Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 50

Bang. Bang bang. Bang.

On the serene beach, Beomseok and Venus were engrossed in training, clad in thick suits. Consequently, the beach, which should have been filled with romance, echoed with harsh striking sounds.

However, tourists passing by seemed intrigued by the novel sight, loitering around to watch.

“Venus! You’re not doing it right! Keep your arms firmly glued to your waist, and your feet firmly planted on the ground!”

“Yes!”

Beomseok suddenly dove into her space. Startled, Venus raised her shield and pushed with all her might, but he quickly moved to the left and attempted to enter again. With a bang, Beomseok, who had been pushed back, wore a broad smile. He seemed quite pleased with her defense this time. He had tried to snatch the shield from her right hand using the force of his movement, but she immediately shifted her center of gravity and attempted to charge, pushing him away.

Even though Dual Shielders were said to have an easy role division to learn, the fact that she had improved so much meant she had put in a lot of effort. It seemed safe to advance her to the next level.

“Good. Venus. From today, you will also learn offensive techniques. But if your current defensive stance collapses, I will immediately revert to the old defense-oriented training schedule, so be prepared.”

Venus nodded repeatedly with a bright smile. She was happy to hear that she would now learn offensive techniques, but she was also proud of herself for being recognized by her master.

“Yes. I will work hard.”

“Good. Then, before that, I will teach you the theory along with a demonstration, so give me the shield and sit down.”

“Yes. Here you go.”

As Venus handed over the shield and sat down, Beomseok took his stance. His left toe pointed forward, and his right toe was slightly angled 45 degrees to the right, exactly the stance she always took.

“First, before demonstrating, let me ask you the most basic question. What is the biggest weakness in a Dual Shielder’s attack?”

It was the first time she had been asked this question, but Venus readily opened her mouth. She had been holding the shield so often that she could answer such a question.

“I think it’s a lack of power and speed.”

“Why?”

“Well, the shield has a large surface area, so it gets a lot of air resistance.”

Beomseok smiled with satisfaction at her words.

“That’s right. Excellent. That’s the answer. So, the success of a Dual Shielder’s attack depends on how much they can reduce air resistance and the distance to the opponent.”

He took small, rhythmic steps forward, throwing uppercuts with both hands in the air.

Whoosh, whoosh.

“This is the stance. Like a boxing infighter, you penetrate the opponent’s space and deliver uppercuts like this, strongly striking their chin with the edge of the shield. You can strike a short distance with minimal air resistance, so you can inflict significant impact even with a shield.”

Venus rolled her eyes and opened her mouth.

“What if the opponent quickly retreats?”

“It doesn’t matter. Then you will have protected the Great Swordsman next to you, so you can be considered to have performed your role admirably.”

Venus, who had been imagining cool attack techniques like swordsmen, felt somewhat disappointed.

“Are there any other techniques?”

Beomseok nodded, adding a smooth rhythm to his waist, and quickly threw a jab.

“This is a jab to quickly check the opponent. And these are straights and hooks.”

Soon, he raised the shield and powerfully delivered straights and hooks.

“But if you use hooks and straights, your body will open up, exposing you to the opponent’s attacks. So, avoid using them if possible. The main purpose of a Dual Shielder is to protect the Great One with solid defense.”

“Ah, ah. Yes~ But Master, it feels a bit like boxing?”

“Yes. It’s definitely boxing. Especially infighting, it’s almost the same. The only difference is that Dual Shielders are much less active. If you extend your fists like in boxing, you will naturally create a large opening. In summary, you can think of a Dual Shielder as an infighter with extreme restraint.”

Venus continued to ask questions.

“Are there any cooler or more impressive attack methods?”

At those words, Beomseok quickly approached and flicked her forehead.

“I know what you’re thinking, but there aren’t any! If there’s a martial art that only seeks flashiness, it’s a trash martial art that only appears in show programs! The most effective attack method to defeat an enemy is a compact attack that mixes strength and weakness. Especially for Dual Shielders!”

