Serum

A few weeks pass, and the time of the tournament approaches. Since Dirk was now entered in it, some preparations were made. 

First, his father came and talked to him about getting a weapon. Everyone had a weapon they used. It was an indispensable tool to have in all forms of combat. 

Unfortunately, Dirk wasn't sure what weapon he could use. Back on Earth, he used guns. If not guns, he used anything else he could get his hands on. He was proficient with all kinds of weapons and didn't specialize in anything in particular.

While Ryker didn't know all this, he did know that Dirk didn't have a specialty, so he gave him all kinds of different weapons to look at. Spears, swords, bows, halberds, knives, staffs, and others. Many different weapons with a few variations among them. Dirk looked through them all and found that he could use most of them. 

Ultimately, he actually decided to use a staff. The staff was wooden with a few engravings along it. Ryker was a bit surprised by Dirk's choice. Every kid would jump on the chance to get a cool sword or fancy knife. Staffs looked plain and felt plain. 

Dirk had a different idea though. He wasn't planning on killing everyone, so a simple stick would suit him well. It was blunt and its slaps hurt like a bitch. The supersoldiers were often hit with wooden sticks not unlike these if anyone stepped out of line. 

However, Ryker actually informed him that this wasn't a simple staff. The staff was made with a special kind of wood that was surprisingly hard while maintaining flexibility. It wouldn't snap easily and it was capable of blocking blades. It would easily get him through the tournament.

With that, Dirk was basically set. While his father wanted to get him some kind of armor, Dirk told him that he wanted to maintain speed and mobility. If his father were to get him armor, it would have to fit those requirements, otherwise Dirk wouldn't wear any. He was perfectly fine going into the tournament with regular clothes. 

...........

"Dirk! Hey! Are you ready?!"

One early morning as the sun rose over the horizon, Ava came running over to Dirk. Dirk was currently doing some of his meditative movements in his backyard. Even when Ava came shouting, he acted as if he heard nothing. 

Ava caught herself before he got annoyed and decided to join him. The two did their movements for about an hour, which was surprisingly long for Ava. They usually only did it for half an hour at max. An hour of movements was enough to get her a bit tired. 

Once they were done though, Dirk stood still like a statue. Ava stopped as well and watched him. Right now, Dirk was at his calmest state, his mind and body in harmony. Ava was practically mesmerized as she gazed upon him. When she utilized her power that could sense the state of people's minds on Dirk, she heard nothing. He was incredibly stable, like nothing in the world could shake him. It was as unbelievable as it was beautiful. This was why Ava was drawn to Dirk. She had never found another person like him. He was her rock in a stormy ocean.

Eventually, Dirk opened his eyes. They were serene but sharp, and his body was relaxed but taut. If Ava were to try and kick him right now, he would be capable of responding with ruthless efficiency.

"It should be about time, right?"

"Huh? Oh, yea. We should have... only an hour?! Crap! We need to get going!"

Realizing what time it was, Ava started freaking out. The tournament started in an hour!

"Relax. I'm already good to go. Let me just change and grab my staff. Then we'll go."

"Yes! Hurry!"

Ava ran over and pushed him along. Dirk entered his house and went to his room. There, he changed into some basic clothes. The clothes were the ones he normally worked out in: some shorts and a simple shirt. Both were fitted to his size, but other than that, they looked very plain. He couldn't possibly wear anything more ordinary.

It was because of this that Ava became stunned when he walked out. 

"...You're joking, right?"

"Joking about what?"

"Those clothes! How could you wear your workout clothes to the tournament? Are you trying to get laughed at?"

"They're familiar and I can do all forms of activity in them. I have nothing else that's more optimal or preferred. And they don't look that bad. Don't I look nice?"

"W-well..."

Ava's face became a bit red when he asked that question. She looked Dirk up and down. His muscles were toned, his slightly pale face was handsome, and his hair had regrown to be nicer than hers after he did his skin destruction. Those plain clothes did nothing to hide how good he looked, and in a time where her hormones were surging, Ava couldn't possibly think he didn't look nice. 

