Chapter 12

Chapter 12

I Became the Academy Mafia, Chapter 12The spars after Kim Se-ah and Kim Young-je’s match were all more or less similar.

Battles between moderately talented students.

It was certainly entertaining enough to watch that I could understand why Ji Su-hyeon had taken a liking to each and every one of them.

Except for one guy.

Choi Kang-hyun.

The guy who arrived at the classroom after me yesterday, when I flew in by helicopter.

The moment the match started, he displayed an extraordinary strategy of spraying seawater from a water bottle to block his opponent’s nose and force them to surrender.

His unique weapon, a trident, merely served as something like a staff.

His spar ended in only a minute.

Was this what it meant to be blessed by the sea?

While thinking about a dungeon I would raid later and deciding that I should recruit him someday as well, the instructor clapped her hands toward us and drew everyone’s attention.

“You’ve all worked hard sparring since this morning. Today is also the second day of orientation, and it’s a day I’m allowed to handle at my own discretion, so we’ll end class here. Class dismissed. Go home and review the spars you had today.”

This part really was nice.

An instructor who let you leave early as long as you properly completed what you had to do. If this were an ordinary school, she definitely would have been a popular teacher.

At Ji Su-hyeon’s announcement that class was over, the students began standing one by one and preparing to return home.

I was about to contact Han Seo-jun so I could go home as well when I suddenly remembered Jin-woo, who would be lying in the infirmary.

“...

I should probably stop by at least once.”

He was someone I would eventually recruit into my organization. Thinking that it would be good to raise his favorability in advance as the Boss of the organization, I postponed contacting Han Seo-jun and decided to visit the infirmary.

But... where was the infirmary?

I tried to ask Instructor Ji Su-hyeon, but she had already disappeared before the students had. Even after looking around, I had absolutely no idea where to go.

Apparently, there was inevitably going to be a difference between the terrain I knew from the game and actually experiencing the terrain in person, so there was no helping the confusion.

And so, while I stood blankly in the hallway wondering what to do.

“You there, are you lost?”

Someone approached me and spoke.

“...?”

No, wait. Why is this person appearing now?

Sharp eyes, long black hair flowing down, and a black name tag attached to a neat Academy uniform.

Her appearance greatly resembled someone from my memories.

“...

Hey?”

Perhaps she sensed something strange when I suddenly froze, because she tilted her head and called out to me.

“Ah, I’m not lost... I’m looking for the infirmary.”

We were meeting for the first time right now. For now, she was effectively a senior I had just met, so I answered politely.

At that, she suddenly let out a small laugh.

“Isn’t that what people usually call being lost? Just keep going down the hallway on the left and you’ll reach the infirmary.”

“...

Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. It’s only natural as a member of the Student Council. You look like a freshman. Did you get hurt somewhere?”

“Not me. Someone I know was injured, so I’m going there.”

“Really? Well, I hope you find it without trouble. Then, don’t get lost again. Bye.”

After saying that, she resumed walking in the direction she had originally been headed...

What in the world was going on? I never imagined I would meet her, a member of the Student Council, so soon after enrolling.

For now, I was a freshman and we had only just met, so we passed each other without anything happening...

“I’d rather run into her as late as possible.”

Since I still had no idea what kind of relationship we would have later, I didn’t particularly want to meet her again.

Leaving behind the woman who had already disappeared, I walked in the direction she had pointed out, and before long a room labeled Infirmary came into view.

Normally, when you imagined a school infirmary, you pictured a small room with a single school nurse waiting inside...

But this was Seoul Hero Academy, which possessed the finest facilities in all of Asia.

Unlike the infirmary of an ordinary school, it was equipped with professional facilities that made it look as though an actual hospital ward had been moved here.

When I entered the infirmary and looked around, I saw Jin-woo lying on a bed and fiddling with his smartphone.

“Wow, I’m fucking amazing. Is this what they call godlike movement? Yeah~ can’t hit me, right? Weaving~ moving~ weaving~”

Seeing him giggling as he enthusiastically played with his smartphone, he appeared to be completely fine.

