Chilly Morning day, the sun just over the horizon and the winds blowing steadily. Everyone is in the courtyard waiting for the announcement from the old wizard guy.

Dex is yawning as he joins his team way back. "Look like sleeping beauty is up," Nico said with a grin. "You know that I need my sleep to be tip-top shape to mess around." Dex said sarcastically, Nico roll eyes and Nik sigh. Brin whack Dex back of his head before but him in a headlock. "Dex next time, don't be late to something that's important to us. But since you were lost last night...somehow. I'll let you off the hook." Brin said it with a cold, evil smile on his face. Dex whimpers and nods his head. Before anyone said anything, the old guy floating over them with a big happy grin on his face.

"WELCOME STUDENTS! SOME OF YOU MAYBE KNOW THAT THERE'S A ROYAL BRAWL TODAY! BUT TODAY IS A GOOD DAY FOR ALL OF YOU NEWCOMERS! THIS WILL HELP BOOST YOUR STATUS AND BE ON TOP!" old man scream surprisingly loud. There was a large amount of cheering happen all around them. Dex was the only one amazed that the old man can scream that loud. Once Dex mentions that to the others, they laugh at him. Once everything settles down, the old man drank a glass of water before speaking.

"FIRST DAY IS GOING BE A TEAM FREE FOR ALL! SO LET THE FIGHT BEGIN!" Not even a minute into the this, everyone starts launching large-scale magic to each other. Luckily the guys were in the back so they escape from there quickly. Before they can say anything to each other, the old man speaks again.

"THE TEAM THAT LASTS TILL SUN FALL, WILL PROCEED TO THE NEXT ROUND! WE GOT HIGHLY TRAINED MEDICAL ON STANDBY SO DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT! BUT YOUR TEAM CAN ONLY HEAL YOU UP AFTER A BATTLE!" everyone all stared at Dex after he mention it.

"Dex. do you know any-" before Brin can say anything, another group of people confront them and try to sneak attack them, but Nik intercepts them with his lightning speed reaction and shock nearly all of them to black out.

"First, let's get out of here before more of them come out and fight us," Nik suggests.

They agree and venture into the forest to Dex training area. Dex took off his jacket, and hang it on one of the low branches. They sat in a circle and then discussed their next plan.

"All right, how about I take point and Nik cover the rear, so no one can sneak up on us. The only reason I'm suggesting me being upfront cause I'm already a meat shield and Nik have better hearing and such to cover our backs" Dex suggest and they agree on Dex plan, which rarely happens before. But before Dex says anything, there's a rustle of leaves near the entrance of the clearing. The Girls came through the clearing all ready to fight, but they were relief seeing us here.

"See I told you I know the way here," Elisa said. Radio shakes her head and walks towards them. They sat down in the circle.

"Look like we made it out there without any scratch on us," Nico said, and they nod in an agreement.

"Since we're all here, let us go together, a bigger group is better right?" ash ask. They all think about it but the one the opposed of it was Dex.

"If we travel in a big group, doesn't that make us a bigger threat since there is more us? Meaning, more group will team together to take us down. And if that happens, the surprised plan for keeping Brin and Nico magic till the very end will be ruin." Dex explain and they look at him all amazed, but they shook their head and for a moment Brin and Nico agreed that it will ruin the plan if there is more of us and have to fight them all together.

"I guess you guys already think ahead and we're fine with that. But let's make an agreement that if we saw each other in danger, we'll help out one another, agree?" Grace asked, and they nod in agreement.

They wander around the woods for a short while before they stumble upon a battle scene. Nik examine the scene and think it was a party of five, two of them was a fire user, another is a water user and lastly, there is two earth user. But he doesn't know who is which side and such, but he knows the winning party was a party of five and the losing party was rescued by the medical team. They wonder what to do,

"I suggest going after the winning party, most likely they didn't get time to heal up unless they have a strong healer or two healers." Nico suggests, no one object to that plan, so they set off to seek those 'winners' out.

