Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 205

207

The power of Chaplin Whisper was undeniable. After Amelie’s return to active duty, they achieved a record of 3 wins and 1 loss in four practice matches, a performance that resonated throughout the gladiator world. The single loss was a minor blemish, but considering they faced three Central League teams, including Vincent’s former team, the Dragon Knights, and the historically strong Devil Spirits team (Amelie’s former team and perennial World League contender), their overall performance was impressive. Moreover, in the match against the Devil Spirits, Amelie faced Marsha, ranked 13th on the G Ranking site [a global ranking system for gladiators], in a free-roll [a one-on-one duel], creating a bizarre scene where she dominated Marsha so completely that she didn’t even allow her to approach, effectively slamming her head into the floor.

In these four matches, Amelie participated in a total of seven rounds, earning 33 kill points. This meant that in nearly half the rounds, someone was incapacitated by her whip. As a result, the media quietly shelved stories about a one-on-one match between Beomseok and Amelie. Even if they wanted to promote him to generate hype, Amelie’s strong return made it clear that Beomseok stood little to no chance.

And so, the day arrived for the opening match between God Knights and Chaplin Whisper.

“Alright, everyone, disembark now. Double-check that you haven’t forgotten anything, and steel yourselves for today’s match!”

Aaron’s door opened, and Beomseok shouted at the top of his lungs, but the God Knights gladiators were hesitant to rise. They had watched Chaplin Whisper’s practice matches and were understandably terrified. The image of the two ends of Amelie’s whip swirling through the opposing team’s formation was the stuff of nightmares.

Then, Rapine silently rose from her seat and stepped out of Aaron. Her pride as the strongest in the underground arena seemed to bolster her courage. She approached Beomseok, who was waiting outside, and spoke in a quiet tone.

“Master, is it permissible for me to give it my all today?”

In other words, she was asking if she could activate her trait, ‘Berserker of Fighting Spirit.’ If she did, she would suffer a penalty of losing half her stamina, but she would gain an additional 30 to her strength and balance for 10 minutes, totaling 40. In this state, Rapine would be as powerful as a top-tier World League gladiator, which would be a significant advantage.

Beomseok hesitated for a moment. If she used her trait, she would need to rest for about two weeks to fully recover. This would strain their resources during subsequent league matches, so he was reluctant to allow it. However, this match was expected to be watched by 110,000 spectators and countless viewers on TV. It was a match that would greatly impact God Knights’ future recognition, so they needed to fight with everything they had. And since the revenue from today’s match, including admission fees and TV broadcasting rights, would be around 150 million [currency unspecified, assumed to be a significant amount], they had an obligation to deliver a spectacular performance.

“Alright, I permit it. But activate it only when I give the order.”

“Yes, I understand. I will definitely secure a kill point from Amelie.”

“That’s the spirit. I’m counting on you today.”

Rapine nodded lightly and entered the Colosseum through the path between the restricted lines where fans were gathered.

Next, Oscar stepped down. His face looked slightly pale, but his whole body was tense, as if he had made a firm resolution.

“Master, I will pave the way today. If you follow behind me, you will reach Amelie, so cut her down in one blow.”

“Heh heh. Alright, I’ll be your tail today. Do your best.”

“Yes, Master.”

After him, Violet and Jeremiah stepped down, nodded lightly, and followed Oscar into the Colosseum. Then, the rest lined up and entered, waving their hands as if acknowledging the fans’ cheers.

As always, the day’s schedule included various attractions tailored to each season’s matches. Because it was the opening match, there were numerous pre-events, including a ceremony commemorating Remy’s retirement match. However, the fans’ primary interest was the actual match that would take place today. The planned one-on-one match had lost some of its appeal due to Amelie’s overwhelming strength, but this only amplified the anticipation surrounding the legendary gladiator’s official return match. No one knew how today’s match would unfold, but one thing was certain: they would witness the formidable power of Amelie.

“Master, this is a significant problem.”

Diana, who was looking out of the dugout, wore a worried expression. Because the audience’s attention was so intensely focused on Amelie, it had become difficult to achieve their intended goal.

“What is it?”

