Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 390

392

The World League Round 2 match between God’s Knights and Forest Elves at Papilan City Colosseum concluded with a decisive 3-0 victory for God’s Knights. After Bum-suk’s stellar performance in the first round, Forest Elves were forced into an all-out offensive, ultimately falling as sacrifices to the forest (a metaphor for their aggressive but ultimately unsuccessful strategy).

Bum-suk, having played in all three rounds that day, was utterly exhausted and unable to participate in the match against the lower-ranked Hell Dryers the following week. Nevertheless, God’s Knights secured another win, achieving a noteworthy record of 2 wins, 1 draw, and climbing to joint third place with Real Heroes. This was partly because the other gladiators, besides Bum-suk, had conserved their energy during the Forest Elves match. Furthermore, Hell Dryers, being a weaker team in the league, posed less of a challenge, allowing God’s Knights to win even without Bum-suk.

However, their winning streak was short-lived. Facing mid-to-upper-tier gladiator teams like Devil Spirits in subsequent matches, they suffered consecutive draws and losses. By the seventh match of the League, they had slipped to ninth place with a record of 2 wins, 4 draws, and 1 loss.

Despite the disappointing results, Bum-suk remained relatively unconcerned. Although upcoming matches against Chaplin Whisper and Dark Hyenas loomed, most of their remaining games were against comparatively easier opponents.

Tring. Tring.

The sound of his phone ringing in the early dawn roused Bum-suk from sleep. He tossed and turned, finally opening his eyes. Despite the darkness, he easily located his electronic notepad by the faint LED light. Still wrapped in his blanket, Bum-suk answered the call with an annoyed tone.

“Who is it! Calling at this hour!”

– Oppa [Korean term for ‘older brother’ used by a female], it’s me, Karen. Ah, were you sleeping?

Bum-suk frowned and glared at her through the screen.

“Of course, I was sleeping! What time is it to be calling? It’s not even 4 AM yet.”

Karen awkwardly scratched her head on the screen. She had forgotten to account for the time difference. Although Leppard Entertainment, the agency she worked for, was based in Lima City, she spent most of her time in Senoside. As the center of the world, it was home to most major broadcasting companies.

– Hehe, sorry. I forgot about the time difference.

What could he do when she was so clueless? Bum-suk sighed deeply and asked.

“Okay, what’s so important that you’re calling me at this ungodly hour?”

– I was wondering if you’d be free sometime next week.

“Next week? What day?”

– You’ll probably be busy on the weekend with matches, so how about coming to Senoside around Wednesday?

That wasn’t a bad idea. The team they were facing next weekend was Sky Jackals, located within the Aiga Central Government.

It wasn’t too far from Senoside, minimizing the physical strain from the time difference. Visiting her beforehand to maintain Karen’s favorability seemed like a good plan.

They had been together for a while, so her favorability was already quite high, leaving little room for improvement.

However, he couldn’t commit without knowing the reason. He didn’t want to waste time on anything other than dates. He had planned to leave for the away game around Thursday to adjust to the time difference.

“Hmm, what do you want to see me for?”

– Well, I’m going to be on a show on MKKN broadcasting recently.

Bum-suk’s mind raced. Karen was a woman he intended to make his lover someday. Following the laws of seduction, he had memorized the names of all the major broadcasting programs she appeared on. He even planned to watch them thoroughly to avoid any awkwardness during future conversations.

‘Mentioning the show she’s on probably means she wants me to appear on it. It’s very likely to be that program.’

Karen appeared on many shows, but he suspected it was ‘Meet the Sports Star.’ It had been airing on MKKN for some time, and he was a world-renowned sports star.

“Ah, you’re saying you want me to appear on the program ‘Meet the Sports Star,’ right?”

– Yes. But how did you know that?

Bum-suk smiled smugly at Karen’s surprised expression.

“Well, I know because I watch all the shows you’re on. And I’m a professional gladiator, currently active in the World League. So, I just guessed. Hehehe.”

– Ah, I see. Then do you also watch ‘Singing Battle’ and ‘Like Wind and Petals’?

Of course, he did. ‘Singing Battle’ was a program where famous singers competed against each other, and ‘Like Wind and Petals’ was a popular drama in which she played the main character. He could never forget these representative programs Karen appeared on.

