Chapter 9

Chapter 9

I Became the Academy Mafia, Chapter 9A sealed room lit by only a single dim light. Inside, a man sat rolling a cigar between his fingers.

“Eugene?”

“Yes. The Young Master just left for the Academy.”

“Really?”

His name was Vito Calione.

As he naturally clipped the end of the cigar and placed it in his mouth, Parnello, the man standing beside him, pulled a lighter from his inner pocket with practiced familiarity and lit the end of the cigar.

“Haah...”

Smoke exhaled from Calione’s mouth covered the bright yellow light.

“I never thought he would really take care of Blunte... Are you sure you didn’t help him at all?”

“Yes. Even I, who was watching from beside him, was surprised. The sight of him emitting a red aura from his body truly resembled you, Boss.”

“Hmm?”

As though he had heard something unexpected from Parnello, Calione’s eyes widened.

“Eugene emitted a red aura?”

“Yes, it looked similar to when you fight, Boss. I believe your ability was inherited by the Young Master.”

“My ability was inherited? Hahahahaha! Now that is surprising. To think my ability was actually a bloodline ability.”Bloodline abilities, said to be passed down only to second-generation Awakened, were truly symbols of rarity and of prestigious families whose abilities were inherited through blood.

At the news that his own power had been inherited, Calione burst into loud laughter.

“Hahaha! Then most of his injuries must be healed as well?”

“It seemed he still had some muscle pain... but all his external wounds have healed.”

“Really? Truly, even if he is my son, I’m so proud of him! Don’t you agree, Parnello?”

“I think so as well.”

“Hahaha! In that case, I should prepare a new gift for our Eugene.”

Calione stubbed out his cigar against the red lump beside him.

Sizzle, along with the sound of meat cooking, the red lump twitched and moved.

“B-Bosss... p-please... spare... spare me...”

“Hmm? You still had enough strength left to squirm?”

“Mercy, mercy...”

The mouth Blunte was speaking from was crushed in an instant.

“Kraaaaaagh!”

Calione wiped the blood from his hand on a towel beside him.

Looking at Blunte, who was sobbing while clutching his mangled mouth, Calione spoke in an indifferent voice.

“Blunte, Blunte. You foolish man. Why do you not understand?”

“Huuugh... huaaaah...”

Calione grabbed the hair of the still-sobbing Blunte, lifted his head, and looked into his eyes.

“Be quiet. Otherwise, I might feel like crushing your vocal cords next.”

“Ghk...”

“Hmm, good. Very good. You simply need to remain silent. Information? I don’t need anything like that. You merely need to pay the price for staining my name.”

“Ghh... ghk... ghhhh...”

“...

Parnello.”

“Yes, Boss.”

“Crush them.”

“Yes.”

Crack! With that sound, Parnello shattered Blunte’s vocal cords with a knife-hand strike.

Even after such a blow, Blunte, whose body had been strengthened, was unable to lose consciousness.

“Ghk... khk.”

“Now you’re ready. Then let us continue the punishment.”

As naturally as breathing, as though it were nothing at all, Parnello brought the whip down across Blunte’s body.

Watching from beside him while washing away the bitterness of his cigar with whiskey, Calione let out a sigh mixed with the scents of whiskey and cigar smoke and muttered.

“Still, I’m worried. I hope he doesn’t push himself too hard just because he gained a new ability...”

As though trying to ease his Boss’s concern, Parnello stopped whipping for a moment and smiled.

“If it is the Young Master I saw, I don’t think that will happen. After all, the Young Master is your son, Boss.”

After saying that, Parnello recalled the weapon Eugene had taken with him that morning.

When he told Calione about the weapon he had seen, Calione’s body jolted greatly.

“Really? Is that so? Our Eugene has a Chicago Typewriter?”

“That is correct. I don’t know where he obtained it, but it seemed he found a proper weapon.”

“Hahahaha! With something like that, he certainly won’t be getting beaten around anywhere. Parnello. I’ll return home, so handle the rest as usual.”

“Yes, Boss. Rest comfortably.”

Calione left the sealed room, seen off by his most cherished subordinate and the traitor who had once been his subordinate.

The corners of his mouth were still raised.* * *“Please have a safe day, Young Master.”

As usual, Han Seo-jun stopped the car in front of the Academy’s main gate and opened the rear door for me.

