Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 57

Bum-seok’s opponent in the semi-final was Hilla, an elf and a starting gladiator for the Sea Octopus team in the Joachim Wide League. Her specialty was sword and shield, which made her a difficult opponent. She specialized in defense, so most attacks were ineffective. Because of this, Bum-seok had to endure dozens of exchanges to break her stance before finally knocking her down.

As a result, he had to participate in the final match in the afternoon feeling exhausted.

“Master, here, wipe your sweat.”

Venus greeted Bum-seok with a towel as he came down from the ring. He took off his helmet and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“Whew~ Thanks.”

“Here, have this too.”

Bum-seok gulped down the sports drink she offered and turned his gaze to the product display nearby. Matilda was sitting demurely with a cup-shaped trophy. It seemed the organizers had brought her out for the awards ceremony on the day of the final.

Bum-seok put the empty cup down on a nearby table and approached her.

“Hey, Matilda. How have you been?”

Matilda glanced at him before turning her gaze back to the stadium. Inside the ring, they were holding a promotional event for the audience before the martial arts semi-finals.

The reason she was paying attention to such an irrelevant event was simple: she didn’t want to look at Bum-seok. After witnessing the argument with Rebecca at the elf market and the scene at the tournament registration, she believed he was a gladiator team official trying to claim her as an ownerless gladiator, just like the others. He hadn’t offered to become her owner back then.

“What business do you have here? This is a restricted area.”

Bum-seok looked at the spectators passing behind her and said,

“Doesn’t really seem like it.”

“If you keep this up, I’ll call the event staff to kick you out.”

Bum-seok tilted his head at Matilda’s cold tone.

“You… do you dislike me?”

“Yes, I do. Because you’re someone who makes elves unhappy.”

“Me? How do I make elves unhappy?”

“I only found out recently, but I heard that professional gladiator teams take elves like me and exploit them for decades without an owner. You’re the same kind of person, aren’t you?”

Bum-seok, realizing she was seriously mistaken, scratched the back of his neck, looking embarrassed.

“I… I don’t intend to do that.”

Matilda’s head snapped towards him.

“Wh-What do you mean?”

“Our team is a gladiator team, but we never recruit elves without owners. So, if I receive you as the prize, I won’t just make you an elf to serve me at night.”

Her eyes trembled, and she asked, wondering if she had misheard.

“Th-Then, does that mean you’ll become my owner?”

Bum-seok gestured to Venus beside him and said,

“Look at Venus. She’s also a gladiator, but she serves me as her owner. If you come to me, you’ll also serve an owner.”

Matilda looked at Venus’s adoring eyes and beamed with joy. Bum-seok was a gladiator participating in this final match. If he won, she would gain an owner. She had greatly regretted that her hard swordsmanship training to gain an owner had ironically bound her, but now the situation had completely changed.

She looked at Bum-seok with pleading eyes.

“Bum-seok, you have the final match in the afternoon, right?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Please win and become my owner. I beg you.”

Bum-seok looked at her soft thigh and nodded. Letting go of such an elf was something that should never happen.

“Hehehe. Of course. That’s what I intend to do. But you have to serve me well at night.”

“Yes, of course. If you become my owner, I’ll serve you with all my heart.”

Bum-seok saw an event staff member approaching and stepped back. There was no need to cause trouble with the organizers over something trivial.

“Hehe. Okay. Then, let’s meet again after the final match.”

Matilda stood up, her white hair fluttering, and shouted as he turned away.

“Yes! I’ll be waiting!”

Bum-seok waved his hand lightly and left the area. He had a brief staring contest with the event staff member, but he calmly responded and ended the conversation.

Afterward, he and Venus finished lunch early with a packed lunch in the waiting room and prepared for the afternoon match.

– Now, the gladiator finals that you have been waiting for will begin! Unlike expected, all the players who have advanced to this final are general participants. However, they are outstanding gladiators who have defeated numerous professional gladiators, including those from the Central League. Please see for yourselves what kind of game they will play. First, here comes player Oh Bum-seok! Please give him a thunderous applause!

“Waaaaa! Waaaaa!”

As the lights shone on the end of the dark entrance path, Bum-seok in his suit and Venus assisting him were clearly visible. He walked with Venus through the path filled with dazzling psychic and laser lights, waving to the cheering audience.

When he reached the ring, Venus took out the katana she was carrying, and he calmly stepped up the stairs.

– Next is Rebecca. Please give her a welcoming applause as she enters!

Waaaaa! Waaaaa!

Rebecca, his opponent in the final, entered. But Bum-seok’s gaze was on Matilda sitting at the product display. She was a formidable opponent who deserved attention, but looking at her wouldn’t gather any data. It was more beneficial to look at Matilda’s face as she sent him encouraging cheers, fueling his fighting spirit.

“Bum-seok! Please win!”

Bum-seok gave Matilda a light smile and finally looked at Rebecca. She met his gaze with sharp eyes, as if determined to win. The middle-aged referee, who had been watching their staring contest, called them to the center of the ring.

