Serum

An hour after the second battle, Dirk fought his third. 

In this fight, his opponent was another water mage. This mage was able to use more water ball spells, but Dirk countered them all. He either destroyed them with his own arrows of rock, whacked them with his staff, or dodged them. Nothing was able to touch him and he swiftly approached and slammed the mage in the stomach with his staff. It ended yet again with his staff point aimed at the kid's throat.

Then, an hour later, he went to fight his fourth and last battle. This one was similar to the other three. The only other difference was that this opponent was a fire mage. Dirk was careful as he used walls of earth to block the flames. He didn't feel like getting burned, so he continuously dodged and blocked until his enemy was exhausted. Dirk then went in for the kill, knocking the kid to the floor. 

With that, he won all four matches. He wasn't even tired, the matches being nothing more than a warmup. However, this was only the first day. The next couple days would be harder.

While he was done, Dirk didn't leave right away. He stayed to watch Ava's fights. She had two more left.

Ava had the water attribute, so like Dirk's second opponent, she used many water ball spells to fight. She could also use walls of water to block many attacks. Water was a very versatile element to be in control of, so she was able to win her matches with ease. 

For her last opponent, Ava was quick to close distance while creating water balls, launching them at her enemy to distract. Once she got in close, she threw a hard fist at her enemy. The fist was backed by a bit of anima, and her enemy keeled under the impact. She then went to the floor and grappled with them, putting them in a lock.

"I yield!"

"The winner is Ava!"

With that, Ava also won all her matches. Her usage of water balls and martial arts made her a formidable foe, one that not many could counter. Dirk was likely one of the only people more skilled than her in their age group, and she had reached Tier 3, so her mana levels were higher than most. She was prepared to go far in this tournament.

Thus, the day was concluded. All the classes were doing their preliminary matches, so there was nothing eye catching to see. That would come later. For now, Dirk and Ava went to go see Rita.

Rita was also competing, and being one of the seniors, her matches were on a whole other level. She had come to see Dirk's matches between her own, so with Ava done, he decided to go see her's. 

And they arrived just in time. Dirk and Ava entered the room and saw Rita standing in a corner across from her opponent. 

Rita was now almost 17. She wasn't a tall girl, but her looks were stunning. Pitch black hair, developed body, and a face with elven beauty. She was one of the more popular people in her class, and she had the power to fight for a top position. 

Her opponent this time was a man. Tall with bulging muscles, he looked like a barbarian with a bastard sword on his hip. Dirk activated his mana sense and could see copious amounts of the earth element flowing within him. He wasn't even trying to hide his strength, letting it blatantly radiate. 

Meanwhile, Rita stood coldly, watching him with her sharp eyes. Unlike the battles of the younger students, these ones were very real. Dirk's first opponent who fought with a sword actually used a dull sword with no blade. Here though, all weapons were real and it wasn't uncommon to come out with life-threatening injuries. 

Soon, the match started. Surprisingly, it was Rita who charged first. The man stood in place and cast a spell. In two seconds, he was covered in rock armor. While it was only rock, Dirk could sense the dense mana within. It wouldn't be easily broken. 

After Rita dashed, she cast multiple spells with her hands. Arrows of darkness were created in the air, and they hurdled toward the man. He took out his sword and swung at them. His sword lit up with enchanted lines, and a few of the arrows were destroyed. The others though crashed into him. When they did, Dirk could see the rock armor crack and begin to disintegrate. The arrows were corroding the rock. 

Rita took steps, disappearing and reappearing in different places. The man couldn't move as she bombarded him with arrows, balls of darkness, and other spells that Dirk didn't know. Even if the man could move, she could simply zip away with her void steps. 

The man though was as tough as a mountain. He took all the harassment and continuously strengthened his rock armor while trying to counter with his own rock arrows and earthen spells. Any damages to his armor were repaired quickly, and it became a battle of attrition.

Seeing this, Rita changed tactics.

"Chains."

She spoke a word, and suddenly, the ground of the arena turned black. Like ink spreading in water, a domain of darkness was created. Then, black chains shot out from the ground and wrapped themselves around the man's limbs. They destroyed both his rock armor and earthen mana that was strengthening it. 

