After Dirk had gone through all the exercises his mother asked him to demonstrate, he stood up with shaky arms and legs. His own workout had already drained him, and he could barely do a few pushups without struggle.

He downed a few gulps of water from his water bag and took a look at Ava. While she had only done a few exercises, she was already sweating and gasping a bit for breath. This showed Dirk just how out of shape she was, if she had ever even been in shape before. He honestly underestimated how weak she would be. 

After Dirk finished up, Cecilia had Ava do more exercises. She reluctantly did as she said, dropping to the floor and barely knocking out two sets of situps. After she finished though, Dirk could see her face contort. He recognized that look easily. She was about to vomit. 

Sure enough, she got up and ran to a bush before puking up any food in her stomach. Seeing that, Cecilia motioned to Dirk.

"Hey! Go help her."

"Help?"

He tilted his head. How was he supposed to help her? Should he pat her back?

Cecilia rolled her eyes.

"Go hold her hair! Don't let any of the puke get on it."

"Oh. Alright."

Dirk just nodded before walking over. Ava was still heaving, but he didn't mind as he stroked back her hair and held it in a ponytail behind her head. 

"Ugh... Sorry..."

Ava barely spit out her words. She felt incredibly shameful and embarrassed, even more so since Dirk was holding her hair. She just wanted to crawl into a hole and die. She felt like she wasn't far from death anyway with how dreadful vomiting felt. 

Dirk just shrugged. 

"It's fine. Your body is shocked by the sudden exertion. A week of hard workouts will get you used to it, and you won't throw up anymore. I threw up too when I first started."

He spoke from experience. Both in his life on Earth and his life here he had thrown up when first starting to exercise. Back when he was first thrown into the supersoldier program, all the kids in his group were heaving their guts out from the exertion. He was one of them. It took about a week to get the body used to the shock, and about a month for it to get used to the stress of working out. It was the same when Dirk had first come into this world.

He figured Ava would go through the same thing. It was just an adaptation period. After a month or two, one could work out freely and push their performance to its best, getting the most out of every session.

Ava was silent for a long while as the horrible feeling in her stomach slowly went away over the period of 15 minutes. At first she thought the pain would never end, but as it subsided she felt much better. She staggered to her feet, and Dirk let her hair fall.

"...Thank you."

Ava felt like she wanted to cry, but she forced down her emotions and bowed a bit to Dirk. He nodded and turned, looking to his mother who was smiling a bit. 

"Alright, head into the house. Workout is over. Food is almost on the table."

She waved them over, and the three walked into the dining room. They all sat down as plates were set on the table, full of meat and bread.

Dirk had come to figure out that meat was the standard food in this world. The meat that was usually served at his house was similar to beef, only a tad bit more leathery. When it was cooked, they were able to make it nice and tender. Cook it a bit too much though and it became even stiffer. There was a sweet spot one had to hit, otherwise it wouldn't be nice to eat. Plus, there was the mana inside of it which made it not only taste better but also promote recovery. 

Besides meat though, there was also bread, which was pretty standard. Soup was also another popular meal. To top those off, there were varieties of sauces and spices, most of which Dirk had never tried before. It introduced a variety of tastes that he had never enjoyed before. Even on Earth he never got to eat anything extravagant.

Dirk quickly gobbled down everything on his plate. Ava had been hesitant for a while, but she eventually just gave in and ate when she felt her empty stomach. Even after filling herself up though, she still ended up only eating a plate of food while Dirk ate 5. He was getting hungrier by the day it seemed. 

This was by design though. Dirk stuffed himself beyond his limit so as to intake as many minerals as possible. And sure enough, as he ate he was able to feel his nano bots become active in his stomach. His body heated up, and the little amount of fat on him was stripped away. Energy was burned and food was processed as more bots were created. 

The process was still ongoing as he and Ava finished eating. The two got up, and Cecilia walked over. 

