Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 255

To smooth over the Nikita acquisition and the supporters’ discontent, Beomseok decided to sell some shares after consulting with the Ilsimhoe members. The amount was approximately 3% of Rainbow Group’s total shares. He sold 1/3 of these shares, earning an income of 550 million Krang [fictional currency]. With the anticipation of the merger, the stock price rose, and Rainbow Group’s stock was currently 10% higher than before.

And with this capital, he began transfer negotiations with Menex Odinz.

‘Sigh. It’s so hard to get a glimpse of her.’

In a high-end coffee shop in a Senocide [fictional district] entertainment district. During the quiet daytime, Beomseok sat sipping coffee, his face hidden by a newsboy cap, sunglasses, and a scarf. His purpose here was simple: to see Nikita once. No matter how much he needed to buy her, he needed to know her exact abilities first.

Esther, who was sitting right in front of him, quietly said,

“Chairman, will she really come?”

“Well, she will. The trade representative told the manager to bring her to this coffee shop.”

Esther nodded and wore a hollow smile.

“By the way, I don’t know what kind of trouble we’re going through. Just to see a gladiator’s face, we’re doing something that resembles a spy operation.”

“Huhu. It can’t be helped. If I go directly to the training camp and show my face, the Menex Odinz team would be in trouble. It’s a relief that we can see her like this.”

“Still, they seem willing to sell. The Menex Odinz team is showing this consideration.”

With a worried look, Beomseok picked up a spoon and stirred the contents of his coffee cup. It would be nice if that were the case, but there was a slight obstacle. The team was trying to use the money from selling her to buy a gladiator with outstanding skills, but the coach, a man named Lifton, was strongly refusing and showing reluctance. Fortunately, he had recently softened his stance somewhat, but it was difficult to predict how the situation would unfold.

“Well, we’ll have to wait and see. If the coach doesn’t like it, the team officials don’t have to sell the gladiator.”

“That’s right. The coach is the one who sends the gladiator to the matches. But isn’t it possible that the Menex Odinz team is trying to raise Nikita’s price?”

There was a possibility of that. Coach Lifton initially expressed strong opposition, but now he had allowed the trade. In fact, Nikita was helpful to the team as a substitute, but her skills were far inferior to the gladiators they would be acquiring in the future. They had to sell her to raise the money to acquire a new gladiator, so he had no choice but to give in. But you never know what people are thinking. They might be putting on a show of regret to get the highest possible price.

“Hmm. That could be the case, but I hope not.”

“That’s right. It’s only a loss for us if the price goes up.”

“No. That’s true, but there’s another reason.”

“What reason?”

“Lifton is a World League coach. There’s no way he wouldn’t know the strengths and weaknesses of the gladiators under his command. He probably knows something about Nikita.”

“Ah. So, are you saying that Nikita might be a more amazing gladiator than we think, judging from Coach Lifton’s actions?”

Beomseok nodded lightly.

“In conclusion, yes. That’s what I hope for.”

Esther, with an expectant look, took a sip of her tea and looked towards the door. Nikita, who would soon become the core gladiator of the Godz Knights, was about to enter through there. He didn’t know her detailed abilities yet, but he hoped she would be a great help to the team.

After a while, when all the teacups were empty, a group of people entered the coffee shop. Some men in suits and a black-haired elf surrounded by them; it seemed to be Nikita. Beomseok slyly went to the counter to refill his coffee, observing her.

‘The style is good.’

Slightly brownish black hair, a height of about 175cm [approximately 5’9″]. She came out with a bare face, but her skin was as white as snow as if she had makeup on, and her lips were red. The figure revealed through the tight training clothes was a work of art, and her long legs were so long that they made human proportions seem insignificant.

In addition, the features located on her oval face were well-balanced overall, creating a considerable beauty.

‘Okay, shall we look at the information window?’

Beomseok, receiving his refill coffee, followed Nikita to a window seat and opened the character window.

————————————————-
Name: Nikita.

Classification: Elf (16 years).

Affiliation: Menex Odinz GC.

Fame: 28734.

Notoriety: 121.

