Chapter 151

Chapter 151

I Became the Academy Mafia Chapter 151There was one day left until the sparring match, which could be called the flower of the Academy's midterms.

The midterm rankings of the club members would soon become Familia's performance and grades.

Since it was important for club activities as well for the kids to receive high scores, that was why I'd invited these special instructors today.

“There isn't an egg yolk in the ssanghwa tea? Tsk, tsk...”

“Good grief. This isn't a coffee shop. Why would they float an egg yolk in ssanghwa tea? You should just drink an Americano like me.”

Kwak Chun-sik grumbled after receiving the ssanghwa tea, while Choi Seon-ho clicked his tongue at him.

Normally, the two were practically rivals, so seeing them sitting side by side like this was as difficult as plucking a star from the sky... but after the recent Academy terrorist incident, they seemed to have become fairly close.

“Why drink that tasteless Americano or whatever it's called? Good grief, an old man like you has no dignity, getting influenced by youngsters these days.”

“Tasteless? That bitter flavor and the way it sharpens your head are great. Honestly... this is why old-fashioned geezers are hopeless.”

“What? Old-fashioned?”

“Then are you an early adopter? Ahem.”...

They are close, right?

“Ahem. So, you want us to help with training in preparation for tomorrow's exam?”

Perhaps realizing that we were watching, Choi Seon-ho cleared his throat while holding his Americano and looked at us.

“That's right. Among the people I know, the two of you are the strongest, after all.”

Start with some lip service.

From my experience and statistics, the two of them disliked flattery but were weak to praise.

If you asked what the difference was, it was probably the timing, tone, and atmosphere.

Indeed, neither of them seemed displeased by my words, as the corners of their mouths rose.

“Hmm, well, yes. What Eugene says is certainly true.”

“I can't exactly disagree either... ahem. But one must not grow arrogant. There are still many areas where we need to continue improving.”...

Easy people.

“Very well. Let's hear what kind of training you want our help with.”

Kwak Chun-sik, now apparently focusing on the conversation, placed his cup of ssanghwa tea on the table and asked.

Now?

Having been waiting for the timing, I looked at the two of them with an apologetic expression.

“Isn't it said that merely watching the battles or training of skilled masters can bring about tremendous growth? So this may be a somewhat delicate thing to ask...”

If it was the two people I knew.

“Perhaps...”

There would definitely be a reaction.

“Which of you two is stronger?”

All right.

From now on, kill each other.

______________

The morning of the sparring match.

The eyes of the Familia members gathered in the classroom were sparkling brightly.

Of course they were.

After seeing something like that yesterday, there was no way they'd been able to sleep easily.

The Sword Saint Choi Seon-ho versus Aura Master Kwak Chun-sik.

The club's training room had practically been half-destroyed by the shock of their fight, and even Ji Su-hyeon, who had been off duty, came over to investigate what had happened.‘She was jumping up and down after seeing the state of the club room, then immediately bowed her head when she saw the culprits' faces.’Seeing Ji Su-hyeon flustered enough to bow was truly a rare legendary scene.

Still, thanks to that, the kids had been able to make quite a bit of progress.

The spar between the two, whose emotions had grown so heated that killing intent practically poured from them, had been no different from a real battle, and their subtle shifts in momentum and manipulation alone made watching it as valuable as taking an elixir.

“All right. You guys know today's the last day of midterms, right?”

Ji Su-hyeon entered the classroom carrying the attendance book with exhausted eyes.

She placed it on the podium, swept her gaze over us once, then covered her mouth and yawned.

“Seriously... I'm dead tired. Ah. Jin-woo Vivald. Stand up.”

“Huh?”

Jin-woo stood up, puzzled at suddenly hearing his name called.

“What the hell did you do during the Strategy exam?”

“Huh? I just worked hard and cleared it?”

“...

Is having every member of your party charge straight in supposed to be strategy, bastard?”

At Ji Su-hyeon's words, all the other students' gazes turned toward Jin-woo.

