Chapter 7: King of Fighters

Saria probably didn't expect that she would stay in the Wilderness Will tribe for about a month.

She initially thought that tempting Inam would be effective, but Inam, with determination, chose to reject her.

"Interests are interests, and friends are friends. I won't betray a friend for the sake of interests!"

Inam's words awakened Saria. While she wanted to protect Rhine Lab, was she silently giving up on certain convictions?

Reaffirming her own beliefs, Saria started to inquire about Garde's personality from the people around. She found out that, apart from hunting when necessary, he either found a place to take a nap or read a book.

The crocodile man said he wanted to become a scholar. Was that statement true?

During this month, Saria noticed that there were dissenting voices within the exploration team. Some believed that it was not worth wasting time on a Sargon native.

If even a Sargon native could freely enter and exit the Hotlands, the so-called forbidden land might not be as terrifying as they imagined.

The hot and humid climate in the rainforest forced Saria to take off some heavy equipment and opt for a lighter approach. She tied her silver-white hair into a bundle.

Though she still couldn't speak Sargon, after spending some time with the Adakrys people, Saria learned how to interact with them. In simple terms, strength was respected!

Perhaps, she thought, she knew how to convince Garde.

"S-So strong!"

With a punch, she knocked down an Adakrys challenging her. Saria bit on her cloth, tightening her makeshift bindings a bit more.

Amid the fiery gazes of the Adakrys people around, Saria shouted sternly, "Next!"

"I'm coming!"

A figure appeared in front of Saria, and she recognized her.

"Ga…vial?"

"Yes, my name is Gavial. From now on, I'll end your winning streak!"

"Do you speak Colombian?"

Saria looked surprised at the green-haired girl in front of her, whom she remembered often being around Garde.

"Of course."

Gavial's fist met Saria's, and she grinned.

"I won't be his weight!"

Knowing that when Gavial mentioned "him," she referred to Garde, Saria assumed a standard combat stance.

"Please!"

The distance between the two was less than ten meters, and as soon as Saria's voice fell, Gavial moved.

There were no fancy moves. Gavial's nimble legs bent, and all the weight pressed on the front sole, like the start of a hundred-meter sprint, giving it everything from the beginning.

"Be careful!"

When Gavial's voice reached the ears of the surrounding Adakrys people, Gavial and Saria had already collided.

Boom!

The sound of fists clashing, like a big drum, echoed on the flat ground. In the moment the air was compressed, a burst of airwaves erupted from the edges of their fists.

Before the Adakrys people around could react, Gavial and Saria had already collided over a dozen times. Saria's whip-like kick was avoided by Gavial's agile dodge. Gavial's punch from the side was blocked by Saria's bare hands.

Saria hadn't faced an opponent who could brawl with her up close for a long time. Since she had set aside her gloves, she hadn't been able to give it her all for a long time.

"You're good."

"You're not bad either."

On the specially cleared flat ground, Saria and Gavial separated at a touch.

Gavial encountered such a formidable opponent for the first time. Whether it was strength or skill, she couldn't distinguish herself from her opponent, forcing her to use more clever ways to attack.

Compared to Saria, Gavial's figure was a bit smaller, and she was more agile. However, this only allowed Gavial to gain a slight advantage in the fight.

Because she had put down her shield and heavy protective suit, Saria's body was equally flexible. The Director of Defense Department at Rhine Lab was not just in name.

"Come at me, I know you haven't used your full strength yet!"

When she was young, she could spar with Garde a bit. The older she got, the more Gavial felt that Garde's strength was unfathomable.

Apart from Garde, Gavial hadn't enjoyed a good, hearty fight in a long time.

Stretching her back, Gavial revealed a smile full of fighting spirit.

"Gavial! Gavial!"

"Saria! Saria!"

On both sides of the arena, watching the two in combat, the surrounding Adakrys people cheered for them.

Then, a group of people started fighting each other.

"Tiacauh scoundrel, where are you from? How can you support that woman from another place?"

"I think that woman named Saria is strong. If you marry her, the kids will definitely be fat and strong!"

"Pah, does she even like you? Let Garde come; that would be more fitting!"

"Isn't Garde already with Gavial?"

"No one said a man could only marry a single girl!"

"What, you want to marry two!?"

A female Adakrys suddenly appeared, punched her crocodile man on the head, knocked him out, and dragged him away by the tail.

Another crocodile man burst into laughter, but soon he couldn't laugh anymore.

Why? It's because a feminine voice suddenly appeared behind him and said, "Gleat, didn't you say yesterday that you wanted to marry me?"

"A-Asina, why are you here!"

On the other side, the members of the exploration team were also watching the fight, occasionally expressing astonishment.

"To think that lass is able to hold her ground against the Director for this long. That Adakrys is strong!"

"Yeah; I feel like I can't even stand up after taking one of her punches."

"Hey, look at those Adakrys people next to us; they seem to want to pick a fight with us."

"Let them come; who's afraid of whom?"

At first, when Saria said they had to gain the recognition of the Wilderness Will tribe through combat, the employees of Rhine Lab were reluctant.

If they angered them, they didn't have the confidence to escort the accompanying experts out of the hands of thousands of Adakrys people.

But Saria's orders had to be obeyed.

It wasn't until Saria knocked down over a dozen Adakrys people, and instead of getting angry, the other Adakrys people started chanting her name, that they realized these Adakrys people living in the rainforest were all quite warlike!

On the stage, Saria took a deep breath, and white particles gradually condensed on her arms.

"Gavial, although using Originium Arts makes me feel somewhat unfair, I can't stop here!"

Seeing this scene, Gavial blurted out, "Are you a mage?"

In the Tiacauh region, there were some Adakrys people who could use strange spells to heal the wounded.

Just don't look for them if you're sick.

This was the consensus of the Adakrys people living in the Acahualla region.

Gavial didn't expect that the woman named Saria in front of her was also a mage.

Enhancing her own strength with magic?

Very much in the style of the Tiacauh people!

"However, even so, I won't lose!"

The Tiacauh people acknowledged the strong. Gavial admitted that she had some hostility towards Saria when she first came to find Garde.

But this bit of hostility vanished as Saria demonstrated her strength.

Gavial was full of fighting spirit, unaware that Garde, in the distance, scratched his head.

"How troublesome, after Gavial loses, the next one that she would fight is probably me."

Seeing Saria use Originium Arts, Garde knew that Gavial was going to lose.

Gavial was very strong, but her perspective was far below Saria's.

In pure hand-to-hand combat, Gavial had a chance of winning.

Once Saria used Originium Arts, the balance of victory and defeat would completely overturn.

After all.

Saria's adaptability to Originium Arts is Outstanding!

Having one Excellent attribute among the six was considered a seasoned veteran, and having two Excellent meant being an elite.

Saria's attributes, except for slightly poorer agility, were four Excellent and one Outstanding.

The adaptability of Originium Arts at the Outstanding level was something that might not be found among ten thousand people.

Garde quietly withdrew, thinking about what delicious meal to cook for Gavial after she lost.

Garde remembered that when Gavial lost to him when she was young, she ran more than a hundred kilometers in a fit of anger, almost walking through the Acahualla region on foot.

In the end, Garde found Gavial and, for the first time, exposed her to scenes outside the rainforest.