Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 423

Whirr.

As a chilly wind blew, the gates of the Ancient Warriors training camp opened at dusk, and a man and an elf walked out. Beom-seok, who was watching them from the parking lot, wore a faint smile.

The elf looked like Tiela, and the man was Allen, one of the Forest Elves’ trade representatives. He was one of the World League officials who had followed him around to recruit him in the early days of the game, so he was familiar with him.

‘Okay. Shall we go now?’

Beom-seok got up from the bench, picked up his camera, and ran towards them. He wanted to check if there were any paparazzi around. The rumor of Tiela’s recruitment was also a great story. If there were paparazzi around, they would definitely rush in.

“Oh! Isn’t that Tiela! What are you doing here at the Ancient Warriors training camp! Are you being recruited here!”

Beom-seok shouted loud enough to make the surroundings tremble, with a satisfied expression on his face. If no one approached even after shouting so loudly, it meant that there were definitely no paparazzi around.

Seeing this, Allen blocked Tiela and glared at him.

“Who are you! Are you a reporter!”

“I’m not a reporter.”

Allen frowned. That meant he was a paparazzi. Not worth dealing with. He was already angry because the negotiations were not going well, and these annoying flies were approaching, making him even more irritated.

“Okay. We’re busy, so get out of the way!”

“Just a moment. I have something to say.”

“What is there to say! Can’t you see we’re busy!”

“Don’t be so harsh to someone in the same boat. Just listen to me for a moment. It’ll only take ten seconds.”

“Well. I have nothing to say to paparazzi.”

“I’m not a paparazzi.”

At that, Allen looked at him in disbelief. He couldn’t understand why someone who was neither a reporter nor a paparazzi was running around with a camera.

“Then why are you bothering us?”

“No. I’m just asking for a ride. It’s not like we don’t know each other, so don’t be like this.”

Beom-seok took off his hat and scarf and smiled brightly. Surprised by his true face, Tiela said in a trembling voice. He was the gladiator she respected the most. Beom-seok was the only gladiator who surpassed her in jungle warfare.

“Oh, Beom-seok. What are you doing here?”

“Oh, what else but because of the paparazzi. I came to apologize for the recent false report about Prisika, but there are paparazzi everywhere. So, I’m luring them away with my car, and that’s why I look like this.”

“Oh, really? But why don’t you just call a taxi?”

“Hehe. I was so busy changing clothes that I stupidly left my electronic notepad behind.”

At this point, Allen, who recognized Beom-seok, joined the conversation. He had met him before and knew his face.

“Beom-seok. It’s been a while.”

“Hehe. Allen, how have you been?”

“Yes. But you’re here because of the paparazzi?”

Beom-seok put on a troubled expression and said.

“Yes. That’s right. I sent the car I came in ahead to lure them away. Hahaha. So, I was wondering if you could give me a ride to the nearby bus stop? And if you have a little extra, could you lend me some intercity bus fare?”

“Of course. Come on. Follow me.”

“Oh, thank you. You saved me.”

As Beom-seok followed them, a strange light flashed in his eyes. He was busy figuring out how to manipulate them to get a lot of information out of them.

“Okay, get in.”

Beom-seok got into the car first, and Allen sat next to him. There was a lot to talk about with him. God’s Knights didn’t have much money, so they hadn’t made a trade offer, but since they met like this, it wouldn’t be bad to sound him out.

As the flying car rose into the air, Allen suddenly spoke to Beom-seok.

“But does coming to apologize mean that God’s Knights have no intention of buying Prisika?”

“Yes. That’s about it. We prefer young gladiators for future victories. Prisika is skilled, but she’ll be retiring soon, and she’s also expensive. We’re not really interested.”

“Oh, really? But is that rumor going around in the media?”

“Well, it seems like the Ancient Warriors are playing tricks. God’s Knights are the only team that can afford to buy Prisika, but since I’m not showing interest, they seem to be trying to get back at us.”

Allen looked at him with wide eyes.

“Oh, how could they do that… That’s a terrible thing to do. They know very well what situation God’s Knights will be in if such an article comes out… Tsk tsk.”

