Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 213

“Beomseok, this is my grandfather, Chairman Chaplin.”

Beomseok studied Chairman Chaplin intently. It was surreal to see the head of the Chaplin Group, one of the world’s top 10 companies, in person. However, perhaps because he wasn’t in the best mood, he didn’t feel particularly excited.

He gave a curt nod.

“I’m Beomseok.”

“Hmm, yes, you. I’ve heard quite a bit about you. They say you fought my son’s lover, the elf [referring to Amelie], to a draw?”

He assumed he was referring to Amelie. Although he didn’t believe it was a draw, he agreed since that was the official result.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Regardless, you’re impressive. I look forward to working with you.”

Beomseok stared at him blankly, offering no immediate agreement. He wanted to know the specifics of this favor before committing.

This hesitation created an awkward silence, and Rebecca tugged on his arm, steering him toward a portly, older man standing nearby.

“Beomseok, this is Vice Chairman Lewis. You know him, right?”

Beomseok blinked, giving her a bewildered look. Know him? He was certain he’d never met this man before.

“Are you kidding? How would I know him?”

The stout man chuckled, attempting to diffuse the tension.

“Hahaha. You really don’t recognize me? I know you, though.”

“Of course, you probably know me from TV. I also know a singer named Karen very well.”

Karen was a rising rookie singer who had recently achieved global recognition. Beomseok was implying that as a celebrity, it was natural for him to be recognized, but he didn’t know Vice Chairman Lewis’s name.

Rebecca, looking flustered, sharply poked him in the ribs. He absolutely *should* know Vice Chairman Lewis.

“I’m talking about the Vice Chairman of the Federal Pro Combat Association.”

Beomseok paused, racking his memory, then looked embarrassed. The Federal Pro Combat Association was divided into seven factions, with Chairman Ibrahim’s faction as the largest, followed by those of Vice Chairman Lewis and Vice Chairman Cooper. As someone involved in the combat world, not recognizing Lewis was a major faux pas.

He scratched his head and offered a clumsy excuse.

“Hahaha. No, it’s a joke. Actually, I’m Karen’s sponsor. So, she knows me very well too.”

Vice Chairman Lewis gave him a sidelong glance. The joke felt forced and insincere. But it didn’t matter. Beomseok was crucial to their plans, so there was no need to dwell on trivial matters and sour the mood.

“Hahaha. Making jokes like this at our first meeting. You’re a fun fellow.”

“Hahaha. The atmosphere was a bit stuffy, so I thought I’d lighten it up. Hahaha.”

Beomseok’s laughter felt strained, even to himself. Chairman Wilkins and now Vice Chairman Lewis, figures who could influence the God Knights’ very existence. He realized that declining their request would be incredibly difficult.

Chairman Wilkins, who had been observing the exchange, spoke up.

“Now that the introductions are done, don’t just stand there. Come, sit down. We have much to discuss.”

Beomseok took a deep breath and settled onto an empty sofa.

“Alright. Could you please explain why you urgently summoned me here?”

Rebecca, seated beside him, spoke abruptly.

“We’re in dire need of capable combatants.”

“You can’t just say you need them! You have to explain the specific reason.”

She glanced back and forth between her grandfather, Chairman Wilkins, and Vice Chairman Lewis, seeking permission to elaborate. Chairman Wilkins nodded immediately. Although they hadn’t fully explained the situation to her, this matter was deeply connected to Beomseok. In fact, one could argue he was the primary cause of the whole mess.

Having received the go-ahead, Rebecca spoke in a serious tone.

“Chairman Valbar of LHN Financial Group has declared war on the elders present here.”

“Chairman Valbar declared war? Why?”

“There was an incident where a stranger stole 5 krang [fictional currency] from Chairman Valbar online. The media portrayed it as a solo act by someone named Gade, but he mistakenly believes someone here orchestrated it.”

Beomseok, intimately familiar with the situation, felt a pang of embarrassment and briefly met Chairman Wilkins’s gaze. However, he couldn’t openly discuss the incident and ask questions. He sensed that Chairman Wilkins was feigning ignorance. There was no point in making a careless remark and dragging himself further into this quagmire with Chairman Wilkins.