“But I still cleared it...”

“Yeah, you did, bastard! Three dead and one seriously injured? You did know I'm the one grading Strategy when you pulled that shit, right?”...Three dead and one seriously injured.

He had somehow cleared it, but the result was practically a failure.

“If you don't place near the top today, you're basically failing, so fight like your life depends on it. Got it?”

“Yeees...”

“Otherwise, you'll die by my hand.

“...

Yes!”

His eyes, which had been bright until just a moment ago, sank instantly.

As the dejected Jin-woo trudged back to his seat, Ji Su-hyeon sighed and spoke again.

“As you all know, today is the sparring day that determines the ranking among the Academy's first-years. The rankings recorded this time will stay posted on the school community until the next final exam, so fight like your lives depend on it.”

After saying that and finishing the attendance, she closed the book, then went, “Ah,” and looked at us again.

“Come to think of it, I heard this sparring class is being held on the outdoor field, so get ready to head outside.”

“Huh?”

“Outside?”

“Wasn't it supposed to be in the sparring rooms?”

I had the same question as the others.

Weren't the Academy's midterm sparring matches normally held in the sparring rooms, where each student challenged someone of another rank?

But suddenly the outdoor field?

The outdoor field was definitely the same field where we'd once held the club all-out war.

“Apparently the high-ranking students keep getting challenged over and over, so they're experimentally changing it just this time... I don't know the details either, bastards! The dean decided it, so go complain to him if you've got a problem.”

With that, Ji Su-hyeon abruptly turned around and immediately left the classroom.

And just as she crossed the threshold, a quiet voice could be heard.

“Do well on your exam.”

The classroom door closed along with the barely audible words.

“B-Boss. What did we just hear?”

“Mr. Eugene. Instructor Ji Su-hyeon just told us to do well on the exam and left because she was embarrassed, right? Right?”

“...

She simply said what she's naturally supposed to say as our instructor. Why are you so surprised?”

The two of them were making a fuss, while Young-je looked at them as though they were strange.

At least Young-je still hadn't been corrupted and seemed to retain normal thought.

A little while later, an announcement came over the speakers installed in the classroom.

-This is an announcement from the Academy broadcasting room. This is an announcement from the Academy broadcasting room. All first-year freshmen, please gather at the Academy's outdoor field now. Once again, this is the broadcasting room...

As soon as the announcement played, noisy sounds began coming from the hallway outside.

Apparently the other classes had heard it too and were beginning to move one by one.

“All right. Guys, let's grab our Unique Armaments and head out.”

Led by Young-je, our class president, Class A also began heading toward the outdoor field for the first time in a while.

“Wow, the outdoor field. Is that the place where we fought the Ranger Club back then? It's been forever.”

Perhaps remembering the old days, Jin-woo walked ahead of me while chatting cheerfully with Young-je.

“You seem pretty confident for someone about to spar.”

“Of course. After what I saw yesterday. How should I put it... the way I think has completely changed.”

Fortunately, what happened yesterday seemed to have greatly stimulated the kids.

“Then I can look forward to your scores today, right?”

When I asked, all the kids looked at me at once.

“I'm not fighting Boss.”

“I'm not fighting Mr. Eugene.”

“If the president comes near me, I'm running away.”...

Come on, saying it that strongly makes me feel hurt.

I hadn't even planned to challenge them first, but maybe because I felt spiteful now, I suddenly wanted to.

-Everyone, focus! Focus!

At that moment, Park Yoon-ho, the head instructor for the first-years, came over the speakers installed on the outdoor field.

The students gradually began paying attention.

-You were probably confused at being suddenly gathered on the outdoor field. Until last year, the sparring exam was conducted in the sparring rooms, with each student challenging another student of a different rank.

The other kids nodded at his words.

That was what I knew as well, and it was obvious the others knew the same.

-However, starting today, things will be different. There have been many opinions regarding the sparring matches conducted during exam periods, and this year's class is considered quite special. Thus, under the opinions of the instructors and the dean, starting this year we will proceed with a new format.