H Status: None.

Stamina: 9600/9600.

Sociability: 97, Strength: 96, Stamina: 96.

Agility: 98, Balance: 98, Intelligence: 89.

Mental Strength: 97. Judgment: 100, Skill: 82.

Luck: 92.

Current Skill/Potential: 953/954.

————————————————

Trait: Queen of Doppelgangers.

Special Notes: She is the vanguard of the Menex Odinz team, but she also perfectly handles the mid and rear positions. She is often used as a substitute and is mainly used in matches against strong teams. She mainly uses a spear and has some skill with it.

————————————————

‘What is this! This is a complete steal!’

Beomseok couldn’t help but be amazed when he looked at the information window. The stats in the 90s and the potential of 954, of which 945 had been developed, were not surprising to him at all. Most of the Godz Knights’ gladiators would eventually reach that level.

However, the trait ‘Queen of Doppelgangers’ was a different story. It meant that she could copy the trait of one of the members within the same organization and use it as her own. This meant that she could use bizarre traits like Rafine’s ‘Berserker of Fighting Spirit’ or Agelia’s ‘Spirit of the Wind’. Although there was a penalty of not being able to borrow another trait until five days after copying one, it didn’t matter much. Gladiator matches were usually held at weekly intervals.

Beomseok slyly looked at the trait she had copied now. He was curious as to why she had chosen it, leaving aside other individual stat-boosting traits.

‘Pfft. She’s an elf after all.’

The trait she copied was none other than ‘Answer of Origin’, which he expected to be from a male clerk at Menex Odinz. It wasn’t much, but it was a fantastic trait for Nikita. It included the option that something she had wished for would come true once in her lifetime. Perhaps the reason Diana had her eye on her was because of this trait.

Beomseok lowered the information window and returned to his seat, giving Esther a thumbs up.

“It’s amazing. It’s art.”

“Really?”

“Yes. You’d have to spend billions of Krang to buy a kid like that.”

“So, if we sign her, it’s a jackpot?”

“Yes. We must sign her. If we bring her, our team’s ability to perform in important matches will be upgraded.”

Beomseok was already filled with hope. If Rafine and Nikita used ‘Berserker of Fighting Spirit’ at the same time, they could melt down most of the strong teams. Also, if she was placed in the rear with Agelia and used ‘Spirit of the Wind’ to play a jumping role, the probability of a draw would increase even more. It could be said to be the best multi-player trait.

He slyly got up from his seat and left the coffee shop. It would be troublesome if he hesitated and caught Nikita’s eye.

After returning to the Godz Knights training camp, Beomseok responded to the negotiation with an active attitude. Although it would cost a lot of money, it was better to quickly grab a gladiator like Nikita when the opportunity arose. If she was taken away by another team and copied a trait suitable for a gladiator, her price would skyrocket.

“It’s about time.”

Beomseok, who had come out to the front gate of the office building, anxiously watched the clear sky. The trade representative from Menex Odinz had promised to visit today. It was Jacob, whom Beomseok had met once before.

After a while, a point appeared in the distant sky and gradually transformed into the shape of a flying car. Beomseok, guessing that the guest he had been waiting for had arrived, told Esther, who was next to him, to have the unmanned electric car waiting in the parking lot.

“Yo. Beomseok, it’s been a while. Is this the first time we’ve seen each other since the rookie draft?”

Jacob, who got out of the unmanned electric car, waved his hand at Beomseok with a happy expression. They had competed against each other for Gelsomina in the rookie draft. At that time, Beomseok had conspired with Vincent and Rebecca to screw him over.

“Hahaha. Yes, it’s been a while.”

Jacob lightly tapped him on the shoulder. He had been tricked and missed out on a promising prospect like Gelsomina, so he couldn’t help but feel resentful. After that day, he realized what kind of gladiators Rafine and Rebecca were and suffered quite a bit.

“You were too much that day. I was completely fooled.”

“Hahaha. I’m sorry. But originally, I was just an accomplice. The main culprits are Coach Vincent and Rebecca.”

“Still, didn’t you take Gelsomina?”

