Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 329

331

Finally, the opening game of the 55/56 Hyrn Central League had arrived. The Godz Knights’ first match was in Herby City, located in the same Avond region but a different city.

Today’s away game opponent was the Dragon Knights, Vincent’s former team. They were considered one of the weakest teams in the league, even after Bumseok’s departure last year, so an easy victory was anticipated.

‘Hmm. An appropriate first opponent,’ Bumseok thought.

Bumseok, polishing a small, straight sword, smiled as he glanced at the scoreboard. A familiar name was on the roster.

Most of the opposing team’s gladiators were former teammates from the Avond national team during the World Cup four years ago, including Ilise, the former ace and vanguard of the Dragon Knights; Mercy, the captain; Isabella, a veteran; and Eirene, a veteran and the team’s current ace.

‘But I can’t take it easy. Our goal this year is to win the championship.’

Winning the championship was easier said than done. To be at the top among 20 teams, they had to overcome many obstacles. They had to put their lives on the line in each game to accumulate points, and thoroughly crush their rivals. Going easy on friendly teams would greatly derail their goal.

Bumseok glanced at the clock in the dugout and sheathed two different types of swords on his waist. It was almost game time. He walked towards the entrance and shouted, “Alright! Game time! First round, follow me!”

As Bumseok headed to the entrance tunnel, the broadcast announced the start of the match. He patted the gladiators following him on their shoulders to boost their morale.

Soon after the entrance signal, the Godz Knights’ main gladiators, led by Bumseok, entered the stadium.

“Waaaah! Waaaah!”

As both teams appeared, the spectators stood, cheering and clapping.

“Dragon Knights! Win and survive this year!”

“Godz Knights! Dragon Knights are weak! Sweep them away!”

The fans’ support was almost evenly divided. Herby City and Lima City were close enough to travel between in 10 minutes, so the Godz Knights’ cheering squad was also present in considerable numbers. As he walked towards the center of the stadium, Bumseok waved to the Godz Knights’ section.

At that moment, a woman’s clear voice pierced his ear.

“Master! Do well!”

The voice belonged to Liza, sitting in the team’s designated seating. She couldn’t participate because she was pregnant, but she could cheer.

He frowned and touched the straight sword on his waist. Now that Liza was here, he had no choice but to use this sword today.

Last year, while teaching her, Bumseok discovered several weaknesses stemming from his subconscious, but deliberately didn’t fix them. They were problematic in gladiator matches but useful in other life-or-death situations, so there was no reason to correct them.

‘Well, I’m not quitting after this game, so there’s no need to fix it. And it’s not like there’s no solution.’

The solution Bumseok devised was Central Plains swordsmanship. In martial arts games, swordsmanship emphasizing change and technique rather than power was common.

Most martial artists they faced didn’t wear armor and used sword energy or *sword罡* [sword aura] to greatly increase their swords’ cutting power, inflicting effective damage even without a powerful blow. As someone who enjoyed short, concise strikes, he disliked this swordsmanship, but he had no choice for now.

He had scolded Liza for pointing out his flaws, but it would be a disgrace to repeat them.

‘Sigh. Well, it can’t be helped. It’s better than being humiliated by Liza. And the diversity of swordsmanship will help avoid data analysis from rival teams.’

As a martial arts game enthusiast, he had mastered the martial arts of many sects. From the basic Three Talents Swordplay, Six Harmonies Swordplay, and Eight Directions Swordplay, to the secret manuals of each sect, such as the Supreme Polarity Wisdom Sword, Dharma Three Swords, Supreme Purity Swordplay, and Yin-Yang Swordplay… Even showing one swordsmanship per game, he doubted he could display all the Central Plains sword techniques he knew by the end of the season.

However, high-level moves beyond the ultimate martial arts required inner energy to perform, but that didn’t matter. He seemed able to compensate with his modified body’s power and speed.

‘Okay. What should I do today? Better to start with basic swordsmanship.’

Bumseok, arriving at the stadium’s center, moved slightly out of formation and stood in the free-roll position. Central Plains swordsmanship was full of changes and required space, making organized movement difficult unless they used a formation suitable for the sect’s martial arts. It was more advantageous to play free-roll and face the markers.

He drew the straight, one-handed sword from his left waist. It was about the length of a human arm and narrow, suitable for performing numerous Central Plains sword techniques, including the Three Talents Swordplay he would be showing today.

The commentary box became noisy. They were curious as he, who mainly used katanas, came out with a different sword.

– Ah! Oh Bumseok, making his first appearance in nearly a year after overcoming a long injury, has brought out a very unusual weapon. What’s going on?

To the announcer’s question, the commentator looked embarrassed. Every gladiator has a main weapon, and Bumseok’s was the katana. But he was entering the game with a sword he had never used before.

Given the established theory that you should use your main weapon when playing free-roll, his behavior was strange. Free-roll doesn’t blend into the team’s formation and tactics, so it was right to use the best weapon to unleash your best skills.

– Well. Why did Oh Bumseok bring out such an unfamiliar weapon? A gladiator playing free-roll doesn’t need a secondary weapon.

– Could he have changed his main weapon?

The commentator shook his head. A main weapon was something the gladiator had become familiar with over years of competition. It wasn’t easily changed.

– That’s unlikely. Oh Bumseok is known to be very dependent on his katana. He even uses it in defensive formations where he needs a sword shield, so he can’t easily change his main weapon.

– Then what is it?

– He seems to be trying out a new weapon. Oh Bumseok has relied too much on the katana, making it difficult to blend into various tactics, often placing him in free-roll. I think he’s trying to overcome this.

The announcer, glancing at Bumseok, tilted his head.