“Ah, I watched them. You came in second place in ‘Singing Battle’ this week, and in ‘Like Wind and Petals,’ you recently got Alzheimer’s disease. I also watched the TV musical ‘The Phantom of the Opera,’ where you played the lead role, and the documentary program ‘Abandoned Children,’ where you were a guest.”

Karen’s face lit up. She expected him to know about ‘Singing Battle’ or ‘Like Wind and Petals’ because they were so popular, but ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ and ‘Abandoned Children’ were less known and only aired once, so not many people would be aware of them.

Mentioning these programs meant that Bum-suk was paying close attention to her and watching her every move.

– Really!

“Hehe, yeah. It’s a show that our pretty Karen is on, so how can I not watch it? Isn’t that right?”

Karen’s face flushed red, and she tilted her head. ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ was broadcast on the weekend, during the God’s Knights match. She hesitated and eventually switched to the sports channel to watch Bum-suk.

– That’s strange. ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ was broadcast during the God’s Knights and Forest Elves game. But you said you watched it?

Caught off guard, Bum-suk quickly made up an excuse.

“O-of course, I watched it. Who would stop me, the chairman, from watching TV? And the coach, as well as most of the team members, are my subordinates.”

– Ah, I guess so. The head of God’s Knights is clearly Oppa.

“But I didn’t watch it properly. I couldn’t fully concentrate on TV while participating in the match. Well, thanks to that, I won the third round against the strong team Forest Elves because I wanted to see ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ that you were on.”

It was truly a cunning devil’s tongue. Although he couldn’t see it directly, he could sense Karen’s favorability soaring. Her face was dazed. Besides her grandfather Leppard, no other man had cared so much about her.

– So you’re saying you beat Forest Elves because of me?

“Hmm, well, that team was unlucky too. What were the odds that they would play us on the day that ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ that you were on was being broadcast? Thanks to that, they were humiliated and went home. Kekeke.”

– Hahaha. Then you must appear on this program. I’m the goddess of victory, so you have to repay the favor.

“Well, should I participate? Or not? I do have the time…”

Karen playfully put her hands together and bowed her head.

– Oppa, please appear on the show. The viewership ratings aren’t good, so everyone, including me and the production team, is worried.

“The viewership ratings aren’t good? Why?”

– Yes. Everyone is in the middle of the season, so big-name sports players are reluctant to appear. So, we’re asking you to grace the occasion.

It was difficult for World League-level players to appear on TV during the season. Even though they were elves and cyborgs with enhanced bodies, they were bound to be physically and mentally exhausted from the year-round matches.

In particular, unlike other lower leagues, the World League required extensive travel for away games, leading to accumulated fatigue from time differences.

“Well, I’ll just consider it as moving a day earlier to adjust to the time difference. Okay, I’ll appear.”

Only then did Karen tentatively raise her head and smile brightly. She had significantly eased the pressure on the production team regarding the viewership ratings.

If Bum-suk, who had suddenly risen to become a world-renowned star, appeared, the program’s quality would greatly improve. He had achieved the feat of ranking second in the gladiator rankings on the G-Ranking site after just seven World League matches.

Since the ranking was based on the results of the past 10 matches, he might take first place after three more matches. This was because he had decisively crushed the famous gladiator team Forest Elves, scoring 28 kills in one fell swoop.

After all, a gladiator’s performance was primarily determined by kill points.

If the viewership ratings didn’t rise even with Bum-suk’s appearance, it would be entirely the production team’s fault. He was one of the top sports players in the world.

– Thank you! Oppa! I’ll never forget this favor.

“It’s not really a favor. It’s all for you, so how can I not do that much? Don’t feel too burdened.”

– No. You can burden me as much as you want. I was in a difficult situation. Just say the word, I’ll listen to everything.

Since she said that much, Bum-suk had no reason to refuse. He thought it wouldn’t hurt to make a small request.

“Then how about a date at the amusement park? It would be even better if you kissed me on the cheek on the Ferris wheel.”

It was a very welcome suggestion for Karen. The amusement park was a fantastic place for her, who naturally liked to play. However, her schedule was a problem, but it seemed that this would be resolved because it was Bum-suk’s request.

He was the only one that her grandfather, the president of Leppard Entertainment, couldn’t control. They owed Bum-suk a great debt for allowing them to live so comfortably today.

If he hadn’t invested, her grandfather and she would probably be living in poverty.

But she was also a woman. She couldn’t agree to all of Bum-suk’s suggestions.

