Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 81

The main players of the God Knights, standing in the center of the arena, glared at the second-stringers of the Great Hyenas with sharp eyes. The events of the day, coupled with their past misdeeds, made it impossible to suppress their anger. They gripped their swords and spears tightly, waiting for the match to begin.

Peeeeep!

With the starting signal, Oscar, followed by Beomseok and Matilda, charged forward to cross the river. The Great Hyenas gladiators, seeing this, held their ground, not wanting to disrupt their formation. They knew that sending gladiators to interfere with the crossing and risk defeat would likely cost them the round.

‘Heh heh. A formation, huh? Looks like they’re aiming for a draw. But will things go their way?’

A strong formation required skilled sword-and-shield gladiators. However, the Great Hyenas team was mostly composed of gladiators with a focus on offense. No matter how skilled a gladiator was, using unfamiliar weapons would inevitably lead to mistakes. Oscar, with his immense strength, could exploit this weakness, and with my tactical support, we could effectively break them apart.

However, Loria, standing in the center of the formation and directing her teammates, was a significant threat. As a long-time gladiator, she was likely skilled in formations, and protected by her comrades, she wouldn’t be easy to take down.

“Everyone, charge! Do not back down under any circumstances!”

The formation wavered greatly as it met the God Knights’ charge head-on. Oscar’s full-strength strike landed squarely, pushing gladiator number 18 back with a loud bang. However, Loria’s support from behind prevented the formation from collapsing.

“Everyone, focus! Even the slightest mistake could cause the line to collapse!”

Loria’s urgent voice spurred her fellow gladiators to huddle closer, reinforcing the formation. Despite wielding unfamiliar weapons, their unity, forged over a long time working together in the Great Hyenas, helped them compensate.

However, the situation strangely didn’t improve. They were gradually being pushed back, and the formation they had barely managed to maintain was starting to crack again. This was due to the difference in their motivations. The mental state of an Elf with a sense of duty to become a professional for their master was vastly different from that of an Elf who only sought honor, even if they reached the pro league.

Moreover, the God Knights team members were fueled by extreme anger over Andrea’s situation.

Clang. Clang. Crash. Bang.

Finally, a mishap occurred in the Great Hyenas’ cornered formation. When gladiator number 12 raised her shield to block Oscar’s greatsword, Beomseok swiftly slashed at her knee. She staggered back with a stiff leg, and Reimei tripped her with a long spear, sending her crashing to the ground.

Seizing the opportunity, Beomseok immediately gripped his sword in reverse and forcefully struck gladiator number 12’s abdomen.

“Kkyaaaak!!”

A gladiator from the center stepped forward to fill the gap in the front line. One of the difficulties in breaking a formation is that lost members are constantly replaced. If one or two were defeated, the gladiators in the center would fill in; if three were defeated, nine would form an equilateral triangle. And even if they lost another, eight could simply form a line again. Therefore, the most efficient way to break a formation was to thoroughly disrupt it through decisive breakthroughs.

“We have to break through somehow! Everyone, 힘내! [Hang in there! (Korean)]”

At Beomseok’s command, the God Knights’ gladiators simultaneously struck the center of the formation. Despite being shaken by the attack, fueled by anger and fighting spirit, the Great Hyenas only retreated, refusing to break their formation. They were overcoming the disadvantages of a clumsy formation and unfamiliar weapons with the experience they had gained over a long professional league career.

Sensing that it was unexpectedly difficult, Beomseok called Venus from the rear. She specialized in defense as a dual-wielder, but now, well past 3 PM, she had become the third strongest in the team due to the characteristics of ‘Venus’s Illusion’. With the breakthrough faltering, keeping her in the back was a waste.

“Venus, stand at the very front and break through the enemy lines.”

“Me? I’m in the rear.”

“It doesn’t matter. We need your strength and defense right now.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Venus overlapped her two shields and simply ran forward. It was a simple breakthrough attempt, but surprisingly effective. Unlike Oscar, who swung his greatsword to break through, she directly used her body to push and squeeze through.

Bang. Crash. Bang.

“What is this! Get rid of her quickly!”

The Great Hyenas gladiators were taken aback by Venus’s reckless breakthrough. They had never seen a gladiator charge into a formation so mindlessly in their matches. Normally, they would have easily dealt with her, but absurdly, she was easily blocking their swords and spears with the large tower shields in both hands. Frankly speaking, there was no room to attack.

Sensing an opportunity, Beomseok shouted to Oscar and Matilda.

