Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 256

258

Bumseok led Jacob and Lifton into a reception room inside the office building. Though cramped, it was adequate for four people to converse comfortably. He started the conversation smoothly, offering the refreshments and tea he had prepared in advance.

“Well, shall we continue the negotiations?”

Jacob immediately stated his position.

“As I’ve said repeatedly, we have no intention of selling Nikita for less than 510 million krang [Avand currency]. Frankly, it’s not easy to buy a World League gladiator for that price.”

Bumseok felt the same way. He wouldn’t mind lowering the price a bit, but buying Nikita at this price was practically getting her for free.

“Of course. We don’t think that amount is excessive either. So, we will settle on Nikita’s price around that figure.”

“Good. I’m glad to hear that. It will make the conversation easier.”

As Jacob nodded in satisfaction, Lifton suddenly interjected, stopping him.

“Bumseok, why are you trying to buy Nikita? It would be a significant strain for a Wide League team to acquire a World League gladiator. Is there a particular reason?”

“Yes, there is. There are several reasons.”

“May I ask what they are?”

Since there was no reason to hide it, Bumseok replied.

“First of all, our team has a small number of gladiators. And with the two gladiators we leased leaving, we are short on vanguard and leading resources. I thought Nikita’s versatility would be enough to fill that gap.”

“But is it necessary to buy Nikita? With a price tag of over 500 million krang, you could buy more than two useful gladiators. Wouldn’t that mean your team doesn’t necessarily have to be tied to a versatile player?”

“Yes, of course, I considered that at first too. But due to team circumstances, we had to buy a World League gladiator. So, we decided to buy Nikita, who has a reasonable price and versatile abilities.”

“What are these circumstances?”

“Well, it’s nothing much. I recently misappropriated team funds for other purposes. The supporters found out about this and voiced their dissatisfaction. So, I’m trying to resolve this by acquiring a World League gladiator.”

It was a plausible explanation. Bringing in a World League gladiator would naturally excite the fans. Of course, it was unusual for a Wide League team to acquire a World League gladiator, but it was possible for God’s Knights. Usually, they would refuse the transfer, feeling insulted, but God’s Knights was different. There was no way an elf would assert her pride and refuse to be owned.

Lifton looked at Bumseok intently.

“I see. But is that all the reason?”

“There are other reasons too. Bringing her in will boost sales of team emblem products, and the director, Diana, strongly wants her, so we decided to acquire her.”

“Any other reasons?”

At his continued questioning, Bumseok frowned. It was exhausting to have him nitpick like this when he could just sell her.

“There are no other reasons.”

“Hmm. There must be. Didn’t you see something special about Nikita?”

He certainly did. But unlike Jacob, the trainer, Director Lifton seemed reluctant to sell Nikita to God’s Knights. If he answered honestly, he would either raise the price or cancel the deal.

Bumseok tapped the table lightly with his finger and said.

“I know she plays with experience.”

“Anything else?”

“Well, I’ve watched her recent matches, but I couldn’t find anything particularly special. Do you have any ideas? If you do, please tell me. I will refer to your advice when creating her training schedule after the acquisition.”

“Ah, no. It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

Director Lifton waved his hand and glossed over the conversation. Nikita’s chameleon-like changes in play were only visible five years ago. Watching her recent matches wouldn’t reveal those characteristics at all, so it was impossible for Bumseok to grasp them. There was no need to enlighten him and upgrade God’s Knights’ strength.

Bumseok smiled slyly and said.

“So, you’re allowing us to transfer Nikita to our God’s Knights?”

“Well, I wouldn’t necessarily oppose it, but I don’t think the current price is appropriate. Frankly, Nikita’s various abilities are somewhat helpful to our Menex Odins team. Especially in matches where we need to secure a draw. 510 million krang is definitely too cheap.”

Bumseok glanced at Jacob and then gave Director Lifton a heavy look.

