Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 384

386

“Alright. Now, let’s begin today’s event, so all honored guests, please take your seats.”

Following the emcee’s announcement, Chairman Ibrahim, Vice Chairman Louis, Vice Chairman Cooper, and other key association officials appeared on the stage and took their seats. Beomseok stared intently at Vice Chairman Louis sitting on the chair on the stage.

Before attending this event today, he had received a hint from him. Although he didn’t reveal the details, he said that there would be a major upheaval in the Federal Pro Gladiator Association today.

Julian, who was emptying the steak dish into the envelope, murmured softly.

“It seems like it’s going to be quite noisy today. Chairman Ibrahim and Vice Chairman Louis seem to have made up their minds this time.”

“That’s right. Chairman Ibrahim needs to keep the Cooper faction in check, which is trying to grow by forming ties with the Black Society, and Vice Chairman Louis has a great grudge against the Black Society. Now that their intentions align, the Cooper faction will have to choose one of two options.”

Julian, who was stuffing seafood into the bag, immediately agreed. If Chairman Ibrahim and Vice Chairman Louis joined forces, they already had a majority. With the Angela faction and other smaller factions favorable to them also providing support, the Cooper faction was now in a hopeless situation.

“They either cut ties with the Black Society or face downfall.”

Beomseok turned his gaze to the guest reporters milling around.

“But won’t it look bad to the media? Anyway, from the outside, it will look like a power struggle.”

Julian pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

“Well, since there’s a justification, the media will understand.”

“Understand?”

“Yeah. They have to. The promotion tournament to the World League is a grand festival of the Federal Pro Gladiator Association. However, the world’s media was buzzing about the incident where a key gladiator of a promising promotion candidate was almost killed by the Black Society, and the person in charge of managing the Black Society teams that entered the gladiator scene was none other than Chairman Lucas, the mastermind. Of course, that doesn’t mean the association has to actively intervene because of this, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a justification for sanctions. In other words, it’s like getting slapped on the cheek when you wanted to cry.”

Beomseok nodded calmly. There was no way he wouldn’t know what had happened to him. He still shuddered when he thought about the 3 billion Krang [currency unit] that had flown away back then.

“I guess so.”

“Besides, gambling companies have sent a barrage of stern protest letters. They also suffered huge losses from the last incident.”

Beomseok chuckled as if it were obvious. It would be strange if the gambling companies weren’t angry.

In the last promotion tournament, God’s Knights was the clear favorite to win. So, most gambling companies increased the betting ratio on God’s Knights winning, but in reality, they barely made it to the World League by finishing third. Of course, no one can know the future, so losses are inevitable, but this incident was caused by artificial factors.

The gambling companies, which suffered huge losses, couldn’t help but be furious.

But the problem was that, as with all sports in this era, the main income of the Federal Gladiator Association came from sports betting. If gambling companies boycotted because of this incident, the pro gladiator scene would also face a difficult situation, so it was necessary to be mindful of their concerns.

“Hmm. Then how do you think it will go?”

“Well, the best way would be to expel the masterminds of this incident from the gladiator scene.”

“All the Black Society-owned teams?”

“Yeah. It’s a bit harsh, but the intentions of key gladiator figures aligned. Besides, the Black Society only has two Wide League teams, and the rest are in the Area League, so the repercussions on the gladiator scene due to the sanctions won’t be that great.”

Beomseok rested his chin on his hand, creating a troubled atmosphere. It would be great if that were the case, but there was one difficulty.

“But the league has already started. Is it possible to exclude their teams in the middle of all this?”

“That would be difficult. But there are many ways.”

“For example, giving them a huge negative score so they get relegated this year. Then most of the Black Society teams will lose their pro status next year.”

“But the two Wide League teams will still remain, right? Even if they get relegated next season, they’ll still be in the Area League, which is a pro league.”

Julian chuckled and put a lobster the size of his forearm into his bag.

“Hmph. Instead, their stock price will plummet, and the team will be on the path to ruin. And someone might buy the team cheaply.”

“Who?”

“There are many. First of all, even if the team is relegated, the gladiators who make up the team are quite skilled. So, our Hyena Group is also planning to target them. It seems like there will be quite a bit of arbitrage.”

“But will they really sell?”

“Of course, they will. Their main company is already in trouble, so would they be interested in a ruined gladiator team?”

