energy was around it. Only this sheathe was ready to help in damaging the target.

Seth readied his sword as he imagined how it should help him and how the blade of energy should act once it hit the Ogre. The Ore swung its club with the red chaotic energy around it as it activated its attack skill. Seth brought his blade up, imagining with all his might to enhance the aura and ensure it will cut up the club.

However as he swung his mind flashed back to one amazing scene in an anime, Overlord. He roared out, "SIX FOLD! SLASH OF LIGHT!"

And then it happened. 6 light cuts split from his sword and erupted like wings out of each side making three extra cuts following his sword on either side as he swung up to at the club. The Ogre forced more strength into his swing seeing that and was ready to turn the human into paste.

However, said human suddenly cut right through his club. Into 7 pieces!

The Ogre was so dumbfounded that he didn't hear the human pivot after the cut and say, "Six fold slash of Light!"

And then its body was hit by 7 painful cuts that make blood explode from its body, rather painfully, and make it roar in pain and anguish as its body took the pain and hits hard. It fell to its knees and looked up to see a blade of pure magic erupt from the katana the human held as he slashed. Suddenly the Ogres view is now turned upside down as his head goes flying.

It lands as the body crashes to the ground, and it disappears as the life force and magic supply sustaining it is no more.

Seth pants hard as the drain on his magic is much more enormous than using regen or the mana reinforcement. He breathed hard as his skills deactivate one by one due to the duration reaching the limit. But he was happy at his growth as he sees the system tell him, Player has won against the Ogre! Now choose up to two prizes from the following list of 5 prizes!

With a huff of pride Seth looks through the list and grinned wide at the options before him.

1. Xianxi body tempering pill (Level 3)

2. Flame of Purification (Level 2)

3. Phoenix soul tempering pill (Level 3)

4. Form Party with one other person

5. Interdimensional training room attached to house in the real world

Seth couldn't believe his eyes, he needed those last two. With no hesitation he chose the training room, and was about to nab the party, when he realized one problem... he hadn't gotten to trian enough with Hinata to fight alongside her effectively yet. Not only that, but he was still learning the system as well. If he wanted to get her in a party... he would need to ensure he can protect her and other girls properly.

He shakes his head with a sad sigh and nabs the purification flame. Might as well bump that to level 3 for the next reward.

Soon enough he is fading from this world to wake up in his own world, but with a grin as he sees his stats shoot up.