Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 413

415

“Mr. Beomseok. Good to see you.”

“Mr. Beomseok. It’s been a long time.”

Beomseok bowed politely to Vice Chairman Lewis.

“Welcome. Please, have a seat.”

“Alright.”

Vice Chairman Lewis and Daisy sat in the seats opposite him. Beomseok looked around and spoke first. The open space wasn’t ideal for a serious conversation.

“This isn’t the best place for a serious conversation, is it?”

“Heh heh. That’s exactly why we’re here.”

“Pardon?”

“This teahouse may be old, but it’s perfect for important conversations. It’s better to be in a place with no people around than in a closed room.”

Beomseok confirmed again that they were the only customers and nodded. It was definitely better to have no eavesdroppers than to try and block them.

“Hmm. That’s true. But isn’t there a chance other customers might come in?”

“No, not at all. It’s in a remote location, so customers rarely come. And when members of our fraternity [a close-knit group or association], including myself, are here, we ensure no other customers enter.”

“Then, could this place be…?”

“That’s right. This teahouse is one of the secret meeting places for our fraternity. And I cover all the operating expenses.”

Beomseok nodded in understanding. It was unlikely that customers would frequent such a run-down cafe. Without financial support, it would have closed long ago.

“I see.”

“Then, let’s get to the point. What brings you here this time?”

Beomseok studied his expression and cautiously began.

“I think you probably already know, Vice Chairman. It’s about the gladiator world.”

“Could it be about Devil Spritz?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Then I know all about it.”

“Then this will be easier. What action will Real Heroes take in response to this situation? You’re not just going to ignore it, are you?”

Lewis chuckled and replied.

“Heh heh. Of course not. If we miss this opportunity, our Real Heroes team will definitely fall out of the top ranks. We need to come up with some countermeasures.”

“So, there’s a gladiator you’re targeting.”

“Of course. But you’re not asking me to reveal their name, are you?”

Beomseok immediately waved his hand. He didn’t need Real Heroes’ inside information.

“No, I’m not. I just wanted to meet you because I had a few things to say.”

“Is that so? Tell me what’s on your mind.”

“The competition for Irolita will be very fierce this time.”

It was such an obvious statement that Vice Chairman Lewis nodded without any change in expression. Irolita was a gladiator who reached S3 rank at the age of 19.

Based on her growth potential, the gladiator world cautiously predicted that she might become an S2-ranked gladiator, following in Prisika’s footsteps. And she was up for sale in this transfer market. It seemed clear that all the top teams would do anything to sign her.

“That’s right. But what does that have to do with me? We have no intention of signing Irolita. Well, we might test the waters.”

Beomseok had a faint smile on his lips. In fact, if he just raised the price a little, it would be enough to pit Ancient Warriors and Chaplin Whisper against each other.

Since they were both wealthy, a bidding war was inevitable. The problem was Bormia.

There weren’t many competitors, so there was a high probability that she would go to Chaplin Whisper as is. He hoped that Real Heroes would join the bidding.

“So, you mean you’re going to focus on signing Bormia.”

“No. Not that kid either.”

Beomseok’s expression stiffened for a moment. The fact that they weren’t aiming for Bormia meant that their goals overlapped with his.

“Th-then, are you aiming for Lacamina Madel?”

“No. Not at all. Those kids are also of no interest to us.”

Then the only gladiator left was Prisika. But she was currently experiencing mental problems, so Real Heroes couldn’t take her.

“I don’t understand this. Is Real Heroes giving up on this transfer market where a lot of S-class gladiators are available?”

“That’s not true. Didn’t I just say that we are taking our own measures?”

“What measures are you talking about while passing up all the S-class gladiators that will come on the market?”

Lewis calmly stared at him and said quietly.

“It seems you can’t see the forest for the trees [miss the bigger picture].”

“What does that mean?”

“It’s very simple. The financial problems of the Devil Spritz team cannot be solved by selling Bormia and Irolita. They have to sell some other top-ranked gladiators to avoid the current crisis. It is likely that some good gladiators will come on the market. It is likely to be Hilde or Ilias. But these people are relatively less spotlighted in this transfer market, so their value will not be very high.”

Hilde and Ilias were powerhouses ranked 15th and 16th in the world gladiator rankings. Considering that gladiators in the top 20 are not much different from lower-ranked S-class gladiators, signing these two would definitely be a great help to the Real Heroes team.

