Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 90

Violet’s recruitment went quite smoothly. Initially, the Beautiful Harpy team asked for 40 million Crangs [currency unit], which caused some difficulties, but just as we were about to give up and recruit another gladiator, they did an about-face and lowered the price to 24 million Crangs. For them, securing immediate funds was more important than holding onto a promising prospect with an uncertain future. Ultimately, we agreed on 22.8 million Crangs, and she was scheduled to visit the Gods Knights training camp in a few days for medical and physical fitness tests.

Clunk. Clunk.

Inside a room completely covered with mirrors, LED lights on the ceiling illuminated the surroundings as brightly as day. Weight machines and treadmills were lined up around the room, and the Elf gladiators of the Gods Knights team were sweating and training on them.

On the treadmill belt, which was turning with a loud electric whir, Beom-seok was panting heavily. He was running at a considerable speed, so intensely that it looked like a famous athlete was sprinting. However, for Beom-seok, a cyborg, this speed only felt like jogging.

“Hoo? Hook. Hook.”

– This is an urgent news flash. An Elf intruder has broken into the Rainbow Hotel and is holding a hostage. The police task force has been dispatched and is in a standoff, but they are refraining from entering immediately for fear of the hostage’s life. We have a reporter on the scene…

Beom-seok turned off the power switch of the treadmill and stepped back at the sudden news flash. He wasn’t usually interested in social news, but the fact that an Elf was holding a hostage piqued his interest. Elves were generally kind-hearted, so it was rare for them to commit such violent crimes. And the Rainbow Hotel was owned by Gloria, whom he had previously met as part of the promotion evaluation team. Naturally, he couldn’t help but be interested.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead with a towel around his neck.

‘What’s going on? The radical women’s rights groups are going to make a fuss again.’

Radical women’s rights groups. These were interest groups composed of women who vehemently protested, demanding that Elves, who they believed had unfairly taken over women’s rights and positions, be driven out of the world. A prime example was Gloria; if Beom-seok hadn’t filled all the support positions in his team with women, he would have faced a major crisis, as most of them exhibited such strong biases.

But now, an Elf had committed a violent crime, and the location was the Rainbow Hotel, where Gloria was? This was a golden opportunity for them.

‘Well, the police will take care of it. There’s nothing I can do. I should just continue training.’

As soon as the news flash ended, Beom-seok turned the treadmill back on. It might seem like he was being too indifferent, but there was nothing he could do at the moment. He wasn’t a police officer, so he couldn’t intervene, and he wasn’t free enough to go and observe the hostage situation. Of course, he was worried about Gloria, but he didn’t think she was the hostage.

In the end, he busily moved his legs and focused on his physical training. About an hour passed? The electronic notebook on the treadmill panel rang loudly.

Ring. Ring.

Beom-seok stopped again and opened the electronic notebook to display the communication screen.

“Who is this?”

– Beom-seok! It’s a disaster! Come quickly and help us!

The person who suddenly shouted on the screen was Inspector Lexter. He had recently been promoted to Inspector in the personnel announcement and was currently appointed as the head of the investigation department. He had made a lot of money in the stock market recently and was about to resign, but for some reason, he was promoted and stayed. He said that the chief of police would soon give him a comfortable position, so he stayed.

“Ah, Inspector Lexter. What’s wrong?”

– Did you see the news?

“What news?”

– The news flash about an Elf intruder at the Rainbow Hotel holding a hostage!

He remembered the news he had seen a little while ago.

“Yes, I saw it. But what’s the matter?”

– I need you to do something about it.

He widened his eyes at the unexpected words.

“What are you talking about?”

– Actually…

Lexter explained the situation. The Elf who was holding the hostage at the Rainbow Hotel was an Elf martial artist who had been arrested in the underground arena in the past. He had been raised as a professional fighter by a criminal organization and possessed a rather cruel nature. In the underground martial arts world, he was a formidable force that no one could match. Fortunately, they had been able to arrest him easily before by having the criminals they had caught earlier dissuade him, but they had struggled greatly at first due to his immense strength.

