Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 70

Clatter. Thud.

The conference room door creaked open. It was Kyle. He stepped inside and gestured to someone waiting outside.

“Reimei, come in.”

At his words, an elf appeared, wearing a red cheongsam [a traditional Chinese dress] that provocatively revealed one of her thighs, immediately drawing Bumseok’s attention. With long black hair and black and red eyes, her slender figure and delicate neckline, combined with her height of about 175 centimeters (5’9″), made her undeniably attractive. Moreover, her downcast gaze and seemingly haughty, high-bridged nose further enhanced her beauty, and her white, jade-like skin looked as though it would bruise at the slightest touch.

‘Hmm, not bad. I like her a lot.’

Bumseok, who had given her a passing grade in appearance, pulled up her information window. He had only seen her wearing a helmet before, so he didn’t have a clear memory of her face. There was always the possibility of encountering someone with the same name, so he needed to confirm if she was the Reimei he remembered from the past. There were countless NPCs [Non-Player Characters] in this world, and many shared the same name.

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Name: Reimei.

Classification: Elf (4 years).

Affiliation: Black Swan GC.

Fame: 286.

Notoriety: 0.

H Experience: None.

Stamina: 6001/6100

Sociability: 52, Strength: 62, Stamina: 61.

Agility: 59, Balance: 55, Intelligence: 18.

Mental Strength: 61. Judgment: 58, Skill: 51.

Luck: 48.

Current Skill/Potential: 525/838.

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Special Trait: Incarnation of Atalanta [a huntress in Greek mythology known for her speed].

Special Notes: Recruited by the Black Swan team during her elf school days and received gladiator prodigy training. Her growth was slow, and she did not receive much attention from the team.

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‘Hmm, it’s her.’

Barely reaching the skill level of a starting pro-level gladiator in the Area League. High potential of 838. And the special skill ‘Incarnation of Atalanta,’ which granted +7 to all stats when wielding a spear-type weapon, confirmed that she was indeed the Reimei he had briefly seen before.

He immediately closed the window and looked at Kyle, who was taking a seat across from him. The stage for negotiation was set, and he intended to begin full-scale talks. Time was precious, as he was in the middle of the promotion tournament season.

“Well, shall we begin the negotiations?”

Kyle pulled his chair forward and shuffled through electronic documents.

“Yes, let’s. But Mr. Bumseok, your offer was 6 million Krang, correct?”

“Yes, that’s correct. For reference, your initial asking price was 7.4 million Krang.”

Kyle, who certainly knew this already, nodded slowly.

“So, there’s a difference of 1.4 million Krang. It seems finding a compromise won’t be easy. It looks like we’ll need several meetings to reconcile our differences.”

“Why is that?”

Kyle smiled slightly and said,

“The reason is simple. Although I’m in charge of this negotiation, I can’t make all the decisions alone. I have to get approval from the team leader every time Mr. Bumseok makes an offer, so I need time for that.”

Bumseok frowned and let out a long sigh. He couldn’t afford to spend a lot of time on this trade right now. It was better to recruit her immediately, even if it cost a bit more.

“That puts me in a difficult position. I need a gladiator to deploy in the match the day after tomorrow. So, I need to make a transfer decision as soon as possible.”

Kyle couldn’t understand what Bumseok was saying. It wasn’t the transfer season yet, and most leagues were over, with teams on vacation. Of course, some strong teams were playing in the promotion tournament after winning or finishing as runners-up in their leagues, but according to the rules, they couldn’t recruit players outside the transfer season and immediately use them in matches.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying. How can you recruit a gladiator today and deploy them in a match the day after tomorrow? Are you perhaps talking about a practice match?”

“No. I’m planning to have them participate in the promotion tournament match to the Area League.”

At that, Reimei, who had been sitting silently, frowned and stood up so abruptly that her chair scraped against the floor. Aiming for the Area League meant they weren’t even professionals.

“So, you’re saying you’re from an amateur team!”

“Yeah, that’s right. We’re semi-pros, but we participate in amateur matches, so you could say we’re amateurs.”

