Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 481

“Seriously? Where do you get all that money? Did you win the lottery or something?”

Bumseok smirked and looked at him.

“Hehe. How did you know? Actually, one of my elves, Renka, handed me a winning lottery ticket last week. It’s a shared win, so it’s only 4.5 billion, but it helps a lot.”

“R, really?”

“Yeah. Want me to show you the tax documents or something?”

Julian stomped his feet, feeling wronged. Some guys just get lucky no matter what; even if they fall on their backs, they’ll break their nose on a gold nugget. Bumseok was exactly that type.

“Damn it! Why is the world so unfair!”

Bumseok stared at him intently. That was what he wanted to say.

“I don’t think you, the heir to the Hyena Group, should be saying that in front of me, right? You basically won a huge lottery just by being born, didn’t you?”

Well, he did. Julian had lived comfortably thanks to his well-off parents, and he would continue to do so.

“Ugh. Do you always have to say things like that? Fine. I was born into a good family. So what?”

“So, don’t be too upset. Hehe.”

“Tch. Fine, you’re so great.”

Bumseok subtly examined the other elves, then asked him a question.

“By the way, did you come here to recruit Prisca too?”

“Well, yeah. If we recruit her, we can aim for the championship next year.”

“But give up. There’s no need for us to shed blood unnecessarily. She’s going to end up with me anyway.”

Julian pouted. He certainly lacked the financial power. Bumseok had twice the amount of cash he had prepared. And with the possibility of taking out loans, the difference was even greater.

But he couldn’t just give up. In fact, it was difficult to spend more than he had prepared on Prisca.

“Well, if you pour all your money into it, maybe. But I don’t think you can go beyond what I’ve prepared.”

“Oh, really? Julian, you’re amazing. You’ve prepared 32 billion Krang [Krang is the fictional currency] to buy her?”

“All 32 billion? Are you made of money! How can you pour that much money into buying Prisca!”

Julian’s scream made the surrounding people glance over. Most of them were prominent figures interested in Prisca. They had plenty of money too, but they weren’t willing to spend that much on Prisca.

Seeing this as a good opportunity, Bumseok raised his voice so that everyone in the room could hear.

“Why can’t I spend 32 billion on Prisca?”

“Well, you know? Prisca can only be active for an average of 5-6 years. Considering that a gladiator of her caliber earns close to 250-300 million Krang a year, the maximum amount of money you can make is only 1.8 billion. No matter how famous she is, her auction price is only 6-7 billion at most. How can you invest that much money!”

Bumseok slowly approached and patted Julian on the shoulder.

“Hehe. You still don’t know the world. The price of an item is sometimes determined by the value of the goods, but it’s also determined by the buyer’s needs. For example, the reason why things are more expensive at a 24-hour convenience store than at a supermarket is exactly that. It’s the same this time. I believe she’s worth that much, so I’m pouring money into it.”

“What value are you talking about?”

“If we recruit her, God Knights might win the upcoming new season.”

“Well, that’s true, but so what?”

“I think God Knights’ world domination is more important than that money. Because I’m a sportsman, not a businessman. Honestly, if I wanted to make money, I wouldn’t have created a gladiator team; I would have run a company.”

Julian blinked blankly. He couldn’t think of anything to say to refute that. It was his money to spend as he pleased, and he had no right to interfere.

“Sigh~ Fine, you’re so great. Win the league and live happily ever after with the trophy!”

“Hehe. I will anyway.”

Bumseok whistled and examined the next elf. Seeing the people around him looking dejected after hearing his words, he had a good feeling.

‘Well, they wouldn’t invest 32 billion Krang.’

Elven athletes sold here are auction items, but unlike other jewels and artworks, they have no property value. Of course, having them by your side is something to brag about, but no one would pour 32 billion into it for that reason.

Of course, there might be cases where someone gets heated up during the auction and follows along, but once that huge amount is known, things will change. Since he already knows, they will give up as soon as he starts bidding.

After examining all the elves, Bumseok called Theresa with a nonchalant expression. There wasn’t a single worthwhile one.

“Theresa, I’ve looked at them all. Let’s go down.”

