Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 298

“Can you believe that Frieza wannabe!”

Bum-suk, having just witnessed Amelie’s new level of swordsmanship, momentarily roared in disbelief. He thought he was almost caught up, but she had equipped herself with new abilities and run far away. The attacks that Zakid was currently enduring were techniques that he wouldn’t even know how to counter.

Jelsomina, who had been silent until now, looked at Bum-suk with a worried expression.

“Sunbae-nim [senior], what’s going on?”

“Tch. It seems Amelie has been training in new techniques. I took a hit there.”

“Then, who will win between Zakid Sunbae [senior] and Amelie?”

“That… I’m not sure. Zakid seems to have the edge in swordsmanship sense and physical ability, but Amelie’s technique more than makes up for the difference. In short, it’s unpredictable.”

“I-Is that so? Still, you must have some prediction, Sunbae-nim [senior].”

“If you ask for my prediction, it’s a draw.”

“Why?”

Bum-suk pointed to the battle between the main bases with his finger. The Dark Hyenas were being pushed back by Chaplin Whisper and were almost in a state of collapse. The match would likely end soon, so their fight probably wouldn’t be decided in this round.

“Because the Dark Hyenas are about to fall. The power ratio between the two teams’ main bases is currently 7 to 2.”

“A-Ah, I see.”

Jelsomina immediately understood. Although Zakid was struggling against the sudden, bizarre attacks, it was hard to imagine him losing in such a short time. As expected, the Dark Hyenas soon collapsed, and Amelie and Zakid had no choice but to end their match.

“Kuaaaak! Damn it!”

Zakid’s scream echoed through the arena. He was furious and frustrated that he had been pushed back like this despite giving it his all.

Fortunately, it was a draw because the main base collapsed; otherwise, he thought he would have been the one to lose in the end. But losing would have been better than this unsettling feeling, which made him even angrier. In the end, Zakid threw the sword he was holding to the ground and raged.

Amelie, who was returning, turned her head and said a word.

“Then rest well for the next round. See you in the 4th round. I’ll be sure to give you a definite defeat then.”

“Yeah. Let’s definitely see each other then.”

Zakid gritted his teeth and kicked the ground hard once before heading straight for the dugout. The most appealing aspect of the gladiatorial match was that the rounds continued five times.

He believed he would have enough opportunities to take revenge since there were more chances to fight. However, the biggest drawback of the gladiatorial match was that it ended when one team achieved three or more wins. In the following 3rd round, Chaplin Whisper’s second team defeated Dark Hyenas’ second team, and their next match was postponed until next spring.

Waggle waggle. Waggle waggle.

Immediately after the match ended, the spectators in the stands left the Colosseum all at once. Bum-suk, who was sitting in his seat watching the crowd pushing and shoving at the entrance, grumbled.

“Getting out of here is also a problem.”

“That’s what I’m saying. What should we do?”

“Let’s just wait a bit. They won’t be like that forever. It’s a hassle if sunglasses or hats fall off while fighting there.”

Jelsomina, who was staring at him, nodded in agreement. When they entered earlier, the security guards had a hard time dealing with the fans who flocked to see him after he showed his face once. It was better to be careful now that they weren’t there.

“I guess so.”

At that time, a rough male voice was heard from the arena.

“Jelsomina, are you still there!”

Jelsomina, roughly guessing who it was, walked to the railing and peeked out. Then she saw Zakid’s figure, who had come out to the entrance tunnel.

“Yes. I’m still here.”

“Really? And Bum-suk is with you?”

“Yes. He’s with me.”

“Good. Let’s have dinner together later. It’s been a while since we met, so I don’t want to just part ways.”

Jelsomina turned her head towards Bum-suk.

“Sunbae-nim [senior]. Zakid Daesahyeong [senior apprentice brother] wants to have dinner together. What do you think?”

He nodded his head right away without needing to think about it. After all, he had to wait because of the outgoing crowd, and there were many things to talk about with Zakid.

“Tell him I’ll go.”

Jelsomina, having heard the answer, looked at Zakid.

“He said he’ll go. But what time should we meet?”

“Hmm. I need to do some tidying up, so let’s meet in the park in front of here in an hour.”

“Yes. I understand. See you then.”

