I Become a Mafia in the Academy

Chapter 3

Father of Darkness

Shadow of God

Devil of Devils

And, ruler of the underworld

A man called by countless epithets.

Don Vito Calione.

Even those who didn't know him could feel the atmosphere of the parking lot change due to the dozens of men in black suits who appeared alongside him.

Just by standing there, they exuded an air of tension around them.

"Have you arrived, Don?"

I bowed my head as I spoke, and my father frowned.

"Disgusting. It's not even a formal occasion, so why the 'Don' among family?"

"But since we're outside..."

"Ahem!"

"Yes... Father."

From the moment I started using formal speech, something felt off, as if this family inherently disliked rigid atmospheres.

"Well done. Let's go home."

"...Yes."

Without even asking about the results, my father patted my shoulder and reached for the car door handle to open the back door.

Then suddenly, his movements stopped.

"Parnello."

"Yes, Boss."

As soon as my father mentioned the name Parnello, the middle-aged man in the driver's seat exited the car and stood in front of me.

"Father?"

"Yoojin, stay put for a moment."

My father also stood beside the man called Parnello, aligning himself as if to shield me from something.

It seemed as though they were protecting me from something. When I cautiously followed my father's gaze—

A chill.

For a moment, it felt like a current of electricity ran through my entire body.

An elderly man with sky-blue hair was walking this way, holding the hand of a girl who appeared somewhat shy.

Even though I couldn't see the old man's expression, I could clearly feel his gaze directed at us.

As the distance between my father and the old man grew smaller, the surrounding atmosphere began to feel increasingly oppressive.

Parnello slowly put his hand into his pocket, and the old man discreetly rested his hand on the sword at his left waist.

In this tense, imminent clash,

I finally understood the situation as I looked at the faces of the old man and the girl standing next to him.

A man who could emit such an overwhelming presence in front of my father, a man with distinctive sky-blue hair who was known for cherishing his granddaughter.

Sword Saint Choi Seonho.

His reported age was 94. However, based on appearance alone, he looked like he was in his 40s, with a well-trained physique that immediately revealed his exceptional prowess.

Gradually, as the distance between Choi Seonho and my father closed, when they were less than 3 meters apart—

Choi Seonho removed his hand from the handle of his sword and slowly raised it, pointing in my direction.

"There."

A clicking sound came from Parnello's pocket.

And at the same time, an overwhelming silence filled the space.

It was broken by Yeon, the girl standing behind Choi Seonho.

"Grandfather..."

The girl, who was holding Choi Seonho's right hand, tugged on it gently and murmured, causing his shoulders to relax.

She must have sensed it too. If this continued, something serious was bound to happen.

In response, Choi Seonho, who had been stoic until now, replaced his expression with a smile and spoke to the girl beside him.

"Don't worry, little one. What you're worried about won't happen."

After saying that, Choi Seonho pointed slightly to the side of where I was standing and spoke to us.

"I was just trying to get to my car. Could you move aside a bit?"

...A car?

When I turned to check, I noticed a white SUV parked next to my father's black sedan.

Was this Choi Seonho's car?

At that moment, a chuckle came from in front of me.

"I was wondering whose car it was. Turns out it's the elder's. My apologies."

My father, who had been shielding me with his body, stepped aside and smiled faintly at Choi Seonho.

Choi Seonho shrugged in response.

"Is that your son?"

"Yes, he's the eldest son of our Calione family."

As if the previous tension had been a lie, both men relaxed their expressions and began conversing.

"The eldest son of Calione enrolling in the Academy. How intriguing."

"Even if I don't, my son must receive the best education possible."

"Haha! Indeed, a parent would do anything for their child."

Saying this, Choi Seonho walked over to his white SUV and stopped beside me, looking at me.

"Well then, son of Calione. I shall expect great things from you."

"Yes, have a safe journey, elder."

"What? Hahaha! You really do resemble him! Hmm."

Saying this, Choi Seonho patted my shoulder twice with the hand that had been on his sword hilt before climbing into the car.

The girl holding his hand stared blankly at my father and me before also getting into the car.

The white SUV left the parking lot.

With the intense standoff between the two giants over, Parnello removed his hand from his pocket and bowed to my father.

"I'll prepare for departure, Boss."

"Well done, Parnello."

Parnello returned to the driver's seat.

And so, when only the two of us remained in front of the car—

"Yoojin."

My father, who had maintained a stoic expression until the end, called my name.

"Yes."

"Do you know who that elder was just now?"

