Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 168

“Hey. Something’s fishy.”

As they exchanged dozens of blows, Gladiator Number 4 noticed something strange about Beomseok’s movements and exchanged a glance with Gladiator Number 7, his teammate.

According to their data, Beomseok was supposed to be an aggressive swordsman who relentlessly pressured his opponents. However, he only showed that side briefly at the beginning. Now, he was calmly and concisely focusing solely on defense. ‘A person’s habits don’t change easily,’ they thought, suspecting he might be up to something.

Gladiator Number 7 agreed and immediately voiced his opinion.

“Could it be… is he trying to stall us? To keep us occupied while the main attack targets our main camp?”

Gladiator Number 4 subtly turned his head towards their main camp. Although the Gods Knights were pushing forward, the Peace Griffins were holding them off well. On the narrow bridge, only the gladiators in the front row were mainly engaged in the fierce battle, so the numerical disadvantage didn’t matter as much. However, they were gradually retreating, which was concerning. Still, they believed their team would fight well in the plains due to their superior technique.

“No. That’s not it. The Gods Knights are in their second unit right now. Even with one less member, our team won’t be easily defeated.”

“True, but why is Beomseok stalling? Is he trying to draw out the second round?”

Gladiator Number 7, reflecting on the previous battle, wore a shocked expression. Until now, they had been relentlessly attacking Beomseok, who was on the defensive, while he conserved his stamina with short, concise movements. Moreover, they were greatly exhausted from their fierce battle against Erica and Hestia in the first round. If they continued to fight like this, their stamina would quickly run out, and they would struggle in the remaining rounds.

“Hey! That guy’s target is us! He intends to exhaust our aces and then make a move in the 3rd, 4th, or 5th round! The 2nd round is just a throwaway!”

At those words, Beomseok, who was clashing swords, blinked in bewilderment. He was a bit taken aback that his intentions could be so misconstrued. However, upon further thought, it seemed like a decent idea. Numbers 4 and 7 were among the few top-level gladiators in Avand. If he could exhaust them in the 2nd round, the subsequent matches would be much easier.

‘Oh. That seems like a viable tactic.’

The Gladiators Numbers 4 and 7 took a big step back and were catching their breath. It seemed they intended to conserve their stamina by slowing down the fight. However, Beomseok had no intention of silently watching their actions. Even though it was a tactic he gleaned from the enemy’s misunderstanding, he had to use it if it was beneficial to the Gods Knights. In the history of warfare, there is no intellectual property.

He slowly moved to the left, placing the main battlefield behind him.

“Hooh. You’re going to conserve your stamina? But you shouldn’t forget your mission.”

Startled by those words, Gladiator Number 4 quickly dashed forward to close the distance. Her mission was to mark Beomseok, who was playing a free role, and ensure the safety of the main camp. If they kept their distance like this, he might suddenly raid the main camp and cause some harm.

However, it was already too late. Beomseok was already sprinting away, heading towards the rear. She shouted loudly towards the main camp.

“Watch out! It’s a surprise attack!”

Gladiator Number 12, who was mixed in with the main camp and engaged in a fierce struggle, turned around in bewilderment at her teammate’s shout. Already, Beomseok’s sword was descending upon her head with intense force. She reflexively raised her right arm to barely block it, but his attack didn’t end there. Using the rebound, he ruthlessly slashed the waist of the teammate next to her.

*Thwack.*

The captain of the Peace Griffins, Number 8, looked at the teammate who had been thrown to the ground and sent the rear guards to block Beomseok. However, he had already retreated and was far away. She directed an angry voice towards Gladiators Numbers 4 and 7, who were rushing towards her.

“What are you doing! You need to block him properly!”

The gladiators who were constantly watching Beomseok wore embarrassed expressions.

“S-Sorry. We fell for his trick…”

Gladiator Number 8, staring at Beomseok who was flicking his sword behind the main camp, shouted at Gladiators Numbers 4 and 7.

“What are you doing! If you have time to apologize, go and block him right now!”

“A-Alright.”

