Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 459

‘Whew~ This is no joke. One wrong move and I’m finished.’

Bumseok felt a chill run down his spine from Prisika and Rakami’s combined assault. Seeing their fierce attack, he knew this wouldn’t be easy.

Encouraged, Prisika brandished her sword even more aggressively, driving him back.

“Bumseok, where did all your confidence go? You look as pathetic as a whipped puppy.”

It was an insult that could make anyone’s blood boil, but Bumseok remained silent, merely parrying her sword. In fact, he even wore a relaxed smile. He was carefully registering Prisika’s words, ready to repay them a hundredfold soon.

“Hehe, keep running your mouth. You’ll regret it later.”

“Still all talk. You should say that after you beat us.”

“Well, I suppose you have a point.”

Bumseok dodged her sword and deflected the tip of Rakami’s blade with his staff. Then, widening his stance, he scraped the ground with the crescent blade [a curved blade attached to the staff]. A cloud of dust rose as the rapidly spinning blade deflected off Prisika’s sword and flew towards Rakami’s face, who was about to attack.

“Sister! Watch out!”

Rakami, startled by Prisika’s shout, barely managed to raise her sword to block the blue energy emanating from the blade. If she had swung her sword at Bumseok, she would have been hit. Her face showed clear tension as she stumbled backward.

Approaching Prisika slowly, Rakami quietly murmured.

“Bumseok, you’re no ordinary gladiator. There was a reason I was so easily defeated before.”

“That’s right. Unlike Zakid or Amelie, Bumseok’s attack style is very skilled and unpredictable. If you go in carelessly, thinking it’s like usual, you’ll be caught off guard in an instant. It’s best to be fully defensive first and then attack when you have an opening.”

“Hmm, it seems so.”

Rakami moved closer to Prisika and held her sword at the ready, intending to focus on defense. Since Prisika seemed to have studied Bumseok more than she had, she thought it best to leave the attacking to her.

‘Tch. This is going to be tricky. I need to take out Rakami first, but she’s staying back……’

Bumseok clicked his tongue. The first step to making a move on Prisika was to eliminate Rakami. But now, she was focused on defense and wouldn’t budge. It was more difficult to take out Rakami, who was defending, than Prisika, who was attacking. It was quite troublesome.

Moreover, he didn’t have time to spare. In the main battle, Avend was being pushed back by Kelot.

Bumseok was holding them off, giving them a numerical advantage, but the individual skills of his team members were generally lower, so it wasn’t very effective. If even one of them fell here, the tide would turn rapidly.

The match would end quickly. He had to finish things with Prisika as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Prisika, having observed the battle in the main camp, smiled faintly.

“Hehe. The Gods Knights have improved quite a bit. Even though they have a numerical advantage, they’re holding out against Kelot’s team, a combined force of Ancient Warriors and Menex Odins [elite warrior groups]. And that’s with some key gladiators missing due to being drafted by other teams.”

“They’re all promising players, so they’re bound to improve every day. If they grow steadily for just two or three years, they’ll all gain fame in the gladiator world.”

“Yes, I suppose so. It seems like the Gods Knights will dominate the gladiator world in the future. That’s my prediction.”

Bumseok lowered his staff horizontally to his waist. It was nice to hear, but he didn’t have time to chat with her now.

“Hehe. You have time to say such useless things; you’re quite relaxed.”

“Did it seem that way? How rude of me. To be so relaxed in front of the strongest gladiator in the world, I’m truly ashamed.”

She said that, but her face was filled with mockery. No matter how strong Bumseok was, they could handle him if the two of them worked together. Fighting against multiple opponents was extremely difficult.

“Alright. Let’s start again from here.”

Bumseok kicked off the ground with all his might and brought his staff down on Prisika’s forehead. Feeling the vibration of the sword through his arm with a loud bang, she gave a tense smile. She realized that his physical abilities had improved even more in the past year. It seemed difficult to face him alone now.

‘Bumseok is amazing. Such skill with the sword and such strength, he truly deserves to be called the strongest. Now, even Zakid and Amelie would have to concede to him.’

Prisika now placed him above Zakid and Amelie. Bumseok had shown superior skill in his fights against them last season, and now that she was fighting him herself, she found him more challenging than anyone else.

If he continued to grow at this rate, an unprecedented event in the history of the gladiator world might occur: the birth of an S0-class gladiator, something no one had ever achieved.

‘I’m so lucky to be born in this era. I can make a name for myself in the strongest era ever. But I can’t stop here. I have to gain the skills to compete with them somehow. Otherwise, I’ll just be another gladiator in history.’

Prisika was now enjoying the current situation. Before, she would have resented Bumseok, Zakid, and Amelie for taking away her title as the strongest, but now it was different.

She would soon have an owner, so she could return to being a gladiator. The fact that she could compete for the title of the strongest against such skilled opponents, though nearly impossible, was very encouraging to her.

Prisika soon extended her sword with a bold motion, attacking Bumseok.

“Hiyah!”

Bumseok ducked under Prisika’s long, sweeping sword and immediately kicked Rakami’s leg with his staff. However, she was always ready for an attack, so she stepped back slightly and stood next to Prisika. Rakami still intended to focus on defense.

At that moment, Bumseok heard a woman’s scream from his earpiece. He wanted to turn around to see what was happening, but Prisika and Rakami were attacking him with continuous sword strikes, making it impossible.

He was too busy to even breathe, but he roughly understood the situation. He recognized the voice he always heard, so he knew that the one who had just screamed was Oscar.

‘Tch. As expected, Oscar isn’t good enough as the starting vanguard in such an important match……. Shyla’s absence is too great.’

Oscar is currently a W2-class gladiator. She is strong, but not enough against Kelot’s team. Moreover, she mainly uses a greatsword, which is useful for breaking through but easily vulnerable to quick tactics.