"Constrict."

She spoke again, and this time, serpents of darkness slithered their way out of that dark abyss. They quickly crawled up his body, wrapping around him and squeezing. Everyone could see the man falter and struggle. He was expending all his mana to protect himself. Fighting back was clearly impossible. 

Rita simply stood a few meters away in front of his struggling figure. He fell to his knees as all his armor was suddenly stripped away, revealing his face that was contorted in agony. Whatever Rita's spells were, they were incredibly painful. 

"I... yield..."

The man barely spit out those words. When he did, Rita immediately dispelled the chains and serpents. They fell down into the dark abyss, and the arena went back to its normal color. 

"Ugh..."

"The winner is Rita!"

The man fell to the floor with a sharp breath when he was released. With that, the match was called. Rita didn't bother with the man and walked off the stage, arriving in front of Dirk.

"Enjoy the show?"

"..."

Dirk stared at his sister's smiling face. That battle had shocked him. 

From off the stage, he could feel that oppressive darkness. The sheer power behind those chains and serpents was scary. He instinctively felt inferior and defenseless in front of those spells. He knew he couldn't fight against them. Likewise, he would be obliterated by his sister. 

But how? This sense of powerlessness was new to Dirk. On Earth, there was no such thing. Even at a young age, Dirk was capable of killing practically anyone. But now? It didn't matter what he did. He wouldn't be able to defeat Rita. It was an absurd concept.

'So this is power...'

He thought with a revelation. He was starting to truly see what magic was. He received a peek at what individual power could do. With this new power, one could stand above weapons and the forces of nature. Nobody weaker than them could affect them in any way. It simply defied the very concept of weakness. It redefined what strength was to Dirk. 

"It was... interesting."

Despite his inner turmoil, he responded to his sister dully. Rita smiled.

"Good. That's the first time you've seen high level magic, right? I hope it was good enough to give you a wake up call. That's the kind of stuff you'll be up against in the future. And to think you thought you could beat anyone. I guess you're still young though. It's natural to be a bit naive. Now come on, I'm done for the day."

Rita waved them over, and Dirk blankly followed. Ava wasn't much better than him. She had also felt insignificant in front of Rita's power. She was even starting to idolize Dirk's sister a bit. 

..........

The day passed with Dirk continuously thinking about his magic. Even when he did an evening workout, his mind was running various scenarios in his head. He had ample combat experience from Earth, so he took those memories and wondered what fights would be like if he had magic. 

The next day, Dirk was up and ready to fight again. He didn't do anything special to prepare for the fights. He believed that the key to performing well was to maintain the state you were always in. If you forced your body into a peak state, it would only remain that way for a short time, after which it would crash. That was dangerous should one be put into prolonged situations, so he had learned to avoid doing that. He simply kept himself at an optimal level. This meant he didn't forsake workouts or training and ate the same things he always did. This day was like another normal day for him. 

Of course, Ava didn't see it that way. She came over brimming with enthusiasm and nervousness. She couldn't understand how Dirk wasn't at all excited or how he would think to do workouts. 

Still, when she came over, she joined him in his morning meditation movements. This time, he only meditated for half an hour before practicing with his staff. 

An hour later, Dirk finished with his morning routines and left the house with Ava. Like the day before, his fights started at 9. He would also be fighting 4 people again. 

"Dirk Strider, to the arena!"

It wasn't long before Dirk had checked in and the time for his fight arrived. He walked over to the arena in his plain clothes with his wooden staff. His first opponent was a girl. Short with brown braids, she held a long spear that had various enchanted lines along it. This was clearly a special spear. 

"Fight!"

Without much suspense, the fight began. Seeing the spear, Dirk knew he had to change tactics. This girl would be strong at mid-range melee, so he had to either get really close or maintain his distance. However, that was about the extent of Dirk's planning. For the rest, he would take things as they came. A plan would form itself in his mind throughout the battle. That was how he usually went about fights. 

