Chapter 145

Chapter 145

I Became the Academy Mafia Chapter 145The follow-up work on Jeju Island proceeded quickly the moment members of the Calione Family arrived.

Dealing with the remnants gathered in Junk Town, wiping out the Tangerine Farm that had been creating new drugs from Ghost Tangerine Trees, and even gathering and reorganizing the rough factions scattered across all of Jeju Island.

All of it was finished in less than a day.

“So we're going back now?”

The small dock we'd used when entering Jeju Island.

There, we talked while watching Fafnir's corpse being transferred onto a large ship.

“We should. I've got a mountain of work waiting once I get back.”

“Right, you said you're Calione's Little Boss. Then we'll probably see each other again soon, won't we?”

“Probably.”

Since this entire matter had been carried out under my direction, Father would naturally send me again.

He had a tendency to keep public and private matters separate when it came to Family business, so there was no doubt about it.

“I learned a great deal by your side, Grand-Senior Uncle! I am certain that someone like Grand-Senior Uncle will surely glimpse the ultimate essence of aura!”

“““We are certain!!”””

Watching the members of the Blue Yaksha Workshop see me off with enthusiasm that was a little excessive but had become familiar, I nodded and held out my hand to Yoon Gwang-su.

“I'll probably see you again later to talk about equipment, right?”

“Yes. At that time, I will come to see you myself. Grand-Senior Uncle.”

“Right. See you soon.”

And finally, I looked at the children from Halla Cathedral who were watching me.

“Big Bro. Are you leaving?”

“Hyung. Are you going back to the mainland?”

“Hyung, will you come back?”

Perhaps they'd realized from the atmosphere that I was leaving, because the children looked teary-eyed or disappointed.

And among them stood Jeanne, looking at me with a firmer expression than anyone else.

“Big Bro. We'll see each other again, right?”

No, was she forcing herself to endure it?

I could see the corners of her eyes trembling.

“Yeah, we'll see each other again. So listen well to the bishop and Sister Maria over there. I'll check later.”

As I spoke while patting Jeanne's head, something I'd already grown used to doing, the children began rushing toward me one by one and clinging tightly to my legs and waist.

“Hyung, thank you!”

“Big Bro, goodbye!”

“Tell us another story next time you come!”

From the children's perspective, only a day had passed.

Maybe I'd grown attached to them too.

“Sure, next time I'll tell you the story of Father Andersen, the Demon Slayer.”

“What?”

The children's expressions all stiffened at once...

Were they just that excited?

“Young Master. They say preparations for departure are complete.”

At that moment, a member of the organization spoke from behind me.

Apparently they'd already finished loading Fafnir's corpse and the items recovered from his lair.

“Ah. Go on ahead. I'll follow shortly.”

“Yes. Young Master.”

Now it was truly time to leave Jeju Island.

With everyone looking at me, I felt embarrassed trying to say anything sentimental, so I smiled naturally, the way I would with friends, and spoke.

“See you next time.”

Because we'd definitely be able to meet again soon.

______________

“This is... truly... astonishing.”

The Calione estate.

There, Fafnir's corpse lay in the middle of the garden, while the men gathered around it looked on with fascinated eyes.

“Eugene caught this?”

“Yes. There's a bishop at Halla Cathedral who handles Ascalon. Apparently he worked together with that child to kill it.”

“There are a few minor scratches on the outside... but no major external wounds. I can barely understand how it was killed.”

Father and another man walked around Fafnir's strangely intact corpse, studying it with doubt.

The man's name was Kowalnose Garcia.

He was the boss of the Family responsible for the Hunters Guild and the disposal of monster materials in the Republic of Korea, one of the foremost experts in monster dismantling, and the technician we'd called in to dismantle the dragon.

“Thank you for coming such a long way, Don Kowalnose.”

The reason we'd called him here was simple.

To keep the fact that Fafnir's corpse was in our possession from spreading elsewhere.

This wasn't just any monster, but Fafnir, a named monster famous enough to be mentioned in mythology.

If word that we possessed such a dragon's corpse entered the government's or anyone else's intelligence network, it was obvious an extremely troublesome situation would follow.

You know, like when people win the lottery and suddenly countless hands come reaching out for a handshake.

“Hoho. It's a request from my nephew, of all people. Of course I had to come. And... how many chances will I get in my lifetime to dismantle a monster of this scale?”

Kowalnose smiled as though it were nothing and placed a hand on my shoulder.

“If anything, I should be thanking you, Eugene, so don't concern yourself too much.”

Judging by the way he used my name and called me nephew, it seemed he regarded this as a personal request from me rather than an official Calione event.

Well, that was much more comfortable for me too.

“Yes. Thank you, Uncle.”

“Right. Then I suppose I should start preparing. Could you all step back for a moment? It seems I'll have to go all out for the first time in a while.”

He approached Fafnir's corpse with only his index and middle fingers extended like a gun.

A moment later, green aura gathered at the tips of his fingers.

A sharpness

that seemed capable of cutting just by looking at it slowly began splitting Fafnir's scales.

“Haha! This much resistance right from the start! Interesting!”

Even as he said that, Kowalnose stripped away scales and bones with smooth movements as though it weren't particularly difficult.

It might have been a different story while the creature was alive, but now that Fafnir was merely a corpse, its scales, just as expected, could not withstand his aura and began being cut away obediently.

Thus followed roughly two hours of dismantling.

