Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 272

274

“Hello.”

Rebecca entered the hospital room and placed a fruit basket on top of the refrigerator. Then, wearing a welcoming smile, she approached Beomseok.

He rose from his seat and said,

“Rebecca. What brings you here?”

“I heard about your injury on TV and came to visit. This hospital is near our Chaplin Whisper team training camp anyway, so it wasn’t a big deal.”

Zeon City, the home of the Chaplin Whisper team, was indeed close by. However, Beomseok hadn’t spent much time with Rebecca, so they hadn’t developed the kind of relationship where she’d visit him in the hospital.

Something felt strange, but he didn’t want to be rude. He gestured to a chair nearby and said,

“Don’t stand there, sit down.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Rebecca pulled up a chair and sat down, gazing intently at Beomseok’s injured leg.

“Is the injury serious?”

“Well, one of my muscles is half torn, so you could say it’s pretty bad. I probably have to give up participating in this promotion tournament.”

She wore a look of sympathy. Beomseok’s injury meant a significant drop in the God Knights’ power, inevitably reducing their chances of promotion this year. This was evident in the betting odds on gambling sites. When he was healthy, the God Knights were ranked as the number one team for promotion, but this incident had dropped them to fourth place.

“That’s truly unfortunate.”

Beomseok unwrapped the fruit basket, picked up an apple, and took a bite.

“Well, what can you do? It’s just my luck.”

“Yes. I saw it on the screen, and it looked like you had really bad luck. Still, it’s a shame. I thought God Knights would definitely get promoted this year.”

Beomseok frowned. He didn’t like the implication that God Knights would fail in this promotion tournament. And it wasn’t like God Knights had no chance of promotion at all. There was a chance that an extra spot might open up, guaranteeing promotion if they just made it to the semi-finals. Just yesterday, the top two teams from the Heiren Central League, who were challenging the World League, had surprisingly passed the first round. If even one of them won the next match and made it to the third round, the probability of another spot opening up would be 75%.

“It’s not over yet. God Knights are strong enough even without me. And it seems like we have a bit of luck on our side right now. You may or may not know, but if just one more spot opens up, God Knights’ chances of promotion greatly increase.”

Rebecca readily agreed. She had come with a request today, so there was no need to antagonize Beomseok. And indeed, what he said wasn’t wrong. If just one more spot opened up, their chances of promotion would double.

“That’s true. I also hope God Knights get promoted.”

Beomseok finished the apple and started peeling a banana. He had eaten breakfast, but like all hospital food, it wasn’t very filling.

“By the way, the summer transfer season is coming up soon, isn’t it? Is Chaplin Whisper not acquiring any gladiators [fighters]? Just last winter, you were snapping up quite a few World League-level gladiators.”

“That’s true, but we won’t be acquiring many this summer.”

“Why not?”

“We’ve filled up our team roster enough. You may or may not know, but Chaplin Whisper currently has 18 World League-level gladiators. Ionis, Landra, Yamiya, Hiyas, Emiles, Meya, and others have all risen to world-class.”

At those words, Beomseok felt a wave of resentment. Just two years ago, they only had two World League gladiators, and now they had 18. Even if promising rookies had grown and filled the spots, it was obvious how much money had been invested.

“Hmph~ Why not acquire one more and fill up the 19-man roster with World Leaguers?”

“We’re planning to do just that. We’re planning to buy Yoshiya with the funds provided by the group this time.”

Instantly, the banana in Beomseok’s hand nearly broke. Yoshiya was a seasoned gladiator ranked 27th overall, with a price tag of a whopping 3.1 billion Krang [currency]. Rebecca, who didn’t even blink an eye while investing such a large sum, looked extremely irritating.

“This looks like you’re aiming to climb all the way to the World League next season.”

“Yes. I think so. Director Vincent has decided to bring Amelie back to the team this year.”

Beomseok leaned back. Someone who was founded in the same year was struggling to get into the Central League, while someone else was aiming for the World League next year with the strongest gladiators and a solid roster. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t jealous.

