Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 306

308

After walking for a while, he spotted a quaint, round, thatched-roof house. Bum-suk, amazed to see a building he had only seen in pictures come to life, quickly ran towards it.

‘Oh. It’s even better than I imagined.’

Passing through small vegetable garden paths on either side, Bum-suk found himself in front of the thatched house, which boasted a spacious yard. The house consisted of a large central room, two smaller rooms, and a traditional kitchen, all nestled beside a gently flowing stream. In the backyard, two towering fir trees stood guard over a scattering of small apple trees.

He briefly surveyed the scene, then cautiously approached the house.

“Hello! Is anyone home?”

Silence echoed from within. Feigning puzzlement, he walked towards the large room. Then, with a surge of boldness, he threw the door open.

‘Oh. Now I’m certain!’

The large room was unmistakably a training room. It was filled with weapons like swords and practice uniforms, and though showing their age, various training equipment was scattered about.

There was no way such equipment would be found in an ordinary mountain house; this was definitely Dante’s place. Bum-suk immediately stepped inside and picked up a sword that felt right in his hand.

He wanted to be prepared for a possible attack. Having come unarmed, he would otherwise have to fend off Dante’s attacks with his bare hands.

‘Good. Now I don’t have to worry, even if he attacks.’

With the newly acquired sword resting on his shoulder, Bum-suk made his way to the kitchen. He had been living on instant food lately, and his taste buds were clamoring for something more substantial. He hoped to find at least a spoonful of rice.

“Oh. Did they set this up for me to eat?”

The kitchen was overflowing with natural delicacies from the mountains and the sea: grilled freshwater fish, mountain fruits, fresh vegetables, smoked meat, and more. The only thing missing was rice, but the array of food was enough to make his mouth water.

“I’m going to have a feast for the first time in ages.”

Just as Bum-suk reached for a piece of smoked meat, a sharp whoosh cut through the air outside the door. A moment later, a short dagger embedded itself in the wall with a thud. Recognizing the immediate threat, he tensed. A fight was imminent.

A woman slowly appeared in the doorway, her voice clear and sharp.

“Don’t you dare touch that food!”

Turning his head slightly, Bum-suk was struck by a breathtaking sight. A beautiful woman with long, flowing black hair stood framed in the doorway, her figure voluptuous. Impure thoughts flooding his mind, Bum-suk moved closer for a better look.

‘Wow. She puts elves to shame. Seriously.’

Was she almost 170 centimeters [approximately 5’7″] tall? Her oriental black eyes shone like black pearls, and her beautifully arranged features, highlighted by a small mole beneath her red lips, were incredibly alluring. And her attire? The black leather top and bottom, with their almost swimsuit-level exposure, revealed tantalizing glimpses of her snow-white thighs and cleavage, making him swallow hard.

Bum-suk slowly approached and opened her information window. He needed to confirm that she was indeed Dante’s daughter.

———————————

Name: Liza Dante.

Classification: Modified Human (3 years).

Affiliation: Guirim Clan.

Fame: 2.

Notoriety: 0.

Favorability: 43.

H Status: None.

Stamina: 8200/8200.

Sociality: 55, Strength: 81, Stamina: 82.

Agility: 88, Balance: 86, Intelligence: 78.

Mental Strength: 92. Judgment: 82, Skill: 96.

Luck: 65.

Current Skill/Potential: 805/984.

———————————

Trait: Assassin of the Wind.

Special Notes: Dante’s only daughter. Currently the head of the Guirim Clan, operating in the mountains outside of Sden City. Skilled in handling katanas and throwing knives, and has mastered other assassination techniques to a high level. Aiming to become a gladiator to pay off her father’s debts.

———————————

‘Wow! She’s completely top-tier!’

The information window was no joke, enough to make Bum-suk’s eyes widen in admiration. Not only was her growth potential close to the maximum of 984, but her current skill level was also 805. Moreover, her trait, ‘Assassin of the Wind,’ was a top-tier rare trait that increased all stats by +10 and agility by +10 for 150 minutes when activated.

He figured that if she reached her full potential, she could easily become an S-class gladiator.