“Ha.”

Seeing the guy enjoying himself without even knowing class had ended caused a laugh to escape me.

Perhaps he heard it, because the guy looking at his smartphone met my eyes.

“E-eek!”

He jumped in shock as though he had seen a ghost and pressed himself tightly against the wall beside the bed.

“W-why are you here again!”

Even though I hadn’t done anything, he trembled on his own and started saying strange things.

“Didn’t we make a promise before the spar?”

“Huh? About what!”

“The club.”

“...

The club? Ah, the ten million credits! Don’t tell me you came because of that?”

I nodded at his question.

The period during which freshmen could establish new clubs would begin tomorrow and last about a week, so it was essential to secure a firm answer ahead of time.

“I won our spar, so I can assume you’ll come under me, right?”

“...

I lost, so I can’t help it. Ah...! My ten million credits!”

Surprisingly, he accepted the outcome of the match rather cleanly. Fortunately, he didn’t seem like the type who refused to accept defeat.

“With ten million credits, I could’ve bought every skin...”

No, was he just being petty?

“...

It was money meant for club activities from the beginning anyway. It’s money everyone will share under the name of club welfare funds, so you don’t need to be too sad.”

Jin-woo’s head snapped up as he stared at me after hearing that.

“What? You’re just going to spend all ten million credits on club activities? Without skimming any off?”

Was that really so surprising?

“I already have more than enough money, so there’s no reason for me to take it. I also plan to give bonuses based on the club members’ achievements, so you don’t need to worry just because you didn’t receive the money.”

“B-bonuses?! Then absolutely! My father’s always said something since long ago. The Boss you should serve has to be rich and strong. You’re good enough. So, what, should I call you Boss from now on? Boss?”

The instant money entered the conversation, Jin-woo’s eyes sparkled as he looked at me with genuine respect.

Judging by the fact that [Trait: Baby Boss]

activated in the corner of my vision, it seemed he sincerely felt respect toward me right now.

“Boss... Call me whatever you want. But aren’t you the successor of the Vivald Family? If you’re the successor of a Mafia organization, you should have plenty of allowance money. Why are you so obsessed with money?”

It was a genuine question.

The Vivald Family that Jin-woo belonged to was an organization under Calione. They should have more than enough wealth, so why was Jin-woo so obsessed with money?

“My family is kind of... like, if you need spending money, earn it yourself. That sort of atmosphere. So in high school, I either survived on school lunches or robbed weirdos who came around saying they were going to take over the school... but this is the Academy. I don’t think I can do that here.”

So that was the truth behind the story Kim Se-ah had told me.

He had survived by robbing guys who came to take over the school. It was absurd.

“...

That must have been tough too.”

“Right? So what exactly does our club do that you’re saying I can make money through club activities?”

“The club? It’s not that difficult an activity. If anything, it’s a club being created for a good cause.”

“Huh?”

Jin-woo had already agreed to join our club.

It wasn’t particularly difficult to tell him what we would be doing at the Academy from now on.

“We’re going to become a club that protects other clubs.”

“...

A club that protects clubs?”

“Yeah, a club that protects other clubs. Do you know anything about club activities at the Academy?”

I asked Jin-woo just in case.

“Not at all.”

“...

I thought so. As expected. Then I’ll explain it simply. Clubs at the Academy operate according to the law of strength. And only strong clubs survive.”

That was both a characteristic and the very essence of the Hero Academy.‘Strength.’

The strength to protect everyone. The strength to protect civilians.

Because of that, club activities at the Academy had inevitably become something governed by the law of strength.

“Only strong clubs survive? That feels pretty different from the clubs I was imagining...?”

“Of course it does.”

Because this was a ‘Hero Academy,’ not an ordinary school.

It was not a place that raised ordinary students, but a place that produced heroes who would save the world of the future.

“Here. At the Hero Academy, it’s permitted. In the end, we’re people who will be going to battlefields where the law of strength prevails.”

That was why I had found an opportunity within this club system.