Moreover, even if God Knights were lucky enough to be promoted to the Central League this time, they would become easy targets for accumulating wins in front of that formidable force. Naturally, he couldn’t be in a good mood.

“Tch. Yeah, you guys are great. I’m so scared that I should just drop out of this promotion tournament. If God Knights were to rise to the Heiren Central League next season, they would become your easy prey.”

“But it’s not easy for us either. We’re a hastily assembled team, so our teamwork isn’t great. The reason Director Vincent took a break last year was precisely because of this.”

“Why worry about that? Just bring them all in front of me today. By the next day, they’ll be moving organically like colleagues who have been working together for decades.”

Rebecca, her face brightening, urgently grabbed his sleeve. If he could really solve that, it would be a huge relief. The biggest weakness of Chaplin Whisper right now was the lack of coordination between team members.

“Can you really solve it? How?”

“What else? I’ll turn them all into my subordinate elves. Then they’ll fight to the death for me. Of course, camaraderie among colleagues will also improve. Hehehe.”

Rebecca, wearing a dumbfounded expression, glared at him. No matter how much Chaplin Whisper was known for throwing money around, they wouldn’t do such absurd things for the sake of teamwork.

“Are you kidding me?”

“What else would I be doing? I was just saying it because you were getting on my nerves. Anyway, let’s end the useless talk here. Rebecca, why did you really come to visit me today?”

Rebecca, looking awkward, avoided his gaze.

“Because I was worried about you after hearing that you were injured.”

He slightly raised one corner of his mouth. He knew that her favorability was low, so such a lie wouldn’t work. He guessed that Rebecca’s visit was clearly intended to minimize the damage to Chaplin Sports caused by his injury. She was the director and gladiator of Chaplin Whisper, but also a member of the board of directors of Chaplin Sports.

“You’re saying you came purely out of concern?”

“Yes. Of course.”

“Then if you bring up anything else here, I’m going to flip the table.”

Rebecca, hesitating, lowered her head. It seemed that her plan to ease Beomseok’s mind and start a full-fledged discussion had to be abandoned. Judging from his tone, he seemed to know the purpose of her visit.

“Actually, I came to renew the equipment sponsorship contract.”

Beomseok nodded as if he understood. The equipment sponsorship contract between Chaplin Sports and God Knights had about a year left. It was time to start renegotiating, and the best way to minimize the damage from this situation was to maintain the sponsorship with God Knights, the injured party.

“Hmm. I thought so. But is there a need to do it now? I was only hospitalized yesterday. Aren’t you rushing things that can be started later?”

“We need to do it as soon as possible. We need to capitalize on the fact that Beomseok’s injury has become an issue in the media.”

It seemed that Rebecca intended to cover up the news of his injury with the renewal of the contract. The fact that the injured party was continuing the contract would be an indirect advertisement that there were no structural problems with Chaplin Sports’ suit.

“So you’re saying we should sign the equipment sponsorship contract right away?”

“Yes. That’s right. I hope you can make a decision today if possible.”

Signing the contract wasn’t difficult, but Beomseok didn’t need to rush. Chaplin Sports was the one with its back against the wall.

“I understand your situation, but I can’t sign the equipment sponsorship contract carelessly. I need to investigate in various ways to make a decision that will help the team as much as possible. If you have a brain, think about it. Did you think that if you came here and told me to sign right away, I would just say okay and sign the contract? You need to give me time. Time.”

“Of course, Beomseok is right. I can’t make a decision on an important equipment sponsorship contract carelessly. But if the conditions are good, I can sign it right away, right?”

He was right. If she offered conditions that were attractive at once, there was no way he wouldn’t sign. Especially since Beomseok, who was aiming to acquire Cazella and Renka at the same time, was currently very vulnerable to the temptation of money.

He crossed his arms and stared at Rebecca with a meaningful gaze.

“What are the conditions? Tell me.”

“First, we will provide all equipment and supplies for the season’s matches free of charge.”