"W-whatever! Those clothes are fine, I guess. Let's just go already! You can't be late for staging."

Ava rushed out, her embarrassment preventing her from realizing how weird of a question Dirk had actually asked. It wasn't very often he spoke like that. 

Meanwhile, Dirk just smiled. He had recently started teasing Ava, though he didn't really realize he was teasing her. Either way, he enjoyed seeing her cute reactions. This was a fact he wouldn't admit. 

After he grabbed his staff, Dirk and Ava headed out to the colosseum. It was only 8 in the morning, but there were already floods of people heading into it. The place was bustling.

"Dirk! Finally. Come over here. Let's get you checked in."

As they were walking over, Dirk's father Ryker spotted them and called them over. The two hurried and followed him in. Being one of the administrators for the entire academy, Ryker naturally had VIP access.

The three walked past all kinds of people before arriving at a room within the colosseum. The colosseum actually had more than just the big arena. It also had several smaller auxiliary arenas. Ryker took Dirk and Ava to one of these auxiliary buildings where they checked in. 

"Dirk Strider. Your first battle is at 9. It will be in this building. You will be fighting a battle an hour after each one you finish. Today, you have 4 battles scheduled. Head over to the armory stand to get your gear checked."

"Alright."

Dirk nodded after getting his information. After him, Ava also checked in. She was going to be competing as well. 

Dirk then walked over to another booth where a man checked his person. He took the staff and verified it was only wood before patting Dirk down. After seeing that he was really only wearing cloth clothes, the man was a bit surprised, but quickly approved his gear. Dirk was then sent to sit down at one of the stands to await the coming battles. Ava was soon to follow.

"Are you ready?"

After Dirk sat down, Ryker asked him. Dirk nodded.

"Yes."

"Mm. Don't be too nervous. Nervousness can actually reduce your performance. Just go out there and do your best. I know you don't have training with a staff, but it also isn't difficult to wield."

"I understand."

"Good. And, I know Rita may have put this whole thing on you, but don't be too burdened by it. She just wants you to get a taste of combat. After all, you'll be entering the dungeons for the first time next year. She wants you to have higher chances of survival. While fighting people is different from monsters, there are several principles like keeping calm that will help you in both situations. This will help teach you about that."

"Understood."

"Mm. Stoic as always. Just hang out here for an hour. You're actually the first fight here. Once 9 hits, I'll be back to watch you. Rita will as well."

"Alright."

Dirk nodded, and Ryker left to do his own thing. Dirk and Ava were left by themselves. Other kids began to take their seats around them, filing up the stands. 

"Hey! Ava!"

"Huh? Oh, hi guys."

"What's with that dull greeting? Don't want us here or something?"

After some time, there were a couple girls who came walking over. The two greeted Ava and took up a seat next to her. Dirk looked at them curiously.

"Oh, Dirk, these are my friends. They're also my dorm mates."

"So this is that Dirk you're always talking about!"

After Ava introduced the two, one of the girls looked at Dirk with bright eyes. This girl had long brown hair and blue eyes. She seemed rather enthusiastic.

"Hey, Ava talks about you all the time. She's always smiling when she leaves in the morning and comes home at ni-"

"Jessie! I swear if you say another word I will pummel you with a stick."

"Haha, alright, alright. Just kidding..."

The girl, Jessie, cowered a bit under Ava's hostile glare, quickly backing off. Meanwhile, the second girl simply looked ahead as if she wasn't related to them at all.

Dirk saw Ava's interaction with that Jessie girl and smirked a tiny bit. He was glad to know Ava had more friends and got along with them. 

After those two girls arrived, they chatted about all kinds of things for an hour while Dirk just sat there. After that though, it was time for the battles to start. 

"Attention all fighters! The first day of the tournament has officially begun! Dirk Strider and Darel Brown, please report to the arena!"

"Good luck Dirk!"