– Well. I don’t see much difference between the katana and that straight one-handed sword…

– No. The katana, though small, can be wielded with both hands. The current one-handed sword seems to be for one hand only, judging by the short handle. It can be seen as a preparatory step for wearing a shield.

Even so, it looked strange, but the announcer managed a convinced expression. To hold a sword shield, you had to be good at handling a one-handed sword.

– Well. If you have to say it, there may be a possibility. But since it’s unfamiliar and difficult to understand, we’ll have to wait and see.

– That’s right. It’s difficult to judge Oh Bumseok’s intentions.

While the long explanation continued, two Dragon Knights gladiators stood before Bumseok: Ilise and Eirene. Both were C0-level gladiators with excellent skills, but not enough to stop Bumseok.

He chuckled and waved. “Long time no see, everyone. It’s nice to see you.”

Ilise nodded stiffly. He was a gladiator with great skills in the past, but now that Bumseok had developed his physical abilities, he was reputed to be almost invincible.

“Yes, yes. It’s been a while.”

Bumseok looked around and said, “But will you two be enough?”

“Sigh~ It can’t be helped. The other gladiators of the Godz Knights are also formidable.”

He nodded. The Dragon Knights’ strength was 15 Central League-level players and the rest were Wide League-level. The Godz Knights had 11 World League-level players and 10 Central League-level players. It was not a difference that could be overcome without taking a risk.

“Well. I guess so. If Coach Vincent had stayed, today might have been very interesting, but it’s a shame.”

Ilise answered immediately, “Yes. I think so too. But it can’t be helped.”

Bumseok licked his lips and glanced at Eirene, holding a sword shield. Four years ago, she was just a so-so gladiator on the national team’s reserve level. But she had grown and become the ace of her team.

She was still on the national team’s reserve list due to the rapid growth of the Godz Knights team members and the recruitment of outstanding gladiators, but Bumseok was watching her closely. If raised well, she seemed like she could become a useful gladiator.

‘Let’s take a look.’

He opened Eirene’s information window using the break.

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Name: Eirene.

Classification: Elf (12 years old).

Affiliation: Dragon Knights GC.

Fame: 14832.

Notoriety: 4.

H Status: None.

Stamina: 10200/10200.

Sociability: 90+10, Strength: 91+10, Stamina: 92+10.

Agility: 92+10, Balance: 95+10, Intelligence: 87+10.

Mental Strength: 90+10. Judgment: 93+10, Skill: 87+10.

Luck: 85+10.

Current Skill/Potential: 902/912.

————————————————

Trait: Selfish Empress.

Special Note: She is the ace of the Dragon Knights. Her physical abilities are almost complete, but she is not yet rated as a World League-level player due to her lack of swordsmanship skills. She has the qualities of a veteran and a rear guard, and mainly handles sword shields.

————————————————

‘Hmm. Her physical abilities are almost fully developed, but her performance is still like this… Isn’t she taking the game too lightly?’

Eirene was 12 years old, and reaching C0 level at that age was not bad. However, her performance should be much better if she played with enthusiasm. Eirene’s skill difference stemming from her attitude was very large.

‘Well, I guess it can’t be helped. Her trait is like that…’

Eirene’s trait, ‘Selfish Empress,’ had a useful option that increased all stats by +10, but the activation condition was ambiguous. Her stats only increased when she was enthusiastically engaged in the task.

As a result, there was no stat increase except on days like today, and her overall individual performance was not very noticeable. It seemed she would stay in that state unless recruited by the Godz Knights.

Bumseok closed the information window and spoke to Eirene. “Eirene. Do your best today.”

She nodded, revealing a stiff expression through her face shield. She was going to do her best to please him. If she showed outstanding skills and was recruited by the Godz Knights, it would be the end of her misfortune and the beginning of her happiness.

“Yes. I will definitely impress Bumseok-nim that I am a formidable opponent.”

“Okay. I’ll look forward to it.”

Bumseok stepped forward and held the sword in reverse, extending his opposite palm straight forward. He was taking the starting stance of the Three Talents Swordplay. Since no one used this swordsmanship in the gladiator world, Ilise and Eirene looked at each other and tilted their heads.

“What are you doing, Bumseok-nim?”

“Hmm. I’m trying to show you a swordsmanship that disappeared in the past. So be careful. It’s an unfamiliar sword style, so you might get hit easily.”

With a kind explanation, Ilise and Eirene raised their swords to the middle and prepared for Bumseok’s attack. It was a ridiculous posture, but they thought it necessary to be careful since he said so.

Soon, a long whistle mixed with electronic sounds was heard, and Bumseok slowly raised his left foot high to his knee, took a long step, and then held the sword in a proper posture.

“Okay. Here I go!”

He stepped forward quickly, kicking Ilise’s abdomen hard with his right foot, who was in shock. She was so focused on the sword that she didn’t see the foot attack, so she fell backward and rolled on the floor.

At this, he raised the tip of his sword and thrust it towards Ilise’s chest, who had fallen. But the place where the sword finally flew was Eirene’s abdomen, who was running to save her teammate. He had abruptly changed direction and used the technique of skimming over the surface.

She was surprised and quickly leaned her upper body back, but it was already too late. Bumseok, confirming that her right waist was open, stabbed her right arm with the technique of emerging dragon from the water.

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

It’s a perfect spring day. The ginkgo tree in front of my house is spreading its lush green leaves and receiving the spring sunshine. But maybe it’s because of the laziness of spring, I don’t know why I’m so sleepy. Maybe it’s because I’ve been taking medicine lately. I’ve got an inflammation in my throat these days. Hahaha.

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