"...Sword Saint. Choi Seonho."

"Ho, you recognized him and still withstood his presence."

A firm hand rested on my head.

"Just like that. Never let yourself be intimidated by any foe. After all, you are my son, Vito Calione."

"...Yes, Father."

As someone facing a colossal figure for the first time apart from my father, his words were as reassuring as an army of a thousand men.

* * *

"Haha, to think Calione's son has grown so much already. Judging by his presence at the Academy today, he must be your peer, right?"

Sword Saint Choi Seonho, who was heading home with his granddaughter, spoke with an upturned smile to his granddaughter, Choi Yeon, sitting in the back.

"Yes, I believe he took the test immediately after me."

Without reading Choi Seonho's expression, his granddaughter Choi Yeon quietly responded while focused on her phone.

"Really? So, what did you think of him? Was he worth noticing?"

At Choi Seonho's question, Choi Yeon paused briefly, raising her gaze as if contemplating.

"A gun."

"...A gun?"

"Yes, it seems he instructed someone who appeared to be his subordinate to fire a gun at the instructor."

"Huh, so he made someone shoot at the instructor?"

"Yes."

Seeing Choi Yeon explain so nonchalantly, Choi Seonho, who was holding the steering wheel, burst into hearty laughter.

"Truly, that boy is an amusing one!"

"...Is that so?"

As if she didn't understand, Choi Yeon tilted her head, and Choi Seonho erased his smile and immediately opened his mouth.

"Yeon-ah."

"Yes, Grandfather."

"When you enter the academy, be cautious of that boy."

"What? He didn't seem like a dangerous person to me."

Surprised by Choi Seonho's words, Choi Yeon spoke as if in disbelief, and Choi Seonho shook his head and said.

"That's not it. How should I put it... that boy had a peculiar scent."

"...A scent?"

"Yes, a scent. The same scent that Calione had back in the day when he was just a rookie."

As he said that, Choi Seonho faintly smiled, recalling the past of a man who had once flustered him.

"It seems my granddaughter's academy life is going to get quite interesting."

* * *

Finally, the mail from the academy arrived.

Although I already knew I had been accepted, my nervous heart couldn't help itself.

"What are you doing? Go ahead and open it."

My father.

"It's obviously going to say I passed, so why are you so anxious? It's really no big deal."

"Still, isn't it the academy's acceptance letter?"

Even though he tried to maintain a calm expression, for some reason, the on-the-rocks glass in my father's hand was trembling.

Is he nervous?

"Sigh, fine. What's the big deal..."

Saying that, I used a paper knife to open the envelope.

Inside was a single sheet of paper.

Slowly lifting it up, the first thing I saw was the word [Acceptance Letter].

Up to this point, it was as expected, but the problem was the text written underneath.

[Second Place]

"Second place?"

"What? Second place?!"

Hearing my unintentional exclamation, my father abruptly stood up.

"Ah, wait──."

Despite my resistance, my father forcibly took away my acceptance letter.

"My son is in second place. This is a celebration! A celebration!"

At that moment, I heard the sound of hurried footsteps, and a cute girl came running.

"Second place? Celebration! Celebration! But Papa, what's second place?"

As if it were her rightful spot, the girl naturally climbed onto my father's lap and settled there.

At the same time, an alert rang from my smartphone.

[Character Codex(N)]

[Name: Ji-yoon Han Calione]

[Affiliation: Calione]

[Description: The youngest daughter of Vito Calione and the only sister of Yoojin Calione. Having lost her mother at a young age, she grew up showered with love from her father, Vito Calione. She is considered the darling of Calione.]

It seemed she was my younger sister.

"Celebration? Is celebration a good thing?"

Truly not knowing, Ji-yoon looked up at my father's face.

In that instant, the stern expression my father wore melted away.

"Of course, of course, it's a very good thing."

And thus began a heartwarming father-daughter talk.

While I was absentmindedly watching the fascinating sight of the underworld's godfather's lips curling into a smile.

[Achievement Unlocked!]

A notification popped up on my smartphone.

Achievement unlocked?

When I tapped on the notification, it automatically opened a game app.

[Achievements(N)]

There was a newly created achievements tab.

I clicked on it for now.

[Academy's Second Place(N)]

[ ?? ]

[ ?? ]

[ ?? ]

.

.

.

It seemed a locked achievement had been unlocked.

To remove the (N), I clicked on [Academy's Second Place], and another notification popped up.

[You successfully completed the academy entrance exam!]

