Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 65

Godz Knights’ opponent in the Round of 32 was a semi-pro team called South Devils. They employed a hit-and-run tactic, leveraging their speed, which could pose a challenge to slower teams. However, the Godz Knights were far from an amateur team, rendering this strategy ineffective. For instance, none of the gladiators on the South Devils team could match Bumseok’s speed. He had even defeated Agelia, Avand’s most promising athlete, to win the 200-meter sprint.

Having faced them before in the Semi-Pro Cup, they knew South Devils weren’t a significant threat. Back then, even without Oscar and Erpina, they had achieved a perfect 3-0 victory, meaning they won all three rounds without losing a single gladiator.

The real concern was the Great Hyenas team, their likely opponent in the Round of 8. While not guaranteed due to the seeded teams’ matches not having commenced, their strength made a Round of 8 encounter highly probable. The problem was they still lacked a clear strategy to counter them.

‘Tch, that Julian. He definitely cheated in the draw.’

Julian’s confident demeanor during the draw, the improbable 1/8 chance of being matched against his team, and the revelation that the draw system administrator had recently purchased a top-of-the-line flying car worth a million krang [currency unit] in cash all pointed to foul play. It was highly suspicious, and strongly suggested Julian had manipulated the draw.

However, caught off guard, there was little he could do now. The Black Society had promised to investigate the system administrator, but proving a cash bribe would be nearly impossible.

“Master, dinner is ready.”

At Remi’s call, Bumseok rose from the sofa. He smiled at the elves gathered expectantly in the living room and took his place at the head of the table. Despite the cramped space, he felt a pang of sadness knowing this chapter of his life was nearing its end.

‘Soon, this will be over too.’

Before long, Bumseok would move to the newly constructed team training camp dormitory. The external gladiator training grounds were complete, and the buildings were in the final stages of construction. With the foundation work completed at the time of the contract, construction had progressed rapidly.

He glanced around the one-room apartment he had called home for the past year and picked up his spoon. After dinner, he boarded Aaron [flying vehicle] with anticipation. Finally, he could leave the dreaded Citizen Sports Park and train at their own facility, a prospect that filled him with excitement.

‘Hmm. It’s too barren.’

The training camp, as seen from above, resembled a wasteland. Weeds dominated the landscape, save for the central and right sides where buildings and training grounds were under construction. This likely contributed to the desolate impression.

However, the surrounding forests, valleys, and tranquil environment offered an ideal setting for focused training. Furthermore, as the team grew, the facility would continue to develop, dispelling the current barren atmosphere.

“Okay. Let’s get off.”

Before he knew it, Aaron landed in front of the training arena, and he and the elves disembarked. They stepped onto the lush grass, admiring their new training ground.

A circular stadium, 100 meters in diameter, was illuminated by night lighting towers on all sides. A dugout with still-wet cement stood at the front, and a jogging track encircled the arena. The hammering from the construction site was a minor annoyance, far preferable to the prying eyes of residents at the Citizen Sports Park.

“Master. I love it! Are we going to train here from now on?”

Venus ran around the training ground, reveling in the open space. Bumseok smiled contentedly.

“Of course. It’s our training ground.”

Oscar and Erpina, restless with anticipation, donned their training suits and headed to one side of the arena. They had forged a strong bond over the past six months in the Dragon Knights, and their rivalry for the second-in-command position often led to intense sparring matches.

Diana and Remi approached Bumseok, who was observing the pair.

“Master. The other team members are a bit late today.”

Bumseok checked his watch and dismissed her concern. The training ground had changed, and there was still time before training officially began, so they likely hadn’t arrived yet.

“They’ll be here soon. Look, they’re coming.”

Two flying cars appeared in the distance. Given the scarcity of nearby residents, they were undoubtedly team members. Soon, one landed in a nearby field, and Andrea, a gladiator who had joined Godz Knights after last year’s GA Cup [Gladiator Association Cup], emerged. She greeted Bumseok and Diana politely and joined them at the training ground.

Then, the second flying car landed.