‘She’s aiming to be a gladiator to pay off her father’s debts. If I can persuade her to join, God’s Knights will become even stronger.’

Since Liza was already planning to become a gladiator to settle her father’s debts, he thought it might be surprisingly easy to recruit her. He didn’t know the exact amount of the debt, but if he paid it off and offered her a good annual salary, she would likely agree. And if he trained under Dante and increased her favorability, the chances would be even higher.

Bum-suk, having decided to recruit her, approached her with a sly expression.

“Seriously? You throw a knife just because I picked up a piece of meat. The world is a harsh place, but isn’t that a bit much for a starving castaway?”

“It’s not harsh. I just can’t let you touch that food. I’ll prepare something else for you, so don’t touch it.”

Bum-suk pointed to the dagger embedded in the wall with his thumb and said,

“I’m not talking about whether I eat the food or not. I’m asking why you threw that brutal dagger. You could have just told me to stop.”

“I’m really sorry about that. I was in a hurry, so I threw it.”

“No matter how urgent it is, can’t you tell the difference between using force and talking?”

“But you’re holding a sword, too. Does it make sense for a castaway to come into someone else’s house, grab a sword, and head straight for the kitchen?”

Bum-suk immediately lowered the sword from his shoulder. She had a point; it was an awkward situation.

“Hahaha. I ran into a bear yesterday and it chased me for a while. I was just being cautious.”

Liza narrowed her eyes.

“You ran away from a bear in this forest? You expect me to believe that? Bears are much faster than humans, especially in this kind of terrain.”

Feeling exposed, Bum-suk scratched his head. Bears were definitely fast.

“Ha, haha. That’s because I’m a modified human.”

“So? A modified human gets chased by a bear? You could have just beaten it up.”

“W, well, that’s true, but that’s not how it works. You get surprised when you suddenly encounter a wild bear.”

It was a somewhat convincing story, and Liza nodded. She had also been surprised when she first saw Bum-suk and had been paying close attention to him. It was the first time she had seen a stranger in these remote mountains.

“I see. But what are you doing in this deep mountain anyway?”

“Ah. I’m stranded.”

“You seem pretty relaxed for someone who’s stranded.”

“Is that so? Hahaha. It’s a stranding with a purpose.”

Liza gave him a strange look.

“A stranding with a purpose? Is there such a thing?”

Bum-suk decided to tell the truth. He had arrived at his destination, and the person he was looking for was right in front of him, so there was no reason to hide it anymore.

“I was looking for someone. Someone who lives in this forest.”

At those words, Liza took a step back, her caution heightened.

“Wh, who are you looking for?”

“Dante.”

She slowly reached for the sword at her waist.

“Are you a police officer?”

“I’m not a police officer.”

“Then are you a debt collector?”

“A debt collector? I’ve never lent money to anyone.”

Liza sighed in relief.

“Then what brings you here?”

“Hmm. I came to get advice on swordsmanship. I heard he was a pretty good swordsman.”

Liza smiled brightly. She was pleased to hear praise for her father.

“Really? So you’re here to become his disciple?”

“Well… I guess you could say that. Since I’m asking for guidance, I suppose I’m a disciple. By the way, do you know Dante well?”

“Yes. He’s my father.”

Bum-suk looked around once and said,

“Oh, really? Maybe you can take me to Dante.”

“Of course. I was about to go see my father soon anyway.”

“That’s good. Then lead the way.”

“Yes. Please wait a moment. Let me get ready.”

With that, Liza went into the kitchen and began packing the prepared food into a basket. Bum-suk, who had been watching her, tilted his head. He didn’t understand why she was packing food if she was just going to see Dante.

“Is your father doing secluded training or something?”

“No?”

“Then why are you packing food?”

“Because today is his memorial day.”

Bum-suk paused, his brow furrowing. He realized he had completely misstepped. Hearing the words ‘memorial day’ and seeing the food being packed, he could roughly guess the situation.

‘Is there such a thing as brotherhood! That means he’s dead!’

Since Dante was dead, the whole reason for coming here had vanished. He couldn’t get advice from a dead man.

