Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 107

“Tch. If you want her, I can send her over. But you’re not expecting a freebie, are you?”

“Of course not. It’s absurd to take a pro team’s gladiator without compensation.”

Beomseok felt relieved, thinking he could still get a good price. Even though Hera was older, her physical abilities were still decent, and she was a skilled gladiator with plenty of experience. Finding another pro gladiator of her caliber would cost a fortune, and giving her away for free would be a significant loss for the team.

“Really? What price are you considering?”

“Well, I know a little about soccer, but gladiatorial combat isn’t my forte… How about you suggest a price? You’ve recruited many gladiators, so you should have a rough idea. Just don’t try to rip me off because I’m not an expert.”

Beomseok sighed. Because of their relationship, he couldn’t ask for too much, but asking for too little would hurt the team. He decided to suggest a fair price.

Hera was 36 this year. She probably had only two or three years left as a gladiator. Gladiators in her age bracket had significantly reduced value, usually fetching around 1.2 million Krang [currency unit]. Beomseok decided to deduct an additional 200,000 Krang because of his connection with Lexter and added back the 1.3 million Krang he had paid as a contract fee this year, plus a little extra.

“How about 2.3 million Krang?”

“2.3 million Krang? That seems low, doesn’t it? Her annual salary is 1.3 million Krang.”

“Normally, a gladiator of Hera’s skill would command that salary if I actively sought offers. However, her age lowers her value. She can’t compete for much longer, so teams hesitate to buy her, and her value naturally drops. Actually, I initially valued her at 1 million Krang, but including the 1.3 million Krang contract fee I paid this year, it comes to that amount.”

Lexter nodded, feigning understanding. Such things happened frequently in professional soccer. It was almost a given that an aging Elf’s [fantasy race] value would decrease.

“I see. Then let’s agree on 2.3 million Krang.”

“Yes, let’s do that. Do you happen to have the transfer agreement with you, Lexter?”

“No, I don’t. I’ve never done this before, so I didn’t prepare anything.”

“Oh, really? Then I’ll prepare it.”

Beomseok opened the transfer agreement form saved in his electronic notebook and started typing on the virtual keyboard. He only needed to fill in the transaction date, name, and price, so it didn’t take long.

He quickly copied the completed agreement and sent it to Lexter.

“Just do the electronic authentication in the signature field.”

“Oh, really? Already? I thought it would be complicated and take a while.”

“Well, it would be complicated if you added various options, but right now, it’s just a matter of exchanging the agreed amount and the Elf gladiator, isn’t it? If so, this form is sufficient.”

Lexter completed the electronic authentication in the signature field and spoke again.

“Can we use this form too? Our team was just formed, so we don’t have any of these minor things prepared.”

Beomseok immediately nodded. He was using a slightly modified version of the agreement he had taken from the Dragon Knights. There would be no problem if it went through another channel.

“It doesn’t matter. Use it.”

“Thanks. Oh, by the way! Do you have any other forms?”

“Well, I have gladiator salary agreements, tax-related forms, and all the documents needed to run a professional team.”

“Hehehe. I’m sorry, but could you give me all of that too? We have office staff, but they lack experience in this area. Haha.”

Beomseok nodded easily, but his heart wasn’t really in it. He felt a bit pathetic helping a rival team get started. However, he couldn’t coldly refuse Lexter’s request for something so trivial.

“Yes, I understand. I’ll tell our office staff to send it to you by email.”

“Oh, really? Thank you. I’ll never forget this favor.”

At those words, Beomseok felt much more at ease. Lexter always asked for favors without hesitation, but there was always a significant reward afterward. His contribution was significant in allowing the God Knights to successfully turn pro. If Lexter hadn’t provided the information about Micro Engineering, it would have been difficult to raise the funds to turn pro, and they might have remained amateur.

“So, is that all settled?”

“Well, all the necessary business is done. However, I need some advice from you.”

Beomseok interlocked his fingers and looked at Lexter.

“Yes, tell me.”

“Do you happen to know any promising prospects?”

“What? Why are you asking me that?”

“What do you mean? Goria, the gladiator from the Dragon Knights, is soaring in popularity. I heard it’s because Director Vincent recommended her, and the media exposed the scene where you declared you would recruit her. That…”

Beomseok immediately waved his hand and cut him off.

