Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 223

With that, Beomseok’s first night operation came to an end. Thanks to their foolish actions, he managed to capture thirteen of them and keep them extremely vigilant, preventing them from sleeping. It could be considered a rather successful hunt. As a result, his team gained a significant advantage. With such a numerical difference and low morale, even with Prisika present, the LHN [League of Human Nations] side’s chances of winning were greatly reduced.

The next morning, a group from the LHN side’s outdoor camp attempted to re-enter the forest. It was a bit strange that they were doing this after suffering so much the previous day, but they fearlessly pushed through the bushes, increasingly encroaching on Beomseok’s territory. However, there was one odd thing. The person at the very front was none other than Aula. Perhaps she hadn’t slept well the previous night, as her face was as white as a sheet.

“Move as quickly as possible! We don’t have time to spare right now!”

At Aula’s urging, Tiela ordered her colleagues to quicken their pace. There was a risk of being ambushed by Beomseok around this point, but it didn’t matter at all. In fact, the purpose of this move was to meet him.

Aula, entering a narrow mountain path, looked down at the deep valley below with trembling eyes. Her fear wasn’t of getting injured from a misstep, but of the impending crisis if she failed to meet Beomseok. The thought alone was terrifying.

‘How does that bastard have that document!’

A small memory chip that Prisika had brought yesterday. At first, she had received it without much thought, but upon examining its contents, she realized it contained a document that was tightening the noose around her neck. If he handed this document over to Chairman Wilkins or Chairman Chaplin as he had declared last night, it would be the end for her. They would surely use it to mock her grandfather, and the resulting anger would lead to the devastating outcome of losing her position as the group’s successor. She had to persuade Beomseok as soon as possible to prevent the document from being handed over.

Having safely navigated the valley path, Aula followed a small animal trail towards the mountain peak.

“Aula, wait a moment!”

At Tiela’s call, she suddenly turned around.

“What is it?”

“Come over here.”

Tiela, standing next to a massive tree that was conspicuous at a glance, was touching its surface with curious eyes. There was an artificial marking drawn at about eye level. It wasn’t a scratch mark that a wild animal would make, and they hadn’t scribbled it themselves, so it must have been Beomseok’s doing.

She took a few steps back to compare the size of the huge tree with the other trees around it.

“I wondered how he could find his way so well through this complex forest. It seems he identifies landmarks by using these conspicuous giant trees or natural formations.”

At those words, Aula frowned deeply. It was good information, but what use was it now? If the document fell into the hands of the other elders, the outcome of this game would be worthless. No, she would suffer an even more terrible fate than defeat.

“Tiela, don’t waste your time on useless things. Just find that Beomseok!”

“There’s no need. Honestly, finding someone in this vast forest is nearly impossible. It would be faster to let him see us.”

“Let him see us? How?”

“It’s very simple. We stay in this area and wait for him to appear. He seems to triangulate landmarks scattered throughout the forest to find his way.”

Aula’s face brightened. Now that she knew an effective way to meet him, it would save them time.

“Good. Then we can just stay here. This is a landmark, after all.”

Tiela shook her head as she looked at the densely packed trees around them.

“There are too many other trees here. He won’t see us unless we climb to the top of this giant tree. We should find a more conspicuous landmark.”

“Then where would be a good place?”

“Well, I’ll have to look around. Please wait a moment.”

“Okay, hurry and find out.”

At Aula’s urging, Tiela skillfully climbed to the top of the giant tree and carefully surveyed the surrounding scenery. She spotted a white rock protruding from the mountainside to the north and quickly climbed back down. It was a landmark that could be seen at a glance from anywhere in the forest, making it perfect for their purpose.

“We need to go a little further north. There’s a very suitable place there.”

“Really? Then let’s go quickly. We don’t have time.”

“Yes, I’ll guide you there soon, so follow me closely.”