“That’s basic. Tell me other conditions.”

“We’ll give you 170 million Krang [currency] for a three-year extension. Of course, this is pure sponsorship money, not an advance payment. And we’ll give you an additional 20 million Krang as consolation for this injury.”

Beomseok slyly licked his lips. Giving this much money as sponsorship money, not an advance payment, meant that they were being very generous. It seemed that Chaplin Sports was really in a hurry.

“That’s quite a lot of support.”

“Yes. You’ll be very pleased. Even Central League gladiator teams have a hard time getting this much equipment sponsorship. That means we’ve treated you very well. But that’s not the end of it.”

“Huh? There’s more?”

“Yes. If God Knights advance to the Central League during the contract period, we’re willing to provide a congratulatory sum of 30 million Krang. And if you advance to the World League, we’ll give you 100 million Krang.”

In the end, that meant earning at least 220 million Krang. With God Knights’ power, they could advance to the Central League in a few years.

“What’s the distribution rate for team emblem product sales?”

“The conditions are the same as before. That is, we’ll give God Knights 65% of the sales.”

Beomseok, pondering all the conditions, expressed his honest feelings.

“Even though it’s an equipment sponsorship contract that’s being signed in a hurry, this is too much. It seems like you have other intentions. Like telling me not to make a fuss about this injury in the media.”

“Yes. That’s right. We hope that Beomseok will remain silent about this matter. Then Chaplin Sports will take care of the rest.”

“I thought so. But keeping my mouth shut isn’t difficult. Can’t you be a little more generous? I’m a little short on money.”

Rebecca immediately shook her head. They had already been very considerate with this much. There was no way to offer any more conditions.

“Beomseok also knows that it’s hard to find a team that signs a sponsorship contract with these conditions even if you look at all the Central League teams. That means we’ve treated you that well.”

“Don’t bring that up. We’re signing a contract under special circumstances. That is, on the condition that I keep my mouth shut. So, if I go one step further and actively defend Chaplin Sports, can’t you give me more?”

“Beomseok defends us? How?”

“It’s simple. For example, right after this accident, God Knights launched an investigation into the suit made by Chaplin Whisper, and it turned out that it was just an accidental accident, and in fact, they discovered that it was superior to other products, so they decided to renew the contract. And this fact is revealed to the outside world through a documentary broadcast by a media company. How is it? Not bad, right?”

A faint curve was drawn on Rebecca’s lips. No matter how much Chaplin Whisper shouted, there was no way it could be more credible than what Beomseok, the injured party, said.

“Do you mean you’re going to use LKS Broadcasting, which belongs to Ilsimhoe [a powerful organization]?”

“Yes. They broadcast our God Knights’ daily life as a TV program, so we can naturally leak information. How about it? Are you going to do it? It could be an opportunity for your Chaplin Whisper to turn a bad situation into a good one.”

If they spread this fact by having the media friendly to Chaplin Whisper publish it in articles, the effect would be even greater. It was worth trying.

“Hmm. Then how much do you want in return for doing that?”

“Just spend 80 million Krang [currency] more.”

80 million Krang was a lot of money. But if a big-name famous gladiator like Beomseok appeared on a one-hour TV program and promoted their products, it wouldn’t be a bad amount. In particular, LKS Broadcasting was small, but it was a broadcasting company that was well-received by elf professional sports players. Considering that professional teams sign equipment sponsorship contracts by referring to the opinions of the elves they have, the efficiency was high.

“Hmm. Okay. I’ll give you 80 million Krang more. But you have to do it well so that it doesn’t look staged.”

“Hehehe. Of course. Trust me.”

Rebecca immediately started modifying the contract she had brought. It didn’t take much time to change the contract amount from 190 million Krang to 270 million Krang. Soon, a new document was placed in front of Beomseok, and all contracts were signed with a simple authentication process.

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

Wow. There was a work setting menu above the review section of this work. I just found out today. Hahaha. I guess I’ll have to move the novel settings in the yard.

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