– Hmm, a date is fine, but I can’t kiss you. I’m a famous entertainment superstar. Kisses are quite valuable.

Bum-suk smiled playfully and started negotiating. A kiss on the cheek was a small gesture, but it was a significant step forward in his pursuit. He had to get it.

“Hmm, then how about Amelie appearing? Can you get her to come?”

At that, Karen widened her eyes. Amelie was the ace of Chaplin Whisper, the current number one team in the World League, and an iconic gladiator ranked number one in the world. If she appeared, the program’s quality would greatly improve.

– C-can you really get Amelie to appear?

Bum-suk nodded. It was difficult, but not impossible. The daughter of the owner he served was his lover, Rebecca. In addition, the recording date was the week when the Chaplin Whisper team had a home game. Since the physical burden was relatively small, he thought he could convince Director Vincent.

“Of course.”

– Okay, I’ll take it. Instead, please cast Mr. Zakid. Then we can gather all three of the world’s top gladiators, so we can put an interesting title on it.

Bum-suk made a troubled expression. It seemed possible because he had his disciple Jelsomina, but he couldn’t be sure. Unlike elves, who absolutely obeyed their masters, he was a human with his own will. He couldn’t guarantee that he would be swayed by Jelsomina’s request.

“Ah, well… I don’t think it will be easy for Mr. Zakid to appear. Sigh. There is a way to ask, but people’s hearts don’t move easily…”

– How about a romantic kiss?

“Of course, I’ll do it!”

Bum-suk accepted the offer excitedly. There was a clear difference between a kiss on the cheek and a kiss on the lips. If Zakid refused, he had to get Julian, the leader of Dark Hyenas, to appear, even if it meant pressuring him.

– But I’ll only allow the lips part [a kiss on the lips, but not a deep or passionate kiss].

‘Damn it. You should have said that sooner!’

Bum-suk’s mouth naturally pouted. Then it was no different from a kiss, except for the feeling. But he had made a step forward, so it was a satisfactory result. In fact, lips and cheeks were clearly different.

“Tsk, how stingy. Okay.”

– Hahaha. Then I’ll be waiting for you that day. Please gather them all.

Bum-suk hurriedly called out to Karen, who was about to end the call with a bright smile. Looking at it, it was necessary to add one more person.

“How about casting Prisika too?”

– Prisika? Are you talking about the ace of Ancient Warriors?

“Yeah. Recently, she’s been overshadowed by me, Mr. Zakid, and Amelie, but she was the best gladiator in the world in the past. I don’t think it would be bad to cast her.”

Karen slowly tilted her head as if she was in trouble. The appearance fees for Bum-suk, Zakid, and Amelie would be considerable, so she didn’t think it was necessary to call her. Prisika was not among the world’s top three gladiators, and she had not been appearing in matches recently. It was more harmful than helpful to call her.

– Well, I don’t know if the production team will accept her appearance.

Bum-suk stared at Karen with narrowed eyes. In fact, if they didn’t participate, such a low-rated broadcasting program would have to be grateful even if it was just Prisika.

“You’re being greedy. Prisika is also a big-name gladiator.”

– Hmm, that’s true… But she hasn’t been seen in the Colosseum recently. There’s something ambiguous about it.

That’s why Bum-suk was trying to get her to participate in the broadcast together. It wasn’t intentional, but Prisika was now in despair because of his actions. If he didn’t include her in the gathering of the world’s strongest gladiators to cheer her up, there was no way to ease his current uneasy feelings.

“If you don’t like it, let’s forget about everything. I’m tired.”

Karen immediately waved her hand. Unexpectedly, this event was an opportunity to improve the quality of the program. She couldn’t miss it.

– A-I understand. I’ll talk to the production team. But I can’t guarantee it.

“Then I can’t guarantee it either.”

Karen sighed deeply and nodded. She had finally yielded to his threat.

– Okay, I’ll definitely persuade the production team. But Oppa knows that too, right?

“Keke, okay. Don’t worry. Then see you that day.”

– Yes, I understand. Then goodbye.

As Karen ended the call, Bum-suk looked at the ceiling with expectant eyes. With the world’s four major gladiators gathered together, it seemed that a fierce battle of momentum would ensue. And this would greatly boost God’s Knights’ popularity and sales.

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

Ah, it’s hot. I’m sweating all day long. This makes me miss the cool rain. Hahaha.

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