The Fourth Companion: Taia

Taia is a seasoned champion of the Tigrisia arena and the headmistress of a local orphanage. As a fire-element tigress, she embodies the spirit of the "Scorching Tiger."

Character Traits

She is the quintessential "reliable big sister"—a strong-willed woman who is resolute and decisive in the face of the world, yet remains profoundly gentle and nurturing toward children. Driven by a strict sense of self-discipline, she never wavers in her daily martial training.

Abilities & Combat Role

A specialized close-quarters warrior, Taia can manifest her fire element to reinforce her physical body and ignite her strikes. In battle, she is the "Scorching Tiger," a formidable force of heat and power.

The Core Bond

Her deep connection with Leshi stems from the time he saved the orphanage from a dire crisis. Because of his bravery and kindness, she has come to view Leshi as her own younger brother, protecting him with fierce loyalty.

The Background of Tigrisia & Taia

Tigrisia is a metropolis modeled after the Roman Colosseum, where the city’s identity and tourism thrive on the spectacles of the arena.

Taia regularly competes in these grand tournaments, not for personal glory, but to secure the prize money needed to support the tiger cubs at her orphanage. For her, every victory in the ring is a lifeline for the children she protects.

The Duality of the Scorching Tiger

By day, she is a battle-hardened gladiator, scarred by a hundred victories. Yet, when the sun sets and she sheds the weight of her glory, she is simply a gentle headmistress to her orphans.

While her companions manage the daily care of the children, Taia often feels the limits of what she can provide with her own hands. To her, these children have become her emotional sanctuary—the only thing she truly leans on outside of her status in the ring.

Her greatest misfortune, however, lies in her own success. As a reigning champion, her odds in the underground gambling dens are perpetually the lowest; the public cannot, and will not, imagine a world where she loses.

The Conspiracy of the Underground Dens

By chance, Leshi entered the tournament to earn travel funds. His sudden rise as a rising star gave the underground bookmakers a perfect opportunity to manipulate the market. Because the citizens of Tigrisia placed unwavering trust in Taia’s reputation, Leshi’s odds became far more profitable. Since his true strength remained a mystery, the outcome of the match became a tool for the gamblers' greed.

The kingpins of the gambling dens demanded that Taia "throw" the final match—to lose intentionally to Leshi. This demand ignited a murderous rage in Taia, making her want to tear them limb from limb. However, they callously took the orphans hostage, forcing her into a corner.

She faced a cruel, impossible choice:

• If she loses: She receives no prize money to care for the children, and her fans will brand her a fraud and a weakling, dragging her legendary name through the dirt.
• If she wins: The lives of the innocent children are forfeit.

With no way out and no one to turn to, the "Scorching Tiger" can only suffer in silence, consumed by a lonely, agonizing despair.

The Rising Storm: Hype vs. Legend

Taia’s dominance was a nightmare for the bookmakers; since she was almost guaranteed to win, there was no profit to be made except through registration fees and ticket sales from her loyal fans. However, as Leshi continued his winning streak, the commercial hype reached a fever pitch. The media and the gambling dens painted him as the "Supernova"—the ultimate challenger destined to end Taia’s undefeated myth.

This manufactured rivalry ignited a fierce rage among Taia’s devoted followers. Driven by pride and loyalty, they placed massive bets on her victory, eagerly waiting to see the "overhyped" newcomer, Leshi, humiliated in the ring.

The Gathering Storm in Tigrisia

Leshi and his companions arrived in Tigrisia, originally intending to enter the arena to earn funds for their journey. Before seeking out an inn, they happened upon an orphanage. Leshi, Hu Ji, and Bear were immediately drawn to the adorable tiger cubs, staying behind to play with them, while Igg—ever the explorer—headed off to scout for nearby dungeons, with the group agreeing to reunite at the inn later.

During their time with the cubs, they met the orphanage’s headmistress, the gentle Sister Taia, unaware that this meeting marked the beginning of a looming tragedy.

Back at the inn, the party debated who should enter the tournament. Hu Ji and Bear had no interest or talent for such spectacles. Igg was eager to fight but preferred the thrill of dungeon crawling. Ultimately, they decided Leshi would compete; this allowed Igg to focus on exploration while maximizing the team’s potential earnings.

