Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 380

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“Jasmine, stay out of this!”

Jasmine didn’t even scoff at Prisika’s request. As an elf contracted to an owner [a common practice in this world, where elves serve as gladiators or performers], she didn’t place much value on personal honor.

The only reason this white-haired, pale-eyed woman received so much favor from her owner was because she generated a substantial annual income. While her skills determined the size of her income, the director’s decisions also played a significant role. If the director didn’t include her in the game, she wouldn’t receive allowances, so her income would naturally decrease.

There was no reason for her to back down and risk incurring the director’s displeasure, as Prisika suggested.

“What are you talking about? I’m a professional. I don’t mind a 2-on-1 fight if it means victory.”

“Are you really not going to listen to me!”

Jasmine flinched slightly. The captain of the Ancient Warriors team was Prisika. If she upset her, her future within the team could become difficult, so she needed to tread carefully.

“I wish I could, but I can’t help it. As a gladiator of Ancient Warriors, I have to follow the team’s strategy. But if you really want to fight Jung Beom-seok in a 1-on-1 match, talk to the director. He’s probably listening to our conversation through the comms right now.”

Prisika gritted her teeth. There was no way the stubborn director would listen to her. They had argued briefly earlier, but she had reluctantly backed down due to his threat to put her on the injured list. Being placed on the injured list meant he would exclude her from today’s game.

Prisika gripped her sword tightly and approached Beom-seok. She intended to secure a win in the first round. The director hadn’t completely dismissed her stubbornness and had promised to allow a 1-on-1 match if victory seemed certain.

‘I must win this round. Then I can fight Beom-seok in the third round.’

If Ancient Warriors won this first round, their chances of winning today’s game would greatly increase. The God Knights’ second string was too weak to pose a real threat. Then, in the third round when she met him again, they would already have two wins, so she could confidently demand a one-on-one match from the director.

Prisika looked at Jasmine approaching from the side and said in a cold voice,

“End this match quickly and provide effective support. If you mess around and interfere with me, your future on the team will be difficult. Understand?”

Jasmine smiled lightly. She was confident in her skills. Although she was currently at the W0 level [a gladiator ranking, likely indicating a veteran or experienced fighter] due to her age and not being technically outstanding, she believed that with consistent swordsmanship practice, she could eventually surpass Prisika.

“Hmph. Don’t worry. Even if I look like this, I’m a W0-level gladiator. I may not fight as well as you, but I’m good enough to assist.”

“Good. Then I’ll trust you. Follow me closely.”

With a fierce blue gaze flashing from her helmet, Prisika extended her sword towards Beom-seok. As a former top gladiator, her swordsmanship was incredibly aggressive.

He struck the incoming sword tip with his spear shaft and quickly retreated. Jasmine was rapidly closing the distance and attacking. Beom-seok barely dodged the vertically descending sword and swung his spear widely.

‘Tch. Is a combined attack from Prisika and a W0-level gladiator too much to handle?’

Beom-seok’s expression naturally frowned. Facing two world-class gladiators simultaneously was no easy task. As expected of the World League? They were on a different level in terms of strength and skill compared to the lower-ranked World League gladiators he had faced in the Central League.

He continued to retreat, focusing on creating distance. Realizing it was too much to handle, he decided it was better to focus on defense rather than offense, waiting for an opportunity. He needed to achieve at least a draw in the first round to drag today’s game to the fifth round.

Clang. Clang. Clang.

The dreadful sounds of impact echoed throughout the arena. The clash between spear and sword collided in the air without yielding, scattering metallic sparks in all directions.

The weapons, made of the latest metal materials, couldn’t withstand the clash between World Leaguers with the strongest physiques. Before long, Beom-seok’s spear was covered in countless scratches, and its unique luster disappeared.

“Oh, Beom-seok, do well! There’s no need to be intimidated by a 2-on-1! You can defeat those two!”

“Yeah. If you defeat Prisika and Jasmine, we’ll win! Defeat them!”

