Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 387

389

– Gladiators from both teams, please enter the arena center.

Tiela, standing at the entrance tunnel, stepped into the arena with her teammates as the signal for the first round began. Soon, reaching the edge of the forest, her face turned pale, like a dog about to be boiled on the hottest day of the year. She could guess what kind of trouble awaited her. It was clear she wouldn’t even be able to put up a fight.

‘Sigh~ I have no choice. I can’t stay at the entrance alone.’

Tiela looked back at Miraz, who was following her. After all, she was the captain.

Although Miraz was guarded by two Guardian Gladiators, Tiela still felt uneasy. Beomseok would find the captain the most appealing target.

If he could secretly take her down early, the first round would end absurdly quickly. Tiela, walking through the forest towards the center, stopped briefly, waited for Miraz, and then continued alongside her.

“Miraz, let’s go together. I’ll protect you.”

“You protect me? Aren’t you the vanguard?”

“But I think it would be better to act as a Guardian Gladiator today.”

Miraz looked at her, seemingly troubled. She had witnessed the conflict between Tiela and Oppen, the coach, in the dugout just a moment ago. If Tiela ignored the team’s strategy and took on a guardian role, the already displeased coach would become even angrier.

“Are you sure? The coach will scold you for neglecting your vanguard duty, you know?”

“It doesn’t matter. The vanguard doesn’t mean anything today. We might not even get a glimpse of the God Knights’ base today.”

Miraz, pushing aside a branch that was blocking her face, let out a long sigh.

“Hoo~ Is Beomseok that formidable?”

“Yes, quite.”

“Well, Beomseok is considered one of the top three gladiators in the world.”

Tiela shook her head vigorously at that statement. Being one of the top three gladiators in the world didn’t even begin to describe his combat prowess in the forest. Even Jakid and Amelie, two of those top three, had been easily defeated here.

“If that’s all there was to it, I wouldn’t be worried. As long as he’s in the forest, he’s a demon, a black demon. We probably won’t even see Beomseok’s shadow today.”

Miraz chuckled. Tiela’s exaggeration was too much.

“Hahaha. When you say it like that, I get scared too. But that won’t happen. I know the skills of our team members very well.”

“Hehe. I know the skills of our team members very well too. And I also know that no one can keep up with me in our home arena. The quality of training is completely different for me and the others. But I’m not confident I can withstand even one strike from Beomseok. Once, I couldn’t even dare to get close, and another time, I willingly offered my neck with my eyes wide open right here.”

Miraz wiped the smile off her face. She knew how skilled Tiela was.

Tiela visited the home arena whenever she had the chance to train alone, making her the most adapted to the home coliseum. If Tiela couldn’t even put up a fight, none of the team members could face Beomseok.

Moreover, unlike flat ground, the forest was mainly about ambushes and one-on-one battles, so he could take on everyone alone.

“Okay, I understand. I won’t say anything more then. But I won’t be responsible for what the coach says.”

“Yes, do that.”

The gladiators from both teams reached the center. They were close to each other, but they couldn’t see each other’s faces due to the dense thickets. And the moment of silence that followed was broken by a long whistle.

– Peeeeeep! The match begins!

“Everyone, charge forward and make sure to eliminate those who fall behind!”

The order came from Rifrice. Usually, it should have been Miraz, the captain, but she took the lead in the initial ambush.

In the early stages, some would lag behind during the short time it took to quickly return to the flat ground near the entrance tunnel. This was because they got lost, blocked by the dense trees.

Naturally, they were excellent prey, and how well they were dealt with greatly influenced the win rate of that round. That’s why the vanguard’s initial raid was necessary, and Rifrice commanded it.

Laurelai, who was following her, looked around and then shouted.

“Rifrice! I can’t see Tiela!”

Rifrice frowned at the sound. She thought Tiela had finally caused an accident.

Tiela’s role was important in the initial raid, so her absence would have a significant impact on the strategy. But it didn’t seem to matter much. She saw Liza from the God Knights loitering ahead with a stone in her hand.

