Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 511

513

The second round was moving into its mid-to-late stages. A significant number of gladiators from both teams had already fallen, leaving only a few still exchanging blows. Bum-seok, still facing Amelia, glanced around.

‘Tch. This is a bit disadvantageous.’

Actually, it was more than a bit. The only God Knights gladiators who had survived the chaotic battle so far were him, Prisika, Nikita, and Agelia, while Chaplin Whisper still had six, including Amelia. If things continued this way, they could be defeated due to being outnumbered.

Bum-seok shouted to everyone,

“Everyone, execute Plan 12!”

Agelia, who had been using her shield to fend off two gladiators, gradually retreated. Then, Bum-seok and the remaining gladiators gathered around her, preparing to execute their hit-and-run strategy. It was better to aim for a draw at this point, and with the hit-and-run, Bum-seok could try for individual takedowns.

Soon after, Agelia, guarded by Bum-seok, Nikita, and Prisika, dropped her shield and sprinted away. Nikita and Prisika, also abandoning their shields, chased after her.

Now he had to face six opponents alone. He jumped back, rotating and swinging his long spear wide to cover as much area as possible. This also created an escape route for himself. He could buy time by using his long reach to keep them from approaching.

“No! It’s the hit-and-run strategy! Catch them!”

Amelia, letting out a resounding scream, began to run in pursuit. Meya, Hiyas, and Madel closely followed, providing support.

‘Tch. I’ve been had!’

Amelia, chasing after Bum-seok, gritted her teeth. Although his speed was decreasing as he checked behind him, she couldn’t get close because the spear tip would relentlessly fly at her if she narrowed the gap. However, she couldn’t abandon him and chase after the other God Knights gladiators, including their leader, Agelia.

If they only chased them, Bum-seok would follow and target their rear. There was nothing more dangerous than having him behind them.

‘Then Avis and Ignes should also join the chase… but that’s impossible!’

However, the leader, Avis, and the guardian gladiator, Ignes, couldn’t run. To chase the hit-and-run, they had to abandon their shields, which would make them very vulnerable to Bum-seok. For them, avoiding defeat was paramount.

Amelia pulled her right shoulder back and threw her transforming sword at his back. The sword flew in a strange curve but was soon deflected by the tip of Bum-seok’s spear as he glanced behind him. The attack failed, but it slowed down Bum-seok’s sprint, allowing Madel to thrust her sword at him with fierce momentum.

Spear. Swish.

Madel’s sword was effortlessly deflected. Afterward, Bum-seok stopped the Chaplin gladiator who was approaching with a spear swing, and then started running again.

Amelia stopped momentarily, partly to pick up her dropped transforming sword, but more so to give up the chase.

On closer inspection, chasing them wouldn’t help Chaplin Whisper at all. The God Knights’ hit-and-run strategy, utilizing Bum-seok, was among the best in the world. Not only could they escape, but they could also launch deadly attacks if given the chance, so the pursuers had to take considerable risks.

In the current 6-on-4 situation, losing even one gladiator would result in similar strength, and losing two would reverse the situation, so she had no choice but to hesitate.

“Everyone, stop! Cease the pursuit!”

Madel stopped at her command. However, the others hesitated, urging her to chase Bum-seok. It was difficult to get such a favorable situation again. They were too disappointed to let this opportunity pass.

“Sister, why? We need to catch them quickly!”

“We could get hurt if we do that! You know that well since you’ve been chasing them, right? Bum-seok is not a gladiator we can easily catch!”

“But, still…”

“Enough. Stop complaining and join Hoomi. Unless it’s a very advantageous situation or we haven’t caught Bum-seok before, we leave the God Knights’ hit-and-run strategy alone.”

Madel seemed to agree and sided with Amelia. She was also a gladiator with an owner, so she could rationally assess the situation.

“Amelia is right. Bum-seok seems to be aiming for individual takedowns. We’ll get badly hurt if we keep chasing him. Then we’ll suffer a defeat, and we’ll have two losses. That will greatly reduce our chances of winning to near despair.”

At those words, the other gladiators reluctantly agreed. They had also felt uneasy while chasing Bum-seok.