[Your entrance exam rank is second place. You are ranked 2nd out of 120 people!]

[A special reward will be awarded!]

[[New Trait: Bad Boy] has been awarded!]

They're giving me a new trait just for being in second place?

Leaving the achievements tab, I checked the information section.

[Name: Yoojin Han Calione]

[Gender: Male]

[Occupation: Heir to the Underworld]

[Trait: Bad Boy(N)]

Indeed, a new trait had been added.

[Bad Boy(N): Your charm increases in proportion to your infamy.]

A trait I had never seen while playing the game.

It seemed like a trait designed for the sake of maintaining a concept.

At this rate, it looks like I'll need to proceed with my plans a bit faster.

"Father?"

"Hm? Ah, yes."

At my call, my father regained focus and looked at me again.

Even then, his hand was still stroking Ji-yoon's head.

"There's something important I'd like to discuss."

"...Right now?"

"Yes."

Perhaps noticing the seriousness on my face, my father, who had been stroking Ji-yoon's head, stopped and lightly tapped her waist.

"Ji-yoon. Papa needs to talk to your brother for a bit, so go play in your room."

"Okay~"

Listening to my father, Ji-yoon got up and returned to her room. She seemed to listen to him quite well.

Only after hearing the sound of Ji-yoon climbing the stairs and closing her door did my father take out a cigar and light it.

His eyes had already turned serious.

"What could you want to say so seriously? Are you going to demand a reward for entering as second place?"

Puffing out a thick cloud of cigar smoke, my father's eyes still glowed red.

Honestly, I was nervous.

But I knew I had to say it as it was.

It was a necessary step for my plans.

...Now that I'm an adult, I'd like to begin the successor training.

"Hearing my words, my father stared at me blankly."

Then, after taking another puff of his cigar, he asked.

Really?

"Are you serious?"

"I am serious. Isn't it about time I also start the successor training?"

Hearing my words, my father began tapping the dining table with his fingers.

I had seen that behavior before while playing the game.

A habit of my father, Vito Calione.

It was an action that appeared when he was calculating something or deep in thought.

Soon, as if his thoughts had been sorted out, my father struck the table a little harder with his fingers, lifted his head, and looked at me.

"Alright, if that's your will, then so be it. I don't know what wind blew to make you, who have always rejected the successor training, suddenly change your mind..."

Originally, Yoojin was the type of guy who enjoyed the sweet taste of the family's power but didn't want the responsibility that came with it.

But I was different. To survive in this damned world, relying on the Calione family's support was the most important.

No matter what it took, I had to inherit my father's organization, the Calione family.

The smoke from my father's cigar, escaping from his lips, obscured the space between us.

Through the gap, his glowing red eyes became visible. Feeling an indescribable aura from his gaze, I swallowed nervously until, finally, my father opened his mouth.

"Once you start successor training, there's no turning back, you know that, right?"

"...Yes."

"Alright, if that's your will..."

My father said this and rolled a ring that he had been wearing on his left ring finger toward me.

Slowly, the ring rolled toward me, and I carefully picked it up.

Engraved on the ring was the letter 'C'.

It was also the letter that adorned the head of Calione.

"That ring was made for the successor. Originally, I planned to give it to you the year you became an adult... but I never expected you to be the one to bring up wanting to start the successor training first."

Just as I was about to slip the ring my father had rolled to me onto my finger,

"Once you wear it, there's no turning back."

As if to make a final warning, my father's cold voice pierced my ears.

However, for me, who had already prepared my mind completely, my father's words sounded nothing more than a worried nagging.

I silently put on the ring and looked at my father, saying,

"I won't regret it."

Was he pleased with my attitude?

My father gave a slight smile.

"Alright, I believe in you. There's about a week left before the entrance."

"Yes."

"I'll teach you the basics during that time. Things like how to handle your body, management, and so on. There's a lot to learn. And during the semester, you can commute and continue training."

"Understood."

My father spoke with dignity and then stood up, heading toward the stairs.

Step. Step.

As the sound of his footsteps grew distant, I felt the suffocating aura unique to him disappear.

I let out a small sigh.

"Did I pass the first stage for now?"

Ha, I was tense. Wiping the sweat pouring from my entire body, I loosened up and leaned back.

No matter what, it seemed I couldn't help but be overwhelmed by my father's presence.

As expected of Don Vito Calione...

At that moment, a voice called out from upstairs.

"Papa, I hate the smell of cigarettes!"

...It seemed my father had ended up being disliked by Yoon.