All the spectators in the stands were focused on Beom-seok. The battle at the main base was just a push-and-pull struggle on the iron bridge, so there wasn’t much to see. After all, gladiatorial combat was only fun when victory was achieved through fierce battles.

However, Beom-seok’s mouth was hanging open as he listened. This combined attack from Prisika and Jasmine was no joke. Fortunately, he was defending well, but if he made a mistake, he would be immediately incapacitated.

‘Tch. Easy for them to say. These guys are no joke.’

As if reading his thoughts, the commentators made objective remarks. As experts, they knew how powerful the simultaneous attack from Prisika and Jasmine was.

– Oh, Gladiator Oh Beom-seok is amazing. He is skillfully defending against the combined attack of Prisika, ranked 3rd in the world, and Jasmine, ranked 28th. As expected of a gladiator known among experts as one of the world’s top 3 gladiators.

– Hahaha. Yes, that’s right. Wasn’t Prisika the strongest gladiator until recently? He is putting up such a good fight while facing her and another world-class gladiator. He can be said to be an outstanding gladiator.

– Yes. No matter how you look at it, Gladiator Oh Beom-seok will soon surpass Prisika and rise to at least 3rd place in the world gladiator rankings. Continuing such a close match in a 2-on-1 fight means there is a significant difference in individual skill.

– That’s right. In terms of skill, he can already be said to have joined the ranks of the strongest gladiators. All that Gladiator Oh Beom-seok lacks now is achievements. I’m looking forward to the match between Amelie and Zakid.

The commentator nodded, stroked his chin, and turned his gaze towards the iron bridge.

– By the way, the gladiators of God Knights are also amazing. Even though one person is missing, they are not being pushed back at all against the Ancient Warriors gladiators, who boast the strongest squad. In fact, judging by how they are firmly defending the center of the iron bridge, which is the most advantageous terrain, it seems they are significantly ahead in terms of strength.

– Hahaha. Isn’t that obvious? The physical abilities of the God Knights gladiators are fantastic. It’s just that they lack technical skills. God Knights has been known as an invincible strength team since the old days. Once they occupy the center of the iron bridge, they will never give it up.

– That’s right. Moreover, haven’t they recently recruited some technically outstanding gladiators such as Rezaris? In my estimation, the God Knights gladiators will cause a sensation in this year’s World League.

– Yes. I agree with that opinion. God Knights can aim for at least the mid-tier with their current strength. They are truly a team to look forward to.

As the commentators continued, Prisika’s offensive intensified. She was angry that the commentators were unilaterally praising Beom-seok and ignoring her.

This was a common occurrence in her career as a professional gladiator, so she could have just ignored it, but this time was different. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t biased commentary.

Since they hadn’t been able to decide the match in a 2-on-1, she had nothing to say.

Prisika tried to approach him, but stopped when she saw the spear tip extending out to check her. The sharp point aimed at her chest was incredibly threatening. But she couldn’t stop like this. She immediately struck the spear shaft with the blade of her sword and charged forward.

“Yaah!”

Suddenly, Beom-seok leaped backward at the rapidly horizontal sword strike. He could have blocked it with the spear shaft, but he would have been hit by Jasmine’s subsequent attack. She was already swinging her sword at Beom-seok’s head with all her might.

He hastily raised his spear shaft to block it and then threw himself sideways at the sharp, straight attack that followed quickly. There was no space to dodge.

“Jasmine! Now’s the time! Finish him off!”

At Prisika’s shout, Jasmine moved nimbly and approached him as he rolled on the floor. An opponent who had fallen was easy to deal with, so she thought she could finish him off this time. But her approach ended in failure.

Suddenly, his spear tip twisted skillfully, barely grazing her face. Even while rolling on the floor, Beom-seok was wielding his spear to keep them at bay.

Jasmine struggled to raise her sword to block the spear shaft and retreated. She judged that the attack timing had already passed. He had already gotten up and was sharply pointing his spear tip.

‘I almost got hit. He’s not an easy opponent after all.’

