Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 28

28

Beomseok walked out of the Mihail Treatment Center with Venus, who was dressed in simple casual clothes. Three weeks after her surgery, she had recovered enough to be discharged.

‘Now it begins,’ he thought.

He looked at Venus with pride. He now owned four Elves, three of whom were outstanding talents active in the professional scene. With Venus’s discharge, the team’s core was nearly complete. He had recently posted a gladiator recruitment notice online to form a team, with tests scheduled at the Demon Sports Center’s gladiator dojo this afternoon.

“Are you leaving now?”

Beomseok turned to the voice behind him. It was Susan, her hands in the pockets of her white coat, smiling brightly.

They had been distant after the incident where he assaulted Venus in the hospital room, but with time, their relationship had gradually recovered to the point where they could exchange goodbyes. Knowing that human women could only be won over through favorability [building a positive relationship], Beomseok had been diligently flirting with her.

“Yes.”

“Will I not see you again?”

Not a chance. The tenacious Beomseok wouldn’t give up on a woman who had caught his eye. They had already exchanged contact information during a previous conversation.

“Well, since Venus needs a health checkup anyway, I’ll contact you again.”

“Really? I would have been sad to part like this, so that’s good. Then, I’ll see you then.”

Meanwhile, Aron, who had been circling in the air, began to descend. As the car door opened automatically, Beomseok helped Venus in and then said goodbye to Susan.

“Then, I’ll see you later.”

“Yes. Goodbye.”

Beomseok nodded and got into Aron. As it slowly rose into the sky, he waved to Susan, visible through the window, appearing a little sad about their parting.

Soon after, Aron soared out of sight and sped forward.

“Venus, follow me.”

Under Beomseok’s guidance, Venus arrived at the gladiator arena on the 4th floor. Inside, the trainees were intensely practicing swordsmanship under Remi’s commands. Erfina and Oscar were sparring in the back. He led Venus, who was curiously looking around, to the suit storage room. Entering the dojo without a suit could lead to serious injuries.

“Here. Change into a suit here. You need it to enter the dojo.”

“Yes, Master.”

Beomseok took out two large suits, handed them to her, and led her to the Elf-only dressing room, following Venus inside. No other Elves would be changing clothes at this time, and she didn’t know how to wear the suit.

Beomseok opened the cabinet and carefully hung up Venus’s clothes. He then helped her into the suit, caressing her soft skin that was only covered in underwear.

“Venus, watch carefully how I put it on. You’ll have to wear it yourself later.”

“Yes.”

After completely covering Venus’s body with the suit, Beomseok put a helmet on her head and went to the weapon display room. Looking at the lined-up swords, spears, and shields, he appeared troubled. The choice he made now would determine Venus’s future as a gladiator. It was a crucial decision, requiring careful consideration.

‘Hmm. How should I train Venus?’

The positions in a gladiator match were divided into vanguard, mid-guard, and rearguard. The vanguard stood at the front, breaking down the opponent’s camp and engaging in fierce battles, so gladiators with strong offensive tendencies usually took on the role. The mid-guard coordinated the game, efficiently defeating divided enemies after the vanguard broke through, so versatile and intelligent gladiators were needed. The rearguard was where the flag gladiator [the team’s symbol], the captain, and the guardian gladiators were located, prioritizing the captain’s survival, so gladiators with high defensive capabilities took that position.

Currently, Beomseok’s Elves were positioned as follows: Oscar was in the vanguard due to his strength and aggressiveness. Remi had been in the mid-guard throughout her professional career, so she naturally took that role, and Erfina, wanting to be captain at least once, was placed in the rearguard. Considering this, placing Venus in the mid-guard, which needed the most members, seemed logical for team balance. However, determining her future based solely on the team’s needs wasn’t ideal.

‘From what I’ve seen, Venus is quite quiet and docile. The vanguard is out of the question, and the mid-guard doesn’t suit her either. The rearguard would be good……’

Beomseok decided on the rearguard for Venus. A sword and shield gladiator, common in the rearguard, seemed suitable. He went to the shield display case and took out a large tower shield, then paused as he reached for a one-handed sword.

‘Even though sword and shield gladiators are common in the rearguard, there’s no need to conform. In gladiator matches, the rearguard rarely attacks, focusing on protecting the captain. In that case……’

Beomseok turned back and took out another tower shield of the same kind. He considered raising Venus as a dual-shield user. He had never seen such a gladiator in this game, but he had played as a dual-shield user in other online games. Leveling up was difficult due to weak attack power, but once leveled, they were incredibly powerful. Their ability to withstand attacks from mobs or opposing guilds with iron-clad defense and blocking rate was like a bronze statue rooted in the ground.

Having decided, he handed Venus two tower shields and took her into the dojo.

“Master is here.”

“Welcome, Master.”

Erfina and Oscar, who were sparring, rushed to greet Beomseok. For Elves, their master’s appearance was always welcome.

He put Venus, holding dual shields, at the forefront and said,

“You all know her, right? This is Venus.”

Oscar and Erfina waved at her. They knew her well from their frequent hospital visits with Beomseok.

“Hey. Our Venus is here.”

“Venus, welcome. Is your body okay now?”

Venus looked happy with the welcome.

