Chapter 48

### Chapter 48: Became a Mafia in the Academy

After successfully holding the first Familia meeting,

the three of us, with visibly tense expressions, finally made our way to the training hall.

The children entered the training room, fumbling with their weapons, while I walked in wearing only gloves.

And there was Jisuhyeon, standing outside the training room, smiling as if he was about to die of anticipation.

[You didn't expect them to prepare for a full-scale battle already, did you... I wish the others were as enthusiastic as you guys.]

Jisuhyeon's voice came through the speaker.

[The field you mentioned is a forest, so think of it starting as soon as the trees rise. Everyone, get ready.]

In the distance, I could see the children's figures.

'Even though the field is a forest, it might be worth a try. There are two mages and one assassin here. The boss isn't even using a gun.'

Before the training started, Jinwoo seemed to recall his experience fighting in a forest and told the children that there was a possibility.

'The field is to our advantage. Since we're doing this, let's try to beat the boss once, okay?'

Of course, I was also very excited.

The field is actually much more advantageous for the children, isn't it?

With two mages and an assassin, it would be a very troublesome battle for me, who is in the front line.

But.

[Start!]

For some reason, the smile on my face wouldn't go away. The skills Youngje and Seoa showed during their training, and the mental strength Jinwoo displayed during his training.

Indeed, how will they unfold against me?

The dense forest began to form in front of me, and the field started to change.

The sounds of birds and the chirping of insects around me.

Since this was my first time experiencing a forest field, even though I knew it was a training hall, I couldn't help but be amazed at how realistic it looked.

"Surely, the training hall has become much larger."

When the field changes like this, its size usually changes as well.

The game's setting mentioned that this was a technique created using space magic, but it was hard to gauge how much larger it had become.

"First, I'll secure a high position."

Given their characteristics, it was unlikely they would all be in one place, so I decided to climb a high tree to determine their positions.

I pushed off the ground and used the branches as stepping stones to climb the tallest tree nearby.

"Huh... Is this also a function of the training hall?"

The forest spread out widely around me, much larger than the training hall's original size.

It was clear that Jisuhyeon's ambition had influenced the size.

Given this, the children, with Seoa, a spatial mage, would have an advantage in exploration.

Alright, then...

I abandoned my initial plan, climbed down from the tree, and closed my eyes.

The scent of soil rising from the ground due to my landing, the sound of fallen leaves crunching underfoot.

I could feel the scent of grass carried by the wind as I ran over the leaves.

Focusing intensely, I tried to estimate their positions.

──────!!!

"Of course!"

Hearing the sound of wind slicing from behind, I swung my fist, shattering the sound wave that hit it.

I immediately became alert to the rear, but I couldn't sense any presence.

"Is that so."

The situation quickly became clear.

Youngje, an excellent mage capable of using various spells, and Seoa, who can freely manipulate space magic.

The attack just now was undoubtedly a collaboration between the two.

"Youngje uses magic, and Seoa modifies the trajectory. Indeed, with this method, it would be difficult to pinpoint the mage's position."

This was a very useful attack style in a field with many obstacles.

Since I decided not to use weapons, they must have planned to do it this way.

"Interesting."

At that moment, light arrows flew at me from both sides of the front.

I shattered them with my fists.

Clap─

I ran to where they might be, but it was already empty.

If I couldn't use magic, it would be almost impossible for me to find the children's positions.

...Or so I thought.

──!!

In the distance, fake birds arranged to match the field's background took flight.

A few seconds later, magic surged from behind again.

This time, I tried to block it, but it grazed my cheek.

"Ugh!"

But there was no wound.

──!!

More birds took flight from the side where the birds had flown earlier.

And again, magic was shot. This time, when I swung my fist, it didn't break but bounced off.

"Look at this."

The intensity of the magic had increased from the beginning.

Judging by the gradually increasing strength, they were testing how much magic I could block.

But this kind of play was about to end.

"──Found you."

As soon as the birds took flight again, I sprinted towards that spot with all my might.

At the same time, the [Smart Lens] in front of my eyes displayed that the [Trait: Baby Boss] was activated.