“Sigh~ That’s what I’m saying. But on the other hand, I understand. How we spend this transfer market will determine next year’s championship. Maybe the Ancient Warriors were so frustrated that they acted rashly. Anyway, the Ancient Warriors need money to recruit gladiators.”

“Really? That’s strange.”

“What is?”

“They seem to have quite a bit of money, in my opinion.”

Since it was the information he wanted, Beom-seok immediately asked.

“Really?”

“Yes. I don’t know the details, but there was a hint that the Ibrahim family was providing significant funds to the Ancient Warriors.”

Beom-seok bit his lip. The Ibrahim family was also a well-known sports tycoon. If they turned to personal funds, they could raise enough money.

“Oh. So, is the Ibrahim family buying the Ancient Warriors’ bonds?”

“I don’t think so. The Ancient Warriors’ debt is also significant.”

“But Chairman Ibrahim is the largest shareholder of the Ancient Warriors. He wouldn’t let his own team collapse with the bonds he owns, so the risk of debt will be greatly reduced, right? I don’t think there’s much of a problem.”

“That’s true, but the new regulations that will be created are the problem. You may not know yet, but we are planning to push for a regulation within our faction with a strong will.”

“Yes? What kind of regulation is it?”

“It’s a debt ceiling system. It’s a new regulation that we’re discussing to curb the Devil Spirits incident and the recent rise in gladiator prices. If the debt corresponding to 100% of the equity ratio and the financial expenses incurred due to this exceed 20% of the total sales, gladiator recruitment will be prohibited until it is resolved.”

Beom-seok’s expression twisted greatly. It was not welcome news for him. All the elves owned by God’s Knights had owners, so their prices were not very high. This meant that their equity was extremely low compared to other teams. If this regulation was passed, it would be very difficult to borrow money.

‘Damn it. What the hell is going on? I’m so in the dark about information that I can’t do anything.’

Beom-seok decided to focus on social relationships from now on. He had neglected his relationships with gladiator officials, which had led to his current difficulties, so he had to change in the future.

He continued his conversation with Allen.

“Is that kind of regulation really going to happen?”

“Yes. That’s why our team is trying to sell Tiela. Of course, our team’s coach also dislikes her very much.”

Beom-seok grabbed his forehead as if his head was throbbing. The Forest Elves were one of the few large teams that could be matched with the Three Musketeers. Even this team was struggling with financial problems, so he was worried about who to compete with.

“Sigh~ Okay. Let’s say that’s the case. Then how does Chairman Ibrahim fund the Ancient Warriors? Is it in the form of a sponsor like the Chaplin Group?”

Allen shook his head. It was difficult to raise such a large amount of money in the form of a sponsor. Chaplin Whisper was possible because all the shares were held by the Chaplin family, but the Ancient Warriors were not.

“Well, unless Chairman Ibrahim is going to do a lot of charity work for other shareholders, it would be difficult, right? It seems like it’s a different method.”

“What method?”

“I don’t know either. Maybe he has a different method in mind.”

Beom-seok shook his head in confusion. If he could find out that method, he could understand the intentions of the Vincent coach, Julian, and Jade’s triangular alliance to some extent. But the problem was that he had no way of knowing the inside story right now.

‘I’ll figure it out if I investigate. I’ll have to find out through Margaret and Esther.’

Beom-seok, who had organized his thoughts, calmed his expression and looked at Allen. There were still many things he needed to find out from him. Since it was a short distance, he couldn’t waste time on one case.

“But did this deal go well?”

“Sigh~ Not really. They offered too little for Tiela.”

“How much did they offer?”

“4.2 billion Krang [currency]. To try to buy a gladiator ranked 12th in the world for that price, it seems like they’re being too harsh on fellow faction members.”

Allen subtly watched Beom-seok’s mouth. If he expressed sympathy, he would try to request a purchase. If God’s Knights matched a certain amount more than 4.2 billion Krang, it wouldn’t be bad to make a deal. Strangely, even though a player like Tiela was on the market, the teams that gathered were only small fries with pocket money.

“4.2 billion Krang is a reasonable price.”

“Why? You know her skills well, don’t you?”

“But Tiela has two fatal flaws. She hates water and is only specialized in forest terrain. This greatly reduces other teams’ desire to buy her.”

