Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 45

“If it’s around 300,000 Crangs, I might consider taking her as a bed warmer. But I guess that’s not going to happen, right?”

Arnold and Diana simultaneously snapped their heads up. She was hoping to find an owner, and Arnold was pleased with the possibility of getting rid of the leech and securing 300,000 Crangs.

“Are you really interested in buying her? To be honest, she doesn’t know how to do anything.”

“Yes, I can tell roughly from tasting the coffee. But with her long experience as a pro gladiator, she seems useful enough as a gladiator for an amateur team. Of course, if our team is lucky enough to go pro, she’ll lose her value, but then we can switch her to a bed warmer as you said.”

Then, an unexpected sound burst from Vincent’s mouth.

“1 million Crangs! Not a penny less!”

Arnold frowned and quickly approached him, whispering in his ear.

“No, Director. What are you doing? 300,000 Crangs is more than Diana’s age group fetches at the Walker Auction Market these days. We’re already short on funds, so we need to sell her quickly while there’s interest. Who’s going to buy her at such a high price? We might as well go to the Elf Market and buy a young, fresh elf.”

“He’ll buy her. I’ve been watching him, and he seems to have a nearly expert eye for elves. Almost enough to outsmart me.”

At those words, Beom-seok sighed deeply. He thought he was getting a competent director for a cheap 300,000 Crangs, but the old director was getting in the way. Anxious for every penny, he questioned him.

“Sigh~ Why do you think that?”

“Didn’t you buy Oscar from me before? Usually, people wouldn’t even think about buying after that experience.”

“Well, yes, but isn’t it possible it was just a coincidence?”

“Coincidence? Then what about buying Erpina at the Walker Auction Market? And what about fighting with two shields? Oh, right, buying Venus. I was really surprised when I saw Venus competing. An elf who just started using shields this year showing that much skill—she had great potential for growth. If she had a little more experience, I would have asked for a simultaneous loan request this time. And Emma, the cyborg beastwoman; although she was unilaterally defeated in the match, the aura she exuded was extraordinary. And you chose all these gladiators.”

Beom-seok now recalled what Remi had said about Vincent having a good eye for elves.

In this game, opening an opponent’s system menu to check their information wasn’t a particularly special skill. Some had abilities like Erpina’s, which allowed them to gain stats by simply looking, while others, like Vincent, had developed an eye through long experience. And there were also tests that could extract accurate stats through scientific physical and intelligence exams.

That’s why Beom-seok was having a hard time recruiting useful gladiators. Most of the talented elves were being snatched up by large pro teams with scouts everywhere before they even hit the market.

“Okay, let’s say that’s true. Why do you think I would buy Diana at such a high price?”

“It’s very simple. Honestly, that Diana has a very rich leadership quality. If she becomes a director, she has the charisma and leadership to greatly strengthen the team. Of course, you can’t help but covet her, right? The reason I asked for 1 million Crangs was because I was in a position to ask for a loan [a temporary transfer of a player]. Otherwise, I would have asked for several times that amount.”

Then Arnold quickly stepped forward and argued. Even if what he said was true, it didn’t fit the context because of the relationship between sports teams and elves.

All elves had a tendency to follow men due to their manufactured purpose. Therefore, almost all pro teams invariably stipulated that the director must be a modified human male with player experience. Elves who couldn’t find an owner would follow the male director as if he were their owner, as a form of vicarious satisfaction. So, making an elf a director was absurd. There was a big flaw in what Vincent was saying.

Arnold reminded him of this point and tried to persuade him.

“Director, you know that in sports clubs, the director must be a man.”

“I know. But that guy’s team is different. He said he only brings elves with owners onto the team, so it doesn’t matter if the director is a man. In other words, if they have the ability, they can be appointed as director.”

Beom-seok let out an absurd laugh. He had nothing to say because he had pinpointed it so accurately. If he hesitated here and Diana’s transfer was canceled, he would suffer a great loss. He had no choice but to pay the 1 million Crangs.

He raised both hands above his head and replied.

“Hahaha. I completely lost. I’ll give you 1 million Crangs, so hand over Diana to me.”

“Hehe. Since you admit it so readily, I will. Arnold, Team Leader, you should prepare Diana’s transfer documents. I need to continue the main negotiations.”

Arnold, who suddenly earned 1 million Crangs, happily went to prepare the transfer documents. He still didn’t understand why Diana was being sold at that price.

Meanwhile, Diana stuck to Beom-seok’s side and fawned all over him. The Dragon Knights team gladiators often contacted Remi and knew that they would definitely find an owner if they went to the Gods Knights team. So, for them, the Gods Knights team was a dream stage beyond the Walker Auction Market.

“Beom, Beom-seok. Are you going to be my owner now?”

“Of course. I don’t use elves without owners.”

Diana, who had now received confirmation, pinched her cheek to see if this was a dream or reality. But since it hurt and she didn’t wake up, it was definitely reality. She gently leaned her head on Beom-seok’s shoulder, who would now be her owner.

On the other hand, he was in a battle of wits with Vincent. He needed to be careful in everything because he seemed to be a step above him.

