Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 273

The announcement regarding the extension of the sponsorship agreement between Gods Knights and Chaplin Sports was made two days later. They could have informed the media immediately, but they needed some time to test the suit’s equipment. Frankly, even two days was only possible because of Chaplin Sports’ full support. If Bumseok had tried to find an authorized institution and get the test results on his own, it would have taken him more than a week.

Fortunately, the media articles linking Bumseok’s injury to the suit’s problems quickly disappeared. The injured party had investigated the suit’s performance through an authorized institution and concluded it was just an accident, so it was no longer the place for third-party media to interfere.

Shortly after, Bumseok received good news from his hospital room. Gods Knights had won their second promotion tournament match against Ancient Warriors with a score of 2 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss. Normally, there would be no reason to be excited about easily winning against such a team, but he was pleased with the valuable result achieved with significantly reduced power. Even though it was a tough victory, it was fortunate that Gods Knights advanced to the third match.

Also, the match between Fire Hawks, to which Lenka belonged, and East Winds team went to a penalty shootout, with East Winds team winning in the end. If Fire Hawks had advanced, they could have had a relatively comfortable third match, but Bumseok, who was trying to recruit Lenka, thought it was the best outcome. If they faced Fire Hawks in the third match and then tried to recruit Lenka after winning, the opposing team might suspect match-fixing and send suspicious glances. The managers had caught him meeting with her before, so the suspicion would have been even greater.

“Hoo~ It’s hot.”

The late spring sun was intensely heating the earth. In the backyard of Zeon City Colosseum, which boasted 120,000 seats, Bumseok, leaning on crutches, flapped his tracksuit collar to cool down. He hadn’t adjusted to the sudden climate change. The weather in early June had never been this hot before.

“Master, please go inside. It’s air-conditioned, so it won’t be hot.”

He nodded at Reimi’s words. They wouldn’t cool the air too much for the gladiators’ condition, but it would still be cooler than outside.

“Should I? Okay, let’s go in then.”

As Bumseok moved his crutches, the team members carefully followed behind. They wanted to support him, but they were afraid of his anger, so they couldn’t approach. He hated relying on others for things he could do himself. There was no reason to be supported when he could walk with crutches.

After taking a short break in the gladiator waiting room, Bumseok headed to the dugout. Ordinary gladiators were prohibited from entering without being on the entry list, but fortunately, he was on the coach list, so he could attend. When they advanced to the Area League, he had added his name to the coaching staff to fill the number of coaches, and he had maintained it ever since.

Wow! Wow!

The 120,000 seats of Zeon City Colosseum were filled with cheering fans. In particular, there were many supporters from Lima City because Zeon City was close to the Avon region, and Rebecca had taken care to give many tickets to the Gods Knights supporters. Zeon City was also the hometown of the Chaplin family and the home ground of the Chaplin Whisper team.

Bumseok, looking beyond the acrylic partition, expressed deep regret.

‘Hoo~ That’s too bad. If it weren’t for the promotion tournament, I could have made a fortune.’

The promotion tournament was held in one of the participating teams’ home regions. Therefore, they did not adopt a home-and-away system, and all admission revenue was taken by the host city. In other words, all of today’s admission revenue of 42 million Crang [Crang is the currency in this world] would be divided between the Arkan regional government and Zeon City, meaning Bumseok wouldn’t get a penny.

He sighed in frustration and got up, moving his crutches to where Diana and Reimi were. They were putting their heads together, reviewing the strategy for today’s match.

“How’s it going? Is it going well?”

Reimi quickly pulled a nearby chair and placed it in front of him.

“Yes. We’re currently organizing the list in preparation for the penalty shootout.”

Bumseok nodded as he sat down. Today’s strategy was to somehow force a draw and then engage in a penalty shootout.

