Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 113

The GA Cup 6th round match between Gods Knights and Natural Fairies concluded with Gods Knights securing a 3-0 victory in round scores. However, beneath the surface of this win, Beom-seok experienced some unsettling moments that proved to be quite educational.

The strategy of briefly collapsing the center with a tackle technique reminiscent of American football, followed by the vanguard charging to strike the rear, was particularly noteworthy. Had Beom-seok not eliminated Gladiator 13 early on, Gods Knights would have undoubtedly lost the second round. He found the situation quite intriguing, a refreshing shock. The fact that even a weaker team could overcome a stronger opponent by cleverly exploiting the highly autonomous rules of Gladiator matches was fascinating to him.

That day, Beom-seok spoke with Diana and arranged tackle training for his Gladiators for one hour a week, investing 500,000 Krang [currency unit] in related training equipment. He recognized it as a useful strategy applicable even against strong teams and intended to integrate it into Gods Knights’ repertoire. Although it might seem unnecessary at the moment, he knew a day would come when it would be crucial. The professional world was unpredictable, and learning this tactic was a proactive measure to avoid being caught off guard by it again.

Above the expansive, flat plains, a sleek black flying car sped along. Inside sat Beom-seok himself, impeccably dressed in a suit. He had taken such care with his appearance to attend the founding party of Blue Bird, a newly established team. Although just an amateur team, the presence of many prominent figures made him feel a sense of obligation.

Blue Bird was a Gladiator team being created under an ambitious plan by the Federal Police Agency. Consequently, the attendees included high-ranking police officials, such as the Commissioner of the Federal Police Agency, as well as several notable figures from the region. Vincent, a leading figure in the Avand Gladiator world, Lucas, the current chairman of Black Cats and CEO of Windhouse, and influential local politicians were also present. Looking at the guest list, Beom-seok felt almost embarrassed by his title as Chairman of the Gods Knights team.

“Sigh~ Why are so many important people attending the founding of an amateur Gladiator team? And what kind of trouble is Inspector Lexter mixed up in this time?”

Esther, who had been listening to his grumbling, asked with a puzzled expression, “Why are so many people gathering to celebrate the founding of an amateur Gladiator team?”

“What else? With the Commissioner of the Federal Police Agency attending in person, local politicians and businessmen are eager to make connections. Because of that, the modest founding ceremony has transformed into a social gathering for the Avand region.”

Understanding dawned on Esther, and she smiled faintly. Indeed, with the Commissioner of the Federal Police Agency visiting, it was inevitable that local leaders would be interested. Such a high-ranking figure rarely visited the Avand region, one of the 512 regional governments in the world.

“Oh, I see. Then, Beom-seok, you should try to meet the Commissioner of the Federal Police Agency.”

“No, thanks. I don’t need to. What would I even say? There will definitely be swarms of people trying to get his attention. I’m just going to eat and leave.”

“Why? If you asked Inspector Lexter, he would arrange it for you.”

“That’s exactly why I don’t want to. He’s great, but he has a bit of a vending machine personality.”

“A vending machine personality?”

Beom-seok replied immediately, “Yeah. To get a drink from a vending machine, you have to insert a coin. Lexter’s service is so good that he doesn’t just swallow the coin, but I don’t need him rummaging through my pockets when I’m not even thirsty.”

“Ah~”

Esther, having roughly understood, closed her mouth. She decided there was no need to delve further into the situation.

Meanwhile, the flying car arrived at Blue Bird’s training camp, located on a sports field in Lima City.

– Chairman, we have arrived at our destination.

With a dry, electronic voice, the door of the flying car opened wide. If it were an expensive Aron [flying car brand], it would have announced it in a friendly manner, but Beom-seok much preferred this voice. Aron’s voice had a sly tone that made him uncomfortable.

“Okay, let’s go.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

Esther neatly smoothed out her gray-brown suit and stepped out of the car. As one of the representatives of Gods Knights, she needed to be mindful of her attire.

Today, prominent figures from all walks of life in the Avand region were gathered here. She couldn’t afford to do anything that would tarnish the reputation of the Gods Knights team.

‘Heh heh. Still, Lexter did a good job. As expected of him.’