He immediately went down to the underground conference room with Theresa, arm in arm. The only problem was that Julian was following them without a clue, but he didn’t care. He was a competitor to buy Prisca, so it was better to keep him close. If he tried to play any tricks, he could threaten him right away.

“Okay. Let’s go to the front.”

There was still plenty of time left, so there weren’t many people in the auction hall. Bumseok calmly took a seat in the front row and waited for the auction to begin. About 30 minutes later, the empty auction hall was swarming with visitors. Then, as if the auction was about to begin, the host came out onto the stage and began to shout to everyone.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for participating in today’s auction. As you all know, there is a special item waiting for you in the gladiator section today.

It’s Prisca, who was the best gladiator in the world until recently. Now, we will start the auction, so please give us a lot of support.

Now! The first item to come out is Dwara, who has been active as a professional baseball World League star for 30 years. Please come out!”

With the announcement, an elf with red hair wearing catcher’s gear came out onto the stage. She was a key player in the mid-tier World League baseball team called Gilliam Balls, and the venue was somewhat agitated because of her recognition.

“Hello. I’m Dwara. Please take care of me.”

She threw the autographed ball she was holding towards the auction participants nearby. It was a direct indication that she wanted them to buy her. If she could only be sold today, she would get an owner, so she had no choice but to use every method possible.

A gentleman in his 30s who received the baseball seemed to like it, and he took out his electronic notebook and connected it to the cable in his seat. It was an expression of his intention to participate in the auction.

“Okay. Then let’s start. Dwara’s starting price is 400 million Krang.”

Immediately, a dinging sound rang out, and a hologram screen unfolded on the stage with 400 million Krang and the number 18 clearly marked. It was the gentleman who had just received the autographed ball.

Soon, participant number 192 offered 430 million Krang, and the competition began, and before long, Dwara’s price soared to 610 million Krang. But it seemed impossible to go any higher, and participant number 192 shook his head. It was a little difficult to call out any more than that.

There were many other children anyway, so there was no need to overdo it yet.

“Okay! Is there anyone else? Then I’ll count down for just 10 seconds. 10, 9, 8……, 2, 1. Zero! Congratulations! Customer at table number 18 has purchased Dwara!”

Dwara was so happy that she immediately went down and hugged the gentleman at table number 18 tightly. He was the owner she had been waiting for for 30 years.

Bumseok smiled and slowly closed his eyes. Auctions were fun to watch, but seeing the pretty elves made him feel weak.

If he pressed the button because he was attracted to their appearance, hundreds of millions of Krang or more could fly away, so it was better to turn his attention away. Prisca was the main item, so she would come out at the very end, which was the climax, so there was still a long way to go.

During the auction, Bumseok did nothing but fold his arms.

“Okay. Thank you for waiting. The last order is Prisca, the biggest item today! She is a gladiator who needs no explanation, so I won’t say anything about her. Of course, there may be some people who don’t know her, but please don’t participate. Those who don’t know her true value will never be able to buy her.”

Prior to Prisca’s entrance, the host was provoking the auction participants. It may seem arrogant, but it was a business tactic. They were all rich people, so if you scratched their pride, the participation fever would increase.

He looked around with an intimidating look, then stretched out both hands towards the stage and called out Prisca’s name.

“Ms. Prisca! Please come out!”

Soon, the lights in the room went out, and a searchlight shone on the entrance to the waiting room. And with the sound of majestic music, Prisca walked out with a confident posture. It was a stage effect that had never been seen before, and it showed how much the organizers expected of her.

She showed off her sword skills to announce herself, then stood in the center of the stage. Then, she looked at Bumseok, who was in front of her, and gave him a very friendly smile. She knew that he was the one who would be her master.

“Hello. I’m Prisca. If you buy me today, you will never regret it.”

The host, with a lively expression, shouted to the audience.

“Okay. What a confident comment! If you miss today, you will regret it greatly. Now, let’s start the auction. Prisca’s starting price is 4.2 billion Krang.”

In the silence, one counter went up. It was Julian, sitting in seat number 9.

