After the battle was over, Dirk left with Rita to his house. Though, not after being briefed on the next day's fights.

The battles didn't stop with the championships. When all champions were decided, the champions of each class would go on to fight their upperclassmen. Dirk didn't really understand the purpose of this, but after his dad talked to him about how beneficial it would be, he decided he would just go along with it. He could tell that his dad really wanted him to fight as well.

His opponent would be one of the top 30 in the class above him. He obviously couldn't go and expect to beat the champion of the class ahead of him, so they picked out one of the weaker kids. They were still strong though. They had a whole other year to cultivate their Tiers and plenty of combat experience to strengthen their abilities. Nobody ever expected anyone to be able to beat someone a year ahead of them. These battles were really only for entertainment, maybe a form of hazing for the younger years.

Dirk went home that day and just continued on with his routine though. Things didn't stop just because of a battle. He cultivated his mana heart before practicing his mana lungs technique. His Tier grew by the day, and mana lungs got progressively closer to actual breathing for him.

He also helped treat Ava, something she thoroughly enjoyed. When night came, he had her stay over. She wanted to go back to her dorm out of respect for his parents, but he said that he would only let her when she healed a bit more. Eventually, they agreed on three more days.

Like that, the two ate dinner and went to sleep.

..........

"Why won't you let me help you with breakfast?"

"You're healing."

"Doesn't matter! Wake me up next time."

Ava huffed as she sat down at the table. Dirk had made breakfast as she slept. The only reason she woke up was because of the smell. She didn't enjoy him not letting her help.

"It's not like I can't function. These wounds are only superficial. And do you think I can't take a bit of pain? Your training hurts more than this."

"My training doesn't leave wounds. It's only for a few days, so deal with it."

"Whatever... It's good though. Thanks."

Ava smiled a bit as she tasted the broth he made. Both of them got better at cooking over the year and could now make dishes as good as what they ate at home. Especially Dirk. He had everything down to a science, and he was able to teach Ava a few things like what to look out for.

The two ate for a while before Ava pushed Dirk out of the kitchen so she could clean. He rolled his eyes before heading upstairs and getting ready for the fight. When he returned, the two left the house and headed for the arena.

The arena today was much emptier than normal, only half of the students there. Everyone really only wanted to see the battles between the best in each class. However, these battles between classes were also entertaining, so many still came. Many of them also didn't have anything much better to do.

Upon arriving, Dirk was sent to stage. The seats where competitors waited only had 6 people there. Going by age, Dirk was able to pick out his opponent. A boy dressed in a red cloak and leather armor with scales on it. He wasn't much taller than Dirk, and it didn't look like he had done much physical exercise, so he wasn't an anima trainer.

The boy also looked at Dirk who went to sit down. His face sported a mean look, apparently not happy with something. Maybe it was the fact that he was chosen to fight a child who didn't deserve his attention. He would rather be anywhere else, preferably in the stands.

Dirk didn't mind as he relaxed on the bench. However, it wasn't long before the fights started, and he was the first up. He and the boy stepped up to the stage, taking their corners.

"Dirk Strider, ranked first in class 1, vs Peter Toll, ranked 32nd in class 2. Fight!"

With an announcement, the hand went down. With it, Dirk immediately moved, his foot pushing off a pillar of earth. He shot toward the boy, who stood there relaxedly.

When Dirk got close, he formed a spell, and 5 rock arrows quickly formed around him. They shot toward the boy one after the other. They also spun around in weird patterns, making it difficult to track them.

However, when they got close, the boy raised his hand. A thick rock wall formed in front of him, and the arrows shattered on it, only leaving small knicks on the stone.

Seeing that, Dirk went around the wall, throwing out more arrows. The boy put up yet another wall though, chuckling at how easily he blocked Dirk. Dirk continued to dash around, throwing more and more arrows.

Eventually though, the boy had erected walls all around him. Dirk stopped and stared at the little fortress the boy created.

"Go ahead and break in. If you can, of course."

The boy chuckled from inside the walls. While Dirk could climb over, that would be asking for a rock to the face. He didn't worry about the taunting of the boy though as he pondered. Suddenly, he thought of something.

Dirk formed a spell, earth mana gushing out of him. With his partially formed mana heart, his earth magic was the most developed. However, he was now using almost everything he had. This was the first time he had employed so much mana for any single thing.