Considering the event was scaled up in a hurry, it looked quite splendid. Folding tent facilities were lined up around the training field, providing places for people to rest, and many seats were arranged in front so that guests could comfortably watch the event. National flags and banners were hung throughout the training field, further enhancing the atmosphere.

‘Oh, they even prepared a mobile luxury restaurant.’

The mobile luxury restaurant was a high-end flying car, like an Aron, with a kitchen on the second floor to provide food to guests on the first floor. It was often hired for outdoor events, but it was quite expensive. Still, since it wasn’t his money, Beom-seok didn’t mind.

“Esther, let’s go get some food.”

Esther, who had been staring at him, replied immediately, “Shouldn’t we go see Inspector Lexter first?”

“It’s okay. He’s the star of the show today, so he must be busy. He’ll be busy meeting high-ranking police officials and local figures, so there’s no need to bother him. It’s enough to wave if we see him passing by. There’s a saying: even if you’re close friends, you should just shake hands and leave when you go to a wedding.”

Esther’s eyes widened. The word ‘wedding’ felt so unfamiliar to her.

“A wedding, is that when an old-fashioned man and woman…?”

Beom-seok, realizing his mistake, made an awkward expression. Because there was no concept of marriage between men and women in this game, there was no way she would understand even if he explained it.

“Ah, it’s just an expression. It means that when someone is busy, it’s polite to not intrude, no matter how close you are. Just say hello if you happen to meet them, or call them tomorrow to ask how they’re doing. That’s all.”

“Hmm. I see. Okay, let’s go eat then.”

Esther nodded and immediately followed Beom-seok towards the mobile restaurant. As they reached the car door, a waiter who was coming out to greet guests approached them.

“Have you come for a meal?”

“Yes, we have.”

“Then please come inside. I will show you to your seats.”

As they entered, guided by the waiter, a somewhat familiar interior came into view. It seemed to be the same ARON101 model, just a different year, similar to the Aron he often rode in. Feeling uneasy because of this, Beom-seok walked to the table the waiter was guiding him to with a sense of unease.

At that moment, an old gentleman called out to him from afar, “Beom-seok, over here!”

Turning his head at the familiar voice, Beom-seok smiled brightly. It was none other than Director Vincent. Of course, he had heard that Vincent was invited through Lexter, but he hadn’t expected to meet him so coincidentally in this vast training camp.

“Ah! Director Vincent. It’s good to see you.”

Then Wade, who was next to him, approached politely and asked, “Are you with the same party?” He knew guests could arrive at any time, and it was better to seat companions together. There were many guests today, but only five mobile restaurant flying cars had been prepared.

“Yes, we are.”

“Then would you like to join him?”

Beom-seok looked at Vincent and nodded. The director was sitting alone, pathetically sipping cold water. They weren’t complete strangers, and he couldn’t just leave him sitting alone.

“Sure, why not.”

Guided by the waiter, Beom-seok sat in the seat in front of Director Vincent and casually asked how he was doing.

“So, how are the league matches going?”

“Well, thanks to Lafine and Oscar, whom you lent me, I barely avoided being in a very difficult situation.”

It wasn’t just an empty compliment. With their addition, the vanguard line had stabilized to some extent, and they were even able to run a free roll [flexible strategy], so they had been racking up wins lately. As a result, Dragon Knights was currently in 16th place in the league standings with 2 wins, 1 draw, and 6 losses. They were only 2 points ahead of the 18th-place team, which was in the relegation zone, but they felt quite comfortable, perhaps because they had recently achieved 2 wins.

“That’s great. Dragon Knights needs to do well and stay in the Central League. That’s how the Avand professional Gladiator world becomes more stable, isn’t it?”

Vincent smiled awkwardly and nodded. Certainly, as he said, the Avand Gladiator world was better off if Dragon Knights remained in the Central League. In the meantime, Avand had no Central League team, so it was being ignored by the Federal Gladiator Association.

“That’s right. Then how about lending me Lafine and Oscar again next year? For the sake of the Avand professional Gladiator world.”

Beom-seok immediately cut him off. “Of course not. Our team needs to advance to the Wide League next season.”

