Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 187

As Diana had predicted, Splash Mousez included their starters in the third round, but they also used a trick of removing four players from the Wide League level, probably worried about the fourth round. Unable to predict what strategy the God Knights would come up with, they split their main force into two. They probably intended to draw in the rounds where the starters appeared and win in the rounds where the second-tier players appeared. However, this inevitably led to a weakening of their power, and the second-tier gladiators of the God Knights, who were competing in the third round, were struggling but successfully blocking the relentless attacks.

“Hmm. If we play our cards right, we might be able to draw… What do you think, Diana?”

Diana, startled as if she had been daydreaming, looked at Beom-seok with blinking eyes.

“Yes? What did you say?”

Beom-seok glanced at her and said reproachfully.

“Diana, how can you be thinking about other things during a match?”

“I’m, I’m sorry. I was a little worried about something, so I was thinking about it…”

“Worried? Why? Do you think we’re going to lose?”

Diana, looking indifferently at the stadium, shook her head. The gladiators of Splash Mousez were getting caught up in their physical tactics, and their stamina was rapidly declining. At this rate, she didn’t think they needed to worry about losing.

“Ah, no. It looks like we might be able to go to the final showdown.”

“Then what are you worried about? Are you worried that I’ll lose in the final showdown?”

“N, no way. It’s impossible for you to lose to them in a one-on-one match.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

Diana, fidgeting and looking at him, opened her mouth.

“I’ve been thinking about what strategy to use in the third match, the semi-finals.”

Beom-seok laughed so hard that air burst out of his nose. He thought it was too much to be worrying about the semi-finals when they were only in the first match.

“Huhu. Diana, aren’t you getting ahead of yourself? We’ve only just started the first match.”

“That’s true, but if we win today’s match, we’re almost certain to be in the third match. No matter who comes up in the second match, they can’t beat our team with you.”

The God Knights’ opponent in the second match was either Blood Vampires or Flying Angels, who were competing in the A2 group match. But neither of these teams had the power to worry the God Knights. At best, they had a team composition similar to the Fire Phoenixes from the Avon League. A team of this level could be easily defeated by the God Knights even without Beom-seok.

“Yeah, that’s true, but do we really need to worry about the semi-finals from now?”

“Yes. You’re right, but depending on how we play this match, our promotion will be decided, so I can’t get it out of my head.”

“Can’t get it out of your head? Can’t you just forget about it for a while? We’ve gained a favorable position, but today’s match is also very difficult.”

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

To Beom-seok’s sharp question, Diana showed a sensitive reaction, such as swallowing hard.

“Gulp. In, in fact, I’ve already set up all the strategies for the semi-finals. But, it’s something I need to get your permission for… So…”

At those words, Beom-seok perked up his ears. The semi-finals were an important crossroads to the Wide League. He couldn’t help but be curious since she said she had a complete strategy prepared.

“Really? What is it?”

“It’s to fill all the participating gladiators with second-tier players.”

It was only a one-line explanation, but he could grasp the exact content of the strategy, even the worries hidden deep in Diana’s heart.

“Is it that hard?”

“Yes. The odds of winning are less than 10%. The Dark Chaos team has the power to be in the upper ranks of the Wide League.”

Beom-seok sighed deeply.

“Hmph~ Why did these Chaos bastards get relegated and make my head hurt? Tsk.”

Diana glanced at him with an embarrassed look.

“M, Master. What are you going to do?”

“Well. What should we do?”

“I’ll do whatever you say.”

Beom-seok, with his arms crossed, looked indifferently at the ceiling. Her proposal to put in the second-tier players meant giving up the semi-finals and conserving the stamina of the starters. Then they would be able to face the 3rd and 4th place match in the best condition. The probability of winning would increase that much. Of course, the Chaplin Whisper or Black Cats team, which were likely to come up to 3rd and 4th place, were also very strong teams, but they could be evaluated as having less power than the Dark Chaos team.

“Then would it be worth a try against the Chaplin Whisper or Black Cats team?”

“Yes. Of course. Before today’s match, I expected Chaplin Whisper to be about 20% and Black Cats to be about 30%, but after seeing Gel Somina’s performance, I’ve changed my mind. I don’t know what kind of close match they’ll have in the semi-finals, but if we properly conserve our stamina, our odds of winning will increase greatly to about 40-50%.”

“What if we participate with our main force in the semi-finals?”