Tiela led the way up the mountain, followed by Aula and her elven companions. After moving for two hours, they were able to reach the rock on the mountainside.

Tiela, who had been thoroughly examining the area around the rock, smiled brightly.

“It seems to be a landmark. There’s a similar symbol here as on that tree.”

“Okay, so what do we do now?”

“One of us should take turns standing on the rock to be easily seen, and the rest can rest and wait nearby.”

At those words, Aula hurriedly ordered another elven gladiator to spread out a mat. Perhaps tired from wandering through the forest at a hurried pace, she sat down on the mat and leaned weakly against a tree trunk.

“Okay, Tiela, you rest too. We don’t know what will happen when he comes.”

“Yes.”

Tiela calmly sat down next to her and placed the twin swords she had on her waist on her knees. After what happened last night, she knew that even a moment of carelessness could lead to their annihilation without even a chance to speak. It was no wonder that one of her colleagues had nicknamed Beomseok the “evil spirit of the forest.” She carefully scanned her surroundings.

“Wait a moment!”

Just as she had caught her breath, she heard the sound of leaves crunching from the edge of the forest. Although it was a bit early, Tiela thought that Beomseok might have arrived, so she picked up her twin swords and slowly stood up. However, after a moment of tension, what appeared before them was a wolf with its gray fur standing on end. Judging from the fact that it wasn’t a maned wolf native to this southern hemisphere region, it must have been one of the foreign wolves that Julian had moved.

Feeling deflated, Tiela called all her companions and stood in front of Aula as if to block her. They were safe because they were wearing suits, but she was in casual clothes, wearing a pink blouse, tight pantyhose, and black hot pants, so if they were attacked, she could be seriously injured by sharp teeth.

“Everyone, if it attacks, don’t hesitate and cut it down in one strike!”

The gladiators’ swords had blunt blades. Thanks to this, they didn’t cut well even if they hit accurately, but the situation was different if the wielder was a modified human or an elf. If they swung the sword with their unique powerful strength, they could cut a wolf in half in an instant.

However, the problem was that the extremely cautious wolf was keeping its distance and circling around without any intention of approaching. In this state, there was no telling how long this standoff would continue.

Annoyed by the continued hesitation, an elven lancer approached Tiela and said,

“Sister, it’s not thinking of running away. Let’s quickly go and catch it.”

“No, let’s wait a little longer.”

“But if that Beomseok attacks us now, we’re finished.”

Tiela frowned, revealing a hesitant look. If they were distracted by the wolf now and were attacked by Beomseok, they could be annihilated in an instant. It was better to resolve this useless standoff quickly.

She reluctantly nodded and began to move towards the wolf.

“Okay, then we’ll eliminate the wolf as quickly as possible. Everyone, surround it.”

Seeing them approaching, the gray wolf backed away, widening the gap. Not wanting to miss it, Tiela and the other elves moved quickly, chasing after it.

At that moment, Aula let out a piercing scream. Half a dozen wolves, appearing out of nowhere, were charging towards her, who was sitting alone.

“Kyaaaa! Save me!”

Tiela hurriedly turned around, but it was already too late. The sharp teeth of the wolf pack’s vanguard were about to mercilessly bite into Aula’s neck, who was crouching on the ground.

Whoosh! Thud! Clang clang.

In an instant, the sound of flesh tearing rang out, and blood splattered everywhere. However, it wasn’t Aula who had been attacked. The wolf that had tried to bite her was impaled on a katana that had pierced its side and was pinned to the nearby tree trunk. The other wolves were frightened by the sudden attack and were slowly backing away.

And a man wearing a blue suit was walking out of the nearby bushes, scratching his head.

“Ah, geez. I’m so good at throwing, but I can’t seem to hit anything with arrows. I guess I need to get a shamanic ritual or something. Whew~.”

Although the person who appeared to be her savior was approaching, Aula couldn’t even think of raising her head. The fear of death had caused her to lose control of her bladder, and the liquid flowing from her lower body was soaking the ground. She wanted to bite her tongue and die from shame.