Beomseok glanced at Rebecca and said awkwardly.

“Well, that’s quite a situation. But how can I help with a feud between businessmen? I run a pro combat team, but I don’t know much about corporate management.”

“Yes, that’s true. But if Chairman Valbar intends to retaliate in kind, you can definitely be of assistance.”

“Surely?”

“Yes. Chairman Valbar is planning to use force.”

Beomseok, feeling a headache coming on, rubbed his forehead. Using force meant fighting. He was facing a rather troublesome situation. And since it was indirectly his fault, he felt thoroughly trapped.

“So, you’re asking me to guard these people?”

“Yes, something along those lines.”

“If it’s guarding, it’s guarding. What do you mean, ‘along those lines’?”

“Initially, Chairman Valbar threatened to send an infiltration team to their homes to steal their wallets, but the elders convinced him to change his approach, fearing for their families’ safety.”

Beomseok stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“Well, that’s understandable. So, what’s the alternative?”

“They’re staying at our villa in the nearby mountains. Chairman Valbar’s forces will then attack the villa.”

“Geez. Why make it so complicated? You could just report it to the police, right?”

That was true, but impossible. Chairman Valbar and the old men present had been friends since childhood, and their interests were deeply intertwined. If Chairman Valbar became enraged and acted rashly, numerous problems would arise. Moreover, the biggest issue was that these men weren’t approaching this situation rationally; they viewed it as a serious game of pride.

“It’s a bit complicated. The elders believe that involving the authorities would be seen as succumbing to Chairman Valbar’s intimidation and surrendering. They want to meet his challenge head-on, using their own strength.”

Beomseok, biting his lip, looked at the old men, including Chairman Wilkins, with a mixture of pity and annoyance. He understood that people sometimes become more childlike with age, but he was frustrated that they were making a simple matter so unnecessarily complex.

“So, what’s the plan?”

“We have to adhere to established rules.”

“Rules?”

“Yes. Each side will field 56 combatants and engage in battle. There are some specific stipulations. Are you familiar with the G Ranking site?”

“Yeah, I know it. It’s a site that ranks combat teams and combatants.”

“According to the site, pro combatants are broadly categorized into S to A grades, further divided into levels from 0 to 3, correct?”

Beomseok was well aware of this. The G Ranking site not only listed combatants’ skills but also assessed their value, assigning them grades. With nearly a million pro combatants worldwide, ranking each one individually was impossible. Therefore, combatants below 1,000th place were evaluated solely by grade.

Accordingly, Area League-level combatants were graded A, Wide League-level combatants I, Central League-level combatants C, and World League-level combatants W, each further subdivided with numbers from 0 to 3 to reflect skill differences. The top 10 combatants were separately classified as S grade, acknowledging their elite status.

“That’s right. Amelie is on that site with an S1 grade, which is unprecedented.”

“Yes, it’s quite remarkable. Amelie’s comeback alone, maintaining the S2 grade for over 10 years, cemented her legendary status.”

“Okay, but what does this have to do with the current situation?”

“It’s highly relevant. The 56 combatants to be mobilized must be selected according to these grades: 24 A-grade combatants (Area League level), 12 I-grade, 6 C-grade, 3 W-grade, 1 S-grade, and 10 free invitations, excluding combatants.”

Beomseok tilted his head, puzzled.

“It’s rather complicated. Why this system? Why not just choose the most capable individuals? Is it a financial constraint?”

“No, it’s not about money. It’s because the Ibrahim faction is aligned with Chairman Valbar. They have three S-grade combatants.”

Understanding dawned on Beomseok. Valbar had a granddaughter named Aula, who was Julian’s classmate, and his father, the chairman of the Hyena Group, was a member of the Abraham faction. Clearly, there was a connection.

“I see. The quality of combatants available is uneven, so you’ve implemented these restrictions. Is that it?”

“Yes, in essence, that’s correct.”

