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Chapter 74




Chapter 74: Became a Mafia in the Academy
Amidst the wolves that had turned red, Blanca continued to battle, while snipers and magic kept firing at her from behind. Despite this, Blanca did not give up. Somehow, she managed to regain her composure, tearing apart the wolves she had summoned and slowly advancing towards me. It was a rather moving sight.
“I will kill you with my own hands...”
Blanca's appearance was one of sheer rage. However,
“Didn’t you take too long for that?”
A silver knife embedded itself in front of her as she approached, and a deep voice echoed from the ceiling, which had a hole in it.
“—I apologize for being late, Young Master.”
A man holding a limp man in one hand and a gleaming knife in the other. It was Farnello Lamici.
“...It seems you weren’t in such a difficult situation after all.”
Farnello, who had dropped the unconscious man through the ceiling as if discarding trash, descended to the ground. Looking at the man's face, I recognized him as another villain from the game, Jackal.
Indeed, he lived up to his reputation by handling it so easily. Farnello’s appearance showed only slightly torn clothes and some soot, but no visible injuries or signs of fatigue.
Noticing my gaze on his clothes, Farnello ran his hand through his hair and smiled awkwardly.
“Well, it was quite a challenge to capture him in good condition with all the traps set up here. Honestly, I was quite startled when the landmines and explosives went off one after another.”
...Landmines and explosives? Could those have been the explosions I heard earlier?
I was curious how he managed to maintain the integrity of his clothes in such a situation.
“Why was Jackal... Wait, could it be, a hound...? Did a hound of Callione come?”
Blanca, who had been enraged a moment ago, stumbled back at Farnello’s sudden appearance.
Farnello turned his head to look at Blanca.
“Jackal said another villain was torturing Lath. So, this must be Blanca.”
He then looked back at me, dismissing Blanca as if she were nothing.
“You’ve done well to rescue Lath, Young Master. Shall you finish it off... Young Master?”
The battle with Blanca was essentially over. Even if she were to attack again, my aura, which had been enhanced to the maximum, still remained within me.
“Since she was my prey, it’s only natural that I finish her off.”
“Excellent.”
Farnello smiled and stepped back, causing Blanca to grind her teeth.
“Y-You damn Callione brats!!”
Blanca, feeling that she was being toyed with, exploded and charged at me.
“Who! Who’s prey? You’re the prey!!”
A flash-like charge followed.
If it had been the old me, I would have been decapitated before I even noticed, but with the continuous stacking of enemy levels, my body had been enhanced, allowing me to clearly perceive her movements.
‘Indeed, this ability is a slow starter.’
Recalling the time I faced the ‘Ranger Club,’ I focused my aura into the [Midas Glove]. The image in my mind was the red knuckle I had summoned at that time.
The backlash from the forced infusion of mana was intense, but the aura flowing through my body was more than enough to contain it.
[Bloodline Ability: “Callione” controls the “Midas Glove.”]
The red knuckle reappeared in my hand. The knuckle, transformed from the [Midas Glove], emitted red sparks, and the unstable aura was forcefully compressed, ready to explode at any moment.
“You still haven’t come to your senses.”
Aiming for Blanca’s stomach as she swung her claws at me, I punched with all my might.
“You’ve been finished from the start.”
Specifically, from the moment I launched Phase 2.
My punch, with a slight reach advantage, hit Blanca’s abdomen first.
“Gah—!”
A sound like a massive drum strike echoed, and her body bent sharply. Despite this, she tried to strangle me with her hands.
If it had been a normal punch, it might have hit, but my attack was far from over.
─────!!
The suppressed backlash exploded again, creating a deafening roar that shook her insides.
Blanca’s body stretched out. If she had taken that hit, her lower half would have been completely obliterated.
Fortunately, Blanca’s high defense prevented her from dying.
After pushing her aside,
“Trying to die...”
I confirmed that Blanca had fallen to the ground and, with the tension released, I collapsed onto the floor.