Under the captain’s orders, they once again approached Beomseok and began to mark him at close range. They knew it was a ploy to waste their stamina, but they had no choice. With one teammate incapacitated from the earlier attack and another partially incapacitated with a useless right arm, if they didn’t thoroughly mark him, the same thing would keep happening, and eventually, the team would have no choice but to lose.

However, it was too late. In a situation where they were already short one member, the loss of two combatants created a crack in the Peace Griffins’ main camp, and Erpina, who knew this, launched an all-out offensive.

“Knock them all down without mercy!”

Soon, the Gods Knights’ formation quickly advanced and boldly opened the entrance to the bridge. Now, a full-fledged battle on the plains. It was favorable terrain for the Peace Griffins, who were superior in technique, but they were being unilaterally pushed back. Their formation was disrupted by the incredibly strong charge.

The one in the greatest danger was Gladiator Number 12. With her right arm injured by Beomseok, she couldn’t withstand the simultaneous attacks from Hestia and Matilda. She was soon struck in the head by Matilda’s sword and fell to the ground in a futile and absurd manner, ceasing all movement.

“One down!”

Hestia’s shout pierced the ears of the Peace Griffins gladiators. The loss of Gladiator Number 12, who had lost her combat power, wasn’t a huge loss, but it was enough to imprint the word ‘defeat’ in their minds. The loss of one member meant that someone had to fight two opposing gladiators, which inevitably created a mental burden.

“Everyone! We have to hold on somehow! If we give up this round, it’s over!”

Gladiator Number 8 desperately wished for a good fight, but she couldn’t reverse the already tilting tide. In the chaotic situation, her teammates were falling one by one. The shattered morale and the physical burden of the close combat in the first round were weighing down the entire team.

Seeing this, Beomseok sarcastically said to Gladiators Numbers 4 and 7, who were swinging their swords at him.

“Hey. It’s good to carry out your mission, but your main camp is almost collapsing. You don’t have time to just deal with me, do you?”

Gladiator Number 4 bit her lip and looked at Gladiator Number 7. She could see with her own eyes the state her main camp was in. If new forces weren’t committed, this round would undoubtedly be their defeat. After briefly exchanging intentions, Gladiator Number 7 slowly retreated and dashed towards the main camp. It was very difficult for Gladiator Number 4 to face Beomseok alone, but now was the time to take a risk.

“I’ll face Beomseok-nim alone.”

Gladiator Number 4 confidently walked towards Beomseok. Strategically, she had been marking him with her teammate until now, but as a gladiator, she had a competitive spirit and wanted to face Beomseok, who was called the strongest in the league. Unexpectedly, that opportunity had come, so she intended to face him properly.

Beomseok put on a smile and calmly said.

“It’ll be too much for you alone.”

“You never know until you try. I’ll definitely defeat you and let everyone know that I’m the strongest gladiator in the league.”

Beomseok, wearing a triumphant expression, held the katana in his hand at the center and greeted Gladiator Number 4. It wouldn’t be bad at all if she came at him aggressively. Fighting spirit is necessary to a certain extent, but if it overflows like that, unnecessary force is applied to the sword, causing unreasonable movements. If he pierced through the gap with a concise strike at this time, the match would be over immediately.

Gladiator Number 4 put force into her sword and lunged towards Beomseok.

“?!”

As expected, her sword contained intense power. If he was hit properly, he would immediately become incapacitated, but Beomseok waited without any fear, as if he had been waiting for it. However, this was not the end. Soon, the tip of Gladiator Number 4’s sword, drawing a curve as if rotating, flew towards his face.

*Swoosh. Clang.*

Clear metallic sounds scattered from the swords that collided again. At this, Gladiator Number 4 looked at Beomseok with a face full of joy. He had blocked her trump card so easily, as expected of the strongest in the league. This two-hit combo was her strongest secret technique that she had recently honed. The first hit strongly pushes the opponent’s sword away, and using this as a reaction, she quickly swings the sword again to aim for the head. Many gladiators in the league often fail to properly deal with the quickly following second attack and get hit.

“Amazing. To block the current attack so easily.”

Beomseok let out a hollow laugh and said sarcastically.