Liza was also a skilled player, but Rifrice and Laurelai could easily take her down together.

Rifrice looked at Laurelai, who was following beside her.

“Forget about Tiela…….”

Rifrice stopped speaking and stared behind her with horrified eyes. Laurelai, who had been talking fine just a moment ago, was hanging from a nearby tree branch with only her body exposed, and then weakly fell to the ground.

Unable to understand, she abandoned the initial raid and ran to Laurelai.

“Laurelai, what happened!”

But Laurelai only stiffened and couldn’t say anything. She had already fallen into a state of incapacitation. Then, a scream erupted from the mid-tier gladiators following behind.

“Kyaaaak!”

Judging by the voice, it was Moia. Rifrice quickly pushed through the bushes and went to the source of the sound. Moia had also been attacked and was lying on the ground.

She looked around and shouted loudly.

“Who the hell is it!”

But all she could hear was the sound of the bird cameras flying around.

The Papilan City Coliseum was surrounded by forests on all sides, so the audience couldn’t see the actual match. Therefore, hundreds of high-performance bird cameras were flown into the arena, and the match was broadcast through holographic images.

Rifrice joined the mid-tier gladiators, including Zeris, who had arrived late, and continued to watch her surroundings. But all she could see was tree branches full of greenery.

‘I underestimated the opponent too much. What Tiela said earlier wasn’t nonsense. No matter what, I have to catch Beomseok first and then attack the God Knights’ base.’

Although two people had been attacked, Rifrice was still full of confidence. She judged that she had been unable to cope with Beomseok’s surprise attack because she was focused on the raid. And she thought that if she caught him, she could reverse the current numerical disadvantage.

Even before, there had been times when the raid failed and they lost a few people, but after that, they took a hit-and-run strategy based on the forest and won easily.

She frowned for a moment. It was because of Tiela, who had belatedly joined the main force.

“Tiela! Why are you coming now!”

Tiela checked the number of gathered teammates and then cast a glance at Rifrice.

“Where are Moia and Laurelai?”

“They were both attacked because of you! How can a vanguard come with the rearguard! If you had just supported them from the side, they wouldn’t have been attacked!”

“They would have been attacked even if I was there. No, I would have been attacked first. Beomseok would have wanted to eliminate me first because I’m the most familiar with this terrain.”

“Yeah! You’re so great! But now follow my orders! If you’re loitering in the rear again, you’ll be in big trouble!”

“Then Miraz will be attacked. Two Guardian Gladiators can’t stop Beomseok.”

“What! How can you say that!”

As Rifrice became agitated, Miraz stepped in to urge restraint. Rifrice might be right, but she had more faith in Tiela’s opinion. Even if it was a surprise attack, if two people were attacked so quickly by one person, she had to be careful.

“Rifrice. I’m the captain. Now that the raid has failed, you have to follow my orders for the rest of the match.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Go back and go on the defensive. Like Tiela said, something is definitely wrong.”

“Miraz! How can you say that! This is our home! The place where we built an undefeated myth last year. But you’re turning tail and going on the defensive just because two people were attacked? Besides, we don’t have shields. What are you going to do if Beomseok throws a dagger from the forest?”

Miraz was also worried about that point. If Beomseok hid in the forest and threw daggers in a surprise attack, considerable damage would occur. Still, she thought it was better than being attacked without knowing anything. Daggers flew quickly, but at least they could be seen. If they paid attention, they could reduce the damage enough.

At that moment, she heard Oppen’s roar in her ear. The coach had stepped in after hearing their conversation.

– Miraz, what are you doing! You have to catch that Beomseok guy quickly!

“But two people were attacked in an instant. I feel uneasy.”

– Have you been infected by Tiela! Do as I say quickly!

Miraz reluctantly nodded. Oppen was a capable coach, but the problem was that he was more narrow-minded than a crow-tit [a small, stubborn bird].

If she didn’t listen to him, she would be targeted, and her final years would be difficult. She was already retiring in a few years, and if she was targeted and sold to another lower-tier team, it would be a headache.

