BattleGround [1]

East Ferrous Park, 11:00 AM 

Artis sat on one of the benches, tired as he was not sure what he has to do now. Currently, he has a lot of free time before his Patrolling duty begins. 

"Maybe I should go to BattleGrounds now. Perhaps I can practice my earlier skills and copy other Unique Skills in return. I should focus on leveling up in my free time..." 

Artis made his decision and headed back towards East Ferrous Laboratories.

...

East Ferrous Laboratories, Main Hall 

Artis entered the lab and asked Maya where the BattleGrounds section was. 

"Oh? Finally itching for a fight on your second day already, huh? I bet Ray was the one who probed you into this!" 

"I mean...He would be the only one to probe me in...since he and you are the only person I have talked to yet!" 

"Hehe," she chuckled slowly, "Well, that's true. But you can actually get along with anyone if you wish to. Perhaps that's how you use your skill? I don't know, but best of luck!" 

'Damn, she's actually way more perceptive than I thought...Did she read my mind or just figured it out by the way I talked to her yesterday?' 

Outside of his thoughts, Artis slowly nodded and made his way towards the BattleGrounds. 

As he entered the Battlegrounds, he could see many Adventurers wearing particular form of costumes engaged in fights. 

There were total of 5 rings all around the stadium and in each ring, a battle was going on. The stadium was rectangular, having 4 corners blocked by a flying object emitting light as multiple fights surrounded by many spectators were going on.

A girl with short brown hair was shooting multiple projectiles at a man who was avoiding it. Two muscular men, wrestling trying to best each other throwing each other to the other side of the ring, A man with good looks swinging his sword on a rough-looking man as he defended himself, and many more.

Artis observed the fights and the energetic crowds as he could feel the energy and excitement in those fights he was observing.

As he observed the fights, he noticed a tall man wearing a dark cloak standing near the entrance. The man seemed to be watching the battles with a keen eye, analyzing the fighters' movements. Artis approached him, figuring he might be someone who could provide information or guidance.

"Excuse me," Artis began, "I want to join the battles. How does this work?"

The man looked at him and answered, "New to the town, huh?" He smiled, "Name's Dan. I'm in charge of all the Battlegrounds in Aurosia. If you want to join in, you have to register yourself with the system here and you can duel anyone you wish to." 

The man was a bit muscular, almost the same height as Artis, with short buzzy gray hair and rough facial features as he pointed at a system, "Are you looking for a practice fight or something more serious?"

"Practice fight, for now," Artis replied.

Dan smiled and replied, "Alright then, follow me." 

He led Artis to a small booth where another coordinator sat with a register. After filling out some basic information and signing a waiver, Artis was officially entered into the roster. Dan handed him a small card with his entry details.

"Alright then, you are set to go. You can either challenge anyone you wish to or we will find an opponent for you. What do you wish for?" 

Artis looked around for a while and answered, "Please, find an opponent for me." 

Dan nodded, "Very well. We'll call you. It'll take some time since all the other Adventurers and people want to fight as well. Hope you don't mind waiting." 

Artis nodded, understanding that he'd have to wait his turn. He found a spot near the edge of the fighting area where he could continue observing the battles. Watching others fight was a learning experience in itself, giving him insights into various fighting styles and techniques.

"Perhaps this place isn't as bad as I thought it was. I can learn a lot here..." mumbled Artis slowly as he continued to observe multiple fights waiting for his name to be called. 

"Right? This place is just like that! Always new fighters to fight and new styles to observe. If you go to the main city and explore the continent further, you'll find even various tournaments happen once in a while!" said a familiar voice coming from behind him that he recognized. 

Artis turned around to look Ray was behind him with a confident smirk on his face. 

"So you took my advice and came here? Honestly, I didn't expect to see you here but since you are here, let's observe the duels." 

Artis smiled, appreciating Ray's enthusiasm. "Yeah, figured it was worth a shot. This place is pretty intense."

Ray nodded, his eyes fixed on one of the ongoing matches. "Absolutely. It's one of the best places to hone your skills and learn from others. Plus, you never know what kind of unique abilities you'll come across."

As they watched, a particularly captivating fight caught their attention. In Ring 3, a tall man wielding a massive war hammer was up against a nimble woman with twin daggers. The contrast in their fighting styles was stark. The man relied on brute strength and heavy strikes, while the woman used speed and agility to evade his attacks and strike at opportune moments.