The upcoming third promotion tournament match was against the East Winds team. They had 13 Central League-level players, and in terms of power, they were significantly ahead of Gods Knights, who could currently use 8 Central League-level gladiators. However, this only applied to the overall power; the top 5 were a different story. Even though Bumseok was absent, Gods Knights’ top players were still outstanding. Nikita, Rapine, Cathy, Jermia, and Gelsomia could be ranked as top-tier or high-tier players even if they advanced to the Central League right now. If they could somehow make it to the penalty shootout, Gods Knights’ chances of advancing to the finals were bright.

“Really? What about the strategy before the penalty shootout?”

Diana calmly stared at him and replied.

“We’re going to use an unconventional strategy.”

An unconventional strategy meant reversing the order of the main and second-string players. The main players would have the burden of playing in the 4th and 5th rounds consecutively, but it was a strategy that Gods Knights could definitely choose. This was because they had a significant advantage in terms of physical strength.

When Bumseok formed the Gods Knights team, he focused on growth potential and stats. As a result, many of the team members were lacking in technical skills but had superior physical attributes. In addition, the director Diana’s ‘Great Leader’ skill increased all stats of the entire team by +3. Considering this, it was no exaggeration to say that Gods Knights was the strongest physical team in the Wide League. It was expected that playing consecutive rounds would not be too much of a burden.

Of course, Gods Knights were a bit tired now after playing all 5 rounds in the second match. However, the East Winds team had played to a penalty shootout in the second match, so their physical exhaustion was even greater.

“Okay. What kind of unconventional strategy is it?”

“We plan to give up the 1st and 3rd rounds, take the 2nd and 4th rounds, and then draw in the 5th round.”

“It wouldn’t be bad if it goes as planned, but is it possible? Even if they’re second-string, the opposing team has at least 7 Central League-level gladiators. If they go for a draw, it won’t be easy even if our main players come out.”

“We’re concerned about that, but there’s no other way. If we go with a normal strategy, there’s no way we can win.”

That was true. If they adopted a normal tactic, both the main and second-string players would have to fight stronger opponents, and if they gave up even one round, the game would be over. Moreover, Gods Knights was a team specialized in offense. They had recently recruited some gladiators with strong defensive tendencies, but they still hadn’t changed their constitution. It seemed more likely to win by breaking through the East Winds team’s second-string with the main players and gradually accumulating wins, rather than sticking to an unfamiliar defensive strategy.

“I guess so. Anyway, do your best and win spectacularly today.”

“Yes. We’ll do our best.”

Bumseok, who encouraged Diana and Reimi, returned to his bench and took out his electronic notebook. It was to watch the Forest Oaks team’s match. This team had won first place in the Hein Central League this season and had luckily won up to the second match, advancing to the semi-finals. If they won today’s match, they would advance to the World League, and Gods Knights would be relieved. Since one more spot would be open, their promotion would be certain if they won today.

‘Forest Oaks. Please win.’

When he turned on the screen, the match was just starting. Forest Oaks’ opponent was the Terra Stars team from the Getty Shoe Central League, which was considered the biggest dark horse in this tournament to determine promotion to the World League. Naturally, Forest Oaks, who had advanced to the semi-finals by luck, was a somewhat overwhelming opponent. Still, Bumseok didn’t give up hope. You never know what will happen in a match, and there was no guarantee that a miracle wouldn’t happen.

However, his expression soon became terribly distorted. Forest Oaks had absurdly pulled out the Bongsi formation [an extremely aggressive formation]. This formation was an extremely aggressive formation and was not suitable for a weak team to use against a strong team. No, it was closer to being taboo.

“What are these guys doing! They should be focusing on defense and aiming for the opponent’s mistakes!”

However, Bumseok’s voice, watching the match on the screen, couldn’t reach them. Soon the match began, and Forest Oaks rushed towards Terra Stars’ formation all at once.

With a thud, fierce striking sounds were heard. Soon, Forest Oaks was surrounded by the opposing team and began to fall one by one, and in less than 2-3 minutes, they were annihilated. The commentators were disappointed that the unexpected move had failed, but Bumseok sensed that Forest Oaks was giving up on this game. Even if they had adopted the Bongsi formation, the annihilation was too quick.

