Serum

Grandpa Qoi almost gawked as he and Dirk froze in position, their spears having clashed perfectly to bring them both to a halt. 

Then, he burst out with a laugh.

“Bahahaha! Yes, yes, yes! What a monster! Are you sure you aren’t supposed to learn the spear?”

He stopped as he said so, looking at Dirk’s form. 

That last thrust seemed to be the pinnacle of perfection. There were only some slight deviations, but that was actually caused by Dirk’s constitution. 

As a Spear King, Grandpa Qoi knew that using a weapon would cause one’s body to adjust to that weapon. Those adjustments were the final factor in achieving perfection, and it was why finding your perfect weapon early on was so important. If you only began to truly train with a weapon later on, the body would be more rigid and unchanging, becoming a limiter. On the contrary, a child was far more malleable and could easily adapt to become the perfect vessel for a weapon. 

Of course, nothing would stop true talent. It was why the Spear King was able to reach his level despite spending decades searching for the spear. He had already been well into adulthood, considered a talentless idiot who couldn’t find his weapon. And yet, he was the one who rose above all those young geniuses. 

Now, as the Spear King looked at Dirk, he found the same talent that only the Kings had. To come this far in only a few hours was impossible otherwise. Just his instincts placed him on that level. After all, to be able to so clearly sense your potential and the future of various different paths was an ability bordering on prophecy. 

It was the hidden requisite for becoming a King and one that was impossibly unfair. After all, most people would simply begin to train techniques as early as possible, not knowing until much later that they had actually killed their potential back as mere children. They didn’t even have the chance to try and reach that higher level. 

Dirk, while having been taught many techniques, never truly walked down any single path. While he preferred the sword, he never exclusively trained it. Since he first stepped foot into the academy as a kid, he always wielded several weapons ranging from axes to bows. That never changed even when he went to Asura’s Mountain where he learned to use knives, shortswords, and other tools. 

All this time, Dirk felt that he didn’t have a clear direction. He had simply proceeded with his Anima Resonance Destruction Technique, increasing his strength and physical abilities while honing control over his Aura. As for his weapons, they were merely tools to transform his strength into lethal attacks. 

Now, he finally felt like he was becoming better. He finally felt that he was walking down the path he was truly destined for. 

“That Martial Master told me something back then, words that I feel you will find immensely valuable, though they mean nothing to me who has reached the end of my road.”

Grandpa Qoi retrieved his spear and spoke. 

“I quote him directly. ‘All martial masteries are connected. A spear technique can be executed no differently with a sword or a bow. This is illogical, yet the foundation for Universal Martial Mastery. The further you travel down my path, the more illogical, profound, and fucking confusing the path gets. I mean, how do you use the bow as you would an axe? Yet, I swung my bow just like an axe and I was able to fell a branch of the World Tree. All it cost me was the bow after it exploded. At least I was able to keep the string.’”

“...”

Dirk’s face gradually turned more confused as Grandpa Qoi continued, his words shifting from philosophical to brutish. 

Seeing Dirk’s weird face, he shrugged. 

“I’m just quoting him directly. Oh, he said one more thing as well. He said, ‘Although it gets more confusing, that’s what instincts are for. I trust my instincts so much that I blinded myself, yet I have better coordination than even some Kings. Instincts are the best guide and only path for someone like me. The best part is how I can pick out a beauty from a mile away even though I can’t see. And they seem to dig it when a blind guy compliments them. So yes, instincts are the way. They could tell me to jump off a mountaintop and I would do it, same way I listen to my dick when it points me toward a brothel.”

“Pfft…”

Dirk barely stifled a chuckle. It seemed this guy was as horny as he was skilled. 

But those words seemed to glimpse some important wisdom. 

This man had instincts that even substituted for his vision. It was like he simply knew the things he needed to know about when he needed to know them. And he had absolute trust in those senses. And why wouldn’t he? He could probably tell the future with them. 

Dirk didn’t know if he was that good or talented, but he already knew that his path was the same as that Martial Master’s, so he would walk it no differently. There was no other path for him, and for once, Dirk felt like he was willing to die on that hill. It wouldn’t matter if Asura himself came back and forced him to learn one weapon. He would sooner drop dead than deviate. 

Which meant that his approach to everything he did would change. There was no half-assing something this difficult, so Dirk would need to embody the very principles of that path. He wouldn’t even take a piss if his instincts told him not to. 

