Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 147

“What? It’s not bad for us, but won’t there be problems later?”

– There won’t be any. We’re just giving opportunities to promising players on the surface. And the association that governs the Avand Area League is the Avand Professional Gladiator Association.

Bumseok nodded with a blank expression. The Avand Professional Gladiator Association was firmly controlled by the Black Society [a powerful, influential organization], so there were no sanctions against the Black Cats unless a major issue arose. Lucas was a member of the Black Society and the de facto leader of the Avand Professional Gladiator Association.

‘Still, this Black Cats team is too arrogant. Deciding second place according to their whims.’

He felt a bit displeased, but as the leader of a team, he had to accept this offer. Even if he didn’t want to, he’d have to accept it anyway, given the Black Cats’ attitude. He couldn’t choose the gladiators the Black Cats would send. By now, the list of participants had already been submitted to the association, and it would soon be posted on the electronic display unless there were special circumstances, like injuries.

The only way for Bumseok to deviate from their intentions was to deliberately lose this game, but he couldn’t do that in front of the fans who came to the home stadium.

‘Tsk. I was happy to be out of the relegation zone as the 7th team in the league, but now I have to be a puppet of the Black Cats team… Is this the plight of someone who isn’t a winner?’

He sighed deeply and began to calculate the possibilities, counting on his fingers. Since it was an unavoidable situation, he would play along with their intentions for now. The strings attached to his arms and legs were already connected to the stick held in the Black Cats’ coach’s hand.

‘Hmm. Still, the chances aren’t that low.’

Currently, the Gods Knights had one game each left against the 2nd and 3rd place teams, and the Black Cats team would also bring these teams to their home, Yorde Colosseum, to face them in one game each. If they won all these games, the current point difference would be reduced to 1 point and 0 points, respectively. The Gods Knights could aim for 2nd place. Of course, this was the result derived under the premise that other top teams wouldn’t surge ahead, but with 19 games left, it was a worthwhile goal to pursue, as no one knew how things would unfold.

‘Then I have to completely change the team’s strategy for this year by 180 degrees.’

Bumseok’s plan at the beginning of the year was to focus on the GA Cup and League Cup to secure funds, aiming to avoid relegation. The GA Cup was out of the question since they were eliminated in the 8th round, but the League Cup was still in play. If they wanted to aim for 2nd place with a large point difference from the top teams, they would have to give up this League Cup. That meant their income would inevitably decrease. But, if he thought about it the other way around and assumed they reached 2nd place, they would probably be compensated several times over for the losses incurred by giving up the League Cup. Not to mention advancing to the Wide League [a higher-tier league] through the tournament, but the income from the tournament process was no joke. It was a festival where the strongest 16 teams in the Deloy Metropolitan Government faced off, so it drew a decent crowd.

“I understand what you mean. So, the Black Cats team is definitely sending their second stringers today?”

– That’s right. Our coach said that the battle for 2nd place will unfold as he intends if your team steps up, so he sent out the second stringers. And our team’s next opponent is the Peace Griffins, who are currently 2nd in the league. He needs to beat this team to make the upcoming schedule easier, but unfortunately, it’s you guys this time. And there’s also the League Cup in the middle of the week. He doesn’t want to waste energy on away games today.

Bumseok smirked bitterly. He had a hunch, and as expected, he was a pawn in the Black Cats’ coach’s game.

“Hmph. Tell him he’s living the good life.”

– Well, he has a lot of wins saved up, so he’s being relaxed. Our coach wants to go into the promotion tournament at the end of the season with the best possible team.

Bumseok clicked his tongue and said.

“Then, we just need to win the Peace Griffins and Fire Phoenixes games that will happen later?”

– Hmm. That would make our shoulders a lot lighter.

“Well. I understand. Either way, we have to crush those teams with all our might.”

– Hahaha. Thank you. Then, we’re done talking, so I’ll hang up now.

Bumseok nodded, and Lucas disappeared from the screen. He quietly returned to his seat, clasped his hands together, and began to ponder.