“The spectators aren’t very interested in a one-on-one match between you and Amelie. If this continues, Director Vincent will reconsider. He stated he would only consider a one-on-one match if there was a positive response from the fans.”

At this point, Beomseok began to worry. With their current strength, it was almost impossible to accumulate round wins against Chaplin Whisper. A 3-0 defeat would brand God Knights as a mediocre team in the eyes of the world, making it difficult to leave a lasting impression. The only event that could change this perception was the one-on-one match that Natalie had arranged.

“What should we do? We have to make the one-on-one match happen.”

Diana, pressing the tips of her joined hands to her philtrum [the vertical groove between the base of the nose and the upper lip], quietly spoke.

“Hmph~ Then we have no choice but to make the fans desperately want the one-on-one match.”

“How?”

“It’s possible if two conditions are met. Or rather, only one will suffice.”

“What is it? Tell me.”

“The first is to capitalize on the bandwagon effect. We can ask our team’s supporters to chant slogans urging the one-on-one match to build excitement. This can be easily arranged by contacting the supporters’ president, so it shouldn’t be particularly difficult.”

Beomseok nodded, understanding. Humans are social creatures, and in a crowd, they are influenced by a sense of group identity. If thousands of supporters simultaneously chanted for a one-on-one match, a bandwagon effect would occur, and the entire crowd would likely follow suit.

“Not a bad idea. What’s the second?”

“We need to showcase a performance that will capture the fans’ interest so that the bandwagon effect can occur more quickly and widely. However, this is very difficult with God Knights’ current strength. We’ll be unilaterally pushed back and wiped out before long.”

He stared at Diana. What she had just said was something he already knew. Diana was the director, so she needed to present more in-depth strategic content.

“Don’t you have any countermeasures? You’re not just telling me to work harder, are you?”

“Of course not. I already have a way to definitely grab the fans’ attention in my head.”

“Alright, what is it?”

“Before I tell you, I’d like to ask you one thing, Master. What do you think the fans are most interested in during this match?”

It was such an obvious question that Beomseok immediately answered.

“It’s Amelie, of course. Probably all the spectators won’t take their eyes off her for a moment.”

“Yes, that’s right. However, gladiator matches are won by capturing the commander gladiator. So, every team puts all their efforts into protecting their commander gladiator when the match starts.”

Beomseok smiled wryly, sensing her intention.

“Hoo hoo hoo. On the other hand, Amelie, who the fans are interested in, is a mid-tier and not very well protected?”

“That’s right. If she’s in danger, the spectators will be gripped with tension. The only thing all the fans gathered at the Lima City Colosseum today care about is Amelie, not the victory or defeat.”

“Then what strategy will you adopt?”

“I think it would be good to form a ‘crane wing formation’ [a V-shaped formation] and have all our forces rush towards Amelie. No matter how great she is, she can’t be safe against all of us.”

“I see. That’s a very good idea. Draw up the strategy accordingly.”

Diana did not immediately agree and added a condition.

“However, there is one problem with this strategy. If we use this strategy, we will absolutely have to lose that round.”

Beomseok waved his hand dismissively.

“It’s okay. It’s hard to win this match anyway. Rather than that, it’s better to use it as nourishment for the team’s future.”

“I understand. Then I’ll put all my efforts into catching Amelie.”

Diana, having obtained her master’s approval, turned on the screen and began to reorganize the strategy. In response, Beomseok gathered all the gladiators who would be participating to boost the team’s morale. Fortunately, when he briefly explained the upcoming strategy, the team members’ spirits rose considerably. Knowing that the goal was not victory but Amelie, they judged that it was worth a try. They thought that no matter how legendary a gladiator was, she wouldn’t be able to withstand twelve of them trying to catch her.

“Alright, let’s go! We must achieve the goal of this round!”

Five minutes before the start of the first round. Beomseok led all the gladiators and marched proudly towards the entrance tunnel after seeing the list of participants on the electronic display board. With Amelie’s participation confirmed, the foundation had been laid. Now all they had to do was use all their strength to defeat her.