“But you have Amelie. Her strength lies in her ability to significantly impact team battles. Surely that advantage can compensate for the difference.”

“Ideally, yes. However, her former team, where she was on loan, belongs to the Ibrahim faction. Because they openly opposed her participation, we couldn’t mobilize her. Instead, we used that as justification to implement these regulations…”

Beomseok chuckled softly. It was ironic that they couldn’t use their best asset, despite having it at their disposal.

“Okay, I understand the general idea. But there’s still one thing I don’t get.”

“What is it?”

He glanced at Vice Chairman Lewis and asked.

“Why do you need me? I’m sure Vice Chairman Lewis’s faction has plenty of capable combatants.”

“That’s true. However, even with these rules, the overall quality of combatants we can field is still lower than the Ibrahim faction’s. For your information, they have two S-grade combatants.”

“Why two? The rules only allow for one S-grade combatant, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct. But an elf combatant who was pushed out of the top 10 by Amelie fell from S3 to W0 grade. But her skills haven’t diminished at all.”

Now he understood why they had called him.

Experts considered him to be an S3-level talent for withstanding Amelie’s powerful whip attack. However, he was ranked C0 on the G Ranking site due to his limited exposure in the Wide League. They were planning to use Beomseok to fill one of the six C-grade slots, effectively neutralizing one of their S-grade combatants.

“In short, you’re telling me to take on one of their S-grade combatants?”

“Rather than defeating them, it’s to contain them.”

Beomseok frowned. He felt underestimated. Regardless of how skilled the S-grade combatants were, he didn’t believe he was so weak that he could only play a defensive role.

“Contain?”

“The person you’d likely face is Prisca, ranked S2.”

Prisca. The world’s second-ranked combatant, with a current market value of 7.4 billion krang. An elf who would have been the undisputed champion if not for Amelie, and a formidable opponent that Beomseok couldn’t guarantee victory against. In fact, he wasn’t even confident, given his current physical condition.

“Hmm. They’re pulling out all the stops.”

“In addition, Valbar’s side has included Ramalla as a free invitation.”

Beomseok’s eyebrows shot up at the mention of that name. Ramalla was the undisputed strongest martial artist in the pro martial arts world. While many talented individuals had transitioned to the pro combat world, and the pro martial arts scene lacked truly exceptional fighters, Ramalla was an exception.

“Interesting. A combination of the former strongest combatant and the current strongest martial artist.”

“But we’ve prepared a countermeasure for Ramalla.”

“Really? That’s a relief. Did you recruit the world’s second-best martial artist?”

“No. Fortunately, we have a pretty good martial artist in our camp.”

“Who is it?”

“It’s Rapine.”

Beomseok felt his heart skip a beat. He worried that Rebecca had discovered Rapine’s true identity. Rapine was the strongest martial artist in the underground martial arts world. Although she was relatively unknown because she concealed her identity and worked in the combat world, her real name, Daphne, was legendary in underground fighting circles.

“Wait, you mean *our* Rapine?”

“Yes. Director Vincent believes she can definitely handle Ramalla.”

He frowned deeply. That old man was never helpful. He must have deduced her capabilities during the past year.

“Sigh~ So, you need me and Rapine?”

“Yes. And we’d also like you to include Emma.”

“Emma? Why? She’s not particularly strong.”

“That’s precisely why we need her. Despite being classified as A2, Emma ranks 14th in our league in kill points. She has a killer instinct. This fight is a one-off, so someone like Emma, who can reliably eliminate opponents, is invaluable.”

He was willing to support Emma without much hesitation. She had been playing as a substitute since joining the Wide League.

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

I will explain the grades on the G Ranking site.

Area League Level: A0, A1, A2, A3 Wide League Level: I0, I1, I2, I3 Central League Level: C0, C1, C2, C3 World League Level: W0, W1, W2, W3 And S grade is a grade within the top 10 in the world rankings. However, most people only give S3 grade, and they don’t give S2, S1, and S0 grades above that. You have to be that good to get these detailed grades. For reference, S1 grade is the first grade Amelie has ever received, and no one has ever received S0 grade yet.

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