Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 484

“What are you doing! Stop, Prishika! Watch out for the vanguard’s breakthrough! It’s the World League opening match; we have to win at least one game!”

Outside the city center of Igo City in Temoria, cheers erupted from the audience inside the magnificent Colosseum. They were celebrating the victory of the Igo Knights, the local team that had advanced to the World League for the first time. But today’s opponent was Godz Knights, ranked 4th in last year’s season. Even though Beomseok was gone, it would still be difficult to win against this team, especially with the addition of Prishika.

In fact, even a draw would be fortunate.

“Godz Knights are trying to break through! Stop them!”

At the forefront of Godz Knights were Nikita, with Shayla and Oscar on either side. They were armed with tower shields and greatswords, forming a sharp, wedge-like formation. This allowed them to deliver powerful blows with two wings on either side, rather than abandoning their formation to break through.

Currently, Godz Knights were aiming not just to divide the formation through breakthroughs, but to completely collapse it.

Soon, the Igo Knights’ formation was pushed back to the barrier below the stands, directly facing the relentless pressure of Godz Knights. Unable to withstand it any longer, the formation began to crumble. They were completely overwhelmed in terms of brute strength.

“Alright! Here we go!”

Prishika, her red hair flying, swung her sword at the No. 9 gladiator who had been ejected from the formation. The opponent barely managed to block the fierce attack with his shield, but that was all. He was relentlessly pushed back by Prishika’s continuous sword strikes, and then struck squarely on the forehead with a powerful blow, collapsing backward.

At that moment, an arrow grazed past Prishika’s side. She was startled, but soon a faint smile appeared on her lips. The arrow was shot by Tiela, who was positioned away from the main formation, and was relentlessly striking the side of the No. 6 gladiator, causing him to stumble.

Woo! Woo! Woo!

The home fans’ jeers echoed through the stadium, but the Godz Knights gladiators were relentless. They had to win to please their master. Although he was traveling around the world and not present today, he would surely be watching the game from somewhere.

Prishika raised her sword-wielding hand and shouted.

“We must win! Don’t hold back; attack!”

Immediately, she rushed at the No. 16 gladiator who was facing Liza, and with a sharp surprise attack, she mercilessly slashed his back.

In the sky near Acroyal City in the Lambda region, a flying car carrying Beomseok and Theresa was speeding towards Ruwers City in the Geladin region. They still had about 20 more minutes to go.

Beomseok, wrapped in a blanket while hugging Theresa, watched the hologram TV screen and said in an excited tone.

“Hya~ It looks like our team is going to win the opening match…”

Theresa, who was leaning her face on his shoulder, nodded in agreement. She had been a World League team manager for a long time, so she was well-versed in the game. The results of the first two rounds were 2 wins. Now, in the third round, the numerical ratio had widened to 12 to 7. Victory seemed assured.

“Yes, that’s right. No matter how unpredictable the future is, there’s no chance Igo Knights can win here. There’s a big difference in individual strength, and the numerical difference is so large that there’s no solution. They’ll collapse soon.”

“Yes, you’re right. Hahaha. But this is a great start… It seems like our team will gain good momentum with today’s victory.”

“Well, that’s true, but has there ever been a time when Godz Knights didn’t have a good atmosphere? It’s always been good.”

Most of the gladiators belonging to Godz Knights were elves under Beomseok’s command, so they put their full effort into every match. Thanks to this, their stamina was quickly exhausted, so they often had to be given vacations. However, on match day, the gladiators’ enthusiasm was definitely enough to overwhelm the opponent. So, they often won against strong teams, earning them the reputation of being a dark horse team [a team that unexpectedly wins].

“I guess that’s true. Hahaha. Certainly, my team’s atmosphere is good.”

“So, in my opinion, if you just fill in the reserve power, you can really become a historically unprecedented strong team. The team members have high loyalty, and there are many gladiators with outstanding skills, including Beomseok.”

“Hahaha. Thank you for the compliment.”

“But the weakness of the reserve power is holding Godz Knights back right now. You can only operate with 29 resources [gladiators]. Compared to other World League teams, you’re missing at least 11 people.”