Naturally, Bumseok felt Shyla’s absence, who had gone to Irat, too keenly. If she were here, Coach Clark wouldn’t have put Oscar in the vanguard.

But now was not the time to waste time on regrets. With one down, the Avend team’s main camp would collapse rapidly. If he didn’t make a move soon, his plan to win over Prisika would be ruined.

‘Is the only option to sacrifice a limb to save the body?’

It was a bit drastic, but it was the only way to win quickly. If the main camp collapsed like this, the first round would be a guaranteed loss, making the future schedule troublesome.

He had to finish things with Prisika quickly and go help the main camp, no matter what. Bumseok’s eyes flashed sharply as he quickly stepped back, held the staff in his right hand, and drew the katana [a Japanese sword] from his waist with his left.

“Alright. I’m going to get serious now, so be prepared.”

Prisika chuckled as she watched the sword and staff spinning in his hands.

“Hahaha. Dual wielding? Do you really think you can beat us easily by holding two weapons at once? If that were possible, the strongest gladiator in the world would be a dual wielder. You know very well that using two weapons has the advantage of being able to attack and defend simultaneously, but it also has the disadvantage of dividing strength and focus, right?”

“Hehe. Of course, I know. But there’s nothing better to defeat you, so why wouldn’t I use it?”

At those words, Prisika glanced at Rakami, telling her to be careful. She instinctively felt that there was something behind his confident words. If they took Bumseok lightly, they could be in trouble.

But she couldn’t show any signs of being intimidated, so she shouted loudly.

“This is going to be interesting. Come on, then.”

“If you insist.”

With those words, Bumseok transferred strength to the hands holding the staff and sword. He took a deep breath and quickly dashed towards them. Following several collisions, his sword aimed for Prisika’s waist.

With a clear sound, the sword was blocked and bounced back. He spun the staff and sent the crescent blade towards her face.

“That won’t work!”

Prisika leaned back to avoid Bumseok’s attack and swung her sword fiercely towards his waist. At the same time, Rakami charged in with a fierce momentum, stabbing the tip of her sword towards his face.

Staff. Sword.

Now, Prisika and Rakami were on either side of Bumseok, alternating attacks. He frowned as he engaged in a power struggle that sent sparks flying. No matter how much his physical abilities had improved, he couldn’t handle the strength of two S-class gladiators at the same time.

Seeing this, Prisika looked uneasy. Bumseok, who should have known that he was at a disadvantage, was engaging in a power struggle, which was strange. If he wasn’t planning something, he wouldn’t have used such a low-level tactic.

‘Wh-what’s the reason? Even amateur gladiators don’t do such foolish things! He’s definitely planning something!’

In the meantime, Prisika and Rakami’s swords were almost touching his body. If they pushed a little harder and scratched his suit, Bumseok would be incapacitated.

‘Co-could it be that he’s sacrificing flesh to take a bone [a strategy of sacrificing a small part to gain a larger advantage]?’

That was the only thing that came to mind. At such close range, their swords were touching, so giving up even a small part would easily defeat one of them.

Pale-faced, she shouted at Rakami. She mistakenly thought she was the target. If he was going to aim for a bone at the same price, it was better to aim for an important part, and that target would have to be her, who was more skilled.

“Rakami! Bumseok is targeting me!”

Sensing a momentary gap in strength, Bumseok twisted his staff to deflect Prisika’s sword and extended it towards Rakami’s chest. It was a very quick surprise attack, but she quickly deflected it with the hilt of her sword.

She had been warned by Prisika, so she was prepared. But that was it. His sword, which had been expected to block Prisika’s incoming sword, pierced towards her waist, leaving her unable to prepare.

Soon, a powerful impact from the sword was heard on Rakami’s waist, and Prisika’s sword was blocked by Bumseok’s lower shoulder.

Thud. Thud.

Rakami, dumbfounded, widened her eyes and knelt down. Confused, Prisika stared blankly at Bumseok, who had one arm hanging limply. She had noticed his strategy, but she never dreamed that Rakami would be the target.

Soon, a question came from her mouth. The deed was done, but she still couldn’t understand the situation.

“Wh-why did you target Rakami instead of me?”

“Huh? Because you were annoying. You were a bit of a nuisance.”

Prisika shook her head wildly. That wasn’t a situation that could be understood with such words.

“What do you mean? Are you saying you sacrificed your right arm from the beginning with the intention of targeting Rakami instead of me?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Why?”

Bumseok moved slightly. He couldn’t hear external words in an incapacitated state, but he needed to get away from Rakami just in case. He raised his sword towards Prisika, who was following him, and said.

“To fight you in peace. I’m going to give you a good scolding today.”

Prisika scoffed in disbelief. How could he do anything to her with only one arm? It didn’t make sense.

“That’s funny. You’re going to scold me in that state? Do you think that makes sense?”

“Yeah. I’m very scary when I’m angry. I can spank a rude elf.”

“Okay, let’s say that’s true. But what exactly is rude about me?”

“You know. The incident where you colluded with Jade to screw me over during the last transfer period. And you’re talking quite grandly today. Anyway, just know that you’re on my bad side.”

Prisika narrowed her eyes.

“Isn’t it right for an elf to try to get an owner? And Bumseok and I are enemies. I think we can exchange such banter.”

Bumseok shook his sword as if to say no. It wasn’t wrong, but he almost suffered a great loss because of it. There had to be a proper reward for this.

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

I went to Kyobo Bookstore in Gwanghwamun today. I needed to read some professional books to write a new book, but the ones I ordered online weren’t very satisfying. I think it was a good idea to go.

It’s better to buy books after seeing the contents. The internet is convenient, but the selection is narrow, so it’s inefficient for buying books.

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