Chapter 96

Chapter 96

I Became the Academy Mafia Chapter 96Whiiiiiiiiir───The golem, whose core that could be called its heart had been split apart, stopped operating and began collapsing on the spot.

“Huh?”

Jin-woo looked utterly dumbfounded at the sight of the golem collapsing in an instant when all he'd done was open the door and enter.

Unlike him, however, all the other kids, including me, were breathing heavily as they stared at the golem's remains.

“...

President. You said that was the weakest one?”

“...

I didn't know it'd be this strong either. I never imagined simply activating would be this much.”

Even though all it had done was stand up, the sense of incongruity that made it feel as though my heart would burst just from looking at it was pure terror. I was certain that if we hadn't destroyed its core right at the start, all of us would've died.

“It's fortunate things ended well. Is anyone hurt?”

Once I was certain the golem had been completely neutralized, I looked around and checked the others.

Young-je was breathing heavily after pushing his mana to the limit, while Se-ah had collapsed onto the floor with her legs giving out.

And for some reason, Choi Yeon's face was flushed red...

What's wrong with her?

Anyway, it didn't seem like anyone was seriously injured.

“Eugene. Then all of us will be able to get out now...?”

Se-ah, still sitting on the floor, asked in a weak voice.

“Yeah. Soon, portals leading outside will open on each floor. Once that happens, the other kids and instructors trapped here should be able to get out as well.”

At this point, the villains' terrorist attack was practically over.

I leisurely approached the fallen golem and searched through its remains.

“Here it... is.”

A mass of mana that powered not only this dungeon but that enormous body as well.

The Dungeon Core.

Containing not only the mana generated by making the mana stone run wild, but also all the other mana accumulated within the dungeon until now, this core was nothing short of the ultimate reward.■■“Oh.”

Was it because it had become an overlapping dungeon?

It looked to be in better condition than any Dungeon Core I'd obtained in the game.

After collecting the core, I returned to the exhausted kids.

“Haa, I seriously just want to lie down and sleep.”

“I'm tired too. Feels like I scraped out every last bit of my mana.”

“Me toooo...”

Looking at them, I told them something that might give them some energy.

“Really? You're not going to take the rewards?”

“Rewards?”

Saying that, I pointed toward a room that looked as though it were loudly proclaiming itself to be the exit.

“Ooh...”

At that, Jin-woo began walking toward it as though mesmerized. The other kids also seemed interested and slowly followed behind him.

The core was the core, and rewards were rewards.

Given the difficulty level this place had been set to, there was no doubt rewards beyond imagination would be waiting for us.

Then, when we opened the door to the reward room and entered together.

“Here it... is! Boss! Here!”

A massive chest appeared before us.

With a red body decorated in gold, it practically screamed that it was something precious.

It was even more extravagant than the dungeon reward I remembered.

“Th-that chest is way too flashy to be a reward! It's a mimic! That's a mimic!!”

Even Se-ah beside me had already completely lost it.

In case things became even more chaotic, I gathered the kids together.

“For now, let's each take items that are most necessary for us. We'll divide the rest later after discussing it in the club room. Any objections?”

I looked around at the others as I asked, but no one spoke up.

“Then that's what we'll do. Don't get your hopes up too much. What comes out is random. Then... I'll open it.”

As I slowly lifted the top of the chest, a golden aura bloomed and began illuminating the surroundings.

Gold, and rainbow-colored.

“Holy shit...!”

Isn't this the effect that only appears when you hit the jackpot in a gacha?

The other kids also stared blankly at the chest, entranced by the incredible sight.

Pop! Pop pop!

As fireworks burst out, a projected beam shot upward from the chest.[Congratulation!!]

Then a man's face appeared before us.[Hello! Juniors! If you're seeing this message, that means you've cleared the highest difficulty of my dungeon, right? Congratulations from the bottom of my heart!]

The kids looked confused at the unfamiliar man's face.

Having seen the message several times before, I naturally found the button inside the box and pressed it.

“Skip.”[After clearing the highest difficulty────Bzzzt.]

Phew. Much quieter now.

The kids behind me tilted their heads.

“President. What was that just now?”

“...

It didn't look particularly important, so I turned it off. At most, he'd just ramble on congratulating us.”

In the game, he only gave out his phone number before ending it anyway...

Even though it was supposedly a congratulatory message for clearing the highest difficulty, I knew it was really just several minutes of him bragging about himself, so I had no regrets.

“Then, inside... oh.”

Looking inside the chest, I saw several items piled up just as expected.

“There's a lot. Even if we each take one, there'll still be some left.”

Judging by it, this room also seemed to contain items matching its concept.

After scanning the contents once, I roughly figured out which items each kid should take.

“I'd like to recommend the items since I have an appraisal skill. Is that okay?”

Strictly speaking, it wasn't a skill, but I wanted the items to go to the people they suited best.

“Right. Boss said he had an appraisal skill. Then we're grateful. We won't even have to take them to an appraiser.”

“I'm fine with that too. It'll probably be more certain if the president divides them.”

Choi Yeon and Se-ah also nodded without objecting.

Then shall we begin right away?

The first item I picked up was one I already knew.

“Obsidian Ritual Dagger. If planted into ground under sunlight, it summons three golems....