He felt cheated, having wandered around in the mountains for the past 20 days. During that time, the God’s Knights team, without Bum-suk’s leadership, had suffered a poor record of 1 win, 1 draw, and 1 loss, even against relatively weak teams.

He could have easily won all three games if he had been there.

He didn’t complain, however, because Liza was standing right in front of him. She was a talented individual with excellent growth potential. If he could recruit Liza, it would more than make up for his troubles.

“He’s gone?”

“Yes. He passed away from old age around this time three years ago.”

“Hmm. This has become troublesome.”

Liza, having finished packing the basket, said,

“What is it?”

“It’s too strange to have a master I’ve never even met.”

She looked at Bum-suk with a bewildered expression. He really did seem strange to her.

“Are you sick or something?”

“What?”

“How can my father be your master?”

“Because I’ve decided to serve him as my master.”

Liza’s expression turned even more dumbfounded.

“Do you think that makes any sense?”

It did make sense. He had made a dead person his master in the past to seduce a woman in another game. There was no reason why he couldn’t do it again.

“Yeah. Once a master, always a master.”

“Okay. Just see my father and go back. There’s no way to serve a dead person as a master. Unless it’s me?”

This time, Bum-suk was the one with the dumbfounded expression. He had decided to serve Dante as his master precisely because he was dead. Otherwise, he would have just listened to his advice and left. But to serve the young Liza as his master? Absolutely not.

“Don’t say ridiculous things. Serve you as my master? If I did that, it would be a major headline in the media: ‘World’s Strongest Gladiator, Oh Bum-suk, Takes Young Girl as Master.'”

It was a rather dismissive remark, but Liza didn’t get angry. She was intrigued by the words ‘world’s strongest gladiator.’ She was planning to become a professional gladiator to restore her father’s honor.

“You’re the world’s strongest gladiator? Then are you stronger than that Prisika? I heard she was the strongest.”

Bum-suk looked at her with disbelief. It had been a long time since Prisika had relinquished the top spot.

“What are you talking about? Amelie appeared two years ago and demoted her to second place. Then I and a guy named Zakid came along, and she fell to fourth place. The current world’s strongest position is a three-way battle between Amelie, me, and Zakid.”

“Ah, if it’s Amelie, is that the one from back in the day?”

“Yes. She retired as a legend in the past, but she had body modification surgery and made a new comeback. She’s much stronger than before.”

Liza looked at Bum-suk with sparkling eyes. If what he was saying was true, then he was a very skilled gladiator.

“Re, really?”

“Yeah.”

“Then… what are you doing here? If you’re a gladiator, you should be in the middle of the season right now.”

“I told you. I came to see my master.”

“What were you going to do after seeing him?”

He sighed deeply and explained in detail what had happened in the third match of last season, the incident where he lost to Zakid.

“Do you understand? I need to rediscover my rhythm. I don’t want to lose so absurdly next time.”

“I see. But if you lost to a guy named Zakid, isn’t it hard to call yourself the strongest?”

Bum-suk frowned at her words, which subtly poked at a sore spot. He was well aware of that fact, even if he didn’t like to admit it.

“Ahem. Well… that’s what I mean. Did you have to point it out like that? It’s embarrassing…….”

Liza smiled subtly. She found Bum-suk’s troubled expression rather endearing.

She had hardly ever spoken to anyone besides her father, and she had been living alone for the past three years. This long-awaited conversation was proving to be quite enjoyable.

“Anyway, that’s good. If that’s the case, I’ll take back what I said about you becoming my disciple.”

“Then you’ll acknowledge me as Dante’s disciple?”

She nodded. If he was truly that skilled, she thought that even if he became a disciple, he wouldn’t tarnish her father’s name.

“Of course. Then from now on, call me Senior Sister.”

“Senior Sister? Not Junior Sister? No matter how I look at it, I seem older?”

Liza exclaimed. How could she, who had been in the Guirim Clan for so long, be treated as a junior sister by a newly arrived disciple? Besides, she was the head of the clan now that her father had passed away. Calling her Senior Sister was already a significant concession.

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

Everyone, have a great day. I’ll see you again tomorrow.