Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 370

372

After causing a scene at the Senocide City Colosseum, Beom-seok stayed to watch all the matches that day. He’d initially planned to just check Lezaris’s information window and leave, but having loudly announced he was there to scout the Keroth team, he felt he couldn’t back out.

Consequently, he had to endure the sharp stares of the home fans, feeling like he was sitting on pins and needles throughout the games.

“Sigh~ In the end, I’m leaving without even seeing Lezaris properly.”

Beom-seok sighed deeply as he boarded the flying car to return home. His main reason for coming was to check Lezaris’s stats, but he ended up just declaring war on Prisika for no good reason.

Of course, the sports media would be thrilled with the day’s drama, but he wasn’t happy. The long trip to Senocide had been a waste.

Erphina, who boarded the flying car with him, looked at him with a concerned expression.

“Master, what’s the plan now? Are we heading to the training camp?”

“I don’t know. What do you think we should do? Let’s grab something to eat before we go anywhere, though. I’m starving.”

Erphina nodded. The return journey would take about two hours, so eating beforehand made sense. Neither of them had eaten since leaving the Gods Knights training camp.

“Yes, I think that’s a good idea too.”

“Okay. Let’s head into the city then. The restaurants and bars around here will be packed with fans who came to watch the games today.”

“Hmm, you’re probably right. Let’s go to the city.”

Beom-seok adjusted the flying car’s course towards the city. Meanwhile, Erphina contacted the Ancient Warriors’ trade representative. Since today’s attempt to see Lezaris had failed, they needed to arrange another meeting. A short while later, Erphina turned to Beom-seok with urgency.

“Master! Please head to Senocide General Hospital.”

Beom-seok, who was about to land the flying car in the city center, looked at her, surprised.

“Why the sudden change of plans? Why Senocide General Hospital?”

“Well, Lezaris is scheduled to have a meal at a restaurant near there after a special health checkup. They suggested we ‘coincidentally’ meet her there.”

“Really?”

“Yes. The trade representative said they’d arrange it.”

That was welcome news. He could engineer a chance encounter. Then he could check her information window and avoid another trip to Senocide.

Now that his identity had been revealed today, another visit would be awkward. If the media caught him again, his reasons for visiting would be questioned.

Even though Senocide was a global hub, two visits in quick succession might make the media suspect he was trying to recruit Lezaris. The Gods Knights desperately needed a veteran guardian gladiator, and Lezaris was the perfect fit.

‘The problem is, it’s too contrived. Even if we fake a coincidence, meeting in this huge city is too unlikely.’

But fortunately, she was recently on the injured list. He could pretend he felt pain from watching the game and went to the hospital.

“Erphina, contact Senocide General Hospital and book the emergency room. I’ll get my back checked out.”

“Why? Is your injury acting up?”

“Not really. I just want a hospital visit on record. It’s too obvious to just show up at Senosaido General Hospital and bump into Lezaris. If reporters get wind of it, it’ll cause a headache.”

Erphina, understanding his plan, nodded. Given the Gods Knights’ position, they had to be extremely careful about meeting Lezaris.

“Yes, I understand.”

Soon, they changed course again and headed to Senocide General Hospital.

“Okay, lie down here.”

Beom-seok, after entering the emergency room, lay down on a bed as instructed by a nurse. Despite a few emergency patients, the area was relatively quiet. He glanced around and then sat up. Now that he had a hospital record, it was time to meet Lezaris.

Just then, a red-haired male doctor approached Beom-seok, greeting him with an overly friendly smile.

“Hello? I heard you came in urgently with back pain?”

“Ah, yes, that’s right. But now that I think about it, I feel fine.”

The doctor went to Beom-seok’s back, lifted his top, and examined the injured area. He removed the gauze and nodded, observing the almost-healed scar. It was still a time to be careful, but it wasn’t a time to feel pain.

“Hmm, I see. It doesn’t seem to be a problem. Did you bump your back into anything when the pain started?”

“Yes, I bumped into a luggage cart while leaving the Colosseum. I came just in case.”

The red-haired doctor nodded at his lie. Gladiators’ bodies were their livelihood, so they often sought treatment even for minor pains. Most of the time, it wasn’t anything serious.

However, the red-haired doctor then said with a concerned expression,

“Excuse me, Mr. Oh Beom-seok. Would you consider a comprehensive examination on the 3rd floor, just to be sure?”

Beom-seok’s eyes widened at the mention of a comprehensive examination. Most gladiator matches were on weekends, when the hospital was usually closed. The emergency room was open for urgent cases, but the comprehensive examination room was unlikely to be open.

“No, isn’t it a weekend evening? Is the comprehensive examination room even open?”

“Normally, it isn’t, but we opened it temporarily because Lezaris, a gladiator from the Ancient Warriors team, was brought in today with an injury. Our hospital has a contract to provide healthcare for their injured players 365 days a year. So the doctor in charge was called in, and the comprehensive examination room is available. It’s not a difficult examination, so why not, Mr. Beom-seok?”

To have a 365-day examination contract with such a large hospital showed the team’s wealth. But it also seemed wasteful. A World League team with its own medium-sized hospital examination facilities didn’t need such a contract for holiday accidents.

“Well, is that really necessary? I’ll pass.”

“But we should prepare for the worst. There might be hidden injuries, right?”

“Yes, that’s true, but I’m not comfortable with it.”

“Uncomfortable? Why?”

“If I go to the comprehensive examination room now, Lezaris will be there, right? I need to avoid personal meetings with players from other teams.”

“No. I just learned that she completed her examination and is being discharged. It seems it wasn’t a major injury, so she can receive treatment from her team. You can get an examination without any worries.”