This one is for Se-ah. I think it suits you since you support from the rear.”

Young-je could use hit-and-run tactics and could also fight at close range using various types of magic, so I judged it would be better to give it to Se-ah.

“An item that can summon creatures! Those sell for insanely high prices on the market! I like it! I absolutely like it!”

“Then this goes to Se-ah. Next... Cloak of Ambush? It lets you hide in shadows once per day. This one's for Jin-woo.”

“Huh, I only opened the door. Is it really okay to give me something this good?”

An invisibility item that greatly increased the chance of a surprise attack could be considered valuable, but I already had Maestro's clothing, DisPater.

In other words, I already owned a stealth item.

Jin-woo, who lacked one comparatively, would be able to make better use of it.

“You worked hard. It's enough.”

“Boss...!”

The next item was a bracelet wrapped in blue bands.

This too was a familiar item I'd relied on quite a bit in the game.

“This is a ‘Mana Circuit Organ.’”

It was a bracelet that increased spell casting speed and mana recovery, so it would be a great help to Young-je, who already had less mana than his versatility demanded.

Next was Choi Yeon.

“...

You're giving me one too?”

“We were able to clear this dungeon thanks to you. You're more than qualified.”

“...

Thank you.”

The item I gave her was called the ‘Ancient Warrior's Tape,’ which reduced the amount of impact transmitted into the palms.

This tape, which resembled bandages, greatly reduced the impact transmitted to the palms when wrapped around the hands, lessening fatigue while also slightly increasing strength, making it practically a companion item for warrior players.

Lastly.

“I'll take this.”

Saying that, I picked up a red ring buried in the corner of the chest.

“...

Pretty. What kind of item is that?”

Se-ah asked with sparkling eyes at the sight of the ring's brilliant red hue.

“Ancient Berserker's Ring. It stores the blood I shed and strengthens my physical abilities.”

In fact, the following information window had appeared before my eyes.[Name: Ancient Berserker's Ring (Sealed)][Rank: Relic][Type: Ring][Description: A ring worn by those once called ancient berserkers. This ring absorbs blood shed by its user and, in exchange, strengthens the user's power. An unknown force appears to be sealing the ring's original ability.]

It said its ability was sealed, but that wasn't a major issue for me.

I'd already used it in the game before, so I knew how to unseal it too.

“But Boss, are you okay taking something that useless?”

“What?”

“I mean, isn't that true? Boss usually fights without shedding even a single drop of blood.”

Ah... come to think of it.‘They don't know, do they? My real fighting style.’It was a misunderstanding caused by how different my battles as a Hitman were from the fighting style I'd shown at the Academy.

“It just seems like it'll suit me.”

“Well... if Boss says so, I guess it's fine.”

For some reason, they seemed to feel indebted because they thought only they had gotten good items.

When in reality, this was the rarest one.

Anyway, I guess it's about time we cleaned up and left.

Though there was something I needed to handle before that.

“Choi Yeon.”

“Yeah?”

“Would you like to join our club?”

“A club? The club you're president of?”

I was inviting her directly into the club.[Name: ‘Familia’ (Calione)][Rank: Bronze][Family Members: 4 / 5 (Rank promotion required!)][Subordinate Organizations: 4 ][Environment: Very Good][The club members are very satisfied!]

As it happened, there was still one open Family member slot in the club system.

In the current situation, it was difficult to think of a better club member than her.

On top of that, I decided to trust the affection she'd probably gained from the recent lake event and fighting together this time.

“...

Club. I think I need to think about it.”

Perhaps because the offer was sudden, Choi Yeon looked uncertain.

Deciding it would be too much to pressure her, I nodded.

“Sure, it won't be too late to think about it after we get out.”

Leaving the answer for later, I stored the remaining items in the Cube and looked toward the door that appeared to be the exit and the lever mounted beside it.

“Then shall we leave?”

Enough time had passed, so everyone else should have gotten out too.

They might already be waiting for us outside, so it was about time we left.

When I pulled the raised lever downward, the stone door slowly rose and revealed a portal with space distorted inside it.

One way or another, we'd successfully defended against ‘Academy Terrorism,’ one of the main scenarios, so we'd gotten through a major crisis.

I sent the other kids into the portal first and then stepped inside myself. Dizziness consumed my head as I felt my body being transported outside.

I thought everything had ended like that...

Bzz── Bzz── Bzz── Bzz──My smartphone suddenly vibrated violently as the signal returned.

Wondering what had happened, I checked my phone and saw dozens of messages piled up.

And their contents were...[Han Seo-jun (99+)][Han Seo-jun: Young Master? Are you all right?][Han Seo-jun: Young Master. I heard a terrorist attack occurred at the Academy. Are you all right?][Han Seo-jun: Young Master. If you're able to contact me, please reply immediately.][Han Seo-jun: Young Master. The Don has found out.][Han Seo-jun: Youuung Masteer are you still nooot?][Han Seo-jun: The Don says he will move personally.][Han Seo-jun: Young Masteeer this is baaad][Han Seo-jun: Sir Parnello persuaded the Don, so it seems he won't personally step in.]...[Han Seo-jun: Instead, the Consiglière and Hitmen have decided to come to the Academy.]...

Huh?