As Zakid returned to the dugout, Jelsomina sat back in her seat. And about 30 minutes later, she walked along the deserted hallway where the spectators had left and exited the Colosseum.

A small park north of Meyren City Colosseum. Bum-suk and Jelsomina sat on a wooden bench, spending a quiet time waiting. Bored, he opened his mouth first.

“Jelsomina. How many people are there in your dojang [training hall]?”

“Well, about 30 trainees come every hour, so there are probably about 200 people. But why are you asking?”

The reason was simple. Since outstanding gladiators like her and Zakid kept popping up, he wanted to see if there were any worthwhile recruitment targets. Frankly, even just Jelsomina would be a great help to the team.

“Just… I’m trying to see if there’s anyone worth bringing to the team.”

She waved her hand. There was no way she wouldn’t know what he was thinking.

“There aren’t many people who can become professional gladiators. Except for a few, most of them are just learning swordsmanship as a hobby. You can think of them as being at a similar level to hobby class trainees at a regular swordsmanship dojang [training hall].”

“Ah. Is that so… Then how good are the few?”

“About my level.”

Bum-suk’s eyes sparkled.

“Are there any women?”

“No.”

Bum-suk, with a disappointed face, licked his lips. It was because they weren’t meeting the most important element.

“Well. It’s a bit difficult to bring them. Since they’re not cyborgs, there’s no way to put them in the game. But if I were to give them body modification surgery, the possibility of them being reborn with decent growth potential is extremely low…”

Jelsomina looked at him with narrowed eyes. He quickly made excuses and lost interest when she said they weren’t women, so his intentions were bound to be suspicious. Bum-suk had several human lovers and was so fond of women that he would decorate the entire team with them.

She sharpened her nails and approached Bum-suk.

“Sunbae-nim [senior]. You weren’t planning on doing what I’m thinking, were you?”

“What am I doing?”

“For example, if it was a woman, you were going to give her body modification surgery and make her your lover, weren’t you?”

Bum-suk swallowed hard and moved his butt far away.

“No. Not necessarily… I just thought it would be helpful to the team, too.”

“Hehehe. Then that means my guess is correct.”

Jelsomina suddenly lunged. Bum-suk grabbed her arms, but she fell backward as she was. It was such a sudden attack, and Jelsomina had achieved high physical growth in the meantime.

“W-Wait a minute. Why are you doing this?”

“Do you really not know! Why do you keep acting like a playboy!”

“W-Well, that’s because it’s a man’s instinct.”

Bum-suk was adding fuel to the fire. That wasn’t the answer Jelsomina wanted. She wanted a reasonable and rational excuse.

“Then you can just hug an elf. Why do you have to hug a human woman!”

Bum-suk, roughly recognizing Jelsomina’s psychological state, made a difficult expression. She was now expressing the jealousy that she had been suppressing deep inside. Well, since Jelsomina’s favorability was over 90, it was understandable that she would act like this.

Bum-suk wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. He thought that if he did well, he might be able to capture her today.

“Hehehe. Because you’re so lovely.”

He immediately kissed Jelsomina’s lips and poured out a deep kiss. She struggled for a moment, then closed her eyes tightly.

As Bum-suk’s tongue dug into her mouth and showed a sweet movement, a feeling that seemed to suffocate her made her heart race. Now she had come to crave him with passionate body movements.

It was the moment when all history was about to be made if he just waited a little longer.

However, in history, there was always a figure who hindered the flow of the times like a villain. The problem was that there was such a person in this place right now. It was Zakid, who was supposed to meet here. He watched their love play and didn’t avoid it; instead, he whistled and teased them.

“Oh! Our Jelsomina is quite capable. She’s even seducing a man! It’s something to see in this life.”

Jelsomina hurriedly straightened her clothes and got up. Bum-suk, who slowly raised his upper body, glared at Zakid. He was furious that he had interfered with such a lucky encounter.

“Ah. Seriously. If you saw the atmosphere, you should have left the place.”

Zakid waved his hand and stepped back. When he thought about it, it seemed clear that he had made a mistake.

“Ah? Is that so? I’m sorry. Sorry. Then I’ll leave for a while, so finish what you were doing.”

However, there was no way that the broken momentum would be restored even if he stepped back. Bum-suk shook his head and stood up Jelsomina, who was blushing and bowing her head.

