Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 61

“But, if we don’t raise funds through crowdfunding, won’t we be unable to advance to the pro level? There will be many expenses once we go pro.”

“But if we have the funds, there’s no need to crowdfund, is there?”

James immediately expressed extreme interest at those words.

“So, you’re saying you have enough funds to meet the conditions set by the Pro Association?”

Bumseok pondered deeply and nodded. He recognized the shortcomings, but he thought that if he leveraged his current stock holdings and secured bank loans using them as collateral, he might be able to manage.

“Well, it will be difficult, but if I get a significant loan from the bank, I think I can somehow manage.”

“Ah. About how much funding are you planning to use to go pro?”

“Hmm. I’m expecting about 200 million Krang [fictional currency].”

James’ eyes flashed for a moment. He immediately took out his electronic notepad, turned on the screen, and displayed a bird’s-eye view of a facility. Several buildings were nestled amidst mountains and valleys, with crowds of young people milling about on the roads between them.

He presented the holographic image to Bumseok and began to speak.

“Here. Please take a look at this bird’s-eye view.”

“Yes, I’m looking. And?”

“Yes. This screen shows a three-dimensional bird’s-eye view of the youth training camp, the latest facility that Zeus Construction was developing on a mountaintop. The site covers 70,000 square meters, surrounded by green forests, offering excellent views. Moreover, there’s a valley with clear water flowing just a 10-minute walk down, making it perfect for cooling off and relaxing in the summer.”

Bumseok frowned and looked at him. All of that was fine, but he didn’t understand what a youth training camp had to do with him.

“James, I don’t understand what you’re talking about. What do you want?”

“Simply put, I’m saying you should buy it.”

“Buy it? Why would I buy a youth training camp?”

“Because the administrative district of this deserted island is Rima City. In other words, you can change its purpose and use it as the training camp for the Gods Knights team.”

Bumseok looked at the bird’s-eye view with interest. After all, a training camp was one of the essential requirements for a pro team set by the Pro Association, and it was a facility that the Gods Knights desperately needed right now. He wanted to avoid having training sessions interrupted by rain or snow from now on.

Scanning the screen in detail, he muttered.

“Hmm. But aren’t there too many dormitory buildings? It looks like it can accommodate at least a thousand people. Our team doesn’t have that many gladiators, and most of them commute. I’m worried that the price will only go up because of the buildings.”

“Don’t worry about that. It’s just a picture in the bird’s-eye view; the reality is different. Only the groundwork and drainage facilities have been completed. The buildings haven’t been constructed yet, so you can change the purpose as you wish.”

That seemed plausible. Having understood, he moved on to the next question.

“Then what about the electrical and water supply facilities? It won’t be easy in the mountains.”

“Don’t worry about that either. There’s a large nuclear fusion power plant nearby, so you don’t have to worry about electricity. The water and sewage systems are complete, and there’s even a pump facility to draw groundwater. All that’s left is to build the buildings.”

“Oh, really? But can we build a gladiatorial training arena? The terrain is quite sloped since it’s in the mountains, isn’t it?”

“That’s not a problem either. The area around the youth training camp is a plateau 350 meters above sea level, so you can set up to five training arenas if you want.”

Bumseok crossed his arms and looked at James with a meaningful gaze. There were no worrying issues in terms of terrain, but one significant problem remained.

“Even though it’s in the mountains, 70,000 square meters is quite large. But I doubt I have the ability to purchase it. As you know, I can’t spend all my funds on just setting up a training camp.”

“That’s why I’m recommending it to you. The price is very low.”

“The price is low?”

“Yes.”

James began to explain the situation.

In fact, after the economic crisis, all construction companies were struggling, and Zeus Construction was no exception. The economy was difficult, so the general public’s desire to purchase real estate was quite low, and banks were reluctant to lend to construction companies that were severely affected by the economic crisis.