“Oscar, Matilda! Now’s the time! Push Venus from behind!”

They immediately moved behind Venus and started pushing her with all their might. Beomseok and other mid-level gladiators engaged in close combat to prevent them from being surrounded, putting pressure on them.

The entrance to the formation was slowly widening. Until now, they had endured because Loria was supporting them from behind with her strength, but with three people of similar or even greater strength pushing at the same time, they could no longer cope.

“A, no! We’re being pushed back!”

Eventually, Loria let out a short scream and fell backward. Then, the three or four gladiators located in front and behind also fell like dominoes, splitting the formation in two.

It was a golden opportunity to break through, but Beomseok’s gaze was fixed on Loria.

“Breaking through the formation comes later! Get rid of the ones on the ground first!”

The God Knights’ gladiators rushed at Loria, who was trying to get up. Eliminating her was as good as winning the fourth round. The reason Oscar hadn’t been able to break through despite all his efforts was because she was steadfastly supporting them from behind.

“What are you all doing! Save your fallen comrade!”

At the captain gladiator’s command, the Great Hyenas gladiators broke their formation and rushed forward. Breaking the formation was very dangerous, but they knew that the round would be over the moment Loria was defeated, so they had no choice. They couldn’t withstand the God Knights’ breakthrough led by Oscar with their own strength alone.

Clang. Spear. Bang, Crash.

A fierce melee broke out everywhere. Venus, looking around, hesitated and rushed towards Erpina. She hadn’t heard the command after the formation was broken, so she was trying to return to her original mission.

Erica finished off gladiator number 28, who was lying on the ground, and ran to Beomseok. He was doing his best to eliminate Loria, so it was necessary to support him from behind.

“Now’s the time! Let’s end the match here!”

Beomseok, shouting, continued to pressure Loria as she tried to get up. Gladiators number 7 and 13 rushed at him, but he left them to Erica and Matilda and focused only on her.

“Yaat!”

Loria continued to crawl on the ground, waving the shield she was holding. This was because he was attacking quickly, not giving her a chance to get up. Then, she heard an eerie wind sound from behind her back. Oscar had defeated the Great Hyenas gladiator he was in charge of and had joined the fray.

Loria held up her shield to block it, but it was a futile effort. The shield was knocked aside by the greatsword’s powerful force, and Beomseok immediately slashed her neck with his katana.

“Kkyaaaaak!”

She slowly stiffened and looked at her comrades. Most of them had already fallen, and the captain gladiator and a few others were surrounded and being attacked unilaterally. It was clear that defeat was inevitable, so she closed her eyes tightly. She had done enough, so it was time to give up.

“There’s not much left! Sweep away the rest!”

The remaining Great Hyenas gladiators tried desperately to hold on, but soon fell one by one onto the cold floor. They couldn’t possibly block the countless sword tips flying through the open space.

Soon after the last remaining captain gladiator fell, the broadcasting announcer’s voice announced the end of the match.

– Amazing. The God Knights, who had a disadvantage in terms of power, have advanced to the semi-finals with a record of 3 wins and 1 loss in the fourth round!

Wow!

The arena erupted in cheers from the God Knights’ fans, who stood up and celebrated. Before the match, they had worried about their chances of winning. They had achieved a feat of breaking through the Great Hyenas, a team with formidable power, and advancing to the semi-finals. As fans who desperately wanted victory, they couldn’t help but be happy.

“Well done! Be sure to win in the semi-finals and advance to the pro league!”

“God Knights! You did a great job. You really crushed the noses of those eastern outsiders.”

Beomseok, returning to the dugout while listening to the cheers, smiled as he looked at the eastern cheering section. It wasn’t intended to tease the Great Hyenas fans who were glaring with anger, but to taunt Julian, who would be jumping up and down in the VIP room at the very top of the stands. With today’s victory, he would have to remain in the amateur league for another year, and the Black Society’s attempt to take over was thwarted. He must have been furious.

He high-fived the other team members who came out to greet him at the entrance and went into the dugout. Then, he packed his things and immediately left the stadium. There was a semi-final in three days, so he had to return quickly and relieve the accumulated fatigue.

Step. Step.

In the stadium corridor with a sign that read ‘No Unauthorized Access’, Beomseok, moving busily, noticed that Andrea was missing.

“By the way, where did Andrea go?”

Diana sighed and explained what she knew.