Beomseok nodded immediately. If you had to pick a weakness of Godz Knights right now, it was the lack of gladiator power. They had been trying to recruit gladiators every year, but it was still not enough. Of course, if they only focused on the league, they could manage somehow, but if they were to pay attention to the GA Cup and the League Cup, reserve resources were essential.

“That’s right. It’s definitely lacking. That’s why we’re traveling around looking for powerhouses, isn’t it?”

“But that’s the problem.”

“Yes? What do you mean…?”

“What I mean is, where does Beomseok have time for this right now? You have a lot of money, so you should quickly buy gladiators who can become immediate power as soon as you go to another World League team.”

Beomseok waved his hand. It was true, but this trip was strictly focused on raising Theresa’s favorability [relationship level].

Of course, there was no time to spend looking for gladiators from other teams. Her current favorability was in the mid-40s. If he spent this month well, he could bring it close to the 90s.

Then, before long, it would reach its peak, so he could use it as a bargaining chip with Chairman Lucas.

And currently, the price of W1-class [top tier] or higher gladiators has become incredibly high. No matter how much money Beomseok has now, he didn’t have the funds to waste in such places. Having lived without much for a long time, it somehow seemed like a waste.

“Well, that’s true, but the price of gladiators is rising so much that I’m a little hesitant. Hahaha.”

“That’s true. But that only applies to gladiators with outstanding skills. Such things happened because top teams such as Chaplin Whisper and Ancient Warriors were recklessly recruiting necessary resources for the championship competition, but the prices below that have not risen significantly. I’m telling you to aim for these people right away. Anyway, they’re reserve resources, so they don’t have to be that good.”

That was true. The sharp rise in the prices of gladiators with top-level skills was largely due to the intense competition among several wealthy teams. As a result, the price increase for W2-class [mid tier] or lower gladiators, who are the focus of mid- to low-level teams, is much less. If Beomseok aimed for them, he could avoid being ripped off.

“Well, that’s a reasonable point. Certainly, the price of potential candidates is lower. But I can’t help it because of my desire to win. After all, the most necessary power for winning is top-level power. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“I guess that’s true too.”

Theresa readily admitted. The biggest obstacle to Godz Knights’ championship run was the lack of a squad, but in general, the factor that has the greatest impact on the championship decision is how much top-level power you have.

If that weren’t the case, teams aiming for the championship wouldn’t have to pay a high price to recruit outstanding gladiators, and the current abnormal price increase phenomenon wouldn’t have occurred.

– Woo! Woo! Woo!

As the fans’ jeers were heard, Beomseok turned his gaze to the TV screen. The game had just ended, and a scene was captured of the Godz Knights gladiators greatly rejoicing and cheering. Realizing that they had won the opening match, Beomseok smiled brightly.

“Hahaha. It seems we won.”

“Yes, that’s right. Congratulations on your first win of the season.”

“(Not at all. It’s only natural. Anyway, thank you.”

Theresa chuckled at his jest, but her expression stiffened for a moment. Congratulating him on the victory felt natural, but the words came out too easily. Just a moment ago, she had pointed out Godz Knights’ weaknesses and suggested solutions, which she didn’t necessarily need to mention.

‘No. Why do I keep doing this? Why am I worrying about Godz Knights…’

However, her thoughts were cut short. The flying car she was in suddenly braked hard, stopping mid-journey. She was thrown against Beomseok, tumbling around and initially mistaking it for a car crash.

“Oh, what happened?”

Beomseok also looked around, disoriented. However, there was no sign of an accident. The vehicle was simply stopped in mid-air, with no indication of a crash or malfunction.

Just then, a vehicle announcement chimed in.

– I’m sorry, Master. An unidentified movement has been detected ahead, so the car’s progress has been urgently halted.

Beomseok tilted his head. In the modern transportation system controlled by advanced artificial intelligence, a sudden unidentified movement was hard to believe. Still, there were exceptions, so he inquired, “What is it? A balloon? Or a plastic bag?”

– Neither. As far as I can tell, it seems to be a human.

“What? A human? In this sky?”

Beomseok looked around again, but he couldn’t see anything. Well, there was something – a patrol car speeding past with a loud siren. Police cars were under the control of the traffic control system, so they couldn’t be considered unidentified objects.