When the hand fell, the girl shouted and charged Dirk, her intentions obvious. While it was a simple move, many avenues were cut off. The spear had long reach, so running diagonally wouldn't do good in keeping him away. It would be hard to maintain distance. 

However, he suddenly thought of something. He remembered that magic existed, and his hand quickly formed a magic circle. Only two seconds later, earth mana was surging from the ground, and a spike shot out right in front of the girl. 

"Agh!"

She quickly tried to dodge the sudden attack, but the spike still narrowly scraped her, leaving a cut on her leg. She continued her charge but was slowed considerably. However, that wasn't the only spike. 

Suddenly, three more spikes introduced themselves, effectively blocking her from moving forward. She had to stop her charge and maneuver around the spikes carefully. While she was doing that though, some chunks of rock came raining down on top of her. Her head faced upwards and she raised her spear to whack them out of the way. 

*Whack!*

*Thud!*

"Ow!"

She was able to deflect one, but two others came crashing down on her head and shoulder. A lump quickly formed on her forehead and she was made a little dizzy. She did her best to recover and looked back upward, making sure there weren't any more rocks. 

When she did that though, a stick suddenly rested itself on her shoulder next to her neck. She froze up and her eyes glanced down, seeing the staff that Dirk wielded. He was behind her.

"Dirk is the winner!"

After the two stood there for a few seconds, a shout sounded out declaring Dirk's victory. It was obvious he had won. If he wanted, he could have beat her blind while she was distracted. 

"H-how?"

The girl asked as Dirk moved to walk off the stage. He stopped before opening his mouth. 

"You were just distracted. My rocks misdirected you. The moment you focused your gaze upward, I won."

"R-right."

She nodded as Dirk continued off the stage, but her questions weren't totally answered. Sure she was distracted, but she still had her hearing. How did Dirk move so stealthily? She heard no footsteps, felt no movement in the wind, nothing. And while her head had indeed been facing upward, she still had her peripheral vision. What happened to all of her senses? 

She had no choice but to walk off though. She had been simply outplayed. It was a rather bitter loss, but she comforted herself with the thought that this was only her first year. She knew she was inexperienced, and this was a good lesson teaching her something very valuable. She would forever remember to never get misdirected like that again. This would likely save her life several times in the future. 

"That was cool! You're really good with magic, you know?"

Ava clapped for Dirk as he returned to his seat. He let out a light breath.

"The magic itself wasn't fantastic. It was just used skillfully. Sometimes, a well placed spike is better than a barrage of arrows. It's all about efficiency and reading your opponent."

"Hm, that's not easy though. Hey, how did you get so good at everything? I've been with you for three years and never once have I seen even your mom teaching you anything like this."

"...I taught myself."

"Really?"

Ava looked at him suspiciously. Dirk didn't say anything though and just looked ahead with a neutral expression. If he didn't want to, she wouldn't be able to glean anything from him. He was a master at keeping secrets and donning a blank face. 

Ava sighed and quickly gave up.

"Nevermind. Maybe you're just a genius after all. You make battles look so easy."

"Fight enough and you'll get there too."

"I doubt that. You just won a fight with two spells. How will I get that good?"

"...Trust that you'll get there eventually."

Dirk spoke those words with a bit of thought. He naturally couldn't tell her that he already had several years of extreme combat experience. However, those words he spoke were exceptionally important to making something of yourself. Things couldn't be done overnight. He didn't want Ava to expect anything right away. If anything, this would teach her patience. 

Ava heard his words and nodded silently. When he thought before he spoke, he usually spit out something wise like that. She remembered what he said and took it seriously. All his other advice had helped her greatly. 

Dirk's next two fights went just like the first. He used a minimal amount of energy to outplay his opponents, no matter what magic or weapons they wielded. However, when the fourth fight arrived, he was faced with a much different situation than any others so far.

Dirk stood at one corner of the arena, facing off against his last opponent. This final enemy was a large boy who towered over Dirk. His muscles were bulging despite his young age, and Dirk could sense odd movements from the air around him. 

'Air mage. And... Anima trainer.'

