Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 458

A few days prior, the Lima City Colosseum had been undergoing repairs due to the fire incident, necessitating that Avand and Kelot’s World Cup quarter-final match be held at Herby City Colosseum. As the Dragon Knights’ home stadium, it had undergone a large-scale expansion four years prior, boasting approximately 87,000 seats, which made playing at home a significant advantage. However, the predominantly flat terrain, which favored stronger teams, troubled Avand.

Flat terrain equalized the geographical advantages for everyone, meaning the game would largely be decided by skill.

Looking at the stands packed with spectators, Beomseok sighed deeply. Predicting the outcome of today’s game made him feel very uneasy. The Kelot team was too strong to face on terrain devoid of forest areas.

‘Hoo~ What to do… They’re no joke… They have as many as seven gladiators in the top 20. We only have seven at W0 level or higher…’

The Kelot team’s W0 level or higher gladiators included Prisika and Rakami, ranked 4th and 5th respectively in the world gladiator rankings. Then there were Irolita and Revia, ranked 10th and 12th. In addition, there was Agiis, ranked 14th, and Terli and Callas, ranked 17th and 20th.

On the other hand, the Avand team’s gladiators who could compete with them included Beomseok, Tiela, Nikita, Kajella, Yoshia, Seiya, and Rezaris. Although the numbers were the same, the difference in individual skill was significant, suggesting a difficult fight ahead. The gap between the gladiators below that level was even greater, making the situation even more precarious.

“Oh, Beomseok. Come here for a moment.”

At Clark’s call from the coach’s seat, Beomseok got up and approached.

“What’s the matter?”

“You said before that you were confident about today’s game, right?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Are you still?”

“Well? At the time, I thought we could win because there was a forest area, but as you can see, that’s not the case today, is it?”

“So you’re saying you’re not confident now?”

“Yes. Maybe. Even if I use dirty tricks, the odds of winning are about 6 to 4. Of course, we’re the 4.”

Clark glanced at him. He was looking at him despairingly, but Beomseok still thought they had a high chance of winning. 40% was a good enough number to try.

“What’s that dirty trick? Is it about hitting on Prisika, as you said before?”

“Yes. That’s roughly it.”

“What’s the method?”

“I told you it’s a dirty trick. If it gets out, there will be some trouble. At worst, we could be disqualified.”

Clark pondered for a moment. If he could do something about Prisika, as he said, the chances of winning this game would increase significantly.

If she couldn’t participate in the game, Kelot would not only lose their strongest ace but also have one less gladiator resource to manage. However, if he had to be prepared for disqualification, it was a different story. If they couldn’t advance to the semi-finals even if they won, it would be pointless.

“Hmm. That’s difficult… Can’t you really tell me? I want to hear it and judge for myself. Tell me about it in secret.”

Beomseok, who had been watching him closely, nodded. This would no longer be a secret in two months.

“Okay. I’ll tell you. In fact, I’ve been betrayed by Prisika personally, so I’m going to take revenge.”

“You were betrayed by Prisika?”

“Yes. I was betrayed very badly. It’s a long story, so I won’t tell it here. But because of that, she’s going to get a good scolding from me.”

“In what way?”

Beomseok looked around and quietly told Clark what he had planned. Clark, having heard everything, nodded with a bitter smile, as if it made sense. The method he suggested was very dangerous, but the effect was quite remarkable. Prisika would probably suffer a great mental blow and would likely not be able to play properly in today’s game.

“It’s dangerous, but not bad.”

“So I’m going to use it if the game looks like we’re going to lose.”

That was out of the question. If he was going to use it anyway, it was better to do it early. To increase the odds of winning, Prisika had to be dealt with as soon as possible.

“No. Just use it in the first round. We don’t have time to spare.”

“But it’s too dangerous, isn’t it?”

“No, if you think about it, it’s not. It’s not like you’re specifically asking to lose, so even if something happens, it won’t lead to disqualification.