“That article is all lies. Honestly, I only knew her face and name from the media. Since that day, I haven’t received any contact from the Dragon Knights. Of course, there was talk about it at the time, but I said I would look into recruiting her, not that I expressed interest.”

“No, still, I believe in your judgment, so the media made such a fuss about it.”

He sighed and nodded. In fact, starting with Venus, then the troublemaker Oscar, Erpina from Walker Auction Market, and now Rapine, who he heard was bought from the Elf market, had all been successful. The media was praising his eye for gladiators.

Of course, he appreciated the praise, but these rumors were causing significant difficulties in team management. If he only tried to recruit gladiators with high potential, opposing teams would become reluctant and re-evaluate the targeted Elf, making it impossible to transfer them properly. They might reluctantly hand them over if he offered more money, but his current financial situation made it too burdensome.

“Hoo~ I’m also getting a headache because of that. It’s too difficult to recruit gladiators thanks to you. I think I’ll have to look into teams far away in other central governments, not just around here.”

Lexter spoke quietly, cautiously.

“Why don’t we form an alliance?”

“An alliance?”

“Let’s pretend to be derby teams [rival teams] on the surface, but secretly join hands.”

“How?”

“First, you introduce me to two good gladiators.”

“Two? Why?”

“Then I’ll buy those two and sell one to you at the price I bought them for. Then you can get the promising prospect you really wanted cheaply, and I’ll get a useful one too, so it’s a win-win.”

Beomseok made a thoughtful expression. It wasn’t a bad idea. It was better to share the almost useless recruitment list with Lexter and make a profit. No team would try to rip off a newly formed amateur team. And, sorry to say, since there would be two transactions, there was a way to insert Esther in the middle and skim off more than 10 percent.

“That’s a good idea. But if derby teams share gladiators, will the fans accept it?”

“They won’t be happy. But the derby team relationship hasn’t been established yet. Your God Knights are a professional team, and we’re just a newly emerging amateur team. We haven’t faced each other yet, so a rivalry can’t be established. And we’re buying them as individuals, not the team buying them. You know our team’s gladiator recruitment policy.”

Lexter’s team trading method involved the owner buying gladiators and then signing a contract with the team, not the team directly buying them. It was a bit complicated, but it was unavoidable due to the police’s image of upholding the law. Moreover, they were paying a huge amount of money under the guise of salary, which could bring great wealth to the relevant police officials.

The problem was that if they recruited a gladiator poorly, the individual would suffer significant damage. If they spent a lot of money but the gladiator showed less-than-expected skills and received a low salary, the owner would be heartbroken. That’s why Lexter had no choice but to rely on Beomseok to get cheap and useful prospects.

‘What should I do… I think I can at least recruit one or two cheaply.’

Whatever the circumstances, it was also beneficial for him to join hands with Lexter. Of course, he would benefit much more, but he couldn’t give up his own interests just because he didn’t want to see others succeed. He had been maintaining a partnership with Lexter from before, so it wasn’t too bad to join hands again.

“Well, do I need to hesitate between you and me, Inspector? We should help each other out.”

“Hehehe. Thank you. I’ll never forget this favor.”

“Hahaha. Of course, you shouldn’t. But how are you going to repay me?”

“Well, for now, tell me if anyone bothers you. I’ll send them all away. These days, my connections have deepened qualitatively. I don’t even have time to meet with anyone below the rank of Senior Superintendent.”

Beomseok looked very interested and had a bright expression. Although it had calmed down a bit now, he was being stalked relentlessly by Julian, so he desperately needed the help of public power. Even if the Economic Federation had strong power, there were many awkward aspects to fighting against the central high-ranking officials of the Federal Police Agency. If the Black Society [organized crime group] provided support from the side, his safety would be greatly guaranteed.

“Oh~ Really? That’s amazing. I’ll definitely ask for your help later.”

“Hahaha. Yes, tell me for sure if you have any difficulties.”

