Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 392

The bustling surroundings quieted down. The staff, who had been busy carrying and setting up equipment, quietly retreated behind the set. Karen and Bruce, holding microphones, stepped in front of the camera and began their opening remarks. Filming had begun.

“Karen, we have a truly special guest with us today, don’t we?”

“Yes, Bruce. Today, we have gathered some of the world’s most renowned gladiators, whom our viewers know very well.”

“Shall we introduce them then? First, we have Zakid, who is ranked third in the world of gladiators.”

With Bruce’s announcement, Zakid slowly walked to Karen’s side. Being such a large man and seemingly nervous, his body was stiff, making his walk appear quite awkward.

“Hello, Zakid. Is this your first time in a setting like this?”

At Karen’s question, Zakid nodded with an exaggerated motion. He had often received requests to appear on entertainment programs, but he had always refused, partly out of shyness and partly because his coach and mentor, Remrant, strongly opposed it.

“Yes, yes. It is.”

“So, what brought you here today?”

Zakid pointed to Beomseok, who was waiting behind the camera, and said,

“I have something to settle with that guy. Actually, that jerk Beomseok only sent challenges to Amelie and Prisika, leaving me out.”

It was an unexpected outburst, but Karen responded with a satisfied expression. This level of remark was perfectly acceptable.

“Oh, my. It seems Beomseok has made a big mistake today. Not sending a challenge to Zakid, one of the strongest gladiators.”

“Hahaha. But it turns out it wasn’t a mistake. I heard on the way here that he was waiting for the right moment to send the challenge, after defeating Amelie in the upcoming Chaplin Whisper match. Well, he needs to be able to easily defeat someone like Amelie to be considered my rival. Hehe.”

At that, Amelie stepped forward, even though it wasn’t her turn. The statement implied that she was being placed below Beomseok and Zakid. Her pride wouldn’t allow her to let it pass.

“What are you talking about! Have you forgotten that Dark Hyenas were unilaterally defeated by our Chaplin Whisper in the last match? And the world’s number one gladiator is clearly me!”

“That’s because it wasn’t a one-on-one match. You hid in your base during the last match, just whipping away. Thanks to that, I couldn’t get to where you were, and I was defeated.

Of course, that’s the charm of gladiator matches, but it’s not right to evaluate individual skills based solely on the results of team battles. Individual superiority will be decided in a duel between us.”

“Hmph. Is that so? I always think of the team first, so I faithfully carry out team strategies, but I also pride myself on being the strongest in the world individually. If we ever fight one-on-one, Zakid, you’ll regret what you said today. What you said in front of the viewers watching today’s broadcast will turn into a complete embarrassment.”

At this point, Karen had no choice but to intervene. If their emotions escalated any further, it could disrupt the broadcast. She put on a troubled smile and stepped between them.

“Let’s all calm down. We’ve prepared a small arena for a match for you all, so you can gauge your strengths then.”

“Really!”

“Is that for sure!”

It was such welcome news that Zakid and Amelie shouted simultaneously. They felt like they could only relieve this unpleasant feeling by defeating each other. Zakid was still bothered by the defeat he had suffered in the match last weekend, and Amelie was very angry at what he had just said.

Karen quietly told them with a troubled expression. They had prepared a match, but it wasn’t the kind of match they were expecting.

“It’s a bit different from a gladiator match, but it’s a game that requires some athletic ability, so it should be a decent competition. How about it?”

Zakid and Amelie immediately nodded. It seemed to be a physically competitive game, so they thought it was worth a try. They were confident in anything that involved using their bodies.

“Good. I’ll definitely win this match and flatten Zakid’s nose.”

“Hehe. Even a passing dog would laugh. If you underestimate my athletic ability honed by swordsmanship, you’ll be greatly humiliated. Fine, I accept.”

As the situation seemed to be settling down, Bruce called out the next guest. It was Beomseok, who was supposed to be the second to come forward.

“Next, we have Oh Beomseok as our guest!”

