Chapter 11

Chapter 11

I Became the Academy Mafia, Chapter 11[Mana Suppressor: Creates a suppressor using mana. When the mana suppressor is used, the gunfire from 「Al Capone’s Tommy」 is greatly reduced, and the mana waves generated when firing are also greatly reduced.]

A suppressor, huh. Not a bad reward.

The advantage of reducing the sound was nice, but what I liked most of all was the phrase saying it greatly reduced the ‘mana waves.’

In this world, the existence of mana waves was practically an essential element for ‘tracking.’

After all, it was a basic part of this world’s setting that even the police routinely carried mana-wave detection devices to maintain public order.

However, the story changed if I had the suppressor I had just received as a reward.

Because it effectively meant I could use my weapon without being detected by ordinary means.

More than anything, equipment that reduced mana waves was extremely rare in this world.

That was because the government, believing equipment that concealed mana waves posed a major threat to public safety, strictly controlled devices capable of hiding ‘mana waves.’

And I had obtained equipment like that this early?

With this alone, not only could I fight using mana while keeping my mana hidden, it would also be extremely useful when handling Family business. It was certainly a reward worthy of overachieving the objective.

An ability with truly endless applications. I was about to immediately press the [Claim Reward] button when I noticed several students looking in my direction and put my smartphone back into my pocket.

Because I could feel Ji Su-hyeon’s icy gaze from up ahead.

Don’t tell me she was looking at me like that because I checked my smartphone during class?

Fortunately, the moment I put the smartphone back into my pocket, her atmosphere returned to normal...

So she’s sensitive about things like this. I should keep that in mind.

“The first spar ended faster than expected... but there’s absolutely no way any of you learned anything from that, so we’ll move straight on to the next spar. Everyone, pay attention. Now then, are there any students who want to spar next?”

After my spar with Jin-woo ended. Ji Su-hyeon, who had reset the sparring arena with a few movements of her hands over the control panel, looked toward the other students and asked.

Then a hand shot up from among the students.

“Hmm? You didn’t raise your hand to ask another question, did you, Kim Young-je?”

“No, I’d like to take part in the next spar.”

Perhaps because he had just watched my spar with Jin-woo, a fighting spirit could be seen in Kim Young-je’s eyes.

“Hmm. Fine. Your unique weapon is... that pen?”

Ji Su-hyeon looked interested at the appearance of another unusual weapon.

“That’s right.”

“Well, I assume you brought it because you have your reasons, so I won’t say anything separately. Then, is there anyone you want to nominate? Or anyone who wants to spar against Kim Young-je?”

Ji Su-hyeon asked while looking over the 11 students, including me. At that, someone immediately beside Kim Young-je raised a hand.

“Yes! I’d like to!”

When I looked toward where the hand had risen, I saw Kim Se-ah raising her hand with determined eyes.

“Kim Se-ah, huh. Fine. Both of you, enter the field.”

The two entered the sparring arena after hearing the instructor’s words.

Thinking back to what happened on the deserted island, Kim Se-ah was a mage who used spatial magic.

Since her opponent was Kim Young-je, who mainly used elemental magic in the game, this spar would undoubtedly be of great help to Kim Se-ah, who used spatial magic.

I had just been thinking that it would be nice to have a spatial mage in my organization, so shall I see what level she’s at?

“When the field activates, it’ll feel as though the air pressure has risen slightly. It’s a natural phenomenon, so don’t be too surprised.”

Ji Su-hyeon approached the control panel outside the field and pulled down the largest lever.

At the same time, the two inside flinched.

It was probably because of the phenomenon Ji Su-hyeon had just mentioned.

“Do you feel that it’s activated?”

At Ji Su-hyeon’s words, the two inside the field nodded.

“Good. Then... go wild to your heart’s content, brats.”

The two moved almost simultaneously.

Both raised their unique weapons, a fountain pen and the glove on the right hand, and aimed them toward their opponent.

Kim Young-je was the first to attack.

“appassionato.”

The word that suddenly burst from Kim Young-je’s mouth was Italian.

Kim Young-je’s unique magic, which imbued words with meaning and mana, began unfolding from his mouth and from the tip of his fountain pen.

“It’s exactly like the description I saw in the game.”

At the same time as the chant, the letters his fountain pen scribbled in midair transformed into flames and began flying toward Kim Se-ah.The spell he invoked was a musical term meaning ‘passionately,’ and just as the word implied, it blazed fiercely as it flew toward Kim Se-ah.

After seeing Kim Young-je’s magic, Kim Se-ah raised her left arm and bent her left wrist as though swatting something away.

Then the path of the flames, which had been flying as though dancing, bent, and the fire turned back toward its original owner, Kim Young-je.

Kim Se-ah, who specialized in spatial magic, had twisted the path along which the spell traveled.

“Adagio!”

The word he shouted this time meant ‘calmly, slowly.’

At the same time, pure white frost bloomed from the fingertips with which he had written in midair and collided with the flames flying toward him.

The collision of two spells that were complete opposites.

An enormous amount of steam erupted like an explosion, dyeing the surroundings pure white.

Even those of us watching from outside the field could no longer tell what was happening inside.

However, it wasn’t long before the monitors showing the two switched to thermal imaging and displayed their figures.

“Ghk, the steam...!”