With that mana, the tops of the walls warped inward, forming a dome. The boy watched as the light from the outside was cut off and his mana was driven out of the walls. He smirked and didn't think much of it. What would closing him in do?

However, the next moment, the boy felt the temperature around him go up. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he finally frowned.

Meanwhile, Dirk was outside with his hands close to the walls. On top of his palms were many balls of fire, and they were all cooking the walls. The rock turned red and yellow under the heat. He was turning the rock enclosure into a furnace.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

The boy within the rocks yelled out as the heat became unbearable. It became hard to breathe, and he wanted to get out. Forming several rocks, he bashed them against the walls. However, it took a while before they cracked. Dirk had reinforced them with all his mana, and despite being an entire Tier above Dirk, the boy had to put in some effort to break it.

*Bang!*

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Eventually though, a wall broke, and the boy burst out from the enclosure. Right when he did so though, a leg came hurtling toward his face. He couldn't react before the foot slammed into his head, knocking him out instantly.

"Stop! The winner is Dirk!"

With that, the match was called. Dirk took a few deep breathes as he felt his head throb. He had expended a lot of mana in a short amount of time. Luckily he trained a lot, so it was nothing he couldn't handle.

Dirk walked back to his seat. The other kids looked at him with surprise. It wasn't very often that another kid could beat someone a year ahead of them. Dirk didn't think it meant much though. This guy just underestimated him.

"Hey kid. Dirk right?"

As he sat down, one of the other boys moved over to him. Dirk looked over and was surprised. It was the teen named Trent who beat Rita, the one who could wield fire like a dragon.

Dirk nodded to him, a bit dazzled by his tough armor.

"Yes."

"That was a good fight. Very creative thinking. Most would have just thought to break through the walls. I sure wouldn't have thought to cook him alive."

"Thanks."

"Mm. That head of yours will help a lot as you dungeon dive next year. And speaking of dungeons, there's one piece of advice I want to give you."

The teen got close to Dirk, speaking in a low voice.

"Sometimes, the people are worse than the monsters. Find people you trust, kid. And be wary of those you don't."

"..."

Dirk went quiet, glancing at Trent weirdly. Trent only chuckled and backed away.

"Hehe, don't let me scare you. I just speak from my experience. There's a lot of competition, and in the dungeons there are no rules. People will go to many lengths to get what they want."

"...Thanks for the advice."

"Of course. It would be a shame to see a kid as talented as you die quickly. Now if you're sticking around, be sure to watch me kick this guy's ass."

Trent pat Dirk's shoulder as another fight on the stage ended. He quickly jumped off his seat and headed for the arena, as did a kid who was a year older.

Unfortunately, the fight didn't go as he expected. Trent was the one who got beat, but he sure didn't go down without a fight. His opponent was wounded and exhausted by the end, making him rather unhappy. Trent was all smiles though, even as he passed out with sparks flickering on his beat up armor.

.........................

After the battles ended, Dirk met up with his family and Ava. They all went to dinner, and Ryker explained what was next for them.

Even though Dirk won his battle, he wouldn't be fighting another. Today was the last day of the competition, and school would end in only a couple more days as well. In those couple days, each student would be reevaluated to determine if they were fit to continue. After that, those who were clear to continue would get a month of break before their next year started.

Luckily, Dirk was already cleared for his next year. This was a perk of fighting in the competition. The referee and a select few staff members who watched the matches would use the fight as an evaluation. Naturally, those who placed well automatically advanced, especially the champion. There was no question that Dirk was eligible to re-enroll. Ava was the same as the third place fighter.

Because of that, their year was effectively over. They didn't even have anything to attend, so their break started now. However, to Ava's distress, this didn't cause Dirk to alter his schedule in any way.

The last day of the competition passed, and the next morning came. Since Ava was still staying at Dirk's, she woke up and headed down only to find Dirk doing his morning martial meditation routine. Despite being a bit baffled, she didn't say anything or interrupt him. And since she enjoyed it as well, she went to join him.

Their arms flowed as they moved their upper bodies. Their legs and hips moved with it, transferring their weight and maintaining perfect balance throughout all the movements. They bent low, raised their chests high, and trusted their arms and legs in familiar ways. Many of the movements were actual punches or kicks, only slowed down and controlled.

The movements stretched and warmed their bodies, preparing their tendons and joints for whatever may come and putting their body in a harmonious state. And when it was all done, they settled their hearts and blood, opening their eyes with tranquil minds.