After he was called up, Ava and Jessica cheered him on. Dirk grabbed his staff and walked over to the arena. 

The arena was a large stone slab made up of many smaller blocks of stone. It was rather large, about 20 meters long and wide, and there were no barriers on its edges. Dirk walked up the stairs calmly and approached the referee. Meanwhile, the other competitor jumped up the platform with vigorous energy, taking large strides to the same place. The two were soon stood across from each other with the referee in between. 

"As this is the first battle, I will explain the rules. Both of you will fight until the other is incapacitated or yields. You are allowed to be knocked off the edge once. The second time will result in a loss. There will be no foul play with illegal weapons or items. If any is seen or used, it will result in an immediate halting of the fight and apprehension of the offending fighter. Other than that, you two will fight as you see fit to win. There will be injuries, but there are nurses on standby to treat you. However, there may be injuries that can debilitate or permanently harm you. Facing these is a risk that you understand and face by standing on this stage. Do you both understand the rules?"

"Yes."

"Yes!"

"Good. Both fighters stand in your corners and listen to my commands."

"Let's have a good fight, Dirk."

Before the two separated, the kid across from Dirk, Darel, put out his hand. Dirk looked at him for a second before shaking it. The two then walked to their corners.

"Fighters ready?"

When the two were in their places, the referee raised his hand. Darel drew a sword from a sheath on his hip, and Dirk gripped his staff. Seeing that, the referee's hand fell.

"Fight!"

"Hah!"

With a shout, Darel charged toward Dirk. Dirk also moved diagonally, meeting him in the middle. However, before they clashed, Darel raised his free hand, and a magic circle appeared.

'Earth.'

Dirk sensed the element he was using, but that didn't stop him from moving. There were three spells that Dirk knew for the earth element that this kid probably knew too. Rock throw, Earthen arrow, or Spikes. Dirk watched as Darel completed the spell, and mana fluctuated around him. Two balls of stone were formed in mid-air. It was Rock throw.

Seeing that, Dirk stopped moving and took up a defensive stance, holding his staff like a bat. The two rocks that Darel formed were shot straight toward him at the same time. Dirk watched them with his eyes and brought back the staff, swinging it.

*Bang!*

The staff crashed into one rock, blasting through it before obliterating the second. The rock fragments flew out everywhere.

Right when that happened though, Darel quickly moved again, charging Dirk with his sword. He was planning to catch him off guard. However, Dirk was able to instantly recover after the swing. He spun around and brought his staff back, pointing to Darel with it like it was a spear. Right when he got in range, Dirk simply thrust the staff forward.

*Thud*

"Puh..."

Darel tried to block, but his arms missed the staff. Its end pushed itself straight into his solar plexus, and all the wind was knocked out of him. His body lost all its strength and he crumbled to the floor. 

Seeing that, Dirk stood straight and walked over, tapping the back of Darel's neck with the staff as he heaved on the floor for breath. With that, the referee called the battle.

"The winner is Dirk!"

His voice boomed, but there weren't many cheers. Everyone was just looking at the arena, confused. That was it? It was an awfully uneventful fight. 

Dirk just focused on Darel who was kneeling on the floor, struggling to breathe. He bent down and grabbed his arm, forcefully pulling his whole body up.

"Stand up and put your shoulders back. You'll breathe better."

"Huuhhh!!"

When he said that, the kid took his advice and tried to spread his chest as much as he could. His lungs struggled to open as air was drawn in sharply. After half a minute though, he was beginning to breathe normally. 

"Thanks..."

"Sure."

Darel spoke weakly, and Dirk nodded before walking off the stage. He went over and took up his seat next to Ava, going back to waiting. The fight only took about a minute.

"Next fighters to the arena!"

Not long after, the next two people were called. Ava disregarded that as she looked at Dirk.

"Good job!"

"It was nothing."

"Yea, I guess it was. Two moves. How tired are you?"

"I think it did the opposite of getting me tired. It was a good appetizer."

"Jeez, so mean."