“Why are you in such a hurry when you’re just starting out? You can just come up slowly. Our Dragon Knights wasted four years to get to the Wide League.”

“Well, the circumstances are different. We have the ability now. If we bring in a few more useful guys to the current squad, we can definitely aim for it.”

Vincent, who had been smacking his lips, nodded without hesitation. The skills of the Gods Knights’ Gladiators had a high standard deviation, but very exceptional Gladiators such as Beom-seok and Lafine more than made up for it. In addition, the guys with lower skills had very high growth potential, so they would become quite skilled players after experiencing this year’s and next year’s professional leagues.

If they filled in the missing personnel, they would have the ability to challenge the Wide League.

“Well, that’s true, but it’s not good to rush too much. What if you force your way into the Wide League and then get relegated again that year? How are you going to handle the aftermath? It’s not bad to build up your strength and then go up.”

“Ah, Director, why are you being like this? There’s no way I can’t do what you’ve done, right?”

“What I’ve done? I clearly said a little while ago that it took me four years to get to the Wide League.”

“Of course, but we are not a corporation.”

Vincent was momentarily speechless. That was absolutely true. Ordinary professional teams, whether they were at risk of relegation or did not show any ambition to advance to the upper league, were distributing about 30 to 40 percent of their annual net income to shareholders as dividends. But Gods Knights was a privately owned team, so there was no waste of such unnecessary funds. As such, they could pour more money into recruiting Gladiators, so they could quickly increase their strength.

“That’s right. Gods Knights is definitely in a completely different situation than us. I’m kind of envious.”

“Hahaha. Well, thanks to that, we had a bit of a financial strain in the beginning.”

At the witty answer, Vincent smiled comfortably and looked out the window. Then, looking directly at Beom-seok as if he had something to say, he opened his mouth.

“Ah, now that I think about it, I have something important to tell you.”

“Something to tell me? Yes, please tell me.”

“Actually, I recommended you as the representative Gladiator of the Avand region this time.”

As if he was about to drink water, Beom-seok put the glass back on the table and stared at Vincent.

The Avand representative Gladiator was a Gladiator who had the name of Avand engraved on his chest and went to regional government competitions such as the World Cup. It was a great honor in life for those who walked the path of a professional Gladiator.

The problem was that there was absolutely nothing good about him jumping into the national team. There was the benefit of building fame and increasing his value, but as you know, he had no intention of playing for any professional team other than Gods Knights, and he was not receiving a salary. There was no need to build fame and attract attention from famous league professional teams. In other words, it would only get him caught up in unnecessary trouble.

In that case, it would be better to relax with the elves or perform other physical training programs.

“Hmm. Why did you recommend me even though I didn’t ask you to?”

“First of all, because you have the skills.”

“If you say ‘first of all,’ does that mean you have other intentions?”

Vincent rolled his eyes and made a troubled expression.

“It’s not that there’s nothing at all, but it’s difficult to say it’s a personal greed.”

Beom-seok examined him carefully and then nodded as if he understood.

“You’re trying to reduce the dispatch of your team’s Gladiators to the national team as much as possible.”

Director Vincent immediately admitted it. Now that he had put it so bluntly, he couldn’t deny it.

In fact, the members of the national team were composed of the most skilled Gladiators in the regional government. There was no way to select those who would participate in the World Cup by drawing lots.

However, most of those selected as national team Gladiators belonged to the Dragon Knights, who were active in the Central League. As a manager whose team had just been promoted this year and was hovering at the bottom of the league, he couldn’t help but feel burdened. Therefore, it was only natural that he wanted to reduce the number of Gladiators dispatched to the national team as much as possible, and he recommended Beom-seok, who possessed outstanding skills, as a means to that end.

============================ Author’s Note ============================

I’m a bit late. I arrived a bit late because there were no train tickets. It was a short time, but I still had a good time. I slept in a comfortable place and ate a lot of delicious food. And I went to the beach and took a cruise. However, the problem is that I relaxed too much and I’m a bit tired. Hahaha.

Then, everyone, have a good day. I’ll see you again tomorrow. ^^/ Episode 115

“Well, I won’t deny it. It’s beneficial for me if you, who belong to another team, participate as a representative Gladiator.”

