Chapter 83

Chapter 83

I Became the Academy Mafia Chapter 83“A spring?”

Choi Yeon tilted her head after seeing the spring in the middle of the temple.

“There’s a spring even though we’re underwater?”

“It can’t even be compared to the water above.”

“Hm?”

Vivian’s Spring Water.

This was the elixir among elixirs that he had gone to such lengths to hide and create.

As I crouched down and slowly reached toward the spring, item information appeared before my eyes.[Name: Vivian’s Spring Water][Rank: Semi-Mythic][Type: Elixir][Description: An elixir created in the artificial Lake Vivian, its effects are very similar to the original. Upon consumption, mana and aura greatly increase, and their maximum values increase.]

Right, it had to be at least this good to be called one of the Academy’s ultimate rewards.

Seeing as it was displayed as an item, it should also be able to go inside the Cube.

As I slowly transferred the spring water into the Cube, the seemingly large amount of spring water was reduced to 2L and entered the Cube.

The water level dropped as a result.

Choi Yeon looked at the spring curiously.

“Hm? It looks like the water level dropped a little.”

“It’s ordinary water now. Well, it should still be clean... want to drink some?”

“Not really, I’m not thirsty.”

For now, I had taken the elixir, so I should also give a present to Choi Yeon, who had helped me come all the way here.

“Wait a moment.”

I bent all the way down and reached my hand into the spring. Feeling something catch against my fingertips, I grabbed it and pulled it out.

“Here, this is yours.”

At the same time, item information appeared before my eyes.[Name: Fragment of Excalibur][Rank: Semi-Mythic][Type: Material][Description: A fragment of the sword Excalibur from mythology. Due to Vivian’s Spring Water, it is currently evolving into a replica of the original form. When used as material for a sword, the Holy attribute is granted, and the sword’s rank greatly increases.※Caution: Only one who has been acknowledged may use it.]

It was a material item that could only be used to make a sword, so I had no use for it. Moreover, because it contained a fragment of Excalibur, you couldn’t even use the resulting sword unless you met certain conditions.

If I remembered correctly, you had to be at least a Sword Saint-level swordsman while also having your karma value completely tilted toward good, right?

If that was the case, then since I couldn’t use it anyway, it would be better to give it to Choi Yeon, who had helped with this matter, and take credit for it.

“...

The piece of metal is glowing?”

Choi Yeon, having unexpectedly received the Fragment of Excalibur from me, examined it from different angles with fascination.

It was emitting light much more actively than when it had been in my hand.

Judging by that, it seemed to like her more than me after all.

“It’s a fragment of the original Excalibur. It’s also something Ray Pendragon was restoring here to use as a replica. If you use it in the sword you make, an incredible sword will probably be born.”

“...

Sword material?”

The moment she heard that it was material for a sword, Choi Yeon smiled faintly and put it into her pocket.

“It’s valuable enough that the student council president was hiding it, so tell them about it later and make good use of it. You’ll probably be able to become even stronger than you are now.”

“I can get stronger just from a sword?”

“It’s that rare.”

Choi Yeon’s eyes widened at the mention of getting stronger.

Well, even in the game she had been overwhelming with weapons of much lower rank. If she gained mythic properties, it was obvious she would become even stronger.

“...

Is it really okay to give something like that to me?”

“I’m giving it to you because it’s you.”

The restrictions were so strict that neither I nor most other people could properly use it anyway, so I might as well make use of it this way.

“Because it’s me... okay, I’ll definitely use it to make a good sword.”

“Right, first period should be ending soon, so let’s head out. And remember, coming here today is absolutely a secret.”

“Okay. It’s a secret.”

“Good.”

This was a place he rarely visited anyway.

When he later saw that the elixir and weapon hidden in his elixir storage had been stolen, he’d probably go completely berserk, right?

Just imagining it already made one corner of my heart feel refreshingly cleared out.

“This is real mafia-style revenge.”

Pilfering (theft)

is an old mafia tradition, after all.

________________

After completely erasing the evidence by putting even the sign back in its original place, I left the garden as though nothing had happened.

By the time, first period should have just ended.

I returned to the main building with Choi Yeon, who silently walked beside me but occasionally looked at the Fragment of Excalibur in her hand and smiled. Once I noticed people beginning to appear around us, I looked at Choi Yeon.

There she goes again, smiling again.

“Choi Yeon.”

“...

Hm?”

When her name was called, she erased her smile and looked at me.

“For now, there probably isn’t anyone who would recognize it, but you’d better not keep taking it out like that. Even so, that thing is designated as a national treasure in Britain.”

“Ah... okay.”

A Fragment of Excalibur from the legend of King Arthur, of all things.

The more history an object carried, the higher the chance it would manifest skills and become a powerful unique armament, making it even more important.

Sometimes, such objects even had strategic-weapon-level value.

Come to think of it, the student council president... he smuggled something like that overseas on his own.

“Then... can I tell Grandpa?”

“By Grandpa... you mean the Sword Saint? If it’s someone on the Sword Saint’s level, it should be fine.”

Wouldn’t it actually be better if the Sword Saint learned about it?

Judging by how Choi Yeon was fiddling with it like it was merely a pretty stone, she still didn’t seem to understand its value very well.

Someone like the Sword Saint would recognize the value of that object and could end up feeling indebted to me for giving it as a gift.

Then even that old man, who normally looked unfavorably upon Calione, wouldn’t be able to interfere with us so easily.

“Anyway, absolutely do not show it to anyone at the Academy. Understood?”

“Okay. I won’t show them.”

“And make sure to show your grandfather.”

“Okay.”

Good, the setup was complete.

“Then I’m going. Sparring. Don’t forget.”

