Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 405

The Rima City Colosseum was blanketed in white as snowflakes drifted from the sky. Beom-seok, arriving at the south parking lot, passed through the security cordon and entered the Colosseum.

Despite the frigid air, the area buzzed with cheering fans, but Beom-seok remained focused. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts about the rematch with Jakid and the unexpected turbulence shaking the gladiator transfer market.

“Yo, Beom-seok. Where are you headed, looking so lost?”

As Beom-seok stepped inside the Colosseum, a voice hailed him. It was Julian.

Beom-seok sighed, instructing Diana to lead the team to the gladiator waiting room before approaching Julian.

“No way. Julian. What are you doing here?”

“Just came to say hello. Missed you too, you know.”

Beom-seok, feigning a shiver, retorted, “Don’t talk nonsense. It’s creepy.”

“Why? Can’t I greet a friend?”

“Okay, enough. What’s up? If not, I’m leaving.”

Julian offered a wry smile, glanced at the nearby security personnel, and beckoned Beom-seok closer. He seemed to have something important to say.

“Come with me for a moment.”

“What is it? Is it important?”

“Yes, very important. Just come on.”

Shaking his head, Beom-seok followed. Whatever it was, it seemed worth hearing out.

In a quiet hallway, Beom-seok tapped Julian’s shoulder. “What’s this all about?”

Julian looked around again, leaned in close, and whispered, “You know the transfer market’s been crazy lately, right?”

“Ah. You mean the Devil Spritz [a fictional gladiator team] situation?”

Julian’s eyes widened in surprise. “You knew about that?”

“Of course. But why?”

With a serious expression, Julian muttered, “If even you know, then everyone knows. Tch.”

“What!”

“Don’t take it the wrong way. It’s just that the God Knights [Beom-seok’s team] aren’t exactly known for their inside information. You’ve only been in this business a few years and only run one professional team. We [the Dark Hyenas, Julian’s team] have a long history and multiple teams, so our intel is generally better.”

Beom-seok didn’t argue; it was true. The God Knights were relatively new compared to established sports conglomerates. If Clark hadn’t approached him a few days prior, he would have been completely in the dark about the transfer turmoil.

“Okay, granted. Why are you telling me all this?”

“It’s obvious. The situation is serious, so I’m sharing information and trying to establish a cooperative system.”

Recognizing their shared interests, Beom-seok gave Julian a knowing look. The Dark Hyenas, with their recent massive investments, were also aiming for the World League championship. They couldn’t afford to be passive.

The current World League teams were generally categorized as 4 strong, 4 medium, and 12 weak. Chaplin Whisper, Ancient Warriors, Forest Elves, and Real Heroes comprised the top 4, while God Knights, Dark Hyenas, Desert Scorpions, and Devil Spritz occupied the middle tier. The remaining 12 teams, often battling relegation, were considered the bottom 12.

However, the recent upheaval in the transfer market threatened to shatter this established order.

“We need to join forces,” Julian said. “One wrong move, and we’ll be out of the championship picture for years.”

“Years?” Julian countered. “If we’re unlucky, the entire gladiator landscape will be upended. The 4-4-12 system could become a 2-5-13 system.”

Beom-seok stared, surprised. Julian’s prediction differed from his own. He had envisioned a 1 super-strong, 3 strong, 3 medium, and 13 weak scenario, with Chaplin Whisper absorbing Bormia and Irolita to become the dominant force, and Devil Spritz, having sold them off, plummeting to the bottom.

“Who are the 5 medium teams?”

“You, us, Forest Elves, Real Heroes, and Desert Scorpions. Who else could it be?”

“And the 2 strong?”

“Ancient Warriors and Chaplin Whisper.”

Beom-seok frowned. “Chaplin Whisper is rising, but why Ancient Warriors? What makes them strong enough to compete?”

“Don’t you know? If things go their way, Ancient Warriors could have three S-class gladiators [the highest rank].”

Beom-seok considered this, but the math didn’t add up. Presica was leaving, so even with Irolita, Ancient Warriors would only have two S-class gladiators. There was also talk of Tiela, a gladiator with similar skills, potentially being released, but she wasn’t currently an S-class.

“I don’t follow. Are you counting Tiela as an S-class?”