“Then it’s almost back to square one. Gel Somina’s biggest weakness is her poor stamina. If she plays in today’s match, the second match, and the third match, she won’t be able to perform her true skills in the 3rd and 4th place match because she’ll be mentally and physically exhausted. Her stamina isn’t complete enough to handle all the tight tournament matches.”

Beom-seok slowly got up from the bench and walked towards the acrylic transparent window where the stadium was close at hand. About 10 minutes had passed, and both teams were maintaining most of their power and showing a close battle, but he didn’t seem to see the current situation at all. He was in a dilemma, sympathizing with Diana’s worries.

However, the result came out unexpectedly early. He was her master and the chairman of the God Knights, but the director, Diana, was the chief in charge of leading the gladiator team and participating in the matches. In other words, she had to make the final decision.

“Diana, you know you’re the director, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’m just giving advice on the team strategy, but you’re the one who makes the decisions. What do you want?”

“I want to give up the semi-finals and focus on the 3rd and 4th place match. That’s the best strategy for us to get promoted.”

“Then let’s push forward with that.”

Diana jumped up from her seat and bowed.

“Master, thank you for understanding.”

“What thanks? Now that you don’t have any worries, focus on the match. Whether it’s the semi-finals or the 3rd and 4th place match, it’s over if we lose today.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Diana, with a lively expression, began to focus on the third round match. As he said, there was no 3rd and 4th place match if they lost today. The question was how to take advantage of the favorable situation that had come by chance and win today’s match.

The God Knights, who had been defending in the third round, were on the verge of defeat as their formation collapsed rapidly with about 3 minutes left. However, Agelia, who had been placed as the leader, shone here. With the support of Venus, who was in the rear, she ran around the entire stadium and managed to draw in the end. Thanks to this, they received a lot of boos from the Splash Mousez team fans who occupied the south stand, but they didn’t care much because the opposing team had used the same method in the second round.

And in the fourth round, where the starters were still playing, the God Knights’ starters, led by Beom-seok and Gel Somina, unilaterally swept away the Splash Mousez team, who were exhausted, and finished today’s first match with a result of 2 wins and 2 draws.

“Okay, okay. Rest comfortably today, and tomorrow we’ll start full-scale stamina recovery training.”

Beom-seok, who had returned to the hotel, gave all the gladiators a break. It was necessary to completely relieve the fatigue of today in preparation for the second match in four days. However, he unexpectedly had to go to a nearby large hospital with Susan. The symptoms and her opinion seemed to be fine, but it was necessary to have a professional medical person examine his shoulder in detail. Susan was a doctor who specialized in elves, so she needed to get a second opinion from another specialist in the field of modified humans to make an accurate judgment.

“Okay. Get out quickly.”

Beom-seok, who had his shoulder wrapped in a cast again, got out of the flying car. And under the night sky where the sunset was fading, he frowned at the hospital’s sign emitting green light. If a wrong opinion came out here, Susan would never let him play in the next match due to her personality.

“Hey. It’s almost night, do we really need to go? The outpatient hours must be over.”

“It’s okay. The specialist said he would stay and wait. This is a designated hospital for this competition, so we can get treatment whenever we want.”

Beom-seok pouted and said.

“Geez. Don’t these hospital doctors have anything to do? No matter what, they should quickly grab their bags and run home at this time. That’s why they’re not popular with women. Tsk tsk.”

“No. What do you mean doctors are popular with women?”

“What else? They make a lot of money, and they don’t have much time to go home, so it’s perfect for their wives to cheat on them. And to top it off, their lifespan is short.”

Susan was still tilting her head, as it was the first time she had heard such nonsense. First of all, she couldn’t understand the word ‘wife’ itself.

“What are you talking about?”

“Ah. There is such a thing. Just take it as it is. Hehehe.”

Beom-seok, who had glossed over it, walked towards the hospital’s main entrance. Susan, who looked at him, tilted her head slightly as if she didn’t know what he meant, and soon followed him.

Beom-seok and Susan, who passed through the lobby with a spacious artificial garden and entered the right corridor, walked to the blonde elf nurse who was working at the nearby desk after seeing the orthopedic sign.

“Hey. I came to see Dr. Neil, is he here now?”

The blonde elf, who put down the electronic documents she was holding, stared at them.

“What are you looking for Dr. Neil for?”

“I made an appointment to get a checkup. Right now.”

