I Become a Mafia in the Academy

Chapter 46

The reason I sighed when I first received the challenge letter was simple.

I knew that there was only one person in the academy who would send a challenge letter written in Hanja.

Choi Yeon.

It was definitely her who sent this challenge letter.

"I didn't expect her to be interested in me so soon, no matter what."

"Pardon?"

Choi Yeon was a person who tried to grow herself to not disappoint her family and her grandfather's expectations.

Being from a family led by a Sword Saint, she valued sparring and real combat, so as soon as a player became stronger, she would immediately challenge them to a spar.

Sending this [Challenge Letter] to students she deemed equal or superior to herself was a characteristic of Choi Yeon.

Due to this, in the community, some called her the academy's freshman shredder, but that's another story.

However, that was only from the perspective of those she considered strong.

I was aware that rumors about me were spreading through the academy due to club activities, but... I didn't expect her to make contact with me so soon.

'Does that mean she thinks of me as someone on her level or higher?'

It seems certain, seeing that the challenge event has started.

Well, her judgment isn't wrong, though...

"Don't you want to read it?"

Seah, looking as if she was dying of curiosity, asked while twisting her body.

"It probably won't have much content. It will just say something like when and where to meet."

As I answered and opened the challenge letter, the expected content came out.

[Next Monday, during sparring time, I will be waiting. -Choi Yeon]

"As expected."

"It's real. Oh, was the name of that pretty person with blue hair who gave the challenge letter Choi Yeon?"

Seah reacted as if it was the first time she heard the name.

"Didn't you see her during the exam? She was the top student of this batch, so you must have seen her at least once."

"Ah. I was busy with part-time jobs back then, so... I took the exam quickly and went home to cook for my younger siblings."

...I feel unnecessarily sorry.

"Anyway, will you be sparring with that Choi Yeon then, Yoojin? The top and second place?"

Is it because of the titles of top and second place?

Seah looked at me with a face full of anticipation.

A spar with Choi Yeon...

It would be ideal to establish a connection with her through sparring, but... the problem was her personality.

"I plan to refuse from my side."

"Huh? Why?"

Her strong competitive spirit was her advantage, but considering the upcoming events at the academy, accepting the challenge would only tire me out.

It seemed like there would be more losses than gains.

So...

"Just."

Instead of sparring, it would be better to find a way to connect that would be more beneficial for us.

"Ugh?! Hmm? What, it's over... Boss, aren't you going to eat?"

Jinwoo, who had been lying next to me, got up rubbing his eyes.

Alright, now that he's up, should we start moving?

"Let's go. To eat."

With guests coming, we need to eat our fill and use that energy to serve them properly.

I hope the guys will be satisfied.

* * *

"President, do we really need to go as a group?"

In the Ranger Club's booth. There, members dressed as if they were about to head to a dungeon were gathered, preparing to leave somewhere.

"They, who have only been formed for a week, declared war against us. Should we just sit still?"

Kwon Suhyeop, the president of the Ranger Club.

He clenched his fist, recalling the incident that happened not long ago.

The recipe obtained from the Recipe Development Club.

The recipe for food that permanently enhances physical abilities just by eating it, but in the end, even that recipe was incomplete.

Kwon Suhyeop needed the recipe for the revival of the Ranger Club, for better facilities and investments, so he sent his members to find a proper recipe, but...

"How dare a mere freshman ignore a senior? And that, in my club, Kwon Suhyeop's club?"

The club they hired to protect them, 'Familia'. They were the problem.

Of course, Kwon Suhyeop didn't underestimate Familia's skills.

Even if they were a new club, the fact that they destroyed the Gold Club 'Fund Investment Club' didn't change.

Therefore, Kwon Suhyeop decided to pressure Familia in a different way.

"Don't be too scared. We're just going to pay a visit."

No matter how much they were rising stars, they were still just a newly formed Bronze Club.

Kwon Suhyeop planned to pressure them with a proper outfit, using the excuse of paying a visit.

This was the combat club and the powerhouse of the Bronze Clubs.

He had no intention of picking a fight.

He didn't want to feel the humiliation his members felt after losing to them again.

So, he planned to slowly pressure them using his position and status, then eventually absorb Familia.

'If we can properly absorb them, rising to the Silver Club will be no dream.'

In fact, Kwon Suhyeop was confident that the Ranger Club would be promoted to the next Silver Club.

"Are all the interns gathered?"

He said so, thinking of the freshman who joined last week.

Despite his young age, the freshman 'Kim Youngje' who demonstrated his ability to freely use four attributes.

Kim Youngje's performance in the dungeon was also impressive, so Kwon Suhyeop was determined to secure that freshman.

Such a flexible and promising magician was a precious existence.

"Um... I don't see that magician intern."

"Youngje?"

"Yes. According to the others, he didn't come to the booth today."

"...Really?"

It was strange that the diligent guy suddenly acted like this, but Kwon Suhyeop didn't think much of it.

How many things had they provided to make him want to stay here?

