I Become a Mafia in the Academy

Chapter 1

[City of Seoul]

The first thought I had when I started playing this game was this.

This game is insane.

Graphics so realistic that you can't distinguish them from reality unless you look closely.

Crazy freedom that allows you to do anything.

Of course, because of that crazy freedom, there were some awful parts, but instead, that aspect made people even more addicted.

I, too, have been playing [City of Seoul], also known as CS, for quite a long time.

I even quit a game I'd been playing for nearly five years because of this game.

[Welcome to City of Seoul]

As always, the game started with dazzling effects.

The defining feature of this game? Only one thing.

If a character dies, that character is deleted permanently.

So, countless attempts had to be made, and naturally, every game had to be played with extreme caution.

Of course, even with caution, surviving isn't easy.

Average survival time—30 days.

Still, seeing so many people obsessed with this game proves how incredible it truly is.

'Saber Crowd'

[Survival Time: 1,652 days, 7 hours]

A middle-aged character holding a revolver and biting a cigar in the character selection window.

It was my pride and joy, the longest-surviving character amidst countless others I'd created and lost.

"It was really tough at first."

When I knew nothing, I played as a villain and ended up getting annihilated by something called the National Intelligence Agency.

I tried enrolling in the Hero Academy to make a school drama, but I got bullied and had to drop out. And when I became the Hero Association Head, one of the strongest positions in the game's lore, I was assassinated immediately.

Every time, I wanted to smash my computer, but I held back, thinking about my bank account balance.

However, maintaining a top rank in this game, where countless veterans get hooked and burned out, gave an immense sense of accomplishment, enough to keep me going.

"Phew... Today, I'll see this through to the end."

And currently, I had only one goal.

World Rank 1.

This game was fundamentally a single-player game.

Therefore, it had a ranking system based on achievements and completion rates, and there was only one person above me.

[1st: ImDOG]

This guy was ahead of me by just one achievement.

In this game, where the 3rd place completion rate is barely 74%, the completion rates of this guy and me were 99.8%.

But since he reached 99.8% first, I was still 2nd.

And coincidentally, the one achievement left for both of us was this.

[??]

A hidden achievement.

There wasn't even a hint about how to complete it.

If even the 1st-rank guy, [ImDOG], couldn't complete it, it must mean the achievement is unimaginably difficult.

I swore to myself that today, no matter what, I would achieve that 0.2%.

As I logged into the game, another reality, indistinguishable from the real one, unfolded on my monitor.

Up until now, I had tried hundreds, thousands of things to achieve this 0.2%.

Becoming a hero praised by everyone.

Turning an entire city into a ghost town.

Conquering the police station while completely naked.

Assassinating the president with a cotton swab. It was a series of insane attempts.

But today, I was challenging it because I'd found a clue.

[ImDOG: I saw your YouTube video about trying all sorts of desperate things to get 1st place, but you'll never beat the remaining achievement. Just give up.]

A message I received yesterday.

It was from the guy currently in 1st place.

When I read it, I asked him if he knew how to complete it, and he replied with something almost like a joke.

[ImDOG: Could you live as your own nickname? LOL. I bet you could never achieve it.]

"What kind of nonsense is this?"

I was baffled by his message but still replied to him.

[BackworldBlackFlame: What's wrong with my nickname? Wanna taste some black flame? LOL.]

I sent the message thinking, "Take that, you jerk."

But the reply I received was more ominous than expected.

[ImDOG: Really? Then let's see you try. LOL. You'll understand when you log in tomorrow.]

And that was the end of our messages.

In the end, I logged into the game, following his words.

As soon as I entered the game, a grand celebratory sound played, and a message popped up.

[Hidden Achievement Unlocked!]

[The details of the achievement will be revealed upon starting the challenge.]

[You can only attempt this challenge once, and if you fail, you can never complete this achievement.]

[This achievement can only be held by one person.]

[Do you wish to attempt this achievement? Y/N]

"Wait, an achievement only one person can have?"

That explains why there was no information about it, and the message only meant one thing.

The 1st-ranked guy had attempted this achievement and failed.

