After watching Hupo's first two matches, Alana's whole body loosened up. The restlessness and stomach tightness that she’d felt earlier faded away.

She was no longer concerned about Hupo's safety. The opponents he had fought so far were extremely weak, relative to a level 100 World of Lorecraft player. Even if Hupo's next opponents were five times more powerful than his previous ones, he would still be able to defeat them with ease.

The fighters who made it past the tournament qualifiers were supposedly some of the strongest humans in this world. If their power level was this low, then how low was the power level of the average human?

Alana heard growling and gurgling noises from the girl next to her. "You alright, Coco?"

A flush crept up Coco's face. "I'm just a bit hungry."

Alana reached into her pocket dimension to retrieve bread from her inventory. She had known innately how to access her skills and inventory the moment she was transported to this world. It was as if all the data had been downloaded into her mind.

"Have some bread."

"Thanks, Master Alana!" Coco gobbled it up.

Alana retrieved some bread for herself and took a bite. It had a sweet, buttery flavor, with a hint of salt.

Interesting... it tastes different when it's cold.

Taste and smell were new senses she had acquired in this world. Every new food she tried provided a complex and exciting experience. She found that there was so much more to flavor than acidity, sweetness, saltiness, and bitterness. The taste, smell, sight, sound, texture, and temperature of each food synergized to bring about its unique flavor.

The gamemaster's voice resounded inside the arena. "Our next match is between Claire, the only woman who qualified for this tournament, and Amondo, the former runner-up. Who will emerge victorious? The beauty or the beast?"

The two competitors stepped into the arena. The woman wore silver plate armor which shone brilliantly under the bright sun. In her hand, she held a silver spear. She had long, beautiful amber hair that flowed with her crimson red cape. Her opponent appeared monstrous in comparison. He stood at least seven feet tall and his arms were thicker than her thighs. The colossal broadsword in his hand had a tip that spread out like a fan.

"I want Claire to win!" Coco clasped her hands together.

Alana smiled. "Me too."

She didn’t quite understand why she wanted Claire to win the match. Both competitors were strangers to her, but she felt she could relate to Claire more. Perhaps it was because Claire was a woman like her.

***

As Claire stood in the arena, she could hear whistling from the audience.

Men are such pigs.

Her opponent was the runner-up of the previous Combat Tournament. After watching his previous matches, she could tell that he was an expert level swordsman.

"I'm Amondo. May the best man win." Amondo smirked and pointed at himself.

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Claire raised her eyebrows. "That wouldn't include any of us, since you're more beast than man."

He laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment. By the way, is your dad a baker?"

Did he know my father?

Her late father had indeed been a baker. However, she had never heard him talk about Amondo.

She narrowed her eyes. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you've got some nice buns."

She glared at him. "You swine!"

I can't let his trash talk get to me. Focus on the match!

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

I'm going to beat the crap out of him.

Soon after the bell rang, their weapons clashed.

He laughed, as though he was enjoying himself. "There it is. That's the look I've been looking for! Show me more of that rage!"

She gritted her teeth and activated [Arm Boost]. Power surged into her arms. She used all her might to push him back with her spear. Swinging around, she dodged and blocked his attacks while trying to land her own. Her bones rattled every time she blocked.

I can't continue absorbing this amount of force!

She blocked high, blocked low, and as soon as she saw an opening, she snuck in a thrust.

He parried it and slammed a kick into her belly. When she hunched forward, he smashed his fist into the side of her head, knocking her to the ground and blacking out her vision.

Her whole head hurt like hell. All she could hear was a constant ringing. She gasped for air as she clutched her belly in agony. Every last bit of her energy seemed to drain away.

Is this as far as I can go?

In the darkness, she heard her father's voice. "Stay strong."

Those had been her father's last words to her. After hearing his voice, she snapped back to reality.

As her vision returned and the ringing faded, she heard Amondo's voice.

"Typical woman. Can't even take a punch."

She rolled away as soon as she heard the sound of a falling weapon.

The ground quaked.

She slammed the base of her spear against the ground and hoisted herself into the air.

"Drop Kick!" The soles of her feet smashed into Amondo's face, sending him sprawling across the ground.

Spitting blood, he pushed himself off the ground.

"Never had a woman throw herself at me like that before. I like it. Let me return the favor!" He hurled his sword at her.

She blocked it with her spear. The force behind the thrown sword was so great that it pushed her backwards.

I would've been split in half if I hadn't blocked it!

He streaked across the arena, picked up his sword, and swung it at her.

She dodged.

"Flying Knee Strike!" Springing upwards, she bashed her knee into his head.

As he staggered backwards, she thrust her spear at him.

He leaped backwards, avoiding the strike.

"Enough!" He slammed the ground with his sword, kicking up an enormous cloud of dust.

She pierced through it with her spear, hitting nothing but air.

Where is he?

She sensed a presence behind her. Twisting around, she found four simultaneous slashes from different angles closing in on her. Blocking or dodging all the strikes was impossible.

I'm sorry, Rebecca.

She saw a bright white flash, followed by total darkness.

***

When the match between Claire and Amondo ended, Alana felt an unpleasant emotion. She didn’t understand why she felt that way. Nothing bad had happened to her, so why was she feeling so depressed?

“I feel… sad.”

Coco nodded. "I'm feeling the same way too. What happened to Claire in the end was so tragic."

Although the gamemaster confirmed that Claire was still breathing, her injuries were grievous. She had a gash across her face and a butchered body. Alana knew that the healing magic and potions of this world were not potent enough to completely heal Claire's wounds.

Alana wanted to help Claire, but she couldn’t fathom why. Claire was a complete stranger and there was nothing to gain from helping her.

As she wondered what she should do, she asked herself, "What would Hupo do?" The answer was obvious. He would do the right thing.

Initially, Alana hadn’t understood why Hupo had decided to save Dubin Village. The benefits didn’t seem to justify the risks. When she’d asked him to explain, his reply had been, "It was the right thing to do." After spending some time with the villagers, she felt good knowing that she had been able to save their lives. Her admiration for Hupo, which was already very high, had grown even more.

Alana got up from her seat. "I'm going to help Claire."

Coco's face brightened. "I wanna come too!"