Osric decided to fight a fourth category 2 fighter.
'This will be the last one.'
For this fight, Osric's plan was to choose an opponent that looked physically overwhelming to everyone.
Although him and other knowledgeable people in the arena knew that there were a lot of skilled fighters that could beat someone with nothing but a superior body.
But this time Osric wanted to impress those that weren't experienced yet.
'I'm also curious how long it will take me to beat someone that big.'
Osric pointed at the biggest guy in the arena that was raising his hand.
Most spectators and inexperienced fighters were already impressed by his choice.
"How is he going to fight such a giant?"
"He looks like a monster!"
The almost seven feet tall man with huge muscles stepped into the ring.
Osric was a little over six feet tall himself, but he had to strain his neck to look the giant in his eyes.
'That might be the biggest guy I have ever seen.'
'I wonder what his stats are?'
The giant didn't even wait for the referee to step out.
He just ran at Osric.
The stone floor inside the ring shook under the giant's weight.
Osric didn't retreat blindly.
He stepped to the side at the last moment.
A massive fist tore through the air where his head had been.
The crowd erupted immediately.
"Holy shit!"
"That would've killed him!"
The giant didn't stop after missing.
He twisted his body and swung again with the other arm.
Osric ducked under it and slid back out of range.
'Fast enough to be dangerous.'
'But too wide.'
The giant turned to face him fully now.
His chest was already rising a little heavier than before, more from explosive effort than real fatigue.
Osric stepped in first.
A quick jab to the ribs.
Then another toward the stomach.
The giant barely reacted.
He drove a thick forearm downward, trying to smash Osric where he stood.
Osric slipped back out of range.
'Tough.'
'Very tough.'
This wouldn't end with one clean strike like the last fights.
The giant charged again.
This time he tried grabbing instead of punching.
Both hands shot forward.
Osric twisted away and hammered a kick into the outside of the man's thigh before moving again.
The impact landed cleanly.
Still, the giant only grunted.
He turned and threw another heavy punch.
Osric leaned away just enough for it to pass his nose.
The force behind it made the air itself feel violent.
'His strength and endurance are ridiculous.'
'But his balance is worse than the others.'
Osric circled.
The giant followed.
The distance between them stayed narrow for only a moment at a time.
Every time the giant tried to force a direct exchange, Osric was already stepping away at an angle.
Then he would come back in.
A punch to the ribs.
A low kick.
A quick strike to the stomach.
Then out again.
The crowd started shouting louder.
"He's chipping him down!"
"The giant can't catch him!"
The giant roared and lunged again.
This time Osric stayed closer.
He wanted to feel it out.
A huge right hook came.
Osric ducked.
Then a knee shot up into the giant's side.
He followed with a short elbow to the jaw.
The giant's head turned slightly, but not enough.
'Still not enough.'
The giant answered with a backhand swing that forced Osric to jump away.
That one would have broken bone if it landed.
Osric exhaled slowly.
His body felt loose.
Light.
He stepped back in.
This time he stopped thinking about single techniques and started linking them.
A jab to draw the guard.
A low kick to the calf.
A second kick to the thigh.
Then a hook to the body.
The giant threw a straight punch in response.
Osric shifted outside it and buried another strike into the ribs.
The giant finally stumbled half a step.
The crowd noticed.
"He moved!"
"Osric's getting through!"
The giant's breathing was heavier now.
His punches were still dangerous, but they were coming with less sharpness.
Osric saw it immediately.
'There.'
'His recovery between swings is getting slower.'
He pressed a little harder.
Not recklessly.
Just enough.
He danced to the giant's rhythm for a few exchanges, letting the man lead with those heavy, obvious attacks.
Then Osric started breaking that rhythm apart.
Punch to the body.
Kick to the thigh.
Step out.
Back in with an elbow.
Low kick again.
The giant tried grabbing him once more.
Osric slipped under the arms and drove two hard punches into the stomach before pivoting around to the side.
Now the giant had to turn again.
And again.
Each turn cost energy.
Each miss cost energy.
Each failed grab cost energy.
Osric's own breathing was heavier now too, but stable.
His stamina was carrying him.
His body could keep doing this longer.
The giant's could not.
The man swung again.
Slower this time.
Osric blocked the forearm with one hand, angled off, and kicked the inside of the knee.
The giant's leg dipped.
Then Osric stepped in with a sharp combination.
Body.
Body.
Jaw.
Elbow.
The giant reeled but stayed standing.
The crowd exploded.
"How is he still up?!"
"He's a monster!"
Osric backed off for a single breath.
Sweat rolled down the giant's face.
His shoulders were pumping now.
His arms no longer returned to guard as quickly.
His stance had widened too much.
He was still dangerous.
But now he was also open.
Osric moved in one last time.
A quick jab to the face forced the giant's head back.
Then a brutal kick smashed into the thigh.
The giant tried swinging through it.
Osric slipped outside the punch and hammered an elbow into the side of the jaw.
The big man swayed.
Osric didn't let him recover.
A straight punch to the body.
A hook to the liver.
And then a final rising strike under the chin.
The giant's eyes rolled.
His body froze for half a second.
Then he crashed to the floor of the ring like a collapsing wall.
The arena roared.
"NO WAY!"
"He brought down the giant!"
"He picked him apart!"
Osric stepped back and drew a slow breath.
That had taken longer than the other fights.
But he had controlled all of it.
He looked down at the unconscious man.
'Good.'
'That felt different.'
'Much better.'
He was beginning to understand how to combine pressure, movement, and timing against someone much harder to put down.
The referee climbed into the ring, still looking stunned.
He handed Osric another pouch.
Osric took it without even checking inside.
His gaze was already moving beyond the giant.
Toward the next level.
He finally stepped out of the ring.
But he wasn't done yet tonight.