Chapter 109

Chapter 109

I Became the Academy Mafia Chapter 109I put my feet up on the table and leaned back, taking on an intimidating posture.

These guys said they were from ‘Ares,’ right?

In that case, it seemed it would be easier to talk to someone in a higher position than them.

I immediately raised my aura, creating a red glow around my body and forming an oppressive atmosphere.

“W-wait! Are you seriously planning to threaten us?”

“...

Don't tell me you came here without even hearing the rumors?”

“What, rumors?”

To think they were bottom-of-the-barrel nobodies who hadn't even been able to attend the welcome party.

If they'd known how I'd been treated there, they never would've acted like this.

I was starting to think these guys might have been sent here as disposable pawns.

If they provoked me into causing a violent incident, great. If they failed, it would only be a minor disappointment.

But what a shame. I had no intention of falling for such a cheap trick.

“I just finished cursing out the President of the Republic of Korea Hero Association. You think I'd be scared of you guys?”

“What? What kind of ridiculous nonsense are you──.”

To the guys who looked like they didn't believe me, I showed them a post that had just gone up on the Academy community.[★Title: Lmaololol Association President got put in his place! Upvote if you saw it lololol][Author: Anonymous][Photo][No, was what I just saw actually real? lololol The Association President was talking to a first-year because he wanted to establish discipline, when suddenly a whole crowd of old men poured in from outside the banquet hall.

I was wondering what the hell was going on, and it turned out to be Aura Master Kwak Chun-sik lololol And even the ones following behind him were the Youth Duo grandpas, permanently lodged near the top of the retired hero popularity rankings.

No, even the Association President's seniority is near the top in the Republic of Korea, so who would've thought that old men even higher up than him had come to see a first-year lololol Still, seeing him talk back to Kwak Chun-sik just because he's the Association President, I was trembling like, ‘Whoa, is the Association President seriously about to clash with Kwak Chun-sik here?’ lololol And then BAM!! The strongest geezer in the Republic of Korea, ‘Sword Saint God,’ appears!! The moment he saw the Association President talking back to old man Kwak Chun-sik, who was in the same cohort as him, he declared him a disrespectful brat!! and dragged him straight outside lololol

Ha, I'm seriously so happy to be alive in this era. That Association President bastard has been acting so high and mighty lately that it was pissing me off. Upvote if you're loving this lolololol][Anonymous: Why is Kwak Chun-sik at the Academy? Didn't that guy move into Hero Silver Town after chopping off a villain's head?][└Anonymous: Apparently the freshman representative who gave the declaration today is his disciple?][└Anonymous:? Why would Kwak Chun-sik's disciple be a freshman?][└Anonymous: I'm a first-year giga-normie, so I know. This is for real.][└Anonymous: A normie hangs around on community boards like this? lol][Anonymous: For real, the Association President and Lee Won-ho were talking shit about the Academy under the excuse of congratulatory speeches, and then a freshman verbally shredded them. Seriously, it felt so~~~~~damn~~~~~good!][└Anonymous: For real, who the hell are they to curse out the Academy lol Who let the terrorists into the country in the first place lol][└Anonymous: They say Elusive teleported them in, how the hell was the Association supposed to catch that, you lunatic][└Anonymous: Association spy caught, right?][└Anonymous: Already v]...

“What? Still don't believe me?”

The guys hurriedly flinched at the screen I showed them, then began pulling out their own phones.

“I-it's real?”

“T-that guy is Kwak Chun-sik's disciple?”

Only then did it seem they finally grasped their situation, because their faces turned pale.

“Now then, you should have a rough idea who I am and who's behind me, so I guess we can finally have an open and refreshing conversation, right?”

Don't you think?

My aura burned even more fiercely.

At that, the guys became frightened and tried to open the president's office door.

“W-wait! We'll leave for now and come back later! So calm down!”

“Open it! Open the door!!”

But no matter how hard they twisted the handle or put their weight into pulling, the door only rattled and refused to open.

-Boss! I'll block the entrance!

Judging by the voice coming from outside the door, Jin-woo seemed to be holding it firmly shut so the guys couldn't escape.

As expected of someone from Calione, his instincts were incredible when it came to things like this.

In the end, the three were driven into a corner with nowhere left to run.

They were trembling so badly it was almost pitiful.

Good.

I happened to have a newly acquired trait too.

Thinking I'd test it out, I looked at them and quietly delivered my demand.

“I'll make you a very good offer. I have no intention of touching you or getting revenge. There's just one thing I want.”

“...

What do you want?”

At the same time, two effects appeared in the corner of my vision.[「Offer They Cannot Refuse」 is currently active.][「Orator」 effect is currently active.]

“The guy who sent you to our club. Send him here.”

“W-what?”

“I-I don't really know who you're talking about──.”

Was I being too vague?

Then I had no choice but to tell them outright.

“──Bring your club president here, you bastards.”

At that, all three nodded at the same time.

I checked the time on my wristwatch, then looked at them again and spoke.

“You've got ten minutes.”

______________

“Eugene. What the hell did you do in there for those seniors to come out looking completely pale?”

“Didn't you hear? Boss was about to kill them all, then showed mercy.”

The club room after all of them had left.

We sat side by side at the table, eating the refreshments Se-ah had prepared while waiting for them.

“They came making ridiculous demands, so I told them to bring their president.”

“What? The president of a Silver Club? If it's the president of ‘Ares,’ isn't that the person rumored to be at the very top of the Academy when it comes to fighting with fists?”

The top when it came to fists.

It sounded like something straight out of a drama or comic, but to me, it was just a funny nickname.

“So what? In terms of lineage, I outrank him.”

