Frida (Recommended to Read Along with Tomorrow's!)

Three matches—three consecutive matches, all ending in under half a minute.

The audience stared at the fallen Rockdora, their minds going blank for a moment as they failed to react.

Th-this fast?

They had not even taken many photos before Naden, the star competitor ranked 68th in last year's D-rank Pet Tamer Pet Beast Arena Competition, had been instantly defeated again?

Naden's fans collectively broke down, with some even unfollowing him on the spot.

A few fans who could not stand seeing their idol perform so poorly stood up and stormed out, only to silently return halfway through.

Naden might have been no good, but that kid seemed ridiculously strong...

And there was that pet beast the Pet Beast Identifier could not even find. They would probably only see something like it once in their lives. Thinking of that, they could not bear to leave.

The remaining audience members had all bet on Naden winning 3:0 or 3:1.

They had known their money was gone as soon as the second match ended. With no more financial losses in this round, they did not say anything unpleasant. Instead, all their attention was focused on Qiao Sang, who had instantly defeated Naden three times in a row, and the unnamed pet beast.

"That kid is incredible! How did she raise her pet beast to be this awesome at such a young age?"

"I think this kid has what it takes to become a star competitor. If I were an agent, I'd definitely sign her!"

"Do you think she'll enter this year's Pet Beast Arena Competition?"

"Probably not. No matter how young she looks, there has to be a limit. She's obviously still school-aged, so she definitely won't have the time."

"Are there really that few college students entering the Pet Beast Arena Competition every year?"

"She doesn't look like a college student..."

"Right now, I just want to know what that pet beast is called..."

Amid everyone's astonished discussion, the commentator did not forget his duty.

"She won! Competitor Qiao Sang has won again! This match was very interesting. Competitor Qiao Sang called for Fire Fang, but her pet beast used Destructive Ray instead. She clearly set this trap on purpose and let Competitor Naden walk right into it."

"It seems this Pet Beast Arena Competition has attracted an extraordinary rookie competitor!"

At this point, he suddenly thought of something and changed the subject.

"However, I think Competitor Naden handled this match without any issues. If the opponent's attack had really been Fire Fang, Sharp Stone Attack would indeed have been an excellent choice. It could attack while also providing defense."

"Competitor Naden had already used Rockdora in several matches before this. If Rockdora had been at full strength, with its Sturdy trait, I believe this match would have been much more exciting."

"Miss Xuezhi, what do you think of this match?"

Wang Xuezhi leaned closer to the microphone and, unusually, offered her opinion.

"Competitor Qiao Sang is indeed very strong, but Naden had already fought more than twenty consecutive matches. His pet beast's stamina and energy had been significantly depleted, and there was also the issue of an information gap."

"Like you said, if Rockdora had been at full strength, the match would have been much more exciting. After all, if the Sturdy trait's effect had still been active, Competitor Qiao Sang probably would not have let her pet beast use Destructive Ray so rashly."

"I hope everyone can view these three matches rationally. A competitor ranked 68th in the Pet Beast Arena Competition definitely has far more strength than this."

The commentator turned to look at her.

Wang Xuezhi had ranked 116th in the previous Pet Beast Arena Competition. Since she had not made the top hundred, she naturally did not want others questioning competitors ranked above her.

Besides, criticizing a competitor ranked higher than oneself could easily get someone cursed out online if it was handled poorly.

He had thought Wang Xuezhi was a rather self-centered person for being so uncooperative with the commentary. He had not expected her to understand some of the ways of dealing with people after all.

The competition continued.

Qiao Sang defended the arena.

After winning six consecutive matches, she signed the agreement during the break: if she became the Arena Champion that day, her share of the betting pool would increase by twenty percent.

Time slowly passed.

One challenger after another took the stage, but all returned empty-handed with 0:3 records.

At first, the audience had only placed small bets for the fun of it. After all, Qiao Sang was a newcomer, and they were not yet sure of her exact strength. But later, several people went up one after another and all came down with 0:3 records, with every match lasting less than a minute. They suddenly realized: what rookie was this? She was clearly a godsend sent to give them money!

The more the audience bet, the more excited they became. Some people wished they could pull every last coin from their pockets.

In the betting pool, the odds for Qiao Sang winning 3:0 had dropped from tenfold to fivefold, then to the current 2.6-fold.

The staff member in charge of the betting pool broke out in a cold sweat and could not help going to the office area to find the manager.

"Mr. Jude, are we really not going to send up some stronger competitors?"

Jude turned around. He was the Middle-aged Man in black from earlier.

He said, "Aren't the competitors going up now all strong?"

"But it's nowhere near enough." The staff member could not help arguing.

"They aren't even on the same level as Competitor Qiao Sang. Everyone coming to place bets now is betting on Qiao Sang winning 3:0. Not a single person is betting on 3:1 or 3:2. If this continues, we'll suffer huge losses."

Jude looked at him. "When have you ever seen the house lose money?"

The staff member froze. "But we're already losing money right now..."

"That's only temporary." Jude looked eagerly at the ponytailed girl on the Command platform. "All we need to do is make sure she cannot become today's Arena Champion at the critical moment, so she'll come back next time."

The staff member hesitated. "An ordinary competitor might not be able to beat her."

Jude smiled. "Miss Frida came today. She's resting on the 29th floor right now. I already contacted her."

The staff member immediately relaxed.

If Miss Frida came over, everything would be settled.

In the private room, Tang Yi was grinning from ear to ear.

He had won far too much money tonight. He could now get himself a pet beast he had previously not considered due to financial reasons.

"Aren't you going down yet? It might be your turn soon," Yuna asked.

Tang Yi said with certainty, "Impossible. I didn't get a turn even when that guy called Naden was on the arena."

That made sense... Yuna nodded inwardly in agreement.

Qiao Sang was far stronger than she had imagined. She had won twenty-three consecutive matches with just one Blazing Star Hound. If she won this match, it would be her twenty-fourth.

Those Arena Champions who could fight more than twenty matches all had Items or spirit patterns on their pet beasts that restored energy.

But Qiao Sang's Blazing Star Hound had no Items or spirit patterns. It had won until now entirely through its own strength and the energy in its body.

More importantly, aside from the Blazing Star Hound, Qiao Sang had not summoned a second pet beast.

It was utterly terrifying.

Was this the level of Blue Star Dragon Nation's high school Pet Tamer battle champion...? Yuna watched Qiao Sang, who was fighting in the arena below through the glass window, her expression complicated.

Just then, Ya Bao took down its opponent with Flame Charge.

The result of the twenty-fourth match was decided.

The commentator said excitedly,

"She won! She won again! Competitor Qiao Sang is simply unstoppable! As long as she wins one more match, she will become today's Arena Champion!"

Upon hearing this, Yuna suddenly thought of something and asked,

"Did Qiao Sang sign an agreement with this place that gives her a twenty percent share if she becomes the Arena Champion?"

"Of course she signed it." Tang Yi nodded.

He had been standing beside her when she signed it.

Yuna frowned and looked at the information for the next competitor on the holographic touchscreen in front of her.

Then she froze.

Rosie Frida?!

P.S. Wishing everyone a happy National Day!