It indicated that there was someone nearby who felt fear towards me.

In this forest, where only four people, including me, existed, who else could feel fear towards me?

It had to be the children, whose positions had been revealed.

"How did you figure it out?!"

A massive ice shield formed in front of me, blocking my path.

"Using magic and then altering the trajectory with Seoa's magic to hide the position. It was a good plan. But──"

There was one thing they couldn't hide, no matter what.

"Magic always has a starting point."

The wave created when magic is cast would have been a very alien phenomenon to the surrounding birds.

Thus, they must have flown up as soon as the magical energy was detected.

"Next time, you should include living creatures in the environment."

My fist collided with the shield, and the ice shattered instantly.

It was impossible to block my punch with a hastily created magic shield.

"Jinwoo Bifalt!"

As Youngje shouted, Jinwoo, who had been hiding behind, lunged at my neck.

It was a good attempt. If he hadn't felt fear towards me, it might have worked.

I took advantage of the slight hesitation in his movement and kicked him from behind.

-Boom!

A sound that seemed impossible to come from a human body echoed.

"Ugh!"

Jinwoo, barely managing to block with his crossed daggers, flew backward.

If he had been hit, a few ribs would have broken, but his excellent reflexes, which I had seen before, allowed him to block it.

Jinwoo was not only an assassin but also a warrior responsible for the team's front line.

Naturally, I had intended to ignore him and target the mage, Youngje, first, but Jinwoo, seemingly forgetting the pain, quickly regained his stance and charged at me.

"Without a gun, I can take on the boss!"

"Is that so?"

I read the path of the daggers he swung.

Fortunately, having faced many weapon-wielding opponents in the final battle with the Blunt Family, dealing with Jinwoo's attacks wasn't difficult.

I confirmed the reach of his weapons and calculated my movements to avoid them.

Of course, Jinwoo wasn't a fool and occasionally launched unconventional attacks, but each time, I raised my hand to block them.

"What kind of glove is that, so tough!"

Midas's glove, which looked like an ordinary leather glove, had the effect of not tearing or breaking, a fact Jinwoo didn't know.

"You should have taken better care of your weapons."

Saying this, I grabbed the dagger Jinwoo thrust at my abdomen and pulled him towards me.

"Wha?!"

He hadn't expected his blade to be caught and was pulled by my hand.

I punched him in the chest with all my might.

"One down."

"Why me again?!"

"Fine!"

'Fine.' A term used in music to indicate the end.

As soon as Youngje's voice came from behind, the ice shield I had seen earlier protected Jinwoo's body.

Was this what blocked my first attack?

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Jinwoo ducked and dodged towards where Youngje was.

I turned to follow him, but at that moment, Youngje's voice rang out again.

"Forte! (Loudly!)"

A无形的波动伴随着巨大的声响向我袭来。

我迅速展开手掌挡住攻击，但因反作用力，身体还是被推了回去。

然而，我判断出在这样的距离下，只需一次跳跃就能迅速追上他们。

就在我要蹬地起跳时。

“金世雅！”

一直隐藏身体的金世雅出现了。

“准备好了！我要混了！”

什么？混？到底要混什么……

随着她的话音刚落，奇怪的现象开始发生。

周围的地形仿佛在拼图一样开始移动。

“哈！哈哈哈！”

没想到，她一直在准备这个？

这简直是超乎想象。

金世雅一直隐藏起来观察的原因，就是为了黑入控制训练场系统的场地。

平时这是不可能的。学院的训练场系统并不容易被破解。

但现在情况不同了。金世雅同属空间魔法系，而这个场地是被金世雅和直接注入力量过度扩大的。

正因为金世雅的力量注入，训练场系统中出现了漏洞，她一直在等待这个机会。

周围的环境开始迅速变化。

我估计自己已经被移动到了离最初位置很远的地方。

因此，好不容易找到的孩子们的位置又失去了。

既然我已经说是因为鸟儿找到了他们，孩子们肯定会用不同的方法攻击我。

他们一直在观察我战斗的样子，并私下讨论过。