Suddenly, Dirk turned toward Grandpa Qoi, tilting his head. 

“I can’t fight you yet, but I’ll be back later.”

“Oh yea? How long?”

“Once I achieve Basic Martial Mastery. I think… 1 month will be enough.”

“What gives you that confidence?”

“Well, I almost already have it.”

Dirk smiled. He had already trained with dozens of different weapons and knew tons of different martial styles that utilized every inch of his body. The only thing he needed to do was go through them all and perfect them. 

By itself this wouldn’t take a long time, but Dirk knew that he would soon be embroiled in whatever business they had at the Otherworld. He wouldn’t have the time to solely focus on it. 

Grandpa Qoi smirked. 

“If you can do it, then don’t let anything stop you. Thankfully, you’re in a far better position than the Kimin Godsum. He wasn’t a mage, and he had to pioneer his path. He also had nothing to rely on, no noble title to protect him, and surely no Kings watching out for him. He was all alone, made a single wrong move, and perished. He was perhaps history’s greatest Martial genius, yet he wasn’t able to reach the end of his potential. But you have things that he didn’t. So perhaps, as long as you use that head of yours, you’ll be able to get in just the right amount of trouble and grow until you reach the height that he couldn’t.”

“Mm.”

Dirk nodded. He saw no reason why he shouldn’t surpass that man. In fact, if he couldn’t despite his incomparable advantages, then he may as well give up and go into seclusion somewhere in a forest. Something like that would be much too shameful and an insult to everything he was given. 

“Well, let’s continue.”

Grandpa Qoi suddenly took up a stance, his eyes gleaming with interest. 

“I know plenty of martial styles myself. So even if you don’t learn, I’ll at least be your sparring partner.”

“Hm, then I’ll thank you in advance. This will speed up my progress.”

Dirk also took a stance, getting low to the ground. 

Then, the two suddenly dashed toward each other, their figures exploding with power. 

Dirk dove in, his arms and legs delivering blows as he tried to grapple and corner Grandpa Qoi. 

Meanwhile, Qoi simply met him on equal terms. He drastically lowered his strength, purely utilizing his martial skill and vast experience.

Unlike all of Dirk’s enemies before, Grandpa Qoi was able to keep up, read, and even counter Dirk’s net of attacks. He wasn’t overwhelmed by all the various styles of combat, keping up with his speed just fine, and was able to avoid getting washed away in Dirk’s rhythm. 

Back at the frontier base in the Horizon Empire, Dirk had almost toyed with Alec and his girlfriends. He was able to fight all three of them to a standstill and would've won if he were trying to do anything other than just have a fun spar. 

They simply couldn’t read him while he could read them like a book. He was able to counter all of their moves and tactics as if he had studied them for years, all while sweeping them into his own current of battle. They were children before a master. 

Now, the positions were swapped. Grandpa Qoi was far too skilled, experienced, and powerful for any of Dirk’s advantages to work. He was better in literally every way. And because he was also trying to help Dirk, he was the perfect sparring partner. 

At some point, Dirk even took out some weapons. He started with the axe, hacking down with overwhelming strength, moving slower yet with far more weight behind every movement. 

Despite the lower speed, Grandpa Qoi didn’t feel like Dirk was putting himself at a disadvantage. He felt like Dirk was still just as guarded as always. If anybody besides him were to try and dive in, taking advantage of his lesser speed, it would cost them dearly. 

They could only let him hack down at them, unable to even avoid his strikes. 

Of course, Dirk wasn’t perfect. Grandpa Qoi called upon his experience and used his attacks to point out many of Dirk’s flaws. Whether it was footwork, the angles of his attacks, or the way he chained his strikes, he would find imperfections and make Dirk pay for it. 

In that way, Dirk was easily able to notice and correct himself. He wasn’t overly punished because this wasn’t a real battle. Everything was for the sake of Dirk’s learning and growth. 

Like that, he shifted between more weapons. He worked with the bow, the sword, knives, a staff and several things in between. 

Although there were countless weapons and variations, at some point, one weapon became no different from another. Their commonalities blended, and with enough experience, you would be able to merely look at a weapon and understand how to use it perfectly. 

Dirk didn’t have this experience, but he did have tons of weapons and obscene combat instincts. Even Grandpa Qoi became excited as he began to glimpse the extent of Dirk’s ability. 