Kim Young-je was flustered by his suddenly restricted vision, but his opponent was Kim Se-ah, who specialized in spatial magic.

Judging by how she was crouched down with one hand touching the ground, it seemed she was using her magic to detect Kim Young-je’s position.

I didn’t know what sort of ability the glove-shaped ‘unique weapon’ Kim Se-ah wore possessed, but judging by how she was getting up now, it seemed she had successfully pinpointed Kim Young-je’s location.

Slowly turning her body toward where Kim Young-je was, Kim Se-ah aimed her left hand at him and chanted a spell.

“Fireball!”

A basic spell that any mage could use manifested above Kim Se-ah’s hand.

Although Kim Young-je had not pinpointed Kim Se-ah’s location, he apparently caught the sound of her voice and predicted that an attack spell would come flying toward him, because he began sprinting to the right.

“Allegretto!”A word meaning ‘somewhat quickly.’

Apparently it was a spell that buffed his body, because he rolled sideways at tremendous speed and narrowly avoided Kim Se-ah’s attack.

And the moment he rose, he quickly moved his fountain pen and shouted.

“tempestoso!”A word meaning ‘as though a storm were raging,’ and as a musical term, it meant ‘violently.’

At Young-je’s chant, fierce winds began raging inside the field, blowing away the steam filling it.

If I counted this as well, Kim Young-je had used a total of four types of elemental magic so far. It was a feat an ordinary mage wouldn’t even dare attempt.

Fire, ice, physical enhancement, and now wind. To think he already possessed that level of skill as a first-year...

Normally, at the first-year stage, Kim Young-je should have been able to handle at most two elements.

That was the statistic I had gathered from all my time playing the game.

But he was using four elements right from the beginning?

If that was the case, I could think of two possible reasons.

Either he had become stronger after obtaining some extraordinary opportunity through an absurdly low probability.

Or he had been hiding his true ability, then something stimulated him enough to finally display his proper strength.

While I was thinking that, the steam filling the sparring arena gradually began thinning.

It was because Kim Young-je’s magic had blown all the surrounding steam away. Only then were the two finally able to see each other again.

At that, just as Kim Young-je raised his fountain pen and opened his mouth to chant another attack.

Kim Se-ah, who had been extending her left hand, suddenly sighed and raised both hands.

“...

I surrender.”

Kim Se-ah declared her surrender.

Apparently, after seeing Kim Young-je use four types of elemental magic, she judged that further resistance would be meaningless.

It seemed she thought she still couldn’t beat him with her current strength.

“...

What a shame.”

Even if Kim Young-je could use four types of elemental magic, that didn’t mean he could respond to every situation.

If she had aimed for a counter through spatial magic or moved into close combat, she might have been able to grasp even a faint chance of victory.

Considering Ji Su-hyeon’s personality, it was obvious she wouldn’t view Kim Se-ah’s actions favorably.

The spar ended, and the moment the field door opened, the two came outside while breathing heavily.

Instructor Ji Su-hyeon smiled as she looked at them.

“Both of you worked hard. If I were to give each of you feedback on the spar, first... Kim Young-je. To use that level of magic at your age. Honestly, I’m fairly surprised. I didn’t expect you to handle multiple elements so easily.”

“Thank you.”

“It would be a great help if you developed other applications for the spells you can use. Developing your physical ability would also be a good method. There’s nothing more troublesome than a mage like you who handles multiple elements and also has the physical ability to sustain prolonged combat.”

Just as she said, there was nothing more troublesome than a mage capable of using multiple elements while also possessing strong physical ability.

They could respond to any attack, and on top of that, they were persistent? Remembering how irritating guys like that had been even in the game still made me shudder.

“And Kim Se-ah. I wish you had struggled a little longer instead of giving up there. Personally, that was somewhat disappointing.”

“...

I’m sorry.”

“Still, I saw well how you used spatial magic to pinpoint an unseen enemy and twist the trajectory of a spell. Normally, when people think of a spatial mage, they tend to imagine a mage who mainly specializes in detection. But.”

Ji Su-hyeon smiled and stroked the head of the dejected Kim Se-ah.

“Personally, I like seeing spatial magic used as aggressively as you did. If you develop that aspect of your ability a little further, you’ll become a spatial mage fully capable of pulling your own weight.”

“Yes...! Thank you!”

Was it because Kim Se-ah used spatial magic like she did? I could almost sense a feeling of pride in her advice.

But why couldn’t I remember seeing someone as talented as her in the game?

Both on the deserted island and in everything she had shown so far, she had been quite impressive.At that level as a first-year, she should have become a fairly famous hero after graduation.

But no matter how much I thought about it, I had absolutely no memory of hearing the name ‘Kim Se-ah’ while playing the game...

Does some kind of incident happen later?

Thinking that, I clapped for Se-ah and Young-je along with the other students as they approached.

The two walked toward the spectator seats with satisfied expressions after finishing their spar.

Perhaps thanks to the effects of the field, neither of them had so much as a scratch despite fighting so intensely.

The two had fought such an intense spar and were still this fine, so what the hell was wrong with Jin-woo, who had actually lost consciousness?

Thinking about Jin-woo, who was probably still lying in the infirmary, I began to feel a little guilty.‘Seriously...’Suddenly, my mouth tasted bitter.