Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 76

76.

Before the round of 8, Beom-seok purchased a drug detection device, capable of testing for drug use by analyzing hair samples. It was a simple medical device, included to meet promotion requirements. Of course, it would be useless if drugs were taken after the test, but it could definitely catch anyone using beforehand. Now, if he could catch Andrea red-handed, he could exclude her from the roster without raising suspicion.

Three days later, the Gods Knights team, fully prepared, flew to the Lima City Colosseum for the round of 8.

‘Finally, the round of 8, huh? This is even more nerve-wracking than the finals….’

Aron, carrying the team, stopped in the middle of the city where the massive Colosseum was located and slowly descended. Beom-seok, inside the vehicle, looked out at the outdoor training ground through the thick glass window, his expression firm. He was anticipating the practice match that would unfold. Today’s match at the Lima City Colosseum would determine whether he would be promoted this year.

He suddenly opened his information window. He needed to check his condition before the important match.

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Name: Oh Beom-seok.

Classification: Modified Human (1 year).

Affiliation: Gods Knights GC.

Fame: 410.

Notoriety: 0.

Stamina: 5420/5500.

Sociability: 68, Strength: 63, Constitution: 55.

Agility: 92, Balance: 73, Intelligence: 50.

Mental Strength: 56. Judgment: 75, Skill: 47.

Luck: 65.

Current Skill/Potential: 644/1000.

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Trait: Great Will.

Special Note: A first-year member of society who entered the world as the protagonist of a game. He leads the Gods Knights team and is currently participating in the promotion tournament to the Avand Area League.

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‘Hmm. Physical abilities are developing slowly because there are no professional training facilities.’

Beom-seok’s physical stats hadn’t changed much in the past year. This was because he had been focusing on tactical and swordsmanship training at the public sports park and training grounds, lacking access to professional facilities. Fortunately, his mental stats, which were less dependent on training facilities, had improved somewhat. Overall, his stats had increased by 28 points over the past year.

‘Well, it’ll get better from now on since I’ll be getting professional training at the training camp. No, what I have now is not enough. I need to upgrade the training facilities to the Central League level as much as possible.’

Upgrading to Central League-level training facilities required a significant investment. He’d need about 15 coaches above a certain level, expensive medical equipment to measure physical indices, and various specialized training tools. It would also be necessary to have four match training grounds: one for the first team, one for the second team, one for the under-8 team, and one for the trainees. Professional training buildings and accommodations would also need to be newly constructed.

Roughly estimated, the initial cost alone was 200 million Krang [currency]. With his current financial resources, it was a long way off. Still, to develop his highly potential elves to a satisfactory level, he had to acquire them one by one as much as possible.

Thud.

As Aron landed with a dull thud, Beom-seok closed the information window and jumped up from his seat. He needed to clear his mind of unnecessary thoughts and focus on the round of 8 match today. He shouted at his gladiators, who were sitting in their seats.

“Alright! It’s starting now. Everyone, straighten your backs when you get off! Got it!”

“Yes!”

“And today’s winner is us! Never show any signs of being intimidated!”

“Yes!”

Beom-seok smiled contentedly at the team members’ loud shouts and opened the door wide. He patted each of them on the back as they exited, encouraging them, and then got out of the vehicle last.

‘Hoo. The crowd is no joke today.’

Beom-seok, having left the parking lot, clicked his tongue as he observed the throngs of people passing by. The atmosphere was too intense for just the round of 8 of the promotion tournament.

The ticket office was packed with fans wearing spotted uniforms, and flying taxis zipped overhead, dropping off passengers. With more than an hour left before the game started, it was easy to guess how many spectators would fill the stadium today.

‘Well, it’s a derby. It’s bound to be crowded.’

The Gods Knights could attract about 12,000 spectators based on their current team reputation, while the Great Hyenas could draw about 23,000. In other words, the number of spectators watching today’s game was roughly estimated to be around 35,000. As the home team, Beom-seok had a chance to make a lot of money, but he was also worried. Even though they lived in the same Lima City, the derby nature of the game could escalate tensions. There could be riots between fans, and the game could be delayed due to excited spectators throwing things. In particular, the composition of the fan base, as indicated by the location of the training camp, was somewhat concerning.

