Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 179

Bum-seok sighed deeply as he walked down the hallway inside the building. He felt disconcerted by the fact that he had to defeat four competitors to acquire Gelsomina. Moreover, those four were teams with considerable recognition and immense financial power. It seemed almost impossible for the fledgling Gods Knights to overcome them.

Just then, Vincent, accompanied by Rebecca, approached him from behind.

“Oh, Bum-seok. You’re thinking the same thing as me. We really are on the same wavelength.”

Bum-seok turned around and glared. It wasn’t just teasing; it was infuriating.

“Director! Aren’t you going too far! You’re leaving Dragon Knights soon anyway!”

“I am.”

“So why are you slyly sticking your spoon into Gelsomina, whom I’m aiming for? [Sticking your spoon in means interfering or meddling in something that is not your business.] And you know very well how difficult it will be for her to continue her team life without you after being scouted by you!”

Vincent, looking embarrassed by the undeniable truth, changed the subject and replied,

“Well, that’s true. But I can’t do something terrible to the team I’ve devoted 15 years to just because I’m going to another team, can I? If there’s a good gladiator, I have to scout them to help the team. And Gelsomina will do well in her professional life without me. Didn’t you say in your acceptance speech that professionals speak with their skills? If you have the skills, you’ll be recognized. I totally agree with that.”

Since he was quoting his own words, Bum-seok had no grounds for rebuttal. He snorted and glared at Rebecca this time.

“And why are you sticking your spoon in! Honestly, there’s no way you recognized Gelsomina’s swordsmanship skills!”

Rebecca glanced at Vincent and said,

“I didn’t have any other intentions. Director Vincent poured all five of his negotiation coupons on her without any hesitation, so I thought she must be a necessary gladiator.”

“Hmph. So you just followed suit?”

“Followed suit? I was just trying to recruit her as one of the cards to bring in Director Vincent. He seems to like her a lot, so having her would be advantageous in bringing him in.”

Bum-seok, whose head was throbbing, rubbed his forehead. He was dumbfounded that she would even consider recruiting a gladiator who costs at least 10 million krang [Krang is the currency in this world] in annual salary just as a bargaining chip to bring in Vincent as the director. If it was this level of wasteful spending, it was truly admirable.

“Sigh~ Okay, you’re great.”

As Bum-seok turned to leave, Director Vincent called out to him again.

“Where are you going?”

“Where else would I go? Aren’t you and Rebecca my competitors now? There’s no benefit for me to be with you.”

“But we’re not the only competitors, are we? Sky Jackals and Menex Odins, who belong to the World League, are also after her.”

Bum-seok turned back around and looked at him.

“What are you trying to say?”

“Sky Jackals and Menex Odins are World League teams. Because of their reputation, Gelsomina might be tempted and not even consider us. In this case, shouldn’t we, who are in the same region, join forces to face them?”

Bum-seok scoffed.

“Hmph. And then, borrowing the wisdom of King Solomon, we’ll cut Gelsomina into three pieces and divide them among ourselves. Hahaha.”

“Bum-seok, don’t twist my words like that. Honestly, aren’t World League teams a burden for you too?”

“Huhu. To me, both sides are equally burdensome. Honestly, if you kick out all the World League teams and then use your immense financial power to lowball the salary, wouldn’t I be left out in the cold?”

It was such an obvious point that Vincent nodded in agreement. Gods Knights, an Area League team without any external support, could not keep up with the financial power of Dragon Knights or Chaplin Whisper. Bum-seok would definitely think that this alliance was like cooking porridge and feeding it to a dog [doing something that benefits others more than oneself], so he wouldn’t easily cooperate.

However, he was essential to drive out the World League teams. According to the information, this first-generation rookie human gladiator hoped to follow the same success path as Bum-seok, who belonged to the zero generation. In other words, they recognized him as a mentor or textbook figure. Therefore, his words would have a significant impact on them, allowing them to lead the negotiations more favorably. Moreover, he had brought Rapine as a test performer. If they used this point well, they could give the World League officials a proper blow.

