A helicopter landed on the Academy's helipad with a loud noise.
What kind of Academy is this to even have a helipad?
"We have arrived, young master."
Han Seojun said this as he opened the helicopter door. There was no one around.
I nodded silently and got out of the helicopter, looking at my smartphone.
Checking the time, it had only been about two hours since we arrived on the deserted island.
Walking into the classroom at a steady pace, I saw Jisoo-hyun with an evil smile.
"Congratulations. You came in first."
I nodded and sat down at my desk. The front blackboard showed the situation on the deserted island.
"Have you been watching this the whole time?"
I already knew. I knew that this sinister witch would be watching us all.
But I couldn't let her know that I knew.
"Hmm? Ah, right. I was watching how you guys handled things."
And probably, what she saw of us would be recorded in our student records.
"Why, do you want to watch it too?"
"I won't refuse."
I said this and looked at the screen she was watching.
Kim Seo-a was chanting, and the others were continuously bringing her magic stones.
It seemed they were making good progress.
Just as I was watching the students on the deserted island, the classroom door opened. Jisoo-hyun greeted the newcomer with a smile.
"You're here. You came in second."
The guy, covered in salt, looked around and then approached me.
"How did you come in first?"
The guy, who didn't even bother with greetings, asked straight to the point. The name tag on his chest read "Choi Gang-hyun."
"I swam as fast as I could, but I never thought someone would get here before me. How did you do it?"
The guy looked at me with a truly curious expression.
Well, there's no need to lie.
"By air."
"…By air?"
"I took a personal helicopter. I have a bit of money."
"…Is that so."
Hearing my answer, the guy seemed to lose interest and tried to return to his seat.
"If you ever need a job or money, just let me know."
I said this to the guy, who was about to sit down without a word. He would probably contact me soon.
Thinking this, I focused back on the video.
After watching the video silently for about 30 minutes, the results started to show.
Most of the students, led by An-geun, seemed to have a good chance of returning, and the others were also finding their way back.
"Sir, can I go in first?"
Thinking that the results were clear, Choi Gang-hyun got up and asked Jisoo-hyun.
"Do as you please."
"Yes, thank you."
The guy answered and left the classroom first.
"Are you not going?"
Jisoo-hyun looked at me, still sitting, with interest.
"No, I'll watch a bit more."
"Alright, do as you please."
I need to recruit useful people in this school and form an organization.
The organizational chart that was already forming in my mind made me smile.
* * *
"I'm back."
I finally arrived home around 3 PM.
I thought about taking a bus, but as soon as I stepped out of the school gate, a black car pulled up, and I immediately gave up.
Really, it's overprotection.
"So, how was your first day at the Academy?"
Father, who was reading the newspaper in the living room, asked me bluntly.
How should I explain this? Should I tell him that I flew to a deserted island on the first day? I decided to answer smoothly.
"It was interesting."
The experience of seeing heroes I could only see in games with my own eyes was quite thrilling.
"Is that so? That's good."
Father answered my words bluntly and started reading the newspaper again.
Father, Don Vito Calione, sitting and reading the newspaper means he's not working and is taking a break.
Thinking this was my chance, I immediately sat opposite him.
"Boss, I have something to say."
"Boss…?"
Father's expression stiffened for a moment, then turned to one of interest.
"Go on, speak."
Father, who seemed to realize I wanted to talk about the organization, folded the newspaper and looked at me.
The eyes of the boss, not just Father, were quite intimidating, but I met his gaze calmly and spoke.
"I want to form a small organization at the Academy."
Father took a cigar from the box on the table after hearing my words.
It was a sign that he found my proposal interesting.
"Is that so? Then do as you wish."
If it were just my own organization, I could have done it, but my plan was more than that.
"If I successfully form a proper organization, I want to be officially taken under the Calione family."
The Calione family's subordinate organization. That's what I'm aiming for.
"Be officially taken under the Calione family? What are you thinking?"
Father's reaction was quite natural.
It's like asking a regular company's product to be launched as a luxury brand's product without any certification.
But it was a necessary step to realize my plan.
The story of the Calione family, which anyone who has played the dark world game knows.
Eugene Han Calione was originally just a mediocre villain in the game.
A side character who, driven by inferiority, indulged in dirty deeds.
His actions disappointed Vito Calione, and the Calione family, thinking of the organization's future, decided to choose a successor in a different way.
That was to have the Calione family's subordinate organizations compete.
And the successor of the winning organization would become the 'adopted son' of the Calione family and the official successor.
"I just want to test myself."
Honestly, even if I were the successor of the Calione family now, there's no guarantee that my future father would hand over the Calione family to me.
In the game, Eugene never became the boss of the Calione family under any circumstances.
So, I thought,
If I'm not that guy, can I become the boss of the Calione family in the Calione family's way?
I'm not that guy from the original story, so the possibilities are endless.
"Test yourself…"
Father, who was thinking while smoking the cigar, cut the end with a cigar cutter and said,
"Interesting. Go ahead and try."
"Yes, Boss."
With that, my business with the boss was over. I changed my attitude and sat next to Father.
"Hmm? What now?"
"Father."
"…?"
Vito was taken aback when I called him 'Father' after just calling him 'Boss.'
Embarrassing, but… for the plan, I had no choice.
This was also a way to use the fact that I am 'Eugene Han Calione.'
"I have a request."
"As a son?"
"Yes."
Father, who had a stern expression a moment ago, now looked at me with a smile.
Seeing Father's expression, I was confident that the plan was practically a success and smiled.
* * *
"Brother!"