“Thanks.”

Even the black sedans positioned in front and behind us were the same as yesterday, but there was one thing different today.

That was the black bag in my hand. My unique weapon that I would be using at the Academy from now on.

“The other monsters will probably bring all sorts of cheat weapons too.”

This was the Academy where future named figures gathered. Most of them had powerful support behind them, so they would surely bring all sorts of bizarre weapons.

I also had to use my abilities and background to their fullest if I wanted to face them.

“Otherwise, there’s no way I can surpass those monsters.”

And I checked the reward for the Hidden Quest that I had looked at on my way to the Academy.【Hidden Quest Complete!】[Traitor of the Organization][Carlo Blunte has realized the power of the relic he obtained and is planning to collect relics and absorb Calione. Eliminate Carlo Blunte!][Reward: Midas’s Gloves][Unbelievable Achievement!][You succeeded in defeating Carlo Blunte alone without receiving anyone’s help.][Reward Details]

-New Trait: Execution Division[1. Executioner: An organization that deals with the organization’s enemies. When fighting an opponent recognized as an enemy of the organization, physical abilities increase by 1.2 times.][The trait evolves due to an unbelievable achievement!]

-Changed Trait: 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.]

Perhaps because I had overachieved the quest, I obtained a trait that had evolved by one stage.

It was a trait that would be useful when handling organization business, and one I had never seen in the game before.

“Just looking at this makes me feel full, seriously.”

I smiled, put my smartphone into my pocket, and looked ahead.

Originally, most of the guys called named NPCs in CS were graduates of this Academy.

And they were destined to grow tremendously through the events that would happen in the future.

I intended to gain the maximum possible benefit between the organization and the Academy.

Just how much stronger would I become here!

As I grinned inwardly while imagining a golden future, an irritating voice came from beside me.

“To think even gangster bastards are bringing weapons into the Academy. The Academy really is going to hell, huh?”

Glancing sideways, I saw Jung Ui-hun’s face wearing an unpleasant smile as he spun a pure white revolver around.

“You’re an interesting bastard, you know? Eugene Han Calione.”

“What?”

Was it because he was the son of the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency? Apparently, he had already figured out my identity.

Well, considering the chaos I caused last night, it would have been stranger if he didn’t know.

“How can you shamelessly come to the Academy like this? A guy who was even involved in a massacre last night? It really is fascinating.”

After saying that, Jung Ui-hun whistled as he walked past me.

Apparently, he thought those words had intimidated me.

To think he called something like that a provocation...

I chuckled as I looked at the back of his head.

“Cops sure talk a lot these days.”

“...

What?”

“You heard me? My apologies. Just think of it as some ignorant Mafia bastard running his mouth and let it go.”

You fucking pig.

After saying that, I passed the guy who had stopped in place and walked toward the Academy.

Trying to start a verbal fight with someone trained in the Rift?

“Cute.”

I hoped he would stay this cute.

“New students, please register your unique weapons here!”

A woman’s voice came from the entrance to the Academy’s main building. A woman who appeared to be an assistant and a long line in front of her came into view.

Since this was the first day students brought in their unique weapons, it was an event held by the Academy to ensure proper management, and there was always a long line like this on the first day.

Fortunately, the line moved extremely quickly, so it wasn’t long before my turn came.

“Hello.”

“Yes, welcome, new cadet. May I open your bag?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

After hearing my answer, the employee opened the bag and checked its contents, then looked startled as though fascinated.

“Oh my, a firearm? Most other heroes tend to prefer spears or swords over firearms.”

“I find firearms the most comfortable.”

Though it probably had a lot to do with the influence of [Trait: Hitman]

.

The reason heroes did not prefer firearms was simple. Compared to other weapons, their efficiency was poor.

First, firearms had complex structures that made mana difficult to operate through them, and because bullets spun rapidly, most of the mana wrapped around them was scattered away, making it difficult to achieve as much firepower as other weapons.

Because of that, heroes who used firearms generally fell into two categories.

Heroes who used guns with simple structures, such as revolvers, or those who used relics in which the weapon itself contained history and mana.

“Then, I’ll inspect it.”

A blue light began to fill the eyes of the assistant holding my unique weapon.

I assumed it was some sort of detection or analysis ability. A moment later, an exclamation burst from the assistant’s mouth.