“So, how about we do this?”

“How?”

“I’ll only offer as much as you suggest for the salary. And Rebecca here will be restricted from offering more than 2 million krang above that. Then there won’t be much difference in the amount, so the recruitment will be decided by negotiation skills, right?”

It didn’t sound like a bad idea. No, it was a proposal that Bum-seok found quite interesting. Since the offered amount wasn’t significantly different, he thought he could recruit Gelsomina if he spoke well enough.

He looked back and forth between Vincent and Rebecca, stroking his chin.

“It’s not bad, but isn’t it too beneficial for Chaplin Whisper? A 2 million krang difference is about a 20% difference in amount, so it feels a bit burdensome.”

“Not at all. The reason I’m trying to get your help is that the rookie gladiators who came out today regard you as a senior. That means your words can have a big impact on them. Considering this, it would be too disadvantageous for Chaplin Whisper to offer less than that.”

Bum-seok, with a suspicious look, scanned Vincent’s expression. He wondered if he was trying to trick him into going to Chaplin Whisper. However, he soon relaxed his gaze and nodded. Director Vincent, as far as he knew, was not that kind of person at all.

“Well, alright. I’ll give you that much flexibility. So, what do you want me to do?”

“Very simple. Lend me your ear for a moment.”

As Bum-seok leaned in, Vincent began to explain his plan to him in detail. Although it was a slightly underhanded method, it seemed likely to work well, so he nodded in agreement throughout.

After finishing their conversation, they left the building in a friendly atmosphere and had lunch together. The negotiation would begin right after the test match in the afternoon, so there was a lot to talk about.

The test match was an event where gladiators brought by professional teams and gladiators who appeared in today’s rookie draft competed against each other. It was a golden opportunity to check the actual skills of the gladiators they were interested in, and even though lunchtime wasn’t over yet, professional team officials were anxiously waiting outside the stadium, forming a long line, eager for the event to begin.

Soon, as if it was time, the event host came to the center of the field and shouted to everyone.

“Alright, we will now begin the test match. Gladiators who have received coupons, please stand on the right, and gladiators who have not, please stand on the left.”

Then, roughly half of the group came out and stood on the right. Bum-seok and his group, who were standing in the middle, moved to the place where Gelsomina was most visible.

The number of gladiators who received at least one coupon was 43. It was a number that could be divided into roughly 2-3 teams. The host in charge of the right side arranged them by team and then came forward, speaking as if asking for understanding from the professional team officials.

“We need three teams for the match. Please arrange the gladiators you brought into the desired group.”

At this time, Vincent came forward and said to the host.

“Hey, I have something to suggest. Would you listen?”

“Yes, please speak.”

Vincent pointed at Gelsomina with his finger and said.

“That kid over there, Gelsomina. I heard she was the winner of the kendo tournament, so she probably doesn’t know much about gladiator matches, right? Then she probably doesn’t know what position she is, and she probably can’t form a proper formation, so I don’t think there’s a need to evaluate her skills through a match. What do you think?”

The host nodded. The kendo tournament was a match that determined the winner with a one-on-one duel, so it was tactically quite different from a gladiator match that involved 12-on-12 combat.

“Yes, that’s right. So?”

“Hmm. So, what I’m saying is that there are four teams that want Gelsomina as a priority negotiation target. So, how about gathering them and doing a separate swordsmanship test? If she shows a clumsy appearance in the match, it won’t be good for her or the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, right?”

Vincent’s suggestion was what the host wanted as well. Gelsomina, who had mainly played one-on-one matches, was unlikely to perform team play properly. Rather than having her participate in the match and negatively affecting other rookie gladiators, it was better to conduct a separate test as requested and highlight her swordsmanship skills, which were her strengths.

“Well, if you want, you can do that. However, you’ll have to get the understanding of other team officials first.”