“But, even if a Gladiator from your team becomes a representative, they can still play in the league matches, can’t they?”

His words were not wrong at all. Considering that most of the representative Gladiators were from teams playing in the top league within the regional government, regional government matches such as the World Cup could not be held during the season. If that were the case, the teams with a large number of representative Gladiators would have to carry out the league in a state that was almost like a no-man’s-land, and they would inevitably fall into great difficulties. Therefore, national matches were held during the vacation season in the middle of winter and summer. Looking at this, there was no problem at all even if the affiliated Gladiators were selected.

However, even elves with outstanding physical abilities had their limits. They needed to rest their tired bodies after a long period of league play, but if they were selected as representative Gladiators and played games until the vacation season, their physical fatigue would reach its peak. Therefore, Vincent wanted to reduce the number of affiliated Gladiators he had to send to the national team as much as possible.

“You’re a professional now, so you should know the importance of the vacation season.”

“Of course, I know. But isn’t it the same for other Central League teams? After all, there’s a high probability that Gladiators from their teams will also play as regional representatives.”

“That’s true, but that’s not how I feel as a manager. Especially when I have to run the team in danger of relegation.”

If he said that, Beom-seok had nothing to say. The desire to compete from a more advantageous position than other teams was something that every manager of a professional team had. That’s why they invested a lot of money to recruit outstanding Gladiators.

“Well, I guess so, but why are you dragging me into this?”

“What can I do? You’re the only one who’s good enough to be brought into the national team. I recommended you considering my situation, but I can’t ruin the national team, can I?”

Beom-seok scratched his head and let out a long sigh. It wasn’t something he couldn’t do, but he was a little annoyed to do it.

“Sigh~ Oh, come on, Director. You have to consider my situation too. I need to rest during the vacation season for my team.”

“Don’t think so negatively. It can be very helpful to you.”

“Helpful? How?”

“What else? If you perform well in the national team and build a reputation, won’t fans flock to the league games? I recommended Rapine and Oscar together, so the three of you can attract quite a crowd.”

Beom-seok was interested in that point. Recently, season ticket sales had been sluggish, and team revenue had plummeted.

“Really?”

“Of course. Some fans are just as devoted to a Gladiator as they are to their affiliated team. That’s why some famous representative team elves catch the eye of wealthy fans and get owners early on. And since we’re on the subject, there was a modified human male Gladiator who used to play in the same league as me who had an unusual fetish. He liked human women rather than elves. He said he didn’t like elves because they were too submissive. Anyway, that guy was also a regional representative Gladiator, and he was fooling around with quite a few human women.”

Beom-seok couldn’t help but be very interested in that point. He knew through Esther that female fans were showing interest in male Gladiators they supported, but it felt real when he gave a direct example.

“R, really?”

“Of course. Besides, he didn’t even try very hard. Even if he just stayed still, the female fans who liked him would spread their legs whenever the time came. To get his child. I guess there are at least thousands of his descendants around the world.”

Beom-seok stared at him with squinted eyes. He was suspicious of whether he was trying to deceive him with sweet words. The fact that he liked human women was already a widely known secret.

“Could it be that you knew my taste in advance and made up the story?”

“Well, the fact that I’m saying this to persuade you means that I know your taste. But it’s definitely not a made-up story. If you look up past news articles about him, you’ll find everything. Why would I lie?”

At that time, Esther, who was sitting next to Beom-seok and listening to the story, stood up.

“Um, Chairman. I’m not feeling well, so I’m going for a walk.”

“Why? Dinner will be served soon.”

“Well, I didn’t digest my breakfast well.”

Beom-seok, who was nodding, suddenly made a surprised expression. He had made a big mistake. He had been dealing with elves only, so he had temporarily forgotten that human women were jealous.

In fact, human women hate elves who have taken their place, but they don’t have any particular jealousy. Elves are products created out of necessity. They just recognize them as biological masturbation tools for human men. Well, this difference in perception has caused a big gap between men and women, but it was impossible for a human woman to see an artificially created elf as a person. Therefore, even if a man had several elves, he didn’t care much. It’s like there’s no problem if a man has a few condoms in his house.

