Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 475

477

Avend was awash in the deafening cheers of fans celebrating their World Cup victory. Reporters from local news outlets broadcasted live, showering the Avend team, especially the God Knights, with praise.

Despite the home-field advantage, bringing the World Cup trophy to Avend—a region previously unknown for gladiatorial games—just eight years after the team’s founding was a remarkable achievement.

Beomseok was at the heart of it all. His crucial role in the previous matches and five consecutive wins in the final showdown earned him the unanimous MVP title after the medal ceremony.

“Hehehe. MVP, huh…”

Beomseok smiled, gazing at the crossed-swords trophy displayed in the president’s office’s glass cabinet. It was the MVP trophy.

He deserved it, of course, but the recognition still pleased him. Last season, despite being the world’s top-ranked gladiator, Beomseok had to concede the league MVP to Amelie because his team finished fourth.

Given the unspoken rule that the winning team’s ace receives the league MVP, it was inevitable, but Beomseok still felt a twinge of regret. The World Cup MVP offered some consolation.

“This isn’t the time for that…”

He couldn’t afford to bask in the glory. Returning to the team after the World Cup, he faced a mountain of paperwork. Delaying it would hinder preparations for the next season.

Beomseok started with the electronic documents concerning the previous season’s carryover funds.

‘Hmm. Not bad.’

The previous season’s carryover funds totaled 3.13199 billion Krang [currency unit], with 5 billion Krang in debt. It seemed like a loss, but the full picture was different.

Beomseok was slated to receive 2.9 billion Krang from the Avend government for hosting the World Cup, plus 120 million Krang from the association as appearance and labor fees. He also planned to add roughly 4.5 billion Krang through Lenka’s ‘Answer of Origin’ [likely a business venture or product]. In total, the carryover funds would reach about 10.65 billion Krang.

“Hehehe. That’s more than enough to buy Prishika.”

But that wasn’t all the God Knights had. Thanks to the World Cup effect, season ticket sales reached 1.03968 billion Krang by the second week of July, and team merchandise revenue hit 439.21 million Krang. They also expected about 300 million Krang from sponsorships and 198.87 million Krang from Susan’s medical corporation.

Of course, they spent approximately 140 million Krang on gladiator salaries, 20 million Krang on staff salaries, and 20 million, 60 million, 14 million, and 24 million on dignity maintenance fees, event costs, stadium rental and operation, and investment in the Elf School Elf Market, respectively. Still, about 12.355 billion Krang was available for summer transfers—more than enough to sign Prishika.

‘So, what to do with the rest?’

The first option was to pay off the 5 billion Krang debt. The loan incurred about 280 million Krang in annual interest, making it appealing. However, the sheer size of the sum was a problem.

Even though it was borrowed without a grace period, Aula [likely a contact at the bank] would disapprove of a sudden, full repayment. Banks have fund management plans, and a sudden influx of 5 billion Krang would hurt the LHN Financial Group. It was better to pay it off gradually.

“Let’s coordinate with Aula about paying off the debt. No need to get nagged unnecessarily.”

The next option was to recruit gladiators. He hadn’t focused on it due to Prishika’s recruitment and the lack of standout players in this transfer market, but if there was room, it would be a good way to bolster the squad.

While the God Knights’ gladiator roster had improved, it was still lacking. They had only about 28 gladiators capable of handling the World League season, while other teams had 40 to 60.

‘Well, to handle league matches, League Cup, and GA Cup matches, we need more than we have now. So, what level would be good? And what position should I fill?’

Beomseok set aside the financial documents and pulled up the team’s strength evaluation. To select suitable gladiators, he needed to assess the God Knights’ strengths and weaknesses.

Currently, Beomseok and Tiela were the God Knights’ S-class players, Sheila, Nikita, Kazella, Yoshia, Seiya, and Rezaris were W0-class gladiators, Liza, Rafine, Jermia, Bertia, and Cassie were W1 class, Gelsomina, Oscar, Lenka, Iphis, Herse, and Venus were W2 class, and Emma, Matilda, Reimei, Hestia, Lynn, and Agelia were W3 class.

The God Knights’ position composition consisted of three vanguards, eight front-midfielders, ten midfielders, three mid-defenders, three rear guards, and one front-mid-lower.

“Hmm. Honestly, our team has quite a few multi-position players.”

The God Knights had many multi-position players because they were trying to manage many matches with limited resources. While versatility was advantageous for strategy, it could also mean a lack of specialization. He couldn’t simply be happy about it.

‘So, who would be good if I exclude multi-talented players?’

The most abundant position was midfield. Although only six players participated in one round, there were currently ten midfielders.

With Prishika’s addition, they had plenty to spare. In contrast, there were only three specialized vanguards and rear guards each.

Since only three players participated in these positions, it couldn’t be said that there were many.

However, if he had to pick a lacking position, it would definitely be vanguard. Rear guards rarely participated in the play, so their stamina consumption wasn’t that great, but vanguards fought head-on, so their stamina consumption was high.

Of course, the team had many multi-players, so it hadn’t felt particularly lacking, but realizing that there were only three specialized vanguards made him feel somewhat short.

“Okay. Let’s focus on buying a vanguard this time.”

Having roughly made up his mind, Beomseok closed the documents. It was mid-July. Considering that the summer transfer period lasted until the end of August, there was no need to rush.

It would be troublesome to hastily recruit just anyone, only for a decent gladiator to appear at the end of the transfer market. It was better to take his time and carefully consider his options.

He got up and left the office. Mountains of documents remained, but he couldn’t live only to work. He needed time to spend with his subordinate elves and relieve stress.

* * *

Toc, toc.

