I Become a Mafia in the Academy

Chapter 5

The surroundings were filled with sand, rocks, and a grayish sea.

"......Where is this?"

The people around were already confused and bewildered.

Of course, who would have expected to be suddenly transported to a remote place?

Except for me, that is.

"That damned instructor......."

The blonde punk next to me bit his lip and looked around.

Oh, is he observing the surroundings because he's a Hero Academy candidate?

"Damn it! Why isn't the internet working!"

......It seemed like he was panicking because the internet wasn't working.

Apart from him, a few people seemed to be seriously observing where this was, but I looked at the dark gray color of the surrounding sea and the angle of the rising sun to infer our current location.

"The West Sea."

To be precise, an isolated island in the West Sea, a little off the Korean Peninsula.

It was an occasional, random event introduced in the academy's first lesson.

Simultaneously, the sound of a smartphone alarm was heard.

[Main Story Open]

[You, destined to become the Emperor of the Underworld, must first imprint your power! Make your classmates either respect or fear you!]

[Target Count: 0 / 10]

"......Main story?"

A clue was grasped. The ending of CS focuses on living out the life of the character.

And what this main story points to is becoming the Emperor of the Underworld.

Following the main story would surely provide a lead.

"Hey, you."

As I was thinking that, the blonde punk smiled slyly and approached me.

"Why are you reading such a boring dictionary on your phone at a time like this? Does it have something like survival tips for deserted islands written in it?"

Looking at my smartphone, he muttered that. A dictionary?

"Does this look like a dictionary to you?"

"Then what is it, an academic journal? Calmly reading something like that at a time like this, you're something else. Hey, instead of reading crap like that, I've got some important information for you......."

He said that and smirked wickedly.

"Information?"

As I asked with a hint of doubt, he smiled broadly.

"Yeah! Information. I thought I recognized that reef over there; turns out I've seen it before in the West Sea. In other words, this is the West Sea!"

It was information I already knew.

Anyway, that crazy instructor sent students flying to the West Sea and told us to come back by 4 p.m.

Experiencing it myself, it feels even more absurd.

"By the way, I'm from Incheon, so I know quite a few people around the West Sea. You look like someone with money. What do you think?"

What nonsense is this guy trying to spout?

"One million credits. Just give me one million credits, or even a thousand dollars is fine. I need to pay the fishermen, so not much will end up with me. Look over there."

The punk pointed to one side of the island. Over there, other people were gathered, holding a bizarre meeting.

"You don't want to end up with them, right? If you come with me, we'll take a boat and comfortably get back to the academy by 4 p.m."

To him, I responded nonchalantly.

"You. What's your name?"

"Huh? My name? Jinwoo Vivaldi. Vivaldi's my surname. Oh, wait, are you asking because that instructor told you to introduce yourself?"

Jinwoo Vivaldi. I thought his appearance didn't look very Korean, and it seems he's of Korean immigrant descent. And Vivaldi... could it be?

"Are you by chance 'Family'?"

When I asked nonchalantly, he opened his eyes wide and then tapped my back.

"What? You look mixed-blood, so you're one of 'us' too? That makes things easier. Yeah, I'm with the Vivaldi Family under Calione. This might actually work out better than I thought."

If that's the case, the 'fishermen' he's talking about are probably connected to Calione.

As I was thinking that, he placed his hand on my shoulder and spoke.

"If you're one of us, you'd better stay on my good side. Who knows? I might get you a spot. Hahaha!!"

I brushed off his arm indifferently and walked toward the group of people gathered.

"Oh. Are you here to help too?"

As I approached, a spectacled guy overseeing the others spoke to me.

"Just curious about your plan."

Hearing my words, the man smiled.

"You'll surely be satisfied when you hear it. You know this is an uninhabited island located in the West Sea, right?"

I nodded.

"Luckily, someone here knows a bit of Spatial Magic."

The spectacled guy looked at a girl, who shyly lowered her head.

"I only know a little... Oh! My name is Kim Seah."