“So, sorry.”

Venus rubbed her forehead, her ears drooping. When he exuded anger, she became very subdued. Beomseok sighed deeply and sat next to her. Venus was very diligent but quiet and introverted. Reprimanding her would greatly reduce the effectiveness of the training.

“Hoo~ Venus, Dual Shielders may not be stylish and may not receive good reviews from the world, but they are very important to the team. So, instead of looking for style, think about how you can help the team. If you do that, the day will come when you are greatly recognized by others.”

“Yes. I understand. I will work hard as you say, Master.”

Beomseok stroked her head and took out an electronic notebook from his bag to check the time. It was 1 PM. It could be said that lunchtime had passed. The most essential thing in training was rest to recover stamina. Beomseok immediately slung his bag over his shoulder.

“Venus. Let’s go eat. Training will start again at 3 PM.”

Afterward, they returned to the Ridge Hotel and went to the buffet restaurant for a hearty meal. Thanks to the VIP card, they could have enjoyed a high-end set menu, but there was nothing better than a buffet to save time and eat heartily. It would be a waste to come all the way to Osaka just to train and eat.

‘Now then. What should I do?’

After finishing their meal, there was about an hour left until the afternoon training. It was a long time if you thought about it, but very short if you didn’t.

He thought about swimming at the beach for a while, but it wasn’t a suitable activity to fill the rest time for stamina management. And the schedule to enjoy the romance of the beach was set for tomorrow afternoon.

In the end, he decided to spend this spare time at the casino. There was no reason why holding cards and rolling dice would consume much stamina. Beomseok soon took Venus through the hotel lobby and down to the basement.

“Hmm. Is it because it’s daytime?”

Perhaps because it was daytime, the hotel casino was rather quiet. Some gambling patrons were wandering around, but they were either calmly looking at cards and joking with the dealer or quietly pulling the lever in front of the slot machine, not creating a boisterous atmosphere.

Soon, he went to the counter, exchanged 3,000 krang [currency in this world] for chips, picked up a complimentary drink, and looked around. He was looking for something fun to play.

“What should we do? Venus, do you know what blackjack is?”

She immediately shook her head.

“No.”

“Then how about roulette?”

“I don’t know. This is my first time in a place like this.”

Indeed, it was Beomseok’s first time as well. He roughly knew the rules, but he had never been to a casino to play, so he couldn’t confidently say how to do it.

Reluctantly, his gaze turned to the reel-type slot machines. Even if he didn’t know the game rules, he thought he wouldn’t have to rack his brains because the machine would automatically judge if he just put in the chips and pulled the lever. There was no reason to waste precious rest time on a difficult game.

“Venus, let’s go over there.”

Beomseok, who had been scanning the area where the slot machines were lined up, saw an elderly gentleman playing nearby and went to the seat next to him. Even though the rules of the slot machine were simple, he thought he might need an advisor in case he didn’t know something since it was his first time. He lightly greeted the old gentleman and handed half of the chips in his pocket to Venus.

Then, he put in a 100-krang chip and pulled the lever.

Clunk.

Feeling something catching, Beomseok tilted his head in confusion. No matter how much he pulled the lever, it didn’t move at all.

At this, the old gentleman sitting in the next seat looked at him and said.

“Is this your first time with a slot machine?”

Beomseok scratched his head with an awkward expression.

“Ah. Yes. It is.”

“I thought so. See those buttons on the panel in front of you?”

He looked at the panel the old gentleman was pointing at. There were several white buttons with phrases like ‘Bet One Credit’ and ‘Cash Out’ written on them.

“Ah. Yes. I see them.”

“Good. Then, how much are you going to enjoy the slot machine?”

Beomseok showed the chips in his hand and said.

“About this much.”

“Then put them all in the machine.”

“All of them? I don’t intend to bet all my money at once.”

“I know that. You can specify the desired amount with the betting button in front, so don’t worry.”

“Ah. Is that so? Hahaha. I didn’t know.”

