I Become a Mafia in the Academy

Chapter 31

After the morning assembly.

The third day at the Academy felt like a typical school day compared to other days.

According to the words of the instructor Ji Soohyun, the third day was meant to strengthen mental aspects rather than physical activity, but it seemed more like giving students a break from physical exertion.

"There's no good reason for this situation."

Why are we resting today?

I knew better than anyone that it was for the class ranking battle next Tuesday.

'Class ranking battle.'

An event that every student attending Seoul Hero Academy must go through at least once, a day when each class of the first year goes through dungeons to determine their rankings.

Most ranking battles are held on a randomly chosen day during the first semester, so only a very small number of Academy staff know the date.

Of course, the reason I know about this is because I know that this event happens the week after enrollment through the game.

"Hehe. It'd be nice if we could suck honey every day like today. Right, Boss?"

When I saw the guy who was doing nothing but sleeping, I wondered if he knew about it too, but later realized that he was just that kind of guy.

Is he perceptive, or really dense?

"Alright, class is starting, so get ready."

The classroom, which had been noisy, quieted down at the sight of the instructor entering.

Since the Academy had only been open for a short time, most of the instructors coming to each class were new faces.

Of course, I knew who they were.

[Name: Park Yoonho]

[Affiliation: Republic of Korea, Academy]

[Age: 34 years old]

[Specialty: Villainology, Illusion Magic]

[Description: A person working as an instructor at Seoul Hero Academy. Conducts research on modern villains and has faced numerous villains in the past as a hero.]

As stated in the Character Codex, in the game, Park Yoonho appeared as an NPC who provided information about villains or gave missions at the Academy.

His slicked-back hair and sharp eyes seemed to indicate how cold and strict he was, but he was actually one of the few people at the Academy who held heroic values.

In fact, he was the kind of person who always gave a separate reward whenever a student captured, subdued, or eliminated a villain.

"My name is Park Yoonho. I will be your instructor for Villainology from today. Villainology classes will be held twice a week, and the schedule may change according to the instructor's availability."

Park Yoonho wrote his name on the smart board at the front of the classroom and then immediately sent data to the smart tablets at each seat.

"This is the textbook for this semester. Now that introductions are over, let's start the class."

Despite it being the first class, Park Yoonho only gave a brief introduction before diving straight into the lesson.

Some students groaned in frustration from their seats, but his expression didn't waver at all.

"Today, we will study the villains on pages 15 to 30. The first villain we'll look at is 'Bloody Clown'. In Korea, he was known as 'The Clown of Blood'. Does anyone know anything about him?"

No one raised their hand in response to the instructor's question.

It was understandable; after all, the villain was active between 2012 and 2014.

At that time, most of the students here would have been babies, so it was normal for them not to know.

"Hmm... Right. There was a second-place entrant in this class, wasn't there? Han Yoojin, do you know about 'Bloody Clown'?"

The arrow suddenly pointed at me.

Why ask me just because I'm second place, even though I didn't raise my hand?

Of course, I knew about the villain.

"His real name is Jack Cloud. He was a villain active in America with the ability to turn his breath into a gas bomb and change his appearance."

Park Yoonho nodded at my answer.

"Correct. He was an A-class villain who toyed with the American Association with those abilities. Now, I'll send you a photo."

A photo arrived on the tablet on the desk.

A man with a white face painted and wearing ridiculous clothing.

He looked exactly like a mad clown.

"Ultimately, he was caught by the American hero Luna Armstrong and our Academy's instructor Ji Soohyun. After his arrest, he was sentenced to 235 years in Niflheim, the American Awakened Ones' prison. Today, we will learn about what a 'villain' is through him."

...And he later escaped and entered Korea to seek revenge on Ji Soohyun, who caught him.

I remembered this because it was one of the Academy's events.

"Alright, let's start. What is a 'villain'?"

He wrote 'Villain' in large letters behind him.

"You there, the student in front, name... No Yoon? What is a villain?"

The student, startled to hear his name called, slowly opened his mouth.

"Uh... Isn't it the Awakened Ones who commit crimes?"

The instructor nodded at his answer.

"Half right. 'Villain'. A villain is indeed an Awakened One who commits crimes. However, the precise definition of a 'villain' is an Awakened One registered as a villain in the 'Hero Association Database'."

The students' faces showed confusion upon hearing Park Yoonho's words.

Only those registered in the database are villains? What does that mean?

