Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 342

344

The Avand national team secured another decisive victory against the Silonia national team in the second match of the third round of the World Cup qualifiers. This marked their second consecutive win, though they hadn’t yet clinched the top spot.

The Merjan national team also achieved two consecutive wins, drawing them level for first place. However, the day’s third match at the Gazelle Colosseum this afternoon would determine the leading team, as Avand and Merjan were set to clash.

‘Oh, Clark is being surprisingly cooperative.’

Before the match, Beom-seok smirked, observing the list of first-round participants displayed on the electronic scoreboard. As he’d requested, he and the main players were largely excluded, with Rebecca and several other reserves taking their places.

He’d anticipated Clark being stricter, but the coach seemed surprisingly flexible. When Beom-seok explained that it was necessary for Rebecca’s development, Clark readily agreed.

‘Well, for a team like ours, the qualifiers aren’t much of a hurdle.’

Two teams would advance to the final qualifiers. Currently, Avand and Merjan were tied for the lead with two wins each, while Wellingham and Silonia were vying for third place with two losses each. Even if Avand lost today, they would still be three points ahead of the team in third, making it highly unlikely they would suffer the embarrassment of being eliminated in the third qualifier.

Therefore, Clark decided to take some calculated risks in today’s match to bolster the team’s overall strength in preparation for the final qualifiers and the main tournament.

Beom-seok casually approached the coach’s seat and tapped Clark on the shoulder.

“Coach, I’m actually impressed for once. You made Rebecca a starter, just like I suggested.”

Clark glared at him and said in a flat voice, “I’ve done as you asked, but Rebecca’s skills will actually improve, right?”

Beom-seok glanced at Rebecca, who was polishing her sword with a slightly excited expression. She seemed to be in high spirits, likely because she was starting for the national team.

She had been a key player for her hometown team, Zeon, in the past, but recently, she hadn’t even been called up. Now, she was playing as a national duelist again in Avand, where she lived, and even as a starter. Naturally, she was looking forward to today’s match.

But was she aware she was walking into his trap? Beom-seok intended to inflict a crushing defeat on her today, fueling her desire to improve. The Merjan team they were facing mainly consisted of duelists from the Forest Oaks team, prominent in the World League [a global dueling competition].

With Beom-seok absent and the team largely composed of second-string duelists, their chances of winning were virtually nonexistent.

“Of course. It might not be immediate, but it will definitely significantly shorten the time needed to overcome her current mental block.”

“Good. But we still need to win, so make sure you take responsibility for the second, fourth, and fifth rounds.”

“Naturally. I have no intention of losing any of them.”

“Alright, then go back and focus on your job.”

“Yes, yes. Good luck.”

After Beom-seok returned to his seat, the stadium announcer signaled the first-round participants to stand by. Rebecca fastened her modified sword to her waist and confidently walked towards the entrance tunnel. Shortly after, with the entrance signal, she entered the arena and charged towards the enemy lines as soon as the match began.

A clash followed by intense combat. Rebecca relentlessly swung her sword, attacking the Merjan duelist.

‘This… the coach is really going for it. Isn’t this too aggressive?’

Beom-seok watched the arena with a mixture of concern and anticipation. Even though the purpose of this match was to inflict a humiliating defeat on Rebecca, the team’s formation was so flawed that it barely resembled a game. Despite their significantly weakened strength, the Avand team had adopted a pursuit formation, which was inherently vulnerable to counterattacks.

“Everyone, hold your ground!”

Mulci, the team leader, shouted. As expected, the Avand duelists’ initial momentum waned, and they were steadily pushed back by the Merjan duelists.

At this rate, they were sure to lose. Mulci glanced at the dugout. If the coach permitted, they could switch to a defensive formation and aim for a draw. However, Clark remained silent with his arms crossed.

Winning this round wouldn’t achieve their objective.

One of the most fundamental strategies in dueling was to maintain the current strength until one of the opposing duelists was defeated. Then, with numerical superiority, they could gradually pressure the opponent. The most crucial element at this point was the individual skill of each duelist.

If there was a duelist with poor skills, they could collapse first and put the team in danger. If they could address such a weakness, they wouldn’t mind sacrificing a round for the sake of the final qualifiers and the main tournament.

