Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 491

“Master. It doesn’t seem likely.”

Beom-seok responded to Diana’s worried words.

“What?”

“I’m talking about the plan to create a favorable situation and then launch a full-scale war.”

Beom-seok, wearing a troubled expression, immediately agreed. Having directly experienced and confirmed Chaplin Whisper’s solid defense in the first round, he understood.

“Well, you’re right. I tried to approach earlier, but it definitely wasn’t easy. No matter how I look at it, it seems they came out thoroughly prepared.”

“Then we can’t keep sticking to the same strategy.”

Continuing to use a strategy that doesn’t work is something only idiots would do, as the saying goes. Clearly, Beom-seok wasn’t one of those, so he had no choice but to agree with Diana’s opinion.

“Of course, that’s true. So, what are you planning to do?”

“I’m going to execute Plan 2 right away.”

Plan 2. The name sounds grand, but in a nutshell, it was an all-out war. In other words, the entire team would charge in to decide the outcome at once. Originally, they were going to create a favorable situation and then execute it, but now it seemed unavoidable since things weren’t going as planned.

“Hmm. That’s going to be a bit risky, isn’t it? As long as Chaplin Whisper keeps defending, it’s only natural that we, the attackers, are at a disadvantage.”

“That’s true, but it’s not like there’s no way at all.”

“A way…? Did you come up with any useful ideas?”

“Yes. It’s about stopping Amelie’s twin whips.”

At those words, Beom-seok cast an interested gaze. In the team match against Chaplin Whisper, what he was most concerned about was Amelie’s twin whips. The whirlwind of whips that seemed to occupy the entire front space was enough to break the will of the attackers to charge.

“Is that really possible?”

“Yes. It’ll be possible, although Master will have to take some risks.”

“How?”

“In the early part of Round 1, Amelie was holding twin swords. That was to prepare for Master’s initial rush. If it’s the same in Round 2, maybe we can prevent her from wielding the whips.”

Of course, it was theoretically possible. If Beom-seok took the risk and charged in early, Amelie wouldn’t have the time to switch her weapon to whips. Then the charge would be much easier, increasing the chances of victory.

“Well, that’s true, but what if I get caught while crossing the stream? My body isn’t free in the air. And Amelie isn’t someone who would easily miss that opportunity.”

“Of course, but there’s no guarantee that Master will get caught while crossing the stream. From what I see, Master is superior to Amelie’s skills. Even while crossing the stream, you won’t be easily caught.”

“That’s true, but there’s always a chance of something unexpected happening.”

“Then Round 2 will also be a draw. As long as we still have Tiela and Liza, they can never enter the forest.”

Beom-seok nodded. The masters of the world’s top three jungle warfare were Beom-seok, Tiela, and Liza. With these two, even Amelie wouldn’t find it easy in the forest. For reference, Chaplin Whisper’s expedition record against the Forest Elves last year was a draw, even without Tiela, who had transferred to God’s Knights.

“That makes sense. Certainly, even without me, our God’s Knights wouldn’t lose to Chaplin Whisper in the forest.”

“Yes. Then, Master, will you do it?”

Beom-seok shrugged his shoulders and chuckled.

“Since there’s no other way, I have to try.”

“Yes, you’ve made a good decision. Then I’ll inform the others about this strategy.”

“Okay. Explain it well so there are no mistakes later.”

“Yes. Don’t worry.”

As Diana turned away, Beom-seok silently gazed at the forest spread out in the arena. He was grateful for how it had been a reliable shield for the team, but today, it was becoming a bit of a burden.

Love-hate. That expression perfectly fit the moment. Still, it was fortunate in a way. If he became incapacitated, it would once again become a shield.

As the time came, he soon took his long spear and katana and left the dugout.

“Alright! Let’s go! We’re definitely winning this time!”

Beom-seok, shouting, raised the hand holding the spear high and entered the arena. It was to relieve the tension. He had to take the risk of crossing the stream in front of the outstanding gladiator Amelie.

‘Well, it’ll be alright.’

Beom-seok, entering the forest amidst the cheers of the fans, approached the stream. And near the stream, he glared with narrowed eyes at Amelie, who was standing confidently with twin swords. Now that he was facing her, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

Shaking his head, Beom-seok turned his gaze to Tiela and Prisca, who were following behind. Their help was essential for this operation to succeed.

