Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 404

406

“Right. A massive transfer war is about to break out. Devil Spritz is trying to avoid receivership, so it looks like they’ll be selling off a lot of gladiators to other teams. And the starting point is Bormiada.”

Bormiada was Devil Spritz’s ace, currently ranked 8th among gladiators. He was at the peak of his career, so if he came on the market, wealthy sports tycoons would be all over him.

“R, really?”

“Yeah. Coach Vincent was complaining about it. He said that recently, one of the gladiators is leaving, and they’re planning to fill the spot with Bormiada out of necessity.”

‘Is that old geezer trying to fool someone!’

It seemed like the gladiator leaving was Yoshiya. Comparing her, currently ranked 32nd, to Bormiada, who was 8th, was absurd. He was probably just joking to tease his friend, Coach Clark.

Bum-suk’s legs were shaking. Bormiada on the Chaplin Whisper squad… It was a grim thought.

“I, I see.”

“But even if Bormiada goes to Chaplin Whisper for a huge sum, it won’t solve their current financial situation.”

“T, then…”

“Irolita and several others will probably be sold this winter or next summer.”

“S, surely Irolita isn’t going to Chaplin Whisper too, is she?”

Clark tilted his head and said,

“I don’t know. Even Chaplin Whisper has its limits, doesn’t it? Next summer, maybe, but this winter seems a bit tough.”

That was a relief. If they acquired both Bormiada and Irolita, Chaplin Whisper would become an almost impregnable team.

“Then what will happen to Irolita?”

“I don’t know the details, but I have information that Ancient Warriors is eyeing her.”

“A, Ancient Warriors?”

“Yeah. Since Prisika is causing trouble, they need a replacement.”

“Then what about Prisika?”

“Well, if she continues like this, wouldn’t she be used to raise funds to acquire Irolita? Sold to another team, or put up for auction at the World Walker Auction Market, as she wishes. Keeping her in a mental hospital is also an option, but that’s unlikely.

She’s about to retire anyway, and if they put her on the World Walker Auction Market now, they could get a considerable amount of money.”

“That might be the case. Before me, Jakid, and Amelie appeared, she was tentatively scheduled to be put on the World Walker Auction Market before she turned 30, as the best gladiator. There’s no reason to give up that huge sum of money and lock her up in a mental hospital.”

“That’s right. She worked hard for the team in the past, so they’ll take that into consideration.”

Bum-suk furrowed his brow slightly. The words coming out of Clark’s mouth were so significant.

“Anyway, it looks like there will be a bloodbath in the transfer market for the next year. Isn’t it an unwritten rule in the gladiator world that S-class gladiators are rarely transferred? But two of them are being released into the market.”

“Huhu. That’s right. But that’s not all.”

“There’s more?”

“Yeah. Tiela of the Forest Elves might be coming to the transfer market soon too. After the match against you God’s Knights, the conflict with the team’s coach is too severe. It’s only natural since she stood up to the prideful Coach Offen, but this one also needs to be watched.”

Tiela was a gladiator currently ranked 12th. In the past, she had been ranked in the S3 class for a considerable period, and at her home Papilan Coliseum, she had achieved results equal to or comparable to Prisika. The only problem was her young age, but that made it even more impressive.

As she gets older and her technical skills improve, who knows what kind of gladiator she might become.

Bum-suk shook his head slightly and said,

“But will Forest Elves really sell her? Until I appeared, she was invincible at home. Surely there’s no reason for them to sell her, is there?”

“That’s right. But the problem is that Bormiada and Irolita are coming to the market soon. Acquiring them requires astronomical costs, which Forest Elves can’t afford. But if they sell Tiela, things change. So Coach Offen can use this as an excuse.

It’s like wanting to cry, and someone slaps you in the face.”

It was somewhat convincing, so Bum-suk agreed. Coach Offen’s dictatorial style was a well-known fact that he had heard since before he rose to the World League. If there was a justification, he could sell Tiela.

“I, I see.”

“And although it’s being kept quiet, other gladiator teams that have obtained information are also planning to sell a number of gladiators to raise funds to acquire them. The transfer market this year and next year will probably be a storm of unprecedented proportions. So you need to be prepared.