At those words, the elf nurse jumped up and came out of the desk.

“Ah. You’re the patient and team doctor from the God Knights.”

“Yeah. That’s right.”

“Okay. Follow me this way.”

The elf nurse soon stood in front of the door with the sign of the Second Treatment Room and knocked.

“Dr. Neil, the people you’ve been waiting for have arrived.”

“Oh. Okay. Tell them to come in.”

The elf nurse, who had received permission, slightly opened the door and pointed inside the treatment room with both hands as if guiding them.

“Okay. Go inside.”

Beom-seok, who entered the treatment room with an awkward expression, frowned when he saw the middle-aged doctor sitting in front of him. A bulging belly that looked like his belt was about to burst and a few strands of hair barely covering his scalp. He had desperately hoped for a pretty female teacher, so he was very disappointed.

Beom-seok, thinking that he should get treatment quickly and return to the hotel, quickly took the patient’s seat and sat down.

“Okay. It looks like the problem is with your shoulder.”

At Neil’s question, Susan came closer and answered.

“Yes. He sprained his shoulder about ten days ago and was diagnosed with three weeks [recovery time].”

“Really? Then why did you come? It looks like the cast is well done, so I think you just need to get antibiotics to prevent inflammation. I think your team doctor can do that.”

“Actually, that’s true, but I took off the cast and played in the match today. So I’m going to take a closer look to see if there’s a problem.”

Neil shook his head so hard that his hair fluttered.

“Oh my. No matter how important the game is, you have to take care of your body first.”

At this, Beom-seok said in a blunt tone.

“If we get promoted, the team value will increase several times. It will be at least several billion krang [currency].”

Perhaps because he was a bit materialistic, Neil immediately agreed.

“Ah. Then I can’t help it. With that much money at stake, you can take a little risk.”

“Yes. And for the next match, I need to finish the treatment quickly and go back to rest. So please make the treatment short and give me a good direction.”

“Well, I’ll have to see.”

Neil, who got up from his seat, stood next to the bed in one corner of the treatment room and gestured to Beom-seok.

“Okay. Lie down on this bed.”

Beom-seok took off his shoes without saying a word and lay down on the bed.

“Is that okay?”

“Yes. That’s enough. Just stay still for a moment.”

After saying that, Neil placed the precision MRI diagnostic device attached to the head of the bed on his shoulder. Then he turned on the power and began to enter commands by typing on the virtual keyboard floating in the air. He was trying to set the automatic diagnosis function.

After a while, he looked at Susan, who was standing behind him, looking at the video displayed on the hologram image.

“The diagnostic machine doesn’t show any major problems. It’s very good.”

“Then can I continue to play in the match?”

Neil, who paused for a moment, crossed his arms and said.

“Well, I found a small inflammation-causing agent. It’s okay now, but if you go out to more games, inflammation may occur. It’s not a big deal, but you need to be careful because the treatment period will be longer.”

Beom-seok, who got up from his seat immediately, put on his shoes and said.

“Then it’s okay to play. There’s a vacation for almost two months after this tournament.”

“Really? Well, if you’re prepared to that extent, I can’t stop you. However, you should be careful because it can affect your performance if it’s severe.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Okay. Can I go now?”

“Yes. You can go back for now. But if a problem occurs, come back anytime.”

Beom-seok, who nodded meaninglessly, grabbed the doorknob of the treatment room.

“Yes, I understand. Then I’ll see you again if I have the chance.”

“Then go back carefully.”

Susan, who followed Beom-seok out, put her head back into the treatment room and looked at Neil, wondering what he was thinking.

“Dr. Neil, are you popular with women?”

At those words, Neil erased the smile he had been wearing until now and glared at Susan.

“I’m a sane human male. I know how you feel, Susan, but I’m not interested in women, so please give up. And as a word of advice, I hope you don’t say such rude things to men you meet for the first time from now on.”

Beom-seok, who overheard their conversation from outside, leaned his forehead against the wall and laughed so hard that it made a sound. It was a funny world that a beautiful woman like Susan was being rejected so miserably by that bald, fat, middle-aged man.

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

I saw the news a while ago that the possibility of discovering the Higgs particle is very high. As a novelist, I hope it will be discovered quickly and the Standard Model of Physics will become the established theory. It makes writing easier and the material richer. Hahaha. Then everyone have a good day. I’ll see you again tomorrow.