However, he had been causing considerable trouble at the Elf correctional facility where he was being held for rehabilitation. Unable to bear it any longer, they thought he might calm down if he had an owner, so they sold him to a civilian, but he had almost killed the buyer and escaped. Eventually, the police dispatched a task force to arrest him, but it was already too late. In the meantime, he had stormed into the Rainbow Hotel banquet hall and was causing a commotion, holding a prominent figure from the Avon region hostage.

“What? An Elf almost killed his owner? Don’t be ridiculous.”

– He’s a bit like that. He’s been thoroughly brainwashed by the criminal organization that arrested him last time, so he absolutely doesn’t trust other humans. But judging from the fact that he didn’t kill the buyer, the Elf’s instincts are definitely still there. You know that Elves never kill humans unless they’re trying to harm them.

“I know that very well. But are you asking me to catch that Elf?”

– That’s right.

Beom-seok scratched the back of his neck with a troubled expression.

“But can a civilian like me get involved? Shouldn’t you deploy the strike force and arrest him?”

– They all got taken down.

He let out a deep sigh as if he was dumbfounded.

“Heh heh. How many were taken down? Did they die?”

– Twenty. They didn’t die, but many of them suffered serious injuries that will require long-term treatment at the center.

“Th-that can’t be true. If 20 people were taken down like that, I can’t do anything either. Is there really such an Elf?”

– It’s kind of like that. He was a very skilled fighter, and he was very strong. In addition, he lured the strike force into an entrance where only one or two people could barely enter, so we couldn’t take advantage of our numerical superiority.

Of course, if there was such a geographical advantage, it seemed possible enough. If they took down one or two people at a time, they wouldn’t be able to handle 20 people. However, in order to do that, the Elf had to be a very skilled ability user [someone with superhuman powers].

“Anyway, he seems like a great Elf. He annihilated 20 members of the strike force.”

– Oh, come on. There’s no time to talk like that now. Our chief of police is in a very difficult situation because of this.

“Really? Well, it must be difficult. He lost twenty members of the strike force at the same time.”

– It’s not just a little difficult. All the local news outlets are here, pointing their cameras, and somehow, Elf sympathizers have gathered and are staging a protest, saying never to kill him. But now, the strike force that can subdue him has all been taken down, and the chief of police has loudly proclaimed to the media that he will resolve this matter quickly. What’s even more maddening is that the hostage is Gloria, a prominent figure in the Avon region.

Beom-seok frowned. He couldn’t believe that Gloria was really being held hostage. She had participated as a promotion evaluation team member and had been a great help to him, and she was a prominent sponsor who had given the Gods Knights team a sponsorship of 5 million Crangs this year. Moreover, she had considerable beauty, so he even had the intention to pursue a relationship with her.

“Inspector Lexter! Are you really saying that Gloria is being held captive?”

– That’s right. This is really messed up. Elf sympathizers and women’s rights groups have become intertwined, so the incident is getting very big. But the strike force at our police station has all been taken down and we have to stand by, so I’m going crazy.

“Then why don’t you ask for support from other police stations?”

– The chief of police is hesitant about that. He wants to resolve it with his own hands somehow because he has a promotion review coming up soon. That’s why he made such big promises to the media. Can you help?

Beom-seok had no time to hesitate. He had to save Gloria, and he couldn’t turn a blind eye because he had a relationship with Lexter.

“But what should I do?”

– You have to eliminate him during the operation.

Beom-seok immediately shook his hand. He couldn’t possibly allow himself to kill that beautiful Elf.

“That’s ridiculous. I can’t kill an Elf.”

– But this time, it can’t be helped. Citizen groups with conflicting views have teamed up. If he’s alive, we’ll have a headache. Legally, Elves who commit violent crimes without special reasons are supposed to be killed, but then Elf sympathizers will rise up. If it’s the opposite, women’s rights groups will make a fuss.

“Still, I can’t do it. I’ll just focus on saving the hostage.”

Lexter in the screen looked around once and said quietly.

– If you don’t kill him, will you help?

“Yes, of course.”

– Then how about this? I’ll talk to the chief of police and stall for time, and you can ambush him on the scene and make him your subordinate Elf. And order him to pretend to be a corpse so he can be carried out on a stretcher. Then we’ll take care of everything else.

“Are you saying you’ll give him to me?”

