I Become a Mafia in the Academy

Chapter 114

The expression of the Bloody Clown froze upon hearing my answer.

"W-What did you just say..."

"Do you want to hear it again? I said it exactly as it is. When Instructor Ji Soohyun evaluated you, she said you were fucking weak."

She definitely said it like this.

'What? Bloody Clown? All he can do is spew explosive gas and use a bit of magic. If it weren't for his disguise ability, he'd be nothing. Without that, he's so weak it's just pathetic.'

But that was only Ji Soohyun's standard.

Generally, the Bloody Clown cannot be considered a weak Villain at all.

There's a reason why a "Named" Villain is called a "Named." He was a rare case of using various abilities and undoubtedly a troublesome Villain due to numerous acts of terrorism and battles.

The only person who could call him weak might be Ji Soohyun.

'Well, that's not the important part, is it?'

What's most important right now is that my provocation seems to have hit the guy squarely.

Even now, the face of the guy, painted white like a clown, was visibly turning red.

"H-How dare! How dare that b-b-bi─itch say such a thing about me!!"

"Judging by your anger, it must be true, huh?"

I didn't expect it to be this effective.

Thanks to that, this is going to be easier than I thought.

[The Bloody Clown's rage has reached its limit, triggering a Hidden Quest!]

[Hidden Quest]

[Festival of Blood and Explosions]

[Stop and subdue the heinous Villain and terrorist, Bloody Clown, who escaped from Niflheim!]

[Objective: Kill or incapacitate the Bloody Clown.]

[Reward: [Skill: Clown Makeup]]

The quest window finally appeared before my eyes.

The situation was starting to unfold exactly as I intended.

"That bi─itch! Where is she? That woman I must blow up and kill right now!"

"You came all the way to C Territory, so why are you looking for the Instructor here? In the end, the place you must return to is already decided."

"Return? Ha ha ha! How amusing. Niflheim! Are you telling me to go back to that hell?"

No, that's not it.

More importantly.

"Niflheim is hell? You really are a clown; your jokes are on point."

It seems like you're misunderstanding something...

"Once you mess with Calione, the hell you'll go to is decided by Calione."

That's the price of messing with Calione.

"Ha─! Who do you think you are to say such things? This is ridiculous. It's so absurd that my anger is fading. A brat like you dares──"

"──The Successor and Executioner of the Calione Family, Ji-yoon Han Calione."

I think I've stalled for long enough.

After gathering the Aura that had been floating aimlessly in the air, I forced it into [Midas's Gloves].

Thanks to the bracelet I received from Elder Gwak Chunshik, the infusion of Aura was swift.

With the 'Hidden Quest' clearly triggered, dragging this out would only make things harder for Alessia, who was suffering in the back.

──I'll end this in one strike.

[Bloodline Ability: [Calione] dominates [Midas's Gloves].]

The black gloves covering my hands began to turn red and transform.

Crimson knuckles exuding a menacing aura appeared.

"Ji-yoon Han Calione? Could it be, you──"

Ignoring the guy's startled reaction, I charged at him and threw a punch.

"M-Mime!"

The guy spread his palm, creating an invisible barrier to block my attack again.

But now, I'm completely different from just a moment ago.

The Aura flickering at the tip of my fist collided with the wall, creating a heavy shockwave that spread outward like a pile bunker.

"Kuh...! You should've realized from the previous attack that you can never penetrate my Mime!"

"True, my strength was a bit lacking."

But the guy barely held on, perhaps because of the layered power.

So, I prepared one more thing.

[Narrative Imprint activates!]

[Imprint - Wolf (Hunter of the Night): He is a wolf that hunts enemies under the moonlight. He charges at foes larger than himself without fear and leads countless packs as their hunter.]

A burning pain surged from my right shoulder, but I instinctively realized that I could move it. I immediately transferred that energy to the end of my fist and imbued it into the knuckles.

[[Imprint Skill: Howling] has been created.]