At that, Beomseok put his hands on the floor, as if he had been waiting for this, and tumbled forward towards the camera. It was an excessive display compared to his appearance fee, but he jumped as high as he could, performing a quadruple somersault in the air. Then, slightly losing his balance, he delivered a powerful kick to Bruce’s collarbone area in front of all the staff and cast.

He was pretending to make a mistake to get revenge from earlier.

Bruce, struck by the powerful blow, rolled on the floor. Beomseok hurriedly ran to support him.

“Bruce, are you okay? I’m so sorry. I was trying to liven up the atmosphere, but I made a mistake.”

But Bruce was out of it, having taken a solid hit. The staff rushed to check on him and called for an ambulance. His collarbone was broken, and his shoulder area was sunken, so he needed urgent treatment. Eventually, filming was temporarily suspended, and Bruce was taken away in an ambulance that arrived shortly after, disappearing into the sky.

“Hmm. Due to an unexpected accident, I’ll be hosting alone today. I ask for your understanding, viewers.”

Karen stood in front of the camera with a bewildered expression and continued filming. Usually, they would stop the schedule here and postpone it to the next time, but the guests who came today were busy people. If the filming itself were to be canceled, she had to finish today’s filming, even if she had to do it alone.

Watching this from the side, Zakid approached Beomseok and gave him a thumbs up. On the surface, it looked like Beomseok had an accident while doing acrobatics for the broadcast, but he realized that it was intentional. A powerful kick had landed on the exact spot, and it was hard to believe that Beomseok had made a mistake.

“Beomseok, nice.”

“Hehe. It’s basic.”

Karen, who had finished her remarks, approached them as they chuckled. Beomseok quickly put on a somber expression and stared at her. If the fact that it was intentional was discovered, it would be quite troublesome.

Karen said to him,

“Hahaha. Don’t worry too much, Oppa [older brother/term of endearment]. Our broadcasting station has definitely taken out insurance. Besides, it looks like he’s not fatally injured, and you just had an accident while doing acrobatics for the broadcast, so there shouldn’t be much of a problem.”

It seemed like Karen had a hunch as well. Well, she had seen his vengeful expression earlier, so it was understandable that she would be suspicious.

“Hmm. Still, I feel sorry for him.”

“That’s good enough. Now, let’s go over there. The first match is prepared.”

Beomseok glanced at the direction Karen was walking. There was a small court set up, with a net up to the waist in the center. Beomseok quickly followed her and said, looking troubled,

“Hey. No tennis. I can’t do that.”

“It’s not tennis. I excluded popular sports because there might be someone who’s good at them.”

“Then what is it?”

“Jokgu [Korean foot volleyball]. Do you know it?”

Beomseok faintly smirked. Jokgu wasn’t very famous in this world, but it was different in reality. So much so that it was adopted as one of the major ball sports in the military sports competition in the country where Beomseok lived.

“Yeah. It’s a game where you kick the ball with your feet and pass it to the opponent’s side, unlike tennis.”

“Yes, that’s right. You know it very well. Have you ever played it before?”

“No, I haven’t played it myself, but I’ve only heard that there’s such a game.”

Karen looked somewhat relieved at Beomseok’s feigned ignorance. If Beomseok was good at this game, the opposing team could be at a great disadvantage, and the comedic scenes would be greatly reduced. The reason they brought out Jokgu on today’s schedule was to film the world’s strongest gladiators struggling and suffering.

“That’s a relief. Anyway, let’s go quickly.”

Soon, Karen arrived in front of the court and began to explain the rules and form teams. First, she separated Zakid and Amelie, who had been in a heated conflict, and the teams were roughly matched. Beomseok was placed in Zakid’s formation and Prisika in Amelie’s formation, setting up a match between humans and elves.

“Now, both teams, enter the court.”

Hearing the referee Karen’s shout, Beomseok quietly said to Zakid’s ear,

“I’ll be the attacker, and Zakid, please be the defender.”

“Attacker? Defender? What do you mean?”

“Ah. The attacker is the position that stands right in front of the court and shoots the ball into the opponent’s formation, and the defender is the role of receiving the ball passed by the opponent and safely passing it to the attacker.”

It was an easy-to-understand explanation, so Zakid nodded.

