Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 453

With the World Cup finals just days away, Beom-seok and the national team, having finished their outdoor training at the team training camp, headed to the strategy room at the call of their coach, Clark. Though tired and wanting to rest, they knew they couldn’t complain with the finals so close.

Inside the room, which resembled a tiered lecture hall, Beom-seok led his teammates to the platform where Clark and the coaching staff were seated. He took his seat and waited for the coach to speak.

“Is everyone here?”

“Yes, everyone’s here.”

Clark, after a quick glance around, began to speak. “Good. The reason I’ve gathered you all here today is for a simple briefing. You’re all familiar with the tournament’s group assignments, right?”

“Yes, very well.”

Beom-seok and the others nodded. It was common knowledge.

This year’s World Cup finals included 32 teams, divided into eight groups from A to H, with four teams in each group. As the host country, Gods Knights was placed in Group A, which included the Kazbin national team, mainly composed of Volcano Fires gladiators from the World League, as well as the Gondar and Harudum national teams.

Group B consisted of Arkan, Goran, Telbs, and Ders, primarily made up of Chaplin Whisper gladiators. Group C included Jidu, Renew, Murova, and Zaiya, mainly composed of Forest Elves gladiators. Group D featured Irat, Tokas, Temoria, and Lugo, primarily made up of Real Heroes gladiators. Group E included Kelot, Adana, Krun, and Saraka, mainly composed of Ancient Warriors and Menex Odins. Group F had Rendle, Burga, Brak, and Plona, with the addition of Dark Hyenas gladiators. Group G included Serie, Ulie, Enka, and Blida, with Victory Series gladiators. Finally, Group H included Chaiman, with Devil Spirits gladiators, along with Balike, Elmaroni, and Taoine.

“According to the latest information, Reina from the Ancient Warriors team will not be participating in this World Cup due to a major injury.”

Reina was from the Kelot national team in Group E. This team was expected to be one of the strongest contenders for the championship, second only to the Irat national team.

As a mixed team of Ancient Warriors and Menex Odins gladiators, they possessed a formidable roster. The fact that Reina wouldn’t be participating was good news for Gods Knights. As a prominent gladiator ranked 34th in the world, she was a key figure to watch out for.

Why was her injury welcome even before the group matches? Because there was a high probability of facing them in the quarterfinals. Both Avon and Kelot were considered championship contenders, making it unlikely for either to fall before the round of 16.

For reference, the other two teams in Group A with the Avon national team were mainly composed of Central League gladiators, and the Kazbin national team, which included Volcano Fires gladiators who finished 8th in the last World League season. The team most likely to face them in the round of 16 was the second-place team from Group H, likely Balike, which included gladiators from Illusion Magicians, who barely avoided relegation in the last World League season.

“Not bad news, huh? Heh heh.”

Clark didn’t particularly deny Beom-seok’s playful remark. Though unfortunate for Reina, her injury was indeed beneficial for the Avon national team.

“Well, you could say that. But don’t get too excited. The Kelot national team is a mixed team of Ancient Warriors and Menex Odins. Their gladiator depth is significant, so the absence of one gladiator won’t cause a major problem.”

“Heh heh heh. Still, it’ll be hard to fill Reina’s spot. She’s an athlete ranked 34th in the world, after all.”

“Hmm, well, that’s true. It’s quite difficult to fill the void left by someone like her.”

“Heh heh. That’s obvious.”

Clark, leaning on the table with his right hand, stared intently at Beom-seok and said, “But never let your guard down. Kelot has Prisika and the seasoned Rakami. And Irolita, who recently found her master, is also growing rapidly and making a name for herself. Even though our home coliseum is extremely advantageous, we, with our reduced strength, can’t easily beat them.”

The reason Clark mentioned their reduced strength was that several Gods Knights gladiators were playing for other regional teams. These included Liza, who was familiar with forest terrain, as well as Shyla and Gelsomina, all hailing from Sden City and Ravello City.

As a result, the Avon national team’s strength had diminished, and they would inevitably face tough matches.