[[Imprint Skill: Red Wolf] has been created.]

At the same time, a deafening sound began to emanate from the knuckles as if devouring the surroundings.

The sound was so intense it seemed to shake the air, threatening to tear eardrums apart.

Simultaneously, the red Aura of the Bloodline Ability spread outward, consuming the surroundings.

Zzzzzzzzz───!!

Sensing what was about to happen, I instinctively ducked my head.

And the rapidly vibrating Aura.

Boom───!!

The explosion from my fist blew away everything, including myself.

I tried to brace my lower body to avoid being flung, but the aftermath of the explosion was beyond imagination.

As a result, my body was thrown backward and slammed into the ground.

"Ha, hahaha! Hahahaha!"

Even so, I couldn't stop myself from laughing.

The spot where the guy had been just moments ago was now deeply cratered, as if it had been bombed.

"Young Master!"

Perhaps having seen me fly through the air, Alessia, who had been standing behind, approached to check on my condition.

"Young Master! Are you alright?"

"Uh... fortunately?"

Thanks to the DisPater I was wearing, or perhaps because the technique was inherently like that, I had no injuries from the explosion.

At worst, my fist was throbbing.

When I actually looked at my fist, it was red-hot from the heat.

Well, even that seemed to heal quickly thanks to the trait [Natural Healing].

The sky, as I lay there looking up, was more red than usual.

It seemed to be a phenomenon caused by the Aura, which had been forcibly suppressed until the recent attack, spreading out into the surroundings.

Perhaps because of that, the once pure white moon was now tinged red, and the scenery around us was bathed in red light, making it both eerie and beautiful.

"......."

I wished I could rest like this, but it wasn't over yet.

Rest would have to come after everything was finished.

"Young Master. Over there."

As I struggled to get up, Alessia, with a look of determination, drew a dagger from her holster and stared at the pit with hostility.

"Ki, kihi! Impressive! Impressive! It was a truly beautiful... explosion! Kihit! Kihihit!"

As if reminiscent of a classic zombie movie, a hoarse voice and a blood-soaked hand could be seen from inside the pit.

Slowly, very slowly, something red was crawling up from the pit.

Though its condition was utterly wretched, as if scorched by fire, the guy acted as if it was nothing, crawling out of the pit, standing on two feet, and looking this way.

"......Explosion resistance, huh."

The completion message for the Hidden Quest didn't appear, so I had my doubts, but it seemed that the guy had explosion resistance from the start, which reduced the damage.

Still, judging by his appearance, it wasn't completely nullified.

"I didn't expect you to show such a magnificent explosion... I suppose I must return the favor?"

Saying that, the guy reached into his soot-covered bag and threw something at us, scattering it.

"Please, enjoy my explosion as well!"

Animal-shaped balloons began flying towards us from the bag.

There were easily dozens, if not more, of balloons.

The balloons, coming from all directions and blocking all escape routes, seemed impossible to avoid.

Alessia, with a look of resolve, stepped in front of me.

She looked at me reassuringly and smiled.

"Do not worry. I will protect the Young Master."

"Alessia."

Even if it was Alessia, facing such a bombardment head-on would leave no trace.

"Oh, oh, what a beautiful loyalty this is! Please, let me engrave the extent of your loyalty into my eyes!!"

Seeing us like this, the guy, thinking it was over, shouted in an excited theatrical tone, which was utterly nauseating.

I exhaled sharply and stepped forward.

"Alessia. Step back."

"No. I will──"

"You're in the way."

Pulling Alessia behind me, I looked at the balloons rushing towards us.

"I guess I should counter an explosion with an explosion."

Snap─!

[The Engraved Skill: Red Wolf is activated.]

As I snapped my fingers, something began to slowly rise from the ground bathed in red light.

-Awoooo───!

A red wolf surged up in an instant.

The air was already filled with enough Aura from the previous battles.

Moreover.

[The Bloodline Ability: Calione is activated.]

