Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 33

The Marua Colosseum, viewed from above, appeared surprisingly small. The arena itself, with its standard 100-meter diameter, was unremarkable, but the stands, barely able to accommodate 20,000 spectators, contributed to the impression of smallness. Having previously seen the Colosseum in Lima City, which could hold 110,000 people, Bum-suk couldn’t help but find this one quaint.

“Master, we will be landing at the north plaza of Marua Colosseum shortly. Please prepare to disembark,” Aron announced.

Bum-suk practically leaped to his feet. Today marked the first match of the GA Cup. As their inaugural event, he felt a surge of energy.

However, their opponent today posed little threat. While the GA Cup integrated both amateur and professional teams, it wouldn’t be so brutal as to throw an amateur team like God’s Knights against a professional Gladiator team in the first round. They were scheduled to compete against other amateur teams until the fourth round, where they would finally face an Area League team. Today’s opponent, a Gladiator team called Super Turtles, held an amateur record with a win rate below 40%, marking them as decidedly mediocre. With God’s Knights boasting seven Gladiators, most of whom were semi-pro or possessed skills exceeding professional levels, the Super Turtles were little more than an appetizer.

“Alright, everyone! Today is our first match! The opponents aren’t anything special, but don’t let your guard down. Just do what you always do!”

“Yes!”

The Gladiators of God’s Knights responded in unison, their voices filled with enthusiasm. They, too, held high expectations for the GA Cup. As the Gladiator world’s largest tournament, a strong performance here could lead to being scouted by a professional team. Their dream was to become respected professionals, all for their master.

“Once we land, everyone disembarks! First the 1st floor, then the 2nd floor.”

As the door hissed open, the God’s Knights team members, led by Oscar, quickly exited, laden with their luggage. Bum-suk, the last to disembark, waved to a small group of fans who had gathered to watch and entered the north entrance of Marua Colosseum.

“Are you the God’s Knights Gladiator team?” an event staff member asked, approaching them.

Bum-suk nodded. “Yes, we are.”

“Please follow me. I’ll guide you to the waiting room.”

The event staff led the God’s Knights team to their dugout, separated from the arena by thick glass windows. Bum-suk placed his luggage in the center seat at the front and briefly surveyed the stands visible through the glass. Approximately 4,000 spectators were present.

‘Whew, quite a crowd. Since the winning side in amateur matches gets 70% of the admission revenue, a win would net us 280,000 Crangs [Crangs are the currency in this world]. Good, very good.’

In reality, such a large crowd wouldn’t typically attend an amateur match. However, sports betting was highly active in this world. The significant amount of money wagered on amateur matches generated considerable interest from gamblers.

He then examined the betting odds displayed on one side of the electronic display board. 17 to 1. For every 17 Crangs bet on God’s Knights, only 1 Crang was bet on the Super Turtles. In other words, even if he mobilized all his Elves [Bum-suk’s personal team/followers] and wagered 500,000 Crangs, he would only earn about 30,000 Crangs. Actually, with such a large bet, the odds would likely shrink even further, reducing the potential income.

‘Scary gamblers. How did they figure out our team’s strength and lower the betting odds so much? Too bad.’

Of course, a quick search on the Gladiator Association’s computer network would reveal all the Gladiators’ career stats, so the gamblers were bound to know. Still, Bum-suk, always eager for a penny, had his Elves place bets to earn even a small amount. Just yesterday, those thugs who seemed to be underlings of the Black Society had fabricated excuses, citing errors in the support team selection, and reclaimed 15 million Crangs.

‘I’ll get you for this, Black Society bastards. They promised to return it, but they took it all back in less than a day, leaving me with nothing.’

Bum-suk soon changed into his suit in the dressing room and briefly attended a strategy meeting.

The Gladiators participating today were Oscar and Stephanie in the vanguard, plus one other. In the mid-guard were himself, Remy, Hina, and three others. Erpina was scheduled to lead the rear guard, with Venus and Polia as guardian Gladiators. Notably, Emma from the Black Society was listed in the mid-guard. Despite his displeasure with the Black Society’s actions, he couldn’t afford to mistreat her. He was intrigued by Emma’s growth potential and wanted to win her over to his team. If he focused on raising her favorability to 100, she would become Bum-suk’s loyal follower, obeying his every command. He could even convince her to leave the Black Society.

Unaware of his intentions, Emma approached him with an apologetic expression.

“B, Bum-suk. Are you sure it’s okay for me to participate?”

“Hmm. Yes. I’m not as petty as your Black Society. I’ll honor my promise until the day you leave our team. So, be prepared.”

Bum-suk chuckled inwardly. He could practically hear the sound of her favorability increasing.