As a World Leaguer, she could still participate in matches in the lower leagues, even if she was aging.

‘I have no choice. I can’t afford to be disliked by the coach in order to go straight to the World Walker Auction Market [an event where gladiators are traded].’

She immediately divided the team into three groups. And she placed three people in each group, and made a group of four, including Tiela, in the rear. In order to find Beomseok more easily, the groups had to be further subdivided, but she was reluctant because of anxiety.

“Okay, everyone, scatter and find Beomseok! And as soon as you find him, let everyone know and build a siege!”

“Yes.”

The Forest Elves gladiators, divided into three groups, scattered in all directions. Beomseok, who was watching them from afar, smiled faintly and began to move. It was to find Liza, the bait. Now that they had scattered, it was better for Liza to do her last job and return to the base.

Beomseok, passing through the dense thickets, approached Liza, who was standing blankly in the forest.

“Liza, you’ve worked hard.”

Liza greeted him happily. She had heard about his performance from Diana.

“Master, I heard you’ve already taken down two people? That’s amazing.”

“Amazing, my foot. There are still ten people left……. By the way, you have to go back now. Now that the opponent has scattered, I have to chase after them.”

“Really? Then can’t I follow you? I’m also confident in fighting in this terrain.”

Beomseok shook his head. Liza had lived in the mountains outside of Sten City since she was young, so she was strong in forest-based combat. But her swordsmanship was poor, and she was somewhat unskilled at hiding her presence when moving.

It would only be a burden to drag her around, and even if she acted separately, it would be difficult for her to face other Forest Elves gladiators, so she was anxious in many ways. The opposing team gladiators who participated in this round were at least W1 level or higher, while she only had W2 level skills.

“No. As planned, you go back to the base as is. I’m enough here alone.”

Liza pouted. She couldn’t help but be full of confidence because she hadn’t faced the Forest Elves gladiators.

“I can do well too…….”

“I know that too, but you’re not as familiar with this terrain as they are, so you can be easily attacked. So just do this one thing and go back. Okay?”

Liza fiddled with the large stone in her hand. It was a shame, but she had to go back because Beomseok said so.

“Okay. Then, as you said, I’ll just break the display device and go back.”

“Okay. Then please.”

Liza took a slight step back and stared intently at the space between the dense trees. The reason she was standing in this place was not only to play the role of bait, but also because this was the best place to hit the display device.

Of course, if she went to the flat ground near the entrance tunnel, she could hit it more easily, but if she did, she could be kicked out for destroying public property.

Soon, Liza waved her arm once, and while Beomseok covered the lenses of the bird cameras approaching him, she threw a stone with all her might.

Bang. Pazzik!

With the sound of sparks flying in the air, the cube hologram screen on the central old tree went out.

Due to the sudden external situation, the referees briefly suspended the match, but soon resumed it. It was judged that there was no danger, and they couldn’t stop the match just because one screen went out. There were countless hologram images provided in the arena besides the central cube.

‘Okay. Shall we go now?’

As Liza returned, Beomseok began to move, climbing trees. The first target was the group led by Rifrice, who had moved to the southeast. Because it was a group that included the strongest ace, the fear the opponent would feel when eliminated was doubled.

But the first group that was actually discovered in his eyes was the group led by Karelia. It seemed that the location had changed when the match was briefly suspended a little while ago.

‘Well. It doesn’t matter. Either way, eliminating them reduces the number by three.’

Beomseok secretly chased after them. He was concerned about the several bird cameras flying around nearby, but it didn’t matter at all. This sound greatly reduced the presence he made while moving between the branches.

When he was close, Beomseok quickly moved to the side and hid in the forest in front of Karelia’s group. And he grabbed a jungle knife and a dagger in both hands and captured the timing of the attack.

============================ Author’s words ============================

Umm. I was worried about the gray hair I’ve had since last year, but today I happened to look and most of it is gone. I think I’ve rejuvenated. Hahaha……. Anyway, I feel good.

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