The battle for 2nd place. Although it was a table set by the Black Cats team, it was too tempting to ignore. And this was a byproduct of the Black Cats’ coach’s team strategy. It was impossible to play every game to the death and handle all 38 league games, the GA Cup, and the League Cup. The coach had to consider resting the starters in some games and, at the same time, putting in substitutes or the second team to find new strength. The Gods Knights were chosen as the optimal opponent for this, so there was no need to feel any guilt. Also, for the Gods Knights to take 2nd place, it was natural to crush the Peace Griffins and Fire Phoenixes with all their might.

One unsettling thing was the arrogance of deciding 2nd place according to the Black Cats team’s taste. It was annoying, but the world of professionals was harsh and results were what mattered. The Gods Knights, who were in 7th place in the league, and the Peace Griffins and Fire Phoenixes, who were in 2nd and 3rd place, couldn’t say anything. If their pride was hurt, they should have put all their effort into the league games and suppressed the Black Cats so that they couldn’t come up with such an absurd strategy. If his team was in 1st place or chasing right behind, they would probably have taken a different approach.

‘Black Cats. Let’s see about this later.’

Bumseok got up from his seat and began to carefully wipe his gear. He was determined to take 2nd place in this year’s league and advance to the promotion tournament. Then, he could meet the Black Cats team in the finals and recover his wounded pride from today. For the 1st and 2nd place teams in the league to meet in the promotion tournament, they had to be in a position to compete for the championship.

A little later, the external stands became noisy. Only 3 starters were included in the Black Cats’ list displayed on the electronic display, and the rest were filled with gladiators with somewhat unfamiliar names. Spectators who didn’t know the details couldn’t help but think that the Black Cats were disrespecting the Gods Knights.

“What are you doing! Black Cats! Are you kidding me!”

“Gods Knights! Crush those arrogant bastards!”

Following the in-stadium broadcast urging them to enter, Bumseok checked his silver suit once more and headed to the entrance tunnel. He lined up his main gladiators in the tunnel where the outside light didn’t reach and shouted at the top of his lungs.

“We must win today! No defeat or draw is allowed in any round. There will be a serious review for those who make ridiculous plays in this game, so do your best!”

Then, Bumseok’s subordinate elves clenched the weapons in their hands. They sensed a subtle anger in their master’s voice. They didn’t know the details, but the opponent was clearly the Black Cats team. They had to make them pay the price for making him angry.

– Both teams, please enter!

As soon as the broadcast came on, the Gods Knights team, led by Bumseok, who would be in charge of the first round, began to enter the stadium. Immediately, cheers erupted.

“Fighting! Gods Knights!”

“Bumseok! I love you!”

Bumseok heard a familiar woman’s voice in the cheers and waved his hand. It was Selly, who had moaned under his crotch earlier today. Even though he was in an unpleasant mood due to the Black Cats team’s machinations, there was enough of a connection to respond.

‘By the way, this bridge is *that* bridge.’ [referring to a specific, previously discussed structure]

He went to the center of the stadium and looked at the long steel prefabricated bridge in front of him. It was a bridge that he had urgently installed during the last vacation in consultation with Clark, the national team coach. He could cross the river through this in the future, so he could deal with the enemy relatively easily. Well, it would turn into an unfavorable structure when he met a strong team, but the definite fact was that it wasn’t today.

He pulled out the katana he was wearing on his waist and fiddled with it in his hand. He seemed to be waiting for the game to start soon.

– Bip! Game start!

At the signal to start the game, a shout erupted from Bumseok.

“Everyone charge! Break them in the first battle!”

The vanguard of the Gods Knights, crossing the bridge all at once, collided with the Black Cats team blocking the crossing.

Even though only the second stringers and some starters participated, they were not easy to deal with. Standing in three rows and blocking the entrance tightly, the road was not easily opened. Among the gladiators who currently make up the Black Cats team, there were many who had made great contributions as starters when the team was in 2nd place last season, but had given up their positions to newly arrived gladiators with strong skills and had stepped down as substitutes. With these three main gladiators supporting them from behind, it was inevitable that the Gods Knights would find it difficult to deal with.

Clang. Clang clang. Clang clang. Clang.

‘Damn it. It’s a disgrace if we lose here.’