"Alright. That's your first day. Workouts will become both easier and harder over time. Mostly easier. You'll get used to stressing your body like this. However, you have to maintain a consistent schedule. This only works if you work out at minimum seven out of ten days. Any less, and you won't make any noticeable gains. Understood?"

"Yes, Madam."

Ava nodded. While she had a dreadful time working out today, this was what she signed up for. And given her temperament, she would make sure to come work out simply to avoid scolding or judgment. 

"Good. When we finish workouts and eat, you can head home and clean up. I know Dirk goes back out in the afternoon to exercise, but you're not there yet. Keep at it and you can start joining him."

"I will."

Ava spoke with determination. She was shy and timid, and generally not confident, but when she saw Dirk and his stable aura, she wanted to be like that. She wanted the strength he had. She didn't enjoy being a coward. 

Cecilia nodded inwardly seeing that. People were forged by struggle, making themselves better. Ava at least didn't complain when she was working out. She simply grunted and fought through the best she could. While she may have been cursing in her head, telling herself that she would never do such a thing again, she was forcing herself forward. What mattered were the actions. The change in her mentality would come along soon after. 

With that, Ava was escorted home by one of the butlers. Dirk went up to his room to clean up, and once he had come out of his steamy bath, he laid down on his bed, beginning the Mana Lungs technique. 

Dirk followed the instructions the best he could. He inhaled up until the point he felt that soul tearing pain, after which the mana inside of him poured out. He then rode that wave, pushing out the remaining slivers of mana to empty himself. The dizziness was close to unbearable, but he was able to force himself through a little better each time he attempted this. 

And upon almost blacking out, the mana came flooding back in. His mind snapped back to lucidity, and he inhaled once more. This process repeated itself for two more full cycles before he could barely take it anymore. And just when the overwhelming drowsiness was going to overtake him, he dropped to the floor and did a handstand, walking around his room. 

This was his training cycle. He would do the Mana Lungs technique until he had no more mental energy left. He would then do some physical exercise until the mental fatigue passed, which usually took around 20 minutes. Only after that did he go to his bed and fall fast asleep

Three hours later, he woke up to an alarm. Dirk hopped out of bed with a bit of a headache, but otherwise he was feeling sharp. 3 hours was a bit short and wouldn't totally recover his mental faculties, but it was good enough. However, something suddenly happened as his sleepiness went away.

[Alert! Self-replicating nano-robotic maintenance and repair systems have reached full capacity. System is fully operational.]

"Oh?"

Dirk's brows raised excitedly when he heard the notification. It had taken a few days, but it really did complete. Given enough materials, the bots didn't take long to replicate.

"Interface. Let me see my status."

[Constructing model...]

---

[Host model:

Host Age: 10 years

Blood type: AB+ 

Skeletal structure: Organic iron composite

Muscle structure: High power compacted fibers 

Sensory organs: High-density receptors 

Self-replicating nano-robotic maintenance and repair systems: Online

Final Stand weapon system: Offline

Overdrive systems: Offline

Current bodily state: Combat capable, 100% healthy, developing]

[Alert! Final Stand weapon system under construction. 0.4% complete. Insufficient mineral reserves.]

[Alert! Overdrive systems charging. 7% charged.]

[Intelligence systems fully functional. Awaiting host orders.]

---

Seeing his status, Dirk nodded. 

With the construction of his repair bots, his other two systems were now allowed to come online, or at least begin preparations. The repair bots did more than just repair. They stored energy and minerals for the other two systems to use. They also acted as his sensors so he could know the status of his body. They were a very versatile machine, and it was one of the reasons Dirk had been so combat effective in his past life. 

These two other systems would take time to prepare though. For Overdrive, it needed to accumulate chemical energy, storing it for when he needed to activate it. This wouldn't take a long time, but it wouldn't be short. As for the Final Stand weapon system, that would likely take several years. 

The weapon system needed metals like iron, compounds like gunpowder, and lots of time to take form. While the gunpowder could be slowly synthesized over time, it would take a very long time, especially without Dirk having the needed materials on hand. Back on Earth, supersoldiers like him were given capsules filled with compounds like gunpowder and other elements that they would ingest to help build the weapon system. Now though, he wasn't sure if gunpowder even existed. It would have to be synthesized by his bots slowly. 

