Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 37

“Did you see Round 1? They’re nothing special. We’ll win, so don’t feel pressured—just play the game.”

Break time after Round 1. The God Knights team dugout buzzed with high spirits. Having defeated all opponents without a single casualty, they were confident of victory. Superficially, the God Knights seemed to far outstrip King Krabs in power.

However, Beomseok’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. They were all gladiators on the Raymi level [Raymi level refers to a high skill level in gladiatorial combat]. They got lucky this time because their opponents were careless, but there was no guarantee that would continue. Now that he had revealed his hidden card, they would surely respond in kind.

Still, one thing to look forward to was the dent this defeat had made in King Krabs’ morale. They might be too mentally shaken to come up with appropriate countermeasures for a while. If they could capitalize on this opportunity and deliver a decisive blow, they might win this game surprisingly easily.

“Alright! Round 2 will focus on defense. All participants, take up your sword, shield, and spear.”

The gladiators participating in Round 2 all grabbed their shields. Before the match, they planned to draw this round. They were going out now to form a circular formation and hold out against King Krabs for 20 minutes.

With a friendly expression, Beomseok called Erpina and Venus from among the Round 2 participants. They had also participated in Round 1, so he needed to check their physical condition and stamina.

“Erpina, Venus, how are you holding up? Are you alright?”

“Yes. I barely ran in Round 1, so I’m at my usual stamina level. You don’t need to worry.”

“I can run anytime. I’m not tired at all.”

Beomseok smiled at Venus’ confident expression. Venus was at a World League level when it came to stamina and mental fortitude. There was no way she would be strained even if she played consecutive rounds.

“Okay. Erpina, you’re the leader, so lead well and fight smart. And since you have to play in Round 3 as well, if you think things aren’t going well, immediately go into hiding and end this round. The rounds our team needs to focus on are 1, 3, and 5. If we win only those, we’ll win this game. Got it?”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Then go.”

Erpina bowed and led Venus to the tunnel at the arena entrance. Soon after, the buzzer sounded throughout the Colosseum, signaling the start of Round 2.

As expected, Round 2 turned out to be one-sided, with the God Knights team being pushed back. This was more due to the defensive circular formation than any difference in skill.

The circular formation was a triple defense formation where the leader in the very center was surrounded by three spearmen, and then the remaining sword-and-shield gladiators surrounded them again. The sword-and-shield gladiators on the perimeter firmly blocked entry, and the spearmen in the center checked approaching opponents with their long spear tips. Thanks to this, it was a rather difficult formation to break through, and it was mainly used to force a draw. However, it had one major drawback: it could draw a lot of criticism from the fans. Using the circular formation made the game itself monotonous and drawn out. Fans who paid 150 krang [Krang is the currency used in this world] to enter and watch an exciting scene would inevitably be disappointed if such a game unfolded.

‘But I don’t care.’

The reason Beomseok adopted the circular formation was because they were amateurs. It was a big attraction in itself that an amateur team, only two months old, was competing against a team in the middle of the Area League standings and winning. Moreover, this was their home ground, so the fans were understanding enough.

“Good! You’re doing well!”

Beomseok jumped up from his seat. The tip of a spearman’s spear had directly hit the leg of a King Krabs gladiator with the number 33 on it. It wasn’t enough to incapacitate him, but he wouldn’t be able to use one of his legs from now on, so he couldn’t attempt to enter. In other words, King Krabs had to break through the circular formation with only 11 people.

‘Ah~ If only Oscar were here, it would be certain…….’

Beomseok looked at Oscar, who was resting on the bench, with regret. Her greatsword was a mid-range attack weapon that surpassed spears. If she had been positioned in the spearman’s place, the circular formation could have been maintained even more firmly. She could check with long thrusting motions, but she could also threaten multiple opponents simultaneously by swinging it widely.

However, she had a major weakness: her mental strength was weak. Her stamina was almost on par with Venus, but her mental strength was so weak that the amount of stamina she lost was too great. Because of this, he had to give her breaks in between to help her recover her energy.

‘This year, I have to increase Oscar’s mental strength no matter what. Then she’ll be able to play in every round like Venus, and the team’s strength will greatly increase.’

Beomseok now looked worriedly at Venus, who was out on the field. She was wearing two large horned shields, so her defense was certainly specialized, but she had only been practicing gladiatorial combat for about two months. There was no telling when and where a mistake would occur and put the team in danger.

‘Hehe. Well, there’s probably no need to worry too much.’

