Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 153

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“That’s not a bad idea. More cover means more of an advantage in a long-range battle.”

“Yes, but the problem is what comes next. To build up wins, we need to capture the hill that the Out Hill Ghosts are thoroughly defending, but the steep approach and the 3-meter [approximately 10-foot] cliff at the top are major obstacles.”

Beomseok looked at the hill on the west side of the arena with a serious gaze. He could barely see the top of the cliff where only a dozen or so people could stand, and he wondered how to get up there. Jumping up would mean countless swords and spears flying at them in mid-air, so they would likely be defeated easily. Even if they landed safely on the cliff, they would surely be pushed off by the force of twelve people.

“Well, how should we attack that place?”

“So, I was thinking, we should use a free-roll like in the first round. But this time, with two people.”

“Two people? Who?”

“Master and Chiria.”

He tilted his head. Chiria had decent swordsmanship skills, but she didn’t exceed the level of an Area-class gladiator. At best, her only advantage was that she was a very good archer. He didn’t understand why her name was being mentioned for the free-roll, which required excellent skills, over other team members.

“I’m okay with it, but why Chiria?”

“Because she’s the best archer on our team.”

Beomseok looked at Diana with a meaningful gaze.

“Are you planning a snipe?”

“Yes. If we secretly and suddenly shoot arrows while a close-quarters battle is taking place, we should be able to easily take down one or two of them. Then, the opponent’s sword and shield will be directed towards Master, making it easier for the main force to attempt an entry.”

He nodded in agreement. He didn’t know what kind of unexpected situation might occur, but it was a plausible strategy.

“I suppose so. So, my role is to protect Chiria?”

“Yes. The Out Hill gladiators, feeling threatened by Chiria’s arrow attacks, might try to intercept her.”

Beomseok chuckled.

“I really hope they do. If they come down, I can definitely mess them up.”

“I agree. Actually, I’m hoping that the Out Hill Ghosts will use that strategy.”

At that moment, an announcement came on the broadcast, signaling the standby for entry. Beomseok and the other starters all stood up from their seats. They hadn’t used much energy since they had mostly just stood there blankly during the first round. They were fully capable of playing in the second round.

The same was true for the Out Hill Ghosts. The gladiators who participated in the first round were the same ones who came out for the second round.

Once again, a sense of impending war loomed over the Out Hill Coliseum. Cheers erupted from the stands, and the gladiators of the Gods Knights and the Out Hill Ghosts, standing face to face in the center of the arena, were filled with a newfound fighting spirit.

As the numbers on the electronic display counted down, Beomseok left the main camp alone and moved east. Since they only needed to block the lake side for now, there was no need to act with Chiria.

Beeeep!

When the countdown stopped at 0, a signal sounded, announcing the start of the second round, and the gladiators from both teams rushed out and clashed once again. Both sides swayed greatly. However, the Out Hill Ghosts gladiators headed west, resulting in only a brief exchange of swords and no intense battle.

‘Hmph. They’re heading straight for the hill without hesitation.’

Beomseok’s lips twisted strangely. He didn’t like the Out Hill Ghosts’ conservative team strategy. Even though he had separated to block the east side, they had immediately given up the lake, where they had gained a significant advantage in the first round. They were being too cautious. Although they were weaker than the Gods Knights, they were still a strong team ranked 5th in the league.

‘Maybe it’s because their team strength has increased too rapidly, but they haven’t shaken off the habits of being in the relegation zone [the bottom tier of the league]. They will definitely fall out of the top two in this battle for 2nd place.’

Unlike the promotion tournament where they had to defeat their opponents in each match, the professional league ranked teams based on the points earned through 38 matches, which determined promotion and relegation. Accordingly, the 20 teams competing in the league analyzed their strengths and set goals for the year. Strong teams focused on being promoted to the upper league, while weak teams focused on avoiding relegation to the lower league.

To participate in the promotion tournament, a team had to be in the top two of the 20 teams, while to avoid relegation, they only needed to be in the top 17. With such different goals, the overall tactics of strong and weak teams differed greatly.

Strong teams wanted victories with many points to occupy one of the top two spots, while weak teams wanted to draw against relatively strong teams to gain the points needed to avoid relegation. The Out Hill Ghosts’ behavior was exactly like the latter, which was something they should never do if they were aiming for the upper league. To achieve a rank of 2nd or higher, they had to inflict a fatal defeat on teams ranked higher than themselves when facing them, so that they could take their place. Otherwise, a rank of 2nd or higher was an unattainable position.