“‘Al Capone’s Tommy’? What kind of relic is this...”

It was understandable that she would be surprised. Even I had been shocked yesterday when I checked its stats through the encyclopedia.

The information about my gun probably looked something like this to the assistant.[Name: Al Capone’s Tommy][Grade: Relic][Type: Firearm][Description: The weapon of Al Capone, the Emperor of the Night who made twentieth-century America tremble in fear.]【Skills】[1. World-Class Relic: The original owner of this relic is a globally famous figure. Three effects are granted.

a. The efficiency of imbuing bullets with mana increases significantly.

b. The gun can be fired merely by charging it with mana.

c. Durability increases dramatically.][2. Chicago Typewriter: When firing bullets, this weapon fires them at a horrifyingly rapid rate. Inflicts the ‘Fear’ status effect on opponents who hear the sound.][3. Mafia Exclusive: This weapon is practically a symbol of the Mafia. When equipped by someone affiliated with the Mafia, overall abilities increase.]

When I glanced aside, I saw Jung Ui-hun biting his lip in the distance.

I simply smiled at him.

“I-it’s been verified. You may go inside.”

“Yes, thank you.”

I placed the Tommy I received back from the assistant into the bag, slung it over my shoulder, and walked past Jung Ui-hun, who was standing there blankly.

Remembering the expression he had just made nearly caused me to laugh.

“Huh? Eugene!”

As I was walking through the Academy hallway, someone ahead called my name.

When I raised my head, I saw the bespectacled guy from the deserted island waving his hand.

“Ah, Glasses.”

“Glasses... Come to think of it, did we never properly introduce ourselves? I’m Kim Young-je. Thanks for yesterday.”

Was the goodwill I had planted on the island finally coming back to me?

I hadn’t expected a reaction this quickly, but I gave him a smile anyway.

“Right. I’m Eugene.”

I took the hand he offered, shook it, and entered the classroom together with him.

“Is that your unique weapon in the bag?”

“Yeah. Is yours a fountain pen?”

“Huh? How did you know? Most people wouldn’t.”

He chuckled and glanced at the fountain pen tucked into his breast pocket.

“Just a feeling. It seemed like it would be.”

“Really? You really aren’t ordinary...”

That was what I said, but in truth, I already knew him.‘Kim Young-je, Conductor of the Elements.’That was the nickname he received in the middle of the game because of the way he waved a fountain pen through the air and manifested all sorts of magic.

Whenever I met him in the game, he was an annoying guy who bombarded me with attacks of every element, but if you took the Academy route, he was someone you could recruit as an ally.

My smartphone vibrated inside my pocket with a buzz.

I had probably fulfilled some separate condition, causing information about Kim Young-je to be added to the encyclopedia.

“Ah! You’re here!”

When I entered the classroom with Kim Young-je, I saw familiar faces from yesterday.

Some had bandages wrapped around them, probably because they were injured, while others looked perfectly fine.

And Kim Se-ah, who had just spoken to us, belonged to the group that looked fine.

“We really owed you yesterday.”

Kim Se-ah approached me with a smile. Like Kim Young-je, it seemed Kim Se-ah also felt indebted to me.

“Thanks to you, we were able to return to the Academy without being late. Thank you.”

Only then did I realize that goodwill was present in the eyes of the others besides Kim Se-ah and Kim Young-je as well.

“Yeah. You all seemed to do pretty well too.”

“Huh? D-don’t tell me you watched us after you left the island?”

Kim Se-ah asked in surprise, but I merely shrugged and sat in the same seat as yesterday.

In the meantime, the empty seats gradually began filling one after another. Judging by their appearances, they seemed to have gone through quite a lot yesterday.

“You! You!”

At that moment, someone approached me while making a fuss.

The guy with yellow hair and piercings, the blond delinquent.

“You left me behind yesterday and took the helicopter by yourself, didn’t you? Traitor!”

“You’re here.”

The guy who had introduced himself as Jin-woo Vivald.

When I checked yesterday, he had escaped by boat, if I remembered correctly.

Apparently, just like me, he had gone to the island carrying a GPS device that transmitted his location.

“If you can call a helicopter all the way to a deserted island, just how rich is your family? You, what kind of background do you have?”

Jin-woo suddenly changed his gaze and asked about my identity.