Then there was even less reason to get one. She was going to a nearby restaurant after leaving the hospital. If he spent time getting a comprehensive examination, he might miss the chance to meet her.

“Ah, it’s okay. If it’s a doctor who was called in to treat Lezaris, it must be an elf doctor, right? And the equipment must be for elves only. The pain is gone, so I don’t want to bother other doctors for treatment.”

“No. Our equipment can treat both humans and elves, and I can do the comprehensive examination. You don’t have to feel burdened.”

Beom-seok frowned. Despite the doctor’s care, the insistence on the examination was excessive. He finally got up from the bed. He had achieved his goal, so there was no reason to stay in the emergency room.

“I’ll pass. I have business to attend to.”

The red-haired doctor looked disappointed. Treating a superstar like Beom-seok would have been a boost to his career, but he was leaving. Still, he refused so strongly that he couldn’t keep pushing. He took out his electronic notepad and stood next to Beom-seok.

“Then, before you leave, can I take a picture with you? I’m a fan.”

“Well, that’s not a problem.”

“Thank you. Then…”

The red-haired doctor, with a triumphant expression, put his arm around Beom-seok’s shoulder and took a commemorative photo. If he opened a private hospital in the future, a picture with Beom-seok in front of the gate would be great advertising. He didn’t get to treat him, but this was a good consolation prize.

“Sigh, what an annoying doctor.”

Beom-seok, leaving the emergency room, hurried to the hospital’s main gate. Since Lezaris had just been discharged, he might catch her. He smiled brightly when he saw a blonde elf woman waiting for a car with three companions at the entrance.

About 175 centimeters tall, with a slender figure and delicate features. It was definitely Lezaris.

He slowed his pace and approached her.

“Yo. Who’s this? Isn’t it Lezaris from the Ancient Warriors team?”

Lezaris and her companions turned to Beom-seok. She was surprised someone recognized her, and her companions knew Beom-seok was coming from the team officials.

Lezaris, initially thinking he was a fan, quickly changed her expression when she realized who he was.

“A-are you perhaps Beom-seok from the Gods Knights?”

“Yes, that’s right. I heard you were injured and got treatment here. Anyway, nice to meet you.”

She shook hands with Beom-seok, pleased. She had heard about his verbal clash with Prisika during the World Cup match, but she didn’t expect to meet him here.

“Oh, what brings you here, Beom-seok?”

“Ah, I had a minor accident after watching your Keroth team’s game. I stopped by the emergency room for treatment.”

“Really? Are you okay?”

“Hmm, I’m fine. It turns out there’s no big problem. It’s the area I was injured before, so I guess I was too sensitive.”

“Ah, that’s a relief.”

“Hehe, yeah…”

As he spoke, Beom-seok slyly opened her information window. The flying car seemed to be arriving soon, so he needed to check quickly. He could take his time if he went to the restaurant with her, but there was no need to risk it.

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Name: Lezaris.

Classification: Elf (29 years).

Affiliation: Ancient Warriors GC.

Fame: 43489.

Notoriety: 48.

H Status: None.

Stamina: 6700/9800 (minor injury).

Sociability: 96, Strength: 98, Stamina: 98.

Agility: 96, Balance: 97, Intelligence: 96.

Mental Strength: 96. Judgment: 100, Skill: 92.

Luck: 98.

Current Skill/Potential: 967/967.

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Trait: Passion of the Guardian.

Special Notes: Core guardian gladiator of the Ancient Warriors. Sale was decided due to the recent rebuilding process of the team and the recruitment of new guardian gladiators. Currently, 3 teams are showing interest in recruiting her. Specialized in guardian gladiators, mainly using spear shields and sword shields.

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‘Oh, she’s definitely a W0-class gladiator. At this level, we can rest assured until our Venus fully develops.’

Lezaris had considerable abilities befitting a W0-class gladiator. Most stats except for skill reached the late 90s, and she possessed the rare trait of ‘Passion of the Guardian.’

‘Passion of the Guardian’ not only increased all stats by +10 for 150 minutes upon activation but also had the bizarre trait of additionally increasing four stats: judgment, mental strength, stamina, and strength by +5.

‘Well, she’s the core guardian gladiator of the world’s strongest team, so she has to be this good.’

Beom-seok, satisfied, closed the information window. At this level, she was worth even a billion. He had to bring her in, even if it meant spending all of his team’s current funds. To buy such a top-class gladiator, the timing had to be right, and you couldn’t buy her with just money.

“By the way, is your body okay?”

Lezaris swung her casted right arm to an unreasonable extent. Even though Beom-seok exaggerated the coincidence, she had a glimmer of hope. In the past two years, the Gods Knights had invested heavily in recruiting gladiators who could compete in the World League, so she thought they might recruit her.

“I’m fine. I have a cast, but it’s not a major injury. Just a muscle strain.”

“Really? Then you can play in the World Cup again?”

After a moment, she nodded. She was going to use this injury as an excuse to skip this World Cup final qualifying round, but to get Beom-seok’s attention, she needed to participate even if it meant pushing herself. He might show interest in her through this meeting.

“Yes. It’s not a big injury, so I’ll miss one or two games and return to the national team.”

“Oh, really? Then work hard. I’ll be cheering for you while watching TV.”

“Yes, thank you. I’ll work hard, so please watch me.”

“Hehe, yeah, I got it.”

Lezaris confirmed that no one was around Beom-seok and said,

“But Beom-seok, are you alone right now?”

Beom-seok nodded. Erphina was a scout, so bringing her along could raise suspicion. He left her in the car and came to find her alone.