However, the gladiators who are attracting attention in this transfer market are S-class gladiators. She, whose reputation is lower than her skills, was likely to be relatively overlooked. Perhaps, in terms of power versus price, it would be much more profitable to sign Hilde and Ilias.

“Th-that’s right.”

“Here’s another thing. Some World League teams are secretly putting W0-class gladiators on the market to raise funds to buy the S-class gladiators that will be released this time. If we bring this kid, our team will be transformed into a truly fantastic team. Hehehe.”

Beomseok looked at Lewis with fearful eyes. He was trying to maximize his gains through this chaotic transfer market.

Currently, Real Heroes only has one S-class gladiator, Eurine, but their W0-class gladiators were powerful. They had a total of 8 W0-class gladiators, including Asura, ranked 13th in the world gladiator rankings, Celia, ranked 19th, Ethel, ranked 21st, Balea, ranked 24th, Lelli, ranked 25th, Dilia, ranked 29th, Biasis, ranked 31st, and Masis, ranked 40th.

This was two more than Ancient Warriors and Forest Elves, which had 6 W0-class gladiators. And they were trying to add a few more W0-class gladiators here. If they signed just three more here, Real Heroes could build their main force with only W0-class or higher gladiators.

“Th-this is a big deal.”

“Hehehe. It’s not a big deal. I’m just acting according to my usual theory. Beomseok, I’m giving you advice because it’s you, but gladiator matches are never won alone. No matter how outstanding an S-class gladiator is, if the gladiator supporting them is not excellent, the team cannot win. You, who manage God’s Knights, know that better.”

Beomseok sighed deeply and nodded calmly. This season, he had tried his best, but God’s Knights barely managed to finish in a tie for 5th place this year. It was all because the surrounding gladiators couldn’t support him. Naturally, Vice Chairman Lewis’s words resonated with him.

“Yes. Vice Chairman, you are right.”

“Hehehe. Really? I’m glad you understand. Then, God’s Knights are giving up on signing an S-class gladiator?”

Beomseok stared at him blankly and shook his head.

“No. I intend to participate in the S-class gladiator recruitment this time.”

“What are you talking about? You said you understood what I meant?”

“Yes. Of course.”

“Then why?”

“I already knew what you said. In fact, many of our team’s gladiators are children who will grow into W0-class or higher gladiators in the future. In other words, the overall power of God’s Knights will greatly increase over time.

The gladiator I need now is a veteran and skilled gladiator who can teach and be a role model for promising players. Then the growth of promising players will be faster, and the path for God’s Knights to become the strongest team will be shorter.”

Vice Chairman Lewis, who had been staring at him blankly for a while, burst into hearty laughter. He was worried that he was too obsessed with S-class gladiators, but when he looked into it, he had already completed all the preparations.

“Hahaha. Are the promising players you have that great?”

“Yes. They are children who have been carefully scouted and selected. It’s unfortunate for the vice chairman, but you can expect great things from them.”

Beomseok is Sheila’s lover. For Lewis, there was nothing unfortunate about it. He was worried that his daughter was too reckless and would not be able to lead his faction well in the future, but if she was with him, she would be able to manage the current forces well enough. If God’s Knights became stronger, he would naturally welcome it.

“Hahaha. Is that so? I was wrong about you. Then I won’t try to persuade you anymore.”

“Hehehe. Yes.”

Lewis looked at him with a warm smile and said.

“By the way, how has our Sheila been doing lately?”

“She’s doing very well. Judging from the fact that her skills have improved enough to become a W0-class gladiator, she doesn’t seem to be dwelling on the past.”

“Really? That’s a relief. I should thank you.”

“Hoo? Then are you selling Eurine to us? That would be enough as a sign of gratitude.”

Lewis immediately shouted. Eurine was the main gladiator of Real Heroes. He would rather kick Sheila out of the family register than sell her.

“Tsk! Does that make sense? How can I sell Eurine to your team?”

“Why? Didn’t you say that S-class gladiators are only expensive and not very practical?”

“That’s what I mean. There’s a reason why S-class gladiators are expensive: fans’ expectations and affection. That’s directly related to the team’s income. If I sell Eurine to your team without a good reason, I’ll be bombarded with eggs by fans for the rest of my life.”

