Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 183

The promotion tournament leading to the Wide League was a grand festival within the Delroy Central Government. The venue was the Silronia region, where the top two teams from each Area League gathered in the colosseums of eight cities to engage in fierce competition for promotion.

Gods Knights were in Group A. Fortunately, they avoided the Black Cats team in Group C and Chaplin Whisper in Group D until the finals. However, they were set to face the formidable Dark Chaos team, a strong contender for the championship, in the semi-finals. This team had consistently maintained a mid-to-upper rank in the Delroy Wide League. Unfortunately, they were relegated last year due to a doping incident involving one of their gladiators and frequent injuries to their main gladiators. The problem was that their parent company, Chaos Distribution, had provided massive financial support during the last league, significantly boosting their strength compared to before. Thanks to this, they became the dark horse team boasting the strongest power and organization in this tournament, which was a major concern for Beom-seok.

Only three teams would be promoted through this tournament. If they were to lose against Dark Chaos, they would have to face either the Black Cats team or Chaplin Whisper in the 3rd and 4th place match and win, making the situation seem bleak. None of these teams were weaker than Gods Knights.

But there was even worse news. The opponent they would face in the first round was the strong team called Splash Mouse. With ten Wide League-level players and a large number of experienced and skilled gladiators backing them up, the current Gods Knights team had no way to compete.

Ellington City was the central city of the Silronia region where the promotion tournament was held, and the opening match and the first game of Group A would take place there. It was the match between Gods Knights and Splash Mouse, and Beom-seok had set up camp at the Yamos Hotel in the city center to prepare for the battle.

“Sigh~ What to do.”

Sitting on the emergency stairs in the central passage, Beom-seok looked at the brightly lit night view under the full moon and sighed deeply. He was very worried about the promotion tournament that would unfold beyond this night. The only gladiators in Gods Knights who could match the main players of Splash Mouse were Erpina, Erica, Hestia, and the newly recruited Gelsomina. These four alone were not enough to face the ten Wide League-level players of Splash Mouse, so a countermeasure was essential.

‘First, our side is strong in physical aspects, so we must maximize this advantage.’

Gods Knights included many promising players who lacked experience, but their physical condition was very good. Their basic stats were also very high, and they had carefully selected gladiators with characteristics that showed additional stat increases upon recruitment. As a result, many of them had physical abilities exceeding the Central League level and reaching the World League level. Therefore, if they could play tomorrow’s game in a way that emphasized their physical strengths, Gods Knights’ chances of winning would naturally increase.

However, one concern was that the opponent would also know this fact and would not easily fall for it.

‘Splash Mouse probably won’t try to engage in fierce battles easily. To manage their stamina in the later stages, they will focus on defense and attack when they see an opening.’

But the way to break this strategy was surprisingly simple. Gods Knights would also focus on defense. Then, Splash Mouse would launch an all-out attack to win, leading to a fierce battle where physical aspects would be important.

However, there was one prerequisite. Splash Mouse had to be afraid of a draw. The promotion tournament was a competition where a winner had to be decided in any case, so if the number of round wins was the same after all rounds, a showdown [a tie-breaker match] would take place. If they were instilled with the fear of losing in this showdown, they would never want a draw.

‘In the end, it means I have to participate.’

Through his performance in league matches, Beom-seok had established himself as a figure of terror in this area. He fought evenly against three or four opponents alone, so the opposing teams couldn’t help but be intimidated. They wouldn’t want to meet him in a showdown where fate was decided in a one-on-one fight. Splash Mouse would undoubtedly try to win round wins by any means. Then, a fierce battle would naturally unfold, and they could seize the key to victory through their physical advantage in the later stages.

‘Then it means I have to meet our pretty older sister [referring to Susan].’

In order for Beom-seok, who was on the injury list, to participate in the game, he had to submit a participation permit with a positive opinion from the team doctor, Susan, to the event organizers. In other teams, a high-ranking team official could get the document by intimidating, but it was not easy in Gods Knights. The most influential person in the team was Susan.