The Black Society, which is focused on defending its group, would not be able to pay attention to pro gladiator teams. They would probably sell their shares to protect their core companies.

“Huhu. You’re probably right.”

While they were talking, the general agenda came to an end, and Vice Chairman Louis went up to the stage and began to passionately address everyone. As Beomseok and Julian had predicted, he used the previous World League promotion tournament incident as an excuse to drive the Black Society out of the gladiator scene.

Soon after his speech, Chairman Ibrahim took the stage and announced specific penalties, asking everyone for their opinions. It was about giving all Black Society teams -100 points, and the people gathered there strongly supported it.

Now, only the opposing Cooper faction remained. But he exchanged the stage with Ibrahim with a troubled expression and expressed his position that this matter should be brought to the upcoming regular meeting of the Federal Pro Gladiator Association to make the Black Society pay a fair price, following everyone’s opinion. Since the tide had already turned, it was necessary to be cautious.

“It’s over now.”

At those words, Julian nodded and closed the zipper of the bag containing the food.

“That’s right. Even if we go to the regular meeting, the contents agreed upon unanimously here cannot be reversed. However, one concern is how to appease the pro teams that receive sponsorships from Black Society companies.”

“Well, I don’t think so. They’ll have no choice but to change sponsors anyway. Even if this incident didn’t happen, the Black Society isn’t in a position to sponsor sports clubs.”

“Is that so? Well, we’ve already taken away three major companies from them, so they won’t have the *yoyuu* [leeway] to pay attention to sports promotion. Besides, they’re still under attack. But they won’t collapse easily. Economic organizations also have limited financial resources, so they can’t M&A [merge and acquire] all of the Black Society’s companies.”

Beomseok cut the steak on the table and said.

“But wouldn’t it be possible if the Chaplin Group forcibly merged about six of their major companies?”

Julian’s eyes widened. The Chaplin Group was a huge corporate group that ranked among the top 10 groups in the world. If they cooperated, this fight could be resolved smoothly.

“Is the Chaplin Group really helping?”

“It hasn’t been decided yet, but there are many possibilities. In fact, the Chaplin family members are strong in pride and hate putting anyone above them. That’s why they’re pouring huge amounts of money into Chaplin Whisper, aiming for the world’s strongest position. But would they try to miss this opportunity to take their group to the next level? Besides, there’s a human justification for helping Vice Chairman Louis, who is a close friend of the group’s leader.”

“Hoo. Then it will be really interesting. The Chaplin Group has almost half the power of the Black Society, so it will be very helpful. But it’s still the same that they can’t absorb all of the Black Society’s companies. Stock investors who have noticed our fight are investing heavily in Black Society companies, raising their stock prices. Also, Black Society members who have lost their companies are selling their shares to defend the management rights of other member companies. On the other hand, our side is continuing to deplete funds as we acquire Black Society groups.”

Beomseok smiled bitterly and shook his index finger.

“That can be solved if we change the purpose.”

“Change the purpose? In what way?”

“It’s not like we’re changing it. We just need to go back to the original purpose. Julian. What was the original purpose of the Economic Organization?”

“Well, it’s the dissolution of the Black Society.”

“That’s right, that’s it. We just need to dissolve it.”

“How?”

“Meet with the members of the Black Society and tell them that if they leave the Black Society, we won’t touch their companies.”

It wasn’t a bad idea. No matter how loyal they were to the organization, things would be different if they were in a situation where they might lose the company they had grown over a lifetime.

Even Julian himself would choose the latter if he had to choose between the Economic Organization and the Hyena Group. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have said he would go to Ilsimhoe [a private organization] during his conversation with Theresa a little while ago.

“It’s a good idea. If the Black Society is divided like this one by one, the number of targets to attack will decrease, so it will be that much easier. And the moment the company leaves the Black Society, there will be no M&A, so investors who have invested in this company will suffer huge losses due to the stock price drop.”

“That’s right, even if only 30% of them leave, ordinary investors won’t be able to easily jump in. The moment they step on a landmine, their investment will be completely halved, so who would dare to jump in? Especially institutions that make conservative investments will have no choice but to pull out. They have a habit of avoiding high risk.”

“Hahahaha. I understand what you mean. I will definitely tell my father your opinion.”

“Of course, you should. Ah. But wait a moment before executing it.”

“Why? There’s no need to delay it.”

Beomseok frowned and said.

“I said a little while ago that the Chaplin Group might also participate in this fight. We need to leave at least something for them to eat.”

