Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 285

In front of a hotel in Senocide, the world’s central city, a flying car bearing the Gods Knights emblem landed near the entrance. The elf hotel staff, who had been waiting, rushed out and bowed deeply in unison, anticipating the guest’s arrival. Beom-seok and Esther, dressed in sharp suits, emerged, and the staff greeted them with warm welcomes.

“Welcome to Elchein Hotel.”

Beom-seok tilted his head back, gazing at the towering height of the hotel. He was eager to experience the renowned Elchein Hotel, known as the world’s best.

“Where is the Federation Professional Gladiators Association’s annual banquet hall?”

“It’s on the 6th floor, in the Grand Ballroom. May I escort you?”

“I’d appreciate that.”

A blonde elf employee gestured towards the entrance with both hands, saying,

“Please, follow me.”

Beom-seok, arm in arm with Esther, followed the employee with a composed demeanor. It was his first time attending the Federation Professional Gladiators Association’s annual banquet, and he wanted to project an image of seriousness. He didn’t want to risk being frowned upon by association officials for appearing frivolous.

After a short walk, as he entered the doorway, something darted past him. It was a spotted dog, resembling a Dalmatian. The dog, with a bag of discarded food in its mouth, was being pursued by a bellboy and a restaurant worker.

Beom-seok scratched his head, puzzled. He couldn’t fathom how a chaotic chase involving a dog and garbage could unfold in the lobby of a high-class luxury hotel.

“What’s going on here?”

The elf employee, who was hurrying to guide him, bowed apologetically.

“I’m terribly sorry. It appears a guest’s dog escaped. Please accept our sincerest apologies.”

“Oh, really? Well, I suppose things like that happen, but it’s quite a scene.”

Beom-seok, deciding to be understanding, carefully stepped over a trail of food waste juice that led towards his feet and headed towards the elevator. There was no point in dwelling on unnecessary matters.

After a brief wait, he ascended to the 6th floor when the elevator arrived.

“You cheapskate! Only 10 crang [currency] for a tip! Even kids’ candy costs more than that!”

Beom-seok, witnessing the bellboy entering the elevator and muttering under his breath, glared at him before exiting. Regardless of how small the tip was, he couldn’t tolerate a hotel employee badmouthing a guest behind their back.

Walking down the hallway, he turned to the guiding elf employee and asked in a low voice,

“Does this hotel have a habit of insulting guests who leave small tips?”

The elf employee, looking flustered, bowed deeply.

“No, absolutely not. We at Elchein pride ourselves on being the best hotel in the world, and we train our employees never to solicit tips from guests.”

“Then what about the guy who just got on the elevator?”

“Ah, perhaps…”

“Perhaps what? Isn’t he an employee here?”

The elf employee was at a loss for words, as if she had swallowed honey. She couldn’t offer any excuses since Beom-seok’s accusation was based on his direct observation. She bowed her head deeply and apologized.

“I… I’m very sorry.”

Beom-seok shook his head and resumed walking. There was no reason to blame her for something that wasn’t her fault.

“It’s alright. Let’s just go. Please guide me quickly.”

Upon arriving at the Grand Ballroom, Beom-seok took out a 50 crang bill and offered it to the elf employee as a tip. He might have simply left or tossed a 10 crang bill at her under normal circumstances, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so after witnessing the bellboy’s behavior. He was someone who relied on his public image, so he had to consider his reputation.

The elf employee initially refused, but when he insisted, she accepted the tip, tucked it into her pocket, and expressed her gratitude.

“Thank you. I hope you have a pleasant time.”

Beom-seok, entering the wide-open banquet hall, surveyed the hundreds of gentlemen and ladies present, searching for a place to sit. He could have simply found an empty seat, but doing so could lead to trouble. Although everyone appeared to be seated randomly, there were unspoken rules.

The Federation Professional Gladiators Association’s annual banquet was a major event in the professional gladiator world, attended only by key figures from Central League teams or higher and influential members of the Federation Association. Even if hundreds of banquet halls were rented, it wouldn’t be enough to accommodate representatives from all professional teams worldwide.

