Chapter 162

Chapter 162

I Became the Academy Mafia Chapter 162“No, shouldn't you at least tell me where we're going?”

The Old Man barged into the classroom first thing in the morning.

His steps were so hurried that I ended up following behind him without even getting a proper explanation.

“I forgot, you brat! I forgot because I was playing with my granddaughter yesterday!”

“So what exactly did you forget?”

“I forgot that the Aura Style General Assembly is today!”

“...

Pardon?”

The Aura Style General Assembly.

If I remembered correctly, it referred to a gathering where Aura Style's main house, its branches, and other skilled aura users from all across the country assembled.

But...

“What does that have to do with me?”

“You brat! You're my disciple, so of course you're coming with me!”

“Ah.”

Come to think of it, I was an Aura Style user too.

More importantly, since I was the disciple of Old Man Kwak Chun-sik, who was practically the head of Aura Style, it would be absurd for even me to be absent.

“But since you're basically the leader anyway, wouldn't it be fine if you're a little late?”

I couldn't understand why he was taking being late so seriously when he was effectively the representative.

“That's because if I don't announce the opening, everyone has to wait! You brat, authority comes from respect.”

Does it really work like that...

More importantly, he'd always acted like such an old-fashioned geezer, but this was the first time I'd realized he actually had a firm philosophy behind it.

Anyway, the conclusion was that we couldn't be late.

“That's a bit dangerous.”

“That's why I'm in such a hurry!”

For a man who usually feared nothing to even be sweating nervously meant he was taking this very seriously.

As far as I remembered, the event was held at the martial arts hall in Seoul.

At this hour, overlapping with the morning commute, there was a chance we'd be late if we went by car.

“Old Man, if we go by car, we'll definitely get stuck in traffic.”

“You think I don't know that? But we can't exactly run there either.”

“But we can fly.”

“Hm?”

Shall we save the Old Man's dignity for once?

______________

“Honestly, I keep forgetting who my disciple is.”

“At your age, Old Man, it's not that strange, so don't be too discouraged.”

“Don't tease your elder, you brat!”

Inside a helicopter leisurely flying over Seoul.

Kwak Chun-sik and I were wearing headsets and looking down through the window while talking.

“Young Master! Shall I land in the center of the martial arts hall?!”

The pilot's voice came through the headset.

“He says that's fine. What should we do, Old Man?”

“Do that. There shouldn't be any problem!”

“COPY THAT(Confirmed).”

The aircraft suddenly tilted sideways and began moving laterally.

The grounds of the martial arts hall started coming into view in the distance.

Even though it was in the middle of Seoul, its sheer scale was so enormous that from the air it looked like a park, enough to leave anyone impressed.

“Hehehe. They probably never dreamed I'd show up in a helicopter. Just imagining it feels great.”

“Good thing we had a spare helicopter, or we really would've had to run across rooftops.”

“Kahaha! Of course I trusted my disciple! Naturally, look who my disciple is!”

An old man and a suited man running across rooftops?

Anyone who saw that would probably think a new urban legend had appeared in Seoul.

“We will now land. Distinguished guests, please check your seatbelts once more and hold tightly onto the handles.”

The aircraft gradually descended and began landing in the massive open yard.

At the same time, tremendous winds whipped up around us. Apparently sensing something unusual, people began coming out of the enormous wooden building and looking toward the helicopter descending in the center.

At last, the helicopter landed.

“Just where do you think this is, bringing a helicopter── G-Grandmaster?”

Clank.

The door opened, and when Kwak Chun-sik and I removed our headsets and seatbelts and stepped out together, the pupils of the people in front of us widened.

Startled by Kwak Chun-sik's sudden appearance, they hurriedly bowed their heads.

“Right. It's been a while, everyone. This old man isn't late yet, is he?”

And as though enjoying the scene, Kwak Chun-sik grinned and waved. The man standing at the front hurriedly bowed and shouted.

“That is correct! There are still about ten minutes until the opening!”

“Hmm~ Plenty of time. Plenty of time. Yes, yes. Everyone, let's head inside.”

“Yes! Grandmaster!”

Was this really the same man who had been panicking just moments ago?

The scene practically resembled a king and his retainers, making me click my tongue without realizing it.

A muscular old man with an impressive physique, surrounded by dozens, even hundreds of grown men bowing at ninety degrees.

Who would dare call Calione gangsters?

These people here were the real gangsters.

“By the way, Grandmaster, who is the young man behind you...?”

“...?”

Feeling like he meant me, I turned my gaze, and the man who had spoken flinched.[Trait: 【Human Totem】 activates.]‘Hm? Why is this activating?’I only wondered for a moment.

“Can't you tell by looking? He's my disciple.”

“Y-your disciple, Grandmaster... no wonder. Just from the way he stands, there aren't any openings. I thought he couldn't possibly be ordinary... come, come, please head inside.”...

What?

I seriously didn't do anything.

It seemed this was connected to the trait I'd newly obtained.

Well, I could figure that out gradually.

“Eugene, what are you doing? Hurry up.”

“Yes. Old Man.”

Watching his back as he walked toward the martial arts hall with the others, I slowly followed.

A building that anyone in the Republic of Korea who trained in aura, anyone who walked the path of martial arts, would take pride merely in entering.

Martial Arts Hall.