“That’s right. I certainly avenged Jacob, who was ridiculed. Hahaha.”

Then, an old man with his hands behind his back approached them and shouted.

“What’s with all the chatter! We need to finish the trade quickly and leave!”

Beomseok slyly looked at the old man and wore a slightly embarrassed expression. It was Lifton, the coach of Menex Odinz. He was not very happy with this trade, so some difficulties were expected.

He whispered to Jacob.

“Why did Coach Lifton come?”

Jacob scratched his head awkwardly and said,

“Well, he said he wanted to see this trade himself and followed me.”

“He’s not going to cancel the deal if he doesn’t like it, is he?”

“There’s no way. We roughly agreed on the phone, didn’t we? He wouldn’t back out.”

As if he heard that, Coach Lifton glared at Jacob with a sharp look.

“Of course, we have to back out if we have to. Don’t you know the basic principles of trade? The price varies greatly depending on which team the opponent is.”

Jacob was well aware of this. The roughly agreed-upon price for Nikita was about 510 million Krang. However, this amount was set because the Godz Knights were just a Wide League team. If they were a World League team competing with Menex Odinz, the story would be very different. The more the opponent team strengthens by signing a gladiator, the more damage it does to their own team, so compensation costs for this had to be included in the price.

“Why are you arguing about that here? And since it’s impossible to transfer from the Godz Knights once they sign a gladiator, other World League teams won’t be able to take Nikita. Where is there a safer trading partner than this?”

Coach Lifton’s fist struck his head.

“You still don’t know even after being fooled like that! You know very well who’s gathered at the Godz Knights! Who knows what will happen when those guys grow up?”

“Of course, I know. But that’s a matter of years from now. Frankly speaking, which Central League team is worse than the Godz Knights? But we’re selling them gladiators cheaply, aren’t we? No one knows what will happen in the future.”

That’s why Coach Lifton was even more worried. When he found out, the Godz Knights had grown into the strongest team in the Wide League in just four years since its founding. If they continued to rise at this rate, no one would know what would happen in the future. Moreover, Beomseok was on this team. He was not only a skilled gladiator, but he also had a sharp eye for gladiators, never making a bad trade.

If he was signing her because he knew the joy he had seen in Nikita in the past, he really wanted to avoid this trade. If Beomseok solved her problems, the Godz Knights would have one of the world’s leading multi-players.

‘Nikita was truly amazing back then.’

The first time Coach Lifton saw her was five years ago in the spring. At the time, he had faced the Roland Rams, a Central League team, in the 15th GA Cup match, and Nikita was the team’s starting gladiator. At first, he ignored them, thinking that a weak team had luckily made it, but when he faced them, it was no joke. He was blocked by Nakita, who wore a spear and came out as the vanguard, and barely managed to win after a five-round battle, suffering a disgrace.

But this was just the beginning. He had been thoroughly humiliated, so he was carefully watching her, and he was able to discover an unexpected side of her. It was her experience as a multi-player. Her position varied greatly each time she came out to the match, and she was playing the game at a mature level, like a gladiator who had adapted to that position for many years.

Moreover, the changing play style in each game was astonishing. She was showing a completely different appearance in each game, as if she had become a chameleon. Judging that there was nothing more to see, Lifton insisted on signing Nikita to the management.

‘And in the end, I bought her, but why did that happen?’

At first, she was doing very well. She was playing the way Lifton wanted in the second-team match and producing satisfactory results. But after going to a picnic with clerks and gladiators to boost team morale, something started to go wrong. Her experience did not decline, but the change in her chameleon-like play and her physical abilities plummeted. At first, he thought she was trying to manipulate things to go to the Walker Auction Market, but at the time, she was barely over 10 years old. There were no elves who prepared for the future from the age of 10.

In the end, she had been walking the path of a lower-level World League gladiator for the past five years.

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

Ah. I’m dying of the flu. My fever went up to 38.5 degrees [Celsius, equivalent to 101.3 degrees Fahrenheit]. I saw on the news that it’s a pandemic, so everyone be careful.

Then everyone have a good day, and I’ll see you again tomorrow.