“I see. So, I just stand behind and send the ball to you.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Beomseok, who had entered the court, smiled brightly and held out his hand. He wanted to work hard and crush the noses of Amelie and Prisika. Zakid put his hand on his hand and shouted fighting.

“Aja [fighting/let’s go]! Let’s win!”

Amelie and Prisika’s shoulders flinched because his voice was so loud. But they couldn’t lose like this. Amelie stared at Prisika.

“Prisika. It seems like this game is similar to soccer. You’ve played soccer before, haven’t you?”

Prisika nodded. Amelie and Prisika were physically perfect enough to reach the World League. So, the elf school they used to attend expressed expectations for them and allowed them to experience various sports.

Soccer also had a professional league that was as widespread as gladiator matches, so they had to learn it to identify their career aptitude.

“Yes, I have.”

“Good. Then let’s do our best. Don’t make mistakes and do it step by step.”

“Yes, I understand.”

As they shook hands and entered the court, the game soon began. The side that started the attack first was Beomseok’s. It was because they won the rock-paper-scissors game. He looked at Zakid, who was holding the ball behind the line, with a pleased expression and gestured. It was a signal to start the attack.

As if he understood, he let go of the ball and tapped it with his foot. Soon, the Jokgu ball rolled past Beomseok’s feet, breaking the silence. Karen’s shout was heard.

“1 to 0! Amelie’s attack!”

Beomseok, with a bewildered expression, threw the ball to Amelie, who was across the court, and approached Zakid.

“No, Zakid. What are you doing giving me the ball! You have to pass it to the opponent’s side first!”

“You just said it. You said the defender has to pass the ball to the attacker.”

“Sigh~ Karen explained it earlier. The team that attacks first has to pass the ball to the opponent’s side of the court first. I meant to do that when the ball comes back to our side again.”

Zakid looked embarrassed. He had definitely heard Karen say that earlier.

“Really? I’m sorry about this. I’ll do better next time, so don’t worry.”

At that, Beomseok bit his lip and nodded. The current score was 1 to 0. They had only lost 1 point, so he thought they could definitely make a comeback. Amelie and Prisika still had to score 14 more points to win the game.

“It’s the first time, so you can make mistakes. But don’t make mistakes next time.”

“Okay. I understand.”

As Beomseok stood in front of the court, Amelie’s attack began. She calmly kicked the ball, accurately dropping it in the center of Beomseok’s area.

Seeing the ball bouncing back, Beomseok shouted to Zakid.

“Now, pass it to me.”

“Okay. Then catch it well!”

Zakid lightly kicked the ball that was falling towards his chest. Soon, with a thud, the Jokgu ball that touched the ground bounced off his feet and rolled endlessly backward. He had whiffed.

Seeing this, Beomseok’s face turned blue.

‘Da, damn it. Zakid is completely hopeless. He couldn’t even touch the ball with his foot.’

Transparent beads of sweat formed on his forehead. This was completely messed up. In Jokgu between beginners, the biggest factor affecting the outcome was how much the team could reduce the number of hopeless players. Especially this match was a 2-on-2 battle. No matter how good Beomseok was, if Zakid kept making mistakes, they couldn’t pass the ball to the opponent’s formation.

He hurriedly approached Zakid and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him wildly.

“Zakid? Have you never played soccer?”

“Soccer? How could I, a traditional swordsman, do such a sport? First of all, my master doesn’t allow it. Of course, I’ve never done it.”

Beomseok, with a pale face, tightly closed his eyes. Then he was a hopeless player among hopeless players.

Trusting such a teammate and playing this match, the future was bleak. He quietly took his place behind the court.

If he put Zakid in the defender position, there was a high probability that he wouldn’t even touch the ball once today. Instead, if he took on the defense and made sure that weak balls went to Zakid, he might have a chance to attack properly.

No matter how hopeless he was, there was bound to be a proper pass by chance. Then they could regain the attack and score points with the serve afterward.

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

ㅠㅠ. Lignus. We promised each other not to die together……. ㅠㅠ. But the devil’s contract is 10 consecutive chapters…….. ;;;;;; I’ll think about it today and tell you tomorrow.