Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 359

361

‘Huhu. Liza has done it again. That’s it.’

Beomseok wore a subtle smile. With this performance, Liza was imprinted on the minds of fans and various gladiatorial officials. It was thought that team emblem products with her would sell in countless numbers, and she would be a great threat to the opposing team in the tournament leading to this World League.

“Okay. Shall we go then?”

Beomseok launched a spear strike at Gladiator Number 2. Because it contained intense rotational force, her one-handed sword, which was blocking the spearhead, was greatly bounced away. Then, Beomseok’s spear shaft, swung in reverse, dug between Gladiator Number 2’s legs and struck the ankle area.

“Ah!”

Gladiator Number 2 let out a short scream and staggered. Gladiator Number 4, who was next to her, came to support and blocked Beomseok, so she was safe, but it was a dizzying moment.

Having quickly regained her balance, she helped Gladiator Number 4 fight Beomseok while looking at the main camp with a worried expression. Whatever happened to them, they were blocking him well, but the other colleagues were not.

They were crumbling at a rapid pace under the Gods Knights gladiators’ relentless offensive.

‘There are only six left in the main camp now. At this rate, we’ll lose.’

However, there was nothing she could do. If they gave up on Beomseok, the Flying Ogres’ camp would instantly turn into an undefended land. But if they didn’t go, the leader, Gladiator Number 1, would be in danger. There was no way six colleagues could stand against 11 Gods Knights gladiators.

She secretly said to Gladiator Number 4 through the microphone.

“We’re going back. The captain is in too much danger.”

“Are you sure it’s okay?”

“There’s no choice. Six people can’t form a proper battle formation.”

“I guess so.”

Gladiator Number 4, who agreed with that, slowly backed away with her back turned to the main camp. If six people formed a battle formation, the leader would inevitably be exposed to the outside. In that case, they could be defeated by a concentrated offensive, so they needed to fill in the exposed areas.

‘Hoo. They’re going to leave me and go back. Look at these impertinent kids?’

Beomseok, with a faint smile, called Liza through communications. The main camp was in an extremely advantageous situation now, so it was okay for one person to leave. She hadn’t adapted to the position very well, so it would be good for her to come and help him. If she stayed and it was revealed that she wasn’t properly performing the role of a mid-level player, all her efforts so far would be in vain.

Soon, Liza broke away from the group and rushed towards the back of Gladiator Number 2. If she had throwing knives left, she could have caught her with a throwing attack right away, but unfortunately, they were all used up.

“One person is going that way! Be careful!”

Gladiator Number 4, who recognized Liza’s attack from the shout of a colleague in the main camp, stuck close to Gladiator Number 2’s back and raised her shield high.

Clang. Bang.

Sparks, reddened by the spectacle of weapons clashing in the air, flew in all directions. The Flying Ogres’ markers tried their best to withstand Liza and Beomseok’s simultaneous attacks, but they gradually fell into a disadvantage and eventually reached a point where they could not move their bodies properly.

Gladiator Number 4, who barely blocked Liza’s sword strike with her shield, extended her sword in a short and concise attack. It was a feint attack to prevent approach rather than being threatening. However, Liza charged in without backing down at all, grabbed Gladiator Number 4’s forearm, and threw her down.

“Kyaaaa!”

Gladiator Number 4 fell to the ground, raising dust. Gladiator Number 2, who saw this, hurriedly tried to help, but Beomseok stretched out the tip of his spear and blocked her path. In the meantime, Liza struck Gladiator Number 4’s waist with her sword, incapacitating her, and then greatly rotated her body and delivered a powerful kick to Gladiator Number 2’s shield. And Beomseok immediately slashed the back of Gladiator Number 2, who was staggering from the great impact, with the tip of his spear.

“Huhu. It’s as good as over. Now the other main camp is almost annihilated.”

Beomseok looked at Gladiator Number 2, who was lying on the floor and stiffening, and the Flying Ogres team’s main camp, which was being swept away by the Gods Knights gladiators, and wore a triumphant smile. If the game had progressed this far, there could be no chance of a reversal. All that was left was to wait for victory.

