I became a mafia member at the academy, Chapter 12
After Kim Se-a and Kim Young-je's sparring session, the rest of the sparrings matches were all pretty much the same.
Battles between students with decent talent.
Indeed, each match had its own charm, and I could understand why Ji-soo-hyun was impressed by each of them.
Except for one.
Choi Kang-hyun.
The student who arrived in the classroom right after me, having flown in by helicopter yesterday.
He immediately showed an unconventional strategy by spraying seawater from a water bottle to force his opponent to surrender by blocking his nose.
His trident, his unique weapon, served only as a cane.
His match ended in just a minute.
Sure enough, he is a boy blessed by the sea.
While thinking about the dungeon I would eventually conquer, I decided I should recruit him at some point to increase his affection for me as the boss of the organization. Just then, the instructor clapped his hands to get our attention and looked at us.
"You all have worked hard this morning with the sparring sessions. Since today is the second day, which is like an orientation, and I have some discretion, let's end the class here. Class is dismissed. Go home and review today's sparring sessions."
This is definitely a good point.
An instructor who ends the class early if the work is done properly would surely be a popular teacher in a regular school.
At Ji-soo-hyun's words signaling the end of the class, the students began to get up from their seats and prepare to go home.
I, too, was about to contact Han Seo-jun to go home when I suddenly remembered Jin-woo, who might still be lying in the infirmary.
"Still, I should drop by once."
He would eventually become a member of my organization. As the boss, it would be good to build a good relationship with him early on.
So, I decided to go to the infirmary, putting off the call to Han Seo-jun.
But... where is the infirmary?
I wanted to ask Ji-soo-hyun, but he had already disappeared before the students. I couldn't figure out where it was by looking around.
Of course, the layout of the game and the real world can differ, so it's understandable that I was confused.
While I was standing in the hallway, lost in thought.
"Hey, are you lost?"
Someone approached me and spoke.
"......?"
Wait, why is this person appearing now?
Her sharp eyes, long black hair, and the black name tag on her neatly worn academy uniform.
She looked very similar to a character in my memory.
"......Hey?"
She must have sensed something strange about my sudden daze, as she tilted her head and called out to me.
"I'm not lost, but... I'm looking for the infirmary."
We are meeting for the first time. I answered politely, treating her like a senior.
She suddenly chuckled.
"Isn't that the same as being lost? The infirmary is down the left corridor."
"......Thank you."
"Don't mention it. It's my duty as a student council member. You seem to be a freshman. Did you get hurt or something?"
"It's not me, but a friend who is hurt."
"Is that so? I hope you find your way. Don't get lost and go home safely. Bye."
She said that and started walking back to her original path.
...What is this all about? I didn't expect to meet her, a student council member, so soon after enrolling.
Since I am a freshman and we just met, it passed without incident... but...
"I hope I don't run into her too soon."
I didn't want to meet her again, as I didn't know what kind of relationship we would have in the future.
After she had disappeared, I walked in the direction she had told me, and soon enough, I found the room marked as the infirmary.
In a typical infirmary, you might imagine a small room with a single health teacher on standby...
But this is the Seoul Hero Academy, which boasts the best facilities in Asia.
Unlike a regular school's infirmary, it was equipped with professional medical facilities, as if a real hospital ward had been moved here.
As I entered the infirmary and looked around, I saw Jin-woo lying on a bed, fiddling with his smartphone.
"Wow, you're really good at this. Is this the God's Moving? No~ it's not a hit? Weaving~ Moving~ Weaving~"
He seemed to be completely fine, laughing and playing with his smartphone.
"Huh."
Seeing him so excited, unaware that the class had ended, made me chuckle.
He must have heard my laughter, as his eyes met mine.
"Ah, ah!"
He jumped in surprise, as if he had seen a ghost, and clung to the wall of the bed.
"Why, why again!"
He was trembling and making strange noises, even though I hadn't done anything.
"Didn't we make a promise before the sparring?"
"Huh? What?"
"Club."
"......Club? Oh, ten million credits! You came for that?"
I nodded at his question.
The period for freshmen to establish new clubs starts tomorrow and lasts about a week, so it was essential to get a firm answer early.
"I won the sparring, so you should understand that you're joining me, right?"
"......Since I lost, I have no choice. Ah...! My ten million credits!"
Surprisingly, he accepted the loss coolly. It seemed he wasn't the type to refuse the result.
"Ten million credits could have bought you a full skin... Is this just being petty?"
"......It was money I was going to use for club activities anyway. Since it's welfare money for the club, everyone will share it, so don't be too sad."
Hearing my words, Jin-woo suddenly lifted his head and looked at me.
"What? You're just using ten million credits for club activities? No strings attached?"
It was surprising.
"I have enough money, and there's no reason for me to keep it. Also, I plan to give bonuses based on the club members' performance, so you don't have to worry about not getting the money."
"Bonuses?! Then it's a must! My father always said, a boss worth following should be rich and strong. You're enough. So, how should I call you from now on? Boss?"
Jin-woo, who suddenly looked at me with admiration in his eyes, probably because of the money talk.
Seeing the [Trait: Baby Boss] activated in the corner of my vision, it seemed he genuinely respected me.