– That’s right.

He made a very interested expression. Even though there was a geographical advantage, he was an ability user who had defeated 20 Elf police strike force members. If he played his cards right, he could raise him into a useful gladiator.

Of course, the fact that he was recognized by some people and Gloria was a problem, but he could tell Susan to perform plastic surgery. When he checked before, the robot arm procedure program definitely had a plastic surgery menu.

“Okay, I’ll take it. But what is his specialty?”

– There’s no time to answer that. You have to come quickly.

“But I need to know his abilities to decide how many more of my Elves to take.”

Lexter immediately answered because it sounded plausible.

– I’m not sure, but he seems to be skilled in swords and hand-to-hand combat. Our guys were all pushed back while being hit with sword-style clubs, and their joints were all destroyed by grappling techniques.

If so, he seemed to be able to be used as a gladiator right away. Swords were the main weapon in gladiator matches.

“Okay, I’ll prepare the kids and go straight there.”

– Okay, come quickly. Oh! It would be helpful to take Venus among your Elves.

“Venus? Why?”

– He’s the one who hurt Venus in the past. You’ve fought him once, so you know him well.

That episode led to the first day of the game. On this day, Beom-seok clashed with a fan of the Great Hyena team at the Rima City Colosseum and was taken to the police station. Here, he met Lexter, who was a police officer at the time, and was being investigated when the strike force suddenly raided the underground arena and led the criminals out in a row, and he was acquitted. And when he went to the bathroom for a while and went outside, he noticed the ambulance that had come to the police station and went to see what was going on, and found Venus injured and on the verge of death. After that, he agreed to pay for her treatment after consulting with Lexter, who was in trouble, and moved to the Mikhail Treatment Center. And Susan, the current Gods Knights team doctor and the surgeon in charge at the time, operated on her and treated her perfectly.

But Susan had thrown out a proposition when she came out of the operating room. It was about the person who hurt Venus. Beom-seok thought about this and came to one conclusion. The person who hurt Venus was a very cruel person and a great fighter who could fight and win against many people alone.

Remembering the memories of that time, he suddenly looked at Lexter and said.

“Okay, I’ll go right now.”

– Okay. Thank you.

Beom-seok, who had cut off communication, hurriedly looked at Venus, who was training her strength with a barbell nearby.

“Venus, come here for a second.”

She put the barbell down on the stand with a thud and quickly approached.

“Yes, Master.”

“Before you met me for the first time, you were seriously injured in a fight with someone in the underground arena, right?”

It was a past she didn’t want to remember, but she immediately recalled it because it was Beom-seok’s request and answered.

“Yes.”

“What kind of person was your opponent?”

“It was an Elf with red hair. Her name was Daphne.”

“Is she strong?”

“Yes. She was very strong. At the time, four of us attacked her, including me, but we were all taken down in an instant.”

That meant she was a very skilled Elf. Even if the other Elves were newbies to fighting like Venus, it wasn’t easy to take down four people in a narrow ring in an instant.

“How did she fight?”

“She had iron bars and baseball bats in both hands. She wielded both of them freely and unilaterally pushed us back.”

“Then she’s a dual wielder.”

“Yes. It seemed like that. And she was also very good at martial arts, and she was incredibly strong.”

Beom-seok glanced at Oscar and quietly asked again.

“Compared to Oscar, who is stronger?”

“Hmm. She seemed to be much stronger.”

Beom-seok made an unbelievable expression. When it came to strength alone, Oscar was in the World League top class. Even though his swordsmanship was a bit lacking, he was able to reach the level of a Wide League core gladiator with his strength alone. But Venus was saying that an Elf named Daphne was much stronger than her. Beom-seok couldn’t believe it. No, his judgment was that it couldn’t be that way numerically.

“Are you mistaken?”

“Well, I might have been mistaken. I was very scared before.”

Beom-seok nodded. When you’re scared, you’re startled by even a passing bug. It was possible that Venus, who had a tender heart, was intimidated by the brutal martial arts competition in the underground arena and made a wrong judgment.

Still, you never know. It was necessary to prepare thoroughly. It would be a big problem if a member of the team was injured after acting rashly. The squad composition was already precarious, and if one of the main gladiators was missing, it would greatly disrupt the league operations in the future.