However, if a man she likes is interested in another human woman, the story is very different. She was clearly a person equal to herself.

Beom-seok was well aware of this through the game setting information. He hurriedly got up and grabbed Esther’s shoulder as she tried to leave. She had been his enthusiastic fan since the past and was showing a particularly high level of favor among the women he had with him now. There was no specific event, so he hadn’t captured her yet, but she was still far from being jealous. If she was hurt by the conversation with Vincent today and left the team, the loss Beom-seok would suffer would be enormous.

First of all, he had to be extremely careful until he reached a favorability level of 100, which would allow him to accept other women.

“Ah. Esther, sit down for a second. Even though I’m the chairman, you’re the representative of our team as the acting manager. You should make a statement about Director Vincent recommending a Gladiator from his team to the national team.”

Esther hesitated for a moment and then sat down again. She had the title of acting manager, but it was true that she was the team representative. Vincent had arbitrarily recommended Beom-seok, a Gods Knights Gladiator, to the national team for the Dragon Knights team he belonged to, so it was right to express her opinion.

“Y, yes, I guess so. Yes, I understand.”

Esther cast an indifferent gaze at Director Vincent. He seemed a little embarrassed as the direction of the conversation took a strange turn. He couldn’t understand his intention to put Esther forward, both in the case of Lynn’s transfer and this time.

“Beom-seok. First of all, your opinion is important. Why are you trying to drag in acting manager Esther?”

Beom-seok waved his hands wildly and said.

“As I said before, Esther is the representative of our team. Of course, I have to listen to the manager’s opinion.”

“I know that. But the national team issue must be preceded by the Gladiator’s personal decision. The position of the affiliated team is the next issue.”

He answered immediately as if he had been waiting for these words.

“Of course. But are you not very fond of the representative Gladiator?”

Vincent’s eyes widened at the absurd sound. He hadn’t answered for sure, but he had shown a lot of interest in the national team until just now.

“No. Weren’t you determined to become a representative Gladiator? That’s how it seemed to me.”

Beom-seok, who was subtly looking at Esther, first put saliva on his lips [nervous habit].

“Of course, as the chairman who owns the team, I’m interested. If the number of fans increases, Gods Knights’ revenue will naturally increase.”

“But?”

“But the intention seems too impure. Even though I’m interested in human women, I don’t just date anyone. I don’t want to go to the national team to get heterosexual interest.”

Vincent gave him a suspicious look at those words. No matter how he looked at it, he wasn’t the kind of person to do that, but he couldn’t understand why strange sounds kept coming out of his mouth. He had confirmed that his eyes were shining to the point of radiance when he talked about the male modified human with an abnormal sexuality earlier.

However, Vincent was not going to eat his age in vain [waste his experience]. He could tell that there was something going on when he saw Esther’s expression, who had a dark face and said she was sick until just now, brightening up.

“Hmm. I see. I fully understand your intentions. But this is difficult. I’ve already submitted a recommendation to the association… a long time ago. Is there any way you can think differently?”

“Well, I don’t have any special thoughts on what to do. It’s good if I participate in the national team and the team’s revenue increases, and if not, I can calmly take a rest and perform a deficient physical training program from time to time, so that’s not bad either. So I decided to follow the decision of Esther, the representative of our team.”

The baton had now passed to Erda. In response, Vincent looked at her with calm eyes and asked for her intentions.

“Beom-seok’s thoughts are like that. What are your thoughts?”

Esther, who had a pleasant smile, answered.

“Well, the team is not in such a good situation, so I can’t say for sure. I can’t let the chairman, who is the mainstay of the team, be drafted as a representative Gladiator with the risk of relegation [being demoted to a lower league].”

“Really? What’s Gods Knights’ record?”

“We’re currently in 12th place in the league with 3 wins, 2 draws, and 4 losses.”

That meant they were getting 11 points. If they continued to achieve the same results in the future, they would avoid relegation, but if they faltered even a little, they could fall into the abyss.

“In the games where you guys were the main force?”

“3 wins and 1 draw.”