“Hmm. I guess so. If even the companies they’re going to eat leave, the Chaplin Group will have no reason to participate in this fight.”

“That’s right. And leave WBS Broadcasting alone.”

“Why WBS Broadcasting?”

“Our Ilsimhoe will take that company. We plan to merge it with LKS Broadcasting and make it the core company of our Ilsimhoe.”

At that moment, a different light flashed in Julian’s eyes. In fact, the Hyena Group’s growth had slowed down a lot after the conflict between the Black Society and the Economic Organization. This was because WBS Broadcasting, one of the three major broadcasting companies, was subtly refusing to broadcast the performances of entertainers belonging to the group and the games of affiliated sports teams.

‘Hoo. There was also a way to eat WBS Broadcasting through Ilsimhoe. I thought the attack on WBS was going to fall through because Vermilion was subtly interfering. It’s being resolved in this way. Good. It’s a very good opportunity.’

The stake that Julian participated in the White Angel Fund was nearly 6 billion Krang. At this level, he could exert some influence, and the obstacles to the Hyena Group’s entry into WBS Broadcasting programs would disappear.

Julian laughed heartily and looked at Beomseok. He had no choice but to strongly support the M&A [merger and acquisition] of WBS Broadcasting.

“Hahaha. Then our Hyena Group will also help with that. If you’re short on funds, tell me anytime. I’ll give you my full support.”

“Then I’m grateful. Okay. I’ll borrow your hand when the time comes.”

While they were talking, most of the agenda came to an end, and it was time for the mascot appearance ceremony. It was a very formal order in which one of the World League team leaders would enter with an eagle, the mascot, on his arm, and everyone would stand up and applaud to bless the future of the pro gladiator scene. And the leader who would participate in the entrance this year was Theresa of the Deserts Scorpions.

“Now! Then the mascot will appear soon. Please stand up and give a passionate cheer when entering!”

The emcee shouted cheerfully, raising the atmosphere. A tense moment. Despite the attention of everyone, Theresa was waiting at the entrance with the eagle supported by her right hand wearing thick gloves, with a relaxed posture.

At that time, a male hotelier brushed past her and hurriedly entered. He looked around and checked the faces of the honored guests, then approached Julian at a fast pace.

“Um, excuse me, sir. There’s a big problem.”

Julian, who recognized that he was the hotelier he had seen at the entrance earlier, looked at him with a gloating expression. He roughly knew the reason.

“What’s wrong?”

“Um, the Dalmatian that you brought has disappeared.”

Julian stood up in a flustered expression. Finding Dalma was a matter of just calling him, but in order to pass on the accident that he would cause to the hotel, he had to take a firm stance now.

“So, what did I say! I told you to watch him carefully!”

The hotelier, wiping the sweat flowing from his forehead with his sleeve, bowed.

“Um, that’s. Suddenly, he foamed at the mouth and collapsed, so I was going to take him to a nearby livestock hospital, but then…”

“Is that what you’re saying! I clearly warned you to be careful earlier. How can you be fooled by such a simple trick!”

The male hotelier was silent like a mute who had eaten honey, as if he had nothing to say even if he was scolded a hundred times. Losing the guest’s pet was a serious mistake on the hotel’s part.

Beomseok, who was watching this scene from the side, turned his gaze to the entrance. He had found a spotted dog crawling in a prone position at Theresa’s feet. He poked Julian in the side and said.

“Hey. Isn’t that dog Dalma?”

“Damn it!”

Julian, who looked at where Beomseok’s finger was pointing, closed his eyes tightly. He had captured the sight of Dalma leaping up, snatching the mascot eagle’s neck with his sharp teeth, and running away.

“Kyaaaa!”

Theresa, whose whole body was covered in the eagle’s blood, was surprised and fell to the floor. In this disaster, the guest reporters ran up as if they had been waiting for this and were busy flashing their cameras at her. The article that the pro gladiator scene’s mascot was hunted by a spotted dog in the hotel was a topic that would extremely stimulate readers’ interest.

Julian, who coughed repeatedly, slowly packed his bag and immediately left the banquet hall. This Dalma’s accident was not something he could handle. The only way to live was to quickly find Dalma and leave Senosaid.

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

It rained today. It seems that the full-fledged rainy season is about to begin. It may be welcome news for farmers, but I’m worried about the inconvenience for office workers on their way to work. ^^

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