“Yes. I’m much better. How have you been, sisters?”

Remi, who had been watching from a distance, ordered the trainees to train independently and rushed to greet Beomseok. She approached Venus, stroked her head, and smiled brightly.

“Venus, is your body okay now?”

“Yes. I’m much better. Susan said it’s okay to exercise too.”

“That’s good. Then follow me. Let’s train together with our trainees.”

Beomseok patted Remi on the shoulder and shook his head.

“No. I’m going to teach Venus. I’m going to raise her as a dual-shield user.”

“A dual-shield user? What does that mean?”

“It’s a gladiator who fights with two shields, literally. The attack power is insignificant, but the defense power is very high, so it seems suitable for the rearguard to protect the captain.”

Remi looked like it made sense. It was a gladiator type she had never seen before, but she thought it could be tactically effective.

Generally, there were about three gladiators in the rearguard position. One was the captain gladiator, and the other two were guardian gladiators. However, being extremely defensive, they rarely attacked. Focusing entirely on defense wasn’t a bad idea. Also, if the dual-shield user protected the captain gladiator and the remaining guardian gladiators were replaced with mid-guard or vanguard, the team’s attack power would be extremely high.

“Hmm. It’s definitely not bad. Our team could become a tricky team using various strategies and tactics. But the problem is that there’s no such gladiator type, so there may be limitations to growth because there’s no model to follow.”

“It’s okay. I’ve done it before. That’s why I’m teaching you.”

Remi blinked blankly. She didn’t know his limits. He displayed swordsmanship she could never have imagined and had even played a dual-shield user that didn’t exist in the gladiator world, all at the age of 20. He didn’t seem human.

“Ah, ah. I see. Then I think it’s okay to try.”

Venus smiled brightly, as if she couldn’t be happier. The fact that her master was teaching her meant she could be with him for a long time. There was no greater blessing for an Elf.

Taking her with him, Beomseok went to the corner of the dojo and sat down. He wanted to start training quickly since he had announced it.

“Venus, the weapons you will use are the two shields you are holding. It may feel difficult because there are two, but it’s actually the most advantageous weapon for beginners.”

“Yes. I understand.”

Venus didn’t doubt it. Beomseok smiled softly and began to lecture, tapping the shields she was holding.

“The most important thing when handling a shield is to minimize movement. Follow me like this.”

Beomseok bent his arm as much as possible, holding it appropriately, and pressed his shoulder tightly. Venus watched and copied the posture exactly.

“Like this?”

“Yes. And the shield in your right hand should also serve as an attack, so hold it at a 45-degree angle diagonally from shoulder level, ready to extend it forward at any time. Even though you’re a dual-shield user who values defense, you must make the opponent feel threatened that you might strike. Otherwise, you’re just a scarecrow that gets hit.”

Venus’s hand holding the shield looked clumsy because the explanation was difficult. Beomseok had to correct her posture by touching her hands.

“Is it okay now?”

“Yes. In that exact posture, spread your feet shoulder-width apart and bend your knees slightly.”

As she did as he said, Venus’s posture looked plausible. Satisfied, Beomseok moved on.

“Next is movement. When moving, always move your left foot in the direction you want to go first, and your right foot follows. Like this.”

He moved back and forth, left and right, as a demonstration. Venus, watching intently, copied the posture. It was a disciplined posture, pleasing to Beomseok’s eyes.

“Yes, well done.”

Venus’s cheeks were flushed, as if happy with the praise. But she was embarrassed by Beomseok’s attack and raised her arm holding the shield. With a bang, she straightened her posture and regained her composure, but it was too late. His sword was aiming at her neck. In a real battle, the victory or defeat would be decided here.

“I, I’m sorry for disappointing you.”

“It’s more important to figure out what mistake you made than to feel sorry. You messed up the shield’s posture by raising your arm too much. That’s why you allowed my next attack to hit your neck. Again, keep the hand holding the shield as stable as possible.”

“Then what should I do?”

“When blocking an opponent’s attack with a shield, don’t block it by moving your arm, but by moving your center of your body. Use your waist and legs.”

Venus seemed to understand and took a firm posture. Beomseok swung his sword again. She flinched, but moved only her waist slightly as advised.

Beomseok’s sword bounced off with a thud. He changed the direction and attacked Venus’s head, but she held the shield in a stable posture and easily blocked it by tilting her waist back slightly.

Beomseok, impressed, put his sword on the floor and clapped quietly.

“Well done. That’s how you do it. Now let’s move on to the next step.”

Venus, finally lively, shook her right hand holding the other shield.

“Master. Are we going to learn how to attack now?”

Beomseok shook his head. There was an order to everything. Rather than teaching her various grappling techniques, it was better to have her perfectly master one technique. For now, reviewing the left-hand shield block she just learned was the wisest choice.

“No. You’ll learn how to attack later. For now, it’s just the practical application of the left-hand shield block you just learned. Got it?”

Although sad she couldn’t learn how to attack, Venus immediately set up the shield close to her body. It was an Elf’s instinct to faithfully follow the master’s words.

Soon after, Beomseok’s attack began, and she blocked it appropriately by shifting her center of gravity.

——————–

Next, I’ll go again.