They found them resting under the shade of the trees. There are four guys and a girl, one of them wiggle his finger controlling the wind to blow some breeze on them. Another one is a water user who has a wet towel over his face, the girl was a fire user who is cooking up some rabbit with the help of the wind user to hide the smoke. The last two who are sleeping is most likely earth user, with that large amount of dirt on their clothes and hair. Dex was sent behind them, Nico was sent with Dex but have to stop halfway, Nik was sent other way to halfway, so they are all flank by all side. As they can see, they are still relaxing. Brin starts the battle first by chucking his dagger at the wind user. Nik follows up with a lightning strike on the water which the lighting connect to the dagger that Brin throw. Two down three to go, Dex quickly took out the sleeping people with a hard hit on their gut and forehead, Nico just slams the girl head on the ground. It was a quick and easy victory for them.

"I feel slightly bad for them," Nico said sarcastically. two or three minutes have passed since the 'battle,' the medical team came by and pick up the wounded. After they left, the group left to go back to the campus. "Why we're going back?" Dex ask

"Because we can have more fun beating up people in the open area with no terrain advantage. Beside who have the higher ground." Brin answered with a smile. Dex responds back with a grin.

The group went back to the training area to found people looting it for whatever reason they have. Dex quickly respond to them was binding them with their own shadow, and then start an onslaught of mini light beams that peered through the leaves. The others didn't react to what happened right in front of them.

"Should never touch Dex stuff without the wrath of a demon summoned," Nik muttered as he walks behind Dex to pat him on the back. Dex takes a deep breath before looking for a box for important values. Dex takes out a box and hands out the stuff inside of it. It was a bunch of mask with enhancement magic carve into it.

(1)Brin- a wooden mask of a white tiger with its lower mouth missing. The eye hole is covered up with black fabric.

Nico- a wooden of a flaming red and orange bird full face. The eyehole is been cover up with blue fabric.

Nik- a wooden mask of a brownish yellow dragon full face. The eyehole is covered with green fabric.

Dex- a wooden mask of a black and purple tortoise mask. The eyeholes are covered with white fabric

"What are these for?" Brin ask curiously,

"These are for enhancing your magic and we're winning this with style." Dex answered with a smile before putting on his mask. They all wear their mask before they left off back to the camps.

As they came back, they notice how empty and quiet it is. They proceed with caution as they going through the courtyard. Dex was ahead of them scouting out the area.

"I don't like this right now. It's to quiet...as far as we know, they could all be in the forest." Nik said cautiously. Brin nods his head in an agreement, and he taps Nico shoulder before saying something.

"If we get in trouble, we going to fight when both Dex and Nik couldn't be continued." Niko put his thumb up acknowledging it.

As they going to a park near the courtyard, Dex got attack by two groups of four peoples. Dex was able to take out three people before going into the defense. They rush forward to help dex, but they were also ambushed by two more groups of fours. Nik quickly intercepts their attack with his own, and follow it up with another spell. Nik took down three people and badly wound two others.

"You and your big mouth, Brin." Nico was displeased. As Nico said that, Dex knock out one of them before getting another three attack him. The leftover enemy that Dex didn't fight, was an advanced healer, who heal up the wounded to keep on fighting after those three. Nik took down the rest, but he didn't notice they also have an advance healer on them. Nik was caught off-guard as they attack him by the rear. Nik got hit in the head, shoulder, heel, and his spine. Nik stumbles back in pain and anger, he releases a discharge of electricity out of himself as the mask glow bright yellow and his discharge was enhanced nearly three-fold of its original power. All were knocked out due to the discharge. As for Dex, he is mercilessly trapping everyone in a cocoon-like shadow with nearly no air inside. After a minute or two, everyone got out of the cocoon passed out. Dex mask glows dark purple for a bit before stopping. They look toward at Dex, who is lifting his mask up to take a long and heavy breath.