So, if I completed it, I could reclaim the 1st place rank.

"A man's got to take the leap, no matter what!"

I confidently pressed the Y button.

And the moment I did—

I lost consciousness.

* * *

An empty room with no one in it.

From the lit monitor came an alert sound, signaling a new message.

[ImDOG: ZZZ You actually did it.]

[ImDOG: Well then, let's see.]

[ImDOG: Enjoy the fun.]

And then all the messages began disappearing.

[Nonexistent user.]

[Nonexistent user.]

[Nonexistent user.]

[Ranking]

[1st: BackworldBlackFlame]

[2nd: GoodbyeChapssalRiceCake]

[3rd: BulJokBalRomeo]

.......

....

.

.

.

.

* * *

"Huh?"

The first thought that crossed my mind was this.

'Why does the ceiling feel unfamiliar?'

It was such a novel-like thought that I chuckled and sat up.

"Did I fall asleep while playing the game?"

Rubbing my tired eyes, I stretched and looked around, only then noticing that something was strange.

"......Where is this?"

What was clear was that this was not my room.

First, the bed was on a whole different level of softness, the wallpaper was luxurious, and the size of the room.

A room three times bigger than my old studio apartment unfolded in front of my eyes.

A knocking sound, "Knock, knock, knock," was heard.

"Are you awake, Young Master?"

A rough voice sounded from outside the door.

Still unable to grasp the situation, I said nothing.

"I definitely heard a voice......."

The voice outside the door spoke again.

Soon, the sound of footsteps grew more distant.

"......What on earth is going on."

The first thing that caught my eye was the computer placed in one corner of the room, and I rushed over to turn it on.

On the antique desktop were three folders and a recycle bin.

[City of Seoul]

[Jikbakguri]

[Game Collection]

The folder named "Jikbakguri" caught my attention, but I focused on the familiar text instead.

[City of Seoul]

Convinced that this was related to the current situation, I immediately clicked on the folder.

Inside the folder were a game button I recognized and a notepad file titled [Must Read!].

Almost as if possessed, I clicked on the file.

[[Thank you for participating in the closed beta of [City of Seoul]!

The place you are in is 'New Seoul,' the background of 'City of Seoul.'

It is a city referred to as NS.

This service is exclusively available to the one player who achieved the most accomplishments in the closed beta, allowing them to directly experience CS.

The game can only be ended by reaching its conclusion.

Please note that [GAME OVER] does not count as an ending.

We hope you enjoy the game!

※ As a special feature, an interface is provided!

- The game's interface can be accessed through electronic devices.]]

"These crazy bastards.....!"

Just as I was swearing at the absurdity, CS automatically launched on the computer.

[City of Seoul]

[Loading.......]

[Sync complete. Welcome, BackworldBlackFlame.]

At the same time, the character window appeared.

A character I had never seen before stood there.

[Name: Yoojin Han Calione]

[Gender: Male]

[Description: A mixed-blood born to Italian father Vito Calione and Korean mother Han Wol-young.

He is the successor of the mafia organization Calione.]

"What, did you say?"

Yoojin, Yoojin Han Calione?

Suddenly, I saw my face reflected on the black screen.

Unable to believe it, I quickly confirmed my face again in a mirror inside the room, finally grasping the reality.

"Ha, haha...... Is this me? This is...... that guy?"

The face reflected in the mirror was the same as the character on the computer.

Of course, I had never made such a character.

That much was certain.

"I'm totally screwed."

Yoojin Han Calione. I was now inside the body of the character.

* * *

Understanding the situation wasn't that difficult.

Once the game launched, a tutorial and various UIs appeared.

Through them, I learned how to check my status and identify what kind of person this body belonged to.

And how to sync this UI with portable devices.

[Name: Yoojin Han Calione]

[Gender: Male]

[Occupation: Heir to the Underworld]

[Traits: ]

"......I never imagined that the nickname [BackworldBlackFlame] would be interpreted as 'Heir to the Underworld.'"

Luckily, I knew this Yoojin Han Calione character.

In fact, there was no way I wouldn't know.