When I stepped inside the enormous traditional Korean-style building, I could see a massive courtyard packed with people.

“““We greet the Grandmaster───!!”””

The moment Kwak Chun-sik appeared, greetings thundered so loudly that the surroundings seemed to shake.

At that, Kwak Chun-sik raised a hand as though already tired of it and began walking toward one area.

There were three wooden chairs set higher than the surrounding ground, as though recalling a king's great hall, seemingly prepared for only a few people.

Kwak Chun-sik sat in the largest chair in the center and crossed his legs.

“Right, there are plenty of youngsters who want to learn aura this year too. That's a good thing, a good thing.”

He looked over the crowd filling the yard with a pleased expression.

At the same time, a familiar-looking man appeared from the other side.

“You said you might be late, but you arrived right on time? Father.”

Was this what Kwak Chun-sik would look like if he were younger?

Unlike the graying Old Man, a robust middle-aged man with pitch-black hair smiled and sat to his right.

That man, despite his rustic name, was a director of the Korean Hero Association and the current head of the martial arts hall, Kwak Chun-sam.

Apparently he'd had business at the Association until just now, because he appeared in a black suit with a golden Taegeuk badge on his chest proving his status as an Association director.

“Right, how convenient it is not having to leave from Gangwon Province. I should've said I'd become an Academy instructor and stayed in Seoul ages ago.”

“Hahaha! Exactly. That's really fortunate. By the way, who is that young man wearing an Academy uniform over there?”

While talking with Kwak Chun-sik, he glanced at me and asked.

“Ahh. Right. This is Eugene, the disciple I'm always telling you about. Eugene, if you're an Academy student, you've probably seen him before, right? This fellow is my son, Chun-sam.”

Kwak Chun-sik patted Chun-sam's shoulder and smiled.

At that, I politely bowed my head and greeted him.

“I've always been indebted to the Old Man. I'm Han Eugene.”

When I raised my head again and looked at his expression, I sensed an odd current.

Wariness?

Gladness?

Or something in between.

But he quickly smiled and extended his hand to me.

“Right, I've heard plenty about you from Father. Han... Eugene, was it?”

“That's right.”

Judging by his expression, he seemed to know about me as well.

Then again, it would've been stranger if someone who was a director of the Hero Association didn't know about me.

“Now, now, the event is about to start, so why don't you sit down? Looks like Father prepared a separate seat for you too.”

“Pardon?”

My seat?

Thinking that, I looked toward the Old Man and saw him tapping the armrest of the chair on his left.

“What do you think? I added a seat for you too.”

“...

Ah.”

This chair is mine?

When I turned my head and looked behind me again, I could see an enormous crowd staring directly at me...

Do I really have to sit here?

In front of all these people?

Isn't this... a public execution?

Thanks to the environment I'd grown accustomed to at the estate and the Hitman trait, I didn't show much agitation, but I couldn't help being flustered.

“Eugene?”

The Old Man tilted his head as though wondering what was so strange...

Haah.

With no other choice, I sat down on his left.

Maybe because the seat was raised higher than the others, the feeling of hundreds of people wearing the same martial arts uniform staring at us was strangely unsettling.

I'd never even sat like this in Calione despite being the successor, and somehow I was experiencing it here first.[Trait: 【Human Totem】 activates.]

And why the hell was this trait activating again?

What exactly is a Human Totem that it keeps activating?

I'd obtained every trait in the game before, yet this was a trait I'd never seen, so the information I had about it was extremely limited.

Still, judging from the fact that nothing was happening in this situation, it didn't seem like it had a particularly dangerous or harmful effect on me... though I couldn't help feeling uneasy.

As I rested my chin on my hand and stared blankly downward.────Clang.

“Attention!”

At the same time as the massive sound of a gong rang out as though shaking heaven and earth, Kwak Chun-sam, who had been sitting to the Old Man's right, stood up and shouted toward the crowd in a loud voice infused with aura.

“From this moment onward! The 30th! Aura Style General Assembly will begin!”

At the same time, everyone bowed toward us at ninety degrees.

The sight of them bowing in perfect unison according to Aura Style etiquette was truly rare.‘There was a reason they say you show the crown of your head when paying respect.’This scene alone made the nature of power unmistakably clear.

And at the same time.────Clang.

When the gong sounded once more, everyone straightened their backs.

By the way...

Watching them, something suddenly occurred to me, so I looked at Kwak Chun-sik beside me.

“Old Man.”

“Hm?”

“So what are we doing today?”

“What do you mean? The various branches and disciples demonstrate martial arts and report their recent training results.”

“...

Then what am I doing?”

“You?”

He paused at my words and began thinking carefully.

“Hmm... this is my first time bringing a disciple to the General Assembly too, so I'm not really sure... I suppose you can just sit there.”

“Pardon?”

“Wouldn't it be nice to just sit still and watch? You're even skipping the Academy.”

That's true, but telling me to just sit here and watch...

“Ah, right. Maybe you'll end up with something to do after all.”

He suddenly grinned and looked toward me.

“Someone might refuse to acknowledge you as my disciple and challenge you to a match.”

“...

Pardon?”

“When that happens, just give them a light beating.”

“Pardon?”

So this really was an execution seat?

At this point, I'm not a totem.

I'm a punching bag.