He was surprised. He had yet to encounter an anima trainer, and this one seemed powerful. He had never even seen this boy before. Rita was right. There really were hidden talents here. 

One thing actually confirmed that this boy was an anima trainer. He had no weapon, and his fists had calluses. He obviously fought with martial arts, and only people who could train anima devoted themselves to martial arts. It simply didn't make sense otherwise. That was the logic for the people of this world. 

"Fight!"

Soon, the hand fell. However, the boy didn't charge Dirk like all the other fighters did. He started walking slowly toward him. 

'This... is interesting.'

Without him knowing it, a smile crept up on Dirk's face. He suddenly felt his blood boil. 

*Clank!*

Suddenly, Dirk's hand opened, and his staff dropped to the floor. He then walked away without it. The boy opposing him smiled at this. They were thinking the same thing. 

Hand to hand combat! May the best man win!

It was a duel between martial artists. While Dirk may have been giving this kid too much credit by thinking of him as an equal, he couldn't help it. Something in him really wanted to fight. He wanted to get hurt. He wanted to bleed. 

The two approached faster. Walking, jogging, and then running. In only a few seconds, they closed the distance, and the boy made the first move by extending his arms, intending to grab Dirk. 

Dirk wasn't so easily controlled though. Without hesitation, he ducked out of the way, slithering behind the boy. He then threw out a kick that landed on his thigh. 

*Smack!*

A loud slap resounded, and the boy's flesh rippled under Dirk's foot. The boy grunted before flipping around, approaching Dirk and throwing a fist.

*Woosh!*

The fist sailed right by Dirk's cheek as he dodged. Dirk, as if he had predicted it, raised his hands and grabbed the kid's arm a second after. He twisted his body, placing his arm over his shoulder and heaving. He even went so far as to activate some of the anima in his body. 

*Slam!*

The kid's giant body was flung over Dirk's shoulder with a perfect throw. His body landed flat on the ground, sending a tremor through the arena. 

"Argh!"

The boy once again gritted his teeth in pain, but he wasn't going to give up. His body flipped and he landed on his feet, his body low. Dirk was standing in front of him. The boy looked at Dirk's open hands that were to his sides and couldn't help but feel helpless. 

"You're agile."

The boy spoke those words, the first words he's spoken since he stepped on stage. Dirk nodded.

"Yes. You need to work on that."

"My teacher says the same thing. Hah!"

When he spoke, the boy suddenly kicked off the ground, throwing himself toward Dirk in a dive with his arms pointed straight out. Seeing this, Dirk backed up a bit before using his own arms to push the boy's arms away. He then lifted his knee, sending it into his jaw. 

*Clack!*

Dirk could hear the boy's teeth slam together, and a bit of blood came out. Surprisingly though, the boy didn't stop his charge and wrapped his arms around Dirk. He traded that hit for a chance to finally get his hands on Dirk. 

His arms constricted powerfully around Dirk's body, and they both went to the floor. Dirk sent out a few punches and elbows, but he was a bit shocked. The boy's body was hard as rock. It was clear that he was a similar Rank to Dirk and using lots of anima. 

As Dirk sent out blows, the boy shifted himself, using his weight to pin down Dirk under him. He then sent out his own punches. 

*Thud*

"Ow! Damn!"

The first punch came right toward Dirk's face, but right before it hit, Dirk's head moved and the boy punched the ground. He growled as he felt the sharp pain in his knuckle, but disregarded it and kept punching. 

Several hits landed, pounding Dirk's face in. The boy even slammed his chest, doing everything with as much power as he could to deal damage to Dirk. 

However, this only lasted some 15 seconds. In that time, Dirk resisted the impacts with his own anima activation and gradually shifted his body. When he was finally in the right position, he moved. 

"Hah!"

Dirk thrusted his body upward, getting the boy off of him for a split second. He then curled his knees to his chest, placing his feet on the boy's chest and activating his muscles.

"Hah!"

Dirk shouted as he pushed. The boy's body was lifted by that strength and launched in the air, sailing for several feet before landing on the ground. 

*Boom!*

"Agh!"