She glared at Kyle, expressing her anger. She was already upset that she had to remain without an owner for so long, and now she was being told she might have to go to an amateur team with no reputation.

“Kyle! I can never go to an amateur league! How can a professional like me go to an amateur league!”

He looked embarrassed and glanced at Bumseok.

Currently, the professional sports world, while facing opposition from many elf rights advocates, still preferred ownerless elves who didn’t require a salary, for the sake of the team’s financial interests. This was a violation of the Elf Protection Act, but they were maintaining the system by exploiting loopholes in the law, namely the retailer clause.

A product could be sold or remain in stock, and there was no specific period for holding it. In other words, as long as they obtained retailer rights, they could legally possess an elf for life. Of course, the federal government had added a clause that revoked retailer permits if there were no transactions for a certain period, but it was useless because they could trade, exploit labor, and sell useless elf players at the Worker Auction Market to improve their performance.

However, forcibly trading an elf against their will violated the Elf Protection Act. It was like how a pet store was allowed to confine puppies in small cages for sale due to circumstances, but it was a violation of the Animal Protection Act if they didn’t feed them or harassed them.

If they forcibly handed Reimei over to Bumseok and she reported that she had suffered mental distress to an administrative agency or an elf advocacy group, the team would face serious consequences.

“Um, Mr. Bumseok. Since Reimei is so against it, it will be difficult to negotiate. Of course, it might be different if you offer conditions to persuade her…….”

Bumseok glanced at Reimei and continued the conversation.

“You can leave the persuading to me, so let’s continue the negotiations.”

“You can persuade her? How?”

“Frankly, there’s no need to persuade her. Our team never uses ownerless elves.”

Kyle, unable to understand, tilted his head.

“You don’t use ownerless elves? What does that mean?”

“It means exactly that. The moment Reimei joins our team, she will serve me as her owner.”

As soon as those words were spoken, Reimei slumped back into her seat. The moment to fulfill her distant dream had arrived, but she couldn’t give it up for the sake of pride. As long as she could serve an owner, she didn’t care if she had to hold a kitchen knife instead of a weapon. She immediately glared at Kyle with murderous intent. It was a clear message: he should be prepared for the consequences if he canceled this trade.

Looking awkward, he continued the conversation in a trembling voice.

“Ah, no. Then, wouldn’t the price drop to a third or less? Are you okay with that?”

“It doesn’t matter. The loyalty of elves to their owners more than compensates for that.”

Kyle nodded. An elf’s absolute devotion to their owner affected their performance, leading to better results. The Black Swan team was a prime example. About half of the team consisted of elves with owners who were paid salaries, and they often performed better in matches than ownerless elves with similar physical abilities. They were also more enthusiastic about training, so their growth potential was extremely high, and they often showed promise from a young age. That’s why professional teams were willing to give up some profit to recruit elves with owners. To make financial gains, they had to survive in the league first.

“I guess so. I understand.”

“Well, shall we continue the negotiations? As I said repeatedly, I don’t have much time.”

Bumseok continued to rush the negotiations, even though it might have a negative impact. Considering Reimei’s potential, the 7.4 million Krang they offered was a very low price, and he really didn’t have time to waste. If he made a mistake and the negotiations stalled, he might have to postpone her recruitment to a later date.

“Okay. Then, please tell me the maximum amount you can offer.”

“The maximum amount I can offer right now is 6 million Krang. I can’t go higher than that.”

Kyle’s expression was deeply etched with signs of contemplation. The reason he put Reimei’s transfer offer on the negotiating table was partly to raise funds in preparation for the upcoming transfer season, but also because the team viewed Reimei’s value as low.

When the Black Swan team recruited her, they paid 5.5 million Krang to the elf school. Her physical abilities were exceptional for a newly born elf. However, after providing her with prodigy training for three years and including her in the team for nearly a year, she had not grown as much as they had hoped. Her physical abilities had only risen to the level of a lower-tier starting gladiator in the Area League, and her specialized spear skills were only at the semi-pro level. As a result, the team expected her to only reach the level of an Area League pro gladiator and had lowered her price from 11 million Krang to 7.4 million Krang.