With that on top of forming the metal, it could take years for his weapon system to come online. While Dirk wasn't pleased by that fact, he wasn't anxious either. He had around a year and a half before he entered the academy, which meant it could develop a lot before he was faced with any sort of threat to his life. 

Dirk waved away the screen in his vision before stretching his body a bit. With his bots fully functional, any sort of injury he might have had was now totally healed. His body was in perfect shape. Seeing that, he decided to go and train.

Dirk jogged out of the house a few minutes later in nothing but shorts, as usual. When he arrived at the forest, he decided to try some martial arts. He walked up to a fresh tree and flung out his leg. However, he put very heavy force behind it, and when it landed, a loud thud was heard, along with a slight cracking sound. 

"Hmm..."

Dirk frowned as he felt his shin bone fracture a bit. The skin was also split open. He did this on purpose. 

He took a look at the wound. It bled for several seconds, leaving a red streak down his leg, but the bleeding stopped soon after. Dirk could see the wound closing by the second, and soon the skin had been sealed. While one could see a cut there, it looked nothing like what it did before where one could see bone underneath.

Not only that, but Dirk could feel tingling in the shin bone. His AI sent him information about what was happening, and he could see how the nanites were flooding the bone, setting it back to its original shape. Any tiny fragments that broke off the main bone were put back, and the healing process was kickstarted. Until it fully healed, the bone would be sealed and supported by the bots that acted like a cement. 

After around 30 seconds, Dirk started jumping around. He could run, jump, and move like nothing even happened, although there was a good deal of pain. With the nanites there, moving wouldn't harm his injuries. 

After a few minutes of movement, a notification appeared from his AI. It said that the injury would be totally healed within 4 days, and the nanites would support the bone until then. His current state was fully combat capable. Something like this wouldn't inhibit him in the slightest. 

This was the function of his nano-repair bots. It was designed to immediately solve the issues that any injuries brought him, allowing him to maintain combat ability while wounded. No matter how many broken bones or damaged muscles he might have, the nanites would repair them and restore functionality. Dirk had done plenty of operations with several shattered bones, sliced muscles, or torn tendons, but he was still able to fight because of this very function. However, he was one of the few who could push through the pain that the whole process wrought. 

Setting bones or repairing muscles was an excruciatingly painful process, and continuing to use those very body parts while wounded was even worse. While they were at least supplied with some painkillers on Earth, that ran out fast, and Dirk never ended up using it unless the situation was dire. Even now though, he didn't have any painkillers. He would have to feel the full brunt of any injuries he got on this world. 

Something small like a shinbone fracture was easy to deal with though. Dirk jumped around with ease, and eventually he went on to do his workout like normal. This injury was simply used as a test to make sure his nanites worked as he remembered. 

...........

........

The rest of Dirk's week went like normal. Every day, Ava came over and was given a workout to do under Cecilia's watch. All of them were difficult, and Ava even threw up on a few of them, but by the end she had gotten noticeably better. 

Meawhile, Dirk continued his own schedule. Wake up, workout, eat, practice the mana lungs technique, sleep, workout, practice the technique again, and then sleep at night. 

This went on until the end of the week. When the final day came around, Dirk had a sit-down with his parents. Both of them wanted to know what he decided on when it came to his techniques. 

Dirk told them he wanted to practice the Mana Heart technique, and that he was already making progress with it. Both parents expected this, and they nodded with a smile. They were happy that their son was already able to understand the first steps and begin practicing. However, after that came the decision on the Anima technique, something they were conflicted about. 

Dirk was firm in his desire to practice the Anima Resonance Destruction Technique. He would never allow pain to stand in his way, and now that his nano-repair bots were fully functional, he was even more confident. Of course, he couldn't convince his parents by pointing this out, so the challenge of convincing them was still difficult. 