A team that is marginalized in this transfer market can never become a strong team.”

“That’s right. A team with three S-class gladiators might be born.”

“That’s it. Well, I’ve said everything I need to say, so I’ll be going now. You’ll have a lot to think about, so don’t bother seeing me off.”

Bum-suk, with a blank expression, nodded. He wasn’t in the right state of mind to see him off. He needed to come up with a plan on how to deal with this situation. As Clark left the chairman’s office, he sat down and pondered.

‘Seriously. How could this happen? How many S-class gladiators are being released into the market?’

This could be called a major upheaval. The championship team for the next season would be determined by which gladiators were acquired in the transfer market over the next year. If God’s Knights didn’t do something this time, they could fall behind in the championship race.

‘This is going to require a lot of money…’

S-class gladiators were worth whatever you asked for. With Bum-suk currently having 1.1 billion Krang [currency], attempting to acquire them was impossible.

So the method he would choose was to borrow a large amount of money from the financial sector. One of God’s Knights’ great strengths was that it had no debt, so they could afford to be somewhat flexible. But this advantage was largely due to Bum-suk’s aversion to debt.

If there was debt, there would be interest to pay, and the burden would be considerable. If Bum-suk borrowed 5 billion from the banks due to this situation, he would have to pay at least 250 to 300 million Krang in interest per year.

‘Maybe 5 billion won’t be enough. The competition will be fierce, so even if you have 7 or 8 billion, you might not get one, and what would you do with that money?’

But he couldn’t give up. If Chaplin Whisper swept up all the big fish this time, God’s Knights would have to give up their ambitions for the time being.

There was a possibility that some of the promising players they had would grow into S-class gladiators, but that would take a considerable amount of time. As he was now, he needed to take steps to ensure that the gladiators being released in this transfer market were scattered among various World League teams. And one of the best ways to do that was to get one of them himself.

‘Damn it. Chairman Lucas. That bastard!’

Bum-suk sent a resentful arrow to Lucas, who was imprisoned. If he hadn’t tried to kill him, he would have had about 3 billion in his hands now as a reward for ‘The Origin’s Response.’ Then, combined with Renka’s piggy bank, he could have aimed for one.

Bum-suk shook his head and took out his electronic notebook. There was no point in dwelling on the past. The important thing now was to raise the funds to deal with this situation. He pressed the number buttons on the screen and called someone.

– Oh. Honey? Why are you calling at this hour?

The person on the other end of the line was Aula, one of his lovers. Since she held an important position at LHN Financial Group, it would be much easier to get funds through her.

Bum-suk saw the darkness in the background of the video and gave an awkward expression. It was currently night in Serie City, where Aula lived.

“Ah. Sorry for calling so late.”

– It’s okay. It’s not that late, what’s up? Are you asking me out on a date?

Bum-suk scratched his head awkwardly. She was too far away, so it wasn’t easy to meet. So he couldn’t enjoy dates as he pleased, and he couldn’t make his favorability extreme.

But there was no need to show it. The winter vacation season was in about 2-3 weeks, so they could meet.

“Huhu. That’s right. It’s almost the winter vacation season, so I’ll have some free time.”

– Oh, really? That’s great. I’ll see my honey after a long time. Then when would be good?

“I’ll see you right after the 19th match. I’ll let you know the date separately.”

– Okay, I got it. Then be sure to contact me again. But honey. Is that the only reason you called?

“Why? Does it seem like there’s something else?”

– Come on. There’s no way you’d make a date 2-3 weeks in advance, and you’re so busy during the season. Tell me honestly. There’s another reason, isn’t there?

Bum-suk slowly averted his gaze and opened his mouth with difficulty.

“Well. It’s not that there isn’t, but…”

– Is it about money?

“How did you know?”

– It’s obvious. When you have a favor to ask of me, it’s mostly about money.”

“Yeah, that’s right. To be honest, I need money urgently right now, so I was hoping your bank could lend me some.”

Aula looked at him gently and tilted her head.

– Really? Well, it doesn’t matter, but it’s strange. You really hated borrowing money. That’s why you paid back the 100 million Krang you borrowed before so quickly.

“That’s true. But it’s a bit urgent now.”

– What’s the matter?