"So why are you working out during our break?"

Ava asked as they stood there, looking off into the distance at the other houses and green grass. Hearing the question, Dirk turned and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. She glanced at him and rolled her eyes.

"Nevermind. Dumb question to ask."

"Working out during peaceful times is most optimal. There's no threat to your life and you don't have to worry about being caught while you're weak and recovering. It also prepares you for what's to come. We're going to be fighting monsters soon, so now above all is the time to be strengthening ourselves."

"Hm, I guess. I still want to rest some though..."

"Some rest is fine. Take the next few days off while you recover. You earned it."

"...Thanks. But I think I'll rest later."

Ava said as she smiled and walked into the house. When she came back out with some water bags, she spoke again.

"I got a message from my parents a little while ago. They want me to come home during break. It'll probably be a two or three week long visit."

"Really? Are you allowed to do that?"

"Of course. The academy isn't a prison. Most of the students will be gone during break to visit parents, in fact. It's a special case for you since your parents are here, so you can see them anytime. There are a lot of students whose parents are in another city or town, so they have to travel to see them."

"Hm. When do you leave?"

"Three days, when school officially ends. It's not like I'll be that far, though I don't think I'll be going in and out of here. My parents said that we have some things we need to do and talk about. Things like dungeon diving, weapons, armor, and other things."

"Mm. You do need to figure out what kind of weapon you want to use. However, the most important thing you can do is ensure you can use a myriad of weapons. Anything can be a weapon in the right hands. Limiting yourself to a single weapon and style is a surefire way of getting caught off guard and killed, since when you don't have your weapon, you'll be rendered ineffective."

"...I'll keep that in mind."

"As for armor, make sure you're able to move around in it. And make sure everything is covered. Your vitals need to be protected above all else."

"Vitals?"

"Yes. These are your vitals."

Dirk pointed at Ava's chest.

"Your torso from the middle of the abdomen upward, your neck, and your head. These three places should not be significantly harmed in any way during a fight, or you risk sustaining a lethal wound. Though, even lighter hits can be debilitating. Like hits to the liver. Activate your core."

"Hm?"

Ava was a bit confused by the sudden command, but she didn't hesitate to clench her abs. The next moment, Dirk threw a palm toward Ava's liver, just below her chest. When it landed, Ava was hit with a wave of pain and weakness despite being somewhat prepared. She fell to the floor.

"Ugh!"

"There are spots that hurt much more than others, almost like a pressure point. They can disable or stun you, and in a fight you naturally don't want to suffer from those effects. Tonight I'll run you through the points to protect. When you go get armor, you can work around those points. Now let's workout."

"Cough, alright."

Ava nodded weakly as she forced herself up, taking deep breaths to flush the pain out of her body. She looked at Dirk's back as he walked to an open area, shaking her head a bit. Dirk taught by example, so when he taught her about combat, it was usually through demonstration. Such demonstrations involved taking hits followed by bouts of pain. She had gotten used to it though. Her pain tolerance was exceptionally high now.

................

The day went by relaxedly with the two training both magic and body. After workouts, Dirk would change Ava's bandages and give her potions. The wounds got better by the day, so she soon wouldn't need the bandages at all.

Like this, 3 days pass. School ended uneventfully, and Dirk saw dozens of kids leaving the academy every day. Most were leaving to visit parents, but there were some that would never return. Those people left with packed bags and tears running down their faces.

On this day, Dirk walked with Ava to the gates. She had a single small bag over her shoulder. In that bag were some clothes and a few sheets of paper which Dirk had drawn up for her. Those sheets detailed things for armor and a few weapons. While Dirk wasn't very knowledgeable on this world's combat styles, weapons were weapons. He had the philosophy of using anything on hand, whether it was a sword, a bow, a knife, a rock, or dirt. He explained this to Ava, but it would ultimately be up to her what she wanted to do.

The two walked to the gate where many carriages were waiting for various people. Ava was able to quickly find hers, but before going, she turned to Dirk.

"I guess I'll see you in a while."

"Mm."

"Sheesh. It's like you don't even care. Come here."

Rolling her eyes at his dull response, Ava walked over and wrapped her arms around Dirk. He sighed and responded, the two enjoying each other's embrace for a while.

"Hm, alright. Goodbye, Dirk."

"Bye."

With that, they separated, and Ava walked to her carriage. Dirk watched her drive off before turning around and walking back into the academy.

His break had officially started.