The door opened, and Inspector Lexter hurriedly jumped out with Hera, a team member. Bumseok waved enthusiastically.

“Hahaha. Hello, Inspector Lexter! Thanks to you, I’ve made a lot of money. I owe you a drink when you’re free.”

He had recently profited handsomely from his shares in Micro Engineering, thanks to Lexter’s tip. The share price was nearing 484 krang, bringing his securities account to 220 million. He was naturally grateful.

Lexter urgently addressed him.

“Hey! Now is not the time to celebrate. Has anything strange happened to your team?”

“What do you mean? We’re doing well. It’s a bit daunting to face a strong opponent in the Round of 8 of the promotion tournament, but…”

“Not that. Have you noticed anything unusual with your gladiators?”

“Well, everyone is injury-free, and their stamina is normal. I haven’t noticed anything particularly strange.”

Lexter jumped up and down in frustration.

“Not that! This morning, I received a call from a pro team. They asked about transferring Hera to their team on a one-year short-term contract, offering a whopping 1.5 million krang a year!”

Hera possessed the skills to be a starter even in the Area League [professional league division]. It was plausible that a pro team, impressed by her performance in the last Semi-Pro Cup, would try to recruit her.

“Well, Hera is good enough to attract pro team interest. She’s that capable. But Inspector, you’re not going to betray me and send her to another team, are you?”

Lexter now regarded 1.5 million krang as mere pocket change. He owned 140,000 shares of Micro Engineering, worth nearly 68 million krang. He could afford several luxury houses and look forward to a comfortable retirement.

Bumseok’s contribution to his success was immense. Without the information he had provided at the Rima City Summer Athletics Competition, he wouldn’t have made a fortune through sports betting and would still be struggling with less than a million krang. He wouldn’t betray Bumseok for a 1.5 million krang salary.

“Hahaha. Thank you. When I get promoted to the pros, I’ll offer Hera a high salary to repay you.”

“Oh, geez. That’s not the problem right now. The pro team that contacted Hera is called Sky Angels, but do you know what kind of offer they made?”

“What kind of offer?”

“They told her to terminate her contract with your team within a week and join them. They said they would pay the penalty.”

Bumseok felt a wave of dizziness. He didn’t recognize the pro team, but the condition that she terminate her contract within a week smelled fishy. A week later, they would be in the middle of the promotion tournament.

He urgently called out to Andrea, who was on the training ground.

“Andrea! Come here!”

She put away her tools and approached Bumseok.

“Yes? What’s wrong?”

“Has a pro team contacted you? Asking you to terminate your contract with our team in a week?”

Without hesitation, Andrea replied, “Yes. My owner told me last night. He said a recruitment offer came from a pro team called Angels.”

Bumseok’s face paled. If the scheme had targeted Andrea after Hera, someone was definitely orchestrating it.

“D, don’t tell me you’re going to leave our team?”

Andrea shook her head firmly.

“No. My owner was interested at first, but when he asked them to include a clause guaranteeing at least ten league games a year, they became hesitant, even though he offered to accept only half the proposed salary. He suspected something was up and immediately refused.”

Andrea’s owner was a self-made wealthy man who owned several businesses in Rima City. He had placed her on Bumseok’s team simply to see his elf play professionally, and money was no object. He wouldn’t send her to a pro team where her playing time wasn’t guaranteed just for a few extra bucks.

Bumseok was relieved to have secured one of his core members. But there were still many team members to protect. He summoned all the elves he owned, including Diana and Remi, and instructed them to contact the other team members.

‘What kind of team is doing something so audacious!’

Even though they were an amateur team, they were still a semi-pro team that paid salaries, so pro teams couldn’t arbitrarily poach their gladiators. It was unethical, and they would face severe criticism from fans. The Pro Gladiator Association would also impose administrative sanctions and hefty fines. No pro team would risk that to save a small amount on amateur gladiators’ salaries.

‘It must be Julian. He’s trying to sabotage Godz Knights somehow. That bastard!’