He immediately took Oscar, Erfina, Matilda, Venus, and Erica to the Rainbow Hotel, the scene of the incident. He believed that with this much power, he could subdue any formidable Elf.

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

Today, I will explain the development of the characters over the past year.

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Name: Oh Beom-seok.

Classification: Cyborg (1 year).

Affiliation: Gods Knights GC.

Fame: 410.

Notoriety: 0.

Stamina: 5500/5500.

Sociability: 68, Strength: 63, Stamina: 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.

Description: The main character of this story. He is very fond of women. Very fond of them. His development has not been very high over the past year. The training facilities are not good. However, he has recently expanded the training facilities, so his development is expected to increase.

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Name: Venus.

Classification: Elf (4 years).

Affiliation: Gods Knights GC.

Fame: 98.

Notoriety: 0.

H Status: Yes.

Stamina: 9400/9400.

Sociability: 28, Strength: 72, Stamina: 94.

Agility: 69, Balance: 63, Intelligence: 69.

Mental Strength: 92. Judgment: 66, Skill: 42.

Luck: 40.

Current Skill/Potential: 635/936.

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Trait: Fantasy of Venus.

Description: Beom-seok’s first Elf. She was put into the underground arena and was seriously injured and became his Elf. She is quiet and rarely speaks. This year’s development has only increased the utilization of dual shields, and there is no significant difference in stats.

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Name: Susan Lee.

Classification: Human (24 years).

Affiliation: None.

Fame: 330.

Notoriety: 0.

Favorability: 34.

H Status: No.

Stamina: 981/1000.

Sociability: 57, Strength: 9, Stamina: 10.

Agility: 12, Balance: 11, Intelligence: 72.

Mental Strength: 54. Judgment: 90, Skill: 74.

Luck: 71.

Current Skill/Potential: 460/513.

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Trait: Benevolent Medicine.

Description: She is the team doctor for the Gods Knights. She treated Venus when she worked at the Mikhail Treatment Center in the past. Her flaw is that she can’t stand to see pitiful patients. Since her time as a White Swan was long, her Judgment increased by 1, but not much else.

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Name: Raimei.

Classification: Elf (33 years).

Affiliation: Gods Knights GC.

Fame: 454.

Notoriety: 0.

H Status: Yes.

Stamina: 6131/6500.

Sociability: 62, Strength: 64, Stamina: 65.

Agility: 73, Balance: 64, Intelligence: 70.

Mental Strength: 60. Judgment: 71, Skill: 51.

Luck: 41.

Current Skill/Potential: 621/623.

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Trait: Thorough Teaching.

Description: She was a gladiator belonging to the Dragon Knights. Deemed surplus to requirements, she was temporarily dispatched as an instructor to the sports center, where she met Beom-seok and came to serve him as her master. Her Sociability increased by 1, and that’s it. It’s difficult for her physical abilities to improve because of her age, and her potential is almost fully developed. It seems there will be no further development in the future.

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Name: Oscar.

Classification: Elf (5 years).

Affiliation: Gods Knights GC.

Fame: 580.

Notoriety: 1890.

H Status: Yes.

Stamina: 10000/10000.

Sociability: 21, Strength: 92+10, Stamina: 90+10.

Agility: 78+10, Balance: 94+10, Intelligence: 64.

Mental Strength: 19. Judgment: 66, Skill: 37.

Luck: 59.

Current Skill/Potential: 621/952.

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Trait: Excellent Physique.

Description: He was a gladiator belonging to the Dragon Knights, and he was causing quite a bit of trouble within the team. Then, he was sold cheaply to Beom-seok. He has very strong growth potential and great physical abilities. His growth in the past year, including Mental Strength, has been higher compared to other gladiators under his command. This is because he was on loan to the Dragon Knights for six months.

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Name: Erpina.

Classification: Elf (32 years).

Affiliation: Gods Knights GC.

Fame: 760.

Notoriety: 0.

H Status: Yes.

Stamina: 7500/7500.

Sociability: 69, Strength: 73, Stamina: 75.

Agility: 75, Balance: 77, Intelligence: 86.