However, for a mistake to occur, the opponent had to constantly attack Venus. But after the King Krabs gladiators tapped her shield a few times, they immediately gave up on entering in that direction. She was holding two giant shields, and when they struck with their swords, it didn’t work at all and they were immediately bounced back. Right now, Venus’ characteristic, ‘Venus’ Illusion,’ was in effect. She was firmly gripping the dual shields with over 80 strength. This level of strength was hard to find even in the Wide League, which was one level above the Area League.

“As expected, they also sent out their second-stringers for Round 2. If we keep going like this, we can draw.”

The reason Beomseok had a glimmer of hope now was that King Krabs’ second-stringers were also less skilled than their first-stringers. A gladiatorial match was a match where you won if you won three times. Most teams had no choice but to concentrate their main forces in Rounds 1, 3, and 5. Therefore, it was common for second-stringers to come out in Round 2, and King Krabs was also taking the same strategy.

However, King Krabs’ morale had been greatly reduced by the defeat in Round 1. Right now, they were showing organic movements, but their aggressiveness was also declining, and there was a subtle crack in the teamwork between the members. Even though the God Knights’ strength was inferior, they were semi-pros who had been making a living from gladiatorial combat for many years. In addition, Erpina’s command, who had cultivated her insight through decades of professional life, was appropriately executed, so the defensive line did not collapse easily.

In the end, time passed in vain, and Round 2 ended in a draw without any significant battle.

“Good job, Erpina!”

Erpina smiled brightly as she high-fived Beomseok. For an elf, the praise of her master was the happiest thing. With a blush on her face, she took a seat on a nearby bench. She wasn’t that tired, but it was better to rest for a while in order to participate in Round 3 again.

‘Good. If we win only this round, we’ll pass the fourth match without difficulty.’

Before Round 3 began, Beomseok once again led the God Knights gladiators to the stream in the center of the arena. If they won only this round, his plan would be completed with 2 wins and 1 draw.

“Alright, everyone, we just need to win this one. Then we’ll go to the fifth match.”

Beomseok, standing in the very center of the formation, encouraged his fellow gladiators. This was to raise morale before the start of the match, as well as to instill anxiety in the opponent. After all, gladiatorial combat was a team sport. Team strength could be greatly influenced by crowd psychology.

Oscar vigorously raised the greatsword she was holding and responded.

“We’ll win even this round! Just trust me!”

Whether the God Knights gladiators’ morale was boosted by the spirited shout, their hands holding their weapons were filled with strength. Soon after, the starting signal followed. This time, the Big Krabs gladiators crossed the stream and rapidly narrowed the distance.

“Charge in! As planned, mark each assigned opponent gladiator firmly!”

The Big Krabs gladiators, drawing a wide crane wing formation, surrounded the God Knights. They knew very well that if they concentrated their attack on one point, it would be blocked by Oscar and return to nothing.

They soon took out the short spears attached to their backs and threw them.

Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.

At the same time, more than a dozen spears flew in. The God Knights, who were densely packed in a column formation, could not easily avoid them, so they had to lose one of their teammates as soon as they started, and some suffered great damage to the point where they could not use some parts of their bodies.

‘Damn it. I’ve been had! When were they hiding those throwing spears?’

He gritted his teeth as he looked at the short spears that had fallen to the ground. They were about 60 centimeters long, so it was difficult to see with the naked eye when they were attached to the back. It was absurd that professional-level guys were using such underhanded tactics against amateurs like themselves.

Woo-woo-woo! Woo-woo-woo!

The audience was booing at the cowardice, but the King Krabs gladiators went straight in without paying attention. As professionals, it was natural to subdue their opponents by any means possible. And they took the risk of giving up one of the two weapons they were allowed to possess under the rules of the game for this first operation. If the operation failed and the opponent attacked with a weapon that was more compatible with them, they could be defeated instead.

Clang. Clang. Clang.

A melee of swords was continuing from all directions. Two gladiators were assigned to Oscar and Beomseok to keep them in check. In the meantime, the rest began to target the relatively weak God Knights gladiators one by one.

‘Oh, is that so.’

But there was one thing King Krabs had made a mistake about. It was that they had not yet properly grasped Beomseok and had only assigned two gladiators to him. Moreover, they were only the youngest and least skilled ones. Furthermore, they were ridiculously competing to attack as if they were trying to score points.

Beomseok, who had smirked, slightly dodged the up-and-down sword strikes and grabbed the wrist of gladiator number 17. Then, he vigorously struck the helmet area with the katana he was holding in one hand.