“What are you talking about? Why would Tiela be an S-class? It’s someone else.”

“Then who is it?”

“Rakami.”

Beom-seok squeezed his eyes shut. Rakami, an S-class gladiator owned by Desert Scorpions, was a world-renowned swordswoman, ranked 5th globally. The fact that she had an owner actually made the transfer easier, as a sufficiently lucrative offer could sway her.

“It’s not impossible, but Rakami is the highest-paid player in the world. She probably earns more than Jakid.”

“Yeah. She’s a mercenary, so her salary is astronomical. But if you offer her more, wouldn’t she move?”

“Sure, but would Desert Scorpions just stand by? They’re fiercely protective of Rakami. They’ll probably offer her an even bigger raise to stay.”

“But what if they were offered something more valuable than money?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Chairman Ibrahim [owner of Desert Scorpions] made a deal with Angela [owner of Ancient Warriors] to receive Rakami in exchange for Jasmine and Agada plus alpha [an unspecified additional asset].”

Jasmine was currently ranked 28th in the world, while Agada, a key gladiator for Sky Jackals (another World League team owned by Chairman Ibrahim), was ranked 35th. Both were W0-class gladiators [a high rank, but below S-class] with owners, making them potentially more valuable to Desert Scorpions than Rakami alone.

Beom-seok replied, his voice trembling slightly. “T-then it’s possible. It would be more beneficial for Desert Scorpions to acquire two W0-class gladiators rather than just Rakami. Plus, there’s the additional alpha. Desert Scorpions aren’t aiming for the championship anyway.”

“Exactly.”

“Hoo~ This is insane. If Ancient Warriors pulls off all these transfers, they’ll have an S-class lineup with Irolita, Rakami, and Levia.”

Julian blinked, looking at Beom-seok. “What are you talking about? Why is Levia an S-class gladiator? She dropped to 11th after being ranked 2nd.”

Beom-seok paused, realizing his mistake. Levia was no longer an S-class.

“T-then could it be…?”

“Yeah. They’re planning to recruit another S-class gladiator.”

Only one gladiator fit the profile: Madel, currently ranked 10th.

She was an elf gladiator owned by Horror Veresz, and since she had an owner, the transfer was relatively straightforward. Moreover, with only a year and a half left on her contract, she was constantly delaying renewal, putting Horror Veresz in a difficult position.

“Is it Madel?”

“You know your stuff. The reason she’s delaying the contract renewal seems to be that she wants to join Ancient Warriors.”

Beom-seok sighed deeply. If so, Ancient Warriors was becoming a truly formidable team.

“This is crazy. This isn’t a joke.”

“That’s not all. There are also talks of exchanging Tiela and Levia at Ancient Warriors.”

At this even more absurd news, Beom-seok turned red. “That makes no sense! Even though Levia is ranked slightly higher than Tiela, Tiela is much younger. Forest Elves is losing out big time. Besides, if Tiela goes to Ancient Warriors, Forest Elves’ home win rate will plummet. No one knows the terrain of Papiran Colosseum [Forest Elves’ home arena] as well as she does.”

“Of course, I agree, but Coach Offen [Forest Elves’ coach] seems to think it’s a good deal. You know that trades aren’t always about pure value, but about the needs of the parties involved, right?”

“Well, yes, but… this is too much.”

“But we can’t interfere. It’s good for us in the short term if they exchange Tiela and Levia.”

Julian was right. If the trade went through, both teams would be weakened. Tiela was weaker on flat ground, while Levia struggled in jungle environments. Unless they were prioritizing future potential, Ancient Warriors would never agree to this deal.

“Hmm. That’s true.”

Beom-seok nodded, lost in thought. He had thought he only needed to worry about Chaplin Whisper, but Julian’s information revealed a minefield. One wrong step, and God Knights would be stuck in mediocrity. He needed to cooperate with Julian to navigate this situation safely.

‘It seems like Julian is missing a piece of the puzzle. Should I tell him?’

Beom-seok glanced at Julian. The fact that he hadn’t mentioned Irolita suggested he hadn’t grasped Chaplin Whisper’s true intentions.

They were trying to recruit both Irolita and Bormia. If they succeeded, Ancient Warriors’ ambitions would be crushed.