Nico looks up at the sky and notices they have like three and a half hours left until sun fall. He told them about it, but Dex wasn't listening. Not on purpose, but he was just trying to stabilize the 'light and dark' within him. Nico didn't mind Dex annoying what he said, it wasn't that important anyways for him. Brin draws up a plan on just stay out in the open to remove a slither chance of a sneak attack on them. But it makes them a big prey for them to attack. As they finish the meeting, bring asks Nik if he can shoot electricity out of his hand. But Nik replies back 'no' but he can make them into a ball and toss them. That was enough to satisfy Brin. He pats Nik back before he got close to Dex meditation.

"Hurry up and balance your lazy ass, before more people come to attack." Brin mutter with a slight laughter.

An hour and a half have passed, and there weren't any more people around them. Dex has been stabilized and he's hungry, Nik is practicing the electro ball, Nico is scanning the surrounding, and Brin is in the middle of them sitting, and thinking any possible outcomes. They have all their mask up, resting on top of their head.

Another hour has passed, and they notice someone is coming out of the forest, they were ready to fight, but they stop noticing that the girls came out of the forest all dusty and dirty.

"You guys!" Eliza yelled at them, waving her hand over her head. They wave back, they're all in a circle together talking about what happened. The girls have fought around five groups while the guys only fought six groups. They spent the remaining hour tidy up their equipment and regaining their magical energy.

It's sunset and the old man came out floating in the air. He waited for a moment before summoning the remaining group to the courtyard. There was 6 group left, not including themselves. But they do notice that they are the only newcomer's group that survive the first round. Most of the other group were eyeing them with bloodthirsty eyes and a wide smile or a grin. The air in the courtyard was unsettling for them as it got pretty hard to breath in. but before it can last any longer, the old man starts talking.

"Hmm, twelve group have survived, including the new year. Well, congrats on the new year student survive this. They wipe out six group each, while the rest of you guys got around twenty to thirty group each. Tomorrow is going to be a tournament style, so wish yourself luck on getting to fight the new year student for a quick and easy victory!" old man wave bye and flew off somewhere.

Everyone stared at them for a moment before leaving for their dorms. They also go to their dorm for a good night sleep. But the only Dex stays outside, sitting under the tree resting. He notices a group of kids ganging up on a hooded person. Dex stares at them for a moment not caring. Until he notices the hooded person was zero. Dex sighed and got up to confront them.

"Hey loser, where is the item we requested last week?" guy 1 ask

"Yeah, where is it?" guy 2 said

"Maybe he sold it to another person that was bully him." guy 3

"we can take them on without his lousy stuff." guy 4

They laugh as they kick zero to the ground, and start stomping and kicking him on the ground. Dex came over behind them.

"Can you guys stop before it gets nasty?" Dex ask

"Who the fuu-" guy 1 said but stop as he notices who it was. His friend looks over and freaks out, one of them looked like he almost pissed himself.

"Yeah, yeah sure. Guys lets get out of here." he quickly ran away and his friends follow him. Dex smiled as he watches them run away. Dex quickly turns around and offer a hand to zero. Zero reach his hand out and with the help of Dex, pull himself up off the ground. Dex cast some minor healing on zero.

"So why they bully you for?" Dex ask, zero quickly take out items off his magic satchel he has under his jacket.

"So the item you have is what they want." Dex mutter. But he tosses his left arm over zero shoulders.

"Alright, let us go back to the dorm for some good night sleep!" Dex said with a smile on his face. Zero nod his head.

"If anyone bothers you again, let me know so I can handle them myself!" Dex said and zero agreed with a thumbs up.

Dex talks with zero along the way to the dorms. He learns that zero don't have the ability to cast offensive nor defensive magic. The only thing he can do is, making nearly high-quality magic items. And his enchantment is on par with Dex. They reach to the dorm, they went their separate ways to go sleep in their room.

(1) These masks are inspired by the Chinese four symbols. Azure Dragon of the East. Vermillion Bird of the South. White Tiger of the West. Black Tortoise of the North. Yellow Dragon of the Center. I combine Nik mask with the two dragons into oneish, but mainly it's a yellow dragon