Besides, Avand had Beom-seok. There was no guarantee they would lose today’s match.

“Alright, everyone, keep charging! Break through the center and create chaos!”

At the team leader’s command, the main forces of Merjan charged forward simultaneously. The Avand duelists, already inferior in both strength and technique, couldn’t withstand the aggressive assault and were eventually penetrated through the center. The sharp sound of weapons clashing echoed. Both teams’ duelists were wielding their weapons, engaging in a chaotic melee.

“Kyaaa!”

The first duelist to fall was Violet. She had been at the forefront, blocking the opponent’s charge, but stumbled backward and was struck in the forehead by the continuous attacks of the seventh duelist.

Rebecca, witnessing this up close, gritted her teeth and engaged in a fierce battle with the twelfth duelist. Her opponent was a formidable W2-ranked fighter [a dueling rank]. Although she had a slight edge in swordsmanship, the significant difference in physical strength was undeniable. The twelfth duelist might have lacked mental fortitude, but their physical abilities were at their peak.

“Tch!”

Rebecca blocked a powerful blow with her sword and let out a short groan. Her modified sword had the advantage of causing unpredictable changes during attacks, confusing the opponent, but conversely, it was more vulnerable during defense.

The sword easily bent under the opponent’s strikes, so she had to make large evasive maneuvers even against attacks that could be easily blocked with a normal sword. However, the twelfth duelist’s onslaught went beyond that. Even as she stepped back, the tip of the sword was constantly threatening her.

If she made a mistake and blocked carelessly, she would immediately be incapacitated.

Sensing Rebecca’s desperation, the twelfth duelist gleefully swung their sword.

“Is that all you’ve got! Every World League duelist knows how to counter your modified swordsmanship!”

“Don’t be ridiculous! I’m different!”

“Different? You’re the same. No, your swordsmanship is even weaker than the Chaplin Whisper duelists [a specific dueling style], making you easier to deal with.”

Rebecca bit her lip at those words. What they said was undeniably true. Swordsmanship without a solid foundation was inherently weak. However, Rebecca was a fiercely competitive duelist. She couldn’t simply accept the twelfth duelist’s contempt.

She poured all her effort into manipulating her sword and attacking the twelfth duelist.

“Here, take this!”

The twelfth duelist smirked and quickly retreated as the sword strikes poured in with unpredictable movements. Blocking the tip of the modified sword was possible, but unnecessary.

There was no reason to endure a disadvantageous situation when they could step back for a moment, create an opening, and strike the opponent’s sword to gain the upper hand.

As Rebecca’s sword swung through the air, she advanced again and unleashed a barrage of powerful sword strikes.

“Take this? Take my sword instead!”

In the ensuing exchange of blows, Rebecca, who had briefly gained momentum, was once again on the defensive, constantly retreating.

At that moment, a sharp sword strike flew towards her back. It was the attack of the seventh duelist, who had just defeated Violet. They had been facing Lenka along with the third duelist, but when Rebecca entered their attack range, they seized the opportunity to strike.

In the end, Rebecca was struck squarely in the back and knelt on the ground. Since she couldn’t see behind her, she couldn’t anticipate the surprise attack.

Seeing Rebecca slowly collapsing, the twelfth duelist roared at the seventh duelist, seemingly frustrated.

“Hey! Why are you stealing my prey! You already got one kill!”

The seventh duelist smiled and rushed towards Lenka again. She was an elf duelist serving her master, who had come to the colosseum to watch today’s match. She needed to put on a good performance to impress her master.

“Hmph. Finders keepers… Why did you struggle against such a pathetic modified human? I helped because I felt sorry for you…”

“Who struggled! Are you blind!”

“Whatever. Stop talking nonsense and help me here. The Lenka you’re facing now is much better than the one you were fighting. You’ll get more recognition if you get a kill here.”

The twelfth duelist, who seemed resentful, began to attack Lenka. Although they believed their team would win the first round, they couldn’t afford to be complacent since it was still a match.

However, unlike them, there was someone who was free. It was Rebecca, who had just been incapacitated. But now, her body was trembling with intense anger. Although she couldn’t speak, she had overheard the conversation between the twelfth and seventh duelists.

‘I’m so frustrated! Why do I have to suffer like this!’

