Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 333

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Ultimately, Beomseok agreed to Rebecca’s recruitment. He suspected a hidden motive, but the advantages of having her on the team were too significant to ignore.

With Rebecca joining the God’s Knights, the roster of available players for matches increased to 26. This would greatly aid in managing the season’s games. Furthermore, incorporating her into the team simplified the process of increasing favorability for potential exploitation and established a solid groundwork for fostering a relationship with the Chaplin family in anticipation of the conflict with the Black Society.

“Alright, everyone, let’s get on board!”

It was a languid afternoon in early September, as autumn gently announced its arrival. Beomseok and the God’s Knights team members arrived at the training camp parking lot, preparing to board the Aaron. Unlike their usual demeanor, a sense of unease was palpable among them. Today’s fifth match was against the Snow Girls, a formidable rival vying for the league championship.

They boasted 17 World Leaguer-level gladiators and 7 C0-level gladiators, a powerful lineup capable of entering the World League at any time. While the God’s Knights’ main force was marginally superior, their second-string players lagged significantly behind the Snow Girls.

Consequently, the match’s outcome remained uncertain, defying any confident predictions. If the Snow Girls secured victories in the 2nd and 4th rounds, where their second string held the advantage, and managed at least a draw in the 1st, 3rd, and 5th rounds, where the main forces clashed, the game would conclude in a tie.

Diana, already seated, called out with spirited enthusiasm.

“Don’t worry, everyone! If we all perform our best in our assigned roles, we’ll secure a win today!”

Beomseok, boarding the vehicle, smiled as he passed her. Five years of experience had transformed her into a capable manager. He felt increasingly confident in her ability to handle game management without his constant intervention.

“Do your best.”

“Yes, Master.”

Beomseok calmly settled into his seat, leaned back comfortably, and closed his eyes. He needed to focus his mind before the game.

Today marked the debut of his spear technique in a match. He had deliberately refrained from using the spear in previous matches, viewing it as a period of adaptation. It had been some time since he last practiced spear techniques, leaving him uncertain about its effectiveness in a real match. While it had proven successful in sparring with his teammates, he questioned whether it could match the power of his swordsmanship.

‘For now, I’ll showcase my spear technique today, but what about swordsmanship?’

Despite his decision to use spear techniques, Beomseok had no intention of exclusively relying on the spear in every match. Regardless of the spear’s power, limiting himself to a single weapon seemed unwise. Depending on the circumstances, the sword might offer a more advantageous approach, and he believed in the importance of diversifying his arsenal.

‘First of all, I need to play as a team. I’ve been too complacent in the games so far. The losses the team has suffered due to my personal play must be significant.’

While mastering a single weapon to enhance individual skills was essential, it was equally crucial to be proficient with multiple weapons and integrate seamlessly into the team’s strategy. Amelie served as a prime example.

Although currently perceived as inferior to Zakid in individual skill, she held the top rank among gladiators due to her significant contributions to the team’s strategy. Perhaps, to realize his ambition, Beomseok would need to overcome Chaplin Whisper, which included her.

Beomseok, carefully considering his swordsmanship options, chuckled softly to himself.

‘The Tai Chi Swordplay wouldn’t work, would it? Hehehe.’

The Tai Chi Swordplay, a Wudang sword technique comprising 42 forms, was the most widely recognized sword technique in the Central Plains [historical region in China], but its application in gladiator matches presented several ambiguities. The slow, dance-like movements seemed to invite opponents to strike.

‘Still, it might be worth trying to some extent.’

The reason Beomseok entertained such an unconventional sword technique was simple: its very absurdity could provoke his opponent. To the uninitiated, it might appear as mockery, rendering the Tai Chi Swordplay unsuitable for modern gladiator matches.

However, each sword form was directly linked to the Tai Chi Wisdom Sword, making it fully viable. The Tai Chi Wisdom Sword, provided by the martial arts game company, had eliminated the unnecessary movements of the Tai Chi Swordplay and introduced a faster tempo, making it practical for actual duels.

If he could bait his opponent with the Tai Chi Swordplay and then strike with the Tai Chi Wisdom Sword, he believed he could achieve satisfactory results.

As Beomseok contemplated his strategy for the upcoming match, a loud ringtone emanated from his pocket. Instinctively, he retrieved his electronic notepad and projected the screen into the air.

– You, Oh Beomseok!

