Chapter 144

Chapter 144

I Became the Academy Mafia Chapter 144I thrust the spike made from a fragment of Ascalon into the narrow gap beneath the reverse scale.

-Graaaaaa! Ascalon! That damned sword!

But its length was nowhere near enough to reach his heart.

However, relics in this world were among the materials with extremely high mana and aura conductivity.

“Right. For now, it's just a skewer, but in the end, you're going to die after getting stabbed by this chopstick-like rod.”

Using the spike as a medium, I concentrated aura into it and explosively extended its length.

My target was the deepest part of his chest where his heart lay.

The technique I envisioned in my mind was one of the pinnacles of aura techniques.

One of Kwak Chun-sik's original techniques, Solitary Evergreen

.

-Krrrrrrrra! Stop! Stop it!

The aura erupting from the spike buried inside his body began mercilessly tearing apart his insides.

The location of the Dragon Heart? How many times had I stabbed this bastard's heart in the game? How could I not know where it was?

Crack.

I felt something break at my fingertips.

“Got it.”

-Kraaaaaaaaaaaaa!!

Unlike the fear-inducing roars I'd heard until now, this was a scream that sounded genuinely agonized.

The tremendous sound made not only the sky but even the ground tremble. Then, the enormous body slowly lost strength and collapsed.

-Mortal. I shall curse you.

He quietly muttered that just before his breath ceased.

At the same time, violet mana burst from his wound and surged toward me, but.[‘Aegis's Watch’ activates.][Successfully defended against the attack.]

A deep blue barrier immediately formed, and the attack aimed at me vanished completely.

“Curse, my ass.”

Tap. I kicked his corpse.

“If you're going to die, then die quietly.”

It was the end of Fafnir, the raid boss that had terrorized Jeju Island for decades.

“Bishop... did we really defeat Fafnir──”

“Father Johann. Don't say another word. I feel like he'll revive because of you.”

“...

Pardon?”

Johann looked unable to understand, but despite the bishop's concern, Fafnir truly was dead.

Killed by the very mortals he had looked down upon so much.

And the system window floating before my eyes proved it.【Hidden Quest Completed!】[You have successfully cleared the Hidden Quest 「Salvation of Jeju Island」.][You have successfully defeated Jeju Island's nightmare, the evil dragon Fafnir.][Rewards will be granted according to contribution.][A new Narrative Engraving is being formed.][(N)

Narrative Engraving][Achievement: 「Dragon Slayer」 acquired!][A special reward is granted!][Trait: 「Dragon Slayer」 acquired!]【Dragon Slayer】[1. Dragon Slayer

– Deals 3 times damage against dragon-kind.][2. Fear of Death

- You have succeeded in killing an immortal species. Those who do not understand the concept of death will feel fear toward you.][3. Protagonist of Myth

- O slayer of dragons. You are writing a new myth. Your caliber rises greatly, and you gain strong resistance to status abnormalities.]

“Nothing much has changed.”

After confirming that the effects of Dragon Slayer were exactly as I remembered, I nodded and looked at Fafnir, now reduced to a corpse.

“Well, I suppose this counts as a reward too.”

The corpse of an Ancient Dragon.

They could be considered the finest materials in the world, ones that had never yet entered circulation.

“You. You're Saber Cloud, right?”

I suddenly heard a voice behind me and turned around to see the bishop staring at me with surprised eyes.

“Hm? What do you... ah.”

When I absentmindedly touched my face, I could no longer feel the aura there.

Apparently the 【Clown Makeup】 wrapped around my face had disappeared during the brawl as well.

“...

I did use that name, at least.”

“That face... and that violently savage aura from just now. Don't tell me you're Calione's son?”

Did my face really resemble Father's that much?

The bishop deduced my identity at once from the little information she had.

Considering our current relationship and the situation, I concluded there was no longer any need to hide it and casually nodded.

“That's right. Eugene Han Calione. That's my real name.”

“And the master of our Aura Style. He's a disciple of Master Kwak Chun-sik!”

Perhaps keeping my identity hidden until now had been unbearably frustrating, because Yoon Gwang-su, who had been receiving treatment behind me, sprang to his feet and shouted.

Only then did the bishop nod as though everything finally made sense.

“Aha? So that's why that Blue Yaksha Workshop came to help us? When it comes to hierarchy, those guys are even worse than we are.”

As someone belonging to Catholicism herself, she nodded with an expression of immediate understanding.

Well, considering that she had originally been a nun and was appointed bishop simply because her compatibility with the sacred relic was good, I did think it was rather unconventional...‘Thinking back to when I played the ‘Immortal Underwear Holy Knights’ run, their hierarchy really was pretty strict.’

“All right, then. I was thinking we should decide the rewards according to raid contribution. Anyone object?”

I said that while looking at the two representatives of their respective factions.

“It wouldn't be bad to sort things out later... but personally, I'd rather settle it quickly and rest. I don't mind.”

“I don't mind either. Senior Uncle.”

“Then we'll discuss it right here.”

What I proposed to them was this.

The dragon's corpse would be mine.

The Blue Yaksha Workshop would receive an exclusive contract with Calione for future commissions.

As for Halla Cathedral...

“Catholic priority rights over all of Jeju Island?”

“Right. Now that Fafnir, Jeju Island's biggest problem, is gone, the Republic of Korea government will use every dirty trick imaginable to seize Jeju Island. But I have no intention of handing it over to them obediently.”

“You don't intend to hand over Jeju Island?”

