I Become a Mafia in the Academy

Chapter 76

In the end, all I did all day was learn how to move and shape the aura in my daily life rather than focusing on aura techniques.

"Elder, wouldn't it be better to teach me the key to aura techniques first rather than this?"

"If you learn that now, your body might explode and you'll die. Are you still willing to learn?"

"......Is this how I should move it here?"

"Yes, you should move it like that there."

From what I heard, my aura is still violent and tends to spread on its own, so if I move it according to the flow of aura techniques, my body might explode.

In the end, it meant I had to do a lot of grunt work, but I can't fly to Gangwon-do every day just for this.

Then...... I have no choice but to use some tricks.

"Elder, if you could get out of Silver Town a bit faster, would you do it?"

"Huh? What are you talking about out of the blue?"

A short break time.

Gwak Chunshik looked puzzled at the sudden question I asked.

"I was thinking, maybe it's about time you left Silver Town."

"Ha, do you think it's that easy?"

Gwak Chunshik waved his hand dismissively, as if it were nonsense.

"At first, even the Association would turn a blind eye if I killed a villain. That's because of the merit I've accumulated so far. But then, the pressure started coming from the government rather than the Association. They said even villains have the right to a trial. Of course, they didn't send me here just for that reason."

As he guessed, the reason the government sent him to Hero Silver Town was to check the growing power of the Association.

To the government, the Association was no different from a military organization that surpassed the army.

The assassination mission of the president connected to this was quite interesting.

"I almost ended up in Niflheim, but thanks to the Association kids submitting a petition, I barely made it here. So, do you think I can leave this place?"

It was a straightforward answer.

But the world doesn't always work in such straightforward ways.

I gave him a smirk.

"There's nothing impossible."

"......What?"

"Have you forgotten who I am?"

The reason Calione can be more rampant than any other organization in the Republic of Korea is due to the strong political-business collusion.

In fact, even when I dealt with the Blunte Family or caused incidents in the Gunsan abandoned factory area, I fired guns freely, and there wasn't a single person who raised an issue, let alone the news.

"Even so, how can I accept your help? I'll just grow old and die here."

"Ha, a man who has his granddaughter's photos all over his study room is going to say that?"

"Then where am I supposed to go after leaving here? The government sent me into exile to keep the Association in check, do you think they'll let me return to the Association?"

Well, if that's your concern, there's no problem.

"Isn't there another place that would take you in besides the Association?"

"......What?"

I smiled and said what I had prepared.

"You can come to the Academy. A retired hero teaching young heroes for the future of the Republic of Korea. It's a good picture and a good cause, isn't it?"

That was my strategy.

The Academy is an organization that belongs neither to the Association nor the government.

If Gwak Chunshik leaves Silver Town and says he will teach students at the Academy, they will have no cause to oppose.

Why? Because they can't block the cause of a legendary hero from the past taking up a teaching position.

That would go against their proclaimed respect for the free will of the Awakened and their active support for the training and protection of superhumans, which is their reason for existence.

Moreover, it wouldn't be bad for them either.

The reason they fear Gwak Chunshik is because he already has enough power and honor to seize control of the Association and wage war against them. But if he takes up a teaching position at the Academy instead of returning to the Association?

They could keep him under surveillance through the Academy's staff, instructors, and students.

At that moment, I saw hesitation flash across Gwak Chunshik's face.

"The most important thing is that you can see your granddaughter every day."

"......Granddaughter? Are you talking about Ji-yu?"

Was his granddaughter's name Gwak Ji-yu?

Anyway.

"Yes. I heard that Seoul Hero Academy is planning to open an elementary and preschool division. It's still just talk among the upper staff, but it's certain. And...... your granddaughter has awakened, hasn't she?"

It's an opportunity to see the granddaughter he misses so much at the Academy.

Would he want to miss such an opportunity if it's for his granddaughter?

"If you come to the Academy as an instructor, you'll definitely be able to see your granddaughter whenever you want. And."

I prepared to deliver the final blow with a smile.

"Isn't it a great opportunity to show your granddaughter the cool image of a teacher to superhumans? Imagine her bragging to her friends, 'My grandfather is a teacher here! Aren't you jealous?'"

I could see the corners of Gwak Chunshik's mouth slowly rising.

It meant he was almost convinced.

"Wait, I need to think about this."

Maybe because he's been in Silver Town for years, he needs time to think about leaving?

But I already know the ending of this story.

In the end, he won't be able to resist.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, I need to organize my thoughts. Oh, you can go back home for today."

"What? Right now?"

All I've done so far is learn the technique of shaping magic power.

If I go home now, I'll definitely have some free time.

"Yes, for now, practice shaping simple models without the bracelet. Once you can do that, we'll move on to the next stage."

With that, Gwak Chunshik waved his hand without looking back and slowly disappeared from my sight.

It's good that he fell for my proposal, but...... now I have some spare time.

What should I do with the remaining time?

"Ah."

As I was thinking, the screen of the smartphone I had left open with the GPS before coming here caught my eye, and a good idea came to mind.