Even in the dungeon, they gave him more food rations and treated him as a full member, not just an intern, when distributing the spoils.

Not only that, he also handed over the ten-year ginseng he had fortunately collected in the past. With this much, any normal freshman would sell their soul.

In fact, he had recruited several people this way, so he was confident.

'Is he busy today and couldn't come? Anyway, we just need to wrap things up.'

Unless he was the son of a conglomerate, he would join if they offered a few more conditions.

There were no issues.

"So, everyone is pretty much gathered?"

"Yes, President."

"...I wanted to show our club's dignity to that guy too."

Tsk, it would have been easier to finalize the recruitment if he had come... but what can you do if he didn't show up?

In the end, Kwon Suhyeop decided to head to the Z Room on the first underground floor where the Familia Club was located with this group.

"Let's go. To show them who they messed with."

Each member was dressed as if heavily armed.

With such a display, even they would feel the pressure.

The Z Room where the Familia Club was located was the deepest part of the underground where the Bronze Clubs gathered.

It was obvious what kind of environment the guys who took over a place that was used only as a warehouse until recently would have.

Kwon Suhyeop was convinced that they would be talking in a space filled with dust, so he stood in front of the Z Room and immediately burst open both doors to enter.

"We heard a new club was formed, so we came to congratulate you...?"

And then, he froze at the sight inside, which was completely different from what he had expected.

The size boasted a scale incomparable to other booths. This, he could understand. Each club room varied in size depending on its location, and the underground was originally used as a warehouse, so it could be spacious.

But the items inside were not what he expected.

The shiny, luxurious colors and even the modern design.

Even famous heroes can't use it, they say...

"Another String?"

Why is that thing in a Bronze Club booth?

Kwon Suhyeop, having grown up in a wealthy family, knew about the devices produced by the company 'Another String'.

Famous maker devices used only by the top guilds.

The price is beyond imagination, and you can't even attempt to buy it without the corresponding status or fame, yet here it was, lined up in a mere Bronze Club booth.

"President? Why are you frozen── Huh?"

The vice president who followed Kwon Suhyeop inside also froze upon seeing the interior.

The ultra-luxurious facilities that couldn't even be compared to their 'Ranger Club' were spread out before their eyes.

Shower rooms, bedrooms, lounges, game rooms, training rooms.

The sight of those facilities, not inferior even when compared to decent guilds, was a huge shock to the vice president of the Bronze Club.

"Huh? Seniors, you've come?"

A man who had been exercising on a machine, doing leg workouts, put down the device and approached them with a bright smile.

"You... you... why are you here?"

Kim Youngje. The freshman he hadn't spared any investment to bring over.

Seeing him use the device so familiarly and approach them was completely unexpected.

"What? Why am I here...? Because I'm part of 'Familia', of course?"

At the sight of Youngje shrugging and smiling, everything started to make sense in Kwon Suhyeop's head.

A spy. The president of 'Familia' had sent Kim Youngje as a spy.

"Ha, doing such cute things... already playing the spy game."

"Playing the spy game? I was just genuinely curious about what activities the Ranger Club does. Oh, and the ginseng you gave me last time, I ate it well. It was quite effective, maybe because it was aged for ten years?"

Kim Youngje flashed a refreshing smile.

But to Kwon Suhyeop right now, that smile only looked like a sneer.

But he held back. They hadn't come just to pick a fight today.

"Y-Yeah. I'm glad you enjoyed it. So, where's your president?"

"Our president? He went out for a meeting."

"...A meeting?"

As he harbored that question, a murmur began to rise from behind.

Turning around at the sudden commotion, he saw the members parting to the sides, revealing a man conversing between two women.

The face of the guy he had seen at the sparring ground last week.

Han Yoojin. He was the president of 'Familia'.

And that's not all.

"Here's the payment for the construction over the weekend. There's still a lot left from what the Young Master... the president of Familia gave me, what should I do with it?"

"Huh? Oh, just keep it for now. We'll be using it frequently in the future."

"Understood."

At the sight of the woman on the other side, Kwon Suhyeop's pupils began to tremble.

He recognized her at a glance.

How could he not know her, when she was from the place that had been soaring in value recently?

'International Trade Club'. And the president of that club, Lee Haru.

It was said that if you can't find something at the academy, go to the 'International Trade Club', where you can get almost anything you want as long as you have the money. She was the president of that top-tier distribution club.

Though their rank was merely Silver, their performance already surpassed many Golds, making it a place that could not be ignored.

Moreover, with the recent disappearance of the Fund Investment Club, the 'International Trade Club' had absorbed everything left behind, and rumors were spreading throughout the academy that they might soon become a Gold Club.

But why was the president of such a club here?

"Oh? You seem like someone I haven't seen before. How did you come here?"

Finally spotting Kwon Suhyeop, Yoojin spoke to him.

He glanced over the members of the 'Ranger Club' once and then smiled at Kwon Suhyeop.

People stood there dumbfounded, staring blankly.

Yoojin struggled to suppress the laughter that was about to burst out. His plan was already in motion.