Leaving only those words behind, Choi Yeon headed first toward the direction of Class C.

Even when parting ways, she talks about sparring.

“...

She’ll properly pass it along without forgetting, right?”

______________

“Why has it been so peaceful lately?”

Recently, the number of people submitting requests to the club had begun increasing drastically.

From resolving disputes with other clubs to requests for protection.

It was probably because the reputation of ‘Familia’ had recently begun spreading through the Academy, gradually giving its name credibility.

And as a result.【Main Story】[You brought a new wind to the Academy! By establishing a new club, you began writing a new history of your own! Successfully lead your club and be promoted to a Silver Club!][Completion Condition: Complete 5 club requests!][Requests Completed: 4 / 5]

-Satisfied 2

-Very Satisfied 2[※Completion rewards may vary depending on the result.]

At last, only one request remained until the next stage.

“Two Very Satisfied and two Satisfied... so this is what it meant when it said the result could change depending on the outcome.”

In that case, I would have to do my best to make sure the final remaining request ended with Very Satisfied.

Fortunately, the requests that had recently come in had ended very simply, unlike the one from the ‘Recipe Development Club.’

“If possible, I’d like the story reward to give me an aura-related ability.”

For me, who only knew how to release aura and could barely control it, an ability related to handling aura was desperately needed.

Thinking that, I tried the aura control practice above my hand that had recently become a habit.

Sphere, tetrahedron, cube, star.

The aura control was still soft and unstable, but I had become capable of forming shapes at least.

Of course, if I removed the bracelet old man Kwak Chun-sik gave me, even this became difficult, but since I could clearly tell that I was growing, it was training I had been doing often lately.

By the way, that old man said he’d organize his thoughts and let me know, so why hasn’t he contacted me?

While thinking that and diligently fiddling with the aura.

-Knock knock[Eugene. You have a guest.]

Se-ah’s voice came from outside the president’s office along with a knock.

“A guest?”

If they were making a request, they’d be a client. Was there anyone who would come as a guest?

Thinking that, I got up and stepped outside the president’s office.

“What do you mean, a guest? Who would come besides a client... Senior Lee Se-ri?”

“Ah. J-Junior Eugene! It’s been a while!”

A petite frame and twin tails half tied on both sides.

Perhaps because of that, Lee Se-ri naturally reminded one of a puppy.

She stood in front of the Familia club room door with a bright smile.

“Ah, come in first.”

“Th-thank you.”

She entered with a bright smile and placed the enormous box she had been carrying in both hands onto the table.

“Oof... my arms hurt. If I’d carried it just a little longer, I think my arms would’ve fallen off...”

“What’s this?”

“Ahh. Th-this? It’s nothing special. There was a new recipe we made for the freshman welcome party coming up soon. We made it for practice, but ended up making too much... so I thought it might be nice to eat together and brought it over.”

When she said that and opened the box, beautifully decorated cupcakes were revealed.

“Cupcakes?”

Perhaps because she had already tasted food from the Recipe Development Club before, Se-ah spoke while swallowing hard.

“Yes, since it’s food meant to be used at an event, we got help from the Bakery Club and made them a little more elaborate.”

Ah, I thought the decorations were more elaborate than usual, but they made them together with the Bakery Club? This probably got a different buff in its own way too.

At that moment, Se-ah, standing beside me, bounced in place while looking at me.

“Wow...! Eugene. Eugene. We can eat them now, right? Right? Yes?”

She looked desperate to eat one immediately.

I sighed and handed over the box containing the cupcakes.

From the sounds, it seemed Young-je and Jin-woo were separately exercising in the training room as well, so I pointed toward the training room and spoke.

“Eat them. Give one each to the people in the training room too.”

“Wow! Yes!”

The moment permission was given, Se-ah grabbed the box and hurriedly ran toward the training room.

Apparently delighted by Se-ah’s reaction, Lee Se-ri merely smiled.

“Thank you for always coming by to bring us snacks like this.”

“N-no, it’s nothing. We’re Familia too, aren’t we? Hehe.”

Ever since the last request, Lee Se-ri had occasionally come by like this carrying food.

Just as she said, the people of the ‘Recipe Development Club,’ including her, were already practically members of ‘Familia.’

“B-by the way, do the people from ‘Familia’ also do things like promote the club during the welcome party?”

“During the welcome party?”

“Yes. There has never been a precedent for freshmen creating a club before the welcome party at all. So I was wondering what you were planning to do...”

Come to think of it, I remembered that the Academy’s freshman welcome party wasn’t far off.

One of the Academy’s representative events, held around the time everyone had finished adapting to the Academy.

It was an event like a social gathering where clubs could recruit students who still hadn’t found one, and seniors and juniors could interact with each other.

“I haven’t heard anything separately from the Academy, so I’m not sure.”

“Ah. I-is that so? It’s true that I’ve never seen a club consisting only of freshmen either.”

“Yes. There’s that, and as you know, because of Familia’s nature, we don’t really have anything in particular to show off.”

“Ah. Th-that’s true. Well, mercenary clubs and combat-type clubs don’t really advertise either. B-but since Junior Eugene is second-ranked, you might have to do something separately.”

“Ahh... probably.”

Come to think of it, did the second-ranked and top-ranked freshmen give some kind of speech at the welcome party?

If I remembered correctly, on routes where Choi Yeon was the top-ranked student, the second-ranked student always gave the speech in place of Choi Yeon, who wasn’t particularly good at speaking...

Don’t tell me they’re going to dump this job on me again?

At the exact moment that uneasy thought crossed my mind.[Ji Su-hyeon: You have to give the welcome party oath as the freshman representative. Congrats congrats]

“You’ve got to be fucking──”

It really came.