It’s common for emotions to run high during a game and for people to hurl abuse at each other. If they were to punish every single one of those incidents, they wouldn’t be able to play the game. Besides, this tournament is being held in Avand. For the sake of the World Cup’s success, it’s better for the home team to win, so the association will turn a blind eye.”

“Really?”

“Yes. And there was a fire at the Lima City Colosseum three days ago, right? There’s a lot of commotion about that right now, so they’ll probably just let it go.”

Indeed, the world’s media was buzzing about the mastermind behind the incident three days ago. The hooligan incident was led by fans from the Valike region, but the fact that more than half of those who participated in the riot were hooligans from other regions was the cause.

The most suspected people right now were fans from the Kelot region. This is because the Kelot team is the one that benefits the most from this fire.

In addition, the Valike region fans, who were the masterminds of the riot, had never committed such excessive illegal acts even when they had protested in the past, and they had nothing to gain from arson because their team had already lost. Of course, they may have set the fire in the excitement of the defeat, but ironically, the area that caught fire was not the Colosseum building at the entrance, but the forest area in the center of the stadium, which could only be reached after passing through several firmly locked doors.

In other words, the plausibility of the incident was very low.

“Well. I guess that’s true.”

“That’s right. If the Kelot team tries to make an issue out of the Prisika case, we’ll make an issue out of the fire. Then they’ll have no choice but to back down because they’ll feel the pressure. If the fire incident gets bigger and they get punished, they might not be able to participate in the next World Cup.”

“Tsk. I understand. So we’ll do that today… What about next time? You know that the team that is likely to face in the semi-finals is Arkan, right? No tricks will work there.”

The Arkan region is a team mainly composed of Chaplin Whisper gladiators [gladiators known for their speed and agility]. They were more or less the same as the Kelot team. There were a lot of gladiators with considerable skills, and they had no injuries, so they were preserving their full strength. If they were to fight them here at Herby City Colosseum, the chances of winning were very low.

“Well. We’ll figure it out somehow. The association said they’ll repair the Lima City Colosseum as soon as possible, so we can only hope that it will be done by then…”

“Well. That’s a relief, but there’s still a problem.”

“Why?”

“All the trees have burned down, so they’ll have to plant new ones, right? Then, of course, the terrain will change, so our forest combat ability will be greatly reduced.”

“I guess so. But isn’t it better than nothing?”

“Hmm. Well, that’s true.”

Clark stood up from his seat and said.

“Let’s think about the future later. Right now, the important thing is how to beat the Kelot team.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Then go. You need to rest well before the game.”

“Yes. I understand. Then…”

Beomseok nodded lightly and returned to his seat, sitting down comfortably. It was better not to waste energy before the game. A little later, he stood in the entrance tunnel with the entrance waiting signal and entered the stadium with the entrance announcement.

“Avand! Show those cowardly Kelots a taste of spicy food!”

“We must win! If we lose today, I won’t be able to sleep at night because I’ll be so upset!”

Today, the home fans’ support was more intense than ever. They were almost certain that the arson incident was the work of Kelot fans. As a result, the voices of the away fans in the stadium were completely drowned out, and the stadium was filled with voices chanting Avand.

Beomseok raised the spear he was holding high and responded to the cheers. It was a difficult situation, but he couldn’t give up the showmanship. The fans’ support made his wallet thicker, so he always had to meet their expectations.

“They burned down our house, we can’t just stand still! We must take revenge!”

The home fans shouted and screamed as they rose to their feet at his confident, resounding voice. What they wanted was revenge.

Beomseok glared at the Kelot team slowly walking forward and vigorously spun his spear. It was to show that he was very angry.

Well, his mood was calm and beyond calm right now, but he needed to lay the groundwork in case the work he was doing on Prisika was revealed. If the problem occurred in a state of emotional excitement, the level of punishment he received would be lower.

‘Okay. Shall we start the operation?’

Beomseok, who had arrived in the center, came out of the main camp and stood in the free-roll position [a flexible position allowing for quick response to the opponent’s movements]. It was to lure Prisika out. To face Beomseok, she had to come out to stop him.

