Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 394

396

“This game is best out of three. The first team to win two rounds gets 3 points each. Now, grab the rope.”

At Karen’s call, Amelie and Beomseok grabbed the rope. Zakid, standing at the front of the opposing team, subtly tugged the rope, cheating. It was only about a hand’s breadth, but in tug-of-war, even that small difference could determine victory.

Seeing this from behind, Beomseok shouted,

“Mr. Zakid! Don’t pull the rope!”

Simultaneously, camera lenses turned towards Zakid’s hands. He looked at the distant sky, feigning innocence. But the center line had already crossed to his side, so what could he do? He immediately put on a bright smile and stammered.

“Th-This is for the filming. These scenes are necessary for fun. Hahaha.”

Beomseok retorted, sounding annoyed,

“Tch. Someone who says it’s for the filming is cheating when the camera isn’t looking? Don’t talk nonsense.”

“No, really. Once you appear on a show, you have to sacrifice yourself for the viewers’ enjoyment.”

Beomseok was dissatisfied with those words but kept his mouth shut. Although there was no sincerity, he wasn’t entirely wrong. Show programs often needed such elements of fun.

At this moment, Karen stepped forward to smooth things over and start the game.

“Alright, everyone, get ready as the game will start soon. Align the center of the rope with the center line.”

Beomseok immediately pulled the rope, aligning the cloth tied to the center of the rope with the center line. Karen stepped forward to confirm that the rope was in a fair position, then quickly stepped back and shouted.

“The game begins!”

At the same time, the players from both teams pulled the rope with all their might. The rope, stretched to its limit, was slowly being pulled towards Zakid’s side. The difference in strength seemed unavoidable. However, in front of Beomseok was Amelie, the master of the whip. She twisted the rope in her hands back and forth, then shouted to Beomseok.

“Beomseok, lower the rope! Quickly!”

Simultaneously, Beomseok bent his knees, lowering his center of gravity. Amelie, who had been slowly raising her upper body, suddenly dropped her body, slightly releasing the rope. Zakid and Prisca were pushed back. Then, Amelie raised her arms, lifting their bodies into the air.

‘Hehe. This is the end.’

Seeing the opposing players floating in the air, Beomseok wore a bitter smile. No matter how strong Zakid was, he couldn’t exert any force with his feet off the ground. Soon, Beomseok and Amelie pulled the rope, dragging them across the ground in a miserable state.

“Amelie, oh Beomseok! Win!”

Karen declared the victory even though the time limit hadn’t been reached. Zakid and Prisca had been dragged far past the center line, so she could predict the outcome without watching until the end. If she dragged it out any longer, only Zakid’s miserable appearance would be captured on camera. Then, he might get upset and try to go home like before.

Zakid, heated up, shook off the dirt and stood up, shouting loudly.

“This is a foul! Where in tug-of-war do you use such techniques!”

Not backing down, Beomseok rushed out and argued.

“No. What rules are there in tug-of-war that you’re talking about fouls? No matter how much you search the internet, it won’t go over three lines [meaning there are very few rules]!”

“What! Where in the world is there a game without rules!”

“Who said there weren’t any! It just means the rules aren’t much.”

“Hey. Then is it not a foul to shoot the opponent with a gun!”

“Are you even calling that a rule! Where in the world is there a game with a rule that says you can’t shoot the opponent with a gun!”

“Why isn’t there! There is in our gladiatorial match!”

Indeed, there was something similar in gladiatorial matches. There was a rule that only human strength could be used, and weapons with chemical or mechanical devices of two or more stages could not be used. That’s why gladiators could use bows but not crossbows.

Crossbows had a mechanical device called a trigger in addition to the bow.

“Of course, but there’s no direct mention of firearms! Mr. Zakid, think about it logically! Where in the world does anyone bring firearms to a sports game? That’s an act that violates basic laws beyond the rules!”

The staff watching their fight from the side covered their mouths and giggled. The world-class gladiators were having a fight that even elementary school students would have. But they never put down the cameras in their hands. This was a complete jackpot. They found it funny, and the viewers would find it even more so.

Not knowing this, Zakid approached Karen and argued.

“Karen. You be the judge! Does this make sense! Where in the world do you use techniques in tug-of-war!”