The Gods Knights had many fans in the old downtown area in the west, where the standard of living was relatively low and there were many natives, while the Great Hyenas team had many fans in the new downtown area in the east, where there were many wealthy people and immigrants. The conflict arising from regional identities and the gap between rich and poor was significant, and if the potential hostility exploded during this game, the Lima City Colosseum would become a mess.

‘Well, nothing will happen. Surely they won’t cause a riot in an amateur tournament.’

Beom-seok, setting aside some of his worries, led his team into the stadium. There was no way they would fight to the death in an amateur game, and even if a riot broke out, the security guards would handle it. Now, all he had to do was focus on winning today’s game.

Beom-seok, having arrived at the assigned dugout, finished organizing his luggage and called everyone together. He had to submit the list of 19 players who would participate in today’s game to the organizing committee soon, but before that, he had to deal with Andrea.

“Okay, everyone line up. Come out one by one in front of me. I’m going to test for drug use soon.”

An elf stepped forward, visibly angry. It was Andrea.

“Beom-seok! Why are you suddenly doing a drug test! Don’t you trust us!”

Beom-seok, thinking he had caught her perfectly, smirked.

“Of course, I trust you. But that’s the problem. You are all elves with owners. To become a pro for your owner, you must win today’s game, but the opponent is the Great Hyenas team, which has great skills. So, I believed you could take drugs to win. Besides, I bought a device to detect drugs in the body to meet the promotion requirements, but it’s a waste to just let it sit.”

“But, but….”

“What do you mean but? All you have to do is pull out your hair. Since you’re here, you go first, Andrea.”

She hesitated, then lowered her head and came forward. She looked around, then pulled out her hair.

Beom-seok took it, put it in a small glass container, and activated the drug detector. Her hair, shattered by the whirring cutter, went into the machine. Soon after, a loud signal sounded. Beom-seok looked at the display, and a message confirming R-ray use was displayed accurately.

R-ray. A drug that increased overall stats by +1 when taken and had a 2% chance of decreasing potential by -1. The stat increase wasn’t very high, and the side effects were small, but it was still a banned substance. If the organizing committee found out, they would be immediately disqualified with a default loss.

Beom-seok, barely concealing his anger, glared at her.

“Oh, my. One person has already been caught. Andrea, you know that taking drugs is wrong, right?”

“That, that’s….”

“There’s nothing I can do since it’s been confirmed. Andrea, you are banned from playing for the next two months. You have to participate in today’s game as a coach, so take off your suit.”

“Yes….”

Andrea barely nodded and began to step back and take off her suit. Since drug use had been exposed, there was no way to deny it. Originally, it was something that should have been severely punished. She had to be grateful that she was only banned from playing for two months and was participating in the game as a coach.

Beom-seok, who glanced at it, continued to call the next team members for drug tests. It was a meaningless act, but he had no choice to deceive her. Andrea had to attend the game as a coach and pass on false information to the Great Hyenas team, so she had to avoid suspicious behavior as much as possible.

After a while, Beom-seok, who had finished all the drug tests, took his team members out to warm up.

– Viewers watching the game in the stadium and on TV. This is the Lima City Colosseum. Today, we will be broadcasting the round of 8 of the Avand Promotion Tournament. I am the announcer….

The stadium announcer, who started the greeting, soon had the order to introduce the gladiators of both teams. As their names were called and their faces were displayed on the electronic display, the gladiators, who were doing their final warm-up in front of the dugout, smiled brightly and waved to the audience. Since many of them had experience as professionals, they were able to show some showmanship.

Soon after, after the commentator had time to analyze the strengths of both teams, the microphone was passed back to the announcer.

He stared at the betting odds on the electronic display and then opened his mouth about it. Sports gambling was the source of money for the Gladiator Association. The announcer, who was paid by them, had to mention sports gambling at least once as a promotion.

– Well. The current betting odds are 4.2 to 1, with the Great Hyenas team far ahead. Is the difference in power that great? Or is it because of the enthusiasm of the Great Hyenas fans, who make up the majority?