Hearing his desire to train the technique, the two parents were at a loss. They didn't want him to go down such a tortuous path, and they thought that he had no idea what he was subscribing to. They wanted to guide their child, but at the same time, Dirk had shown them that he was capable of taking care of himself to a good extent. 

The fact that he worked out every day for nearly 4 years was a huge indicator of his drive and discipline, as well as his pain tolerance. He never complained about anything, and he lived with whatever he was given. He was so different from his siblings that it baffled them. But this is exactly what made them hesitate. He had never expressed his desire for something as strongly as now. Hell, he almost never expressed his desire for anything. 

They were at a loss of what to do. They didn't know if they should interfere under the guise of guidance or trust their child's ability. They wanted what was best for him, but figuring out what was best for your child was a hard thing to do. They also realized at this moment how little they knew about how to deal with Dirk, and how hands off they had been with his development. Their other kids were easy, their desires and thoughts open for everyone to see. And since Dirk had always handled himself, they figured he was easy too. But now they realized just how limited their understanding of their child was. 

These thoughts caused Cecilia to get emotional. She felt as if she neglected her child and was a bad mother for not being able to help him. Dirk saw her eyes tear up though and was confused as to why she was sad. 

"Come with me Dirk."

As his mother teared up, Ryker suddenly stood and motioned Dirk over with a serious face. Dirk didn't question anything and walked with him, entering another room. 

"Alright, I'm making the decision now."

Ryker spoke and he faced his son. His face was conflicted but resolute. 

"Since you want to train that technique, we'll let you. We'll make sure that you aren't hurt and can properly advance. After all, I wouldn't deserve my title as Marquess if I couldn't even help my child with his development. However, you will make a deal with me."

Ryker narrowed his eyes at his son, who continued to stand there strictly. He felt like he was looking at a soldier.

"You will promise me that you will switch techniques if you aren't confident in advancing. You will also need to let me know that you understand exactly what you are getting into before moving on to another level. The technique you are training used to be popular, but after tens of thousands of people lost their lives to it, it earned the infamy it has today. This technique is extremely dangerous, and I will force you to practice another technique if you don't understand the things you must do to train it. Am I understood?"

"Yes, sir."

Dirk spoke seriously. This was an order from his father. Ryker nodded, and his face softened. 

"Luckily, the first section of the technique is only training the skin. Should you fail, you aren't at risk of losing your life or disabling yourself, although you would be left with plenty of nasty scars. Through training the skin, you will also understand the pain brought on by this technique. Just know that it gets worse as you train it farther. Now, about your mother."

Ryker took on a helpless face.

"Do you know why your mother is sad?"

"...No."

Dirk shook his head. He really didn't know why his mother would get emotional. He only wanted to train the technique.

"Look, I'll put it straightforwardly. You need to start showing your mother some love. When you don't, she feels like she's doing something wrong. Has your mother done anything wrong to you?"

"No. Mother is very nice."

"Then you need to let her know that. And not just by talking. Tell me, what does your mother like?"

"Hmm..."

Dirk went silent in thought. She liked it when she gave him hugs. He always saw her smile brightly when he willingly sunk into her embrace. 

"She likes hugs."

Dirk spoke with that simple conclusion. 

"Alright then. If you want to let her know that you love her, you should give her some love like how she does with you. Starting the moment you walk back into that room. Since she's sad now, you should cheer her up."

"Understood."

"Then go on."

Dirk nodded before walking out of the room. Ryker sighed as he followed a bit after. 

When Dirk walked back, he saw his mother wiping away a few tears, hiding the fact that she was crying. Seeing that, he walked over to her. 

Since he was still small and she was sitting on a couch, he decided to climb over and lay against her. His mother was surprised before she smiled and hugged him tightly. Dirk had never come to her for any kind of skinship before. She was elated.

"I love you sweetie."

She spoke softly and she stroked his back. Dirk didn't respond, only closing his eyes and letting himself be coddled. It felt weird being vulnerable, and even after all these years, he was still getting used to it.