“It’s going to be difficult if you keep doing this. We already have a verbal agreement to complete the deal around 510 million krang, and if you keep raising the price, it’s the same as saying you don’t want to do the deal. In fact, now that we’re talking about it, Nikita’s price may be low, but it’s not like there are no other World League gladiators in that price range. If you raise the price any further, we will have no choice but to consider buying other World League gladiators on our list.”

Then Jacob subtly pressured Lifton. Menex Odins had plans to acquire a gladiator named Yulia. Although she belonged to a Central League team and was only considered a promising prospect until recently, she had grown significantly in the last three years and was showing considerable performance in the league, attracting the attention of many World League teams.

However, Menex Odins needed more funds to acquire Yulia. Competition was fierce, and her price was gradually rising. In the midst of this, God’s Knights expressed their intention to buy Nikita. The team’s management was torn between taking out a bank loan and selling Nikita, but eventually decided to focus on the latter. This was because the team’s financial situation was not very good. Moreover, God’s Knights was not a competitor, and Nikita was a gladiator that no other team was interested in, making it difficult to find a buyer. Her versatility was somewhat regrettable, but it could be sufficiently offset considering the increased strength that would be gained by bringing in Yulia. The Menex Odins team, with its deep gladiator pool, had many versatile players who could replace Nikita.

“Director, if we can’t sell Nikita this time, Yulia’s acquisition may fall through.”

“Hmm. Well, that’s true, but I feel uneasy. I have a feeling that we’ll suffer a big loss if we sell her.”

“Then would you rather give up on Yulia and keep Nikita?”

That was a bit difficult. From the director’s point of view, Yulia was much more valuable than Nikita. Yulia would establish herself as a key gladiator once she adapted to the World League, but Nikita was likely to continue to be used only as a substitute or in draws.

Still troubled, Lifton glanced at Jacob.

“Who do you think is better, Nikita or Yulia?”

Jacob, sensing Bumseok’s gaze, looked at Director Lifton with resentment. He was asking a question that was difficult to answer. Of course, Yulia was much better, but there was no need to criticize the product being sold in front of the buyer, Bumseok.

“Director, why are you asking this when you know the answer? Why do you think we’re here?”

“I guess so. I think Yulia is much better too.”

“Then make a decision quickly.”

As soon as those words were spoken, Director Lifton turned his gaze to Bumseok.

“Do you think Yulia is better? Or Nikita?”

Bumseok was momentarily taken aback. Lifton had stabbed him with a sharp question at a moment of carelessness. From the atmosphere, they were taking Nikita’s sale for granted.

‘That sly old fox…! He’s trying to probe my thoughts until the very end.’

He feigned ignorance and wore a puzzled expression. He had missed the timing to answer and could be suspected, but there was a way to avoid it.

“Who is Yulia?”

“You don’t know Yulia? She’s the prodigy who has been honored as the best gladiator in the Laponi Central League for two consecutive years. You really don’t know her?”

“Well, I don’t pay much attention to the Laponi Central League. Frankly, I haven’t been closely following gladiator matches for even four years. I can’t possibly know all the hundreds of thousands of professional gladiators.”

Lifton carefully examined Bumseok’s expression, who was wearing a sullen look. He couldn’t understand how he didn’t know Yulia. She was a talented gladiator who was recently ranked as the top priority for recruitment by World League teams, and many media outlets were covering her activities in detail. She was a celebrity that anyone involved in the gladiator world or fans would have heard of.

“Hmm. That’s strange. For a gladiator team chairman, you don’t know her name.”

“Hahaha. I’m sorry to hear that. But is Yulia that good?”

“Of course. She’s a genius who is classified as W2 grade [gladiator ranking] even though she’s only 13 years old. If she gains experience, she has a high possibility of reaching S grade.”

Bumseok nodded. If an elf gladiator without an owner was ranked W2 at the age of 13, it meant she was quite a genius. Unlike elf gladiators with owners, they did not actively engage in training.