However, this wasn’t just a social gathering. Since prominent figures were present, important association matters were proposed and discussed, significantly impacting the professional gladiator landscape. Consequently, fierce conflicts persisted between factions, each establishing their own territories to distinguish themselves from rival groups. Therefore, carelessly choosing a seat could lead to being mistaken for a member of a specific faction, potentially causing future complications.

‘It’s best to stick with Vice President Louis’ faction for now.’

He scanned the banquet hall, which resembled a large square, searching for the Louis faction’s designated area. Beom-seok not only had a friendly relationship with Vice President Louis, but the Chaplin Whisper team, with whom he had a long-standing connection, also belonged to their faction. It was wiser to be among friends in this arena of power struggles than to be an outsider.

Suddenly, someone tapped Beom-seok on the shoulder.

“Yo. Who is this? Isn’t it the chairman of Gods Knights?”

Turning to see who it was, he recognized Julian. Beom-seok, surprised, exclaimed,

“What? Julian? What are you doing here?”

“What else? I’m here because I’m qualified.”

As the leader of the Dark Hyenas team, he was indeed eligible to attend. Despite their relegation from the World League this year, Dark Hyenas remained a Central League team. Beom-seok nodded and continued the conversation.

“Heh heh. You’ve come a long way. Attending the same event as me.”

“I’ve always been big. You’re the one who’s done well. But don’t think we’re equals. Hyena Group and Gods Knights aren’t on the same level.”

“Hmph. Of course, we’re not on the same level. As the chairman, I can’t associate with a mere leader like you. The difference in status is obvious.”

Julian shot him a sidelong glance and said,

“Your way of speaking hasn’t changed at all.”

“It’s not as bad as your arrogance.”

He sighed deeply, recalling the past. He never wanted to revisit those memories. Thinking about his completely ruined past still sent shivers down his spine.

“Alright, let’s stop. My head still throbs when I think about the old days.”

Beom-seok felt the same way. In fact, he had many questions for him besides those related to the past.

“But there’s something I’m curious about. Is Jakid really that strong?”

“He’s beyond description. In short, he’s invincible.”

“Really? But how strong is he? I can’t grasp it just from hearing that he defeated three World Leaguers simultaneously.”

“You’ll see for yourself later. It’s impossible to explain in words.”

“That’s because I’m curious now. Don’t you have any sparring videos?”

“No. Information about Jakid is treated as top secret within the team. Not only are journalists banned, but we never film his training or sparring sessions.”

Beom-seok pouted.

“Tch. You’re being awfully secretive.”

“Heh heh. It can’t be helped. The competition in the Hairen Central League is too intense. But I can offer you a small favor.”

Julian pulled out his wallet from his back pocket and produced two tickets. Judging by the printed side, they appeared to be day tickets for Dark Hyenas. Beom-seok’s eyes widened in surprise. He couldn’t understand how day tickets could be available when the match schedule hadn’t even been announced yet.

“What? What are these?”

“They’re our tickets for the opening game of this league.”

“Do you think I’m asking because I don’t know that? How can day tickets be printed already? The opposing team’s name has to be on the ticket, and you can only know that by looking at the match schedule.”

“Heh heh. Didn’t you know that our Hyena Group is affiliated with the Ibrahim faction? We’ve already obtained the match schedule.”

“Tch. Yeah, you’re a big shot.”

Beom-seok, taking the ticket, examined the contents and looked even more surprised. The opponent was none other than the Chaplin Whisper team. This ticket was a jackpot. Because Jakid’s information was leaking, the world’s media was eagerly anticipating his match against Amelie.

Julian smirked.

“What do you think? Worth coming to see, right? It’s close by, too.”

Beom-seok immediately agreed. Dark Hyenas was in the same central government, so it wasn’t far.

“Well, I suppose so. By the way, your team is really unlucky. The opponent for the important opening game is the Chaplin Whisper team… Tsk tsk.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Are you asking because you don’t know? Chaplin Whisper isn’t just Amelie’s team. She has a lot of talented colleagues supporting her from behind.”

“It’s okay. Our Dark Hyenas are just as good.”

“Heh heh. Is that why that team was relegated?”

Julian coughed repeatedly, acknowledging the truth. Currently, the Chaplin Whisper team was at least a mid-level World League team or higher.

