Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 88

Exactly one week after the promotion evaluation, God’s Knights proudly secured their spot in the Air League with near-perfect scores. Beom-seok’s request to Lexter to release Ross without much investigation played a significant role. The fact that Ross was arrested from his home in a serious situation, yet was released unharmed in less than a day, led Gordon and other faction members to view the situation with suspicion. As a result, the conflict between factions within the Avand Area Professional Gladiator Association deepened, but Beom-seok didn’t care. He had too much to do preparing for the league to worry about such trivial matters.

After the promotion was decided, Beom-seok began looking for a main sponsor. Although it would make the chest area of the uniform a bit cluttered, it was necessary to secure a sponsor to bring in substantial funds. Fortunately, he had been selected as one of the ‘Top 5 Promising Prospects in the World’ by WBS [World Broadcasting System, a major media outlet], so it seemed he wouldn’t have to struggle much as applications from local companies poured in.

After much deliberation, he ultimately chose the Zeus Group as the main sponsor. The interests of both parties aligned perfectly. The Zeus Group wanted to legally support Zeus Construction, which was facing financial difficulties, with substantial funds and projects, while Beom-seok intended to expand the training camp with better facilities. Consequently, God’s Knights secured approximately 90 million Crang [fictional currency] in funding from the Zeus Group through a two-year contract and reinvested all of it into expanding the training camp through Zeus Construction.

As a result, God’s Knights added one training arena with lighting facilities and two general training arenas. They also newly acquired a state-of-the-art gymnasium and a dormitory for promising players under the age of 8. With this, God’s Knights approached the training facilities of a Central League professional gladiator team in terms of external facilities, excluding training equipment, and reached a level where they could operate an under-8 team and a gladiator academy.

Thump. Thump.

On a clear and sunny afternoon, a luxurious-looking flying car landed in the parking lot of God’s Knights’ training camp, which was undergoing expansion. The door of the flying car opened, kicking up dust, and a blonde woman in red high heels extended her beautifully shaped legs and stood on the ground.

“Hmm, not bad. I didn’t realize it before, but he’s quite capable.”

The woman, looking at the construction site and the overall view of the training camp, expressed her honest impression. Although only the basic construction was in progress, she could imagine what the training camp would look like when completed: four training arenas and towering buildings. It was very difficult for a regular Area League team to have such facilities.

Weeeeng. Screech.

As she looked around, Esther’s unmanned electric car pulled into the parking lot, coming to greet the guest. She quickly walked over and bowed her head.

“Welcome, Rebecca. We’re glad to have you at God’s Knights.”

Rebecca responded to Esther’s polite greeting with a bright smile.

“Hello. Are you Esther, the acting manager of God’s Knights?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Nice to meet you. By the way, where is the chairman?”

“He was exercising in the gym and went to the shower room after hearing you were coming. If you go to the reception room first, he’ll be there soon.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“Yes. Please follow me. I’ll guide you to the reception room.”

“Okay, thank you.”

As Esther and Rebecca got in, the unmanned electric car sped towards the office building with a loud mechanical sound. Soon, they entered the building through the automatic doors and headed to the reception room on the second floor.

“Here, please have some.”

Rebecca, sitting on the sofa and receiving the coffee Esther had prepared, gave a fresh look.

“Oh, does the acting manager also make coffee?”

“Ah, yes. Everyone is busy preparing for the professional advancement, so they’re mostly out on business.”

Rebecca took a sip of the coffee and nodded. Rebecca was also having busy days, having brought her team, Chaplin Whisper, up to the Area League this season. She fully understood the difficulties.

“I see. You have to find sponsors and look for a home stadium. It’s really busy. But it will get better soon after this period.”

“Yes, it should. It feels like I need ten bodies right now.”

At that moment, the reception room door opened, and Beom-seok entered in his training uniform. He hadn’t had time to comb his hair properly, so it was messy. He ran his hand through his still-damp hair and approached Esther and Rebecca.

“Rebecca, long time no see. Is this the first time since the tournament in Osaha?”

She stood up slightly and gave a serious look.

“Yes, it is. I was very indebted to you back then. I will definitely make up for my previous defeat someday.”

“Hehe, feel free to try if you have the skills. But you know today is not the day, right?”

“Yes, I came here for business today, so we should only talk about business. We’re both busy right now, so we don’t have time to waste.”

Beom-seok sat next to Esther and looked straight at Rebecca in front of him.

“Right. You said you came because of Chaplin Sports, which your father manages?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Doesn’t Chaplin Sports have anyone else who could handle this? Why did you, the manager of Chaplin Whisper, come?”