As Leshi climbed the ranks, the media hype surrounding him intensified. He began to hear of the legendary fighter Taia and went to observe one of her matches. It was there that he accidentally overheard a conversation: the underground bookmakers were blackmailing her.

Upon returning to the inn, Leshi revealed the conspiracy to his friends, worrying for Taia’s safety and the location of the hostages. However, Hu Ji immediately saw through the mystery, revealing that the gentle headmistress and the champion fighter were one and the same—Taia’s formidable aura was impossible to hide from her keen senses. To avoid causing Taia further distress, Leshi decided he would meet her alone that night.

A Night of Blood and Resolve

That night, Leshi visited Taia. One look into his eyes was all she needed to know his intent. After soothing the children to sleep, her expression sharpened with murderous intent. She confronted Leshi, warning him that any interference would cost him his life.

However, having survived the life-and-death struggle against the Griffin with Igg and the others, Leshi remained unfazed by her aura. He bluntly exposed the crisis—the blackmailing and the devastating consequences of the upcoming match—and offered to face the danger alongside her.

This struck a nerve, wounding Taia’s pride as a warrior. She fiercely denied her vulnerability and attempted to drive Leshi away by force. Seeing through her bravado, Leshi refused to back down, and their clash eventually alerted the orphans.

In the heat of the struggle, Taia’s attack nearly struck an innocent child. Leshi lunged forward, shielding the orphan with his own body. His back was badly clawed by Taia’s strike. Consumed by guilt, Taia watched in silence as Leshi turned back, his gaze unwavering and resolute.

"I will protect everyone," he declared. With those words, he departed into the night.

From Tears to Triumph: The Rescue Operation

The next second, Leshi rushed back to the inn, wailing to Hu Ji and Bear about his injuries and pleading for treatment—his "cool hero" persona didn't even last three seconds! Once the wounds were tended and the crying subsided, the group calmly discussed their strategy to save Taia and the orphans. Hu Ji devised a plan: Leshi would engage Taia in a deadlocked, high-stakes battle to draw the full attention of the bookmakers and their henchmen, while she, Bear, and Igg would infiltrate the enemy hideout to rescue the hostages.

On the day of the finals, everything proceeded according to plan. Unaware of the rescue mission, Taia fought with everything she had to force Leshi to retaliate. Leshi, sensing her inner turmoil, focused on parrying and restraining her to buy as much time as possible for the others.

The moment Igg signaled that the orphans were safe, Leshi revealed the truth to Taia. He invited her to cast aside her burdens and engage in a true, all-out duel. Overwhelmed with gratitude for the rescue, Taia thanked him, but her warrior's pride wouldn't allow her to hold back—not even for her savior.

The Final Clash: A Champion's Mercy

Cornered by Taia’s relentless assault, Leshi began chanting a spell, forcing her to rush in and interrupt his casting. However, this was a feint—it gave Leshi the opening to seize Taia in a close-quarters grip she couldn’t escape. Taia roared in warning, shouting that casting a spell at such close range would injure Leshi as well.

But Leshi only smiled. He revealed that his non-elemental magic only deals damage to those born with elemental mana. Stunned by this revelation, Taia took the full force of the blast. The resulting explosion tore a massive crater into the arena floor, leaving Taia severely wounded and collapsed.

Driven by memories of the orphans' smiles, Taia forced herself to stand, refusing to stay down. Yet, Leshi ceased his attack. Taia barked at him in fury: "Is it because I’m a woman? Or because of the children? Is that why you won't deliver the finishing blow?"

Leshi replied with a gentle, soft smile, "No. I just think it would be a pity for a fight like this to end so soon."

Hearing his answer, Taia finally conceded defeat, and Leshi was crowned the champion of the arena. Witnessing his terrifying power—and seeing how Taia had fought so hard that half the stadium lay in ruins yet still could not best him—the fans finally understood the true scale of Taia’s strength. No one dared question the fairness of the match.

As Leshi stood amidst the cheers of the crowd, the bookmakers' conspiracy was exposed, leading to their swift arrest. Meanwhile, Taia quietly slipped away, weeping in solitude over the lost funds for her children...