Park Yoonho seemed to notice the atmosphere and continued speaking.

"Let's use a simple example. Vito Calione, the ruler of the former refugee area in Incheon, now known as the Foreign Area. Is he a villain?"

...Why is my father's name suddenly mentioned?

Certainly, Vito Calione, my father, was one of the top Awakened Ones in the world, not affiliated with the Hero Association. However, the world did not call him a villain.

"I don't think he is a villain."

"Why? According to you, isn't Vito Calione running a mafia operation on Korean soil and controlling the global underworld? Wouldn't that make him a villain?"

"Well... From what I've learned, his presence brought order to a chaotic world and significantly reduced crime rates."

It seemed that Park Yoonho liked No Yoon's answer, as he snapped his fingers.

"Yes, that's it. Although I'm not defending Calione, his presence became a form of order. That's why the Association decided to define 'villain' as an Awakened One registered in the database for causing significant international and social harm."

Park Yoonho tapped the board loudly.

After setting down his marker pen, he snapped his fingers, and the classroom began to change.

Park Yoonho used his magic to overlay an illusion onto the classroom's scenery.

The lighting began to transform into something more vibrant.

The podium where Park Yoonho stood turned into a dining bar, and nearby, people were seen toasting with liquor bottles, while others in fancy dresses passionately kissed.

However, the strange thing was that... all the people here were frozen as if time had stopped.

"This is a reconstruction of the scene at the party where Bloody Clown was last captured, recreated with my abilities. The accuracy is 99%, so it can be considered almost identical."

He smiled at us and said,

"Let me give you a problem. The first student to solve it correctly will receive 1 point in the store, so do your best."

The mention of points brought a sparkle to the students' eyes.

Points at the Academy were extremely valuable, as they could be exchanged for equipment or elixirs.

In my case, I had received attitude points from Kang Seungtae, the branch leader of Incheon, not long ago, so if I got another point now, I would have a total of 2 points.

"One of these people is 'Bloody Clown'. Who could it be? All the evidence you need for deduction is already present, so with some thought, you should be able to find him quickly."

The students began to buzz after hearing his problem.

How are we supposed to find Bloody Clown among all these people almost filling the classroom?

He was a person who changed his appearance and only revealed his true identity right before carrying out a terrorist attack.

The one in here must have changed his appearance.

It was an extremely difficult problem.

...That's probably what the other students are thinking right now.

I raised my hand first, and Park Yoonho pointed at me.

"Yes, student Han Yoojin. Speak up."

"Yes."

The problem Park Yoonho posed was an event that also appeared in the game, requiring deduction and concentration.

And above all, I was someone who had already cleared this event.

"The man standing alone in the corner is 'Bloody Clown'."

I said that while pointing at the man standing quietly in the corner of the classroom.

"Oh, why do you think so?"

Park Yoonho asked with a puzzled look upon hearing my answer.

"Bloody Clown's 'breath' is very similar to a gas bomb. According to the book you sent, he cannot control his abilities even in normal times."

I said that while looking around at the people surrounding the room.

As you can see, most people at an American party are enjoying the party with cigarettes in their mouths. If he were to sigh even once in that situation? It would have caused a huge disaster, including himself. So, I guessed that the person farthest from the danger of fire, 'Bloody Clown', is that man.

"Park Yoonho's eyes widened at my explanation."

Is that all?

"Yes."

"......If I were to add more details, I guessed that he was hiding his clown costume under baggy clothes, the pure white powder on his shoes, and the bag that, despite being open, did not show its contents, which I presumed to be a subspace artifact."

Clap. Clap. Clap.

As the illusion filling the classroom disappeared, the sound of applause spread.

"Impressive. As you said, 'Bloody Clown' avoided fire to the extreme before causing terrorism because he could not control his abilities. You can pick up the points after class."

"Thank you."

So, that's two points now.

If my memory serves me right, one usable potion was worth three points, so I thought I made quite a profit.

"As Cadet Han Yoojin just said, the guy made numerous mistakes that could lead us to suspect he was a 'villain'. However, even though he committed so many acts of terrorism, it wasn't easy to catch him. Why? Because the information that could lead us to suspect him as a 'villain' was not systematized."

With a marker in hand again, he draws an X over the word 'villain' written on the blackboard.

"And what you will learn from me in the future... are the habits and characteristics of villains, as well as their weaknesses. Please, I look forward to working with you."

...Ah, if I say I know all of that, will I get a penalty?