However, 6 million Krang was difficult to accept. If they continued to fail to sell her and time passed, her price might drop, but they couldn’t trade her for that amount right now. In fact, 7.4 million Krang was barely enough to cover the training and initial purchase costs.

“Well, if you insist on 6 million Krang, I can’t really proceed with this deal…….”

As soon as those words were spoken, Reimei glared at him with murderous intent. It was too unfair to miss the opportunity to gain an owner due to a difference of only 1.4 million Krang. She stomped on Kyle’s foot and said threateningly,

“You won’t die, but you won’t be walking on two legs in the future. When I make a mistake and drop my spear, it’s imbued with immense power.”

Kyle swallowed hard and looked at Reimei. The tone of her voice was sharp, and it seemed like it wouldn’t end with just threats. He cleared his throat and proposed a new negotiation.

“Ahem. Then, how about 7 million Krang?”

7 million Krang was 400,000 Krang lower than before. Considering the urgent situation, achieving this price reduction was not a bad deal at all. However, he really couldn’t provide more than 6 million Krang right now.

“As I said before, I don’t have the money right now, so I can’t offer more than 6 million Krang. However, if you give me a grace period of about two months for the remaining 1 million Krang, I’m willing to accept it. I’ll have some financial leeway by then.”

Kyle looked at him and Reimei alternately, with a troubled expression. He could easily grant a two-month grace period for 1 million Krang, but the Gods Knights team was an amateur team, not a professional one. There was no way a team with no income could easily repay 1 million Krang, so he couldn’t finalize the trade without a solid guarantee.

“I can accept your proposal, but I’m not sure how you can repay the 1 million Krang.”

“If we succeed in promotion, we’ll receive a promotion subsidy from the professional association. I’ll give you 1 million Krang from that first.”

Indeed, if they were promoted to professional status, they could receive a lot of subsidies. Conventionally, the professional association provided 6 million Krang to the winning team, 3 million Krang to the runner-up team, and 1.5 million Krang to the third-place team. If they were promoted, they could easily repay 1 million Krang.

However, Kyle snorted and expressed his refusal. Judging by the schedule, the Area League promotion tournament was only in the round of 16. Without a guarantee that they would advance, he couldn’t grant such a large amount of money.

“Do you think I’ll believe that and give you a grace period of 1 million Krang?”

“Of course not. If we don’t get promoted, I’ll sell some of my stock to cover it.”

“Some of your stock? How much do you have?”

“I can’t tell you the details because it’s personal information, but it’s more than the amount required to meet the promotion requirements set by the professional association. You could say it’s enough to repay 1 million Krang and still have plenty left over.”

The common belief in this field was that at least 200 million was needed to meet the promotion requirements set by the professional association. If so, it was expected that they could easily repay 1 million Krang. If they succeeded in promotion, they would repay it with the promotion subsidy, and if they failed, they would simply take out some of the funds they had prepared for promotion.

“Okay. Then, I’ll trust Mr. Bumseok and finalize this deal today. Are you satisfied?”

“Of course. The sooner the deal is finalized, the better for me.”

“Then, I’ll leave to complete the paperwork and get approval from my superiors. Please wait a moment.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Kyle soon left and began to prepare the transfer documents. Since he only needed to change the amount and the relationship between the parties in the existing documents, it didn’t take long before he headed to the team leader’s office.

Getting approval from the team leader was very easy. Although the set price was reduced by 400,000 Krang, he was satisfied that he could sell Reimei, who had extremely low growth potential, for 7 million Krang. With this amount, he could recruit a decent candidate-level gladiator within the team, and it would greatly help in recruiting a starting-level player.

In the end, Bumseok handed over 6 million Krang around the afternoon and completed all the transactions for Reimei.

============================ Author’s Notes ============================

I just pushed it all in one day. I thought the writing would be a mess if I was too rushed. ^^;;;;; I’ll definitely compensate you later when I have a stockpile. Thank you for your understanding. ^^;;;;;;

Then, everyone, have a comfortable day today. I’ll see you at the same time tomorrow.