This was my first battle with a close-range villain similar to me.
While I did receive help from the organization members, it was truly an incredible achievement for a first-year student at the Academy.
[A new story has opened!]
“Huh?”
Just as I was trying to catch my breath, a system window appeared before my eyes.
A new story? But wasn’t there already a club-related main story?
[(NEW) Main Story (Gangs of Callione) Open!]
[As the successor and hitman of Callione, you have defeated countless enemies of the organization and started to write your own story. What lies at the end?
Death to enemies. Glory to the family.]
[Achievement Condition: Increase influence within the family]
[Target Influence: 1500 / 3000]
[※Rewards may vary based on results.]
[A new main story has opened! Open reward granted!]
[Open Reward: “Narrative Imprint”]
I had seen characters with multiple main stories before, but it seems Eugene Han Callione was one of them.
The influence displayed in the window was 1500. Given that I had reached this number through previous missions, it seemed I would soon reach 3000.
Most importantly, the [Narrative Imprint] had opened.
[Narrative Imprint] was a crucial system in the original game, used to distinguish named NPCs. Players also used it to differentiate between weak and powerful characters.
But... why are they all looking at me like this?
It feels a bit burdensome.
“Young Master, what was that just now...”
Farnello, who had been watching from behind, approached and asked, extending his hand.
“Hmm? What just now?”
“Yes, the red aura you used to create the knuckle. When did you learn that technique?”
...Ah.
I understood.
Why the other organization members were looking at me with shock, and why Farnello was looking at me with awe.
They were recalling the past.
The man who stepped forward to protect them when the first dungeons appeared in South Korea.
The man who became a symbol for everyone with his red knuckle and fist.
[You have left a lasting impression on the other organization members!]
[Influence increased by 500!]
[Target Influence: 2000 / 3000]
Influence increased by 500 in one go.
But, how many missions have I done so far? Just using the knuckle increased my influence by 500?
I understood the significance of using the knuckle to them.
They truly saw their father, the successor of Callione, in me.
“...Just. While practicing aura, the glove transformed into this shape. It’s probably related to my bloodline ability.”
I couldn’t say I had learned it from the game, so I gave a plausible explanation.
Farnello nodded.
“...Yes. That was a technique often used by the Don. I never thought you would already be able to handle aura to that extent. This Farnello is once again enlightened. Haha!”
In medieval terms, my actions were akin to solidifying tradition.
Of course, showing a technique identical to Vito Callione’s was bound to have this effect.
“...Since the goal is achieved, let’s leave the cleanup to the family’s cleaning team and head back. To be honest, I’m exhausted.”
Forcing a smile, I said this, and Farnello naturally supported me.
“I’ve contacted the organization; a helicopter will arrive soon.”
“...That’s a relief.”
As he said, a helicopter arrived shortly. I boarded it and received care from a healer waiting there, closing my eyes.
“By the way, how is Lath?”
“She’s on the helicopter we came in, being moved to a treatment facility. She’s been through a lot, so she’ll need extensive treatment, but she’s alive, which is fortunate.”
Farnello smiled and said this sincerely.
“All of this is thanks to you, Young Master. If you hadn’t taken care of them, we would have lost Lath and the others.”
I wanted to ask how he knew, but decided to just smile.
Ultimately, everything turned out well.
Upon arriving home, I intended to report to my father, but Farnello, considering my trip to Gangwon the next day, offered to handle the report and advised me to rest.
Frankly, I wanted to collapse on the bed, so I gratefully accepted his offer and returned to my room. After a quick shower, I fell onto the bed.
My gaze fell on the new UI that had appeared.
[(N)Narrative Imprint]
“...I should at least remove the new mark, right?”
With a pounding heart, I opened the [(N)Narrative Imprint].
[Character “Eugene Han Callione: Narrative Imprint” created!]
A notification window appeared, followed by a brief silence.
“Huh?”
Nothing... happened?
Was there nothing supposed to happen when opening the Narrative Imprint? Or was