“And we’re going to exploit a loophole in that system.”

We would collect a small protection fee from weaker clubs and protect them from stronger clubs.

And through the ‘Club Wars’ that occurred during that process, we would raise our club’s rank.

Only by becoming the greatest club and obtaining even greater authority than everyone else could I clear the Academy.

“Exploit the system? What, like hacking or something?”

He suddenly said something completely unrelated to the topic.

No matter how I looked at it, he didn’t seem to understand properly.

Even if I explained the ultimate objective right now, I would have to explain it again later in front of the other club members anyway, so I chuckled and shook my head.

“We’ll talk about that after the club is created.”

“Ah, now I’m even more curious. Can’t you just tell me?”

“It’s something I’ll have to explain again later anyway, so wait a little.”

“...

Wow. You stop halfway through talking. You’re seriously a bad bastard. So, to sum up what you’ve said so far. We protect other clubs and collect protection money. That’s it, right?”

“You listened well.”

“But isn’t this what Mafia guys do? What we’re doing sounds just like what my father does.”

Was this what it meant to be the son of a Mafia family after all?

He instantly realized that our club’s system had been inspired by Mafia activities.

“If you put it that way, you could say so. Doesn’t the Foreign Area operate in a similar fashion?”

“That’s true... but you. You do know this, right?”

Jin-woo’s eyes narrowed at my answer.

“Protecting someone ultimately means protecting them from other predators, which means we have to be stronger than the ones doing the predation if we want to protect them, right?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“...

And you know the Foreign Area can only operate under a system like that because of the existence of the Calione Family, which possesses overwhelming force compared to the other organizations.”

“Of course.”

“Then you’re saying you’re going to create a club even more overwhelmingly powerful than all the other clubs in the Academy?”

“Now we finally understand each other.”

“...

Do you seriously think that makes sense?”

“Why wouldn’t it?”

“Even so──.”

“Trust me.”

“──Huh?”

“I’ll make sure the club I create rises to the very top.”

Unlike the casual way I had been speaking until now, I put weight into my voice as I spoke to him.

“I’ll make it so you can stand beside me and look down on everyone from the summit of the Academy. So──”──trust me.

I looked into his eyes and spoke with conviction.

Trust my ability, the ability that had taken you down in a single exchange.

At this moment, I wasn’t Eugene Han Calione.

I was the player who had saved this world several times in the past, plunged it into chaos several times as well, achieved nearly every achievement that existed, and ranked second in CS. Because of that, I could be certain.

I could do it.

And I extended my hand toward Jin-woo, who was still sitting blankly on the bed listening to me.

“If you join me, there’s more than enough possibility.”

Jin-woo had talent.

Jin-woo had a background.

And when it came to putting characters like that through hell and making them grow, I was more confident than anyone else in this world.

Because I had already done it dozens, hundreds of times.

“Doesn’t it sound tempting?”

And my instincts, after observing him by my side for this short time──were certain he would take my hand.

“Ha, haha! Hahahaha! Hahahahaha!”

The moment I finished speaking, Jin-woo began trembling with laughter.

As though he genuinely couldn’t hold it in, he twisted his body and laughed so hard tears gathered in his eyes.

“Haha, ha! That’s seriously unrealistic.”

“...

Is it?”

“Maybe that’s why. I like it!”

Gradually stopping his laughter, Jin-woo wiped away his tears and rose from the bed.

“Standing at the top of the Academy? Me? Hahaha! If that actually happened, even my father, who nags me every day, would probably fall over from shock. Fine. I’ll do what you say.”

At last, Jin-woo took my hand.

“Good.”

Sincerely.

“Jin-woo Vivald. I’ll take you to the top of the Hero Academy. I’d like you to help me reach the top as well.”

“...

That goal’s way too high, isn’t it? Sounds like it’ll be annoying, but it also sounds fun.”

“It definitely will be fun.”

At my answer, he smiled and gave my hand a short shake.

“Good. Deal.”

“Deal.”

And just like that, Jin-woo Vivald became the first member of the organization I would create.