“Okay, I understand. Let’s go then.”

Soon, the Chaplin Whisper gladiators, who had joined Hoomi, walked quickly toward the God Knights gladiators, who were leaning against one wall. They had decided to stop the full-scale pursuit, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t look for opportunities. If they were lucky enough to catch up, they could push with numerical superiority.

However, luck was just luck, and they could only anxiously watch the passing seconds. There was no way they could easily catch Bum-seok, who was determined to use the hit-and-run strategy.

“Boo! God Knights! What is that!”

“Damn it! Today’s match is like the finals that determine the championship! What’s with that kind of game management!”

As the end of the match drew near, boos poured out from the home fans. They were furious that the opposing team was using a hit-and-run strategy to aim for a draw in a situation where their team was advantageous. Bum-seok’s response was complete disregard. With the championship on the line, he couldn’t afford to overdo it just because of the boos.

And soon after, the whistle signaling the end of the match echoed through the Colosseum.

– Peeep! Match over! Draw in the second round for both teams!

Bum-seok let out a sigh of relief, took off his helmet, and wiped the sweat from his forehead. This round was really dangerous. Fortunately, they managed to draw through the hit-and-run strategy, but it was a match that they could have lost.

He crossed the arena with his unharmed teammates and headed to the dugout.

“What are you doing! You can hardly win if you get pushed back like that in the beginning!”

Bum-seok was briefly startled by Diana’s shout as he entered the dugout. He mistakenly thought she was yelling at him. He had also been careless at the beginning and was greatly pushed back by Chaplin Whisper’s relentless offensive.

However, the voice was obviously not directed at Bum-seok. She was shouting at the gladiators under her command who had returned after being incapacitated and recovering. He quietly turned around behind Diana and went back to his seat.

Bum-seok, feeling embarrassed, said apologetically,

“Diana, stop it. You must have understood roughly. I feel a bit bad too.”

“But we need to strengthen our mental fortitude. Otherwise, we might lose this match. Chaplin Whisper’s momentum is that strong right now.”

“I know that, but this round couldn’t be helped. I was trying to attack the disorganized enemy formation, but it’s natural to be shaken when they surprise us first. I was also surprised when the opponent acted differently than expected and was momentarily at a loss. The other kids are the same.”

“But, still…”

“Enough. Now that we know that Chaplin Whisper is attacking with a vengeance, we won’t be pushed back like in the second round.”

Diana glared at the gladiators under her command for a moment, then shook her head and sighed. Bum-seok’s words made sense. They naturally thought they would be attacking, but they were put in a defensive position, so they might have been confused.

She said to the gladiators under her command,

“Hmph~ Alright. Then there won’t be anything like the second round from the third round onwards, right?”

“Yes!”

Diana, hearing the resounding answer, approached Bum-seok. She wasn’t completely satisfied, but she couldn’t just waste this short break. She needed to analyze the situation of the second round with him.

“Master, what suddenly happened? As expected…?”

“Hmph~ Of course, as expected. Chairman Chaplin must have made a move.”

“But is that possible? Could Director Vincent be lying and deceiving us?”

“No, that old man is not the type to use such tricks. You’ve been with him for a long time, so you should know that, right?”

Indeed, she had been with Director Vincent for a long time when she was in Dragon Knights. She definitely didn’t think he was that kind of person. However, Diana still didn’t understand and shook her head from side to side.

“Then Chairman Chaplin, no matter how much he likes gladiator matches… would he take such a risk?”

“Yeah, it’s possible. I think the chairman finally noticed it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ah~ there’s something like that. Now is the time to focus on the match, so don’t worry about it.”

Diana nodded. Indeed, the most important thing now was how to play the match.

“Yes, that’s right. By the way, Master, how should we go in the third round? Should we send in the main force again?”

“Of course. Sending in the second string [backup players] against Chaplin Whisper’s current momentum means certain defeat. It’s best to replace only a few kids and send in the main force. But there should be absolutely no replacements for me, Prisika, or Tiela. And we need to be careful about replacing W0-class gladiators [the highest rank]. Got it?”

“Of course. If we take out Master or the top-tier forces, our strength will greatly decrease.”