"Boss... Call me whatever you want. But, aren't you the successor of the Vifalt Family? As a mafia successor, you should have plenty of pocket money, so why are you so obsessed with money?"
It was a genuine question.
The Vifalt Family, under Callione, should have ample financial resources. Why was Jin-woo so fixated on money?
"Our family... Well, you have to earn your own money. That's the atmosphere. So, in high school, I either ate only school lunches or lived off extorting money from weirdos who came to take over the school... But this is an academy. It seems I can't do that here."
Was this the truth behind the story Kim Se-a told me?
Living off extorting money from those who came to take over the school was absurd.
"......That must have been tough."
"Right? So, what exactly is our club about, and why do you say we'll make money from club activities?"
"About the club? It's not a difficult activity. In fact, it's a club with a good purpose."
"Uh?"
Since Jin-woo was already joining our club, it wasn't too difficult to explain what we would do at the academy.
"We will be a club that protects other clubs."
"......A club that protects other clubs?"
"Exactly, a club that protects other clubs. Do you know anything about the club activities at the academy?"
Just in case, I asked Jin-woo.
"Nothing at all."
"......I thought so. Anyway, let me explain. The clubs at the academy operate on the logic of power. Only the strong clubs survive."
This is a characteristic and essence of the Hero Academy.
'Power'.
The power to protect everyone. The power to protect citizens.
Therefore, club activities at the academy operate on the logic of power.
"Only strong clubs survive? That sounds very different from what I thought clubs would be like..."
"Of course it does."
This is a 'Hero Academy', not a regular school.
A place to train future heroes who will save the world, not ordinary students.
"Here, it's allowed. Ultimately, we are people who will go to battlefields where the logic of power prevails."
That's why I found an opportunity in this club system.
"And we will exploit the weaknesses in that system."
We will receive a certain protection fee from weaker clubs and protect them from stronger clubs.
And through the 'Club Wars' that occur in this process, we will elevate our club's status.
Only by becoming the best club and holding more power than others can we see the academy's strategy.
"Exploiting the system... Do you mean hacking or something like that?"
Suddenly, the topic veered off into a strange direction, and it seemed he didn't understand properly.
Since I would have to explain the ultimate goal again to the club members later, I shook my head with a smile.
"Let's talk about that after the club is established."
"Ah, that makes me even more curious. Can't you just tell me now?"
"Since I'll have to explain it again later, wait a bit."
"......Wow. You cut me off. You're really a bad guy. So, summarizing what you've said so far, we protect other clubs and receive protection fees. Right?"
"You got it."
"But isn't that what the mafia does? It sounds a lot like what my father does."
Still, he is the son of a mafia family.
He quickly understood that our club system was inspired by mafia activities.
"If you say so, then yes. Even in foreign areas, similar systems operate, don't they?"
"That's true... But... Do you know that?"
At my answer, Jin-woo's eyes narrowed.
"Protecting means ultimately protecting from other predators, which means we have to be stronger than those who prey, right?"
"Isn't that obvious?"
"......I also know that the Callione Family, which has overwhelming power, is the reason such a system works in foreign areas."
"Right."
"Then, are you saying you will create a club that is overwhelmingly stronger than other clubs at the academy?"
"Finally, we're on the same page."
"......Do you really think that's possible?"
"Why not?"
"No matter what...──."
"Trust me."
"──What?"
"I will definitely show you the sight of my club reaching the top."
Unlike the light-hearted tone of the previous conversation, I spoke with a serious tone.
"I will make it possible for you to see the view from the top of the academy, right by my side. So──"
──Trust me.
I looked into his eyes and spoke with conviction.
Trust my skills, the skills that knocked you down in one go.
At that moment, I wasn't Eugene Callione.
I was a player who had saved this world several times, plunged it into chaos, and achieved most of the possible accomplishments, ranking second in CS. I was confident.
I can do it.
And I extended my hand toward Jin-woo, who was still sitting on the bed, listening to my story in a daze.
"If you join me, the possibilities are endless."
Jin-woo had talent.
Jin-woo had a background.
And I was the most confident person in the world to nurture and grow such a character, having done it dozens, even hundreds of times.
"Isn't it tempting?"
And my intuition, based on observing him for a short time, was──
I was certain he would take my hand.
"Ha, ha! Hahaha! Hahaha!"
As soon as my story ended, Jin-woo started laughing, shaking his body.
Laughing as if he couldn't hold it in, even twisting his body and tearing up.
"Ha, ha! What a unrealistic story."
"......Is it?"
"That's why... I like it!"
Jin-woo slowly stopped laughing, wiped his tears, and got up from his bed.
"Standing at the top of the academy? Me? Hahaha! If that happens, my father, who always nags at me, will surely be shocked. Alright, I'll do it your way."
Finally, Jin-woo took my hand.
"Good."
Sincerely.
"Jin-woo Vifalt. I will take you to the top of the Hero Academy. I hope you will help me reach the top."
"......That's a high goal. It might be troublesome, but it sounds fun."
"Indeed, it will be fun."
At my answer, he smiled and shook my hand briefly.
"Alright, deal."
"Deal."
This is how Jin-woo Vifalt became the first member of the organization I was creating.