He carefully looked at the Kelot team’s main camp and soon frowned. Fortunately, Prisika came out, but she had a tail attached.

The gladiator with the number 9 on his back was Rakami, who was ranked 5th in the world. She was much less skilled than Prisika, but she was older and more experienced, so it was difficult to defeat her easily.

‘Hoo~ Their coach is not only keeping me in check, but he’s trying to take me down completely. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to send out Prisika and Rakami at the same time. But what to do? It’s much harder to work on her if Rakami is there. Tsk. Well, I have no choice but to try somehow…’

Beomseok’s gaze was fixed on Rakami. She wasn’t an elf worth paying attention to because she had an owner, but for now, he needed to focus on her. He had to defeat her to have a one-on-one meeting with Prisika.

“Yo. Nice to see you again, Grandma.”

Rakami’s eyes narrowed slightly at those words. The words she hated the most were that she was old. She was already worried about when aging would come, and hearing such words made her feel annoyed. Once aging began, she would have no choice but to retire from active duty.

“That’s harsh. Can’t you be more careful with your words?”

“Hehe. I’m sorry, but I’m not in a position to be careful with my words right now. I’ve been getting angry lately, and it’s been piling up. You probably know, so you understand, right?”

“Are you talking about the arson incident?”

“Well. There’s that too.”

Rakami drew her sword from its scabbard and held it in both hands.

“That incident has nothing to do with our team. It hasn’t been confirmed who committed the arson yet, and even if what Beomseok says is true, we can’t stop the thoughtless actions of some ignorant home fans. So don’t try to force it.”

“Hehe. That’s what you think. From our perspective, it’s different. Anyway, I’m not going to go easy on you today, so be prepared.”

Rakami had only fought Beomseok once before. It was when she was in her previous team, Desert Scorpions, and at the time, Rakami met him and was defeated so miserably that it was absurd.

Skill was skill, but the team members didn’t support her. Of course, she had a chance to take revenge after transferring to Ancient Warriors, but Beomseok was on vacation at the time and couldn’t meet her.

But today, she met him again in a very good situation. She thought she could beat Beomseok enough if she was with Prisika.

“That’s what I want. I won’t be defeated as easily as last time. Because Prisika is next to me.”

“Really? But are you okay with 2-on-1 as long as you win?”

“Isn’t that obvious? Gladiator matches are clearly team battles.”

Beomseok glanced at Prisika and chuckled. She seemed a little sulky that Beomseok wasn’t paying attention to her and was glaring at him with sharp eyes. Prisika still seemed to think of him as a competitor.

“Prisika, is that true for you too?”

“It’s not a pleasant thing, but it doesn’t matter because there will be a chance to settle the score today. The coach promised to give me a chance to have a one-on-one battle if I win two games.”

Beomseok shrugged his shoulders and said.

“Rakimi, you’re lucky. You have such a reliable colleague. But I warn you, it’s better not to rely on her too much. Prisika is sneaky and stabs you in the back. I got hit hard last winter too.”

Prisika flared up as Rakami looked at her with a puzzled look. She seemed to feel wronged.

“What did I do!”

“Look at her pretending not to know. Do you think I don’t know that you conspired with Jade to try to screw me over? I’m not stupid.”

At those words, Prisika coughed roughly and avoided his gaze. She had helped Jade before on the condition that she would be sent to the World Walker Auction Market [a market specializing in the trade of gladiators].

“I couldn’t help it. I had to get a master.”

“Yeah. Master is good. Hehehe.”

Beomseok, who had sent a meaningful smile, put strength into the hand holding the spear. The second hand was almost at 0.

Soon, the whistle signaling the start of the match echoed in the stadium, and Beomseok kicked the ground hard and swung his spear at the women running towards him.

Wheeing!

Beomseok, who had jumped back with a rough cracking sound, then put his right foot on the ground and flew a crescent moon kick towards Prisika’s face. And when she dodged to the side, he raised the spear shaft to block Rakami’s sword coming down on him and continuously stirred the spear.