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Xaelia looked at Zane’s panicked expression and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Relax. I’m not going to do anything to you. As payment for all the information you’ve shared, I’ll tell you a few things as well.”

…

Ten minutes later, Zane and the others returned to the arena they had been at earlier.

On the stage, the valiant Brown Bear Captain unleashed a tremendous blow that sent his opponent flying.

According to what Tako had said, that Praxis had won seventeen consecutive matches with ease, effortlessly defeating seventeen opponents to earn the title of Small Arena Champion.

Not only that, but his opponents had either died or been left gravely wounded, leaving behind an exceptionally bloody scene.

After securing his qualification, he left without the slightest hesitation, calmly walking away with his giant axe resting on his shoulder.

Despite being only a Unique elite mob, he had stunned everyone by defeating countless opponents who were supposedly stronger than him.

Afterward, Karlo recovered from his injuries and stepped onto the arena once more. He defeated eight opponents in succession, and by the time the clock reached fifty-five minutes, he only needed to last another five minutes to officially become the Small Arena Champion.

“Who’s next?!” Karlo roared. Sweat drenched his body, and although his HP had dropped to barely thirty percent, the overwhelming aura he exuded was so imposing that no one dared step onto the stage.

“Looks like the boss has already won.” Tako finally relaxed.

The next moment, a challenger silently leaped onto the arena. She wore light yellow leather armor. Her red-and-white rabbit ears swayed gently up and down, while the modest curves beneath her chest rose and fell subtly with her steady breathing.

“A Red Rabbit? Am I seeing things?!” someone cried out in disbelief as he rubbed his eyes.

“Hmph, she probably entered before the city was sealed. I’ve seen plenty of suicidal brats like her.”

Karlo frowned as well and said in a deep voice, “I’m not interested in fighting weaklings. Don’t waste my time.”

“…” The Red Rabbit remained silent, merely assuming a calm fighting stance.

“Fine then. Since you’ve made your choice, don’t blame me for showing no mercy!” the Brown Bear roared as he strode forward with steady, powerful steps, each footfall causing the arena floor to tremble.

Curiously, however, his opponent seemed completely unaffected, remaining motionless where she stood. This was… if Zane had guessed correctly, then this Red Rabbit was Lulu’s older sister. Since she was seeded by a guarantor, her strength surely couldn’t be underestimated.

Of course, the Brown Bear wasn’t weak either. The status panel would reveal the truth.

“…”

Lately, there seemed to be more and more bosses whose skills couldn’t be inspected. Moreover, the monsters and undead of the Dark Faction possessed attributes that far surpassed those of wild bosses on the world map or even dungeon bosses.

Judging by the title “Shadowlurker,” this battle was destined to be anything but easy for Karlo. If he lowered his guard, all of his previous efforts could easily go to waste.

“Get off my stage!” Showing not the slightest pity for the young woman, Karlo valued the honor of battle above all else. This strike was one he was absolutely determined to land!

**Whoosh!**

His broad palm descended with enough force to split a mountain.

A six-digit damage number appeared as Red Rabbit Xinya’s body was torn cleanly in half.

“…Sigh…” Someone below the stage couldn’t help but let out a sigh. There were always brainless weaklings throwing away their lives.

“Works for me. That bear monster is way too fierce. I don’t want to fight him anyway. Once he wins this round, the next arena champion will definitely be me!”

“Oh, give me a break. You’re all bark and no bite!”

“…”

Ignoring the spectators’ reactions, Karlo stared at his right hand in astonishment. He had clearly landed the hit, yet the impact had felt strangely unreal. Moreover, that had only been a normal attack, yet its power had been absurdly overwhelming.

Was his opponent simply too fragile? Had he really cut her in half with a single strike? Something felt terribly wrong… And there wasn’t a single drop of blood… Blood… that’s it!

He finally realized what was off. What he had struck was merely a puppet or some kind of clone. The enemy’s real body was still lurking in the shadows.

‘Damn!’

The Brown Bear hurriedly tried to turn around.

Gripping a dagger in each hand, two vicious strikes erupted across Karlo’s back. At the same time, Xinya’s slender figure materialized alongside her daggers.

“Tsk.” Apparently dissatisfied with how tough his hide was, the Red Rabbit retreated half a step before instantly closing the distance again with a swift dash.

**Slash——————**

A massive diagonal gash was carved across him from his upper left shoulder.

Three debuffs simultaneously appeared above the Brown Bear’s head: Armor Break, Rend, and Poison!

“ROOOAR!!!!” Wracked with pain, Karlo let out a furious roar. He had finally realized his opponent’s true strength. Regret was meaningless now. The only thing left was to give everything he had in the remainder of the battle.

The countdown had fallen to just two minutes, while his HP had dropped to twenty-five percent.

Xinya pressed her advantage relentlessly, staying glued to the Brown Bear’s back. She knew that the moment she exposed herself in front of him, she would be met with a devastating counterattack.

Her daggers danced through the air, producing one astonishing damage number after another.

Besides her normal attacks, poison damage ticked once every second. With Armor Break applied, her sustained DPS had reached an astonishing 50,000.

“Boss!” Tako cried anxiously.

Zane also watched the battle with unwavering focus. The way Xinya manipulated his blind spot was remarkably similar to the tactic he had used before, but she executed it even better. Throughout the fight, her eyes never left Karlo’s jaw.

Smart. As long as she kept watching that point, even the slightest movement would reveal which direction he intended to turn, allowing her to keep him spinning in circles.

However, the Brown Bear Captain had not earned his reputation for nothing. Enduring the searing pain, he suddenly stomped the ground with all his might! Using the recoil, he launched his massive body backward!

They were simply too close, and Xinya’s attention had been completely fixed on his jaw. By the time she realized what was happening, it was already too late to evade.

This was the weakness of blind-spot positioning. To maintain that perfect angle, she had to devote her attention entirely to keeping her position, leaving little room to react to anything else. A backward body slam was an ingenious solution.

Xinya’s eyes widened as the enormous shadow swallowed her whole. She couldn’t even imagine the consequences of being pinned beneath that colossal body.

“Big Sis!” At some point, Lulu had awakened. Witnessing the scene before her, she cried out in alarm.

“Lulu!?” Startled by her sister’s voice, the Red Rabbit momentarily forgot the danger closing in around her.

‘Damn, her own sister had accidentally sabotaged her!’

Although Xinya’s physical defense was fairly high, the overwhelming difference in Strength triggered additional armor-piercing effects, dealing tremendous damage nonetheless. She coughed up a mouthful of blood as nearly one-ninth of her HP vanished in an instant.

Even worse, Karlo’s massive, solid frame had completely pinned her to the ground, leaving her unable to move. Although the position was rather embarrassing, that was the least of her concerns right now.

As long as he maintained the pressure, even if he simply stalled for time, Karlo would inevitably claim victory. Conversely, the Red Rabbit could simply concede now and challenge him again after the Brown Bear secured the Small Arena Champion title. That way, she would at least preserve her strength.

By now, every spectator below the stage had been completely captivated by the constant twists and reversals, afraid of missing even a single moment.

“You big lug… get… off me!” Xinya strained to force out the words, and to everyone’s astonishment, she actually managed to push Karlo’s enormous body upward by a small amount.