Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 52

Warm afternoon sunlight and a refreshing sea breeze drifted through the air. The sound of waves crashing in the distance was crystal clear, mingling with the cheerful shouts of the owners playing with their Elves.

“Hey! Pass it here!”

Suddenly, with a ‘pop,’ a balloon ball soared through the air, landing and bouncing on the hiking path. Beomseok, jogging in his suit, picked it up and tossed it back to the group playing beach volleyball on the sand.

“Thank you!”

“No problem. Have a good time.”

He watched them enviously for a moment before resuming his run. Training in the Osaha resort wasn’t exactly a vacation. With Venus around, he longed to relax, but the sweat he poured out today would translate to boosted stats tomorrow. He had to stay focused on training, even if it was tough.

“Okay, Venus. Stop for a moment and loosen up.”

“Yes, Master.”

Venus immediately stood beside Beomseok and began light stretches. She rotated her waist and bent her knees, loosening her stiff muscles. Then, she paused, glancing at the building behind her and waving subtly.

“Venus, what are you doing! Focus!”

“Ah, ah. I’m sorry. I was just saying hello…”

“Say hello? To whom?”

“Over there.”

She pointed to a building with a glass partition, filled with Elves. Someone inside had apparently gestured to Venus. Beomseok glanced at it with interest. It was the Elf Market.

‘Hmm. The Elf Market…’

Elves who completed the three-year Elf School program were often sold to the public at the Elf Market. Of course, Elves with exceptional abilities were usually snatched up by professional teams before graduation. But some, like Venus, who were quiet and didn’t seek attention, sometimes slipped through the cracks and ended up for sale to the general public. He figured it wouldn’t hurt to take a look, just for the experience.

*Screech.*

Beomseok smoothly slid open the aluminum door and entered the Elf Market.

The interior was extravagant. Elaborate chandeliers lined the ceiling, though unlit in the daytime, and tropical potted plants were scattered throughout the space. The counter was crafted from high-quality wood, adorned with intricate carvings. But the most striking feature was the array of beautiful Elves, observing the male customers with keen interest.

‘Whew. Quite a few of them.’

The large indoor space housed a considerable number of Elves. The building seemed to span over 500 square feet, and roughly 500 Elves sat neatly on chairs, their eyes fixed on the passing customers.

He took Venus’s hand and began scanning the Elves, starting from the far right.

‘No need to check their stats here. What could newly graduated Elves possibly know? I just need to assess their potential.’

If potential was the only factor, the search would be quick. He simply had to open the information window, glance at the numbers, and close it. Each assessment took about ten seconds. Beomseok moved swiftly, examining each Elf.

‘627, huh…’

Beomseok paused as he reached the middle of the second row, his gaze drawn to a blonde Elf. A potential of 627 meant she could potentially develop into a professional Gladiator in the Area League with proper training.

However, the number wasn’t high enough for his ambitions, so he moved on. By the time she reached her full potential, he expected his team to be competing in a higher league. Loaning her out to a lower league wasn’t appealing. He didn’t see the point in investing valuable capital in her.

“Thank you so much for choosing me. I will serve you well.”

Beomseok’s attention shifted to an Elf being led to the counter by a wealthy-looking man in his thirties. He briefly worried she might be a hidden gem, but quickly dismissed the thought and returned to his search. No matter how appealing she seemed, the numbers in the information window wouldn’t lie. Her potential was too ordinary, barely exceeding 500.

‘She’s pretty, but it’s a waste of money to buy an Elf with those stats.’

He continued his search, ignoring her. He hesitated when he spotted particularly beautiful Elves, but he forced himself to move on, unwilling to waste money on mere aesthetics.

After a lengthy search, Beomseok reached the last Elf, a look of disappointment on his face. He had spent over an hour examining 500 Elves, but hadn’t found a single one worth acquiring. It felt like discovering a lottery ticket you bought on a whim was a complete dud. He hadn’t expected much, but he couldn’t help feeling let down.

‘Well, if they were any good, professional teams would have already snatched them up. Why would they even be at the Elf Market?’

Beomseok took Venus’s wrist and headed towards the exit. As he passed the counter, he noticed an Elf sitting by the window. Unusually, she had black skin and white hair, and her long, slender legs looked toned.

‘Oh. One more over there. But white hair, huh…’

When people slept with Elves, their heterochromatic [different colored] eyes would change to the same color, matching their hair color. This made white-haired Elves less popular. The sight of both eyes being completely white was reminiscent of a ghost. A small niche of people found it attractive, but they were a minority, and the price for white-haired Elves was generally low.

Placing a white-haired Elf near the counter, where she was highly visible, seemed odd.