She introduced herself as written on her nametag, as there was no need to elaborate.

"......Han Yoojin. So?"

After casually acknowledging her, I asked the spectacled guy again, and he continued.

"According to Seah, if we can supplement her insufficient magical energy with a mana stone, we can return to where we came from. But the problem is......."

"Where to find a mana stone on this uninhabited island, right?"

Confirming my thought, the spectacled guy nodded.

"Exactly. The problem is how to obtain a mana stone. If we can find one, we should all be able to return by 4 p.m."

Speaking in a rather serious tone, the spectacled guy continued.

At the same time, three people came running and shouted.

"There's a goblin dungeon here!"

"Dungeon? Wait, if it's a dungeon, we might be able to find a mana stone....... Did Instructor Ji Soohyun anticipate this as well?"

Smiling slyly, the spectacled guy seemed excited at the possibility of obtaining a mana stone from the discovered dungeon.

And I, too, couldn't help but smile at the mention of a dungeon.

Goblins, the monsters that herald the beginning of an adventure and allow one to test their abilities.

Now then, how effective will my current strength be?

Amid the rising thrill, I finally realized that the story had begun in earnest.

* * *

In front of the Calione mansion, at the smoking area, Parnello, the right-hand man of Don Vito Calione, was chatting with other members of the organization.

"Haah."

Parnello let out a sigh. It was the first time anyone had seen him do so, prompting one of the members to ask.

"For the great Mr. Parnello to sigh, are you worried about the Young Master?"

At the member's remark, Parnello slightly raised his head and exhaled cigarette smoke.

"Does it show?"

"It's more than obvious. Your face practically screams concern for the Young Master."

The other members started laughing at his comment, and Parnello, caught up in the atmosphere, joined in.

"Hahaha! You're spot on. After all, isn't the Young Master someone who has only grown up within our Calione family? And now he's at the academy. How could I not worry?"

Trying to console him, another member spoke.

"Still, isn't he the Young Master of our Calione? I don't think he's someone who would get beaten up or bullied anywhere."

Hearing that, Parnello sighed even deeper.

"Haah, don't you think I know that? That's not what I'm worried about."

Saying this, Parnello stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. His hand, wrapped in a plaster bandage, reflected his condition.

"Even though he grew up in the Calione family, he's still the Boss's son. I just hope he doesn't cause any trouble from day one."

Despite his words, Parnello couldn't hide the expectant smile that formed on his face.

* * *

"......What is this."

The spectacled guy, who had been watching me from behind, muttered in a trembling voice.

Well, I'd probably react the same way if I saw a scene like this.

"Kieeek......."

"Annoying."

I said, and then crushed the goblin's head in my right hand with sheer grip strength.

With a squelching sound, an unpleasant sensation filled my palm.

"Insect-like bastards."

I threw the goblin's head, which I held in my hand, at another one and crushed it with a stomp.

"I should have brought a gun."

Dusting off my hands, I looked behind me.

"This should be enough, right?"

"......Huh? Oh, yeah...... it's more than enough."

Surrounding me were the corpses of 14 goblins. They were all snapped, broken, and burst open, lying scattered everywhere.

I never thought I would achieve this much.

After all, it was my first real battle.

'This is more than enough to pass. I feel relieved knowing you won't get beaten up wherever you go.'

I once landed my first effective strike on Parnello, who taught me martial arts.

Barely managing to strike him once as he treated me like a baby, it was clear that I wasn't terrible at fighting—it was just that old man was absurdly strong.

Of course, I wouldn't have been able to accomplish this with only the martial arts I learned from Parnello. What supported me was this.

[Name: Yoojin Han Calione]

[Gender: Male]

[Occupation: Heir to the Underworld]

[Traits: Bad Boy, Heir to the Underworld]

[Bloodline: Calione]

It was a bloodline ability that only emerged after going through Parnello's training and being beaten to a pulp several times.

Normally, bloodline abilities manifest when one is born into a special family, a different species, or a monster.

But who would have thought that even the Calione family had a bloodline ability?