– It’s probably both. Everyone who knows anything already knows that the Great Hyenas team is more advantageous in terms of objective power. And the enthusiasm of the Great Hyenas fans has been well known for a long time. They would have gladly opened their wallets to wish for their team’s victory.

Beom-seok, who heard this in the dugout, smiled triumphantly. He had stopped betting because he couldn’t even get his labor costs, but he expected a good income today, so he bet 900,000 Krang. If he won, he would get 2.7 million Krang. It was enough money to recruit a useful elf gladiator with an owner. Moreover, if he added the admission fee income and the victory bonus, it would double, so it would be a great help to the team’s operating funds in the future.

‘Hehehe. Julian, take it all in.’

Beom-seok looked at the gladiator with the number 22 on his back standing in front of the Great Hyenas team dugout. It was Jeremia, the goddess of luck who would bring him victory today along with Andrea.

– Now, both teams, please prepare to enter.

With the call, Beom-seok took a deep breath and headed towards the tunnel at the entrance of the stadium with the starters. This round was a battle between the main forces of both teams. It was necessary to win and break the Great Hyenas team’s will to fight.

Soon, with the entrance signal, he headed towards the stream in the center of the stadium. Then he shouted at the top of his lungs to his team members who were lined up in a phalanx.

“We must win! If we win this round, we’re going to the semi-finals!”

Wow! Woo!

His shout was heard in the audience, and cheers and jeers erupted at the same time. The Gods Knights fans praised his courage, while the Great Hyenas fans mocked his bravado.

“Gods Knights! Be sure to win! See you in the pro league next year!”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Do you really think you can beat the Great Hyenas!”

Taking advantage of the loud noise, Beom-seok left the team formation and stood on one side separately. It was to play the role of a free-roll.

Free-roll. In essence, it was a position that allowed a player to move freely and survey the situation, primarily ambushing the opposing team when they were attacking their base without focus. It was a role mainly played by gladiators with exceptional skills. If not handled properly, the opposing team would suffer considerable damage or be swayed by the team operating the free-roll, disrupting their concentration and ruining the round.

However, if they caught the free-roll gladiator early in the round, they could push forward based on their numerical superiority, which would greatly favor their situation.

‘Well. Great Hyenas. What choice will you make?’

There were two ways to respond to the free-roll. One was to assign a gladiator with relatively poor skills to check the free-roll, and then destroy the opponent’s base with all their strength. The other was to slow down the offensive and invest enough power to eliminate the free-roll gladiator.

However, in both cases, at least Loriana or Jeremia had to come out. If they sent other gladiators against Beom-seok, it would be like offering them as food.

As expected, whether they had investigated properly, Loria and Jeremia broke away from the group and stood across from Beom-seok.

‘Are you going to eliminate me first? Not a bad move.’

They were skilled enough to be starters in the Central League. Even he would have no choice but to lose if these two set their minds to it. How could he deal with two opponents who could barely be defeated after fighting at least a hundred exchanges if they launched a joint attack? Moreover, they were professionals in a mature state and had been living together for a long time, perfectly synchronized. He couldn’t hope for mistakes, so he couldn’t rely on luck. However, as long as the goddess of luck was behind him, there was no way he could lose.

‘Hehehe. Julian, watch closely. See how the Great Hyenas team collapses. You’ll probably be horrified.’

Beom-seok, with a big smile, looked at the VIP seats in the west far away. He couldn’t see inside because of the glass window reflecting the sunlight, but Julian was definitely sitting in a comfortable chair inside, watching the game.

He vowed to win today’s game perfectly and see that guy’s shit-eating face.

============================ Author’s Afterword ============================

I’m curious. Is the Perfect World setting difficult? I occasionally see many people who have difficulty understanding it. I wrote it based on my experience playing Football Manager, so I thought that people who don’t know this game might not know it well, and I also thought that it might be because the explanation was insufficient.

Ah. But don’t think about playing Football Manager. It’s one of the three major game taboos. In Europe, it’s probably in the top ranks of divorce reasons. Hehehe.

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