“Now, let’s get back to the main negotiations. I’ll offer 2.8 million Crangs and 3.9 million Crangs for the 6-month loan of Oscar and Erpina, respectively. The appearance fee and victory fee will be 20,000 Crangs per game, and the point fee will be 5,000 Crangs.”

It was a higher amount than expected. Considering that the highest-paid player on the Dragon Knights team was receiving 11 million Crangs, it felt like they were being treated fairly. Vincent probably didn’t ignore them because they were an amateur team and evaluated their value based on their skills.

There was probably some room for negotiation, but Beom-seok decided to accept it as is. Since this transaction was in kind, the amount Vincent suggested was somewhat ambiguous. What was important to him now was not what value Oscar and Erpina were recognized for, but which gladiator he could recruit.

“Hmm. It’s not bad, but isn’t it useless since it’s a barter? The question is which gladiator will be up for trade.”

“Hehe. I guess so. Then take a look at this document.”

Beom-seok took the document and examined it in detail. It contained a total of 7 gladiators, all of whom were elves who could play as starters on any Area League team. Most of them were as skilled as Remi, and some had average stats close to the late 60s. To classify these gladiators as out of the power was indeed the Dragon Knights team.

Beom-seok folded the document and stood up. He couldn’t choose a gladiator based solely on the data presented by the opposing team.

“I have to see them first. I’m a bit superficial. Hahaha. I also want to see them in action.”

“Well, sure. You can’t recruit a gladiator without seeing their face. Let’s go. They should all be at the health training center by now.”

As Beom-seok and Vincent left, Diana followed closely behind. Arnold, who was embarrassed to be alone, stopped filling out the documents and chased after them.

The group left the office building and found the training camp located on the right, entering the health training center. It was a place where affiliated gladiators honed their basic physical strength, with rows of treadmills and bench presses. Beom-seok looked at the elves sweating in their training clothes. There were about 20 people, and according to the information, they seemed to be second-string gladiators.

‘Oh. They’re all in good shape. They are elves after all.’

One elf running on the treadmill briefly made eye contact with him, then increased her speed by one level and sprinted faster. Starting with her, other elves showed enthusiasm for training and accelerated their physical training. They had heard rumors that the Gods Knights team was coming to recruit gladiators today. If they were chosen, they could gain an owner, so they had to be desperate.

Thanks to this, one elf caught Beom-seok’s eye. She had fiery red hair and was calmly lifting weights on the bench press without being swept away by the atmosphere.

‘Hehe. Look at this one. She must have something. An elf dares to pretend to be indifferent after seeing me?’

Beom-seok approached her to take a closer look.

Clean, soft, snow-white skin. And lips the color of freshly picked ripe plums. She was tall for an elf, about 170 cm, and her body, visible through her tight training clothes, was a complete work of art.

Satisfied with her appearance, he casually opened Erica’s information window.

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Name: Erica.

Classification: Elf (27 years).

Affiliation: Dragon Knights GC.

Fame: 810.

Infamy: 0.

H Experience: None.

Stamina: 7000/7000.

Social Skills: 60, Strength: 71, Stamina: 70.

Agility: 71, Balance: 72, Intelligence: 73.

Mental Strength: 72. Judgment: 87, Skill: 69.

Luck: 60.

Current Skill/Potential: 705/736.

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Specialty: Master of Team Analysis.

Special Notes: Transferred from Blue Wyverns GC team to Dragon Knights GC team 8 years ago. She has been active as a starter since then, but due to the recruitment of excellent gladiators and gradually declining physical abilities, she has been relegated to the second team after being a reserve. Her main position is midfielder, specializing in two-handed swords.

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‘Hmm. Not bad at all.’

She was 27 years old, slightly past her prime, but she could be called a mature gladiator. Her physical condition was roughly at the level of a starter or reserve player on a Wide League team, and her other stats were decent. And her judgment was 87, so she seemed capable of playing a big role when unexpected situations occurred during a match.

‘Besides, her specialty is a master of team analysis…….’

‘Master of Team Analysis’ is the ability to comprehensively evaluate the power of a designated team, providing very useful information such as the strengths and weaknesses of the opposing team, the parts to be targeted, the unity and loyalty of the gladiators, and the extent of injuries. It seemed like it would be a great help to appoint her as an opposing team power analyst after retirement.

‘Not bad at all. I’d love to buy her if I had a lot of money…….’

Currently, Beom-seok’s gladiator recruitment policy was to target young elves with excellent potential or veteran elves who could be used after retirement. Their price was low, and they would contribute greatly to the team immediately or in the distant future, so they were the most efficient recruitment targets for the Gods Knights, who were staying in the amateur league. Naturally, Erica was included in that range, so he couldn’t help but be tempted.

The problem was that gladiators of this level were worth at least late 10 million Crangs to early 20 million Crangs. Even with the loan fee included, it would be difficult for Beom-seok to buy her.

At that moment, Arnold approached Beom-seok from behind and said a word.

“Are you interested in Erica? She hasn’t been classified as out of the power [not available for trade] yet, but if you add about 5 to 6 million Crangs to the loan amount, we might be able to sell her.”

In an instant, Beom-seok and Vincent’s gazes turned to him at the same time. One was a warm gaze looking at a sucker, and the other was a sharp gaze looking at a lifelong burden.