There was a reason he so confidently said that Dirk had the instincts of a King. Most people couldn’t be evaluated as such. After all, just how many geniuses were there? And yet, how many ever became Kings? One in a billion was a good estimate. Yet Grandpa Qoi didn’t hesitate to place him on that pedestal. 

And he only grew more confident of his appraisal the more he fought Dirk. 

‘Heh, what a damn monster.’

He smiled as Dirk jumped up a wall and spun around, aiming an arrow with his bow. 

When released, the around spun and shuttled straight for Qoi’s neck.

If he were an ordinary person, this arrow would slice through their neck and sever the carotid artery. The shot was horribly accurate, even taking into account Qoi’s subsequent movement. In slow motion, it looked like Qoi was going to deliver his neck to the arrow. 

But Qoi was too good, so he simply stopped himself, the arrow flying past. 

By that time though, another arrow was coming. 

This time, he watched as it aimed for the base of his neck just between his collarbones. Another precise shot, but this time, he couldn’t easily avoid it without deliberately dodging. 

However, this wasn’t what concerned him. Instead, he was intrigued by the movement of Anima. 

Around the arrow was a cyclone of air as it pierced through the atmosphere. However, along with that air was a cyclone of anima. 

To release anima into a weapon was hard enough, but to even detach it from yourself and load it into an arrow before firing it in a way that the arrow could utilize… 

Grandpa Qoi only knew of a handful of bow techniques that could do such a thing, and they were all developed over dozens of years before becoming core secrets of martial families or empires. The bow was the hardest weapon to utilize anima with, after all. 

Yet, Dirk had actually done so by himself and in such a short amount of time. 

It was like the anima within and around him simply followed his actions. He didn’t even have to control it. As if it were a living entity, it went out of its way to empower everything he did. 

Of course, it wasn’t actually anything so mystical. Instead, Dirk was unconsciously manipulating it with his instincts. He didn’t have to think about it, but he was indeed controlling it. Still, the ability to do so should be far beyond him. 

Grandpa Qoi couldn’t stop himself from smiling. 

“My greatest student! We will continue until you drop!”

Saying that, Grandpa Qoi sparred with Dirk with limitless stamina. 

Soon enough, several hours passed, and Dirk reached his limit both mentally and physically. At some point, every action of his was backed by anima and took more energy than normal. Several hours of this was enough to bring him to his knees. 

But he had gained invaluable experience. 

Dirk fell to the floor, his breathing labored and his skin boiling with heat. 

Grandpa Qoi stood before him, not the slightest bit of moisture on his head and his mouth contorted in a gleeful grin. 

“Ah, how wonderful. I couldn’t think of any better husband for my granddaughter.”

“She’s… huh… not the only… huh… one.”

“Oh? I shouldn’t be surprised considering how extraordinary you are. Does she know?”

“Yes…”

Dirk nodded through heavy breathing. He decided to spill this fact in order to extract some wisdom from this old man, or at least get his opinion on the matter. It was a spur of the moment decision, but Dirk didn’t care. His instincts were leading the way now, consequences be damned. 

Grandpa Qoi rubbed his chin. 

“Well, I don’t have an issue with it, but Pandora isn’t one to lay down and take it. Still, since you both are together, it means she took it well. But she’ll have to accept this girl. If she doesn’t, then you may not have a choice. You would need to pick one at that point.”

“...”

Dirk was silent, but he understood that. Pandora said so herself. 

If Ava didn’t meet a certain standard, then she wouldn’t stand for it. And if Ava really were that weak, then he wasn’t sure what he would do. 

He liked Ava, but the path he was walking would kill her if she were too weak. In that case, for both their sakes, he wouldn’t be able to build a relationship with her. 

He desperately hoped that Ava was becoming as strong as she could, and as quickly as she could. 

But his hopes weren’t very high. She was his age, and without a major advantage, how could she keep up with him and Pandora? 

They were both freaks who, even if not advancing incredibly fast, were developing their powers to unbelievable levels. 

‘Damn…’

Dirk cursed in his mind before shaking his head. 

Then, he laid down. He was too exhausted to care about anything else. 

“Oh, looks like Pandora is coming. I’ll take my leave. Then again, she might just figure out I’m here. We’ll see. Next time, come find me at the bar. We’ll have a drink.”

Grandpa Qoi smiled before disappearing. At the same time, Dirk passed out. 

And then Pandora walked in, looking at Dirk before narrowing her eyes and scanning around. 

“We have a rat.”