In the dimly lit hallway of a cool building, a black-haired woman walked with a uniformed guard. She frowned, glancing at the barred window where sunlight streamed in. It pained her that her family was trapped in such a dreary place.

She arrived at a steel door and entered with the guard’s guidance.

“Please sit there. He will be out soon.”

The woman nodded and sat in a chair in front of the interview table, separated by transparent glass. It was old and creaky, but she would only be sitting for a while. What bothered her was the guard standing behind her, watching.

The woman turned her head and said,

“Excuse me. Are you going to stay here the whole time?”

“Yes. Regulations require a guard to be present during visits with prisoners.”

“Hehe. Are you worried I might bring in illegal items?”

Since it was completely blocked by a glass partition, that was impossible. Visitors could bring food, but it had to go through the guard’s hands.

“That’s not it. Such a thing is fundamentally impossible.”

“Then why are you watching me?”

“There may be a request to order illegal acts, or perhaps you might try to help the prisoner escape.”

The woman smiled and spread her hands. She was empty-handed.

“Don’t worry about that. The conversation will be recorded, so ordering illegal acts is impossible, and there’s a CCTV camera, so if I try to help the prisoner escape, you’ll notice it right away, right? And most importantly, the person I’m meeting today isn’t very close to me. No, it would be more accurate to say that he is an enemy. Of course, I wouldn’t have any intention of helping him escape.”

“B, but… Still…”

The woman sighed, took out her wallet, and pulled out a stack of 1,000 Krang bills. The guard’s eyes lit up.

“I heard the facilities here are good and that you take good care of the prisoners. Of course, you’ll take care of the visitors too, right?”

The embarrassed guard looked at the CCTV camera and then accepted the money. The people monitoring the CCTV were colleagues, so they would turn a blind eye if they shared the money. This prison specialized in detaining high-ranking officials, government officials, and wealthy businessmen, so this happened frequently.

“Well, if you’re really uncomfortable, I’ll take care of it, but what’s the matter?”

“I’m afraid some harsh words might come out. We’re not on good terms.”

“R, really? You shouldn’t do that. Everyone here is someone who will make a name for themselves in society, so if you offend them, I’ll be scolded by my superiors.”

“Don’t worry. That won’t happen. I’m just saying in case. As you can see, I’m not that ignorant.”

“Really?”

“Yes. That’s right. So, what are you going to do?”

The guard, who had counted the wad of money, coughed and left the interview room. The woman’s excuse seemed far-fetched, but it didn’t seem like she would do anything to worry about. The CCTV was monitoring her, and the prisoners here had a lot to lose, so there was no reason to escape.

“Okay. Then the prisoner will be out soon, so please have a comfortable conversation.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

After the guard left, a man in his thirties appeared beyond the glass partition. He looked at the woman and sat down, his gaze calm.

“What brings Theresa here? It’s not welcome, but it’s nice to see you like this. It’s a bit lonely inside the prison.”

“It’s been a while, Chairman Lucas. Have you been well?”

“So-so… But what are you doing here?”

“I came to tell you a few things. Some may not be interesting, but one will be worth listening to.”

“Okay, what is it?”

Theresa, after briefly checking the CCTV, slowly spoke.

“The Black Society, which you were a part of, has almost collapsed. Most members have left, or their companies have been taken over by our economic organization. A few are holding on, but they won’t last long.”

“Well, that’s nothing new. That’s how the world is. By the way, can you tell me who the members are who are keeping their loyalty to the end?”

“You don’t need to know that. They’ll all fall to us soon. In particular, WBS Broadcasting is on the verge of collapse. Most shares have been transferred to Ilsim Group, and we’re just waiting for the extraordinary general meeting of shareholders. Hehehe.”

Theresa smiled bitterly. On the surface, it was ridicule. She wanted to speak to her father, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, in a friendly manner, but her relationship with him shouldn’t be passed on to Beomseok or the economic organization through CCTV recordings.

Lucas felt the same way, and he smiled with hostility as he looked at her.

“Hehe. I see. But this is subtly unpleasant. It feels like I’m being mocked.”

“Well, I can’t help it if that’s how it sounds. That’s how I feel.”

“Well, we’re not on good terms. Okay. What’s the next story?”

At his question, Theresa spoke again.

“Beomseok is doing quite well these days. He not only took over WBS Broadcasting, but his team also finished the season in a high ranking last year, and he won the World Cup this time, as well as being named the tournament MVP. And he’s been making quite a bit of money lately. I think you were sworn enemies, but doesn’t it sting?”

“Hehe. Stinging… I couldn’t bear a moment’s anger and ended up like this, so who can I blame? It’s all my fault.”

“That’s a very wise thought. That’s why you got this blessing. Of course, I’m very sorry about it.”

“What blessing?”

“I heard rumors that Chairman Lucas will be released on a special pardon on this Federal Government Founding Day. You have a lot of money, so you get these benefits. Anyway, congratulations.”

Lucas trembled. Although he had a lot of money, he was like a kite with a broken string, having lost his company and all his subordinates. Those other stupid sons who only cared about money wouldn’t have done such a thing, so it was clear that Theresa had worked hard.

“Hehehe. That’s very welcome news. I’ve been feeling a bit stiff from being locked up in prison for so long, so that’s great. Thank you for letting me know.”

“You’re welcome. But you’ll have to become a new person when you come out this time. We’ll be watching and monitoring you at all times.”

“Don’t worry about that. It’s not bad to live here, but I don’t want to come back to a place like this again.”

“Then that’s good. We won’t have any reason to fight anymore. Well, I’m busy, so I’ll be going now…”

Theresa got up and left the interview. She wanted to prolong the conversation with her father, but this kind of conversation was not welcome. He would be out in a week, so she could enjoy the reunion then.

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

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