Beom-seok emphasized Tiela’s weaknesses and added rationality to the price suggested by Jade. He wanted to deny it and inflate the price, but that would be detrimental to him in many ways. Depending on the circumstances, he might have to recruit Tiela himself.

Allen drooped his shoulders as if he had no energy.

“Sigh~ You think so too.”

“I can’t help it. From an objective point of view, Tiela’s value drops significantly if she goes to another team.

It’s just that she’s too specialized in her home terrain, so she’s not very attractive to other teams. That’s why I’m asking, don’t you have any intention of keeping her?”

Allen shook his head from side to side. In addition to financial problems, the coach hated her so much.

Recently, he even declared that he would leave if she continued to stay on the team. Of course, he could just tell the coach to leave, but it was not an easy decision for the team.

Gladiators could be found at any time if they had money, but it was not easy to get a good coach. There were not many people in this era who had professional experience, were attached to gladiatorial combat, were male, and had talent as a coach.

‘That’s why the rookie draft should have started earlier. Then there would be plenty of people to coach by now.’

The reason why there is a shortage of coaches is that body modification surgery is the exclusive property of the rich. Thanks to this, there was no need to become a professional gladiator to make money, and even if they retired, there was no need to take on a coaching position. However, the situation was different for those who were subject to the rookie draft organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Those who became modified humans with government support were unlikely to have a lot of money. Then, even after retiring from active duty, they would take on a coaching position, and the chronic problem of a shortage of coaches in the professional world would be solved to some extent. However, the unfortunate thing was that there were no people who could become coaches because it had only been implemented for a few years.

“Sigh~ Our coach hates Tiela so much. He’s a good coach, but he’s stubborn and doesn’t listen. And Tiela made a mistake too. Strategy is the coach’s exclusive right, but she refused it and moved as she pleased.”

Beom-seok nodded as if he understood. In reality, there were many cases where talented players who clashed with a competent coach were released in order to protect the coach.

“Really? Then that’s a big problem. So, are you really selling Tiela?”

“Yes. I think we’ll have to.”

Beom-seok looked at the back of Tiela, who was sitting in the front seat, and made a troubled expression. He was reluctant to bring her to God’s Knights because of her shortcomings, but he couldn’t send her to the Ancient Warriors and make Jade happy. He wondered if it would be better to take some risks and recruit her to God’s Knights.

‘If she’s an elf, I might be able to fix her flaws if I do well.’

Elves are beings who sacrifice their lives for their masters. Maybe those shortcomings would disappear because of him. Then she would be reborn as a great gladiator without picky eating, and if he bought her, it would be a profitable business. It seemed like it wouldn’t be bad to try to poke her once while watching the atmosphere.

But the concern was that if he bought Tiela this time, he would not be able to properly intervene before recruiting other S-class gladiators. And another thing was that the Prisika recruitment could be ruined. He had given up until just now, but when he thought about it, he couldn’t just let it go because he was resentful.

Recently, he had been worried about her because she was experiencing mental problems, and he had helped her in every way, including forcing her to appear on TV, but as soon as she had another owner, she immediately turned her back on him and gave him a big middle finger. If he didn’t pay her back, he wouldn’t be able to sleep at night because he would be upset.

Of course, there was the difficulty that the Ancient Warriors had no intention of selling her to him, but if she was sold at the World Walker Auction Market, he would have a chance to strike a decisive blow.

Beom-seok looked at Allen and said with a meaningful expression.

“Then let’s wait until the end of the transfer market to sell Tiela. There’s no reason to sell her now, is there?”

Allen nodded. He thought that there was nothing good about selling Tiela now. Maybe another buyer would appear, and the coach wouldn’t say anything if he kept her a little longer.

“Of course, we should.”

Beom-seok, who had bought time, looked out the window with a relieved expression. Before he knew it, the car they were in was slowly descending in the center of the giant city. It was time to return to the team.

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

Wow. The Korea-Japan soccer match. It’s very artistic. I was worried that we were being pushed back in the middle of the first half after dominating in the beginning, but Park Joo-young scored a goal. Thanks to that, the score and atmosphere continued into the second half, and Koo Ja-cheol scored another goal. It was a very fun game in many ways. Hahaha.

Then everyone have a great weekend. I’ll see you again tomorrow.