He had heard Bumseok’s threat, but he made an offer just in case. Soon, table number 287 was written on the screen, and the amount rose to 4.5 billion Krang.

Even though a huge amount of 300 million Krang jumped at once, table number 114 offered 4.6 billion Krang as if it was not a burden at all. Following this, table number 213 offered 4.8 billion, and then table number 287 raised Prisca’s transaction price to 5 billion Krang again.

At that time, Julian slyly put his hand on the button and looked at Bumseok, who was sitting next to him.

“Hey. Aren’t you going to do it? You said you were going to buy Prisca?”

“Why are you going in already? I’ll join when everyone else drops out. I’m too proud to stick with useless guys.”

Julian sighed and gently put his hand down. He was intimidated by the confidence on Bumseok’s face. If he didn’t want to be a useless guy, it was better to drop out at this point.

“Oh! Customer number 213! You have offered 5.1 billion Krang. That’s amazing.”

As soon as the host’s words came out, 5.2 billion Krang came out from table number 52. The auction participant was watching the screen with a very nervous look, and when the transaction price jumped to 5.5 billion Krang again, he immediately lowered his head.

Seeing this, Theresa giggled.

“Hahaha. Mr. Bumseok. I guess that person sat at number 52 to offer only 5.2 billion Krang. What a great decision.”

“Hehe. Well, there are often people who ruin themselves in auctions like this. Maybe he got burned before by recklessly bidding without a plan.”

It was a story that may or may not be true, but Bumseok agreed with Theresa’s words and made a joke. Friendly conversation was a shortcut to raising favorability. But soon his laughter ended. The transaction price did not rise any further.

“Okay! Is there anyone else? Then I’ll count down for just 10 seconds. 10, 9, 8……”

At that moment, Prisca’s price rose to 6 billion Krang along with the number 8 table display. This time, Bumseok bid.

Then, the host’s lively voice burst out loudly and echoed through the auction hall. It was because Bumseok’s offer had reached the selling price desired by the organizers.

“Okay! 6 billion Krang has been offered. Is there anyone else now!”

At this time, 6.5 billion Krang was offered from table number 422 far away. The sudden increase of 500 million Krang was enough to make Bumseok nervous. Although he had 12 billion Krang, he was now burdened.

‘Who the hell is it? He’s quite confident. But I can’t lose.’

Bumseok immediately called out 7 billion Krang. It was a lot of money, but it was still an amount he could offer. However, the transaction price of Prisca soon increased to 8 billion.

This time too, it was table number 422. Bumseok, who was embarrassed, glanced at Theresa. He suspected that she might have used someone to play a trick. But soon he shook his head.

Although the auction participants are displayed by table on the screen, there was a pre-assigned invitation number inside. Unlike the local Walker Auction Market, this place requires permission to participate because a lot of money is exchanged, and this number can only be assigned if you apply at least one month in advance.

Of course, it was impossible for her to set up a job.

Bumseok raised the transaction price to 8.5 billion Krang again and stared at the screen. From now on, he was under a lot of pressure.

“8, 8.5 billion Krang has been offered. Is there, is there anyone else!”

The host’s voice was trembling, and the audience was silent. They watched the situation with bated breath at the nerve-wracking money fight. This was because the highest amount in the history of the World Walker Auction Market might be coming out soon.

And soon they opened their mouths wide and all stood up and looked back. It was because a whopping 10 billion Krang had been offered.

“Who the hell is it? Who is going to buy Prisca for 10 billion Krang? Was there another crazy bastard?”

The main character was none other than a young woman. She was sitting with a child in front of her, and she was even sending out the composure to laugh and joke with the woman next to her.

Unless you are very bold, you can’t do that. 10 billion Krang is an amount that can acquire a medium-sized company as a whole, so even a rich person can’t offer it recklessly.

Moreover, she was a woman, so her desire to buy Prisca would be even lower. No, in fact, I was even curious as to why she came here.

============================ Work Review ============================

Ah, I think I drank too much yesterday. My stomach still hurts. Cough. Ah, I really need to refrain from now on.

Then everyone, please take care. I’ll see you again tomorrow.