Under the hands of a dismantling team kept to as few people as possible, materials began piling neatly along one side of the garden, and by the time all the work was finally finished, the sun was already beginning to set.

“Whew, this should do for now. Then, just as you said, I'll take some of Fafnir's meat and scales?”

“Of course. Thank you for your work, Uncle.”

“What work? Ah, Don. How about the two of us have a drink? I managed to acquire something incredible.”

“Is that so? Coming from you of all people, that makes me look forward to it. Come, let's go.”

“Yes. Don.”

After watching the two of them disappear with smiles, I paid a modest amount of materials as compensation for the dismantling and looked at the scene spread out before me.

Perfectly stripped scales and bones.

And red blood and flesh filling enormous tanks.

But the thing that caught my eye the most was a red orb about the size of an adult man's fist.‘Dragon Heart.’The greatest reason dragons had been able to become the progenitors of magic, and something called the nuclear fusion reactor of the magical world.

I slowly approached it and placed it into the safest place in the world, the Cube.

I couldn't use it right now anyway, so it would be best to keep it there for the time being.

“What I need to use right now is...”

Next, I looked toward the enormous tank filled with blood.

“There's something people overlook. The most important thing in Fafnir's body is this.”

Fafnir's blood.

According to the Song of the Nibelungs, Fafnir's blood had the ability to make anyone bathed in it immortal.

Of course, for balance reasons the game didn't give you an absurd ability like immortality, but what was certain was that it granted an ability I desperately needed right now.

After taking off DisPater, I naturally stepped into the blood.

Even though quite some time had passed since Fafnir died, the inside of the tank still felt warm.

And little by little, I could feel Fafnir's blood seeping into my body and changing it.[Fafnir's blood penetrates the user's body!][Trait 【Natural Healing(C)】 reacts to Fafnir's blood.][【Natural Healing(C)】 changes into 【Natural Healing(A)】.][‘Item: Ancient Berserker's Ring(Sealed)’ begins absorbing the evil dragon's blood.][The seal on ‘Ancient Berserker's Ring(Sealed)’ is released!][‘Ancient Berserker's Ring(Sealed)’ changes into ‘Ancient Berserker's Ring(True).’][Name: Ancient Berserker's Ring(True)][Rank: Relic][Type: Ring][Description: A ring worn by those once called ancient berserkers. This ring absorbs blood flowing from its user, and in return, greatly strengthens the user's power.

This ring, having absorbed the blood of the evil dragon Fafnir, causes a fear effect in the surroundings simply by being equipped.]

“Done.”

The ability I absolutely needed as someone who grew stronger the more fear I absorbed had finally fallen into my hands.

Then Fafnir's blood gradually cooled and began turning transparent.

It had lost its original color because every ability it possessed had been drained from it.

I stepped out of the liquid, which now no longer possessed any effect, raised aura to evaporate the moisture, then changed into ordinary clothes.

“...

Then there's only one thing left.”

Considering the upcoming midterm exams, improving my abilities was extremely important, so I judged it would be better to handle this today rather than put it off and headed straight to my room.

Unlike last time, I prepared thoroughly.

First, I bit down on a towel and equipped ‘Midas's Gloves’ on both hands.

Then, sitting cross-legged on the bed, I stared at the button that was still lit before my eyes.[(N)

Narrative Engraving]

A new ability I'd obtained from the recent battle with the villain.

Its mechanism engraved a new ability into my body according to the narrative I'd written, and I remembered suffering quite a bit last time after recklessly pressing it without any preparation.‘This time will be a little different.’Thinking that, I clicked the button, and at the same time a thought suddenly crossed my mind.‘Last time I killed a wolf, and a wolf tattoo appeared. Then... since I killed Fafnir, am I getting a dragon tattoo?’No, wait.

A dragon tattoo?

An evil dragon?

At that moment, excruciating pain began in my right arm.

Thinking about what was about to happen, I dropped the towel from my mouth.

“No way──.”───────!!

Violet flames began engulfing my entire right arm.

“Ghhhhhh!”

Unlike with the wolf, the pain was so intense I could barely even get my voice out.

Writhing from the horrific agony, as if I'd shoved my arm into lava, I prayed for the pain to end even a little sooner.

The wolf image drawn over my right shoulder blade and the connecting point with the dragon pattern on my arm began joining together, and the pain reached its limit.

Pain that felt as though I might lose consciousness at any moment.

Blood was already leaking from my gums after I'd dropped the towel, and both my tightly clenched left and right hands had gone deathly pale.

And finally, when all the flames went out.

“I thought I was going to fucking die! Seriously...!”

Seeing the black dragon engraving now carved into my right arm, I immediately checked the new ability that had appeared.

“What the hell──.”

The performance wasn't bad.

The problem was...

“Young Master. I've knocked so many times, why aren't you answer... ing?”

Alessia opened the door to my room and came inside.

“That on your arm... a black dragon? Is that a tattoo?”

“Ah.”

She'd seen me clutching my right arm in obvious agony.

“...

I understand.”

“No, wait, Alessia? This is──.”

“It's fine. I... how should I put it... think it looks rather cool?”

“No, that's not it, seriously──.”

“Then I'll be leaving. Have a pleasant time, Young Master.”──Bang!

Despite my desperate explanation, the door slammed shut in an instant.

Only then did I accept the reality that had come crashing down on me, rubbed my dry face with both hands, and sighed.

“...

Fuck.”