With a worried expression, Beom-seok brushed off the dust and got up, then went to the hotel room where she was staying.

“Absolutely not!”

As soon as Susan saw Beom-seok’s face as he opened the door, she shouted without hesitation. It wasn’t because a man had come to her room late at night, but because she anticipated what he was going to say and refused. Beom-seok had come to her, the team doctor, the day before an important game, so his business was obvious. Moreover, Splash Mouse, whom they would face tomorrow, was a top-tier strong team, so Beom-seok’s participation was essential.

He put his foot in the gap of the door and said with a troubled expression.

“No. What do you mean by saying no without even hearing me out?”

“Aren’t you going to say that you want to participate in tomorrow’s game?”

Beom-seok said with a blank face.

“How did you know that…? I haven’t even brought up the subject yet.”

“It’s too obvious. If it wasn’t for that reason, there’s no reason for the chairman to visit me at this hour!”

Beom-seok clicked his tongue slightly, then suddenly pushed his way through the door and grabbed her wrist.

“Oh, come on. Think about it for a moment. It’s not common for a professional team to participate in the promotion tournament. It’s because you have to be in the top 1 or 2 in the league where 20 teams compete. So, once you’ve advanced, it’s only natural to aim for promotion even if it’s a bit much. You never know when the opportunity will come again.”

Susan, who was sitting on the bed in the room, pouted.

“Who do you think I am? I’ve been the team doctor for the Gods Knights, a professional gladiator team, for a year, so I know enough about how strong our team is. I can probably guarantee that we’ll be able to participate in the promotion tournament again next season. So I don’t think there’s any reason for you to overdo it.”

“But you can’t guarantee that 100%, can you? Just look at the Peace Griffins, who used to win the Airband League every year. Their team was expected to be the top team to participate in the promotion tournament this year, but they were pushed back by our Gods Knights and the Black Cats team, which grew suddenly, and they couldn’t participate this time. You can never know the future in the world of professionals. So you have to take the opportunity to move up, even if it’s a bit much.”

Susan understood what he was saying, but she couldn’t admit it and turned her head away. His shoulder muscle injury had improved a lot, but it could get worse again if he overdid it. There was a good reason why she diagnosed him with three weeks of rest.

“Still, no. If you play in the game in your current condition, the barely healed wound may reopen. The muscle tissue in your shoulder is very weak right now.”

“Can’t I just fight without overdoing it?”

“How can you not overdo it in a gladiator match where you have to fight fiercely!”

Beom-seok sat next to her and said.

“I’ll use a sword and shield. Then my left arm, which is holding the shield, will hardly move, so the injury won’t get much worse.”

At those words, Susan stared at him blankly. If there was little movement, there would be no strain on his shoulder, so the risk of re-injury would be extremely low. But she had to see it with her own eyes because Beom-seok might be lying to participate in the game.

“Really? Show me here.”

“Yes. I will.”

He got up and took the stance of holding a shield with his right arm, which was not in a cast. With his bent forearm pressed tightly against his side, it looked quite stable. If he stayed in that state throughout the game, the risk of re-injury would be greatly reduced.

“It’s not a bad posture, but won’t it put a strain on your shoulder because of the weight of the shield?”

“Yes. So I’m going to wear a small, light round shield.”

If it was a light shield, it wouldn’t be bad to participate in the game. Although the opponent’s attacks would be concentrated on the shield, the impact would likely be distributed to the forearm and the entire body rather than the shoulder in that posture. As long as he didn’t recklessly attack with the shield, there didn’t seem to be much to worry about.

“Okay. But you can only use the shield for defense, and I’ll limit your participation to three rounds. Can you promise me that?”

Beom-seok had a troubled expression. He could keep the first promise, but he was hesitant to say yes to the second. If the game didn’t go well, he might have to play up to the 4th round, and in the worst case, he might even have to participate in the showdown.

“Does it have to be 3 rounds?”

“Yes. If you break your promise, I’ll immediately notify the organizers and prevent you from participating any further.”