“You two. You have to do well without a single mistake, understand?”

“Yes. Trust us and leave it to us. We’ll definitely complete the mission.”

With their pledge, Beom-seok was able to completely erase the worries in his heart. Prisca was an outstanding gladiator currently ranked 4th in the world, and Tiela possessed the best archery skills. Although it was a somewhat difficult mission, he believed they could do it.

“Good. Then I’ll trust you.”

Beom-seok, hiding behind a tree, held the long spear in his left hand and gripped the hilt of the katana in his right hand. Facing Amelie with twin swords while his body was suspended in the air, one weapon wouldn’t be enough.

– Peeep!

With the whistle, Beom-seok quickly ran to the stream and jumped with all his might to cross the stream. Amelie, who witnessed this scene from the other side, rushed over, thinking it was a gift, but then flinched and stopped. It was because Prisca was also jumping over, following behind him.

At that moment, an arrow flew with a sharp whistling sound. Since it was flying towards such a cleverly chosen point, she couldn’t avoid it and hurriedly deflected it with the sword in one hand. But this wasn’t just one arrow. At the same time as Tiela on the other side nocked an arrow, she was jumping to cross the stream.

‘What, what is this? What should I do?’

She hesitated for a moment, but Amelie’s judgment was quick. If she tried to eliminate Beom-seok here, she could be in danger.

Of course, it seemed possible with the cooperation of other teammates, but they were quickly retreating. And even if her teammates helped, it was something to avoid. Unless they were out of their minds, they couldn’t engage in a team battle with God’s Knights in the forest.

She immediately pulled back and ran towards the outside of the forest.

“Hehe. That’s it! Then let’s go straight to Plan 2!”

Beom-seok, who landed on the other side, smiled broadly. It was thanks to Prisca and Tiela’s help that he succeeded in crossing the stream without any interference. Then this strategy was as good as successful.

He immediately chased after Amelie and went out of the forest.

“Alright. Quickly form the formation!”

The God’s Knights gladiators, who had come out of the forest in disarray, urgently formed a pursuit formation. It had happened so quickly that it was incredibly sloppy, but it didn’t matter. Just as they didn’t have time, neither did Chaplin Whisper. They were currently unable to form a battle line. Moreover, Amelie, the core of the team, hadn’t even arrived.

“It’s an all-out war! Quickly solidify the formation!”

Chaplin Whisper’s gladiators tried to reorganize their formation at the cry of their leader, Abyss, but Beom-seok, who was closely following Amelie, was right in front of them.

“Amelie. You can’t go any further.”

As Beom-seok’s shout was heard right behind her, Amelie abruptly changed direction to the side. If she tried to squeeze in among her teammates now, it would create a crack in the barely established formation. Then they would easily collapse under the God’s Knights’ main force that was charging in behind them. It was wiser to step aside so as not to be a hindrance.

‘Good! I’ve got Amelie!’

Beom-seok, who suddenly found himself facing Amelie alone, wore a very pleased smile on his face. If he could just catch her, Chaplin Whisper would turn into just another strong team. He could never miss this good opportunity.

“Hehe. Amelie, what a pity? You ended up facing me.”

Amelie, looking at him, bit her lip. She couldn’t help but regret wasting time trying to catch Beom-seok, who was trying to cross the stream earlier. Thanks to that, her retreat was delayed, and she ended up facing him alone.

But when she thought about it carefully, it wasn’t all that bad. In fact, deep down, she wanted to face him and compete for victory. Until now, she had been patient and endured for the sake of the team, but since things had turned out this way, it couldn’t be helped.

She clenched her hands and crossed her twin swords towards him.

“It’s an unexpected situation, but it’s what I wanted too. I don’t admit that Beom-seok is more skilled than me. Today, I will definitely defeat you and let all the gladiator fans around the world know that the world’s assessment is wrong.”

“Hehe. Do you think that will be easy?”

At that moment, Amelie wore a worried look. The God’s Knights’ main force, which should have been attacking the Chaplin Whisper’s main camp, was slowly approaching this way. No matter how she looked at it, it was perceived as if they were trying to gang up and defeat her here.

“It wouldn’t be much of a problem if there were no interference from others.”

