Chapter 27

Chapter 27

I Became the Academy Mafia, Chapter 27[The sparrow at the lighthouse reporting. The cuckoo is entering the nest. The cuckoo is entering the nest.]

“Confirmed.”

A report came through the in-ear piece in my ear.

The current time visible through the Smart Lens was 12:30 a.m.

It was truly a time that could be called the dead of night.

The area where they were supposed to enter was Pier 2 of Incheon Port.

Hidden behind a nearby container, I held my breath and waited for the ship carrying them to enter.

Amid the occasional sound of waves, a very faint noise began to intrude.

A ship quietly entered the pier for illegal entry, without even turning on its lights and with its engine noise suppressed as much as possible.

Eventually, just as the engine sound completely died down.

A dock ramp descended from the ship, and dozens of people could be seen walking onto it to enter the port.

Amid only the sounds of conversation and idle laughter, as though they were exhausted from the long voyage.

“Good evening, friends.”

“You crazy──.”

The moment I lightly greeted them and pulled the trigger of the Chicago Typewriter, the dark silhouettes in the fog began to dance.

It was an operation carried out after determining that the moment when people aboard a ship were most relaxed, and most defenseless, was just before stepping onto land.

Thanks to that, the guys who had so kindly crowded together on the dock ramp realized what was happening and began throwing themselves into the sea one by one.

“If you enter the water, the formation will collapse! Put up a defensive barrier!”

An urgent voice came from among them, but there was no way they could be controlled so easily.

The reason was none other than one of the additional effects of [Al Capone’s Tommy]

, [Chicago Typewriter].[2. Chicago Typewriter: This weapon fires bullets at a terrifyingly rapid rate when firing. Inflicts the ‘Fear’ status effect on opponents who hear the sound.]

They had been thrown into a panic by the effect of a [Relic]-grade item of all things. How could they possibly be brought under control that easily?

As I continued shooting at them from above without much trouble.

“Get up here right now!”

A voice infused with mana came from the area that was at least protected by a shield.

The owner of that voice was probably the leader of this group.

I mercilessly poured a hail of bullets at the guy who had spread the shield and was rescuing those who had fallen into the water one by one, but his shield still looked solid.

“With my current ability, this is about the limit.”

Firearms were weapons meant to sweep away the small fry without having to use my fists anyway.

After blowing once on the smoke rising from the barrel, I stored the gun in the cube and firmly pulled on the [Midas’s Gloves]

I was wearing until they were taut.

“Crow reporting. The hunt begins now. Maintain the encirclement so the prey cannot leave the hunting ground.”[Sparrow. Confirmed.][Eagle. Confirmed.][Cormorant. Receiving clearly.]

After hearing the responses of the organization members who had already spread out in advance, I took a deep breath and looked at the enemies before me.

They had gathered those who were still alive or capable of moving and formed up behind the shield.

I could see them struggling little by little to get off the dock ramp and onto the harbor.

“The gun can’t break through the shield anyway, so don’t be scared and stay together!”

How long had it been since I put the gun away, and they were still worrying about that...

I clenched my fist hard enough to make it crack, then grabbed my right wrist with my left hand to steady it. Voices came from inside the shield.

“Wh-what is that guy doing?”

“Isn’t he coming this way?”

Gradually accelerating toward the front of the shield, I twisted my waist and body backward.

“Is he seriously trying to break the shield with his fist?”

“Ignore him for now and get into the harbor! We’ll deal with him afterward!”

Apparently deciding that I wasn’t much of a threat after putting down the gun, they continued advancing toward me.

Toward those guys, I loaded as much centrifugal force and weight as possible, then threw my fist with all my strength as though striking a punching machine and spoke a single sentence.

“I’m originally a close-combat fighter.”

Because the ability granted by Calione’s blood only truly shone when using physical abilities.

The instant my fist touched the surface of the shield, a sharp sound like shattering glass filled the surroundings, and the shield shattered into pieces.

“Wh-what the hell, gak──?!”

The guy at the very front, punished for his unfortunate position, took my fist and rolled away like a plastic bag blown by the wind.

The others near him simply stared blankly at the scene as though unable to comprehend what had just happened.

A moment later, I shook my right hand, which still carried the sensation of the impact, while looking at the guy twitching on the ground, showing that he was still alive.

“You have trespassed into Calione territory without permission. If you come quietly, I’ll spare your lives. Will you surrender?”

I made them an offer as a final warning.

If they accepted this offer, at the very least they would be able to return to their homeland alive.

Of course, the process wouldn’t be smooth, but it was still a far better option than being meaninglessly tortured to death.

“Before that, there’s something I want to ask.”

A guy who looked like an officer stepped forward and stood before me. An ordinary-looking Asian man with a blunt face.

“I hope it isn’t a pointless question.”

“...