“And since things have turned out this way, we’ll go with a draw strategy. If we try to win one match and end the game, we’ll get hurt.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Good. Then go and write the list of participants for the third round. There’s not much time.”

Diana, getting up from her seat, hurriedly went to the 감독석 (director’s seat) [Korean term for the director’s seat or coach’s box] to write the list of participants for the third round. Time was tight, but there were no major changes in the main force, and she had already picked out the kids to replace while conducting the second round, so she was able to submit it safely within the time limit.

After that, in the third and fourth rounds, God Knights and Chaplin Whisper only managed to secure meaningless draws amidst fierce attacks and defenses. Although the Chaplin Whisper gladiators were swept up in the desire to gain an owner, the God Knights gladiators were eager to present the championship trophy to their owner.

The sharp conflict between these two consciousnesses. Although they had different meanings, they ultimately connected to the one word, ‘owner,’ so it was not easy to determine superiority.

“Waaaaah! Waah!”

“It’s the last round! You must win! Chaplin Whisper must win!”

“God Knights! If you do well this time, you’ll win the championship! Never back down!”

As the gladiators from both teams entered the arena to perform the final round, fanatical cheers erupted from all directions. There was a desperate desire for the outcome of the match, but the gladiators’ zeal was conveyed to the fans, delivering a different kind of catharsis than before.

Bum-seok, standing in the center of the arena, took rough breaths and looked at the Chaplin Whisper gladiators. Annoyingly, their eyes were still alive even in their exhaustion.

He couldn’t even make eye contact with the kids in normal times, but they were exuding a fierce momentum to rush at him, so he couldn’t help but be intimidated. Bum-seok, who seemed to be having a hard time this round as well, let out a sigh close to lamentation.

“Damn it! I’m so tired! Let’s rest! Rest!”

Contrary to his wishes, as the start time of the match approached, the Chaplin Whisper gladiators triumphantly raised their weapons. Bum-seok, who seemed to be having a hard time again this time, nervously gripped his long spear.

Soon, the ruthless whistle sounded. The Chaplin Whisper gladiators rushed straight toward the God Knights formation without any hesitation.

“Charge! We must beat the God Knights this time!”

Before Amelia’s command was even finished, Chaplin Whisper’s advancing line crashed into the front of the God Knights. The God Knights formation shook with the aftermath of the collision. But they also never backed down. They were also very eager to win.

“Never back down! Attack!”

In the situation where another chaotic battle was taking place, Bum-seok’s opponent was still Amelia. She wielded her transforming twin swords, which reflected the light from the ceiling lights, and pressured Bum-seok.

“I will definitely win this time! Our kids need an owner!”

“You can lose for that reason!”

The trajectories of the long spear and twin swords colliding in the air constantly erupted in deafening metallic sounds. Amelia, who wanted to help her comrades gain an owner, and Bum-seok, who wanted to win the championship at all costs, showed a fierce battle without any retreat, raising the atmosphere.

Amelia, dodging the long spear tip, shouted fiercely and rushed in.

“Don’t say ridiculous things!”

“You’ll know later whether it’s ridiculous or not!”

Bum-seok, wielding his spear fiercely and retreating, vigilantly scanned left and right. He had to be constantly careful because the Chaplin Whisper gladiators, who were engaged in chaotic battles everywhere, were targeting his back. If he was unexpectedly defeated here, the God Knights would immediately lose.

‘Damn it! That sly old man! No matter how good the championship is, can you deceive the gladiators under your command like that!’

Bum-seok recalled Vincent’s old face and internally cursed him with all sorts of insults. The reason why the Chaplin Whisper gladiators were rampaging now was only one: to gain an owner. Then Director Vincent must have said that if they won the championship, he would let them gain an owner, but this was clearly a scam.

He guessed that Chairman Chaplin had already made up his mind to transform the team’s character. Then they would get an owner even if they lost today. But since it was only a possibility, he couldn’t rashly tell them.

Bum-seok, knocking away the outstretched transforming sword with the spear shaft, twisted his body greatly and swung his long spear widely, aiming for Amelia’s thigh.

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

Everyone, have a great day. I’ll see you again tomorrow.