Beom-seok nodded, making up his mind. They had promised to cooperate, and that meant sharing information. Julian’s intel had been more valuable than his own.

“Julian, did you know…?”

“Know what?”

“Irolita might not be going to Ancient Warriors.”

“What are you talking about? Ancient Warriors is the only team with the financial muscle to acquire Irolita right now.”

“But things don’t always go as planned. I recently learned that Chaplin Whisper is also targeting Irolita.”

Julian crossed his arms, studying Beom-seok, unsure if he was being misled.

Even wealthy teams had budget constraints. They couldn’t give their coaches and managers unlimited funds. They had to plan their acquisitions before the summer transfer market and trade gladiators accordingly. Chaplin Whisper had spent heavily last summer, leaving them with limited funds for this winter.

They could likely afford Bormia, but Irolita would be a stretch.

“Is that possible? Even Chaplin Whisper has limits?”

“I know. But recently, Chaplin Whisper secured a large loan from the banking sector, guaranteed by the Chaplin Group. I don’t know the exact amount, but it’s substantial.”

That changed everything. With the Chaplin Group’s backing, Chaplin Whisper could spend freely in this transfer market. They could definitely acquire Irolita.

Julian asked, his voice trembling, “R-really?”

“Yeah. The loan came from LHN Financial Group, and Aula [Beom-seok’s informant] is my source.”

Julian bowed his head, grabbing his forehead. He was already worried about Ancient Warriors, but now Chaplin Whisper was loading up. This winter was shaping up to be a disaster.

“Damn it. How could this happen! We were on the verge of a championship run, and now this is no joke.”

“Exactly. It’s good news that Irolita might not go to Ancient Warriors, but it’s a different story if she ends up with Chaplin Whisper.”

“Of course! Chaplin Whisper already has Amelie [a top-ranked gladiator]! Adding Bormia and Irolita to that is terrifying.”

Beom-seok glanced at Julian.

“So, what are you going to do? Are you going to back out because you’re short on cash?”

“I can’t do that. I have to get one of the S-class gladiators being traded this time.”

That was encouraging. The Dark Hyenas already had Jakid, a great gladiator, but they were still behind Ancient Warriors and Chaplin Whisper. At least Julian understood the need to invest.

“Hmph. Do you even have the money?”

“Well, that’s the problem, but I’ll have to ask my father. I can’t just give up.”

“True enough.”

Julian looked up at Beom-seok. “What about you? Are you going to pretend you don’t know me because you’re broke?”

“I can’t do that either. I have to get an S-class gladiator somehow.”

“Do you have the funds?”

“Hmm. Roughly.”

Julian narrowed his eyes. “Really? There’s no way God Knights has the money for an S-class gladiator. And the competition will be fierce, so the price will be astronomical.”

“Well, that’s true, but God Knights’ advantage is that we have no debt, and I can decide the budget as I see fit. If I push myself, I can make it happen.”

Julian’s eyes widened. He couldn’t believe a World League team had no debt. Most professional sports teams carried significant debt.

“You… you really have no debt?”

“Yeah. No debt. So I can borrow as much as I need.”

Julian smirked. If that was true, Beom-seok could also spend big this time. If he borrowed 10 billion [currency unspecified, but assumed to be a significant amount], the annual interest would be 500 to 550 million, which God Knights could afford.

“Then this will be interesting.”

“Exactly. If your team and our team each acquire an S-class gladiator, we can derail Ancient Warriors’ and Chaplin Whisper’s plans.”

Julian extended his hand for a handshake. Today they were rivals, but tomorrow they were allies. Of course, they would clash again as enemies later, but that was the nature of professional sports.

“Let’s break up here and meet separately to develop a detailed strategy. We’re both busy now.”

“Agreed. I’ll see you around. Good luck.”

Beom-seok, having parted ways with Julian, hurried to the gladiator waiting room. Preparing for the transfer market was crucial, but today’s match was even more important.

He was the chairman with the mission to make God Knights champions, but he was also a gladiator striving to be the strongest. He had to defeat Jakid today and claim the title.

============================ Author’s words ============================

It’s so hot I’m losing my mind. I wish it would rain.

Everyone, stay cool. See you tomorrow.