Judging by the looks of things, you knew we were coming in advance. So why are you alone?”

He said that while surveying the surroundings.

The organization members were completely hidden, waiting for my command. Unless he activated some kind of detection ability, they wouldn’t be easy to find.

In that case, perhaps I should play along for a moment.

“Because it was Father’s order. I simply wanted to show him as much of my performance as possible.”

“...

Father?”

“Ah, you didn’t know?”

To discover their true intentions, I grinned and spread my hand toward them, showing the ring on my index finger.

The letter ‘C’ engraved in gold on a black diamond.

“I’m the successor of Calione.”

The guys began murmuring after hearing my words.

They seemed extremely flustered by the sudden appearance of Calione’s successor.

The officer suddenly exchanged glances with the others and held a short conversation before looking back at me with a faint smile.

“...

Then this will make things easier.”

“Hmm?”

“If we capture you, the successor, even Calione won’t be able to move recklessly. Just how arrogant can a little brat be?”

Apparently truly believing I was alone, the guys began slowly approaching me with unpleasant smiles.

Their attitude changed the moment they thought their opponent was weaker.

As expected, mercy might have been a luxury wasted on them.

“After we capture you, I’ll send the finger wearing that ring to your father.”

When the officer drew a machete from his waist, the others began taking out hand axes, knives, and similar weapons one by one.

Still, perhaps because they had seen the shield get blown away just moments ago, their faces looked extremely serious.

“That’s a relief.”

“...

What is?”

“That you’re exactly the kind of trash I expected.”

Red energy began surging around my body.[「Bloodline Ability: Calione」 activates.][Trait 【Enforcer】 activates.]

The abilities that had already been active since I fired bullets at them.

The moment I released the power I had been suppressing until now, the red energy rising from my body dyed the surrounding fog and created an ominous atmosphere.

“One piece of advice. It’d be better if you didn’t think about running away.”

We watched each other through the thin fog, looking for an opening.

Perhaps because they really were organization members specially dispatched from their group, they did not easily reveal any openings.

Amid a silence that seemed to freeze time, a ship horn echoed in the distance.

“Get him!”

“Kill him!”

They began charging toward me.

They rushed at me with vicious weapons in hand and swung them.

Normally it might have been different, but perhaps because of my experience fighting a group of armed opponents at the Academy today, their paths and the actions I needed to take naturally began forming in my mind.

First, I infused mana into my foot and stomped the ground, creating a large shockwave around me that disrupted their formation.

If I had been surrounded on all sides, it would have been different, but when a group clustered together and charged toward one point like that, once their movements became tangled, they inevitably restricted one another.

“Stop getting in my way!”

“You idiot! Move away!”

“I’ll help you.”

I threw a fist at one guy’s head with all my strength, and with a crack─ his body spun through the air before crashing into the ground.

I rammed my body with all my strength into another guy who had frozen at the unrealistic sight, pushing the tangled group back onto the dock ramp.

“What are you doing against one guy! Grab him right now!”

The reason I could move this boldly was simple.

In the end, they had to ‘capture me alive,’ not kill me.

That meant their movements were inevitably restricted and cautious.

And I exploited that point to draw them into a battlefield as favorable to me as possible.

“Stop grouping together and surround him!”

“If we go any farther to the side, we’ll fall into the sea! How are we supposed to surround him!”

The guys trapped in the limited space of the dock ramp glared at me with murderous eyes.

Only then did they seem to realize that I had deliberately driven them into a narrow area.

“...

I’ll buy time. You scatter and wait for contact.”

The officer pushed through the others and approached me with his blade in hand.

“I’ll make you regret coming alone.”

At the same time, he charged at me and began swinging his machete.

Unlike the small fry from earlier, his movements were extremely clean and without waste.

As I slowly retreated under the continuing barrage of attacks, the others used the opening to get off the dock ramp and sprint toward other areas.

“Thank you, team leader! We’ll meet again al────.”

Thud. His body collapsed.

Then, belatedly, a gunshot echoed through the harbor.

“A-a sniper!”

The others who had been about to run elsewhere quickly lowered themselves and pressed their bodies against nearby cargo and containers.

“...

You bastard.”

The officer, who had briefly stepped away from me at the sudden gunshot, glared at me with eyes that looked ready to tear apart.

“...

You weren’t alone!”

Did he think they had been deceived all this time?

I shrugged at the guy, who was even angrier than before.

“I told you. I’m Calione’s successor. Even if I don’t look it, I’m treated as someone rather valuable. And more importantly...”

I glanced at the guy who had been shot and fallen to the ground.

Bright red blood was slowly soaking the ground beneath his collapsed body.

At the sight, I sighed and said.

“I warned you. I told you it would be better not to think about running away.”

Why couldn’t they understand that I had said it for their sake, not mine?