“You know you can’t go outside the ring, right?”

“Yes.”

“Good. This match is the final. You have to show fighting spirit. If you back down, you’ll get a warning, so remember that.”

“Yes, I understand.”

The referee, hearing their answers, looked at the event staff member standing outside the ring. When he nodded, the referee stepped back and shouted.

“Fight!”

Instantly, Rebecca thrust her sword deep into Bum-seok’s abdomen. He rotated the katana in both hands to block it and strongly clashed swords, creating strong sparks. The ensuing power struggle between the swords put Bum-seok, who was weaker in strength, at a disadvantage.

‘As expected, I’m no match for her in strength.’

His thoughts were brief, and his actions were quick. He immediately stepped aside. There was no need to continue the power struggle that was disadvantageous to him. However, Rebecca, who had no reason to let this go, quickly followed and drew a wide diagonal line with her sword in the space where Bum-seok had been. Surprised, Bum-seok hurriedly bent his back and barely dodged, continuing to retreat.

Rebecca, thinking she had gained the upper hand, swung her sword wildly, pressuring him.

Clang. Swish. Clang clang.

‘Her skills are no joke. At this rate, I might be the one to get hurt.’

Bum-seok felt dizzy, trapped in the swishing sword pressure. The swordsmanship she was displaying was an unfamiliar and unconventional style that deviated from basic principles. If he put strength into blocking what he thought was a strong downward strike, it would flow over and lead to the next sharp attack, and if he blocked carelessly, the sword would inevitably reach his body. Yet, the completeness of her swordsmanship made it difficult to counterattack.

It was as if the sword form itself felt like a surging wave. If he moved his body even slightly carelessly, he felt like he would be caught by the strangely bending tip of the sword.

“What’s wrong? I thought you were very strong.”

Bum-seok frowned at her taunting words but didn’t respond. It was true that he had been largely pushed back in the battles so far. He hadn’t even been able to properly extend his sword, so what could he say?

However, it wasn’t without any gains. He had found one of her weaknesses.

To continuously unleash this bizarre rhythm of swordplay required extreme skill. Suddenly putting in and taking out strength like that couldn’t help but strain the muscles. If he just stalled for time, she would get very tired, making it easier to deal with her.

Clang. Clang clang. Clang. Clang.

He just focused on deflecting the incoming swords. Rebecca’s sword passed by just barely, but he focused on reading the flow without any fear.

To win a gladiator match, you had to strike the opponent’s body with a sword. Naturally, besides the loss of stamina, another strategy was needed, and that was to find a way to break this rhythm.

‘Hmm. This isn’t a rhythm that comes from swordsmanship. It seems to be based on some other weapon. Maybe Rebecca has handled other weapons before and applied them to swordsmanship. What is it? A spear? No. It’s too versatile for a spear. Then is it a nunchaku [a martial arts weapon consisting of two sticks connected by a short chain or rope]?’

Bum-seok immediately shook his head. Nunchakus also have many changes, but not to this extent. And it was difficult to apply nunchakus to swordsmanship because the entire thing was a handle with joints.

At that moment, Rebecca’s sword flew quickly towards his face. It was such a chillingly sharp attack that Bum-seok hurriedly raised his katana to block it. But her sword didn’t stop and the end swept down, passing by Bum-seok’s helmet.

Screech.

A long scratch mark leading to the helmet. Bum-seok, startled, hurriedly retreated. If it had been just an inch lower, he would have been incapacitated immediately. He let out a sigh of relief and looked at Rebecca.

‘Damn it. I definitely blocked it. How did the sword bend and extend from there?’

Bum-seok fell into confusion at the incomprehensible attack. The attack just now should never have touched his body because he had accurately blocked the incoming sword surface and bent the angle.

But the question was brief, and he had to quickly move his body again in the face of Rebecca’s continuous and dazzling offensive.

Swish. Clang. Clang clang.

Loud metallic sounds constantly erupted. Bum-seok, who was unilaterally on the defensive, revealed a tense expression and backpedaled around the ring. The thought that he might lose flashed through his mind. If he didn’t figure out the cause of her strange swordsmanship, he would make a mistake and lose at any time. There was a clear limit to dividing swords based on feeling.

Again, Rebecca’s sword, extending out long, flew towards his chest. Bum-seok twisted his waist and brought the sword surface to block it. But again, it seemed to bend and dig inside, and he hurriedly twisted his wrist to widen the angle of the sword at the tip of the sword.

Swoosh.

A sharp sensation brushed against his left forearm. Bum-seok, who had taken a few steps back, gripped and unfolded his left hand. Fortunately, the physical defense suit didn’t recognize it as a complete finishing blow, so he could move his hand, although it was a bit stiff.

Somewhat relieved, he looked at Rebecca with suspicious eyes. As before, this attack also felt very strange.

============================ Author’s Afterword ============================

I think it will be possible to post once a day from this weekend. So please wait until then. Have a nice day everyone. Then I’ll see you next time.