Thud.

He kicked the abdomen of gladiator number 17, who was rapidly collapsing, and immediately rushed towards gladiator number 8, who had been backing away. She had seen her colleague being defeated in an instant, so she was very nervous and wildly swung her sword.

“Kuh. How can such a skilled person……. be here…….”

Gladiator number 8, who had received four or five sharp sword strikes from Beomseok, stumbled and fell as she struggled with the force. He boldly raised his sword and stabbed it forcefully into her abdomen, then looked at Oscar, who was surrounded and marked by gladiators number 3 and 12. She was being pushed back one-sidedly by the opponent’s fast and fierce attacks.

‘Foolish Oscar, if it’s become a melee, you should throw away your greatsword and take out the longsword you’re wearing on your waist.’

Beomseok shook his head and secretly approached from behind. A surprise attack was very effective in a melee. No matter how skilled a gladiator was, they didn’t have eyes on the back of their head, so they couldn’t block a sword flying towards their back.

He forcefully struck the back of gladiator number 3’s neck with his katana.

Bang.

“Kyaaaa!”

Gladiator number 3 screamed, startled by the sudden incapacitated state. Gladiator number 12 of King Krabs, who had now realized Beomseok’s appearance, left Oscar and attacked him. But she couldn’t face Beomseok and Oscar alone. Before she could even exchange a few blows, gladiator number 12 laid her body on the cold earth.

“Oscar, throw away your greatsword, take out your longsword, and go help your teammates!”

At Beomseok’s shout, Oscar put her greatsword down on the ground and drew the longsword she was wearing on her waist. Then, she ran to Raymi, who was nearby. She was struggling because she couldn’t use her left arm due to the throwing spear attack just now. Beomseok also immediately ran to Stephanie and began to jointly attack gladiator number 6, who was facing her.

– This is amazing. God Knights are reversing the situation and pressing King Krabs team.

The announcer’s eloquence was escalating. The God Knights team, who had been ambushed at the beginning and had a strong sense of defeat, had turned the situation around with Beomseok’s performance. Four King Krabs gladiators had been defeated by him. But the God Knights had only lost two. And even now, another King Krabs gladiator was falling into an incapacitated state at the end of Beomseok’s sword.

“Guys, pull back and form a formation!”

The King Krabs’ leader gladiator urgently called out to her teammates. If they continued like this, they would be completely broken up and defeated. But defeat was as good as confirmed. With their remaining strength, there was no way to check Beomseok’s movements. It was estimated that about three gladiators were needed to stop him, but if you subtracted this number from the remaining seven, there were only four left. With these, they could not face the remaining 10 God Knights gladiators.

“Oscar. Stephanie! Charge in and break the formation!”

Oscar shook her longsword from side to side and ran towards the hastily formed King Krabs’ defensive line. They revealed their bewildered expressions on their transparent face shields and retreated mindlessly. They had already lost their will to fight, having lost their will to fight. Once the momentum you’ve built up collapses, it’s really hard to recover.

Clang. Clang. Clang.

The metallic sound echoing through the arena continued to diminish. The King Krabs gladiators tried their best to block, but they collapsed one by one in the face of the God Knights’ fierce attack. From their current appearance, they did not look like professional gladiators who were undergoing rigorous training and performing in fierce professional league matches. They were no different from a flock of sheep being ravaged by a pack of wolves.

Hera grabbed the last remaining guardian gladiator by the shield and pulled her back. The King Krabs’ leader gladiator stepped forward to block her, but the sound of successive strikes was already erupting. And the last remaining leader gladiator was also greatly struck in the back by Stephanie’s Blue Dragon Blade and knelt on the spot.

– Round 3 is over! With this, God Knights can be said to have almost grabbed the ticket to the 5th match with 2 wins and 1 draw.

Beomseok, who had taken a long breath, led his teammates back to the dugout. The home fans, who had already confirmed their victory, were sending enthusiastic support. They believed that the same situation would occur next time since they had won Rounds 1 and 3 by a clear margin.

But he had no intention of rewarding the fans’ expectations. He was going to abandon the remaining two rounds for a sure victory. If they let the main force rest and then go into a showdown, they would definitely win, so there was no need to pour their energy into Rounds 4 and 5 unnecessarily. Fortunately, if they win, they get the victory right away, but if they lose, their stamina is greatly reduced, which greatly affects the showdown. Beomseok’s big weakness was that his stamina stat was too low.

———–

Next, I’ll go again.