“Liza. Let’s go finish the game.”

“Yes. Senior.”

While they were heading to the battleground between the main camps, the game ended. Rapine’s twin swords struck the face of the leader, Gladiator Number 1. Beomseok heard the signal announcing the end of the game and the cheers of the audience, and then moved his steps back towards the dugout.

In a wide and dim room, a man was floating a communication screen in the air and talking to an old man leaning his chin on a cane. His expression was full of animosity, and if there was anyone watching, they would have been overwhelmed by his momentum and unable to lift their faces. But the old man on the other side of the screen was responding to him with even a calm smile.

“Yes. Chairman Lucas. What brings you to contact me?”

Lucas, with sharp eyes, said, gently exuding anger.

“Honorary Chairman Meyer. I’ve been thoroughly beaten this time.”

“Huhu. What are you talking about?”

“About the Leppard Project. We were trying to help the chairman with all our heart, but I can’t tolerate being backstabbed like this.”

Meyer scratched his wrinkled face slightly and said.

“Do you also think I joined hands to trick the Black Society?”

“Then you’re not! I’m not a fool.”

“Huhu. If you’re not a fool, then you must be a moron.”

Lucas, who was insulted by the words, blushed red.

“Are you kidding me right now!”

“I’m not kidding. I’m just saying what I felt. I can’t say, but I think there’s a black hand lurking in this matter that you don’t know about. I didn’t know at all until I received encouragement calls from several elders of the economic organization.”

“Huh. You’re not trying to say that the information I heard is false, are you?”

Meyer, with deep wrinkles on his forehead, let out a long sigh.

“No. I don’t know who you heard it from, but the information you mentioned is true. To be exact, I have no choice but to say it’s true.”

Lucas raised an eyebrow at the strange nuance.

“What does that mean?”

“I can’t tell you that. I’m an economic organization and you’re the Black Society. The only thing I can tell you is that I will soon hand over all management rights to my son and then go into seclusion. No matter how I look at it, I think I’m old now. I’m afraid of the young.”

“A young one?”

“A very scary guy. He made me unable to move with his snake-like tongue, and he made you a fool. And decisively, he quelled the discord within the economic organization that the Black Society was trying to cause through me.”

Lucas realized that he was referring to Beomseok. It was something that came out immediately when combining the information he heard through Theresa and the current conversation.

But he couldn’t admit the latter. Although it was true, admitting it would mean crossing an irreversible river with Meyer. As a result of talking to him so far, he could fully understand that he had also been tricked by Beomseok.

“Ah. No. We never intended to cause discord in the economic organization through the chairman. That’s ridiculous.”

“Huhu. You. Do you think I’m a fool? Do you think I don’t know that Theresa reported the Leppard Project to the members of the economic organization? And how would you know so much about something I only found out a little while ago? Our economic organization members aren’t that talkative. Clearly, the spy in the Youth Business Association that that young man mentioned is Theresa, and that child blabbered about it.”

Lucas waved his hands wildly. If Theresa’s identity was revealed, he couldn’t expect high-level information from the economic organization.

“No. Wasn’t it Honorary Chairman Meyer’s intention to bring in Theresa?”

“That’s right. One of my close aides recommended that child to me. So I’m going to cut off that aide right away. He must be a spy for the Black Society.”

“Chairman! Don’t say such ridiculous things!”

Meyer smiled bitterly and said.

“Hehehe. Don’t worry. I won’t say a word about Theresa. She’s Angela’s daughter, so if I recklessly blabbered without evidence, I’d only be mistaken for a senile old man.”

Lucas was so relieved that he almost said thank you. This protected his daughter and a high-level informant.

“Phew~ It’s just an unfortunate misunderstanding. We didn’t do any tricks to Honorary Chairman Meyer.”

“Huhu. Well, I’ll pretend to believe that. Anyway, you’ve been through a lot. You messed with the wrong guy and ended up in that state.”

Lucas gritted his teeth. Just thinking about Beomseok made his blood pressure rise.

“He’s just a young punk. As soon as this fight with the economic organization is over, if our Black Society shows him a bitter taste, he’ll immediately lower his tail.”