"Wasn't there a ginseng field around here?"

There was definitely an event in the game where you could find a ginseng field with a certain probability while wandering around the Inje area of Gangwon-do.

More importantly, in this world's setting, ginseng changed due to the mana waves caused by dungeon occurrences, turning into magic ginseng, which has effects similar to elixirs.

Great, considering Gwak Chunshik's personality, he wouldn't go digging for such things, so it should still be there.

"Well, I guess I can go home a bit late."

It was a good opportunity since I was thinking about how to return the favor for the gift I received from the bosses of other families last time.

Magic ginseng is good as an elixir, but it's also excellent as a stamina food.

I immediately summoned the item I got last time, the [Interdimensional Storage], changed my clothes, and headed towards where the dungeon was once formed.

According to the game's setting, there should definitely be a ginseng field around here.

"Well then, shall I start looking?"

In the game, dungeons occur randomly except for essential events, so the location of the magic ginseng affected by them doesn't remain fixed in each playthrough.

It means they're usually hard to find.

But.

[Skill: Aura Sonar is activated.]

I have a skill that can easily do that now.

It felt a bit difficult to spread the aura widely because of the bracelet, but as I spread it slowly like roots through the ground, I gradually got used to it.

"Oh."

Eventually, I started to feel the influence of mana on the aura I spread forward.

It's a different sensation from what I've felt before.

Before putting on the bracelet, I could only grasp the shape, but now I can feel the flow of magic power.

It was quite a curious feeling.

I retracted the aura and started walking slowly as if I were hiking.

The refreshing air filled with the scent of soil and phytoncides. But at some point, I began to sense a deep scent of mana in the air.

Looking around slowly, I saw clusters of grass bearing red berries.

"......Jackpot."

It was a situation where I couldn't help but shout "Jackpot!"

A smile naturally formed, and filled with joy, I entered the center of the ginseng field and looked around.

Wherever I looked, there were the highest quality ginseng plants bearing bright red berries.

About 30 roots, I wonder? That's enough for me to eat and still have some left to give away as gifts.

Although I don't know how many years each one has grown, I can find out later.

"Shall we get ready then?"

I immediately start loosening up and scanning the surroundings.

Now it's time to prepare for a one plus one deal.

With so many medicinal herbs lying around, there must be creatures claiming this place as their territory.

The creature must have sensed my intrusion into its domain, and it would certainly start moving soon.

"......Has it appeared."

I can feel the ground shaking from far away.

Trees falling with a cracking sound and flocks of birds flying high into the sky.

───────!!

It was a gigantic bear, approaching here by breaking numerous trees, exhaling blue magic power from its nostrils.

"How much ginseng did it eat to emit magic power just by breathing?"

A crescent moon bear that consumed magic ginseng.

Its gall bladder must have turned into a medicinal herb, holding considerable magic power.

"Well, my arm feels stiff because of this bracelet anyway, shall we have some fun?"

* * *

The result of returning home and consuming the magic ginseng was beyond imagination.

First, the awkward feeling of using aura due to the bracelet became more flexible.

Just to be sure, I tried using aura without the bracelet, and I could feel the aura moving more intensely than usual.

It seems to be related to the fever that came from eating the magic ginseng.

I tried eating one more root, just in case, but as expected, it only improved my condition without any significant changes.

It's a common outcome in this world that taking multiple medicinal herbs doesn't have much effect, so I wasn't too disappointed.

More than anything, today's highlight was the gall bladder of the crescent moon bear that consumed magic ginseng.

[Name: Gall Bladder of the Magic Crescent Moon Bear]

[Grade: Rare]

[Type: Medicinal Herb]

[Description: The gall bladder of a crescent moon bear that turned into a spirit creature by consuming the oldest magic ginseng. Currently, it cannot be consumed directly and must be processed to be effective.]

It's a material for a medicinal herb that can only be consumed after processing.

Since the material itself is rated as rare, I'm already excited about how amazing the medicinal herb will become after processing.

Who should I entrust with the processing of the medicinal herb?

As I was about to make a list of famous herbalists from the game.

-~♬

The smartphone I had placed on the bed started ringing.

It's 9 PM right now.

If it were related to the organization's work, someone would have come directly to inform me, so who could be calling at this time?

With such thoughts, I moved to check my smartphone and saw the caller's name displayed.

[Kim Seah]

"Seah?"

Did Seah have a reason to call me at this hour?

With a sense of curiosity, I pressed the answer button to take the call.

"......Hello?"

[Oh? Y-you picked up. Y-Yoojin?]

Unlike her usual lively voice, Seah's voice was trembling with fear.

It felt strange.

"......Is something wrong?"

[Yes... I... That's... Sob! Something seems to be wrong...]

"Wrong? What does that mean?"

[They keep saying they have all the evidence... and witnesses... I don't know what's going on...]

Evidence? Witnesses? What on earth is this about...

"Where are you now?"

[I'm... Sob! At the police station. The police station...]

It seems like something has happened.