“My father really wants to sign a contract with God’s Knights, and he thought it would be better for me to come since I’m familiar with you. And I’m also one of the directors of Chaplin Sports.”

He crossed his legs, clenching his fingers tightly.

“I see. But what kind of contract are you specifically here to make?”

“Simply put, we want to make a sponsorship agreement.”

“Sponsorship agreement? Are you talking about an equipment sponsorship?”

“Yes, that’s right. We want God’s Knights to use our Chaplin Sports products.”

Equipment sponsors provided physical reaction suits and weapons for free and handled the sales of uniforms and various cheering items with the team emblem. In some ways, it was a more lucrative core sponsorship than the main sponsor, so it was good to be careful in selecting one.

“Equipment sponsor… But isn’t Chaplin Sports a bit unknown?”

Rebecca immediately admitted to Beom-seok’s direct question. Although Chaplin Sports was owned by the famous Chaplin family, it was only ranked 4th in the industry and didn’t have much recognition.

“Yes, that’s right. As you said, it’s not very well-known. But as you know from our match before, the technology is superior to other companies. Honestly, you struggled against me in the beginning, didn’t you?”

Indeed, he had struggled quite a bit with her flexible double-edged sword back then. The tip of the sword had narrowly missed his body several times, and Rebecca had completely dominated the first round. To make such a sword, their technology certainly seemed good.

“Hmm, that’s true. I definitely had a hard time. But we can’t ignore recognition when choosing an equipment sponsor. Fans would be more satisfied with a Lafite or Tenshibe logo on the team t-shirt than a Chaplin Sports mark. People prefer products that look good when they buy them.”

Lafite and Tenshibe were the top two companies in the sports equipment sales industry. They released products recognized as luxury goods, and people greatly preferred sports shoes and clothing with their logos. Beom-seok, who wanted to profit by selling t-shirts with the team emblem to fans, naturally wanted to sign an equipment sponsorship agreement with these companies.

“Yes, that’s true. But statistically, the sales of sports team emblem products have nothing to do with that. Fans buy them to see the team or players they support, not the sports equipment manufacturer’s mark. What they really value is the number and team emblem.”

“Is that so? But if the price is the same, it’s better to use products from famous sports equipment companies that the general public prefers.”

“That’s right. If the price is the same, that’s definitely better. But if the price isn’t the same, can’t we think about it differently? Anyway, we can provide better quality products to the fans, and God’s Knights can make more profit, so it’s a good thing.”

Beom-seok crossed his arms and leaned back on the sofa. If so, it wasn’t bad to continue the conversation. Maximizing profits directly translated into maximizing the team’s strength.

“You’re definitely right. It’s better for me to make more profit. So, tell me specifically what your offer is.”

“First, we will provide all the equipment needed for the season’s games for free.”

“That’s obvious. Tell me something else.”

“Yes. Also, we will give you 24 million Crang as sponsorship for a 4-year contract.”

That meant they would provide 6 million Crang per year as support. However, if the sponsorship was an advance payment of the income from selling team emblem products, it wouldn’t be very appealing.

“Is it an advance payment?”

“No, it’s pure sponsorship.”

Beom-seok nodded, as it wasn’t bad. An additional 6 million Crang per year would greatly help the team grow. However, the 4-year period bothered him.

“I like it, but 4 years is too long.”

“However, the reason we’re offering additional sponsorship is to establish a long-term partnership with God’s Knights. If we shorten this period, we would have to greatly reduce the sponsorship.”

Faced with an unexpectedly firm stance, he decided to back down for a moment.

“Well, if that’s the case, there’s nothing I can do… But what if our team gets relegated during that period? Why are you making such an offer?”

“That will never happen.”

“Why?”

“How can a team with a gladiator who defeated me get relegated? And my father and Amelia were also very surprised to see the God’s Knights team composition. They said the starters are the strongest in the Area League.”

“So, you’re predicting that our team will move up to the Wide League this year and making this offer?”

Rebecca smiled awkwardly and waved her hand.

“No, I don’t expect that much. In fact, God’s Knights doesn’t have the strength to make it to the promotion tournament this year.”

“Why is that?”

“The reserves are too weak. Frankly, God’s Knights’ strength greatly decreases if even a few gladiators, including you, are injured. And with 38 league games, the GA Cup [Gladiator Association Cup, a tournament for all gladiator teams], the League Cup [a competition for league teams], and gladiators being drafted as regional representatives, all the starters will be exhausted before winter. In that situation, moving up to the Wide League? It’s really difficult.”