With that, Beomseok put all the chips he had into the machine. Venus, who had been secretly watching, followed suit and put in all her chips as well.

“Now. Press that button to bet. However, keep in mind that it costs 10 krang per bet.”

“Ah. Yes.”

Beomseok pressed the betting button once. Then, the old gentleman glanced at the lever and advised him to pull it. So, he lightly pulled and released the handle, giving the machine a spin.

Tada-da-dak.

The screen spun wildly with machine sounds, and after a while, a bar, an orange, and a blank space were displayed in order. Seeing this, the old gentleman clicked his tongue and said.

“Tsk tsk. A miss. Try again.”

With a troubled expression, Beomseok asked the old gentleman again. He had no idea how to win the game.

“Excuse me. How do I win money?”

“Look at the picture board above the machine.”

Beomseok looked up at another panel that the old gentleman was pointing at. There were various patterns and phrases with their respective payout rates written there. But what caught his eye was the amount of over 210,000 krang floating as a hologram video at the very top of the machine. It was a considerable amount, so Beomseok looked at the old gentleman with surprised eyes.

“No. What is that money? Do you get it if you win something?”

“Hmm. If you create a certain pattern through this slot machine, you hit the jackpot, and then you get that amount.”

“Ah. Is that so? Wow. That’s amazing.”

“And take a look over there too.”

This time, the old gentleman pointed with his finger at the hologram video above the counter. There were two numbers listed up and down, with 2.27 million krang on the bottom screen and 32.79 million krang on the top screen.

Because it was a jaw-dropping amount, Beomseok quickly asked.

“What, what are those prizes?”

“Um. The amount with 2.27 million krang is the jackpot that is triggered across all the slot machines in this hotel casino, and the amount with 32.79 million krang is the combined jackpot that is triggered across all the casinos in this area. Of course, these are also triggered when certain patterns are created.”

After betting, Beomseok turned the lever again.

“What kind of pattern is it?”

“Well. I don’t know either. There are ways to have three specific patterns appear together, and there are also cases of unspecified patterns.”

Beomseok looked at the orange, bar, and fragmented watermelon on the screen and had a disappointed look. This time, it was a miss without exception.

“Ah~ So you’re saying the chances are low.”

“Of course. Otherwise, such jackpot prizes wouldn’t be created.”

Beomseok nodded at the old gentleman’s words and looked at Venus sitting on his right. She was only intently listening to the conversation between him and the old gentleman and had not yet started the game.

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

Wow. It’s already the 50th chapter. First of all, I will congratulate myself. Hehehe.

The motivation for writing Perfect World was very coincidental. At first, I just vaguely aimed for extreme munchkinism with Kingpanworld and wrote it as a practice piece, so this time I wanted to write a story with abilities suppressed as much as possible. But I thought it would be difficult with generally known materials.

So I looked for new material and decided on sports. I really liked baseball and soccer, but unless I was going to write Shootdori, there was no room for munchkinism. Hehehe.

At first, I was worried about whether to do baseball or soccer. Because it is such a popular sport, there would be many people who know more than me, and I thought there would be quite a few objections.

So I tried to choose a sport that was famous but had simple rules and that readers didn’t know well. It was track and field or swimming. Hahaha. But I gave up because the playing time was too short and I could only express it in a fragmentary way. Also, there are few heroines, which greatly violates my idea of basing it on team growth.

Then… One day, after watching Russell Crowe’s Gladiator on TV… I clapped my hands. It was a sport that all readers would know, and it was an ancient Roman game, and the rules at the time were not specifically defined, so I could create and write as I pleased.

And I wondered what it would be like to have elves based on gladiatorial combat, and to create a plausible setting, I based it on a future world where biotechnology has advanced. Also, this setting led to the creation of the physical reaction suit. Well, at this point, the worldview was roughly framed.

Anyway, please know that Perfect World was created in this way. Hahaha.

Then, please continue to show a lot of love in the future. I will see you at the same time on Monday. Then have a nice day.