Vin and the female lightning mage, whose name someone said was Dahlia, made their way to the sparring ring. Alric asked if the fighters were ready and they both nodded. “Begin!” came Alric’s shout.

Dahlia fired a lightning bolt at Vin’s bow. Somehow Vin had managed to get an arrow into the air to intercept the bolt, leaving his bow unharmed. He had fired three more arrows that Kai saw but Dahlia had not been idle. She had shot off multiple lightning bolts to intercept the arrows or strike Vin. She also made her way closer to Vin with consistent steps. The mana reserves this woman had must ben huge as she had fired at least ten to twelve lightning strikes. Dahlia and Vin were less than three feet from each other when Dahlia leaned out of the way of an arrow and her skin began to shimmer. She launched herself from her right foot which had been planted a little behind her center. Vin pulled two arrows at once from his quiver and shot them in one smooth pull. Neither landed as Dahlia’s electric skin caused them to disintegrate without doing any harm. The next moment her hand touched Vin and his entire body locked up. She snatched his bow from his hands and threw it from the ring. As Kai saw the muscles of Vin’s body relax and stop contracting Dahlia loomed over Vin, lightning wreathed her fist. “I concede,” was all anyone heard Vin say.

“Dahlia is the winner. Excellent fight. Impressive speed Dahlia you’ve been practicing. Next is Kai and Jaxson.” Alric turned and motioned to Kai and the man with the spear. Vin and Dahlia made their way out of the ring as Kai and Jaxson made their way into it.

Kai turned to Alric, “Can I please look at my notifications and spend my points to prepare for this fight?”

Alric smiled and shook his head no. “We need you to push yourself as much as possible without system interference. There will be plenty of other hunts should you lose here. Are both fighters ready?”

Jaxson looked at Kai with a glint of curiosity in his eyes but nodded. Kai loosened his knees and readied himself. He nodded to Alric. “Begin!”

Kai stepped with his right foot forward, he immediately shifted his weight to the left and turned his body slightly to dodge a spear thrust. Kai used Heavy Blow to smash his bokken into the spear right where Jaxson gripped it. The momentum shift pushed Jaxson just off balance and Kai fired a Mana Bolt toward his opponent’s stomach. The distance was less than two feet and the Bolt smashed into Jaxson. Kai capitalized on his advantage and gripped the bokken in two hands. He brought it down over Jaxson’s head activating Heavy Blow at the last moment. Jaxson collapsed to the ground unconscious, blood flowing from his head. The healer quickly jumped into the ring and began to heal the wounds Kai had inflicted.

“Kai is the winner. Great show.” Alric called out. “Now you get a brief rest and we shall have the final, Dahlia versus Kai. Exciting!”

Kai stepped from the sparring ring and moved beneath a nearby tree where he sat cross-legged to focus on the two fights he had and what he recalled of Dahlia’s two matches. Kai knew that if he allowed the lightning mage to enter her accelerated state he’d never be able to win. Which meant he had to start off quick and win fast before she could build up any speed. This is going to be impossible. There’s no way I can beat her. Kai started to simply focus on his breathing.

In. Out. In. Out. He let his mind go blank and focused on his desire to win. He began to feel as he felt three years ago before the National Qualifier he competed in. In that tournament his opponent was favored to win as he was the younger brother of a previous champion and had even trained with his brother for the past six months. Rumor even said he’d beaten his brother in their recent sparring matches. Kai focused on the fact that this wasn’t a sparring match. This was a real fight and his opponent had never faced him before.

No one but Sensei thought I could win back then but I was able to. I must be what I am not expected to be. Kai drifted. His thoughts had no more focus. His body knew what must be done he simply had to allow it to happen. To stop getting in his own way.

Kai’s eyes snapped open. He turned his head to see Dahlia and Alric both staring at him. He rose to his feet and walked towards the ring as he stepped in Dahlia spoke to him.

“You really haven’t spent any of your PP or have a class?” she asked.

Kai nodded and pointed to Alric. “I got a path and since then he’s been trying to kill me. I was up all last night with a woman named Leona who I’m certain now also wants to kill me for one simple remark I made. I haven’t seen my notifications in over two days or been able to spend any points or anything. And now, maybe my only chance for the next few weeks to go out and kill real monsters and I have to fight people who have been here since the beginning and who have classes.”

“Well of course we’ve been here since the beginning. How is it you don’t have a class yet?” Dahlia asked.

“I came from one of the expansion zones. So I’ve been here like six days or so? Time has gotten a little bit away from me.” Kai sighed. “I think I’m ready for you to kick my ass now.” Kai bowed to Dahlia then to Alric. He took a fighting stance, his right foot behind him, the bokken in line with his right leg held in his right hand. His left fist held before him with mana pulsing in it.

Dahlia nodded and took a stance. She looked at Alric and nodded.

“BEGIN!” Alric’s voice set the two in motion.

Dahlia wreathed her feet in lighting the moment Alric began to shout for the start of the match. She was off faster than her previous matches, at least she wasn’t taking Kai for granted. Kai had done nothing but watch Dahlia’s shoulders since he had taken his stance. The moment she launched herself at him he noticed the slight angle to his left that her shoulders had. He fired off two Mana Bolts, one chest height and the other hip height, he believed dodging both would be impossible.

He pushed off from the ground with a leap to his right and bounded toward Dahlia. He had been right about her being unable to dodge both his Mana Bolts. She dodged one and blasted the other with a lightning bolt. Kai had just reached striking range and began to bring his bokken around and overhead in a powerful Heavy Blow. He never got to land that blow.

Dahlia had stepped just inside his guard and placed her hand on his chest.