It wasn't as though his words didn't make sense.

Even I considered this year's class special enough to be called a golden generation.

But how exactly was it going to change?

This wasn't content that had existed in the game... was it related to the things that happened earlier this year after all?

-This midterm exam will be conducted in a battle royale format. With Instructor Ji Su-hyeon's assistance, the size of the outdoor field has been greatly expanded, and the number of obstacles has also increased significantly. The field will gradually shrink, and eventually only one person will remain alive. The Academy will determine the rankings according to the order in which you survive.

“...

This is the ‘Academy Battle Royale Expansion Pack’ update.”

“Hm? Boss, what's that? Anyway, doesn't it sound fun?”

I couldn't help commenting without realizing it.

Setting aside Jin-woo, who looked like he wasn't thinking at all.‘...

So that's why Ji Su-hyeon looked exhausted.’It wasn't as though the battle royale system had never existed in CS.

There had definitely been an update where ranking matches were conducted on a virtual field like this.

I just hadn't expected that update to happen right now.

-Once you enter the outdoor field, all students will begin at random locations. The zone that gradually closes in will be displayed on the ceiling panels, so make sure you check it... as for the rest, experiencing it directly will be better than explaining.

As Park Yoon-ho said that and looked toward the entrance of the outdoor field, the enormous gate opened and violet ripples began to appear.

-Class A will enter first, in order.

Under the instructors' guidance, our Class A began entering the field one by one.

“A battle royale, huh. Everyone, let's do our best.”

Young-je, the class president, entered first.

“Boss! Let's not run into each other!”

Jin-woo went in next.

“Hmm... I wonder if temporary alliances are allowed.”

Se-ah, who was diligently formulating strategies, entered as well.

After sending all the other kids in, I entered the field last among Class A.

The sensation of spatial transfer had become familiar after experiencing it several times.

A brief floating sensation enveloped my body and my vision inverted, and the place I arrived at was.

“...

Where is this?”

Acrid smoke.

A distinctive stale smell.

Even the large industrial-sized can sitting in the corner.

“Hmm, a smoking area? Looks like some sort of shopping district...”

Buildings and cars filled the surroundings.

Yet the sight of not a single person anywhere somehow gave off an inexplicable sense of unease.‘I think this kind of scene was called a Liminal Space

, wasn't it?’Still, when I looked around, a fairly familiar landscape greeted me.

Thanks to that, I knew.

This was... Yeouido.

“If it's the geography of Yeouido, I've seen it dozens of times, so I shouldn't have much to worry about.”

The only inconvenient part was that my body wouldn't move right now.

Seeing that my whole body was wrapped in lines of mana, it seemed the instructors had placed a separate spell on us.

It was probably meant to keep us waiting until the match began.

Other battle royales worked like that too, so there was no doubt.

-All students have finished entering.

The voice of the Academy broadcasting department echoed throughout the entire city.-In 10 seconds. Seoul Hero Academy Midterm Exam. ‘Battle Royale’ will begin.

At the same time, something appeared above my head with a cheerful chime.

“Hm?”[★Rank 2★]

The ranking floating over my head shone brightly.

“What the hell is this.”

Did the game have a feature like this?

A function that made your ranking glow this brightly.

What the hell is──Fwoooooosh───!

And at that moment, far in the distance.

A gigantic pillar of light connected to the sky began to appear.

A phenomenon that probably everyone nearby could see.

And there, enormous letters rotated around, proudly displaying themselves so everyone could read them.[☆★Rank 1★☆]

“...

I've got it easy.”

One fact I'd forgotten came back to mind.‘Seoul Hero Academy’ was much nastier than I remembered.

“It's Rank 2! Rank 2 is over there!”

“First bastard to take him down gets the prize!”

“Pile on him all at once!”

Exam.

‘Battle Royale.’

Looks like this is going to be the toughest exam I've taken so far.