“Really? How much is she worth?”

“Currently, she’s worth about 900 million krang, but with the competition, it will be around 1.5 to 2 billion krang.”

Bumseok wore a troubled expression and said as if muttering to himself.

“Hmm. Yulia… If it’s okay, our God’s Knights should try to get involved. Somehow, after hearing you, she seems better than Nikita.”

At those words, Lifton exclaimed.

“You! Do you think that makes sense? How can a Wide League team buy Yulia at that expensive price?”

“Yes. It’s a bit burdensome, but if we give up on Nikita, it seems like we can afford it. If I mortgage my shares, I can borrow enough for 1 to 1.5 billion.”

This was a case of trying to remove a wart but adding a tumor. If God’s Knights entered the race before Yulia’s acquisition, it was not just adding one more competing team, but a very serious matter.

When several gladiator teams compete to buy a gladiator, the selling team first examines various aspects and selects a few teams that have offered satisfactory conditions. Then, they present this to the gladiator and encourage them to make a final choice. But if God’s Knights is included in that list, the next thing that happens is obvious. There was no way that Yulia, who had no owner, would want to go to other World Leagues, including Menex Odins, leaving God’s Knights behind. Of course, the premise that God’s Knights remains on the final list must come first, but as he just said, if God’s Knights offers 2 billion krang, the possibility is very high. No team can offer a price that far exceeds 2 billion krang to Yulia, who is still W2 grade.

“Hey, you. Are you joking right now?”

“What do you mean joking? Absolutely not. I’m very interested in Yulia because the director keeps praising her. Although she’s a Central League gladiator, she seems to be quite famous, so I think she’ll be well-received by the fans.”

At that time, Jacob glared at Lifton and stepped forward in the conversation. It was because he was wondering why he was doing unnecessary things and stirring up trouble. If Bumseok stepped in like this, it was as good as losing Yulia.

“Hey. What good is Yulia to God’s Knights? And you were aiming for a World Leaguer to calm the fans’ dissatisfaction, right? Why are you spending more money to aim for Yulia for no reason?”

“Hmm. Well, after hearing what Director Lifton said, I became interested. I’m somehow interested in Yulia.”

It wasn’t entirely wrong, but Bumseok had no intention of recruiting Yulia. As Director Lifton said, it would be great if she rose to S grade, but even if that were true, she was somewhat less valuable than Nikita. The reason was her unique characteristics and versatility. Nikita’s potential was only in the 950s, and her play itself was extremely defensive, so there was almost no chance of her rising to S grade, but she was more helpful to the team than any other gladiator.

Jacob, unaware of this, urgently presented a new condition. In many ways, it was better to pass Nikita on to God’s Knights now.

“Hey. Don’t waste money on impulse purchases and buy Nikita. She’s already too much for God’s Knights. I’ll cut you another 5 million krang. How about that?”

That would be 505 million krang. It seemed like he could cut more, but Bumseok decided to conclude it here. If he kept playing tricks and Nikita’s deal fell through, he would only lose out.

“Hmph~ Okay. Then I’ll leave for a while because I have something to do, so please finish the contract with Esther here. The final decision-maker for gladiator recruitment is the director, Esther.”

After saying this, Bumseok left, and Jacob rushed to Esther. He mistakenly thought that he had left to find out information about Yulia. He had to finish this deal before Bumseok returned. In the end, the deal was completed at 471 million krang. Even considering Esther’s characteristics, it was nearly 10 million krang lower. That meant that the Menex Odins team’s desire to sell Nikita was that strong.

A few days later, news about God’s Knights’ trade of Nikita poured out in the Avand sports media. The acquisition of an active World League gladiator, the first in Avand’s gladiator history, was bound to be of great interest to local gladiator fans. And Bumseok was also free from the 1.1 billion krang embezzlement case. The supporters, who had been half-doubtful of Jacob’s words, now looked at him with faith.