“It’s about gladiator transfers. Big-name gladiators are being released in large numbers this winter and next summer.”

Bum-suk explained what he had just heard from Coach Clark. She listened with her chin resting on her hand, and in the end, she gave a serious expression as if she had noticed something.

– Ah. So that’s what’s been happening in the professional gladiator world lately. I had a strange feeling.

“What is it?”

– It’s nothing much, but recently, the Chaplin Whisper team requested a large amount of debt.

Bum-suk’s eyes widened. Chaplin Whisper was the enemy he had to pay the most attention to in this transfer war. If there was even a shred of information, it was good to know.

“How much?”

– I can’t say. It’s a business secret.

“Hey. Are you going to be so stingy? You can at least tell me roughly, can’t you?”

Aula, who was worried, looked around and whispered softly.

– Then I’ll tell you just one thing. The amount that Chaplin Whisper borrowed this time was guaranteed by the Chaplin Group headquarters. In other words, an unimaginable amount of money went back and forth.

“R, really?”

– Of course. Would I lie to you?

Bum-suk’s arms, which were resting on the desk, trembled. He realized Chaplin Whisper’s intentions. They could acquire Bormiada with the funds they currently had, but borrowing a large amount of money on top of that could be interpreted as aiming for Irolita as well.

‘This is driving me crazy. This great war might be pacified by Chaplin Whisper.’

The reason why this transfer situation occurred was because of Bormiada and Irolita. If Chaplin Whisper swept them all away, the transfers of Prisika and Tiela would be buried. They would be released into the market on the condition that Bormiada and Irolita were on the transfer market.

“Damn it! At this rate, we’ll be defeated by Chaplin Whisper.”

– What do you mean?

“That’s what I’m saying. If Bormiada and Irolita go to Chaplin Whisper, the transfers of other big-name gladiators will be gone. Then everyone will be at peace, but only Chaplin Whisper will stand out. If two more S-class gladiators are included in that power, no team will be able to compete with them for years.”

– Really? Then what should happen?

“We need to throw the winter transfer market into chaos and make sure that big-name gladiators are distributed evenly among several teams.”

– Ah. Well, what’s the method?

“Well, I don’t know yet. But there’s only one thing. First of all, we have to prevent Chaplin Whisper from taking both Bormiada and Irolita at the same time.”

– But you just said they borrowed a lot of money. If they have money, what can’t they do?

Well, that wasn’t wrong either. The reason why Devil Spritz decided to sell Bormiada and Irolita was to secure funds. Of course, they wouldn’t refuse to sell if they were given a satisfactory amount of money.

“T, that’s right.”

Aula briefly typed on the computer next to her and shook her head.

– On top of that, Devil Spritz’s debt is a whopping 88 billion Krang. With an interest rate of about 5.5%, they have to pay 4.9 billion Krang in interest per year. Of course, their team’s annual sales are about 6 billion Krang, but that doesn’t mean anything. The remaining 1.1 billion Krang can’t run a huge team like Devil Spritz, and since they knew it was unstable, the interest rate will continue to rise. The only way for them to survive is to reduce this debt as soon as possible and stabilize the situation.

Bum-suk, who closed his eyes tightly, leaned weakly against the back of the chair. If it was such a big financial problem, the plan he had just made would be in vain.

He was going to lend money to Devil Spritz and postpone the transfer plans for Bormiada and Irolita until next summer. Then other teams would have more time to sell their gladiators, so he thought they could compete with Chaplin Whisper with more financial competitiveness.

“Hoo. Okay. Let’s talk about this until here today.”

– Why? You said you needed money too?

“That’s true. But I need to watch this situation a little more. I have no idea how much I need.”

– Ah. Okay. Then tell me anytime you need money. God’s Knights has a strong financial condition and no debt. I can lend you a lot.”

“Okay. Then I’ll contact you again later, so take care.”

– Okay. You too.

Bum-suk cut off the communication and inadvertently looked at the ceiling. He had no idea how to deal with this situation in the future. If he didn’t act properly in this winter market, it could end up making it Chaplin Whisper’s world.

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

I sprayed a lot of mosquito repellent to catch mosquitoes, and now I have a headache. I think I should go to bed early today.

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