However, Beom-seok seemed unconcerned, casually picking his nose.

“Even with some missing, we won’t lose to Kelot. We might not win easily, but we won’t lose.”

“I hope so, but their team has the three S-class gladiators I just mentioned, along with Levia, who was an S-class gladiator until the beginning of last season. They’re not an easy team.”

“Heh heh. What if we take one of them out?”

“One? Who?”

“Prisika. She probably won’t be able to use her strength at all after the first round and will be defeated by us.”

Clark looked at Beom-seok with interest. Prisika was the ace of the Kelot national team. She had caused concern for the team due to mental issues at the beginning of the season, but regained her former skills after the midpoint and was once again the backbone of Ancient Warriors.

If there was a way to easily subdue her, the quarterfinals would be much easier.

“What do you mean? Do you have a way to keep Prisika in check?”

“Yes, very easily.”

“What’s the method?”

“That’s a secret. It involves Gods Knights team secrets, so it can’t be leaked to the outside.”

Then he couldn’t ask any further questions. Even though they were the national team, it was difficult to ask them to reveal Gods Knights’ secrets for the sake of victory. And if they could defeat Prisika without knowing, there was no need to ask.

“Well, if that’s the case, I can’t force you, but you’re saying you can handle Prisika?”

“Yes. Trust me and leave it to me. It’ll be taken care of.”

“Alright. I’ll trust you then.”

Clark unfolded the documents on the platform and spoke again. “Next is information about the Irat national team. There have been recent changes to their final roster.

Specifically, the inclusion of Wang and Hamilton. They were W3-level gladiators [gladiator ranking system, W0 being the highest] who weren’t particularly noteworthy until the beginning of the season, but recently showed rapid growth, achieved W2-level performance, and joined the national team. However, one questionable point is that even if they’ve risen to W2 level, they don’t seem to fit in with the Irat national team gladiators.”

The Irat national team was the strongest team in this tournament, possessing a truly fantastic roster. The Real Heroes gladiators, who narrowly missed the championship last season, were all there, along with Shyla, Liza, and Gelsomina, who were seconded from Gods Knights. And with the addition of Zakid from Dark Hyenas, there was nothing more to say.

Naturally, the fact that Wang and Hamilton, who had just reached W2 level, were selected as national gladiators was unbelievable.

However, Beom-seok, with a different perspective, raised his hand and asked. “Coach, why do you think that way?”

“Because they are promising players with only 4-5 years of professional experience.”

“Heh heh. ‘They’? Do you know who these people are?”

“I know. Aren’t they prominent figures in the kendo world [traditional Japanese martial art] who entered the gladiator world through the rookie draft?”

“Do you know and still disregard them? Their gladiator experience is short, so their performance isn’t great, but if you count the days they’ve held a sword, there’s probably no active gladiator who can match them. Maybe Amelie is superior to them?”

“But their performance isn’t that good.”

“That’s true, but why isn’t their performance good?”

“Well, it’s probably due to physical factors and a lack of sense for gladiator matches. It takes time to develop the body, and gladiator matches are team-based, so it’s difficult for them, who have been involved in the individualistic kendo world, to adapt easily.”

Beom-seok nodded. Clark’s explanation was correct.

“Yes, that’s right. But what results would be derived if one disadvantage were removed?”

“What disadvantage are you talking about?”

“For example, if they only perform individual matches.”

At that moment, Clark looked dazed, as if he had been hit hard on the head with a hammer. He seemed to have understood what Beom-seok was trying to say.

Wang and Hamilton were gladiators at the W2 level, but there were other W2-level gladiators among the Irat national team’s reserves. There were enough resources to replace them.

The problem was that there was no reason to replace them, but the situation changed when considering one rule of the World Cup: a penalty shootout to determine the winner in the event of a draw.

Since 1-on-1 matches were held here, Wang and Hamilton’s usefulness, who were strong in individual battles, increased significantly.

“So, are you saying that the Irat national team included them with the penalty shootout in mind?”

“Yes, that’s right. Just as I am invincible in individual battles, I think they will also demonstrate considerable skill.”