Bumseok looked at Hestia next to him. In order to break the current defensive strategy, it was necessary to go to the rear of the opponent and hit them from behind. Then, the Black Cats team would disrupt their formation to protect the chief gladiator, and the main force could push through this gap. Although the Gods Knights had many young elves and were inferior in experience, they had no equals in terms of strength. Even a small crack could break down this defense in an instant.

“Hestia. Follow me closely. Let’s do a free roll together!” [a maneuver to flank the enemy]

“Yes. I understand!”

He immediately jumped down over the bridge railing. And, making splashing footsteps, he and Hestia invaded the opponent’s territory. The chief gladiator of the Black Cats team saw this but hesitated to form an interception team. He knew that Bumseok could never be stopped by one or two people, although he didn’t know the strange elf following behind. Through the league games, he had been recognized as a figure to be feared by the gladiators in the same league.

However, he couldn’t just give up the rear. The chief gladiator of the Black Cats called three fellow starter-level gladiators separately to mark the rear. They were all Wide Leaguer-level players and believed they could handle Bumseok.

“Okay! The Black Cats’ resistance is weakening!”

However, the Black Cats’ decision was clearly a mistake. Bumseok wasn’t the only strong player in the Gods Knights. Although Oscar and Rapine had been loaned to other teams, there were Erica and Erpina, who had top-notch skills, and a veteran vanguard who had been loaned from the Dragon Knights. And, decisively, most of the affiliated gladiators were far ahead in terms of physicality. Soon, the defense continued to be pushed back, and eventually, the Black Cats had to give up the entrance to the bridge.

“Now’s the time! Everyone attack and go in!”

The Gods Knights’ lightning-like rush tore the Black Cats team’s camp to shreds. Numerous sword tips drawing long parabolas were colliding from all directions, making sharp metallic sounds. In a chaotic situation, the Black Cats team, which was inferior in quality and quantity, could not be an opponent. They were pushed around, hoping that the starters who had gone out to intercept Bumseok would return.

“Hestia! Take care of one for sure! Then I’ll take care of the rest!”

Hestia, who was in charge of Gladiator No. 14, swung her sword with all her might. No matter how high her swordsmanship skills were compared to her peers, she couldn’t surpass a gladiator who had been active in the professional league for decades with swordsmanship she had learned for 7 years. However, after being empowered by Bumseok, her abilities were always amplified whenever his gaze reached her. Now that all her stats had increased by 10, she could face Gladiator No. 14 with overwhelming physical abilities.

Clang clang. Clang clang. Clang clang.

“Who the hell are you!”

No. 14’s shrill voice spread in all directions. Every time she clashed her sword, she was bounced off, so she couldn’t use proper swordsmanship. Occasionally, she tried to extend her sword in a surprise attack using the recoil, but it was invariably blocked and a counterattack assailed her. At this level, she was definitely not below her.

She looked worriedly at the fellow gladiator who was facing Bumseok. While those two were blocking him for a while, she had to quickly get rid of Hestia, who was following behind, and join the joint attack, but unexpectedly, things were not going easily. The main force was being thoroughly pushed back, so there was no time to waste, but she couldn’t just hold on to Hestia like this. In the end, Gladiator No. 14 forcibly dug inside and attacked her. If she continued to spin around the outfield due to being pushed by force, this game would never end. She had to create an opportunity to overwhelm her opponent somehow.

Clang. Clang clang. Clang. Clang.

Sophisticated and refined sword strikes poured into Hestia in a row. It was an overwhelming and skillful attack, but she effectively deflected it with her sword surface. She had faced off against Central League starter-level gladiators countless times in her past team, so she had experienced this level of attack a lot and could block it well enough. And for some reason, she was in a hurry, so there were many gaps.

Soon, Gladiator No. 14’s reckless attack was pushed away from the orbit by a strong force. Hestia, who saw this as an opportunity, quickly and briefly struck down her sword and struck her right arm.

============================ Author’s Notes ============================

The weather has been too warm lately. It doesn’t feel like late autumn at all. How should I interpret this?

Then, everyone have a good weekend. I’ll see you again tomorrow.