Beom-seok positioned his long spear near his waist and chuckled. Because that would never happen. The reason why the God’s Knights’ main force was coming this way was to make Chaplin Whisper’s main force aware that Amelie was in danger and to draw them out.

His elves knew what he wanted, so they knew that they shouldn’t interfere in this fight.

“Don’t worry. That won’t happen. Now, come on.”

Amelie quickly moved forward. But she stopped advancing and moved to the side. It wasn’t intentional, she just couldn’t go. She tried to open the way by tapping with her sword, but it was difficult to enter because he quickly moved back and returned the spear tip to its place. Now, Beom-seok’s spear tip was thoroughly blocking her direction of movement.

Amelia stared at the spear tip that was still blocking her path with a tense gaze. She couldn’t help but be on edge, as she didn’t know when it would reach out.

‘What? What’s going on?’

She was just spinning around him, following the spear tip. She had never felt such a burden from a long reach before. But she couldn’t stay like this. In the current situation, only Amelie was wasting her stamina. She was running fast, while Beom-seok was just slowly changing direction in place.

Soon, Amelie took a risk and threw herself towards his spear tip. Then she had no choice but to forcibly open the way. She swung her twin swords wildly at the spear shaft and continued to advance.

‘Hehe. As expected of Amelie? Ordinary methods don’t work.’

Beom-seok’s spear tip defense was being thoroughly destroyed by her quick sword strikes. It was a move he had tried jokingly once, but it didn’t work on Amelie. But it wasn’t all bad. If she was momentarily confused by this kind of swordsmanship, she could never beat him.

He soon flew up and rotated the long spear greatly. He was trying to show the essence of the Bongseon spear technique [a fictional spear technique].

Chang. Chang. Kang. Chang.

Amidst the rough striking sounds spreading throughout the arena, a look of bewilderment was clearly spreading across Amelie’s face. The feast of spear tips flying as if occupying all directions was making her nervous. Moreover, the crescent moon blade attacks that were occasionally used were enough to send chills down her spine.

“What! No way! Why…”

Beom-seok, who deflected the transformed sword that flew in with a subtle curve, chuckled. It was an attack he used to barely block, but now it was too easy. Since the spear has a long reach, if you block it properly, the sword surface will bend, and the sword tip will not reach his body.

He swung the spear shaft long and said.

“Hehe. Originally, people are lenient with themselves. You attacked thinking of me as the past me, so you’re having a hard time.”

Beom-seok’s words were not wrong. He had continued to grow while Amelie was stagnating. Moreover, in the matches between God’s Knights and Chaplin Whisper, she had been hiding in the formation, so she had rarely faced Beom-seok alone. Naturally, she couldn’t have properly noticed his development. He had already filled most of his physical abilities to the max.

Beom-seok, who rotated his body greatly, attacked Amelie in succession.

“That can’t be! I’m the best!”

“Oh, come on. How many times do I have to say it? It’s not anymore. If you just lose today, you’ll play with Mr. Zakid [a playful jab referring to a less desirable outcome].”

At his teasing, Amelie swung her sword fiercely with an extremely angry expression. But soon it was easily blocked and bounced off in all directions. She couldn’t be Beom-seok’s opponent because she was disturbing her mind when she should have been calming her mind.

In fact, she should have consistently defended in order to face Beom-seok. Then, if she was lucky, she could have recorded a draw.

Soon, Beom-seok’s spear tip was greatly tilted back and then slashed towards her. It was a blow full of centrifugal force, so it contained enormous power. Amelie hurriedly crossed her twin swords to block it, but it was useless. The spear shaft, filled with tremendous power, sent one of her swords flying far away.

Amelie, gritting her teeth, pointed the one remaining sword at Beom-seok and slowly backed away. Since one sword had disappeared, her greatest weapon, twin swordsmanship, had disappeared.

Beom-seok, who stopped attacking, put the spear shaft on his shoulder and said to her.

“Alright. I’ll give you another chance. Go pick up the sword.”

Amelie glared with wide eyes at the endlessly arrogant tone. He could easily defeat her now, but he was showing mercy. If she lost in the next battle, Beom-seok would be greatly disgraced.

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

Everyone, have a nice day. I’ll see you again tomorrow.