‘What? Are these guys aiming for the 3rd-4th place match?’

It was a strategy worth considering. Rather than aiming for an impossible victory against a strong team, they could preserve their strength and participate in the 3rd-4th place match in a more advantageous situation. The opposing team would be exhausted from fighting fiercely for the finals and would face the 3rd-4th place match with tired minds and bodies. Bumseok had used a similar strategy before, so he understood.

‘Well, Forest Oaks is the weakest of the four teams that made it to the semi-finals, so they might use such a strategy.’

He immediately closed his electronic notebook. Whether his prediction was right or wrong, there was no reason to watch the match anymore. Since they had given up the first round so absurdly, Forest Oaks was bound to lose today’s match. And soon, their match would begin, so there was no time to worry about other things. To consider the number of cases, they had to win today’s match.

– Fans in the stadium, and viewers watching on TV. We will now broadcast the semi-final match between Gods Knights and East Winds team, who met on the road to the Hein Central League.

The dugout was busy with the commentator’s announcement. They knew from experience that the announcement of the players would be broadcast soon. Gods Knights’ second-string gladiators checked their suits for abnormalities and gathered their weapons. And soon, when the signal was given, they headed to the entrance tunnel.

– Both teams, please come to the center of the arena.

It seemed that Diana’s rock-paper-scissors game was successful. East Winds team had sent out their main players in the first round. Now, if Gods Knights’ second-string could just focus on defense and wear them down, the game would likely go as planned.

“Gods Knights! What are you doing! Do you think you can beat our East Winds team’s main players with your second-string! Are you using your connections to lose on purpose! Thank you, we’ll take the first round!”

“Puhahaha. Good. Gods Knights! If you really want to, we’ll go up to the Central League first, so you guys come up next year!”

Taunts erupted from various parts of the audience. It was the sound of the East Winds team’s supporters shouting. But these voices were soon drowned out by the voices of the Gods Knights supporters. Most of today’s audience were people who came from Lima City. It was all thanks to Rebecca’s consideration, and it seemed to be a great help for today’s match.

“Gods Knights! Don’t be swayed by those guys’ words! Follow the strategy step by step!”

“That’s right! East Winds is originally a weak team that can’t even compete with our team. It’s pathetic to see them acting up without even being ashamed, so just crush them!”

Alternating between jeers and cheers, both teams of gladiators stood in the center of the arena. Those wearing silver suits and standing in the south were Gods Knights, and those wearing blue suits were East Winds. They stared at the opposing camp with tense faces, gripping the weapons they had brought out tightly. It was not easy to find peace of mind in such an important match where promotion was at stake.

Experienced Erpina shouted to everyone.

“Everyone, don’t be nervous! No one will say anything even if we lose this round! Just calmly do your job! Everyone got it!”

“Yes, Sister!”

Before they knew it, the eyes of the Gods Knights gladiators had become sharp. Certainly, as Erpina said, there was not much of a problem even if they lost this round. They just had to calmly do their job, so there was no reason to be nervous.

Seeing her teammates showing stability, Erpina approached Agelia, the captain.

“Agelia. You have to focus on surviving no matter what. If the formation collapses, perform the ‘tteumsae’ [a defensive maneuver] role without me telling you, got it?”

Agelia vigorously clashed the tower shields in her hands and said.

“Yes. I understand.”

“Good. Then you have to do well.”

After saying that, Erpina stood right in front of her. It seemed that she, with her experience, had to directly protect Agelia, the captain. The formation was good in many ways, but the problem was that there was only one layer of line to protect the captain. If the front line was breached by mistake, Agelia, who was standing in the center, would be immediately exposed.

Soon after. A long whistle echoed through the arena, and both teams of gladiators circled around each other, as if checking each other.

============================ Author’s words ============================

Have a nice day everyone. I’ll see you again tomorrow.