“Born with a silver spoon.”

I gave him a vague answer, then pulled out my vibrating smartphone and looked at it.[(NEW) Encyclopedia Opened][Jin-woo Vivald]

It was an encyclopedia entry about the blond delinquent.

“Wow, you’re ignoring me again and reading something like Sprout Wiki. What is it, a platypus?”

Apparently, he still couldn’t see the encyclopedia written on the screen, so I comfortably looked at it.[Name: Jin-woo Vivald][Affiliation: Vivald Family under Calione][Description: The only son of Antonio Vivald, Boss of the Vivald Family. Having inherited his father’s blood, he possesses outstanding talent as a hitman, but failed to inherit his composure. Recently, since entering the Academy, he has been suffering from financial difficulties.]

Just from hearing the name Vivald, I had assumed he was merely from some collateral branch of the Vivald Family, but apparently he was from the direct line.

There were so many variables outside the main characters that there was no way to know. Just how much information was there in this damned CS world that I didn’t know?

Antonio Vivald was definitely an NPC famous for being an outstanding hitman.

But I had never imagined that a delinquent like this would be his son.

When I glanced up, the guy was still staring at my smartphone with a stupid expression.

“A mammal that lays eggs? It even has venom? Hey, hey, let’s look at the related articles too. Huh?”

The guy naturally struck up a conversation. I still had not seen his abilities, but it was difficult to ignore what was written in the encyclopedia.

“Why are you trying to get close to me?”

When I asked that, he put a hand on my shoulder and answered.

“Because you look rich? The second reason is, hmm... just because? Something about you feels familiar.”

The first reason seemed like the bigger one, but I didn’t actually think badly of it.

If anything, people this obsessed with money were easier to use.

Well, he would need a little education.

“In that case, Jin-woo Vivald. Would you like to spar with me during today’s sparring session?”

“Spar? What, friends get close by fighting each other, something like that? My dad did say most of his friends became friends after fighting... Isn’t that way too old-fashioned?”

His expression made it clear he genuinely couldn’t understand why we should do that.

I decided to give him a reason.

“I’m planning to create a club. I thought it would be good if you joined me.”

“Huh? A club?”

“If you win, I’ll make you the club president and join as your subordinate.”

He furrowed his brow as though unable to understand the sudden mention of a club.

“Why would I join some club and become its president?”

For a guy like him, this information would be extremely tempting.

“You didn’t know? At the Academy, club presidents receive a basic activity allowance every month. Ten million credits.”

“Ten million cr-credits?”

Gulp-. Jin-woo Vivald made an expression that practically let me hear the sound.

“F-fine. Deal!”

The moment money came up, the guy immediately accepted the offer, patted me on the back a few times, and grinned brightly.

“Hey, hey, don’t worry, okay? You think I’d beat someone joining my club half to death? I’ll go easy on you and hit you gently.”...

Where the hell was that confidence coming from?

“Instead, I hope you remember that if you lose, you become my subordinate.”

“Why are you worrying about something like that already? I just have to win. Then, I’ll be looking forward to it, okay?”

After saying that, he grinned, returned to his seat, and started fiddling with his smartphone.

Good, the bait had been properly taken. Just as I was thinking about how to handle him, Kim Se-ah, who was sitting in front of me, abruptly turned around.

“A-are you really going to be okay? Do you perhaps not know who that guy is?”

Se-ah whispered while shielding her mouth with her hand so Jin-woo Vivald couldn’t see, as though sharing a secret.

Se-ah’s expression was extremely serious.

“Hmm? Is that guy famous?”

“Of course! There are widespread rumors that he’s a member of that Calione organization whose name alone can make crying children stop.”

Crying children stop when they hear the name of a Calione member? Where the hell had she heard such ridiculous rumors... Well, there was no need to tell her that I was the successor to that organization.

“That Jin-woo Vivald over there has been famous since high school for beating up every notable villain he came across. No matter how much he looks like a delinquent, he’s not an easy opponent.”

Kim Se-ah whispered that while glancing over at Jin-woo Vivald.

Apparently their eyes met, because she made a squeak! and quickly turned back around.

“Is that so?”

If he had been fighting villains, then he should at least have basic combat instincts.

“Looks like I’ll need to evaluate him properly.”

Will you really be useful as a member of my organization?