[Bloodline: Calione]

- Monsters weaker than yourself are highly likely to feel fear.

- Your abilities increase in proportion to the number of enemies around you.

- Your abilities increase the longer a battle continues.

A berserker-like ability, specialized for massacring the weak.

"That crazy bastard, he's checking his phone with blood-soaked hands......!"

A voice came from behind me.

Is that how it looks to others?

A buzzing vibration. Glancing at it, I saw an alarm appear.

[Main Story]

[As the future Emperor of the Underworld, you must first leave your mark of power! Make your classmates either respect you or fear you!]

[Target: 5/10]

It seems that my recent actions alone were enough to instill fear.

'A surprising harvest.'

In the original story, I should have collected mana stones from the goblins and escaped this island with everyone.

But there's no need for that in a test where rankings are determined.

I planned to take a shortcut.

At that moment, Kim Seah was saying something to the kids ahead.

"We'll reverse-engineer the traces of the magic that brought us here and open a passage. Since it's the instructor's portal, interpreting it will take some time, but...... we'll all be able to return."

"How long will the interpretation take?"

When the guy with glasses asked, Kim Seah spread her hand wide.

"With the mana stones we currently have, 5 hours. It's 10 o'clock now, so we can all return by 4 o'clock."

At Kim Seah's words, the expressions of the others brightened.

However, there was one thing that didn't sit well with me.

"Are the others planning to do nothing?"

Looking at the ones who practically did nothing, merely watching from the sidelines, I asked this while glaring at them.

"If we get more mana stones, we can shorten the time, right?"

"Huh? Ah, yes."

Hearing Kim Seah's answer, I turned and started walking again toward the dungeon.

"W-Wait. Where are you going?"

One of the kids in the group called out to me.

After hearing all that, are they seriously asking that?

"What, are you planning to just sit around and watch until 5 hours pass?"

"What?"

"Instead of idling, go kill at least one more goblin. Aren't you also students of the Academy?"

Leaving those words behind, I again walked toward the dungeon.

Murmurs rose from behind me.

Soon, I began hearing the footsteps of other kids heading in this direction.

"Yeah, we're also Academy students!"

"Isn't this technically part of Academy activities? Let's go!"

Excluding Kim Seah and a few students who stayed behind to protect her while she reconstructed the spatial coordinates, the majority followed me.

Although goblins are considered the weakest of monsters, for them, it was an experience akin to their first real fight—killing a living being isn't an easy task.

However, violence eventually becomes second nature.

The moment I stepped inside the dungeon, I grabbed the first goblin's head I saw and smashed it against the wall.

"Kieek-!"

With a death cry, the goblin was crushed against the wall. I immediately slammed the head of another goblin nearby downward, compressing it vertically.

Lastly, the goblin that saw its comrades turn into scraps in an instant collapsed to the ground, trembling.

That was proof that the goblin felt fear toward me due to my bloodline ability.

With a crunching sound, the goblin was crushed underfoot and died instantly.

Sensing fear from behind me as well, I turned my head to look at the other students staring at me blankly.

"......."

Was it because they had just seen three goblins brutally killed in an instant? Most of them were looking at me with bewildered expressions.

"Are you just going to keep watching?"

Drip. Drip.

I shook off the goblins' blood dripping from my hands and intentionally spoke in a sarcastic tone to motivate them.

"......Do I have to spoon-feed everything to you?"

And with those words, their fear was converted into anger, serving as a catalyst.

"Kill them all!"

"Let's get this done quickly!"

"Kill every last one of them!"

Appropriate fear might paralyze someone, but overwhelming fear drives them mad.

Thinking I'd done enough to set the stage, I left the dungeon.

"You're stronger than I expected."

The blond delinquent, who hadn't gone into the dungeon, approached with his arms crossed.

"Why don't you team up with me? Huh? It'd be nice to have a reliable ally, don't you think?"

He still thought I'd join forces with him.

"No thanks. I'm about to leave anyway."

Ignoring his pitch, I pulled out my emergency phone from my pocket.

