Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 277

279

The highly anticipated Promotion Tournament finals arrived. Beom-seok and the God Knights team members once again took their places at the Zeon City Colosseum. Their opponent for today’s final battle was, predictably, the Fly Wolves. Boasting a strong team and an easy 3:0 victory in the semi-finals, they were in peak physical condition. Beom-seok, however, wasn’t optimistic about their chances. The God Knights were not only arguably weaker but also in worse shape due to their fierce battle in the semi-finals. Still, the God Knights had Rafine and Nikita. If they unleashed their ‘Berserker Spirit’ [a technique that temporarily boosts a gladiator’s power at the cost of stamina], they might win at least one round.

Sitting on the dugout bench, Beom-seok rose and walked towards Diana. She was engrossed in watching the crucial 3rd and 4th matches between Forest Oaks and Poison Teeth in the World League through the terminal in the coach’s seat. If Forest Oaks won this match, the God Knights would be promoted today.

“How’s it looking, Diana?”

“The first round just ended, and it was a draw.”

“A draw? Did either team resort to unconventional tactics?”

“Not really. Both teams fielded their main forces in the first round.”

“Really? Then who had the upper hand?”

“I’m not sure. Both teams adopted defensive formations, so there wasn’t much engagement. They seem cautious, knowing promotion is on the line today.”

In terms of raw power, Poison Teeth held a slight advantage, but Forest Oaks had the edge in physical condition because they forfeited the last semi-final match. Therefore, neither team’s advantage was significant enough to predict the outcome, so a victory for either side wouldn’t be surprising. Both teams, aiming for the World League, were playing it safe.

“It doesn’t look like it will end anytime soon.”

“Yes, I think so too. I don’t think the result will be clear until we finish the 3rd round.”

“Then we’ll have to do our best in the meantime.”

Diana nodded, her gaze returning to the screen. It wasn’t solely out of curiosity about Forest Oaks’ game. She was also monitoring the team’s atmosphere, which was becoming lax due to the distraction of the screen. Several team members were glancing at the hologram screen in the coach’s seat while half-heartedly preparing their equipment.

“Then, Master, I’ll turn off the screen now. Our game will start soon.”

Beom-seok nodded. There were still about 40 minutes left before their game started, but the God Knights needed to concentrate on securing their own victory. There was no need to show Forest Oaks’ game to his gladiators and make them feel anxious.

“Okay. Do that.”

As Diana turned off the screen, Beom-seok turned around and left the dugout. Since he wasn’t participating in the game, he could watch Forest Oaks’ match as long as he wasn’t in the dugout. Besides, someone needed to keep Diana informed of the ever-changing results of the World League Promotion Tournament to help her make strategic decisions. The God Knights’ team strategy would shift significantly depending on those results.

He went to the convenience store restaurant in the Colosseum and turned on the hologram screen.

– Now, the second round of the Forest Oaks and Poison Teeth game has just begun.

As the round began, both teams maintained their defensive formations, exhibiting extreme caution. They appeared to be standing still, but judging from the dust rising steadily from under their feet, they seemed determined to settle the score in this round. If they continued to draw, they would inevitably have to face each other head-on.

After a tense period, Forest Oaks slowly advanced, approaching the Poison Teeth team’s formation.

– Wow. Wow.

As a light skirmish broke out, tense cheers erupted from the audience. With a coveted spot in the World League at stake, the spectators couldn’t help but feel anxious.

Whether they were aware of the audience’s tension or not, both teams continued to intensify their attacks and defenses, raising the atmosphere of the stadium.

‘Do well, Forest Oaks. I believe in you.’

Did his wish reach the heavens? A Poison Teeth gladiator on the flank was struck directly on the forehead with the tip of a sword and fell backward. Just as he clenched his fists and tried to rise, a woman approached from behind and patted him on the shoulder.

“Oh. Beom-seok. What are you doing here?”

Beom-seok turned his head and looked at the woman, a happy expression spreading across his face. She was accompanied by several cameramen and broadcasting staff.

“Oh. Natalie? What brings you here?”

“Well, I came here to film today. The God Knights’ potential advancement to the Central League is big news.”

