I Become a Mafia in the Academy

Chapter 96

Kiiiiing───

The golem, which could be called a heart, stops functioning as the core splits and begins to collapse.

"Eh?"

Jinwoo, who just opened the door and walked in, is dumbfounded by the golem collapsing in an instant.

Unlike him, the rest of us, including myself, were all breathing heavily while staring at the golem's debris.

"......Boss. Was that the weakest one just now?"

"......I didn't know it would be this strong. I never thought it would be this intense just by moving."

The mere act of getting up caused such a sense of unease that it felt like our hearts would burst just by looking at it. If we hadn't destroyed the core at the start, I'm certain we all would have died.

"It's a relief that it ended well. Is anyone hurt?"

Confident that the golem was completely neutralized, I looked around and checked on the kids.

Youngje, who had pushed his magic power to the limit, was breathing heavily, and Seah, who had collapsed to the ground, was sitting limply.

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

......Why is she acting like that?

It seemed that no one was seriously injured.

"Mr. Yoojin. So, we can all get out now...?"

Seah, sitting on the floor, asked weakly.

"Yes, soon a portal will open on each floor that will allow us to leave. If that happens, the other kids and instructors trapped here will be able to escape too."

The villains' terror attack was practically over.

I casually approached the fallen golem and examined the debris.

"Here it is......"

This dungeon's core, a lump of mana that moves that gigantic body. The dungeon core.

The magic power generated by the mana stone running wild, along with all the other mana accumulated in the dungeon up until now, was condensed into this core, making it the ultimate reward.

■■

"Oh."

Is it because it's a nested dungeon? It looked to be in better condition than any dungeon core I've obtained in the game.

After retrieving the core, I returned to the side of the exhausted kids.

"Ha, I really want to lie down and sleep like this."

"I'm tired too. I feel like I've scraped out my magic power to the limit."

"Me toooo......"

I told them an encouraging story to lift their spirits.

"Really? Aren't you going to get the reward?"

"Reward?"

I pointed to a room that clearly looked like an exit.

"Oooh......"

At that, Jinwoo, as if enchanted, started walking towards it. The other kids, interested, slowly followed behind.

The core is the core, and the reward is the reward. Given the difficulty set, there must surely be a reward beyond imagination waiting for us.

As we opened the door to the reward room and entered with the kids.

"Here it is......! Boss! Here!"

A huge box appeared before our eyes.

A box with a red body decorated with gold, truly showing off its preciousness.

It looked even more splendid than any dungeon reward I remembered.

"No way that a box that looks so fancy can be a reward! It's a mimic! That's a mimic!!"

Seah, who was next to me, had already lost her mind.

To prepare for further confusion, I gathered the kids.

"For now, let's take the items that are most necessary for each of us. As for the rest, we'll discuss and share them later in the club room. Any other opinions?"

I asked while looking at the other kids' faces, but none of them spoke up.

"Then let's do that. Don't expect too much, as what comes out is random. So...... let's open it."

As I slowly lifted the top of the box, a golden aura rose and illuminated the surroundings.

Gold, and rainbow colors.

"Crazy......!"

Isn't this the effect you see when you have a huge success in a gacha?

The other kids, too, stared at the box in awe, as if mesmerized by the incredible sight.

Bang! Bang bang!

As fireworks rose, a projector beam shot up from the box.

[Congratulation!!]

And the face of a person floated before our eyes.

[Hi! Juniors! If you're seeing this message, it means you've cleared the highest difficulty of my dungeon, right? I sincerely congratulate you!]

The kids were confused by the face of a man they were seeing for the first time.

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

"Skip."

[After clearing the highest difficulty────zhizh.]

Phew. It got a bit quieter.

The kids behind me tilted their heads in confusion.

"Boss. What was that just now?"

"......It didn't seem important, so I turned it off. It was just going to keep congratulating us."

In games, it usually just tells you their phone number and that's it......

Even though it's officially a congratulatory message for clearing the highest difficulty, in reality, it's just a few minutes of self-praise, so I had no regrets.

"Then, inside is...... Oh."

As I looked inside the box, as expected, I saw a pile of items.

"There's a lot. We can each take one and there will still be some left."

It seemed this room was also filled with items according to the concept.

After scanning through the contents, I organized my thoughts on which items the kids might take.

"Here, I'd like to recommend items since I have an appraisal skill. Is that okay?"

To be exact, it wasn't a skill, but I wanted the items to suit the kids as much as possible.

"Right. You said you had an appraisal skill, Boss? That's great for us. We don't have to go to an appraiser."

"I'm fine with it. It would be more certain if the Boss distributed them."

Choi Yeon and Seah also nodded, not expressing any opposition.

So, shall we start?

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

"Obsidian Dagger of Ritual. If you stick it into the ground under sunlight, it summons three golems? ......This one is for Seah. It seems to suit you, supporting from the back."

Since Youngje could do hit-and-run and use various magic in close combat, I thought it would be better to give it to Seah.