A bulky phone with an antenna. The delinquent smirked when he saw it.

"Do you think you can make a call? There's no signal tower nearby."

I ignored him. After a brief dialing tone, someone picked up.

[Yes, Young Master.]

"Where are you?"

[Arriving shortly.]

"Got it."

As I ended the call and looked up at the sky, the delinquent beside me asked.

"What the hell? Is that... a satellite phone?"

I nodded, folding the satellite phone and putting it back into my inner pocket.

Then, he looked at me as if overwhelmed.

"You're carrying something like a satellite phone, but you have no money to give me? Just take the boat with me."

Brushing off the persistent delinquent, I pointed to the distant shoreline.

"I'm taking that."

"Huh? That?"

From afar, the sound of propellers, thudding rhythmically, could be heard.

Knowing I was coming to the West Sea, was there any need to gather mana stones to return to the academy?

I am the Heir to the Underworld. I had money overflowing to the point of rotting.

"Huh? A helicopter?"

The delinquent's expression stiffened upon seeing a helicopter flying in from a distance.

Did he not think I'd go as far as to come to this remote area? Leaving him behind, I slowly walked toward the beach, where the helicopter was about to land.

"My apologies for making you wait, Young Master."

Han Seojun stepped out of the helicopter and extended his hand to me.

I casually nodded, grabbed Han Seojun's hand, and climbed into the helicopter.

"Huh? Hey, hey! Let me come too. Huh? W-we're friends, right? Huh?"

Han Seojun stopped the delinquent who clung to the helicopter.

"Step back."

"Wait, hold on. What? What? You're really leaving? Really?!"

The sound of the helicopter's propellers grew louder. Below, the delinquent stood there with a blank expression as the helicopter slowly lifted off.

Honestly, I wanted to give him a ride, but unfortunately, this was a small helicopter, and there was no space.

It wasn't as if I could've taken him on this helicopter anyway. He'd have to find his own way to escape.

Above all.

'He should be able to handle this much.'

Since he didn't seem like an ordinary person, I thought I'd check once.

If he really belonged to a family under Calione, there was a chance he was hiding something.

With that thought, I suddenly remembered something I almost forgot and leaned out of the helicopter to look down.

"Ah, make sure to tell him he can freely use the mana stones from the goblins I killed."

"What? Hey! Hey!"

With those words, I smirked at the delinquent and then took a seat.

The helicopter steadily ascended.

Looking out the window, I saw the group still reconstructing spatial coordinates, gazing in this direction.

Really, I wondered what had happened to the main story.

[Main Story Achieved!]

[You, who will become the Emperor of the Underworld, must first engrave your power! Make your classmates either respect or fear you!]

[Target Number: 19 / 10]

[Overachieved! Rewards based on achievement will be given.]

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

The smartphone alarm continued ringing. Wearing a satisfied smile, I entrusted myself to the helicopter heading toward the academy.

* * *

An empty classroom. A woman was there, observing the island's situation through a hologram floating midair.

"Wow, that guy is seriously insane."

It was Ji Soohyun, who had intentionally left coordinates to ensure all the students could return.

She even figured out there was a goblin dungeon on the island.

And in the OT, where everyone was supposed to cooperate to return, he showed off all his skills and then leisurely left the island on a helicopter as if his job was done.

"Monster comprehension, combat skills, the ability to use background to his advantage, and the knack for instilling fear in those around him..."

The way Yoojin mercilessly tore apart the goblins at the beginning was truly intelligent.

As if he already knew that goblins were cowardly, he killed them so brutally that it seemed excessive.

The goblins who witnessed the scene were so consumed with fear that they looked like trembling children.

What followed was a one-sided massacre.

What's more, the way he staged such acts right in front of the students, leaving even them with a lingering sense of fear, was eerily similar to that man.

"So, he really is that guy's son?"

Ji Soohyun smirked and said this while looking at another screen.

"Huh? Ha, well. Looks like student uniforms will be overflowing this semester for some reason."

Saying this, Ji Soohyun smiled wickedly.