The recruitment of the most urgent club members has finally come to an end.
Since the minimum requirement for establishment was four people, all that remained was to obtain consent forms from other clubs.
“Um… Is it really possible to get three consent forms by today?”
Before we set off for the club tour, one of the gathered members, Kim Seo-a, spoke up cautiously.
“From what the instructor said, it doesn’t seem easy to get consent forms. Is there anything I can do to help?”
I could understand why Kim Seo-a thought that way.
After all, there had never been a case where someone obtained three consent forms in a single day at Seoul Hero Academy.
However, I possessed abilities that set me apart from other ordinary students.
The fact that I was the player of this game, and that this body was Eugene Callione.
Using these two conditions, it was entirely possible to get three consent forms in one day.
“Don’t worry. I already have a plan to get the consent forms.”
And what they would see would only deepen their trust in me.
“Well, if the boss is saying this much, let’s just watch. The boss will handle it, right?”
Seo-a, who still had some concerns, seemed to notice this, as Jin-woo raised the mood with a bright voice and a mischievous smile.
Perceptive kid.
Thanks to this, Seo-a's expression brightened a bit.
“Yes!”
“Great! Show us your skills, boss!”
“Do we just have to follow behind, right?”
“Come on, let’s see how our club leader handles things.”
As the students in our class started to head out for the club tour, I mixed in with them and made my way straight to the first club I had targeted.
“Mr. Eugene. Where should we go first? I’m not very familiar with the academy’s layout yet….”
Kim Seo-a, who had been following us like a duckling following its mother, gently asked me.
“The first place we’re going is the board game club. It’s a Bronze-level club located in the basement of the club building.”
“Board game… club?”
“Yeah, since board games are a niche genre, it’s not a very popular club. It’s not far from here, so we’ll arrive soon.”
“It’s good that it’s close. Ah, is that it?”
The building was so large that it could hardly be called a club building. It was on a scale that made the other kids gape in awe, as if they were looking at a department store.
“This is the club building. Most of the clubs in the academy have their rooms here.”
“T-this is where the club rooms are?”
“Wow, it’s really huge. Boss, will we have a room here too?”
“...It’s a different level.”
Then, as if he suddenly noticed something odd, Kim Young-je asked me.
“By the way, isn’t it strange that there are so few people around the club building during the club tour time?”
“Usually, they set up booths to attract new students. Most of them gather in the playground or the auditorium.”
“Then shouldn’t we go there?”
Kim Seo-a, who had heard that most clubs were elsewhere, raised a question.
“The board game club guys don’t do much promotion during this period. There are too many competing clubs. So they usually try to recruit new students who couldn’t join other clubs.”
“Oh, boss, you really know your stuff.”
“I did thorough research to create a club.”
We entered the building and headed straight for the basement, and the children's expressions changed dramatically.
“It’s much darker than the first floor, isn’t it?”
Young-je muttered as he looked around.
Unlike the first floor, which was brightly lit, the atmosphere in the basement was immediately different.
Flickering lights, a musty smell, and garbage scattered in the corners of the corridors.
If someone saw this scene, they might think it was some kind of abandoned place.
“The basement is mainly used by lower-ranked clubs, so they have to put their rooms in such an environment.”
Kim Young-je nodded in understanding after hearing my explanation.
After walking for about four more minutes, we finally arrived at the door with the board game club’s sign.
“Wow, it’s really creepy from the entrance.”
“Are you going to say that out loud? Can’t you be a bit quieter?”
Jin-woo, who had been standing at the entrance, immediately started spouting insults.
When Kim Young-je frowned and said something, Jin-woo grumbled to himself and approached the door.
“Boss, can I open this? I’m opening the door.”
I nodded, and Jin-woo opened the door wide. At the same time, the interior of the board game club was revealed before our eyes.
Numerous display cases, reminiscent of a library, were lined up with countless board games.
“Ugh, the dust smell.”
As we entered, murmurs began to come from behind the display cases.
-...Is it a mistake?
-...Should we?
-...Not a tradition?
-People... are... coming.
-...Because... it is.
-...What?
We slowly approached the source of the murmurs and finally saw a group gathered behind a large display case.