“...

Lineage?”

At that moment, a bang sounded from outside the door.

“...

Looks like he's here.”

I put down the cup I was holding and looked toward the president's office door as a man with long red hair entered.

“...

You're Han Eugene?”

“That's pretty informal.”

“Ha, anyone listening would think you're the senior.”

Oh? You're going to start arguing seniority the moment we meet? This guy's manners are rotten.

It looked like he'd come running alone.

Even now, it was obvious on his face that he was barely suppressing his anger.

“You told my guys to call me here?”

“I did.”

“You... know how to fight?”

An orange-red aura, slightly brighter than Calione's, began rising from his fist.

At that, I sighed and looked at him.

“You came from the martial arts hall

run by old man Kwak Chun-sik, right?”

“...

Why are you suddenly asking that?”

“Let's see... your name is Lee Jeok-gwon. A rising talent of the martial arts hall and the director's favored disciple. Sure, with credentials like that, you'd be recognized at the Academy. I admit it, I admit it. But...”

I stood up from my seat as well, raising an aura as red as blood while looking at him.

“Were you taught to glare at an elder of your martial lineage like that?”

“...

What?”

“You still don't seem to understand the situation.”

Judging by the look of him, he'd gotten so heated that he probably ran straight here without properly listening to what the others said...

I couldn't be bothered explaining everything again, so I'd have to resolve it simply.

I immediately pulled my phone out of my pocket and called one of the saved numbers.[@#!

Hm? What brings you[email protected]#.]

Noisy conversation could be heard through the phone.

Apparently the drinking party with the old men still hadn't ended.

“Can you talk for a moment?”[...

You say? Eugene. My disciple. Wait a moment.]

Then the voices gradually grew quieter.

When I focused, I could make out what was happening over there.[Isn't it Chun-sik's turn to drink!][Wait a moment. My disciple called me!][Disciple? Yeon? Yeonaaaa!][There he goes calling his granddaughter again! Stop him!]

Soon, sounds of crying and laughter could be heard.

Only after a brief bout of crashing and banging did Kwak Chun-sik's surroundings finally become quiet.[Haha, sorry about that. It's been a long time since these guys met, so they're excited... Right, what did you call about?]...

Now that things seemed to have settled down, I switched to speakerphone.

“Do you know someone named Lee Jeok-gwon who attends the martial arts hall run by your son?”[Why are you suddenly asking about the martial arts hall.]

“There's something I need to sort out.”[Sort out? Let's see~ Lee Jeok-gwon~ Ahh, Jeok-gwon! I know him. I saw him a few times at the martial arts hall before. But why are you asking?]

I glanced at the guy's face and saw his pupils trembling wildly from side to side.

He was probably starting to realize just what kind of situation he was in.

“For now, I'm basically your disciple, right? And Lee Jeok-gwon is your son's disciple.”[Hm? That's right, that's right.]

“Then in the hierarchy of our martial lineage, that would make me a senior brother to this guy named Lee Jeok-gwon, right?”[What? Senior brother? What senior brother, you brat!]

Hm?[If you're my direct disciple, then the only ones are my son and you! Does it make any sense to talk about being some guy's senior brother when he's at that level?]

“...

Then that means I'm far above him in seniority?”[Of course, you brat! Back in my day, the difference would be enough that he'd get slapped just for making eye contact, so what senior brother nonsense! Tsk, tsk.]

“Thank you, old man. By the way, are you enjoying the drinking party?”[Of course it's fun, drinking with bastards who might die any day!]

“That's good. Then I'll contact you later.”[I'm hanging up!]

Click.

The call ended.

That brief silence felt extremely refreshing.

When I looked at his expression again, he seemed to have gone beyond disbelief and reached a realm of complete incomprehension.

“Hey.”

“W-what? Hm?”

“If you're from the martial arts hall too, then you know what kind of personality the old man has, right?”

An old fogey.

Not just any old fogey, but one of the strongest old fogeys in the Republic of Korea, with martial prowess among the nation's very best.

And someone from that old fogey's martial arts hall.

Someone who had that ultimate old fogey as my direct master.

Yet he ignored the hierarchy, spoke casually to me, and even released killing intent?

“Seriously, this is so bewildering that I don't even know how I should report it to the old man. Should I say, ‘I was supposed to go ask the old man for instruction tomorrow, but some guy far below me in the lineage started a rebellion, so I can't go’?”

I could guarantee that if I did, this guy would either be immediately expelled from the martial arts hall or beaten half to death by those called his senior brothers.

Because according to the game's setting, the rules of the martial arts hall founded by Kwak Chun-sik were absolute for its disciples.[Martial Clan Code]

1. Do not doubt your own martial arts

.

2. Protect the weak and serve the nation.

3. Always show respect

to your superiors.

4. Respect and follow tradition and rules.

Accordingly, hierarchy within the martial arts hall was tradition and rule, one of the regulations that absolutely had to be followed.

Meaning it was a kind of law that had to be observed even outside the martial arts hall.

In other words, to him, I belonged to a rank so high above that it was almost unreachable.

“Since Kwak Chun-sam, the old man's son, is my senior brother... that would make you about my martial nephew.”

When I smiled and patted him lightly on the shoulder, he asked in a trembling voice.

“H-how... how are you──”

“Hey.”

I definitely told you, and you make the same mistake again.

I looked him straight in the eyes and opened my mouth.

“Jeok-gwon.”

“Uh, huh?”

Still apparently unable to process the situation, the guy was spacing out, lost in thought.──Smack!

With the sound, his head snapped to the left.

“Am I your friend?”

Old Fogey Mode. ‘ON’!