‘Hmph. I can’t lose to guys like them.’

As the Out Hill Ghosts gladiators climbed onto the cliff, Beomseok returned to the main camp. Now that a long-range battle was unfolding, he needed to rely on a shield.

Swish. Bang. Pow. Swish.

The long-range battle was going heavily in favor of the Gods Knights. Although they had prepared two fewer bows than their opponents, with only seven bows due to the need to prepare long spears, the six shields proved to be very effective. Despite the geographical disadvantage and the lack of archery proficiency, they were able to completely shield their formation, so they couldn’t be hit by arrows. And the cliff was open on all sides, and the terrain was narrow, making it difficult to move around and dodge. This meant that the Out Hill Ghosts gladiators had to block the incoming arrows with only three shields. Eventually, the damage accumulated, and one of the gladiators, number 4, blocked an arrow in the chest and fell endlessly down the cliff.

“Nice! We knocked one down! Keep shooting!”

The Gods Knights had brought relatively few long-range weapons, but the amount of arrows they were firing was much greater. The arrows shot by the Gods Knights bounced off the enemy shields and fell down the cliff or soared into the sky, while the arrows shot by the Out Hill Ghosts were invariably embedded in the ground or fell right below the Gods Knights’ formation. With a little movement, they could collect countless reusable arrows, so they were able to shoot more.

However, since the number of arrows that could be carried was limited to eight by regulations, the long-range battle was bound to end quickly.

“Master, we need to start the high-ground battle now.”

Following Erpina’s instructions, Beomseok left the formation with Chiria. His shoulder-mounted quiver had four arrows in it. These were the arrows he had saved for this diversionary tactic. While the main force advanced slowly, Beomseok quickly reached the opposite side of the arena from the hill.

“Chiria, our first task is to snipe and inflict damage while the enemy is off guard. So, we must not let the enemy know that we can shoot arrows. So, for now, we need to act like a rear assault team. Got it?”

Chiria, gripping the two-handed sword in her hand, nodded.

“Yes, I understand.”

“Good. And when you snipe, try to target gladiators number 3 and number 11 if possible. I fought them earlier, and they seemed to have quite good swordsmanship skills. If we get rid of these guys first, it will be much easier to play the game.”

Chiria hesitated for a moment and then said what she was thinking.

“Um, wouldn’t it be better to target the captain gladiator instead?”

“Of course, we should snipe the captain if possible. But if a battle breaks out, he will be surrounded by the rearguard and other gladiators, so it won’t be easy. In that case, it’s number 3 and number 11. Got it?”

“Yes, I will do that.”

“Okay. Let’s go.”

Beomseok immediately got up and ran out. The main force had already started the attack, led by Matilda and Reimei, who were carrying the 4-meter-long spears they had prepared.

“Everyone, if you get a chance, go up there boldly!”

The Gods Knights gladiators became busy at Erpina’s shout. The speed of stabbing with the spear tips increased, and they were also trying to move around and attempt an entry. However, before the match, Diana had instructed them not to climb onto the cliff until Chiria’s sniping started. For now, it was just a feint to widen the range of Beomseok and Chiria’s activities, who were aiming for the rear.

The captain of the Out Hill Ghosts, unaware of this, deployed the remaining gladiators except for two to the main camp entrance. Although Beomseok was in the Gods Knights’ separate unit, they couldn’t ignore the main force of 10 people because of this. They believed that the two of them could sufficiently hold them back with the geographical advantage, and even if they couldn’t, they could quickly provide support since they were nearby.

Spear. Bang. Pow. Spear. Spear.

A fierce battle of spears continued, but the damage to both teams was minor. The Out Hill Ghosts had a geographical advantage, and the Gods Knights could perform an effective defense with three dual shielders.

Seeing this, Beomseok began to retreat with Chiria. It was time to attempt a snipe.

“Chiria, now is the time. Get ready.”

Chiria, revealing a meaningful expression through her face shield, hid behind him and took out her bow. Then, she took two arrows from Beomseok’s quiver, placed one on the string, and slowly pulled it back.

Gladiator number 6 saw this, but did not take any special action. Chiria’s actions were suspicious, but he couldn’t figure out what she was doing because she was hidden by Beomseok’s body.

At that moment, a shout erupted from one side of the stands.