A characteristic of the Chaplin family was their strong competitive spirit. Their relentless pursuit of strength was what had built the current Chaplin Group. And now, words that completely disregarded her were ringing in Rebecca’s ears.

Defeat was due to her lack of skill, so it couldn’t be helped, but she couldn’t bear the mockery. However, this was the price the loser had to pay. If she felt wronged, she had to develop her strength and defeat her opponents.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up. It was because she remembered what Beom-seok had said a while ago. His unexpected advice that she wasn’t using all her abilities. She hadn’t believed it, but now that she was in this state, she desperately needed that power. If she had just had some basic abilities to support her, she wouldn’t have suffered such humiliation today.

‘I must find the power that I can’t unleash.’

But the problem was how to obtain it. Beom-seok had said he would look for it in various ways, but it couldn’t be easy. Of course, there was one promising possibility, but as a woman, she would have to endure an unbearable shame. She was still hesitant.

– Bwee! End of the first round!

As Rebecca heard the cheers of the fans erupting, she stood up. She glared at the seventh and twelfth duelists, who were returning to the Merjan bench with triumphant expressions, and slowly walked towards the dugout. She was determined to repay them for today’s humiliation.

“Alright, everyone, good work. You’ll get a long break, but don’t just sit around and find something to do.”

Clark’s reprimand to the first-round duelists was unusually sharp. His tone was calm and gentle, but his words were laced with thorns. He was usually known for being silent, but not today. It was because of Beom-seok’s request.

He gestured for Rebecca, who was passing by, to come forward. Beom-seok had one more request.

“Yes, you called me, Coach.”

“Rebecca, you can take off your suit and rest. You’re done for today.”

It was a very short conversation, but those words were like a dagger that pierced Rebecca’s heart. The instruction to take off her suit and rest during the match was an implicit declaration that she wouldn’t be playing for the rest of the day.

Her face turned pale, and she went to her bench. After a while, she barely mustered the strength to walk to Beom-seok’s seat.

“Beom-seok, do you have a moment?”

Beom-seok, who was polishing his spear, smiled slightly and looked at her. The bait had been taken unexpectedly quickly. He hadn’t realized that Rebecca was so competitive.

“What’s wrong?”

“Um, I have something important to talk about. Can we go somewhere more private?”

“Well, I have plenty of time. Sure.”

Beom-seok immediately got up from his seat. He needed to gauge her mindset. He led Rebecca out of the dugout and found a quiet hallway.

“So? What is it?”

After a moment of hesitation, Rebecca spoke with a serious expression.

“Um, is it really true that I’m not using all my abilities?”

“Yes, but why do you ask?”

“What’s the reason?”

“Well, I told you I don’t know yet. If you search hard enough, you’ll find out eventually.”

“But you said you’ve been looking for it all last season, right?”

“That’s true. But what can I do if I haven’t found a solution? I’m doing my best to find it now, so please be patient and wait.”

Rebecca shook her head. She didn’t have the patience to wait right now.

“Still, there must be a leading theory.”

“I told you before, it was the support of loved ones, but that didn’t pan out.”

“But you haven’t tested it with a lover, have you?”

Beom-seok frowned, feigning a troubled expression.

“That’s impossible. If it were a man, he could just buy an elf [referencing a controversial practice], but you’re a woman. There’s no equivalent option available.”

“But what are the chances? Are they high?”

“Hmm. They’re very high. In my opinion, you’re just like Shaila. I believe that if you have a lover who is affectionate enough to share your body, you can unlock your full potential.”

Hearing his answer, Rebecca clenched her fists tightly. She believed that if he was that confident, it was worth considering. But she didn’t have the courage right now. As a woman, it wasn’t easy to give her body to a stranger. She decided to think about it further.

“Okay. Then let’s go back to the dugout for now.”

“Hehe. Okay.”

Beom-seok couldn’t help but smile. He knew exactly what Rebecca was feeling. He was deeply enjoying watching Rebecca’s moral compass slowly waver.

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

Yesterday, a reader recommended System-nim’s ‘Seven Killing Star,’ and I think it’s quite well-written. I enjoyed reading it. Does anyone know of any other interesting novels besides the top 20? I’ve read most of them. ^^;;

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