He was a third-rate villain NPC who always picked fights with the player whenever the game started with a player character.

An NPC who constantly harassed players, relying solely on his father and the organization.

I remembered my third playthrough when I killed him out of frustration, only to be brutally destroyed by the mafia that swarmed me afterward.

At that time, I had cursed about what a trash game it was, but now the situation was different.

"This might actually be better than I thought."

A character who appeared as soon as the player escaped the newbie zone to deliver true despair.

Yoojin Han Calione's father, "Don Vito Calione," was one of the most overpowered characters in the game.

I had to try dozens of times, memorizing his patterns down to the finest detail, before I could finally defeat him. That's how strong he was.

Playing with the mafia concept, watching him from the sidelines, he was truly a monster.

That NPC was now my father, and I was the successor protected by such a father and organization.

In a world where power and influence meant everything, this was an enormous advantage.

Judging up to this point, he could easily be considered a top-tier character.......

But there was one problem.

"This character has a great foundation but is a total trash character based on his actions......."

On the Academy route, this 'Yoojin' appeared frequently, and he was just an outright trash character.

The essence of a hero's traits lies in overcoming challenges and self-development, but perhaps due to his pampered life, he had no traits whatsoever.

Thus, in most playthroughs, he would become a villain to gain power.

And then he would die, whether at the hands of his father, other heroes, or the player, which was me.

"The future looks bleak, seriously."

As I sighed on the bed, there was a knock at the door.

"Young Master, there is one hour left until the Hero Academy entrance exam."

It was the voice of the man who had knocked earlier.

Since I was now essentially Yoojin Han Calione, I decided to act naturally.

"Let's go."

"Yes, Young Master."

I remembered that Yoojin was fundamentally an arrogant character.

So, as long as I acted arrogantly, no one would suspect anything.

Nevertheless, I never expected my first day in the game to be the day of the Academy entrance exam.

Of course, enrolling in the Academy was part of the game's storyline.

The problem was I had barely played through the Academy route.

Maybe about 23 times?

First, I went to the attached bathroom in the room and quickly took a shower.

Wow, do rich people have bathrooms in every room and always use shampoo and body wash like this?

The scent was amazing.

After roughly drying my hair and stepping outside, a delicious smell wafted to my nose. It was coming from downstairs.

As I descended the stairs and followed the smell, a large dining room greeted me.

And then.

"You're late."

The man sitting at the head of the table opened his mouth, and at the same time, the refreshing morning atmosphere suddenly grew heavy.

Tick-tock, tick-tock.

The sound of the grandfather clock in the dining room rang unusually loud.

Along with the oppressive feeling weighing down on my entire body, my shoulders instinctively slumped.

It felt as if I should bow down immediately.

A fear I had never experienced before in my life seized my entire body.

Forcing myself to raise my head, I looked at the man who had been waiting alone.

A jet-black fedora, a cigar in his mouth, and a thick beard.

That man was the ruler of the underworld, the man everyone feared.

Don Vito Calione.

The man who was now my father.

"I'm sorry, Father."

As I said that and took my seat, my father widened his eyes in surprise and looked at me.

"To think you'd use honorifics and call me 'Father'—how unexpected. Is it because it's the day of the Academy entrance exam that you've grown up a bit?"

No way, did this guy even act rudely to his father, the godfather of the underworld?

I never imagined that a simple apology could make such a monster show that kind of expression.

"Since I'm more or less an adult now, shouldn't I try to change?"

"Hahaha! I'm glad you think that way, even if it's only now. Still, since it's the first time you called me 'Father,' it feels a bit too formal, and I'm a little disappointed."

At his bitter smile, I responded with an awkward smile of my own.

"...I'll probably get used to it soon."

"Haha, yes. That will happen eventually. The rest of the family has already finished eating, so hurry and eat before you go."

With that, my father stubbed out the remaining bit of his cigar in the ashtray and stood up.

And so, I was left alone in the dining room, letting out a sigh as I looked at the unfamiliar surroundings I still hadn't adapted to.

Can I truly adjust to living as part of a mafia family?