Sweat was already beading on Jasmine’s forehead. It wasn’t sweat from exhaustion, but sweat from tension. That’s how good Beom-seok’s skills were. She had been careless for a moment, and a moment of crisis had come without fail. If she had dug in a little more earlier, she might have been hit.

She stood next to Prisika, who was very agitated.

“Sister, he’s not ordinary. It seems we can’t deal with him easily.”

Prisika knew that very well. But she couldn’t tolerate the current situation because of her pride. She was angry that she had fallen to 3rd place in the gladiator rankings with the emergence of Zakid and Amelie, and she couldn’t afford to be pushed back again.

“I know! But we must defeat him! That’s how our team wins!”

Jasmine glanced at the iron bridge and nodded. Perhaps because the attack was not easy, the Ancient Warriors’ main force was retreating to the outside of the iron bridge entrance, quietly catching their breath.

If they continued to play like that, there was no hope, so they had to seize the momentum of victory here. If they caught Beom-seok and joined their main force, they would definitely win the first round.

The problem was how to defeat Beom-seok. He had been defending well against their all-out offensive so far. There was no guarantee that he wouldn’t continue to do so.

“I know that too. But we shouldn’t attack recklessly. You can see that our attacks haven’t worked properly so far.”

“It doesn’t matter. If we keep attacking, we’ll get a chance. So attack quickly!”

Jasmine shook her head and ran towards Beom-seok. If they continued to fight without any strategy, this match would go on endlessly. His defensive posture was as solid as a fortress.

Prisika’s eyes flashed as she followed her. She was planning to defeat Beom-seok by using Jasmine as bait.

‘Good. It’s cowardly, but I can’t help it. After all, a 2-on-1 match itself doesn’t make sense. The real match will be in the third round.’

The spear shaft vibrated greatly with a heavy impact, making her fingers ache. The power contained in Jasmine’s sword strike was extraordinary. Her strength was almost on par with Prisika.

Beom-seok stepped back, moving out of their attack range.

“Hah, hah. Come on already. Don’t you guys get tired!”

Beom-seok, who had been under their combined attack for a long time, was greatly exhausted. His stamina was rapidly depleting as he tried to face them alone. But he had no choice but to endure. If he lost now, the God Knights would have to give up the opening game with a 3-loss defeat today.

“Jasmine, what are you doing! Keep attacking! Don’t give him a moment to rest!”

“Yes, I understand!”

Jasmine desperately swung her sword at him. However, Beom-seok had already created distance and was out of its trajectory. In fact, after securing a safe distance, he even attacked her by launching a series of deadly spear tips.

Clang. Clang. Clang.

As the continuous sounds of impact echoed, Prisika stood next to Jasmine. The game time was now in the middle, so it was time to finish the match. As Jasmine dug into a gap and moved forward, she followed behind her. She threw the bait.

‘Here. Have some, Beom-seok! It might not taste very good because it’s poisoned.’

In response, Beom-seok thrust his spear tip with all his might, thinking it was a windfall. It seemed like an accidental collision on the surface.

Moreover, Jasmine was a gladiator who had recently transferred. Since she was not familiar with team play, it was natural that such a mistake could occur. But the moment he felt the heaviness of the spear shaft hitting her chest, Beom-seok let out an exclamation of astonishment.

As if she had expected it, Prisika dug in with a low posture and swung her sword.

“Damn it! I’ve been tricked!”

But it was half a beat too late to dodge. Beom-seok had no choice but to block her sword with his right arm. Soon after, Prisika’s sword deeply grazed his forearm.

Swish.

“Hehe. It’s over now! Prepare yourself!”

Beom-seok abandoned his spear and quickly retreated without even having time to check the feeling of his slowly stiffening arm. Prisika, seizing the opportunity, was wielding her sword relentlessly, applying strong pressure. He twisted his upper body from side to side, dodging the sword strikes that flew continuously from left and right.

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

A cool rain is pouring down after a long time. Is the rainy season starting? But the problem is that it keeps raining all summer like last year. Last year, summer didn’t feel like summer.

Then everyone have a nice day. I’ll see you again tomorrow.