Chapter 154

Chapter 154

I Became the Academy Mafia Chapter 154At the same time as I felt a brief sense of floating, the surrounding scenery began to change.

It was the appearance of the outdoor field with no settings applied.

When I turned my head and looked outside, I saw the students lying down in the prepared area or collapsed while resting.‘So everyone who was eliminated inside got transported over there.’I shook my head and stepped outside, feeling the gazes of the surrounding students gather on me.

The enormous monitor I'd also seen during the last all-out war.

Apparently most of the people gathered here had been watching the match through that.

At that moment, the dark monitor lit up brightly, and grand music began playing through the speakers.[Academy Midterm Exam Results Announcement]

The words appearing on the monitor drew everyone's attention.[Top-Ranked. Han Eugene][Second-Ranked. Choi Yeon][3rd Place. Choi Kang-hyun]...

“Oh.”Choi Kang-hyun took third place even though the survival points for third weren't worth much.

Apparently, targeting me midway through and taking out the other guys along the way to sweep up all their points had helped.

At the same time, a system window appeared before my eyes.[Achievement Accomplished!][Achievement: 「Top-Ranked at the Academy」 acquired!][You have reached the pinnacle among your Academy peers!][The majority of students feel awe toward you.][A reward is granted!][Trait: 「Top-Ranked at the Academy」 acquired!]【Top-Ranked at the Academy】[1. Pinnacle of Your Peers

- You are the Academy's top-ranked student. Charm greatly increases.][2. Talent of the Top-Ranked

- The speed at which you absorb techniques and knowledge within the Academy increases.][3. TOP CLASS

- The position of top-ranked student is permitted to only one person. If you fail to maintain your position as top-ranked student, this trait will disappear.]

It was known as one of the most broken traits obtainable within the Academy.The second ability of 【Top-Ranked at the Academy】, ‘Talent of the Top-Ranked.’

A trait that increased your growth rate inside the Academy, where you learned all kinds of things?

Although it was restricted to the location known as the Academy, it was practically equivalent to an experience multiplier, making it more than worthy of being called top-tier.‘The synergy when this combined with Choi Yeon's ability was insane. Though I ended up taking it this time.’Of course, that didn't mean I intended to slow Choi Yeon's growth.

I planned to suggest a new method of growth suited specifically to her.

In the end, this brought the total number of traits I possessed to eight.《Traits》【Heir to the Underworld】[1. Offer They Cannot Refuse

– Negotiation ability increases slightly. Against targets who feel fear, negotiation ability increases greatly.][2. Baby Boss

– Your overall abilities increase slightly in proportion to the number of living beings who feel fear or respect toward you.][3. Unavailable]【Bad Boy】[1. Your charm increases in proportion to your notoriety.]【Hitman】[1. Ruthless Killer

- The organization's blade that executes its enemies. A Hitman maintains composure under any circumstances.

Firearm-related proficiency greatly increases.][2. Hunter of Villains

- You are a Hitman highly accustomed to hunting villains. Villains will feel fear toward you, and you will find it easier to hunt them.

The fear villains feel toward you increases by 1.5 times.

Your ability to utilize aura against villains increases slightly.]【Enforcer】[1.

Enforcer

- Those who deal with the organization's enemies. When fighting an opponent recognized as an enemy of the organization, physical abilities increase by 1.5 times.]【Thousand Poison Immunity】[1. Thousand Poison Immunity

- You become immune to most poisons. Resistance to poison greatly increases.]【Natural Healing(A)】[1. Natural Healing(A)

- The body's natural healing ability increases.]【Orator】[1. People feel greater persuasive force from your words.][2. People around you focus more strongly on what you say.]【Gunpowder and Explosions】[1. Gunpowder and Explosions: You are a specialist in gunpowder and explosions. You gain additional damage correction from firearms and explosives.]【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.]【Top-Ranked at the Academy】[1. Pinnacle of Your Peers

- You are the Academy's top-ranked student. Charm greatly increases.][2. Talent of the Top-Ranked

- The speed at which you absorb techniques and knowledge within the Academy increases.][3. TOP CLASS

- The position of top-ranked student is permitted to only one person. If you fail to maintain your position as top-ranked student, this trait will disappear.]

“Seriously, just looking at it feels reassuring.”

Wasn't I the first person to gather this many traits in such a short period of time?

If I'd posted this on the community, people would've cursed me out, saying it was fake and telling me to stop baiting for attention.

“Eugene. Congratulations.”

“Ah. Choi Yeon.”

Didn't they say speak of the tiger and it appears?

Choi Yeon had approached before I knew it and held out her hand for a handshake.

She wore a more refreshed smile than usual.

“Don't you hate me?”

I asked because she was casually offering her hand to the person responsible for taking away the top-ranked position that had originally belonged to her, but she merely tilted her head as if asking what I was talking about.

“Why? I lost because I was weaker.”

“...

Right.”

You were always that kind of person.

I took the hand she offered and smiled back.

“Thanks.”

“I'll win during finals.”

“Sure. I'll look forward to it.”

I couldn't casually predict how much stronger she'd become by then, but I had no intention of sitting around doing nothing either.

Now that I'd become the top-ranked student, I intended to protect this trait until the very end.

“Mr. Eugene~!”

“Congratulations, President!”

“Boss is a god! Boss is a god! Boss is a god! Long liiive! Long liiive!”

I could see the members of ‘Familia’ running toward me from far away.

Judging from the rankings displayed on the monitor, it seemed all of them had managed to settle within the top twenty.

“Everyone worked hard.”