Startled by the sudden outburst, Beomseok turned his attention to the person on the screen. It was none other than Lucas. Anticipating the reason for the call, Beomseok responded with a mocking smile.

“Hahaha. Who is this? Isn’t it Chairman Lucas? It’s been a while.”

Lucas scowled, his face flushed with anger, and shouted.

– You bastard! The Leopard Planning deal. You knew about it and pulled that trick!

“What are you talking about?”

– Don’t play dumb! There’s no way you’d pull that trick without knowing!

Beomseok picked at his ear with his little finger and flicked away the debris. He couldn’t deny Lucas’s accusation that he had been scheming.

In the recent Black Society’s attempt to acquire Leopard Corporation, Beomseok and Ilsimhoe had reaped substantial profits. They had sold approximately 41% of the shares, significantly increasing the current White Angel Fund from 8.8 billion to 22.5 billion [currency not specified in original text, but implied to be a significant amount].

After the transaction was completed, the appropriate shares were transferred back, and the shareholding ratio of all Ilsimhoe members who participated in the deal was re-disclosed according to the 5% rule [a regulation requiring disclosure of significant stock ownership]. This effectively established an absolute defense shareholding of 52%, making it public knowledge.

Unsurprisingly, the Black Society had no choice but to abandon their plan and sell their shares, causing Leopard Planning’s stock price to plummet to unprecedented lows the previous day.

“Well, I did know. But shouldn’t you be the one to blame? Why did you try to interfere with a perfectly good company? If the Black Society hadn’t attempted to seize Leopard Planning, you wouldn’t have suffered such losses.”

Faced with the truth, Lucas suppressed his anger, though his eyes gleamed with resentment. He had suffered four consecutive defeats against Beomseok, tarnishing his reputation within the organization.

Rumors circulated within the Black Society that he was being manipulated by a young upstart and should be removed from his position as vanguard.

– Who the hell is it? Who told you that?

“Well, who could it be? Could it be that the light is dim under your own lamp?” [a Korean idiom meaning that one fails to see what is obvious or close at hand]

– Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve beheaded all the suspicious guys under me. There’s no one who would leak information to you!

Hearing those words, Beomseok wore a triumphant smile. He knew that the false information he had leaked to Theresa at the Federation Professional Gladiator Association’s annual banquet had worked perfectly. At the time, Beomseok had hinted to her that someone following Lucas had leaked information to resolve the Sheila situation.

“Hahaha. Since you put it that way, I’m eager to answer. Yes, it’s not them.”

– Then who is it?

Beomseok grinned and opened his mouth.

“To tell you the truth, it’s Meyer and his clan. Chairman Lucas doesn’t know it yet, but Mr. Meyer has a kind of love-hate relationship with Mr. Leopard.

He loves him, but since the other party doesn’t accept him, it has sublimated into hatred. But when he actually tried to strike Mr. Leopard, his affection must have shaken his heart. So he secretly told me to protect Mr. Leopard and had his son, Chairman Henry, and his grandson, Julian, help me. Do you understand now?”

Lucas, his face turning an alarming shade of red and purple, shouted. He refused to believe such BL [Boys’ Love, a genre of fiction depicting homosexual relationships] nonsense.

– Are you kidding me right now!

“Hahaha. Why? I’m just explaining things as they are!”

– You have to say something believable to be believed! Tell me honestly! Did Vermillion provide assistance?

Beomseok feigned a slight stiffening of his expression and waved his hand. He would be grateful if they misinterpreted the situation in that way.

“No. It’s definitely not them. Even though we’ve formed an alliance, would we exchange information on such trivial matters? Don’t say ridiculous things, Chairman Lucas.”

– Don’t be ridiculous! So, they gave you the information for the Mavs incident last time! I knew it. It’s Vermillion. There’s no way anyone but them could have such high-level information.”

Beomseok barely managed to suppress his smile and continued to deny it.

“Absolutely not. When have you ever seen me lie?”

Of course, Chairman Lucas would never believe his words. In fact, from Beomseok’s perspective, he should have drawn Vermillion into the conflict between the Black Society and the economic organizations to escalate it.

That way, he could somewhat disperse the attacks concentrated on Ilsimhoe. If he hadn’t formed some kind of deep relationship with them, he wouldn’t be so vehemently denying it now.