Six people were gathered in a circle around what looked like a board game.
One of them seemed to notice our presence and looked up at us.
“Huh? Oh... why is this... a hallucination...”
The man, who had made eye contact with me, suddenly started rubbing his eyes.
Then, he looked at me again and was startled so much that he fell backward.
“P, President! P, people! People are here!”
The guy who had fallen backward pointed at us and shouted, and the man with the red glasses also looked up at us.
“Huh? What, what is it! Four people?! Four... what?!”
The president, who had been startled, finally calmed down and looked at us.
“R, really! Real people came to visit!”
“Freshmen? Newbies? Real newbies?”
“Calm down first! They might have come to check out the club!”
The atmosphere became chaotic, and the president stood up to calm everyone down.
The commotion gradually subsided, and when it finally died down, the president of the board game club looked at me and spoke cautiously.
“By any chance... your year?”
“I’m a first-year.”
“Eek! R, really freshmen! What do we do?! What do we do?!”
The president, who had been calm, suddenly panicked and started jumping around in front of the other club members.
“President, calm down first!”
“Yeah! At least ask why they’re here! They might not be here to join the club! Maybe they’re lost?”
“T, that’s right? That’s right? Ah, I get it! I’ll ask!”
But, what are you talking about when you can hear everything.
The president turned back to us and looked at me.
“So... are you here to join our club?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
“...I thought so. Then, are you really lost?”
“No. I’m here to find the board game club.”
At this point, the president seemed to sense something was off and his expression turned serious.
“You’re really here to find us? Why are freshmen coming to our club?”
He seemed to have concluded that we weren’t here to join.
Here, I decided to get straight to the point instead of beating around the bush.
“I’m here to get consent forms for a Bronze-level club.”
“What?”
The atmosphere around us turned cold.
“...You’re here to ask for consent forms?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Even though you’re a freshman?”
“I said I’m a freshman.”
“Then, you want a certification form?”
“Yes.”
“Haha!”
The president suddenly burst into laughter at my answer.
“Haha! A freshman asking for a club certification form? No way. Are you one of those freshmen who are running around trying to create a club?”
Laughing and wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes, the president looked up at me.
“Do you know what it means for us to give you a certification form?”
“Yes, I understand it’s like a guarantor. If the club created with your consent forms doesn’t last a semester, your club will also be disbanded.”
This was one of the reasons why the number of clubs in the academy didn’t increase exponentially.
In other words, the academy’s intention was to issue certification forms only to those who were recognized by a club.
“Even so, you want a consent form?”
“Yes.”
“What makes you think we should trust you?”
There it was. The statement that signaled the start of the ‘event’.
“I’ve never seen you before today, and you’re asking for a consent form? Honestly, don’t you think that’s a bit too presumptuous? So...”
He slumped to the ground and looked at me with a smile.
“...Let’s play a game.”
It was hard to believe that this was the same man who had been flustered by the appearance of freshmen just a moment ago.
No matter how small the club, he was the president responsible for it, which meant he had the power to protect it.
“The rules are simple. Your friends and our club members will play board games. We’ll play five rounds, and the first to win three rounds wins. How about it?”
“Hmm, a board game challenge...”
“What? Do you think it’s too much? But it’s a loss for you if you don’t. Honestly, we don’t lose anything by not giving you the form, so I think this is a fair offer.”
The president spoke with a very relaxed tone.
The club members behind him were already discussing what game to play with us.
Interesting. Should I play along a bit more?
“If we win, we get the certification form. If we lose, what happens?”
“If you lose?”
The corners of the president’s mouth, wearing red glasses, curled up into a grin.
“All of you. You’ll have to join our club.”
As expected, that’s how they do it.
This was one of the methods the board game club used to recruit freshmen, known as the ‘dark board game’.
They would bet on something and try to get the freshmen to join as members.
“Of course, if you accept and then lose, you’ll have to stay in our club for at least a year. Once you become a second-year, we’ll let you leave. How about it?”
Though he said it like that, it wasn’t an easy condition to accept.
The president, who was grinning wickedly, and the club members behind him would do anything to make you enjoy board games within a year.