The gladiators from God Knights who would participate in this first round were Beomseok, Oscar, Matilda, Rapine, Violet, and Lynn as the vanguard, for a total of six, and Hestia, Gelsomina, and Remy as the mid-tier, for a total of three. And the rearguard was Erpina, Venus, and Siya. A typical crane wing formation with a 6-3-3 formation was accurately in place. However, here, Beomseok, Matilda, Lynn, and Violet were gladiators with the qualities of a mid-tier, so at first glance, it could be mistaken for a 3-6-3 wedge formation. Of course, all of this was happening because there was a shortage of gladiator resources, but as a result, it became an element that deceived the enemy.

– All participating gladiators, please come out into the arena.

At the in-house broadcast announcing the participation, Beomseok led his gladiators and stood in front of the city center in the arena. Thinking that they might engage in a one-on-one match, he looked at the Chaplin Whisper camp across the way, but there were no special signs at all. They were forming a typical wedge formation and preparing to head to the bridge on the left. As promised, Director Vincent seemed to be implementing the one-on-one match only if there was a demand from the fans.

‘Tch. What a petty old man. Would it hurt him to pretend he couldn’t win?’

Beomseok, who had Vincent’s image in his head, poured out all sorts of curses. It wasn’t like they were complete strangers, but he was a little angry that he was being so stingy. Frankly, if he were in the director’s position, he would have arranged the one-on-one match without knowing.

He shouted to everyone as the first round began with the sound of the whistle.

“Everyone, maintain the formation and retreat to the rear.”

The gladiators of God Knights, who heard Beomseok’s order, slowly began to move backwards. They could have clashed at the bridge, but if they did, it would be difficult to break through due to the congestion caused by the narrow passage. The purpose of this operation was to use all their strength to catch Amelie in the mid-tier, so they needed a wider space where the formation could be dispersed.

Thanks to this, Chaplin Whisper, who had safely crossed the city, formed a wedge formation and took a posture ready to charge at any time.

“Everyone, prepare.”

Beomseok’s calm voice echoed through the God Knights’ formation. In response, the team members gripped their weapons tightly and showed secretive movements. They were currently taking a wedge formation to deceive the Chaplin Whisper team, so they had to quickly change to a crane wing formation with the charge command.

“What are you doing! God Knights! There’s no way you can be a wedge formation!”

“You’re putting on a good show! I wonder if you can last 5 minutes even if you take a phalanx! What kind of disgrace is this!”

Even though it was a home game, jeers erupted from all directions towards God Knights. Out of the 100,000 spectators, only 30,000 were home fans. The remaining 80,000 were all out-of-town fans who had come to celebrate Amelie’s return match. Naturally, the perception of God Knights was not very good.

However, Beomseok was not swayed by the atmosphere and stared at Amelie with eyes like a lion stalking a roe deer. If there was even the slightest mistake, today’s match could devolve into a disastrous situation. The crane wing formation was an extreme tactic that could easily achieve its goal if successful, but would be annihilated if it failed. Because they were rushing towards a single target, they had no choice but to respond weakly to the counterattacks of other opposing gladiators.

“Everyone, charge!”

With Amelie’s command, the Chaplin Whisper’s formation rippled and began to charge. The situation was that they only needed to push aside Yamiya, who was at the vanguard, to get to her. Beomseok, who had seized the opportunity, shouted loudly.

“Now is the time! Go eliminate the target!”

In an instant, the God Knights’ formation transformed into an arrow-shaped crane wing formation and dashed out like an arrow. However, at that moment, a rapid change occurred in the Chaplin Whisper’s formation. The formation that had been charging stopped and contracted to the center, forming a line, and all the vanguard and mid-tier stood in front of Amelie as if to protect her. Now, the total number of opposing team gladiators that had to be passed to reach the target was 8. The situation was heading for the worst.

‘That damn old man! He noticed! Damn it!’

Beomseok bitterly regretted that he had overlooked one fact. Chaplin Whisper not only had a solid team squad including Amelie, but it was also being directed from behind by the master Vincent. He didn’t know how they had noticed their intentions, but this was definitely a setback.

However, they couldn’t stop charging now. The distance between the two teams was already almost within reach.

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

The weather continues to be cold. Thanks to that, it’s hard to go out for a cigarette. ㅠㅠ. I can’t quit, so I’ll have to hope that spring comes quickly.

Then everyone have a good day. I’ll see you again tomorrow.