And just like that, Seoul Hero Academy's ‘First-Year, First-Semester Midterm Exams’ came to a complete end.

______________

“I'm home.”

After finishing the exhausting midterms.

When I returned home to rest, something began fluttering through the air with a pop![Congratulations

Eugene Han Calione, Academy Rank 1]

“Big Brooo! Congratulations!”

“Congratulations, Young Master.

Ji-yoon and Alessia shouted with bright smiles while setting off the kind of party poppers normally used for birthdays.

Apparently the results of the midterms had already reached the estate.

“News travels really fast. I just got home.”

As I naturally stroked Ji-yoon, who hugged me, Alessia smiled as well and said.

“As soon as the midterms ended, a direct message came to the Don

. We could tell immediately from the sound of his delight in the study.”

“Ah.”

What happened afterward was obvious.

Father must have spread the news about me throughout the entire estate, and Ji-yoon would've started bouncing around saying we absolutely had to celebrate.

Alessia must have gone along with it and come out to greet me together with Ji-yoon.

“Ji-yoon. Thanks.”

“Hehehe. Right! Big Bro. Papa said when you get home, you should come to the study.”

“Father did?”

This time Alessia nodded.

“Yes. I received instructions to escort the Young Master there as soon as you arrived from the Academy. He said you must be tired because of the midterms, but asks for your understanding.”

“Hm? No. If Father calls me, of course I should go.”

His son came home after taking first place in his exams and Father was calling him?

Wasn't it obvious to anyone that this meant he was going to give me a reward?

I headed toward Father's study with light steps, then checked my appearance in the full-length mirror outside the study and straightened myself once more.

“Ahem.”

Even though I'd come for something good, apparently I couldn't help feeling nervous whenever I saw the door to Father's study.

After lightly knocking twice.

“Father. It's Eugene.”

When I spoke from outside the door, a deep voice came from within.

-Come in.

I carefully opened the door and entered, finding Father smoking a cigar as usual.

“...

I'm home.”

“Yes. You must be very tired. I'm sorry for calling you all the way here.”

Father exhaled smoke and rose from his seat.

On the desk where Father had been sitting was a mountain of reports sent from all over the world.

“Not at all. I'm grateful that you called me despite how busy you must be.”

Father chuckled at my answer.

“Yes, thank you. I heard from the dean that you took first place in this midterm exam? The Sword Saint kept texting me, complaining about how you stole his granddaughter's place... thanks to him, I had a good laugh.”...

That old man sent messages like that?

Well, that doting old fool must have been pretty upset that Choi Yeon lost to me.

“I was merely lucky.”

“Haha! If you won because you were lucky, then everyone else in the world must be unlucky. Yes... now that my son has taken the top rank at the Academy, what should I give you?”

Joy seeped from every word he spoke, almost as though he were humming.

It was strange that I could feel his affection through even these little things.

Father began flipping through the reports, then eventually picked up a sheet of paper and held it out toward me.

“Take it.”

“Pardon?”

I reflexively accepted the paper suddenly handed toward me.

When I looked down at it.[Seoul Hero Academy Internal Business Registration Certificate]

“...

What's this?”

“An official business license for Seoul Hero Academy. It's something we managed to obtain through the recent bidding competition, and I thought it would be best to give it to you, since the Academy falls within your territory.”

A business license for the Academy.

It was something I'd never possessed even in the game.

In the game, the Academy was effectively a sanctuary, an organization where outside business interests had difficulty interfering.

There was a reason organizations used clubs as a workaround.

Should I call it something like a greenbelt?

That alone was surprising...

But Father wasn't finished yet.

“I thought about what else to give you, but it seems I'll have to personally travel overseas if I want to find a gift worthy of you. Would you mind waiting a little for your real present?”

“Father, you're going personally?”

The head of Calione himself was going overseas just for one item?

What the hell was he planning to bring back?

“Yes. The Consiglière will handle the work in my absence, so if anything happens, speak to him. Well, I'm only going to Russia, not somewhere far away, so it shouldn't take very long.”

“I'll do that, Father.”

“Yes. Your body must still be exhausted, so go get some good rest.”

Leaving my meeting with Father behind, I returned to my room, threw myself onto the bed, and looked over the business license documents Father had given me.

“How did he even get this?”

It's still amazing no matter how many times I look at it.

A business license for the Academy that allowed me to open a store inside it.

Normally in the game, outside companies were the ones that entered, so I'd assumed the system simply worked that way, but apparently that wasn't actually the case.

“No, maybe this was only possible because this is reality in the first place?”

An Academy business license could practically be considered a license to establish a money-printing factory.

A guaranteed customer base, plus the chance to build connections with the people who would lead the future, making it easy to lead trends as well.

In the game, companies slipped all sorts of money under the table and fought shadow wars with each other just to create that kind of flow, and now I could openly do it?

The expected returns were enormous.

The only problem was the possibility of power struggles with the clubs that already existed.

After all, a business license was merely the right to do business, not the right to survive.

Do I openly jump into price competition, or aim for a blue ocean?

“What I saw in the game was... probably a café and a weapon shop that sold practice weapons.”

Stores selling manufactured goods weren't particularly useful to players, so I hadn't paid them much attention...

A good idea occurred to me.

“This could work.”

I rushed to my desk, pulled up a business-plan template, and hurriedly began writing the document.

“If I approach it in a way only an Academy student can...?”

A method possible because I was both the holder of the business rights and a student.

A plan that could achieve both influence within the Academy and economic profit.

It was the moment the first button toward complete domination of the Academy was fastened.