The man quickly stepped back, spotting the stream of yellow liquid flowing down towards him along the slope. He could easily identify its nature from the smell wafting towards his nose. It was better than the big one, but there was no need to step in it on purpose.

Tiela, who had rushed to the embarrassed Aula, glared at him and said,

“Who are you!”

“Who? Hey, if you received help, shouldn’t you start with a thank you? If it weren’t for me, she would be on her way to the afterlife right now!”

Tiela, making an awkward gesture, lightly bowed her head. If Aula had been killed by the wolves’ attack here, they, who had been assigned as escorts, would have been in a difficult situation.

“Um, yes. Thank you for the help. Who are you?”

“Ah, these guys! Why are you asking who I am when you already know?”

“We know you?”

“Hey! Are you going to keep pretending you don’t know me? Weren’t you the ones who called me here?”

Tiela, rolling her eyes, cautiously opened her mouth.

“Are you perhaps… Beomseok?”

“Geez. You’re only recognizing me now? I thought you had become quite smart, but it’s not working out. Well, what would you expect from guys who were tricked by wolves and almost threw a person to them as bait. Tsk tsk. I’m the idiot for expecting anything.”

“Tricked by wolves?”

“Can’t you tell by looking? It’s a common hunting method used by pack predators. One or two lure the target away, and the rest target the weak companions or cubs left behind. You could have known that if you had just watched Animal Kingdom! You idiots!”

“A, Animal Kingdom?” [A popular nature documentary series]

Annoyed, Beomseok shouted. He was busy trying to improve Emma’s favorability, and there was no need to waste time continuing this useless conversation with them. This week was a perfect opportunity to create various events with Emma.

“You don’t need to know, so mind your own business? Then tell me what you wanted me for!”

“How did you know we had a reason?”

“Are you testing my patience? Unless you’re out on a picnic, there’s no way you’d stay in one place this long without a reason! Especially in this place where my gaze often falls, even taking turns setting up signs!”

Tiela, judging that the conversation had begun, looked at Aula, who was still unable to raise her head while remaining prostrate. She had only been asked to guide them and didn’t know the reason for calling him.

“Aula, you came all the way here, so please speak.”

However, she was too embarrassed to raise her head at all. Beomseok, who couldn’t possibly not know the reason, stared intently and opened Aula’s information window. It would take her a while to open her mouth, so he would use that time. In fact, he had met her twice, but he hadn’t had the chance to check her information because he was too flustered or too far away. It seemed like they would continue to clash in the future, so it was necessary to understand her attributes and prepare in advance.

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Name: Aula Valbar.

Classification: Modified Human (17 years).

Affiliation: None.

Fame: 4544.

Infamy: 19303.

Favorability: 18.

H Status: None.

Stamina: 5200/5200.

Sociability: 98, Strength: 56, Constitution: 52.

Agility: 49, Balance: 44, Intelligence: 96.

Mental Strength: 91. Judgment: 99, Skill: 78.

Luck: 96.

Current Skill/Potential: 759/805.

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Trait: Symbol of Finance.

Special Notes: Granddaughter of Valbar, Chairman of LHN Financial Group. Currently the head of the group’s Information Control Department. Has been recognized by her grandfather and is in a strong position to be his successor.

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‘Wow, if she’s a modified human and 17 years old, that means she’s close to forty. She’s on par with Madam.’

Considering that the age at which people usually undergo body modification surgery is often 20, Aula was likely close to forty years old. However, he didn’t particularly want to show respect. She was the culprit behind the Rainbow Group incident. She was an enemy who could cause conflict again at any time, so he should never bow his head. Moreover, her slender figure and vibrant white skin made her look very young, which also played a part.

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

This is Merry Searle. I hope you all have a safe day today… hahaha.

Then everyone, have a pleasant day. I’ll see you all again next time.