“Ahem. But our team also plans to recruit new gladiators this time. Then we can definitely beat the Chaplin Whisper team.”

“Who are you planning to recruit?”

“It’s Iena from Sky Jackals and Charlotte from Snow Girls. Starting with them, we’re planning to build a prestigious team for our Dark Hyenas.”

Iena from Sky Jackals and Charlotte from Snow Girls were top-tier gladiators currently ranked 22nd and 51st overall, respectively. They were all gladiators with owners, so their values were only 1.2 billion and 700 million, but their annual salaries were unimaginable.

Beom-seok snorted sarcastically.

“Tch. Someone must be happy. They have a lot of money and they’re even recruiting those gladiators.”

“Surely you have more than us? At least we don’t throw hundreds of millions of crang into the trash to satisfy our desires.”

It seemed to be a reference to Kazella and Renka. The total amount of money Beom-seok spent recruiting them was 731.5 billion crang. Of this, 500 million crang vanished into thin air. Of course, he couldn’t solely blame Dark Hyenas’ spending.

“Okay. I’m sorry, you son of a bitch. I have so much money that I throw it away. But even trash can be useful sometimes. I’m saying it’s not money that’s being wasted.”

“Where can trash be used?”

“There are many places. For example, like today, a spotted dog was running around the hotel with a bag of food waste in its mouth. At least it can be used as dog food.”

Julian’s expression stiffened for a moment.

“What? A spotted dog with food waste in its mouth?”

“Yeah. It looks like a Dalmatian, and it was being chased by a bellboy and a cook in the hotel lobby.”

Julian stepped back and said,

“Ah. That happened?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm. I see. But I have to go somewhere. I forgot about something I couldn’t take care of.”

Beom-seok nodded. The banquet was about to begin soon, so he didn’t have time to chat with him.

“Okay.”

“Then I’ll see you next time.”

After saying that, Julian left in a hurry. Beom-seok watched him for a moment and then went to Vice President Louis’ seat with Esther. He was able to find it easily because he spotted Rebecca and Director Vincent.

He greeted Vice President Louis and exchanged pleasantries for a while, then approached Director Vincent.

“Director Vincent, it’s been a while.”

Director Vincent smiled brightly and greeted Beom-seok.

“Ah, you’ve arrived? Nice to see you.”

Rebecca also greeted him.

“Beom-seok, you’ve come. There’s an empty seat next to me, so sit down.”

“Ah. Thank you.”

Beom-seok seated Esther first and then sat next to Director Vincent.

“Director Vincent, is the preparation for the new season going well? Seeing that you’ve even brought Amelie back to the team, it seems like you’re aiming to advance to the World League this time.”

“Heh heh. It’s going very well. Unless there’s a major upset, our team will win the league next season and advance to the World League through the promotion tournament.”

“Ah. Is that so? But it seems like you’re going to have a hard time. It seems like Dark Hyenas is planning to strengthen their power this time.”

Director Vincent looked at Beom-seok with a curious expression. He was speaking confidently, but in fact, he was worried about Dark Hyenas. He didn’t believe it, but the news articles about an unidentified gladiator comparable to Amelia had made him uneasy.

“Do you know the information about Dark Hyenas?”

“Yes. I’ve roughly grasped the information.”

“Then do you also know the information about that unidentified gladiator?”

Beom-seok took a sip of the champagne that the waiter had brought.

“Yes. Roughly.”

“How much do you know? Surely it’s not just the news articles that have come out in the media?”

He joked and said,

“Hey. I said roughly, but would I say I know that much? I know his name and the contents of the internal test.”

“Really? Then tell me. Who the hell is that guy?”

Beom-seok smiled and shook his head. He had to spend 100,000 crang to find out that information.

“Hey. If you like free things, you’ll be bald. I put in a lot of effort to find out this information.”

Director Vincent glared at him with a sullen expression.

“Are you really being so stingy? You haven’t forgotten that a significant number of your elves are children I taught, have you?”

“I know it well. I also remember very clearly that I missed the opportunity to buy it even cheaper thanks to you, Director.”

Well, if it wasn’t for Director Vincent, Beom-seok would have thoroughly exploited Arnold, who was a pushover, and saved a lot of money. The director knew that fact well, so he didn’t have anything to say.