He nodded. Natalie is the president of LKS Broadcasting, but she makes it a point to be involved in important filming events like today. Her knack for eliciting ‘interesting responses’ increases the program’s viewership by about 20%. This helps attract fixed viewers to LKS Broadcasting, a fact Beom-seok had strongly emphasized to her before.

“Ah. I see.”

Natalie looked at Beom-seok quizzically and said,

“But what are you doing in the cafeteria, Beom-seok? The game will start soon.”

“Well, I can’t watch Forest Oaks’ game in the dugout. I don’t want to distract the team members before such an important game.”

“Oh, really? Then aren’t you going to the dugout today?”

“Well? Should I go or not? Hmm. Someone has to watch the Forest Oaks game and inform the coach, Diana, so I’ll probably have to stay outside.”

She sat down in front of Beom-seok as if it was a stroke of luck and rested her hands on the table.

“Then, would you be interested in appearing on our broadcast today?”

“On LKS Broadcasting?”

“Yes. We are filming a special live broadcast about today’s game. But one of the main performers lacks impact, so it’s a bit disappointing. We’ll give you a generous appearance fee. How about it?”

He pointed to his cast-covered foot with his index finger, reminding her that excessive movement was impossible in his current state.

“I’m injured right now. It’s impossible to walk around.”

“It doesn’t matter. You can just sit in your seat and provide some brief commentary.”

“Seat? Where? General seating?”

“Well, that’s fine too. The VIP indoor seating is also an option. Actually, I’d prefer the quiet VIP indoor seating.”

If it was the indoor VIP seating, he could just eat snacks and leave. Zeon City Colosseum also had indoor seating for team executives. However, the space was limited, so it was questionable whether there would be anything to film.

“No, what exactly are you filming there?”

“We’re broadcasting this game.”

“Broadcasting? Isn’t that what WBS Broadcasting does?”

At that, Natalie snorted and said,

“Yes. That’s right. In fact, all major broadcasting companies monopolize these important games, so small and medium-sized broadcasting companies like us can’t participate in the broadcasting competition. Because of that, we only managed to secure two bird cameras [cameras suspended from the ceiling to provide an aerial view], and we were deprived of the main broadcasting camera positions. So, I’m going to create a proper broadcasting program this time and show those major broadcasting companies what we’re made of.”

“Is that okay? WBS Broadcasting has the broadcasting rights, right? Isn’t there going to be a problem later?”

“It doesn’t matter. Our LKS Broadcasting has been authorized to film a live show about this game. If we don’t use formal announcers and commentators and do it in a show format, there won’t be any problems.”

“Really? But it still won’t work? I can commentate, but if there’s no professional announcer with good speaking skills, the broadcast itself won’t be very good.”

Natalie smiled and said,

“Even if you can’t speak well, you can push forward with visuals. This announcer is Karen.”

Karen was a world-class star. Since it was a broadcast disguised as a show, it was likely to appeal to viewers. However, one drawback was that her appearance fee was very expensive.

Beom-seok looked at Natalie with suspicion.

“You’re not emphasizing the loyalty of Ilsimhoe [Beom-seok’s gladiator team] and using them for free, are you?”

“Oh, come on. Our LKS Broadcasting isn’t that poor. We paid them handsomely, so don’t worry.”

“You paid them handsomely? So is there any profit left? It doesn’t cost a penny or two to bring in a big star.”

She stared at Beom-seok with a determined expression.

“This broadcast isn’t about money, it’s about pride. I’m going to make the viewership ratings of this broadcast as high as the national anthem viewership ratings.”

Beom-seok looked at Natalie with subtle eyes. He didn’t know what was going on, but it seemed that she harbored a lot of grudges against the major broadcasting companies. Well, the broadcasting world is also a world of survival of the fittest, so the fight between those who hold the initiative and those who don’t is fierce.

He nodded. Ilsimhoe had received a lot of help from Natalie, so it wasn’t bad to participate in this project. And the fact that they could operate two bird cameras was also attractive. Since he could zoom in on the detailed game situation from the air, it was advantageous to understand the Fly Wolves’ power operation.

“Okay. Let’s do it.”

“Thank you. Then let’s go to the VIP seat quickly.”