“There’s no need for that. Let’s just go to dinner.”

“Oh. Then I feel sorry.”

“If you’re really sorry, then buy us a nice meal.”

Zakid, who turned back at those words, replied.

“Well. I will. There’s a restaurant nearby that makes good food, so let’s go there.”

“Yes. Let’s do that.”

“Okay. Then follow me.”

As he gestured and took the lead, Bum-suk and Jelsomina followed him. They soon took the Dark Hyenas team’s exclusive flying car in the nearby parking lot and moved to a downtown entertainment district in Meyren City.

Jelsomina, who entered the restaurant with its dazzling interior, kept exclaiming in admiration. It wasn’t the shiny black marble floor, the wide interior space, the luxurious decorations, or the subtle lighting that surprised her.

She received a considerable annual salary, so she often had the opportunity to dine at such luxurious restaurants. What really surprised Jelsomina was the fact that Zakid had come to such a place for dinner.

“N-No way. Zakid Sahyung [senior apprentice brother] is coming to a place like this…”

Zakid, embarrassed, straightened his collar and coughed repeatedly.

“Hehehm. What’s wrong with me? I’ve been making quite a bit of money lately, so I can afford to enjoy this level of dining.”

“Really? Then I can eat as much as I want.”

“Of course. Eat as much as you want.”

He went to the counter and greeted the elf employee sitting there.

“Yo. Selly, it’s been a while.”

“Oh my. Isn’t that Zakid-nim [Mr. Zakid]? But what brings you here?”

“Hehe. I came to have dinner after the match.”

Selly clapped her hands and said.

“I watched that match on TV too. Zakid-nim [Mr. Zakid]. You were really amazing. To have such a match with that Amelie. If you had mopped the floor that much, the owner wouldn’t have scolded you so much.”

Zakid looked at Bum-suk and Jelsomina with a troubled gaze. They knew that he had worked at the restaurant, but there was no need to tell them that he was scolded by the owner almost every day.

“Ah. Stop talking about that. Do you have a seat for three people right now?”

“Yes. We do. Would you like a room?”

“That would be good. Neither I nor the guests who came with me today should have to face outsiders.”

“Then go to the Blue Room. The scenery outside the window is nice, and the atmosphere is cozy.”

“Okay, I understand. See you later.”

Zakid, heading to the room with the blue sign, suddenly turned his head back to Selly.

“Oh, right. Is the employee discount not available?”

“Hahaha. You’re not an employee anymore. Absolutely not.”

“Tch. How stingy.”

Zakid, pouting his lips, skillfully guided Bum-suk and Jelsomina and entered the room.

“Okay. Everyone, sit inside. And there’s no need to choose the menu; it’s roast beef. That’s the most delicious thing in this restaurant.”

Bum-suk and Jelsomina agreed to his opinion without saying anything. It seemed that Zakid had worked here, so he would know the taste of the food well.

“Yes. Please do.”

Bum-suk, who was sitting in his seat, looked at Zakid with a cautious gaze. What he was about to say now could be rude to him.

“But what are your thoughts on facing Amelie today?”

Zakid stroked his hair as if he was troubled.

“Well. She’s not ordinary. I thought it would be easy, but I almost suffered a great humiliation. Amelie wasn’t sitting in the strongest position for nothing. But next time will be different. Now that I’ve seen her dual swordsmanship today, I can definitely find a way to deal with it.”

“Is that so? Then please give me a hint later if you know the method.”

He stared at Bum-suk blankly for a moment and immediately expressed his refusal. If they were skilled like Amelie, himself, and Bum-suk, they had to pave their own way. Listening to other people’s advice would harm their own swordsmanship.

“No way. A swordsman of our level has his own path. I have the essence of swordsmanship. Amelie has endless technological advancements. You have…”

Zakid was about to say Bum-suk’s path but stopped. It was because his path was quite ambiguous. The path Bum-suk was taking was extreme experience, but he was too young to reach that level. It was almost suspicious that a goblin had transformed into a human and was living as a gladiator.

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

I’m late today. I just got in now. I think I’ll be even later tomorrow because of work, so if you’re not someone who sees the morning sun, you shouldn’t wait and just go to sleep.

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