So, in order for the company to survive, it had to attract funds somehow, and the best way to do that was to sell off non-performing assets and turn them into cash. It was an unexpected way to secure funds, and it was a win-win situation because it reduced the tax burden by reducing assets. And most of the construction companies’ non-performing assets were expensive land or buildings. Unlike manufacturing, they couldn’t depreciate assets to reduce the tax burden, so it was more profitable to sell them off cheaply.

However, it was not easy to find a buyer who could purchase such a property in the current situation. Therefore, Zeus Construction had no choice but to mobilize all of its internal human resources to find a buyer.

After listening to the whole story, Bumseok took a sip of the coffee that the employee had brought and said to him.

“Really? So, what’s the price?”

“Well, it depends on the scale of the training camp you want to build.”

Bumseok nodded, understanding. The larger the scale, the more materials and labor would be required, so the price would inevitably change.

Without needing to think much, he immediately replied.

“Build it with the minimum training camp facilities required by the Area Pro Gladiator League. It’s on the association’s website, so you can check it out.”

James opened the Pro Association’s website and checked.

Dormitories and a cafeteria for 60 people, as well as a medical room, fitness room, training equipment room, office, security room. An indoor gymnasium that can comfortably accommodate 100 people for training. And a training arena that meets professional standards, as well as nighttime lighting facilities, etc….

After completing all the searches, he sent the information to the headquarters sales team and design team. He was just a section chief in the planning department and knew nothing about architecture. The company’s situation was not good, so he was actively involved in sales, but he couldn’t give detailed answers because it wasn’t his job.

“Please wait a moment. I’ve forwarded the requirements to the relevant people at headquarters, so they’ll let you know the approximate estimated price soon.”

“Ah. Yes, I understand.”

While he was sipping coffee for a long time, the received message icon lit up, indicating that he had received a reply. James quickly clicked on it with his index finger to check the contents and then opened his mouth.

“Bumseok, the design team contacted me, and they said that they need to finish the design to know the exact price, but it will cost about 110 million Krang.”

As soon as those words came out, Bumseok showed a look of disapproval. It was cheap compared to the land area, but he couldn’t invest 110 million Krang in just setting up a training camp. Setting up a training camp wasn’t the only requirement for a pro team.

“Haa~ That’s going to be difficult. I can’t raise that much money right now, and I can’t invest that much in a training camp.”

“Is that so? Then how much would you be able to pay?”

“I’m planning to spend a maximum of 80 million Krang on purchasing the training camp.”

James looked troubled. 110 million Krang was already the lowest possible price after cutting it down as much as possible. Even though he was an amateur in sales and design, he knew that cutting 30 million Krang was very difficult. Still, you never know, so he contacted the headquarters and had a long, in-depth conversation with the design team and sales team.

And then he looked at Bumseok with an awkward expression.

“Bumseok, I think we’ll have to postpone the negotiations for a while.”

“Why? Are they saying it’s difficult?”

“No, it’s not that. Our headquarters sales manager is coming here right now.”

“The sales manager? Then isn’t that an executive at the director level or higher? Why is someone like that coming here?”

In fact, his question itself was wrong. A construction project of about 110 million Krang was not like buying an ice cream from a corner store, and it didn’t make sense for a planning team section chief, not a sales department employee, to handle it. Even if it wasn’t a time like this, it was right for a high-ranking official from the relevant department to come and negotiate once the buyer expressed a desire to purchase.

After explaining, James said as if asking for understanding.

“The manager said he’ll be here in about 30 minutes. Is that okay with you?”

Bumseok checked the time. It was 3:30 PM. It didn’t seem like there would be a problem if he waited 30 minutes.

“Well, yes. I can wait 30 minutes.”

“Yes, thank you.”

In the end, they refilled their coffee and spent another period of waiting. And when the minute hand pointed to 12, the cafe door opened and a man in his early 50s, wearing a suit, rushed in. His sharp eyes and dark skin stood out, and after briefly scanning the surroundings, he spotted James and approached.

“Section Chief James, you’ve worked hard. So, who is the buyer?”