"That guy with the war hammer, his name is Garen," Ray said. "He's known for his strength and durability. But that girl, Lila, she's a speedster. Fast, precise, and deadly with those daggers. It's a classic power versus speed matchup."

Artis watched intently as Lila darted around Garen, her daggers flashing in the light. Garen swung his war hammer with tremendous force, but Lila was always a step ahead, avoiding his blows and landing quick, precise strikes.

"This is what I need," Artis thought aloud. "Seeing these different styles in action, understanding how they counter each other."

Ray nodded. "Exactly. And once you're in the ring, you'll get to experience it firsthand. There's no better way to learn."

Suddenly, a man wearing a taekwondo uniform appeared before them and said in a loud voice, "Ray! I challenge you to a duel again!" 

Ray turned around, and smiled in a cocky manner, "Oh, back for again, Ash? I thought I defeated you 2 days ago!" 

"That was then, but today, it will be different!" said Ash in a confident tone, "So, up for a duel again?" 

Ray smirked as he extended his hand, "You bet!" 

He looked at Artis and said in a confident tone, "Watch me Artis! See how your senior fights and why he's one of the strongest around these parts." 

Artis nodded, intrigued to see Ray in action. He followed Ray and Ash to one of the empty rings, where a crowd quickly gathered in anticipation of the upcoming duel.

Ray stepped into the ring, rolling his shoulders and loosening up. "Alright, Ash. Let's see what you've got this time."

Ash bowed respectfully, then took a fighting stance, his eyes focused and determined. "I've been training hard, Ray. You won't defeat me so easily this time."

The referee raised his hand to signal the start of the match. "Fighters ready? Begin!"

Ash immediately jumped a distance and launched himself in a series of kicks, with fluid movements and precise action. Ray evaded swiftly, ducking and blocking some of those kicks as a dark aura surrounded Ray's arm and he launched a straight punch to Ash's guts. 

"Guuah!" Ash was flown back a bit as he landed shakily and clenched his stomach. 

"You still leave a lot of openings for me to attack." mocked Ray. 

Ash gritted his teeth and took a deep breath as a white light emitted from his body and he stood up, calm and determined. 

"You are right. It was my fault. But watch me, see what I learned with my continuous training." He took his stance again preparing himself. 

Ray smirked and nodded, acknowledging Ash's resolve. "Alright then, show me what you've got."

The crowd murmured in anticipation as Ash took a deep breath, the white light around him intensifying. He charged at Ray with renewed energy, his movements faster and more precise than before. Ray, still calm and composed, met Ash's attack head-on.

"Show him, Ash! Get him down to his knees!" 

"Go Ray! You got this!" 

"Keep it up! Both of you!" 

"Kick his nuts, Ash! Make sure that bastard never stands up again!" 

Ash's legs were embraced with flames this time around as he charged again. The kicks connected with Ray as he blocked them with swift precision and launched some of his own attacks. 

Artis could tell Ash depended on his speed and precise attacks more and Ray took full advantage of that attacking at the spots he was opening due to his attacks. 

Ash jumped up going for a kick aiming at Ray's head as he smirked taking a block position to protect his head, "How predictable..." 

But at that moment, Ray felt that his legs were attacked as he lost his balance and fell even though Ash was still up in the air.

Ray lost his composure, as the dark aura swirling over his body focused on his arms and braced for his impact. 

Whack! 

The sound of the impact echoed through the arena as Ash's flaming kick connected with Ray's arms blocking the impact as Ray stood completely still where he stood shocking the crowd and Artis. 

Artis observed that Ray's arms had a different shine on them as if the arms had become a different object and hardened it altogether. 

"So, you learned some tricks," Ray acknowledged, a hint of admiration in his voice. "But this fight is far from over."

"Man! I thought that was it!" complained Ash, "It took me such a long time to master this trick and it did nothing! This is unfair!" 

"Don't despair just yet, you made me use [Harden]. That's an achievement altogether if you ask me!" 

"But I'm fighting to win dammit!" said Ash as he took a few steps back and launched another attack. 

Ray smirked as he took his position, his arms still hardened as he prepared himself for the next upcoming attack.