Mental Strength: 79. Judgment: 84, Skill: 76.

Luck: 75.

Current Skill/Potential: 770/771.

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Trait: Sharp Eyesight.

Description: She came to serve Beom-seok as her master after being sold at the Walker Auction Market. Until recently, she was the team’s ace, except for Beom-seok, but Oscar has taken her place. There hasn’t been much development in the past year because her potential is almost fully developed. There will be no further development in the future.

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Name: Emma Holson.

Classification: Modified Human (1 year).

Affiliation: None.

Fame: 21.

Notoriety: 0.

Favorability: 36.

H Status: No.

Stamina: 6300/6300.

Sociability: 50+10, Strength: 64, Stamina: 63.

Agility: 64, Balance: 60, Intelligence: 94+10.

Mental Strength: 68+10. Judgment: 80+10, Skill: 40.

Luck: 46.

Current Skill/Potential: 629/824.

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Trait: Excellent Knowledge.

Description: As a member of the Black Society, she mistakes Beom-seok for a classmate who received modified body surgery at the same hospital and joins the team to get help. It was a misunderstanding, but Beom-seok decides to keep her because of her growth potential. Her development in the past year has been a little in physical abilities, and an increase in Mental Strength, Judgment, and Luck. It’s quite a bit of an increase.

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Name: Diana.

Classification: Elf (42 years).

Affiliation: Gods Knights GC.

Fame: 1360.

Notoriety: 0.

H Status: Yes.

Stamina: 5300/5300.

Sociability: 94, Strength: 52, Stamina: 53.

Agility: 51, Balance: 47, Intelligence: 95.

Mental Strength: 84. Judgment: 98, Skill: 8.

Luck: 92.

Current Skill/Potential: 674/688.

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Trait: Great Leader.

Description: She was a gladiator of the Dragon Knights. However, as she got older, she went to the Walker Auction Market, but she didn’t have any talents such as cooking or cleaning, so she returned to the team. But Beom-seok recognized her abilities as a manager and recruited her.

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Name: Erica.

Classification: Elf (28 years).

Affiliation: Gods Knights GC.

Fame: 812.

Notoriety: 0.

H Status: Yes.

Stamina: 7100/7100.

Sociability: 61, Strength: 72, Stamina: 71.

Agility: 72, Balance: 73, Intelligence: 76.

Mental Strength: 73. Judgment: 87, Skill: 70.

Luck: 61.

Current Skill/Potential: 716/736.

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Trait: Master of Team Analysis.

Description: She is a Dragon Knights gladiator. She was reaching the end of her prime and was plotting to go to the Walker Auction Market, but Beom-seok saw through her, and she became his subordinate Elf. She was still maintaining her youth, so she developed to some extent, and there’s some potential left.

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Name: Matilda.

Classification: Elf (4 years).

Affiliation: Gods Knights GC.

Fame: 143.

Notoriety: 0.

H Status: Yes.

Stamina: 7500/7500.

Sociability: 57, Strength: 74, Stamina: 76.

Agility: 80, Balance: 82, Intelligence: 64.

Mental Strength: 76. Judgment: 75, Skill: 18.

Luck: 49.

Current Skill/Potential: 653/936.

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Trait: End of Darkness.

Description: She is an Elf gladiator who was found in Osaha. She achieved excellent results in the Elf School Gladiator Competition, but she was put up as a prize for the opening competition of an arena. Then, Beom-seok, who participated in the competition, came to serve her as her master. This year’s development is higher compared to other subordinate Elves.

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Name: Raimei.

Classification: Elf (4 years).

Affiliation: Gods Knights GC.

Fame: 289.

Notoriety: 0.

H Status: Yes.

Stamina: 6100/6100

Sociability: 52, Strength: 62, Stamina: 61.

Agility: 59, Balance: 55, Intelligence: 18.

Mental Strength: 61. Judgment: 58, Skill: 51.

Luck: 48.

Current Skill/Potential: 525/838.

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Trait: Reincarnation of Atalante.

Description: She was a gladiator of the Black Swan team, and Beom-seok urgently recruited her due to Andrea’s betrayal. Her specialty is the spear. It hasn’t been long since she was recruited, so there’s no way to mention her development.

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