After finishing my conversation with Father and heading to my room,
The sound of slippers slapping the marble floor echoed as my younger sister Ji-yun hugged my leg.
"Brother! How was the Academy? Were there really a lot of heroes?"
Ji-yun, hugging my leg tightly, looked up and asked.
She's so adorable. How could such a child come from that father?
I patted Ji-yun's head and said,
"Yes, that's right."
Ji-yun's face lit up at my words.
"Then, will you become a hero too, Brother?"
"Um… I guess so?"
Actually, I'm more like a dark knight, but there's no need to explain that.
"Of course, Brother is the best!"
Saying this, Ji-yun buried her face in me. I patted her head a few more times and then went to my room.
"Let's check it out, then."
My smartphone already had a new notification.
[Reward (N)]
[Character Encyclopedia (N)]
A new entry had been added to the character encyclopedia.
[Name: Choi Gang-hyun]
[Affiliation: Republic of Korea, Academy]
[Description: A person blessed by the sea. It is said that he becomes stronger near the sea, ocean, or water. His family is very poor.]
A really rough description.
In the game, the description would be refined as the character's story progressed, so it would probably change later.
"He seems weak for now, but will he become useful if I train him?"
A guy I met a few times in the game.
Choi Gang-hyun, the Prince of the Sea.
His family is so poor that if he doesn't get a scholarship at the Academy, he'll starve or become a non-existent character.
I plan to bind him with money and make him my man.
"Well, he's not urgent for now… The most urgent thing is to check the reward."
I immediately checked the reward I couldn't confirm in the helicopter.
[Reward (N)]
[To become the Emperor of the Dark World, you must first imprint your power! Make your classmates respect or fear you!]
[Target Number: 19 / 10]
[Exceeded!]
[Reward Details]
- New Trait: Hitman
[1. Hitman: The blade of the organization that eliminates enemies. The Hitman maintains composure in any situation.
Significantly increases proficiency with firearms.]
- Exceed Achievement Reward: Item Search Token is granted.
"Unbelievable…!"
The Item Search Token.
It was an item that could only be seen in the game during special events or quests.
This CS game changes everything with each new start.
Everything was always new, following the chaos theory, and the locations of items were random.
Even the NPCs were always new.
Therefore, the Item Search Token in this game had a special meaning.
"To give this at such a time."
The versatility of this item was limitless.
It was an opportunity to obtain a unique item in the world or to get an item that would enhance your specialty.
However, there was one problem.
"The token only tells you the 'location,' not the item itself… If I choose a strange item, I might only know the location but not be able to get it."
In a previous playthrough, I searched for the location of the Phoenix Feather, the only one in the game.
The search result was [Chronos's Secret Warehouse], but I couldn't find the location, so I ended up wasting the search token.
"Better to search for an item that I can obtain easily…"
Is there such an item?
If it's a good enough item for me to want, it's probably in a hard-to-reach place.
"I'll have to think hard."
I thought hard. It would be best to get a weapon now before starting to learn martial arts at the Academy.
What weapon would suit me now?
I usually chose items that maximized the strengths of each character.
So, what weapon should I choose now?
I, Eugene Calione, am the successor of the mafia. What weapon suits a mafia member?
"…I've got it."
A weapon that can't be separated from the mafia, a weapon that could be called the soul of the mafia.
And the weapon that was most efficient for clearing early enemies.
I calculated that it would be somewhere in the Republic of Korea at this time and immediately wrote the name of the weapon on the item search token.
* * *
The foreign area of Incheon, known as a lawless zone.
The dim neon signs in foreign languages and the smell of decay mixed with the fog made the atmosphere even darker.
The old sign at the place I arrived read:
[Wild Gunsmith]
The name of the gun shop I was looking for.
"Welcome… Huh? You're just a kid?"
The shop owner greeted me with a jingling sound but then frowned.
"I'm here to buy a gun."
"What? No matter how bad things are, I don't sell to kids. Get lost."
"You're being harsh."
The world of CS is a chaotic and hellish place.
Due to the sudden appearance of dungeons, the new culture of self-defense has emerged in the Republic of Korea.
Gun legalization.
Thanks to this, obtaining guns in this world wasn't difficult.
Guns were readily available at nearby gun shops or black markets.
"I'm an Academy student. This should be enough for a gun permit, right?"
Of course, a gun permit was still required in this world.
However, Academy students, the future heroes on the front lines of humanity, could purchase guns with just their student IDs.
"Academy student ID? Legally, it's fine, but as I said, I don't sell to kids."
But the shop owner turned his head, even after seeing my student ID.
In the game, he would sell as long as I paid, but this attitude made me start to get annoyed.
Should I take the easy way out?
"Lo sarà davvero?"
(Really, will you?)
The shop owner, surprised by the Italian that came out of my mouth, soon sneered.
"Hah! What difference does an Italian make?"
"Veramente?"
(Really?)
I'm not an ordinary Italian.
I smiled and showed him the ring with the Calione family crest.
The shop owner's expression stiffened.
"Wait, …a family member? A kid like you?"
The shop owner's voice changed.
He didn't realize I was the successor, but at least he was treating me as a customer, not a kid.
"By chance. So, can I see the goods now?"
After I said this, the shop owner sighed and said,
"Hah, for self-defense, any of the pistols on that wall will do. I recommend revolvers for beginners."
I kept my eyes on the shop owner and said,
"Not those toys you can get on the street. I want to see something proper."
"…What the hell are you talking about?"
The shop owner, looking at me with a puzzled expression, received a smile from me.