The boy grunted, stunned by the impact. He continued to grit his teeth though as he forced himself to his feet. Dirk also got up, and the two entered another standoff. 

The boy heaved for breath as he spat out some words.

"You... Fight me!"

With a shout, he approached. Dirk watched as his fists were raised, poised to punch. Dirk smirked and raised his own fists. They looked like boxers in a ring. 

"Hah!"

The two met, the boy throwing the first punch. His fist sailed through the air towards Dirk's face. Dirk merely dodged before dipping low and throwing his own fist. 

*Pak!*

His fist landed on the boy's abs, causing another ripple of flesh. The boy grunted before bringing back his arm and throwing another punch. This time, it was aimed at his stomach. Dirk slightly clenched his jaw with a smile. 

*Bam!*

The fist landed, sending a tremor through Dirk's body. He had let it hit, and he felt a renewed sense of vigor upon feeling that familiar pain. 

'Fight!'

Dirk felt his vision go narrow as he radiated fighting spirit. He threw a punch, hitting the boy in the chest. Then, the boy returned his own, slamming Dirk in the side. The two went back and forth. They exchanged hits, their battle becoming one of endurance and willpower. 

Dirk and the boy threw punches for 5 straight minutes, never stopping. They both became increasingly fatigued. Even Dirk felt his body struggling. This was because of his anima usage that consumed much more stamina than normal. His body was drained of energy as anima was activated, pushing his muscles past what was humanly possible. If he didn't activate anima, sure he could last for hours, but he wouldn't be able to deal any damage to the boy who had muscles of steel. 

Fortunately, the boy was in a much worse state. Dirk's stamina still reigned supreme, reaching a level the boy couldn't hope to match. At an equal rank, nobody could compete with him, thus the boy gave out before him. 

The two stood before each other, both of their bodies glistening with sweat, and their skin already showing bruises. They both breathed heavily, but the difference was clear. The boy heaved while Dirk controlled his lungs. One was erratic, the other was steady. 

The boy threw another punch, landing his fist on Dirk's shoulder. However, it was weak. Dirk sighed before sending his own. The final punch cut through the air, landing right on the boy's solar plexus. 

"Ahh!"

The boy yelled as the wind was knocked out of his lungs. He buckled to the floor, the ground painted wet with his sweat. Dirk stood there and slowly brought his arm back, steadying his body. The battle was finished. 

"Dirk is the winner!"

The referee called out, cheers ringing out through the arena from the spectators. This fight had been hard fought with both sides beating each other down. Surprisingly, the smaller kid won, but this didn't shock them as much as it would have on Earth. After all, your rank determined your strength, not your muscles and size. 

Dirk calmed himself and his body while nurses came and carried the boy off stage. When he stopped activating anima, a wave of pain hit him, no longer being suppressed by the mystical energy. He felt his body throb. Despite having already enhanced his skin, there were dark bruises everywhere. The boy truly did wield a lot of strength.

But despite just winning his battle, Dirk didn't feel any sense of accomplishment or euphoria. After stabilizing his mind and looking back, he scowled at himself. He had been overcome with an intense desire to battle, and it held him back from his greatest efficiency. He should have used his magic and staff, but instead he felt like going to blows. That should never have happened.

"Hey! Are you okay?"

As he grabbed his staff and walked off stage with a frown, Ava hurried over and checked Dirk's face. She cringed as she saw purple spots and a split lip. And while she couldn't see his torso, his beat up arms already told her what she needed to know. 

Dirk waved it off though.

"I'm fine. This will heal in a few days."

"The tournament won't end in a few days. How's your chest?"

"Just a bit sore."

"Are you sure? Let me see."

"I'm fine, really. How are you so worried when you've seen me go through destruction cycles? Those are worse than this."

Dirk's brows raised as he questioned Ava's excessive worry. Hearing him, she blushed a bit and huffed. 

"I'm just worried! Is there anything wrong with that?"

"...No."

"Then don't question me! Gosh. Just get over here and let's see if we can't heal you up some."

She scolded him, turning and hurrying away to a medical bag. Dirk smiled at her before shaking his head and following.