“Huhu. If that’s the end, you’ll be the one getting hit next. I barely managed to block it just now because it was unfamiliar, but it’ll be different if you come at me again.”

Gladiator Number 4 stared at him with wide eyes. The current two-hit combo was a sword style she had been using since this year, but it was so fast and sharp that the rival teams in the league had thoroughly investigated it and were paying attention to it. Considering the importance of today’s match, she couldn’t understand why Beomseok didn’t know about it at all. The Peace Griffins had come out to this decisive battle after deeply understanding every move of his, the ace of the team.

“That’s impossible. You can’t block this technique without knowing it!”

“Then try it again. I’ll give you a proper blow right in the chest.”

Confidence was boldly evident in Beomseok’s expression. There was not a single lie in his words. He didn’t want to put in the effort to analyze the data of the gladiators playing in the Area League, although it might be different if he went up to the higher leagues in the future. He thought it would be more beneficial to put his efforts into raising his stats during that time.

However, she had no way of knowing Beomseok’s thoughts. The pride that she was also one of the top players in the league was subtly dominating her mind, so she could never admit that she was being ignored by the opponent.

“Okay. Then try receiving it again!”

“Okay. Come on. I’ll make you come to your senses.”

Gladiator Number 4, gritting her teeth, swung her sword with all her might. It flew in the same trajectory as the previous two-hit combo, so Beomseok laughed with a snort. It was absurd to launch a predicted attack against him. He immediately moved his body slightly to the left, then immediately plunged his sword towards her chest.

*Thwack.*

Gladiator Number 4, clutching her chest and collapsing as if she couldn’t believe it, looked at Beomseok, who was moving towards the main camp. She realized his skills, which she had only heard about, anew. As expected of the strongest gladiator, Beomseok kept his promise exactly with just one evasion and one strike without even clashing swords.

She lay comfortably on the ground and mumbled something small. Although she couldn’t know the details, it was a curse-filled blessing telling him to get out of the league quickly with such skills.

“Okay! Let’s finish this quickly!”

The battle between the main camps, which had been improving with the addition of Gladiator Number 7, rapidly tilted back to the Gods Knights with the addition of Beomseok. Gladiator Number 4 had been caught off guard so quickly that she had once again provided an opening for a surprise attack. He joined the fight between the main camps and knocked down a Peace Griffins gladiator who was off guard, and then teamed up with Hestia to quickly smash Gladiator Number 7.

– Peeep! Match over! Gods Knights win Round 2!

Waaaaah! Waaaaah!

In the end, Beomseok, who had finished Round 2 with a victory, headed to the dugout with light steps. Now that he had won one round, the Gods Knights could easily play the game even without him. Moreover, the Peace Griffins had made a reckless move by sending out the starters who had participated in Round 1 in this round, so the main force was greatly exhausted. This would also act as a great advantage, so the odds of winning today’s match could only increase.

Receiving the enthusiastic support of the fans, he returned to the dugout and shared the joy of victory by bumping hands with the teammates who were guarding the bench. Then, he returned to his seat, opened the electronic notebook in his bag, and instantly erased the smile that had been filling his mouth. A message had arrived from Dark Shadow while he was in Round 2.

– Gade has gone to bed. Request to start the operation. We will have Gade’s vehicle waiting at the first rendezvous point, so please come to Serie City.

The first operation was like this.

Previously, Dark Shadow had applied for several companies’ customer events in Gade’s name. The prizes were an aerial mobility suit, one of the personal means of transportation, and a super-fast flying car that could move at almost the same speed as Aron. Among these, the aerial mobility suit could contain Beomseok’s genetic information, so he decided to purchase the same product separately and wear it, and Dark Shadow decided to hack and use the super-fast flying car while he was asleep. So, Beomseok moved to a secluded parking lot in Kelbis City, a local government in the Silonia region, the first rendezvous point, and took Gade’s super-fast flying car, which would be waiting in advance, to Serie City.

And if he met Dark Shadow, who was waiting there in advance, the full-scale infiltration operation would begin.

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

Have a good day. I’ll see you again tomorrow.