James pointed to Bumseok and said.

“This is the person.”

The sales manager looked at him for a moment and tilted his head. His impression was too young to be making a contract of this size. However, in this era, you couldn’t just ignore someone because they looked young. There were many capitalists who maintained their youth through body modification.

He reached out his hand and introduced himself with a greeting.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Garcia, the sales manager of Zeus Construction.”

Shaking hands, Bumseok said.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Oh Bumseok, the chairman of Gods Knights.”

Garcia’s eyes widened as he suddenly recognized him. As a fan of gladiator matches, there was no way he wouldn’t know the Gods Knights team, which was based in Rima City and had recently gained fame. And he also knew that the chairman of this team had skills equivalent to a starter in the Central League, as he had read an expert’s column in the sports newspaper.

So, he had been supporting the Gods Knights team recently. Before that, he had supported the Great Hyenas team, but he had been greatly disappointed by the various scandals and switched without hesitation. He couldn’t bear to watch them indiscriminately sell their team’s gladiators and assets in order to send funds to teams in other regional cities.

“Ah. So, the training camp that will be built this time will be the training camp for the Gods Knights team?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Garcia flashed a bright smile. He felt proud that Zeus Construction might be building the training camp for the Gods Knights team, which he supported. But he never revealed the fact that he was a fan to the outside world. Supporting a team was one thing, and business was another. He couldn’t reveal the facts and disrupt the negotiations.

He ordered tea from the employee and sat down right in front of Bumseok to start the conversation.

“I heard from my subordinates that there’s a big difference between the amount we’re offering and the amount you’re offering. About 30 million Krang.”

“Yes, that’s right. So, I’m quite troubled right now.”

“You offered up to 80 million Krang, but is it really impossible to go any higher?”

“Yes, it’s impossible. If it goes over 80 million Krang, I’ll have no choice but to look for another training camp.”

“Then, would you consider simplifying the buildings and facilities you requested?”

“It’s impossible. The content I presented is the minimum requirement for a training camp as defined by the Pro League.”

Garcia, who tapped the table with his finger, let out a long sigh. Then the only remaining method was to reduce the site. However, this was something that the company wanted to avoid. All the drainage facilities and infrastructure on the land were integrated, and it was difficult to sell the scraps of land in the remote mountains separately.

“Then how about doing this?”

“How?”

“First, we’ll lower the price by about 7 million Krang. And if you pay 80 million Krang, we’ll give you a 2-year grace period with no interest for the remaining amount, and you can pay it then. How about that?”

Bumseok had a conflicted expression. If he bought it, he would take on a debt of 23 million Krang, but he would own a training camp on a large site. Then, when the team developed and needed more training facilities, he could expand without any burden. If the team continued to grow, he would have to build many additional facilities, such as a second team training arena or a training arena for children under 8 years old.

‘I can’t just stay in the Area League anyway. Rather than not being able to expand later and being frustrated, it’s better to put in a little effort now. 23 million Krang is a lot of money, but if I go pro, I can make up for it in a year.’

Bumseok, who had made up his mind, looked at Garcia with meaningful eyes. He thought it was better to put in a little effort now for the future.

“Okay. I’ll have to see the site and decide, but I’m willing to accept those conditions.”

Garcia, who clapped his knee, had a bright expression. If this deal was successful, he could reduce taxes by selling off non-performing assets, and the company would receive 80 million Krang immediately. This could be a big advantage in the government’s restructuring of construction companies.

“I’m glad you like the conditions. But before we finalize this contract, you’ll have to set up a payment guarantor for the 23 million Krang.”

“A guarantor?”

“Yes. Someone who will guarantee the payment if you can’t pay the remaining amount.”

Instantly, a look of embarrassment appeared on Bumseok’s face. Where would he find someone who would stand as a guarantor, even parents and children were reluctant to do so? Moreover, he had only been playing this game for half a year.

Bumseok kept fidgeting, looking troubled.