"An item that can summon creatures! That's super expensive on the market! I love it! I definitely love it!"

"Then we'll give this to Seah. Next is...... Cloak of Ambush? Can you hide in shadows once a day? This one is for Jinwoo."

"Eh, I just opened the door, is it okay to give me something this good?"

While an ambush item that greatly increases the chance of a surprise attack is a valuable item, I already had the Maestro's robe, DisPater.

Meaning I already possessed a stealth item.

Jinwoo, who was relatively lacking, would be able to use it more effectively.

"You worked hard. It's enough."

"Boss......!"

The next item that came out was a bracelet wrapped with a blue band.

This was also a familiar item from the game that I had relied on quite a bit.

"This is the 'Mana Circuit Organ'."

A bracelet that increases spell casting speed and mana recovery rate, it would be a great help to Youngje, who was already struggling with mana despite his versatility.

Next was Choi Yeon.

"......Are you giving me one too?"

"Thanks to you, we were able to conquer this dungeon. You're qualified."

"......Thanks."

What I gave her was an item called 'Ancient Warrior's Tape', which reduces the shock to the palm.

This tape, reminiscent of a bandage, significantly reduces the impact felt in the palm when wrapped around the hand, reducing fatigue and slightly increasing strength, making it a partner item for warrior players.

The last one.

"I'll take this one."

I said that as I picked up the red ring that was stuck in the corner of the box.

"......It's pretty. What kind of item is that?"

Seah, her eyes sparkling at the sight of the ring with its radiant red color, asked.

"It's the 'Ancient Berserker's Ring'. An item that stores the blood I shed to enhance my physical abilities."

In fact, such an information window had appeared before my eyes.

[Name: Ancient Berserker's Ring (Sealed)]

[Grade: Relic]

[Type: Ring]

[Description: A ring worn by those called ancient berserkers. This ring absorbs the blood flowing from the user and, in return, enhances the user's strength. It seems that an unknown force is sealing the ring's original abilities.]

The fact that its abilities were sealed didn't matter much to me.

I had used it in the game before, so I knew how to handle it.

"But, is it okay for the Boss to have such a useless thing?"

"What?"

"No, I mean, you usually defeat opponents without shedding a drop of blood, that's your style, Boss."

Ah...... and now that I think about it.

'They don't know, do they? My real combat style.'

It was a misunderstanding caused by the significant difference between the fights I had as a Hitman and those I showed at the academy.

"Just, I think it suits me well."

"Well...... if the Boss says so, it's fine."

For some reason, it seemed like they felt guilty for getting something good for themselves.

But in fact, this was the rarest item.

Anyway, it was time to pack up and leave.

Of course, there were things to take care of before that.

"Choi Yeon."

"Yes?"

"Why don't you join our club?"

"Club? The one where you're the president?"

I was inviting her to the club directly.

[Name: 'Familia' (Calione)]

[Grade: Bronze]

[Family Members: 4 / 5 (A grade increase is required!)]

[Subordinate Organizations: 4]

[Environment: Very Good]

[Club members are very satisfied!]

There was one spot left in the club system for family members.

In the current situation, it was hard to think of anyone better than her for the club.

Moreover, I decided to trust the bond we formed during the recent lake event and the battle we fought together.

"......Club. I'll have to think about it."

Choi Yeon seemed unsure, perhaps because of the sudden proposal.

I decided not to push her and nodded as I said,

"Yes, it's not too late to think about it once we're out."

Leaving the response on hold, I stored the remaining items in the cube and looked at the door that seemed to be the exit and the lever next to it.

"Shall we go out then?"

Enough time had passed, so everyone else must have left by now.

They might already be waiting for us outside, so it was time to leave.

As I pulled the lever that was up down, the stone door slowly rose, revealing a portal with a distorted space.

Despite everything, we had successfully defended against one of the main scenarios, the 'Academy Terror', so we had overcome the major crisis.

I sent the other kids through the portal first, and as I stepped into the portal myself, I felt the dizziness overtake my head as my body moved outside.

I thought everything was over, but.......

Vrrr── Vrrr── Vrrr── Vrrr──

My smartphone started vibrating intensely as it picked up a signal.

Wondering what was happening, I checked my phone and saw dozens of messages piled up.

And their content was.......

[Han Seojun (99+)]

[Han Seojun: Young Master? Are you alright?]

[Han Seojun: Young Master. I heard there was a terror attack at the academy. Are you alright?]

[Han Seojun: Young Master. If you can, please reply immediately.]

[Han Seojun: Young Master. Father found out.]

[Han Seojun: Young Master, are you still there?]

[Han Seojun: Father says he's going to take action himself.]

[Han Seojun: Young Master, big trouble.]

[Han Seojun: Parnello managed to convince Father not to come himself.]

.........

......

...

.

[Han Seojun: Instead, consiglieres and hitmen are coming to the academy.]

......Huh?