At those words, Clark tilted his head slightly.

“But even if it’s an individual battle, is there a need to field them when there are other elf gladiators with excellent physical abilities? As you know, the Irat national team has countless gladiators with considerable skill.”

“Of course, there are many. There are 14 at W0 level or higher. With the addition of Mr. Zakid, it’s truly fantastic.”

“Then why would the Irat national team coach include them in the penalty shootout?”

Beom-seok immediately pointed to himself with his index finger.

“What else could it be? They’re targeting me.”

“No, how are they targeting you?”

“Most elf gladiators have been gladiators for less than 30 years. Naturally, their experience and number of techniques are short. So, no matter how physically outstanding they are, they’ll be defeated by me in a few moves in a 1-on-1. But Hamilton and Wang are different. They have trained with the sword for a long time, so their experience and number of techniques are deep. Still, they can’t beat me, but if they only aim to endure, they won’t be easily defeated.”

Clark, tapping the platform with his finger, looked at Beom-seok with an uneasy gaze.

“So, their goal is to deplete your stamina?”

“Yes, that’s right. You know the next part all too well, right?”

“Well, Zakid will undoubtedly come out in front of you.”

Clark’s expression darkened rapidly. Frankly, even with the advantage of the Lima City Coliseum, the Irat national team was superior to the Avon national team in terms of strength. Not only were their individual skills far superior, but Zakid was also included.

Of course, there was also the method of using Tiela’s sniping, but it wasn’t very reliable at the moment. This was because Liza, a master of forest combat, had joined them. If they sent Liza as the vanguard with a marksman, Tiela could be easily defeated.

So, Clark’s chosen method was for the entire team to fight entirely based in the forest. No matter how much Liza they had, if they entered the forest where Beom-seok was entrenched, they could be easily annihilated. But the Irat national team would never enter the forest where Beom-seok was entrenched unless they were crazy.

He was a monster who single-handedly annihilated the Forest Elves, who were said to have only forest combat experts. As a result, the match against the Irat national team was very likely to end in a draw, naturally leading to a penalty shootout.

‘Hmm, if we only had Beom-seok, we would know how the penalty shootout would go…’

The currently expected penalty shootout positions for the Irat national team were Zakid, Hamilton, Wang, Eurine, and Asura, while Gods Knights had Beom-seok, Tiela, Nikita, Rezaris, and Yoshia. If Eurine and Asura, ranked 6th and 13th in the world, defeated everyone except Beom-seok, and Hamilton and Wang depleted his stamina, a major obstacle was expected in the subsequent match against Zakid.

Even though Beom-seok was known to be somewhat stronger than him, this was only when based on the same stamina.

‘Anyway, Sden City is the problem. Sigh~’

Sden City was a very small city of 300,000 people, but it was a sacred place for the world of kendo. Not only was the headquarters of the World Kendo Association located there, but many famous swordsmen regarded it as their hometown and lived there due to the beautiful surrounding scenery and natural environment that was conducive to cultivating the mind and body.

As a result, Liza and Gelsomina, key members of Gods Knights, were playing for that regional team, and Zakid, including Wang and Hamilton, had joined them. Moreover, now that the rookie draft was in full swing, it was obvious that they would continue to produce outstanding gladiators from this city.

Perhaps the Irat national team, which included Sden City, was Avon’s greatest enemy. Considering both the present and the distant future.

Clark, letting out a long sigh, ended the meeting and dismissed everyone. Now that he knew the important facts, he had to quickly come up with countermeasures.

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

Today, I had a dream where I time-traveled to before the IMF crisis [International Monetary Fund crisis, a period of financial crisis in Asia in the late 1990s]. Anyway, human patterns are so predictable. Like other modern novels, the first thing I thought of was the lottery. And instead of remembering the numbers, I realized that it wasn’t time for the lottery yet, so I immediately switched to stocks. Hahaha. If I had thought in a more constructive direction, I wouldn’t have felt so pathetic. Like trying to prevent the IMF crisis.

Have a great day, everyone. I’ll see you again tomorrow.