At those words, Beomseok immediately picked out two useful guys from the list he had written. They were all Elves with potential abilities reaching the mid to late 800s, and if they grew properly, they were promising prospects who could grow into Central League gladiators or better. Then Lexter would use a lot of funds to bribe the central high-ranking officials of the Federal Police Agency. In the end, that power would return to him. Moreover, the bribes he was giving now didn’t cost any money and never appeared in financial transactions. In other words, it was a perfect crime, so no problems would arise.

“Here, try recruiting these guys first.”

Lexter said, watching the hologram screen.

“Are they good guys?”

“Yes, of course. I’ve definitely checked and recommended them. If they have well-equipped training facilities and a good coaching staff, they’ll grow into Central League starters within 10 years.”

Lexter smiled brightly and looked at him. The annual salary of a Central League starter was roughly 10 million Krang or more. Since they were young prospects, they would be active for decades to come. If that was the case, they would earn him at least hundreds of millions of Krang.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m absolutely sure. Instead, suggest to the Central Office that they expand the training facilities a bit. No matter how capable the coaching staff is, growth will inevitably be slower with crude training facilities.”

“Hehe. I understand. I’ll take care of that. Then you’ll give me one of these, right?”

That wasn’t it. The guys Beomseok had picked had potential growth abilities of at least over 800. The list he had given was just a bribe to ask for his continued support.

“No. These guys are a gift for Lexter for founding the team. Don’t feel burdened and raise them well.”

“Really? Are you sure?”

“Yes. I can bring in the gladiators I need during the winter transfer market. I’ve stirred things up a few times, and their values have risen too much, so you’ll have to wait a bit.”

“Hehe. I understand. Anyway, I’ll take these guys well for now. And I’ll definitely play a bridging role during the winter transfer market, so just tell me who you need.”

“Yes, I understand. So, is that all done now?”

Lexter hesitated for a moment and shook his head.

“No, there’s still one thing left.”

“Is there something else we need to discuss?”

“Yeah, well, not yet, but if we pass the promotion tournament next year, we’ll become derby teams. What kind of relationship will we have then?”

“Well, shouldn’t we just get along well like we do now?”

He slightly frowned.

“Eh, that’s no fun. First, we have to fight each other on the surface to get the fans excited and riled up.”

“Are you suggesting we do story marketing?”

“That’s right. That’s exactly it. You may or may not know, but if we act and create a hostile setting, the local media will focus on us. Then the team’s recognition will increase a lot, and it will help with the box office. In other words, we can earn a lot of revenue through the derby match. And when each other’s team is at risk of relegation, we can subtly help without raising much suspicion. How about it? Want to try it?”

Beomseok agreed without much deliberation. WWE [World Wrestling Entertainment], the American professional wrestling organization, was enjoying great popularity with this kind of story marketing. There was no reason why it wouldn’t work in gladiatorial combat, so it wasn’t bad to try it once. Of course, they would be in big trouble if they got caught, but if only he and Lexter kept their mouths shut, nothing would happen.

“Let’s do it. Then what should we start with?”

“That’s something we need to think about carefully before deciding. We need to put in a dramatic story. Hehe.”

Beomseok, showing agreement in a calm posture, got up from his seat. Now that the business was over, it was necessary to wrap things up.

“Yes, I understand. Then let’s go meet Hera. She’ll probably be very happy to hear about the transfer today.”

“Yeah. Our Hera is probably waiting with bated breath. So, where do we go?”

“Yes, please follow me.”

Beomseok opened the door to the chairman’s office and began to guide Lexter. It was to go to the lounge where the affiliated gladiators were resting. Since lunchtime was almost over anyway, they had to go out for training.

He went straight to the resting area in the training building and told Hera about today’s trade. She had already received a call from Lexter and knew about it, but she seemed very happy and didn’t know what to do. She seemed to be worried that Beomseok might not let her go if she was classified as a starter.

Soon after, she quickly packed her bag and left the God Knights, where she had grown fond of, with the farewell of her teammates.

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

Ah. Today, Hanwha and Doosan… Kim Junho… I can’t laugh at this… Such an incredible double sliding occurred in the ninth-inning game-tying hit. It seems like it will be a memorable scene (?) that will be talked about for a long time. Kekeke.

Then everyone have a good day. I’ll see you again tomorrow.