And he had witnessed Beomseok repeatedly telling lies. Just moments ago, he had attempted to implicate Meyer, the chairman of the Hyena Group, in this matter with some absurd fabrication.

– Hehe. You really think I’m a fool. I won’t say any more useless words. I’ll hang up now.”

With that, Lucas’s image vanished from the screen. Beomseok, having ended the call, scratched his head and returned the electronic notepad to his pocket.

‘Hmm. I spoke somewhat playfully, but it’s almost all true. Well, what can I do? I can’t say anything if they don’t believe me.’

Beomseok leaned back in his seat and began to ponder. He wanted to analyze the Black Society’s likely strategies for the future.

Currently, all of the Black Society’s attacks on Leopard Planning had failed. Their plan to undermine Karen’s reputation by removing her from a major broadcasting station had been thwarted by MKKN’s refusal, and their intention to acquire Leopard Planning had been foiled by Ilsimhoe’s friendly shareholding ratio of 52%. Consequently, their future actions would likely involve a full-scale assault on Ilsimhoe.

Bringing down Leopard Planning without defeating Ilsimhoe would be difficult. However, he anticipated that this would be challenging due to the alliance with the economic organizations. Regardless of Ilsimhoe’s size, the support of Vice Chairman Louis’s fraternity and the full backing of the economic organizations would make it difficult for the Black Society to act with impunity.

‘Since they firmly believe that the attack on Leopard Planning failed due to Vermillion’s information, they won’t try to attack our Ilsimhoe recklessly now. After all, if they do, they’ll be jumping headfirst into a proxy war with the economic organizations and fighting tooth and nail.’

However, it seemed unlikely that the Black Society would take any other special actions. If they were to attack somewhere other than Ilsimhoe, it would be Vermillion, but that was highly improbable.

Vermillion was the world’s largest chemical production company with a market capitalization of 980 billion krang [currency not specified in original text, but implied to be a significant amount], and it proudly represented one axis of the economic organizations. Attacking this company would be tantamount to declaring war on the economic organizations, leading to an endless conflict.

It was unlikely that intelligent individuals like those in the Black Society would commit such foolish acts. War ends when someone collapses, and it was not thought that a rich man would take such a risk.

Originally, the rich were afraid and did not take risks recklessly.

‘Still, I should tell Piler just in case. It’s never bad to be careful. If Vermillion falls to the Black Society, the connection with the economic organizations will be severed, and that won’t be good for us at all.’

Beomseok shook his head and calmly closed his eyes. Whatever happened, he had to focus on the match against the Snow Girls today. Both teams had won all of their season games up to the 4th match, so the rankings would change depending on today’s results. He had to defeat them and rise to the top spot alone.

Wow!

The sun-drenched evening. The Yellow City Coliseum reverberated with the cheers of the audience. The league’s rivals, God’s Knights and Snow Girls, were engaged in their 5th league match.

Currently in the 1st round, the two teams were evenly matched and locked in a fierce battle. However, one peculiar aspect was that the Snow Girls’ main force, wielding shields, was relentlessly attacking the God’s Knights’ main force, which had adopted the Chuhang Formation [a specific battle formation, likely from a game or historical context]. The reason for this unusual situation was Beomseok’s absence.

He was currently in the dugout, preparing for the 2nd round. While the God’s Knights’ second string was weaker, the outcome of the 2nd round remained uncertain if Beomseok were to participate.

‘Hmm. Not bad. At this rate, I don’t have to worry about losing at least.’

The God’s Knights gladiators, meeting the Snow Girls’ main forces head-on with fierce collisions, responded with composure. Although the God’s Knights’ strength had been diminished by Beomseok’s absence, the opposing team had anticipated a defensive battle and had largely equipped themselves with unfamiliar sword and shield combinations.

Conversely, the God’s Knights were all fighting with their familiar main weapons. With comparable strength and an advantage in weapon proficiency, the God’s Knights had nothing to lose.

“Okay! Everyone, don’t overdo it, maintain the formation, and slowly look for opportunities!”

Seiya’s voice echoed across the battlefield. With Erpina’s retirement, she was currently in charge of the team’s position. Despite her youth and limited match experience, her game management and crisis management skills were on par with those of veteran gladiators.

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

Oops, I forgot to upload it while watching soccer. Ah. I’m so absent-minded. ㅠㅠ. Then I’ll go back to watching soccer.

Have a good day, everyone. I’ll see you again tomorrow.