“You. You still don’t understand the situation. The guy the Black Society should hit right now is that guy. That guy is moving our economic organization from behind and attacking the Black Society. And as long as that guy is there, the Black Society can never beat our economic organization.”

“W-What does that mean?”

“If you don’t know what it means, there’s nothing I can do. That’s all I can teach you. Then, I don’t know if we’ll see each other again in the future, but I’ll cut it off here. Then, take care.”

After saying that, Meyer disappeared from the screen mercilessly. Lucas tried to call again to resolve his current questions, but only the ringing tone was heard and no connection was made. And after a while, Lucas realized that he would never see him again, gave up, and leaned back in his chair.

‘What exactly was Honorary Chairman Meyer trying to say? Is the economic organization really being moved by that Beomseok?’

He shook his head. What kind of organization is the economic organization that it can be played by a mere punk? He thought Meyer might have misunderstood something.

But on the one hand, there was something suspicious. As a result of talking to him so far, he felt that the information Theresa brought was wrong. If Meyer really didn’t join hands with Beomseok, it meant that their plan to create discord in the economic organization was blocked by him.

‘The fact that what that guy said is recognized as the truth means that the current economic organization is at least maintaining a relationship of trust with him. And according to Theresa, Filer, the successor of Vermillion Chairman, went to Beomseok and apologized for the Leppard Project. But there’s no way that proud and rude Filer would do such a thing. Just because he’s sorry? That doesn’t make sense. Either he desperately needed that guy’s power, or he was in a position to be mindful of him.’

At this point, he could roughly guess the relationship between Beomseok and the economic organization. Since there was no way Filer would go to apologize, it was clear that he was trying to use his power to strike Meyer, a competitor within the organization. That means that Beomseok is at least exerting some influence on the economic organization.

‘So, that guy is not just a link between the economic organization and the members of Vice Chairman Lewis’s fraternity? Come to think of it, according to Theresa, that stupid woman Angela also maintains a close relationship with Beomseok. And that guy exerted considerable influence during the Vermillion acquisition case as well.’

In an instant, Lucas’s mind raced. He was recalling what Beomseok had done in the meantime. The clash with LHN. The Rainbow Group acquisition case. And even the recent Leppard Project… In particular, the LHN and Rainbow Group acquisition cases were cases that Beomseok solved alone without the help of the economic organization or others.

‘Something’s definitely wrong. That guy kept playing with us. Whatever incident broke out, that guy always took the lead and made me difficult.’

Lucas suddenly suspected that Beomseok had a great information organization that he was not aware of. Until now, he thought he was getting help from other large organizations, but it was repeated so many times that he couldn’t help but be suspicious.

He immediately contacted Theresa. She was the one in charge of monitoring Beomseok.

After a while, Theresa’s appearance was reflected on the screen. Lying on the bed with a disheveled face, she was making a bewildered expression.

“Father. What’s going on at this hour?”

“Sorry to wake you up while you’re sleeping. I contacted you because there’s something very important I want to ask you.”

Theresa got up from the bed, turned on the light in the room, and sat down on the chair next to the desk.

“Ah, yes. Please tell me.”

“You’ve been in charge of monitoring that Beomseok lately, right?”

Theresa nodded. The connection between Beomseok and the economic organization was very threatening to the Black Society, so she was in charge of everything about Beomseok. Theresa was a member of the economic organization and the daughter of Angela, who had some friendship with Beomseok, so she could easily obtain information about this.

“Yes. That’s right. A while ago, you entrusted me with all the information data about him and all the work related to understanding the situation.”

“Okay. So, I’m asking, have you ever seen him closely contacting anyone?”

“Well, it doesn’t seem like there’s anything like that. But why are you asking that?”

Lucas, who let out a groan, cast a serious gaze at her.

============================ Work Afterword ============================

It feels like just the other day was the first day of the new year, but it’s already the middle of June. When I was young, I complained that time really didn’t go by, but now I’m sad that time goes by so fast. Sigh. If this goes on, autumn will pass and winter will come again. It’s next year again. Sigh. I really need to spend the remaining half of this year meaningfully.

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