Beom-seok knew this well. He had seen how much physical exhaustion the starters had suffered during the promotion tournament period over the past 2-3 weeks. But if they went professional, they would have to carry out that schedule all year round. Pushing too hard would lead to injuries due to fatigue. They would have to play a significant number of games with only the reserves or temporarily promoted 2nd team gladiators. Then, of course, their record would drop, and it would be difficult to get into the rankings to advance to the promotion tournament.

Therefore, Beom-seok was planning to recruit promising and useful gladiators as soon as the preparations for the professional league were almost complete.

“That’s true. We definitely can’t get promoted this year. We lack a lot of useful strength. Maybe we’ll have to wait a while to move up to the Wide League.”

“Yes, that’s right. But if you sign a contract with us, that period will be much shorter. We’re giving you plenty of sponsorship, and you can make more profit from the sales of team emblem products.”

“From the team emblem sales? Why?”

“Our Chaplin Sports will give God’s Knights 65% of the total sales.”

He felt a deep liking inside. The distribution amounts offered by Lafite and Tenshibe were 58% and 60%. That meant that even if they sold 10,000 t-shirts worth 800 Crang, they would get up to 560,000 Crang more in profit. It was definitely a worthwhile deal.

“Hmm, not bad.”

“In addition, if you promote the excellence of our products in interviews after the team wins, we will provide an additional bonus of 200,000 Crang.”

At that, Beom-seok made up his mind even more. If he acted as a product promotion ambassador, he would receive an additional income of several million Crang per year. That would give the team more financial leeway and help in recruiting gladiators. Considering the various conditions, it was better to select Chaplin Sports as the equipment sponsor.

“Okay. That’s fine. But I have one question. Can I ask?”

“Yes, I’ll tell you if I can answer.”

“To be honest, the offer is so different from other companies that it feels suspicious. Do you have any other ulterior motives?”

“Of course. There are definitely strategic reasons involved.”

“What is it?”

“It’s for the pride of the Chaplin family.”

Beom-seok, who was about to drink his coffee, immediately put the cup down on the table and looked at Rebecca. He didn’t understand at all what the family’s pride had to do with this deal.

“Hmm. What does that mean? Why is your family’s pride interfering with this contract?”

“It matters. Our family is pursuing only the best, so Chaplin Sports is also aiming to be the number one in the industry. And to this end, we plan to surpass other companies in the gladiator competition sector and become the number one in recognition first.”

“How?”

“We have set a goal to supply our products to 60 Central League teams and 9 World League teams within 10 years. God’s Knights is also included here.”

Beom-seok smiled brightly and said.

“Hehe. So, you’re saying you expect us to enter the Central League within 10 years.”

“Yes. My father and Amelia believe so. There are several reasons, but first, you have Beom-seok, who has excellent skills, and there are many elf gladiators with high growth potential.”

He immediately tapped the table and nodded. He didn’t want to miss out on such a good sponsorship deal, and he felt good about being recognized. Beom-seok would sulk endlessly if something hurt his pride, but he treated others with a generous heart in reverse.

“Okay. I understand. I’ll think about it positively.”

“Then, are you going to sign a contract with us?”

Beom-seok pointed to Esther, who had been left out, and said.

“That’s not something I can negotiate. Finish the negotiations with Esther, the acting manager here.”

“With Esther?”

“Yeah. Of course. Esther is the representative of the team here. I’m just the owner and chairman. So, negotiate well and make a decision in a good direction.”

With that, Beom-seok immediately left the reception room. Although it was a good deal, it was better to have Esther negotiate to get even more profit. She had the ability to get an additional 5% transaction profit.

In the end, Rebecca had to conduct detailed negotiations with Esther, and they had to agree on a sponsorship fee of 25.2 million Crang, 68.25% of the team emblem product sales, and a brand promotion cost of 210,000 Crang per event.

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

Today, I will talk about the league’s cup competitions.

GA Cup: A cup competition in which all gladiator teams, professional and amateur, participate. It is a tournament format and the second most popular competition after the league games.

League Cup: A competition in which 20 teams from the league participate, and its recognition is not bad.

World Cup: A competition held by 512 regional government representative teams, with the same meaning and recognition as the World Cup in reality.

And there is no Champions League or AFC Champions League. Frankly, the World League replaces these competitions. When you think of the World League, for example, in European football, think of it as a place where teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, and Chelsea are gathered.

Then everyone have a good day, and I will see you at the same time tomorrow.