Natalie smiled brightly. She was happy that she was able to invite Beom-seok, who was well-known in the gladiator world, as a commentator, and that she had prepared a quiet commentary seat. The indoor VIP seat was far from the stadium, but she could broadcast without worrying about the sudden interference of extreme fans.

She soon called the cast members in the general seating area to the VIP room.

“Beom-seok oppa!” [Oppa is a Korean term used by women to address older brothers or close male friends.]

Karen fluttered her pink hair and ran to Beom-seok and hugged him. It was a common occurrence when she met him, and he patted her back without any hesitation.

“Our Karen has grown a lot.”

“Of course. I’m a grown-up now. I’m going to have a coming-of-age ceremony soon.”

Beom-seok’s mouth widened. That meant she was about to become a target of conquest.

“Oh~ you’re having a coming-of-age ceremony soon. Tell me if you want anything. I’ll give you a coming-of-age ceremony gift.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Karen began to think. She was making a lot of money from broadcasting appearances and record sales, so she was living a prosperous life, so she didn’t have many things she needed. If she wanted to find something, it would be a vacation, but her grandfather would never allow it. Lepert thinks that one of the important secrets to a singer’s popularity is to show their face on TV screens even once more. Of course, she would have some time when she started working on her 3rd album recently, but she would still have a tight schedule at that time. In addition to album production work, she also had to do intense choreography practice.

But the only person who could persuade her grandfather was Beom-seok. He was the benefactor who had made the poor grandparents live this much.

“On the coming-of-age ceremony day. Please go on a date with me.”

“A date?”

“Yes. I want to go to an amusement park. I also like watching movies. Well, it’s okay to go to a scenic beach or valley.”

Beom-seok scratched his head as if he was in trouble. If he and Karen went on a date, there would be no bigger news. He could tell enough by looking at Natalie, who was looking at this place with greedy eyes.

“What if there’s a scandal?”

“If we get caught, we get caught, but if we don’t get caught, it’s okay.”

“There’s no way we won’t get caught. It’s you and me.”

Karen looked sullen. There was no way fans wouldn’t recognize one of the famous gladiators and singers passing by.

“Ha, well, that’s true…….”

Then Natalie subtly joined the conversation.

“Well. There’s nothing you can’t do if you want to. You can do it.”

Beom-seok turned his head and looked at her.

“How?”

“You can just go on a trip. A 1-night 2-day trip to an exotic and romantic beach or a famous tourist city is great.”

“That’s what I’m saying because it’s not possible.”

“Of course, there must be a camera in front of you. Then who would know if it’s filming or a date? I’ll produce ‘Gladiator Oh Beom-seok and Singer Karen’s 1-Night 2-Day Date’ as a special project for LKS Broadcasting. Of course, I’ll give you a lot of free time, so you can relax then.”

Then Karen jumped for joy. It was a pity that it was a series of filming, but it wasn’t bad because she had a lot of free time to enjoy her vacation.

She grabbed Natalie’s wrist tightly.

“You’re going too, right?”

Of course, she was going to follow too. Honestly, it was very difficult for LKS Broadcasting, which belongs to a small and medium-sized broadcasting company, to cast big stars like Karen and Beom-seok. If they appeared at the same time, the broadcasting company’s dignity would be greatly enhanced, so she needed to participate in the production herself to improve the quality of the program.

“Of course I have to go too. What about Beom-seok?”

Beom-seok, who received Natalie’s gaze, nodded. He thought it wouldn’t be bad to work on the two women’s favorability, thinking that he was going on a 1-night 2-day vacation. Honestly, he didn’t have much time to raise his favorability with Karen because he didn’t have many meetings with her.

“I’ll go too. It’s not a bad idea.”

“Okay. Then let’s end this story here. Let’s go into filming this time.”

Natalie sat Beom-seok and Karen side by side in the VIP seat and placed the camera in front of them. And after positioning the extra actors around, she began to raise the atmosphere. The game was about to begin.

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

Well. I saw the opinions yesterday, and there were overwhelmingly many opinions against changing the pen name. So I will reconsider changing the pen name.

Then everyone have a nice weekend. I’ll see you again tomorrow.