Chapter 96

I became a mafia in the academy Chapter 96

Squeeeeeeek───

The golem, whose core, the heart, had split, stopped moving and began to collapse.

“Huh?”

Jin-woo, who had merely opened the door and entered, was utterly bewildered by the sight of the golem collapsing in an instant.

Unlike him, the other children, including myself, were all breathing heavily and staring at the remains of the golem.

“…President, was that the weakest one just now?”

“…I didn’t expect it to be this strong. I didn’t think it would be this powerful just by moving.”

Even just getting up caused a sense of fear that felt like my heart would burst. If we hadn’t shattered the core at the start, we would all have died.

“Thankfully, it ended well. Is anyone hurt?”

Convinced that the golem was completely disabled, I looked around to check on the children.

Yeon-je, who had pushed his mana to the limit, was breathing heavily, and Se-a had collapsed, her legs giving out.

And Chae-yeon, for some reason, had a flushed face.

…Why is she like that?

Anyway, it seemed no one was seriously injured.

“Mr. Yoo-jin, does that mean we can all leave now…?”

Se-a, who was sitting on the floor, asked in a weak voice.

“Yeah, soon portals to the outside will open on each floor. If that happens, the other children and instructors trapped here can escape.”

The villains' terrorism was essentially over.

I approached the fallen golem with ease and examined the remains.

“Here it… is.”

This dungeon, of course, the massive mana clump that made the golem move. The dungeon core.

This core, condensed with the mana generated by the mana stone's overdrive and all the other mana accumulated in the dungeon so far, was nothing short of the best reward.

■■

“Wow.”

Is it because it's a layered dungeon? It looked better than any dungeon core I had obtained in the game.

After recovering the core, I returned to the children, who were exhausted.

“Phew, I really want to just lie down and sleep.”

“I’m tired too. I feel like I’ve used up all my mana to the limit.”

“Me toooo….”

I told them a story to boost their spirits.

“Really? You’re not going to take the reward?”

“Reward?”

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

“Ohh….”

Jin-woo started walking towards it as if entranced. The other children, now interested, slowly followed.

The core is the core, and the reward is the reward. Given the difficulty level, there was sure to be a reward beyond our imagination.

When we opened the door to the reward room and entered with the children,

“Here it… is! Boss! Here!”

A giant box appeared before us.

A red body adorned with gold, a box that clearly proclaimed its own value.

It was even more splendid than the rewards from the dungeons in my memory.

“That, that can’t be a reward! It’s a mimic! It’s a mimic!!”

Se-a, who was standing next to me, had already lost her composure.

Anticipating a chaotic situation, I gathered the children.

“Let’s each take the items we need the most. We can share the rest later in the club room. Any objections?”

I looked at the other children, but no one spoke up.

“Then let’s do that. Don’t get your hopes up too much; it’s random. So… let’s open it.”

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

Golden, and rainbow-colored.

“Crazy…!”

Isn’t this the effect that only appears when you get a grand success in a gacha?

The other children, amazed by the sight, stared at the box in a daze.

Bang! Bang bang!

Fireworks burst, and a project beam shot up from the box.

[Congratulations!!]

And a face appeared before us.

“Hello! Seniors! If you’re seeing this message, you must have cleared the highest difficulty of my dungeon? Congratulations sincerely!”

The children were taken aback by the face of a man they had never seen before.

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

“Skip.”

[After clearing the highest difficulty──static.]

Phew. It’s a bit quieter now.

The children behind me tilted their heads.

“President, what was that just now?”

“…It didn’t seem important, so I turned it off. It’s probably just congratulating us.”

In the game, it usually just gives a phone number and ends there…

Even if it’s a congratulatory message for the highest difficulty, I knew it was just a few minutes of self-praise, so I had no regrets.

“Then, the inside… Wow.”

Looking inside the box, as expected, several items were piled up.

“There are a lot. We can each take one and still have some left.”

It seems this room also contains items that fit the theme.

After scanning the contents, I had a good idea of what items the children would take.

“I want to recommend items here since I have the appraisal skill. Is that okay?”

To be precise, it wasn’t a skill, but I wanted the items to go to the children who would benefit the most.

“Right. You said you have the boss appraisal skill? Then it’s perfect for us. We don’t need to take it to an appraiser.”

“I like it too. It’s more reliable if the president distributes them.”

Chae-yeon and Se-a nodded, not showing any opposition.

Then, let’s start.

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

“The Obsidian Dagger of Consciousness. It summons three golems when stuck in the ground in sunlight. …This is for Se-a. It seems to fit you, supporting from the back.”

Since Yeon-je can do hit-and-run and use various spells in close combat, it’s better to give this to Se-a.

“A summoning item! Those are super expensive in the market! I love it! I definitely love it!”

“Then this is for Se-a. Next is… the Cloak of Ambush? It allows you to hide in shadows once a day. This is for Jin-woo.”

“Huh, I just opened the door, and you’re giving me something this good?”

The stealth item that greatly increases the chance of ambush is a rare item, but I already have Maestro’s clothes and Dispathe’s.

I already have a stealth item.

Jin-woo, who is relatively lacking, would find it more useful.

“You’ve worked hard. It’s enough.”

“Boss…!”

The next item was a bracelet with a blue band wrapped around it.

This was a familiar item I had relied on a lot in the game.

“This is the ‘Mana Circuit Mechanism.’”

A bracelet that increases spell casting speed and mana recovery, which would be a great help to Yeon-je, who is already short on mana despite his versatility.

Next was Chae-yeon.

“…Are you giving me something too?”

“Thanks to you, we were able to clear this dungeon. You’ve earned it.”

“…Thank you.”

I gave her the ‘Ancient Warrior’s Tape,’ which reduces the impact on the palm.

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

Finally.

“I’ll take this.”

I said, picking up a red ring embedded in the corner of the box.

“…It’s pretty. What kind of item is it?”

Se-a, her eyes sparkling at the lustrous red ring, asked.

“The Ring of the Ancient Berserker. It stores the blood I shed and enhances my physical abilities.”

In front of me, a window with this information appeared.

[Name: Ring of the Ancient Berserker (Sealed)]

[Grade: Relic]

[Type: Ring]

[Description: A ring worn by those called Ancient Berserkers. This ring absorbs the blood of the user and, in return, enhances the user’s strength. An unknown power seems to be sealing the ring’s original abilities.]

Although its abilities are sealed, it’s not a big issue for me.

I’ve used it in the game before, so I know how to unseal it.

“But, is it okay for the boss to take such a useless item?”

“What?”

“No, you know. You usually don’t shed a drop of blood when fighting, right?”

Ah… and by the way.

‘They don’t know my real fighting style.’

The misunderstanding arose because the way I dealt with the targets as a hitman and the combat style I showed at the academy were too different.

“I just think it suits me.”

“…If the boss says so, it’s fine.”

They seem to feel a bit guilty, thinking they got all the good stuff.

Actually, this is the rarest item.

Anyway, it’s time to wrap up and leave.

Of course, there’s something to take care of first.

“Chae-yeon.”

“Yeah?”

“Would you like to join our club?”

“Club? The one you’re the president of?”

I was inviting her to join the club directly.

[Name: ‘Familia’ (Calliope)]

[Grade: Bronze]

[Members: 4 / 5 (Upgrade needed!)]

[Sub-organizations: 4]

[Environment: Very