Ava chuckled at Dirk's evaluation. It really was nothing though. He could do that a million times before getting tired. It was so boring that nobody would remember it. 

However, Dirk actually realized something from this fight. He realized that he would need to start accounting for magic. While he knew this, his mind and body were only accustomed to fighting mechanically, not magically. The use of a spell was actually a surprise. He would need to begin to factor in spells into his battles. After all, he could use his own. 

So that's what he did. While Dirk waited for his next battle, his mind ran many simulations for how to use the spells at his disposal. He even used his AI. His AI was meant to assist in combat, so he used it to test different combinations of mechanical and magical attacks. 

This went on for an hour until he was finally called back up. This time, he was against a girl. The girl didn't look like much, but Dirk didn't assume anything. The two took their places in their corners.

"Fight!"

As soon as the hand fell, Dirk bounded over diagonally. The girl also jogged diagonally the other way, but it wasn't fast. A magic circle appeared on her hands as they closed distance. She wasn't the only one though. Dirk was also casting magic as he ran. 

The Spikes spell was a spell that generated a spike of dirt or stone from the ground, launching it out at a target from below. However, this could be modified. It didn't have to be a spike. It could instead be a pillar. The shape relied on the visualization of the caster and their ability to translate that visualization into a rune to insert into a magic circle. 

Dirk utilized this Spike spell, but instead of a spike, he was going to form a pillar that would launch itself out of the ground. However, he didn't cast it yet. He waited while closing distance. 

Soon, the girl had finished her spell. Around her, four balls of water appeared. Dirk knew this spell. It was a water ball spell. Upon impact, each ball would burst with power. The pressure being placed on each ball of water was great, so if he got hit, it would leave a nasty bruise. In the worst case, it could break a bone. And that was only with one. 

The four balls of water were launched quickly after they were formed. Only, they were staggered. Dirk saw this and continued to run diagonally. When the first ball of water came, he swung with his staff.

*Whack!*

*Boom!*

When his staff hit, the ball exploded, but there were three more. The second one was soon to arrive, and Dirk swung once more. It exploded as well. However, he wouldn't be able to swing again in time to hit the third as it was close behind the second. It looked like he was going to get hit. 

Right at that moment though, Dirk activated his spell. A pillar of rock surged out of the ground beneath his foot. Dirk activated his muscles and a little bit of anima, throwing his body at high speeds across the arena. 

*Bang!*

The third and fourth balls of water smashed into the pillar Dirk launched from, destroying it. Meanwhile, Dirk was several feet away. He rode the momentum of the launch to circle around to the girl. He was quickly on a direct course, and it would only be a few seconds before he was upon her. 

The girl knew this and panicked a bit, but not enough to keep her from fighting. She immediately formed another spell, and a single ball of water appeared on her hand. She launched it with all her power straight towards Dirk. They weren't that far apart, so it would hit him who was charging head on. 

As if he predicted this though, Dirk's body suddenly ducked forward. The ball of water narrowly sailed over his head as he somersaulted. 

*Fwap!*

After rolling, he recovered to his feet and then swung his leg like a whip. His shin slammed into the girl's calf, and her body was suspended sideways. 

*Thud!*

"Ack!"

Her body slammed into the floor, and she let out a pained shout. Right when she opened her eyes to get up and fight though, she found the tip of Dirk's staff right in front of her neck. If he wished, he could slam it into her throat.

"Stop! The winner is Dirk!"

Before anything else could happen, the referee called the match. Thankfully, Dirk had no intention of going further. The girl was angry at herself for losing, but sighed in relief at the same time. Not long after that, waves of pain hit her. She had taken two hard hits, and there was already a bad bruise forming on her leg.

After the match was called, Dirk helped up the girl before walking off the stage, sitting back down next to Ava. 

"Good job!"

"Thanks."

Dirk smiled at her cheer. He had effectively used magic in combat for the first time. He was already beginning to see its applicability. The endless possibilities were popping up in his mind one by one.