The Unnamed Gift and a New Beginning

Taia could not bring herself to return to the orphanage immediately; she needed time to steady her heart, unwilling to let anyone see her tears. This gave Leshi the window he needed to donate the entire prize purse to the orphanage. When Taia finally returned, weary and haggard, she was met with the joyful cheers of the children. She soon learned that the orphanage had received an anonymous donation—a staggering sum exactly equal to the grand prize of the tournament.

Meanwhile, Leshi returned to his companions to celebrate. Igg grinned, "Finally, our travel funds are settled! We can head out!"

Leshi responded with a strained, awkward smile. Hu Ji, sensing the truth, watched him as he confessed: he had anonymously donated all the prize money to the orphanage and felt terrible for letting the team down. Though shocked, Igg quickly accepted it, knowing Leshi’s kind nature. Bear pulled Leshi into a warm embrace, affirming that he had made the right choice, while Hu Ji simply offered a wry "I knew it" smile.

Igg suggested a new plan: he had located a high-difficulty dungeon nearby; one successful raid would surely refill their coffers. Hu Ji added that, if necessary, selling the materials from the Griffin hunt could sustain them for a while, and Bear assured everyone that their supplies were still sufficient.

As the party prepared to depart from the city, Taia caught up to them. She expressed her profound gratitude for the donation and revealed that she had entrusted the orphanage to her trusted companions. She had decided to join Leshi on his journey, officially becoming the fourth companion to join the team.

第四位夥伴 泰雅是一個猛虎城鬥技場常勝戰士、孤兒院院長，是火屬性的母虎。個性特徵是女強人型可靠大姐，對外堅毅果斷，對小孩溫柔體貼，嚴以律己，每日修行不懈。能力／定位是近戰型戰士，能以火焰強化肉體與攻擊，象徵「灼熱猛虎」。核心羈絆是因雷希曾拯救孤兒院的危機，將雷希視為弟弟般對待。

猛虎城是以羅馬競技場為參考的以鬥技為觀光發展的城市。泰雅平時參加大賽獲得獎金好照顧孤兒院的幼虎孤兒們，白天他是身經百戰的鬥士，晚上休息卸掉榮耀只是個溫柔孤兒院長。平時由他的夥伴照顧孤兒，自己能做的相當有限，孩子成為他除了榮耀以外的依賴。他的不幸在於他是常勝鬥士，在地下賭場他的賠率永遠最低大家都不認為也無法想像他會輸。

可雷希為了旅費偶然參賽，這位新星的出現造成地下賭場有了操作空間，雷希壓倒性的賠率優於泰雅（因為猛虎城的居民信任泰雅實力與名聲）但因為雷希的實力不明輸贏變得可以操作。莊家們希望泰雅能在雷希的決賽中打假賽輸掉，這完全激怒了泰雅想把對方撕裂，無奈對方以孤兒為人質逼泰雅乖乖就範，輸了沒錢照顧孩子被憤怒的粉絲當成騙子弱者名聲掃地，贏了孩子性命危險，泰雅別無選擇只能獨自苦惱發愁。

泰雅這角色對莊家不友善，只能賺內行人報名費與粉絲觀賽費。隨著雷希獲勝數越多商業炒作越熱烈，被塑造成超新星與終結泰雅不敗神話的強者，這之中不知惹怒多少泰雅粉絲強押泰雅獲勝等著看雷希出糗。

雷希一行人來到猛虎城原本打算參加比賽賺錢旅費，他們在尋找休息的旅館之前偶然來到泰雅的孤兒院，雷希、狐姬與貝爾被可愛的幼虎吸引想跟他們玩，伊格則是想探索附近有沒有迷宮可攻略彼此分散並約定旅館集合。

雷希他們在與幼虎的互動中認識了身為孤兒院長溫柔的泰雅姐姐，誰知這是悲劇的開始。回到旅館後夥伴們討論誰報名參加比賽，狐姬與貝爾對這種事沒興趣也不擅長，伊格想參加但更想探索迷宮，雷希的參加讓伊格探索可以最大滿足隊伍資金問題。

隨著雷希戰勝的敵人越多，被炒作的話題越熱烈，他開始注意到泰雅這位鬥士的名聲，前往觀察泰雅的賽事無意聽見泰雅被地下賭場莊家要脅的對話。回到旅館雷希把事情原委告知夥伴並擔心泰雅安危與不知對方下落，但狐姬立馬拆穿泰雅真實身份就是孤兒院長，他身上的強者氣息在狐姬面前無法隱藏，為了不刺激泰雅雷希絕對晚上單獨會面。