“What? There’s nothing there?”

– That’s because it appears and disappears quickly. There’s footage on the black box; would you like to see it?

“Yeah, show it to me.”

– Yes. Please look at the TV screen now. I will play the video.

Soon, an image of a figure wearing a suit with orange and blue colors flashed across the TV screen. With this, Beomseok could roughly understand the identity of the unidentified object. It was a human or elf wearing a mobile full-body suit.

“What? That’s a mobile full-body suit, isn’t it?”

– According to the trademark on the suit, it seems to be a product of Tern Corporation.

In an instant, something flashed through Beomseok’s mind. Tern Corporation. It was a name he had heard before. Although it wasn’t very well-known, he had used a product from that company once. Only once, though.

‘The shape and color are the same as mine. What a coincidence?’

Beomseok had used that suit when infiltrating the LHN Financial Group headquarters building. At that time, he wore the same suit as that guy to help Gloria and went to Chairman Valbar to steal 3 krangs [a unit of currency].

“Huh. You see all sorts of strange things. But who is it?”

– It seems to be a criminal. The central traffic control system just inquired and informed me of his identity. He is said to be a petty thief operating in the nearby Acroyal City. He is currently being chased by the police.

“Huhu. A petty thief. No wonder a patrol car was passing by.”

– By the way, after searching local information, it seems that he is quite famous in Acroyal City.

Beomseok tilted his head. How famous could a petty thief be?

“Really? Why?”

– It seems to be because his pattern is different from ordinary thieves. He doesn’t rob passersby or ordinary homes, but rather commercial buildings with large stores or the homes of the wealthy. And he often helps people in need with the money and property he steals, and sometimes subdues robbers or thieves at crime scenes and hands them over to the police.

It seems that he was being chased like that this time because he caught a robber and handed him over to the police.

Beomseok grabbed his forehead as if he was dumbfounded. A petty thief being chased by the police catches other criminals and hands them over to the police? The police who are being victimized would be furious. It was fortunate if they didn’t think it was a mockery.

“Kekeke. He’s completely lost his mind. Who is he?”

– I don’t know exactly, but he claims to be Gede.

Beomseok couldn’t laugh at this point. Gede was the playboy whose pockets he had picked at Valbar’s and who had taken all the blame. It wasn’t a big crime, and LHN, conscious of public opinion, had reached an agreement, so he was released soon after, but it was very unexpected that he was active here.

‘He’s gone completely crazy after becoming famous once? Knowing that the police would come looking for him…’

Gede’s desire for fame was at a mentally ill level. So, when the incident that Beomseok had caused became known worldwide, he was a grateful guy who voluntarily confessed falsely and took the blame, even though he had nothing to do with it. However, if he committed this kind of crime, the police would immediately recognize him, so he would be caught soon. With the same suit and the same name, the police would be fools if they didn’t know.

“If he’s Gede, isn’t he the guy who picked Chairman Valbar’s pocket at LHN Financial Group headquarters before? But the police still haven’t caught him?”

– Yes. Because it’s not that Mr. Gede.

“What are you talking about? He said he was Gede, didn’t he?”

– But the time when he started his activities was right after the LHN Financial Group headquarters incident occurred. At that time, Mr. Gede was arrested by the police and detained. In other words, it can be said to be a copycat crime.

Beomseok nodded. If so, it was definitely not Gede. Unless he had the ability to pass through walls, he couldn’t have committed a crime while detained. It definitely seemed like a copycat crime.

‘This is subtly irritating…’

He licked his lips as if he felt uncomfortable. It was because he felt like his brand was being stolen.

Not many people would like someone copying their actions. However, Beomseok had a lot of work to do these past few days. He couldn’t deny that he wanted to catch the guy and mess with him, but now it was the weekend when the opening games were being held, so he had to travel around the world and visit many Central League teams. So, he didn’t have time to catch the guy at the moment.

Without a choice, Beomseok immediately started the flying car and headed to his original destination.

============================ Author’s Afterword ============================

The weather is quite bleak. Everyone, be careful of seasonal colds. I’ll see you again tomorrow.