“Tsk. That’s true. The reason why Irolita and Bormia came on the market this time was because the Devil Spritz team was experiencing extreme financial problems, and Madel and Lacamina wanted to earn money and the honor of winning, so they left on their own.”

“Do you know that well and still say that?”

Beomseok smiled awkwardly. He tried to test the waters, but it didn’t work.

“Hahaha. I’m kidding. I’m kidding. How dare I aim for Eurine?”

“Don’t ever make such jokes again. It’s a headache if our Eurine becomes like Prisika after hearing it.”

“Yes, yes. I understand.”

Lewis, who let out a big fake cough, relaxed his expression and looked at Beomseok.

“By the way, how is the Black Society situation going lately?”

“The Black Society?”

“Yes. I know roughly from the media, but I want to know the details.”

It was very simple to explain. The Black Society was now on the verge of collapse.

Chaplin Group released huge amounts of funds and bonds to bankrupt Zeta Investment & Securities, and was also attempting full-scale M&A [mergers and acquisitions] of Mering Pharmaceuticals, Midray Semiconductor, Chaos Distribution, and Roland Motors. In addition, some Black Society groups who sensed defeat were surrendering one after another and promising to leave the organization, so things seemed to be going more smoothly.

“You know that Zeta Investment & Securities, one of the main companies of the Black Society, has entered court receivership [a form of bankruptcy protection], right?”

“That’s right. I heard it from that Chaplin guy.”

“Thanks to that, it has become much easier for us to strike the Black Society.”

“Why?”

“Zeta Investment & Securities bought a lot of shares of Black Society companies through the fund money deposited by customers. This was all released to the market at once, so the stock price had no choice but to plummet, and thanks to that, most of it could be cheaply acquired by the Economic Organizations.”

“That’s right. That Chaplin guy really hit the jackpot. No wonder he contacted me before and bragged so much that I was disgusted.”

Beomseok smiled.

“Hehehe. He deserves it. Thanks to the Chaplin Group, the situation has definitely tilted in our favor. If our Ilsimhoe acquires WBS Broadcasting here, the collapse of the Black Society is now a matter of time. Their hands and feet will be cut off and their body will be shattered.”

Lewis’s eyes widened. WBS was a huge major broadcasting station. It wasn’t a size that could be easily acquired.

“Is it true that Ilsimhoe is acquiring WBS Broadcasting?”

“Yes. We will start working on it soon.”

“Funds?”

“Funds are sufficient. Well, if it’s still not enough, we can collect some from Ilsimhoe members. Members have been very cooperative lately, so a lot of funds will come in.”

“That’s a relief. Anyway, if you’re short of funds, tell me. I can buy some shares too.”

“Then I’m grateful. Then I’ll definitely ask you if I need it later.”

Lewis had a relieved expression, as if a tooth he had been suffering from had fallen out. He had expressed anger at Sheila’s incident, but he could not dare to fight head-on with the Black Society’s powerful power. But his future son-in-law was not only taking revenge, but also completely destroying the Black Society.

He could now go to bed with a peaceful mind.

But on the one hand, he was also worried. Beomseok was the number one contributor to defeating the Black Society. Some members of the organization might try to harm him out of spite.

“But Beomseok, please be careful for now. There was an assassination attempt last time, and I don’t know what those guys will do.”

“Yes. Don’t worry. I’m not someone who will ever be defeated.”

“Hmm. Then I’ll rest assured.”

But Beomseok was a little worried about one person. It was Teresa. Because she was so deep and vicious, she could be in danger. But since he was well aware of her danger, he thought that nothing big would happen.

============================ Author’s Note ============================

Today, I decided to change the atmosphere of the new work I was writing. Thanks to that, I blew away a volume and a half of what I had written so far, but I don’t regret it.

Because I have to create a good work. Perhaps in the case of this new work, readers may doubt whether my writing is correct. The writing style, story, atmosphere, and character settings have all changed completely. And I’m not sure if I can promise to post one episode a day.

No, I don’t even know if I can finish it. What is certain is that I can’t expect popularity. Because it’s such a rare and unpopular atmosphere. But I decided to try it once.

There is a story that I have been refining the settings and story for nearly 6 years, and I must go through this stage to properly express it. If I can’t write the new work I’m going to write in the future at a high level, I can never write that article.

Hahaha.

Then everyone have a good day and I will see you again tomorrow.