Then, as if they had promised, Bum-seok and Rebecca came forward to express their support.

“Gelsomina’s team play will be no different from a beginner’s, so there’s no need to see the match content. Our Gods Knights agree.”

“Our Chaplin Whisper also thinks the same way.”

The host, who had gained two more approvals, looked at the list and shouted to the crowd.

“If there are Sky Jackals and Menex Odins officials here, please come out for a moment.”

Then, two middle-aged men jumped out from nearby. The blonde man was Nies, the trade manager of Sky Jackals, and the black-haired man was Jacob, the trade manager of Menex Odins.

“Yes, what’s the matter?”

“Actually, other team officials who are trying to recruit Gelsomina have made a new proposal.”

Then, the host told Nies and Jacob exactly what Vincent had said. They pondered for a moment and then nodded. Since team play would be a mess anyway, it was thought to be more efficient to focus on examining swordsmanship skills.

“Well, that’s a good idea. Let’s do that.”

The host, who had obtained unanimous consent, immediately called Gelsomina separately and explained the opinions of the professional team officials, asking for her understanding. She also gladly accepted the offer, as it was better to show off her swordsmanship skills, which were her strengths, rather than performing unfamiliar team play.

They soon prepared a separate place on one side of the stadium and prepared to enter the test.

‘This has to go well.’

Bum-seok looked at Nies and Jacob with a worried look. As a result of secretly stealing their information windows, although they were not as good as himself, a player, they both possessed characteristics that allowed them to see through the opponent’s abilities within a certain margin of error, like Erpina. As expected of the trainers in charge of the World League team. If things went wrong, they might notice the growth potential and show considerable interest in Gelsomina.

Still, there was a clear limit to the ability to grasp the opponent’s abilities. That was, they had to watch the target perform a specific task for a specific period of time. And that time was at least 5 minutes, no matter how outstanding the characteristic was, and they belonged right here. In other words, if they ended the battle within 5 minutes, the fact that Gelsomina had a growth potential of 957 would never be revealed to others. Director Vincent also only knew her as a promising gladiator with excellent swordsmanship skills, and had not yet grasped the fact that her growth potential was running in the mid-900s.

‘Okay. I have to finish it within 5 minutes. 5 minutes.’

Soon, Bum-seok stepped forward and said to everyone.

“Okay. Then let’s pick our gladiator to conduct the test.”

Then Nies put the elf gladiator he had prepared at the forefront. It was more effective to have her fight against his own gladiator, who he was always watching, to grasp Gelsomina’s skills.

“We’ll do that.”

Bum-seok, with a look that said it was impossible, immediately waved his hand.

“Hey, you can’t do that. You want to match a rookie who will be promoted to a pro with a World Leaguer? It’ll be over too soon, so the test won’t be conducted properly, will it?”

“It’s okay. The kid I brought is a reserve.”

“Oh my. Even if it’s a reserve, it’ll be about the level of a Central Leaguer, right? It’s not like there’s no suitable target here, and I don’t think there’s any reason to send her out.”

In response, Vincent came out and provided support.

“I think the same way. The essence of the test match is not to defeat the opponent. It is necessary to send out a similarly skilled person to lead the match content for a long time and examine Gelsomina’s true skills in detail. Fortunately, there are Area League teams, Gods Knights and Chaplin Whisper, in this place. I think it can be judged that the gladiators they brought will have no difficulty in grasping Gelsomina’s swordsmanship skills.”

Nies, who heard those words, pondered for a while and then nodded. No matter how good Gelsomina’s swordsmanship skills seemed, it seemed unreasonable to send out a gladiator who was active in the World League against a rookie who had not even tasted the life of a pro.

“Yes, let’s do that. So who’s going out?”

Vincent, with a satisfied smile that the plan had succeeded, looked at Bum-seok and Rebecca.

Today was the first snow. But it wasn’t really the first snow… ^^;;;;; It only snowed a little bit. Hahaha.

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