夜晚雷希探訪泰雅對方從雷希的眼神知道來意，在安撫完孩子後面帶殺氣與雷希攤牌警告雷希不要擅自介入後果會是賠上性命。

可與伊格他們經歷獅鷲生死戰經歷的雷希泰雅的殺氣早已對他不足為懼，雷希點破泰雅早已被要脅的危機與輸贏對泰雅的影響表達希望能幫助泰雅共同面對危險。然而這觸動泰雅的敏感神經與戰士尊嚴極力否認並企圖用武力趕走雷希，雷希看出他只是逞強不願離去雙方打起來驚動孤兒查看。眼看泰雅差點波及無辜孤兒，雷希用身體包住保護孤兒背部被泰雅抓傷，愧疚的泰雅默默看著雷希漏出堅毅的眼神說出那句我一定會保護大家而離去。

下一秒回去旅館向狐姬貝爾哭訴自己受傷需要治療帥不過三秒！治療與哭喊完畢後冷靜討論如何解救泰雅與孤兒，由狐姬擬對策讓雷希與泰雅打的焦灼吸引莊家們的關注，他、貝爾與伊格潛入救援孤兒人質。比賽當天照著計畫進行，不知道情況的泰雅為了逼雷希出手只能用盡力與雷希戰鬥，雷希看得出泰雅的迷惘只是牽制著對方替狐姬他們爭取時間。當伊格釋放孤兒拯救完成信號，雷希告訴泰雅真相並直接邀請泰雅使出全力戰鬥，泰雅感謝雷希的幫助但戰士尊嚴不允許他放水。

雷希在被泰雅逼入絕境時開始詠唱魔法逼的泰雅必須打斷施法，可這給雷希機會近距離抓住泰雅讓他無法掙脫。

泰雅怒吼在這麼近的距離施法雷希也會受傷，但雷希笑著說他的無屬性魔法只會針對天生魔力有屬性的人造成傷害這讓泰雅整個傻眼吃下完整傷害，該魔法直接把鬥技場炸了巨大坑洞導致泰雅傷重倒下。

泰雅回憶起孤兒們的笑容強忍傷痛站起不願倒下，然而雷希停止對泰雅的攻擊遭泰雅怒吼是因為我是女人或者孩子們的原因所以不給我致命一擊嗎？雷希笑著溫柔回答，不，我只是覺得很可惜戰鬥只到這裡就結束。泰雅聽到雷希的回答徹底認輸，雷希成了鬥技場冠軍。

面對雷希恐怖實力，泰雅已經盡力打得半個鬥技場毀了都無法戰勝雷希，粉絲們第一次認識到泰雅全力作戰有多恐怖，而雷希的實力竟然還比泰雅強沒人敢質疑這場比賽公正性，雷希的冠軍收眾人歡呼，莊家的操盤被暴露遭逮捕，而泰雅卻獨自離開為了孩子們的資金獨自哭泣.....

泰雅即使悲傷也不可能馬上返回孤兒院，因為他需要調適心情與不願讓人看見他哭泣，雷希有充分時間可以捐獻那筆獎金給孤兒院。當泰雅面露憔悴回到孤兒院時受到孩子們歡迎，得知孤兒院受到匿名資助該金額竟然與大賽冠軍獎金同額。

雷希回到夥伴身邊受夥伴慶祝，伊格笑著說這下旅費的問題解決了大家可以出發。只見雷希尷尬的苦笑狐姬似乎明白了什麼，坦承自己已經將獎金匿名捐給孤兒院對各位很抱歉。伊格雖然驚訝但想想雷希的個性很快就能接受的，貝爾抱著雷希認同他做了最好的決定，狐姬則擺出我就知道的苦笑。伊格提議剛好他找到高難度迷宮，只要大家冒險一下說不定能補足旅費，狐姬則說再不濟把獅鷲討伐素材賣了還能撐一段時間，貝爾則表示補給道具還夠用。

正當大家準備離開城鎮時泰雅追上感謝雷希資助孤兒院，表示孤兒院已經交由他的夥伴照顧，自己決定加入雷希隊伍冒險，於是泰雅變成為雷希第四位加入的夥伴。

Taia泰雅