To the puzzled woman, I showed an envelope of documents from inside the Cube.

“I bought up most of Jeju Island's land while it was dirt cheap. Normally, land that was part of national territory shouldn't have been available for trade, but perhaps thanks to Fafnir, they sold all of it. Even this Baengnokdam we're standing on is my land.”

As I spoke matter-of-factly, the bishop stared at me with her mouth hanging open.

“You were completely certain you could kill Fafnir.”

“Hm? Of course.”

If I'd thought I couldn't do it in the first place, I would've challenged him after getting stronger.

I'd only made this decision because I'd judged that my current specs and abilities were enough.

“But that alone feels a little stingy... We're talking about killing Fafnir of all things. You haven't forgotten that the... chopstick-like weapon you used was made from Ascalon too, right?”

“I think that matter was settled when I enhanced Ascalon. Still, you have a point. This alone does seem a little lacking, doesn't it?”

So I showed her the additional compensation proposal I'd prepared last night.

“Calione will sponsor the children at Halla Cathedral until they become adults. Of course, we won't use the Calione name and will provide the support under another company's name... but we'll make sure the children can study at the best facilities in the world.”

To be clear, this wasn't a bad condition for the cathedral.

After all, weren't the children the most precious thing to Halla Cathedral?

Most of the hardships the children had endured—traveling back and forth for school, even enduring discrimination—would disappear.

And these were children who had grown up on Jeju Island, which was saturated with mana thanks to Fafnir establishing his lair there.

Ever since Fafnir created his lair, Jeju Island had always been overflowing with mana, making it an optimal environment for awakening simply by living there.‘If those children become Awakened and we hold a stake in that, it's profitable.’Considering the astronomical amount of money required to train Awakened, it was clearly an offer the cathedral couldn't refuse.

“Besides... haven't you forgotten where we are?”

I spread both arms and looked around.

“We haven't even checked his lair yet, have we? Just dividing what's inside should be enormous.”

The Blue Yaksha Workshop would gain the chance to challenge a new realm by making equipment from the overflowing dragon materials.

The cathedral would gain a stable future for the children and influence across all of Jeju Island.

And I would gain the dragon's corpse.

“I think these are pretty good terms for all of us, don't you?”

And I was certain they would all agree to my proposal.

______________

“Bishop! Mis... ter?”

After the Fafnir raid ended.

When we headed to the Lava Cave where the children and apprentices were, we found the children already outside waiting for us.

“Huh? Those clothes are definitely Mister's... huh?”

“Hyung! Where did Mister go?”

“Did Mister die?”

Seeing the children flustered because they couldn't adjust to my face made me involuntarily chuckle.

“If you mean Mister. This person?”

I said that with a playful expression and changed my face with 【Clown Makeup】, causing the children to gasp in shock.

“The handsome hyung turned into Mister!”

“It's Mister!”

“Mister, you're not dead?!”

Only then did the children brighten and rush toward me.

“Somehow it looks like the kids like you more than me, even though I'm the bishop?”

Watching them, the bishop grumbled with a pout.

“Well, I do have a face children tend to like.”

The children who'd met me until now had all liked me too.

“Right, Jeanne. Here, I'll give this back.”

I carefully took the rosary from my pocket and returned it to Jeanne, who was clinging to my right leg.

“I was able to win thanks to Jeanne's rosary. Thank you.”

Jeanne quietly accepted the rosary I handed her and obediently let me pat her head.

“Hehe. I'm glad, Mister. Or should I call you Big Bro now?”

Still stroking the confused Jeanne's head, I checked the condition of the children and apprentices.

They all looked completely unharmed without a single wound.

“Did any other groups come over and cause trouble?”

“Pardon? Ah, yes!”

The apprentice snapped to attention when I questioned him.

“A group of Raiders who looked like defeated stragglers passed near the cave midway through, but there was no major trouble! Grand-Senior Uncle!”...

Grand-Senior Uncle, huh.

No matter how many times I heard it, I wasn't used to the title, but well, it felt nice.

Just then, Sister Maria and the others who had gone out scouting returned.

“Mr. Cloud. Just as expected, it seems most of the other factions collapsed after fighting the monsters. Right now, they appear to be leaving a few people behind and returning to their respective bases to reorganize.”

“Then there's nothing to worry about. As I said, everyone else can return and get some good rest.”

Dealing with the remaining stragglers wouldn't be very difficult.

After defeating Fafnir, satellite phones could once again be used on Jeju Island, so I'd contacted Calione and asked them to handle the follow-up measures on the island.

Once the main force arrived, wouldn't everything be cleaned up within today?

“Sister Maria! Tell us about Hallasan!”

“Did Mister really kill the dragon with chopsticks?”

“Was the dragon super strong?”

“Did you fight the dragon too, Sister Maria?”

Even after such a major event, the children smiled brightly and innocently without showing any fear at all.

Sister Maria smiled, took the children's hands, and slowly headed toward the bus.

“Now, now, I'll tell you the details on the bus. Chopsticks? Of course. You wouldn't believe how amazing Mr. Cloud was! So, what happened up there was...”...

Well, I'd also proven that I wasn't a liar, so I suppose that was a good thing.

Thinking that, I was slowly walking toward the bus when.

-Ding!

Apparently the signal had finally returned, because the texts and messages that had piled up began appearing before my eyes.

And among them, there was one that caught my attention the most...[Calendar Alarm][Midterm Exam D

-day 3]

“Ah.”

The exam.

I forgot.