“Th, thank you. I’ll do my best.”

“Rather than focusing solely on winning, concentrate on gaining match experience. That will be more beneficial to you.”

“Yes, I understand.”

As they exchanged these words and reviewed the pre-match strategy, an announcement urged the Gladiators to enter the arena.

“The match will begin shortly. Please prepare for the entrance of the God’s Knights team and the Super Turtles Gladiators.”

Bum-suk, after checking his silver suit one last time, opened the side door behind the dugout and stepped into the entrance tunnel. Although the dugout had a glass window offering a direct view of the stadium, there was no separate entrance door. He lined up his main Gladiators in the dimly lit tunnel and waited.

“Both teams, please enter!”

As soon as the announcement sounded, the Gladiators of God’s Knights, led by Oscar in the vanguard, began their entrance into the stadium. Cheers immediately erupted. Though they were primarily gamblers, they still showed the courtesy of cheering for the participating Gladiators.

“Fighting! God’s Knights! I bet money on you, so you can’t lose!” shouted a young man in the front row.

Bum-suk responded to the spectator’s encouragement. “I also bet money on our team! We will never lose!”

His loud voice drew laughter from the nearby spectators. Bum-suk waved his hand and glanced at the sandy ground beneath his feet. All Colosseums adhered to a standard arena diameter of 100 meters, but the terrain varied depending on the preferences of the home team and related organizations. The Lima City Colosseum was almost entirely flat with a stream flowing through the center, while the Marua Colosseum was covered in sand. This allowed the home team to leverage their arena’s terrain to their advantage during league matches.

‘But the difference in strength between Super Turtles and us is too vast to be overcome by geographical advantages.’

Bum-suk and the God’s Knights team members, now in the center of the Colosseum, glared intently at the Super Turtles’ Gladiators. Gladiator matches hinged on defeating the opponent, making the initial momentum crucial in determining the outcome.

“1 minute before the start of the match. Get ready!”

The God’s Knights Gladiators formed a triangular formation, optimized for rapid movement. Their strategy was to defeat the opponent as quickly as possible.

Soon after, a message announcing the start of the match appeared on the electronic display board, and the second hand began to move.

Beeeep!

“Round 1 of the match begins!”

As soon as the announcer’s words rang out, the God’s Knights Gladiators charged towards the Super Turtles’ formation. The Super Turtles attempted to defend by forming a square formation, but Oscar, at the forefront, boldly swung his sword, tearing through their lines like paper. Stephanie, exploiting the opening, seized Gladiator number 15, identified by the number on their uniform, with the ring attached to her Blue Dragon Blade and knocked them to the ground.

“Good job, Stephanie!”

Bum-suk swiftly followed, delivering a katana strike to the face of the fallen Gladiator number 15.

The Gladiator felt their body stiffen, their expression one of astonishment. They had heard of the God’s Knights’ strength, but they hadn’t anticipated such a one-sided defeat. Their teammates were already being hunted like sheep by wolves.

Beep!

“Round 1 of the match is over! It’s been less than 2 minutes since it started. The Super Turtles Gladiators were defeated in an absurdly quick fashion.”

“That’s right. It was almost entirely one-sided. God’s Knights are truly amazing. In particular, Oscar’s power at the forefront is monstrous. To disrupt that solid square formation with just one swing of the sword. The MVP of this round is undoubtedly Oscar.”

Oscar, pleased with the commentator’s praise, approached Bum-suk and playfully tugged at his ears. She hinted that if the MVP of today’s match came from his Elves, she would reward them with “extreme affection.” At this rate, she was confident in securing the MVP for today’s match and eagerly anticipated the evening.

“Master, how was I?”

“Hehe. Yes, you did well. Keep it up next time.”

Bum-suk briefly entered the dugout and sent all seven of the waiting replacement Gladiators into the match for the 2nd round. Gladiator matches were fierce duels that demanded immense physical exertion. Compared to other sports, the physical toll was extreme. Therefore, they could substitute Gladiators every round, allowing them time to recover their stamina. This 2nd round was played with the rest of the main players, excluding Bum-suk.

Despite the changes, the difference in strength remained significant, and they completely defeated the Super Turtles team in 5 minutes, advancing to the 3rd round.

“Round 3 begins.”

As soon as the announcement for the 3rd round sounded, Oscar went wild again. A strong performance in this round would guarantee her the MVP title for the day. She swung her great sword with abandon, cutting down the Super Turtles’ Gladiators like fallen leaves. Soon, Oscar, with a record of 6 kills, turned her back on an opponent who had fallen to the floor and could no longer move, and walked triumphantly towards the dugout.

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Next, I’ll go again.