Despite Zakid’s yelling, she shook her head. Even if she didn’t say it explicitly, Amelie’s technique was not a foul in a general sense. There was no sport without techniques. Tug-of-war also had techniques such as shaking the rope left and right or gathering everyone’s strength by chanting.

“Mr. Zakid. There’s nothing I can do. Where in the world is there a sports game that doesn’t use techniques? Unless Amelie used a technique that has a special legal or moral problem, I can’t declare it a foul.”

Zakid frowned and then returned to his seat. He had nothing more to say. He had been insisting, but he didn’t honestly think his claim would be accepted. His argument lacked universality.

“Alright! Then let’s go again! Prisca! Let’s do it right this time!”

“Yes. I understand.”

Zakid and Prisca shouted fighting and grabbed the rope again. Tug-of-war was best out of three, and there was still a chance to turn it around. But on the other team was still Amelie, the master of the whip.

When the second game started, there was some back-and-forth, but soon Zakid couldn’t avoid being dragged around like a dog, just like in the first game.

“I’m not doing it! I’m really leaving this time!”

In one corner of the filming set, Zakid’s thick voice echoed. He was furious and jumping around due to the two losses. But he didn’t pack his bags like before. If he went back like this, he would be seen by viewers as a narrow-minded, defeated dog.

In response, Karen tempted Zakid with a suggestion that would turn things around.

“This time, it’s a game that’s really advantageous for Mr. Zakid. It’s a game you absolutely can’t lose. Are you still going to leave?”

Zakid glanced at her and cautiously approached, asking.

“What is it?”

“The last one is a swordsmanship match. You wouldn’t back out, would you, someone who claims to be the world’s strongest swordsman?”

Far from it. Zakid was confident that he wouldn’t lose to anyone in swordsmanship. However, what he was slightly hesitant about was that the opponents gathered today were not suitable for a decisive battle in such a setting. A decisive battle between the world’s strongest should take place in the Colosseum.

“Swordsmanship match? Wasn’t there supposed to be no swordsmanship match between us?”

“Yes. Of course. But we can’t not have a swordsmanship match in a place where the strongest gladiators have gathered.”

“Alright. How are we going to do it?”

“It’s a 100 vs. 4 match. Actually, we’ve hired a large number of amateur gladiators from the vicinity in preparation for today’s filming. In other words, everyone except Mr. Zakid will be fighting them in this place today.”

“Hmm. So, we’re fighting about 100 amateur gladiators together?”

“Yes. That’s what it means.”

A 100 vs. 4 match. It was a truly ambiguous match. Even if the opponents were amateur gladiators, the numerical difference was unimaginable. He wondered if they could win, no matter how good they were.

And if they fought together, there was no meaning to the victory. This filming, even if the content was different, was clearly a place to pick the strongest. If they couldn’t determine superiority even if they won, it was a waste of time.

“But what’s the point of us fighting together? We can’t determine the winner, can we?”

“No. There’s a way.”

“How?”

“The person who defeats the most amateur gladiators wins.”

Zakid stroked his chin with a strange expression. He was tempted because it was a confident event, but he didn’t particularly like it when he looked at the scoreboard.

The person with the highest score right now was Amelie, with 6 points, followed by Beomseok and Prisca with 3 points each. Zakid, who currently had zero points, couldn’t be in first place no matter how hard he tried.

Looking at the games so far, they didn’t give more than 3 points to the winner.

“Still, I don’t think so. No matter how hard I try, I can’t get more than 3 points. Then I’ll completely miss out on first place.”

Karen raised one corner of her mouth and poked his side.

“Hehehe. Zakid, you don’t know the entertainment industry. Have you ever heard of a last-minute reversal [a sudden change in fortune]?”

“Last-minute reversal? What’s that?”

“It’s complicated to explain, so I’ll give you a simple example. In the 100 vs. 4 gladiatorial match, which is the last event of today’s schedule, it’s 1 point for each opponent you defeat. In other words, if Mr. Zakid defeats everyone, he gets 100 points and becomes first place.”

Zakid clapped his hands, thinking it was right. He was completely 넘어간 [taken in] at the sound of being able to be in first place. He looked at Beomseok, Amelie, and Prisca, who were watching him from afar. He decided that it was necessary to analyze the current situation and enter the game.

‘First, let’s exclude Prisca. She’s a bit behind us in terms of swordsmanship. The problem is Beomseok and Amelie…….’