[The Item: Ancient Berserker's Ring absorbs the user's blood to its maximum.]

The Bloodline Ability had already been activated through the long battle time, and the [Ancient Berserker's Ring], which gets stronger the more blood it absorbs, was also in effect.

In other words, right now, regardless of my injuries, I was overflowing with power.

"?!"

Their numbers were already enough to completely engulf the surroundings.

"Take care of them."

As I pointed my index finger at the balloons, the wolves turned into a single red wave and rushed towards them.

Every time the wolves bit into the balloons, small explosions occurred, sweeping away the surrounding wolves, but that didn't matter.

Even now, more wolves were continuously appearing under the moonlight.

"Uh, uh? What's this......"

Before I knew it, not a single balloon remained.

The Bloody Clown stared blankly at the scene.

The guy, who had been grinning at my near-death state just moments ago, had long since frozen in shock.

"Bite him."

The remaining wolves rushed towards the guy.

In response, the guy quickly extended both arms to perform a mime, but.

-Grrr!

Other wolves had already reached him and bit into his arms, preventing him from raising them.

There was no way I'd let him perform a mime when I knew the condition for its activation was his posture.

"Wait, wait! Don't you need information about Plague?! If you just clear these away──"

"Hey."

"H-Huh?!"

I walk over to where the guy is and look at his expression.

The guy, looking at me with a face filled with horror that I had never seen before.

But.

"P-Please! I'll tell you everything!"

"You don't need to say anything."

"...What?"

"If you know something, I already know it too."

"H-Huh!"

Thud. I kick the guy's body and push him back into the pit he had climbed out of.

"There's a bomber I know, and unlike you, he always says this."

A saying that couldn't be more fitting for today.

"Explosions are art."

Personally, I couldn't agree more with that statement today.

"P-Please──!"

"You have resistance to explosions, right? Don't die. You need to experience a greater hell."

[Engraved Skill: Howling is activated.]

At the same time, short bursts of explosions start to echo continuously from the pit.

Not as powerful as the initial explosion I caused with my fist, but still a significant explosion.

With the continuous sound of destruction, the pit keeps getting wider and deeper.

And.

[Hidden Quest Complete!]

[Festival of Blood and Explosions]

[Stop and subdue the extremely evil villain and terrorist, Bloody Clown, who escaped from Niflheim!]

[Objective: Death or incapacitation of Bloody Clown.]

[Reward: [Skill: Clown Makeup]]

[Incredible Achievement!]

[You successfully subdued the guy with an explosion, which could be called the reason for Bloody Clown's life! Additional rewards are granted!]

[Reward Details]

-New Skill: Clown Makeup.

[[Skill: Clown Makeup]: Clowns are skilled at using makeup to hide their emotions and identities. You can change your facial appearance by consuming aura.]

[Additional rewards are granted for the incredible achievement!]

-New Trait: [Explosives and Explosions]

[1. Explosives and Explosions: You are a specialist in explosives and explosions. You receive additional damage correction from firearms and explosives.]

"Just as expected."

As in a game, rewards were granted for defeating the guy with an explosion.

Since I use firearms as a secondary weapon, I had planned to acquire it eventually, but thanks to the guy appearing before me, I was able to obtain it easily from the start.

"Young Master......."

I turn around at the sound of a voice from behind.

There, Alessia was looking at me with half-closed eyes, barely managing to stand up.

"Alessia. Are you hurt anywhere?"

As I check her condition with concern, something is placed on my head with a thud.

"...It seems my worries were unnecessary."

"Alessia?"

Her hand moves on my head.

"You're strong enough now that I don't need to protect you anymore, which is a relief──"

Thud.

Her body leans forward and collapses into my arms.

"...Alessia?"

Hush── Hush──

Her irregular, heavy breathing can be heard from within my embrace.

At the same time, a green flare rises high into the sky.

"...Rest for a while. I'll be back soon."

The flare, signaling that this is the endpoint, glows green.