“That’s great. Even with Rapine and Oscar missing this year, you’ll be called invincible next year.”

“It’s the same now. As long as the chairman is on our team, there will never be a defeat.”

Vincent had a puzzled expression at her very confident answer. Gladiator matches were team matches. No matter how great Beom-seok was, he couldn’t decide the outcome of the victory alone. The record of 3 wins and 1 draw that the main force had achieved was also possible because Erica and Erpina, who were experienced and excellent Gladiators, supported them from behind. But there can never be a defeat as long as Beom-seok is there? If he praised him to this extent, it could only be said that he was flattering the chairman.

Vincent soon looked at Beom-seok. He didn’t understand why he had appointed such a fledgling to the very important position of manager. If he had appointed her to wield the team as he pleased, he had to scold her and fix her. Anyway, he was a son-in-law-like existence who had taken away his daughters, Reimi, Oscar, Diana, Erica, and Lynn.

‘Oh, my. Look at this guy.’

Beom-seok was carefully watching Esther’s mood like a husband who had been caught cheating. Looking at this scene alone, it was impossible to think that he was shaking Esther at will.

‘Hehehe. It seems that these two like each other.’

It was clear from the situation so far. He was running wild like a dog excited by the thought of being able to hug human women as much as he wanted, but he suddenly showed reluctance to be drafted into the national team, and Esther, who was about to leave weakly with a dark look, suddenly cheered up and even praised her husband so openly as if she was taking care of him… If not, he would put his hand in soy sauce [a Korean expression meaning he’d bet anything on it].

And no matter how much the team representative was the manager, the chairman was the owner of the team. In the selection of the national team, which also valued the individual Gladiator’s position, there was no reason for Beom-seok, who was the person concerned, to be unable to do anything about her.

Vincent chuckled. If the situation was like this, persuasion was too easy.

“Okay. I understand. Then let’s go back to the national team selection. In my opinion, it seems good to send Beom-seok to the national team no matter how I look at it.”

“Why?”

“Isn’t it obvious? If he plays for the national team and his reputation increases, the team’s reputation will naturally increase. Then he will attract fans, and eventually Beom-seok will make money and become rich. But what if you refuse to shine the name of Avonde just to rest comfortably? The fans will probably get angry and turn their backs. Then the income will naturally decrease and Beom-seok will become a pauper.”

It was an exaggerated expression that was too obvious, but Esther flinched. After listening to it, she knew that rejecting the national team call would be harmful anyway. As the acting manager in charge of the team and as an ardent fan who admired Beom-seok, she couldn’t help but worry.

“T, that’s. Um…”

Vincent immediately cut off her words and said.

“Anyway, if a call comes from the national team, you should send the Gladiator unless there is a special situation. For example, look at our team. All of our main players and some of our candidates are being called by the national team, but I can’t refuse them in particular, can I? Because our professional team lives on the fans of the Avonde region. But your team has only one Beom-seok. If you don’t send him, you’ll be heavily criticized by the fans.”

Esther looked at Beom-seok with a troubled expression. It was because she didn’t know how to decide. She had been an extreme Gladiator fan since the past, but she was only in her early 20s and a new member of society. She was promoted to acting manager because of Beom-seok, but she lacked the experience to make important decisions with a sense of responsibility.

In response, Beom-seok looked at Vincent with calm eyes.

“I understand. I will go if the national team calls me. However, please don’t recommend the representative Gladiator team for such strange reasons in the future. I’m very embarrassed.”

Vincent, who had roughly understood, laughed heartily and nodded.

“Okay. I guess I was senile for a while and said such things. Then I’ll believe that you’ll definitely go to the national team.”

Beom-seok, who let out a long sigh, now began to persuade Esther, emphasizing the justification for his participation in the national team.

Fortunately, she didn’t express much objection because he had clearly said that he wouldn’t go for the sake of female fans. No, she said that he had to go to the national team for Beom-seok’s sake, and in the end, she strongly agreed. She now believed in Beom-seok’s character.

============================ Author’s Note ============================

Hahaha. I’m going to watch Park Ji-sung’s soccer game. Then have a good weekend. I’ll see you at the same time tomorrow.