Beomseok and Amelie were similar to him in terms of physical ability and swordsmanship. Of course, he secretly thought he was a little ahead, but depending on luck, they could score high points. Without properly checking them, there would be no victory today.

‘If Amelie comes out with a whip, there’s a possibility. It’s a good weapon for scattering the opponent’s formation, but it reveals a fatal weakness in one-on-one battles where you can’t get help from your teammates. She probably won’t be able to defeat many at the beginning and will be surrounded and defeated by amateur gladiators.’

But she also had one-sword and dual-sword techniques. Especially dual-sword techniques were as strong as him in one-on-one battles. If he ignored her thinking only about whip skills, he could get a big nose [be surprised or embarrassed]. Besides, she was currently in first place with 6 points. She was the most 경계해야 할 [guarded against] opponent, so he needed to make her get defeated by amateur gladiators at the beginning somehow.

‘Let’s put Amelie aside for now. And Beomseok is the problem.’

In fact, the most threatening presence was Beomseok. He performed high-level combat techniques that used various terrains to defeat opponents, and his swordsmanship was not ordinary. Also, his survival rate was so high that he had the lowest death points after the leaders in Gods Knights.

In addition, he handled various weapons to the extreme and was fast. If he ignored him because he was 신경 쓰느라 [too busy worrying about] Amelie, he could get a big hit in the back of the head [be betrayed or double-crossed].

‘Damn. That guy is really hopeless. How do I send him first?’

There was no special way. Again, it seemed better to get rid of Amelie first and then hand him over to the amateur gladiators through cheating. Zakid, who had 정리한 생각을 [organized his thoughts], laughed heartily and patted Karen on the shoulder.

“I know what you mean. Amateur gladiators are nothing to see. I’ll definitely participate and take first place. Hahaha.”

“Yes. Then please continue to cooperate with the filming.”

Zakid, 뿜어대며 [exuding] a friendly atmosphere, walked to Beomseok, Amelie, and Prisca. He needed to reassure them so that they wouldn’t know his intentions. If someone found out, he would be the one who got 당하는 [taken advantage of].

“Now. Amateur gladiators! Please come out!”

At Karen’s shout, countless elf gladiators wearing suits walked out of the flying bus that had just arrived. As they came out, they hurried towards the four strongest gladiators who were waiting. It was amazing to see celebrities they only saw on TV in person.

“Wow! Look over there. Gladiator Oh Beomseok is there.”

“That elf is Amelie unnie [older sister]. She’s really amazing.”

“Ah. Prisca unnie [older sister] is here too. I’m a fan of her.”

Because of their role as performers, they didn’t jump in directly, but the amateur gladiators couldn’t hide their excitement. Especially, the side that 시선이 집중된 [attention was focused on] was Prisca.

This was because they were all gladiators who were recruited from amateur teams based in Senoside. They were being pushed back by Beomseok and Zakid now, but Prisca was once the strongest gladiator and rose to the ranks of Senoside’s legendary gladiators.

At this point, Karen and the staff 정리하고 [organized] the situation and prepared for the match. Because the sun wasn’t very long.

“Now. Everyone, split into two sides. Amateur gladiators, stand on the right. Professional gladiators, including Mr. Beomseok, take your places on the right.”

Beomseok, who was standing in the position Karen 말한 [Karen mentioned], looked around. Until now, he had been filming without paying much attention to the surrounding environment, but now it was different. Even if there were four of the strongest gladiators and the opponents were amateur gladiators, 100 people was too much. If he didn’t use the terrain properly, he could be 당할 [caught] in an instant.

At this time, Zakid gestured to everyone. He seemed to have something to say.

============================ Author’s Afterword ============================

Hmmm. While writing, I was smoking a cigarette on the roof and looked at the sky, and I suddenly felt 억울하다 [wronged]. I felt like I was the only one dying for some reason. Ligneus has 죄가 [sins], so he has nothing to say, but what 죄 [sin] am I? ㅠㅠ. I think I’ll have to drag someone in like a 물귀신 [water ghost – someone who drowns and tries to pull others in]. I tried to drag Pirate in yesterday, but it didn’t work, so I’ll have to choose someone else. Someone who can 연참 [write multiple chapters in a row] and has good writing skills…….. Ah, who would be suitable………

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