He clicked his tongue and eventually nodded his head. In fact, he should be grateful that Susan, the stubborn one, was allowing him to participate.

“Okay. I’ll do that.”

Susan, who had been staring at him intently, took out the electronic notebook that was on the side table and accessed the event organizer’s website. Then, she removed Beom-seok from the injured list and changed his status to available.

“Yes. It’s done. Now go to Diana, the coach, and tell her to put you on the roster.”

Beom-seok, who had been watching her work next to her, smiled brightly and got up from his seat.

“Hahaha. Thank you.”

“If you’re grateful, don’t overdo it tomorrow. I don’t want to feel sorry for the chairman again.”

“Feel sorry again? Have you ever felt sorry for me?”

Susan, her face flushed red, turned her head away.

“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”

Beom-seok, with a puzzled expression, scratched his head and then raised his left forearm, which was in a cast.

“Yes. I understand. Well. Then please remove the cast now.”

“I’ll remove it tomorrow morning. You might toss and turn at night and put a strain on it.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to remove it now? It’s been in a cast for almost ten days, so my joints might be a little stiff.”

Susan smiled softly and said.

“Oh. Are you going to exercise tonight to loosen your joints?”

“Well. Something like that. Hahaha.”

“Hoh. That’s why I said I’d remove it tomorrow. I don’t want to put any strain on your shoulder until today.”

Susan shook the hand holding the electronic notebook wildly. It was a silent threat that if he threw a tantrum, she would put him back on the injured list.

At this, Beom-seok sighed deeply and backed away towards the door.

“Hmm. Well. Since my left arm, which is holding the shield, will hardly move, it’s okay if my joints are a little stiff.”

“Yes. It’s better to think that way.”

Beom-seok, who had opened the door slightly, nodded his head.

“Then rest comfortably. Madam. This Dol-soi [an archaic term for a servant or underling] will retreat with a whimper.”

“Yes. Go in.”

Susan, who had come out to the door to watch him enter Diana’s residence, shook her head. She wondered if she was doing the right thing.

In fact, she had been feeling quite sorry for Beom-seok lately. When he complained of an injury in the game against the Peace Griffins ten days ago, she had been bothered by the fact that she had dismissed it. Of course, she had put him on the injured list and sent him to the hospital because he insisted that he couldn’t play, but not noticing the damage to his shoulder muscles and not giving him first aid was a big mistake that she, as a team doctor, could not tolerate. But Beom-seok still trusted her as if nothing had happened.

Well. This was all a situation caused by Susan’s misunderstanding, but she granted his earnest request today out of a feeling of guilt and gratitude.

Phew. Bang.

Fireworks filled with smoke were constantly exploding over the clear sky of the Ellington City Colosseum. On the streets, part-time workers dressed in fox doll costumes, the mascots of this tournament, were handing out colorful balloons to the passing children, and the owners of the outdoor food stalls lined up were selling snacks such as hot dogs and waffles to the visitors.

A large flying car landed in the south parking lot. The gladiators of Gods Knights, led by Beom-seok, were jumping out of the car one by one.

“Well. If we lose today, we have to pack our bags on the first day of the opening ceremony. I don’t want to be embarrassed like that, so everyone be prepared!”

The match between Gods Knights and Splash Mouse was the first match of Group A and would be held this afternoon. In other words, if they lost, they would have to return to their hometown of Lima City, leaving only the opening ceremony in the morning in their memories. This would cast a shadow on the face of the owner who was happy that Gods Knights had advanced to the promotion tournament. The team members’ determination was bound to be extraordinary.

“Yes. We will definitely win!”

“Good. Then everyone pack your bags and go to the gladiator waiting room.”

They soon entered the Colosseum with confident steps. And they unpacked their bags in the gladiator waiting room and reviewed today’s game strategy once again, burning with fighting spirit.

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

Ah~ I was a little busy today because of my grandmother’s memorial service. My relatives have just left. Thanks to that, I’ve used up all my reserves. ㅠㅠ. Why is winter so busy… ㅠㅠ.

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