“Hoo~ While the master and the main players were playing, she packed her bags and left. I thought about stopping her, but given the situation, I let her go. If there’s any chance of discord with the other gladiators, problems could arise.”

“Hmm. Is that so? Good job. To be honest, how can the Elf be at fault? It’s all Julian and the master’s fault.”

“I guess so. Elves will do anything if their master orders them to. But, what are you going to do with Andrea? Are you going to report her to the Amateur Gladiator Association?”

“Well? There’s no need to make a fuss. Since there’s no physical evidence, we could be counter-attacked.”

At that moment, a familiar male voice stopped him.

“Hey. Stop for a moment.”

He stopped and frowned as he watched a young man walking slowly towards him with some people in suits who seemed to be his attendants. It was an opponent he never wanted to face.

“Yo, Julian. What brings you here? I thought you’d be too busy breaking the champagne you prepared.”

Julian clenched his fist at the mocking tone. However, he needed to control his anger for the moment.

“I’m not in the mood for jokes. Come with me, I have something to say.”

“Hmph. If you have something to say, say it here. Unlike you, I’m very~ busy preparing for the semi-finals.”

“It’s not something to say here.”

“Then do it over the phone later. I don’t know if I’ll answer though… Hehehe.”

Julian grabbed him as he tried to leave.

“Okay. Then send the other team members on ahead. That would be okay, right?”

Beomseok stared at him and sent everyone except his own Elves and Emma away to hear what he had to say.

“Okay. Now talk.”

Julian glanced at Emma slyly. The story he was about to tell wasn’t something that she, a member of the Black Society, should hear.

“That kid? It’s difficult to talk with her here.”

“Hehe. If it’s that difficult, don’t say it. Thanks to you, I’m very tired and want to go home quickly.”

“It’s not me who’s in trouble, it’s you.”

Beomseok snorted.

“That won’t happen, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

“Is that so? Then I’ll tell you directly what I want. Immediately cut ties with the Black Society and kick Emma out of the team.”

He had a sneer on his face. It was absurd that he was saying such nonsense now that everything was over. There was already a deep rift between them. Julian didn’t know, but Beomseok, who had been attacked, had no intention of stopping here.

“Hehe. Don’t joke around. Why should I kick out the innocent Emma?”

“Because a very big gift will come your way. You’ll be quite satisfied when you hear it.”

Worried, Emma came and stood next to him. Humans are weak to their own interests, and she was afraid that he might betray her.

Beomseok patted her back to reassure her and glared at Julian. He had no intention of selling his pride for in-game gains.

“I don’t know what the gift is, but it would be better for your pride if you kept it. I’m quite heated right now because of the past incidents.”

“Even if it means you get hundreds of millions of krang [in-game currency]? Aren’t you tempted?”

“Hmph. Hundreds of millions of krang? If you’re going to say such nonsense, get out of here. I wouldn’t even take the entire Hyena Group.”

Julian narrowed his eyes. He realized that persuasion was no longer possible.

“You’ll regret this.”

“Regret? Don’t you do it. I’ve been dealing with too many backstabbing incidents lately, so I’m going to make you pay the price. Today’s match is just the beginning, so be prepared.”

Julian had a bitter smile on his face. It was ridiculous that someone running an amateur gladiator team was declaring war on him, the heir to the Hyena Group. It was like a tiger being barked at by a puppy.

“You’re a guy who doesn’t know anything about the world. Good. I’ll crush you for sure.”

“Are you capable? Looking at how you handled this, you seem to be doing quite a few stupid things. Especially using Andrea to do stupid things was very artistic. Thanks to you, it was easy for me…”

Julian turned red and turned around. What could he say now that he had been defeated? It wasn’t too late to retaliate later.

“I’ll, I’ll see you later. I’ll make you regret today’s work for sure.”

“Hehehe. I’ll be waiting. But if possible, don’t show your face like today. I don’t want to get indigestion from the meal I just ate.”

Julian’s body trembled as he turned and left. It was the first time he had been humiliated like this. He bit his lip so hard that it tore and disappeared.

Beomseok, watching him leave, took his Elves and Emma straight to Aaron. He needed to rest well and recover his strength for the semi-final in 3 days.

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

It’s very hot today. I thought I was going to get heat rash in my mouth. Hehehe. Chuseok [Korean Thanksgiving] is in September in a few days, but it’s so hot… I think the climate has completely gone crazy. It’s cool in the summer.

Then, be careful of the heat until it gets cooler. I’ll see you again at the same time tomorrow.