‘Still, I should check her out.’

While appearance mattered, Beomseok’s primary goal was to find an Elf with exceptional abilities. If her potential was high, her appearance wouldn’t matter.

He approached the white-haired Elf and carefully examined her.

‘Oh. She’s quite good-looking.’

As expected of an Elf, her appearance was striking. Her black skin was flawlessly smooth, and her figure, accentuated by her tight clothing, was captivating. Her face was oval, and the curves of her features and neckline made him want to embrace her and shower her with affection.

Her lips were full and a vivid red, standing out against her dark skin.

Beomseok, satisfied with her appearance, immediately opened the information window.

———————————

Name: Matilda.

Classification: Elf (3 years).

Affiliation: Osaha Elf Market.

Fame: 143.

Notoriety: 0.

H Status: None.

Stamina: 7500/7500.

Sociability: 55, Strength: 73, Stamina: 75.

Agility: 79, Balance: 81, Intelligence: 62.

Mental Strength: 74. Judgment: 75, Skill: 12.

Luck: 48.

Current Skill/Potential: 624/936.

———————————

Specialty: End of Darkness.

Special Notes: Currently affiliated with the Osaha Elf Market.

———————————

‘What! How did someone like her end up in the Elf Market!’

Beomseok was stunned. Her information was incredible. Her basic physical abilities were on par with a core Gladiator in the Wide League, and her other stats, except for Skill, were decent. Most importantly, her potential reached 936. He hadn’t seen stats like this since Oscar.

Furthermore, her specialty was End of Darkness, which increased all stats by +10 in the absence of sunlight. Her physical abilities would reach outrageous levels, rivaling a starting Gladiator in the Central League on cloudy days or at night.

He predicted that with proper training, she could become a core Gladiator even in the World League.

‘Matilda? That’s strange. Why does an Elf being sold in the Elf Market have a name? Usually, the first owner gives them a name.’

If she already had a name, she might already have an owner. Beomseok was worried. But the fact that she was prominently displayed in the Elf Market suggested she was for sale. It wasn’t time to despair yet. Perhaps her first owner didn’t like her appearance and returned her. Given that she was a white-haired Elf and still a virgin, that seemed likely.

With a trembling heart, he closed the information window and asked Matilda a question.

“Hey. What’s your name?”

She stared at Beomseok for a moment and replied immediately.

“It’s Matilda.”

“Oh, really? Do you have any skills? Like cooking or cleaning.”

“I can’t do those things.”

He frowned. Most Elves learned cooking and cleaning at Elf School to please their owners. It was strange that she lacked these basic skills. Oscar and Diana were exceptions, but they were either designated for Gladiator training or had extremely low Skill stats.

“Really? That’s strange. If you can’t cook or clean, you won’t be loved by your owner. Are you saying you don’t want an owner?”

“No. I definitely want to serve my Master. But I have white hair and dark skin. I’m less attractive than other Elves, so I had to develop other abilities to be competitive.”

It was a very Elf-like answer. To forgo cooking and cleaning to compensate for her appearance… He was curious about what abilities Matilda had developed to win her master’s favor.

“Then what are you good at?”

“Swordsmanship. I’ve been wielding a sword for three years.”

Beomseok stared at Matilda, dumbfounded.

“Ah, no. Why? What does learning swordsmanship have to do with getting an owner?”

“That’s…”

She recalled her past.

It was a story from when Matilda was born in a culture capsule and lived in the Elf School dormitory. She had completed a three-month intensive language course, so she could understand human speech, but she secretly overheard something she shouldn’t have in the school bathroom.

She overheard teachers washing their hands, worried that she would have difficulty finding an owner because of her appearance. Matilda desperately wanted an owner, so it was a shocking event. She was so heartbroken that she stayed in bed for days.

Then one day, she saw an Elf Gladiator being interviewed on TV. At first, she didn’t pay attention, but things changed when the Gladiator removed her helmet. The Elf Gladiator also had white hair and eyes like her. The owner, who appeared shortly after, put an arm around her shoulder and said his Elf was the best. Matilda couldn’t help but feel envious.

So Matilda went to see the teachers, curious as to why the white-haired Elf Gladiator was so loved.

“That’s because human owners like money. Professional Gladiators bring their owners unimaginable wealth.”

Matilda felt like she had seen the light. If she made a lot of money for her owner, she would be loved? It was a secular idea, but it became her only hope. From that day on, she joined the Gladiator club and, after strenuous efforts, led the school’s team to a runner-up finish in the Elf Student Gladiator Competition hosted by the Metropolitan Government three years later. Despite only finishing as runner-up, she received the Metropolitan Tournament’s Best Gladiator Award.