Bumseok, biting his lip, retrieved his electronic notepad. This was an emergency, and he couldn’t stand idly by. He had to save as many team members as possible, or the upcoming promotion tournament would be severely impacted.

‘First, I have to protect the starting gladiators.’

The starting gladiators he had in mind were his elves, Andrea, Hera, Chiria, Mirly, Hina, and Polia. He had secured Andrea and Hera, and he was relieved that Polia’s owner was James, with whom he had a business relationship. The problem was Chiria, Mirly, and Hina. He had to protect them at all costs. Without their pro-level skills, the already daunting Round of 8 match against the Great Hyenas would become even more challenging.

Bumseok first called Chiria. She had the potential to play in the Wide League [top professional league], so she was a priority.

– Hello. Oh, it’s Bumseok.

When Chiria appeared on the video call, Bumseok immediately got to the point.

“Chiria, have you received any strange calls today or recently? Any recruitment offers?”

– Th, that’s…

Chiria fidgeted, trying to avoid the question. She looked around cautiously, avoiding eye contact. Bumseok, sensing something was amiss, pressed her.

“You’re not going to go, are you?”

– W, well, that’s… My owner is quite interested because of the high salary. I’m really sorry.

“Hey! How can you say that now! We have the Round of 32 of the promotion tournament in a few days! What are you going to do if you leave the team!”

– That’s true, but such opportunities don’t come often.

Bumseok sighed deeply and stared at Chiria on the screen in silence. There was no point in trying to persuade her if her owner had already made up his mind. Elves were bound to obey their owner’s will.

Just then, Venus’s cheerful voice rang out.

“Situation ended! Don’t worry, Master!”

Bumseok frowned and glared at her. He was in no mood for jokes.

“What do you mean, the situation is over! Do you even know what’s going on! The team might fall apart!”

“Yes. That’s over.”

He softened his expression and quickly approached Venus.

“What do you mean? How was it resolved?”

“Well, I contacted Hina a little while ago. She said there’s no pro gladiator team called Sky Angels. She searched for it because it seemed so strange yesterday. It’s a baseball team, a newly created amateur team. She thought it was a prank call until now.”

With a blank expression, he opened another window and searched for a team called Sky Angels. As she said, it wasn’t registered with the Pro Gladiator Association, and a detailed search only revealed an amateur baseball team. No pro team would do such a thing, risking fan criticism and penalties from the Pro Gladiator Association, especially while offering such a huge salary.

He looked at Chiria on the screen, her face pale. She must have overheard the conversation and couldn’t even lift her head.

“What are you doing! Hurry up and run to the training ground!”

– Y, yes. I understand.

As the video call ended, Bumseok looked at Lexter, who had been observing from the side. He couldn’t understand why they would try to sabotage his team with such an obvious lie. There seemed to be another trick, but he couldn’t figure it out. Perhaps Lexter, as an investigator, had a hunch.

“Inspector, what is going on? I don’t understand why they played such a ridiculous trick on Godz Knights.”

Lexter rested his chin on his hand and pondered before answering.

“Hmm. At first, I thought of prank calls, but it seems too malicious and widespread for that. But it’s also too sloppy for a sophisticated trick.”

“Could they have done this to undermine our team’s organization?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think this kind of incident will break the organization. In my opinion, there seems to be some other motive involved.”

“For example?”

“Hmm… I don’t know the details, but it’s likely something related to the trust within your team. That’s what this incident hints at.”

Bumseok thought for a moment and nodded. The trick did seem designed to target Godz Knights’ trust under the guise of a trade. The problem was he couldn’t figure out why.

He looked at the gathered Godz Knights team members with warmth. One thing he had gained from this strange incident was a clearer understanding of who his truly trustworthy team members were.

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

Hew. It’s a bit hot today. The cicadas are noisy. It feels like summer now. It rained too much during that time. But it seems like summer came too late. Today is August 11th, and most office workers’ vacations will be over.

Then everyone have a good summer day. I will see you again at the same time tomorrow.