“What are you doing! The Gods Knights are trying to snipe! Stop them quickly!”

Beomseok, enraged, gritted his teeth and glared at the direction of the stand where the sound came from. Chiria hurriedly turned around and aimed at gladiator number 11, who was attacking the main camp without knowing what was going on. Then, she boldly released the string and sent an arrow flying sharply.

Thwack!

Gladiator number 11, who was hit by the arrow exactly in the side, made an expression of disbelief and slowly fell into a state of incapacitation. Chiria, without even having time to rejoice, once again loaded the remaining arrow in her hand onto the string.

“What are you guys doing! The Gods Knights are sniping!”

Gladiator number 6 shouted at the top of his lungs. He couldn’t understand what it meant when the audience suddenly shouted, but now that he had clearly seen gladiator number 11 being sniped with his own eyes, he couldn’t not know.

“What are you talking about! Sniping… Huh!”

Gladiator number 15, who was looking back at gladiator number 6, quickly threw himself off the cliff. An arrow was flying towards him quickly, so it was an unavoidable choice to avoid it, as it happened so suddenly.

Seeing this, Erpina shouted to Hestia and Lynn, who were nearby.

“Catch that guy quickly!”

Hestia and Lynn, who immediately jumped out, swung their swords mercilessly at gladiator number 15. If they could catch this gladiator, the numerical ratio would be 12 to 9. Then, they could gain a favorable position in the attack, and the chances of winning this round would increase.

Cha. Changchang. Chang. Kang.

Gladiator number 15, receiving the onslaught of Hestia and Lynn, retreated and slowly moved away from the cliff. He was in a situation where he could not even hope for rescue, so he was fighting alone, but he was being pushed back relentlessly by their relentless attacks. To make matters worse, Beomseok was also running towards him, so he was in an almost desperate situation.

At that moment, a strange scene was captured in her eyes. Reimi, from the Gods Knights’ main camp, came out slightly with a bow and aimed the end of it at the back of one of the rearguard who was checking Chiria. Gladiator number 15, thinking it was another snipe, shouted.

“It’s dangerous! Sniping is also behind… !”

Thwack.

However, before he could finish all his words, gladiator number 15 was hit in the neck by Beomseok’s sword and immediately knelt on the floor. And with a dazed look, he stiffened his body as he watched the arrow released from Reimi’s fingertips. Soon, the arrow, which flew with a strange whistling sound, accurately hit the back of the rearguard it was aiming for.

Woooo! Wooooo!

The audience was in an uproar. They were enraged by the Gods Knights’ actions of secretly taking out three of their team’s gladiators with snipes while pretending to attempt close combat. However, this was only for a moment. Seeing the Out Hill Ghosts being brutally ravaged by the Gods Knights’ offensive based on numerical superiority, they quickly closed their mouths and wore blank expressions.

“Take them all out! Let’s end it here!”

Erpina’s heroic shout echoed loudly from the cliff. The Out Hill Ghosts gladiators were falling one by one to the Gods Knights gladiators who were gradually surrounding them. Some jumped off the cliff with the captain gladiator and fled to the lake, but it was useless. No matter how many gladiators the Gods Knights had who were inexperienced in underwater combat, there were Erpina, Reimi, Erica, and experienced gladiators on loan from the Dragon Knights. With Beomseok included, a few gladiators could not reverse the tilting tide by engaging in underwater combat. Soon, they were dragged out to the shore, one by one, incapacitated.

Woooo! Woooo!

The steps of the Gods Knights gladiators returning after winning the second round were very light. A round score of 1 win soon meant a flatland battle, and now there was almost no chance of losing. The only team in the league that could beat the Gods Knights in a head-on battle on flat ground was the Black Cats, who were running in first place.

In the end, the Gods Knights finished today’s difficult match with a round score of 2 wins and 2 draws.

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

It’s Pepero Day [a Korean holiday similar to Valentine’s Day where people exchange Pepero, a chocolate-covered biscuit stick]. People around me are promoting it as a once-in-a-thousand-year day this time. I haven’t lived for a thousand years, but anyway, there was no such day when I was young. ^^;;;;; When did it suddenly appear…? Sigh. The problem is that everyone should share Pepero fairly, but that’s not the reality. I offer my deepest condolences to our men whose wallets will be lighter today.

Then, everyone have a happy Pepero Day. I will see you again tomorrow.