Chapter 95

I became the mafia of the academy, Chapter 95

“Gaaaah!!”

The guy screams in pain as his arm breaks.

“Ah, I don’t really plan to kill you, so you don’t need to be so scared. I don’t want to attract unnecessary attention by killing you.”

So,

“Let’s just be satisfied that you can’t run away for now.”

Once again, with a crack, the miner’s scream echoes through the 10th floor.

After finishing the measures to prevent him from escaping, I stand up and brush off the dust from my clothes.

“This should be enough. It’s better if you don’t cause any trouble and stay here quietly.”

“Grrr……!”

Well, he’s probably nodding in understanding.

After subduing the miner, I sit on the stairs, cool down a bit, and look at the ice crystal he was staring at.

“Oh. Is it almost over there too?”

‘Snowgirl Party’ finally falls after allowing one hit from the relentless attacks.

It seems the worm wasn’t just on this side; the last image shows the guy crawling away and getting caught by Jin-woo, after which all the images disappear instantly.

Apparently, these images are a result of ‘Snowgirl Party’s ability.

Then, they’ll probably start coming up soon.

Creak─

At that thought, the door connecting to the lower floor begins to slowly open.

“Is it really dangerous for Mr. Yu-jin?”

“Didn’t you see him climb up the hole in a hurry? He’s fighting the boss and the miner one-on-one!”

“He’s fighting the miner alone? ……I’m envious.”

“Once we go in, the vice-captain might still be fighting. Let’s assess the situation and then proceed…… Huh? It’s quiet?”

“It’s too late.”

I wave at the kids who cautiously enter.

“Huh? Boss, you finished before us?”

“See? Mr. Yu-jin wouldn’t lose, right? Why are you making such a fuss? I’ll deposit 10,000 won as soon as we get out.”

“……I didn’t mean to bet 10,000 won.”

It seems they had a bet on whether I had already defeated the miner or not.

“Boss, I heard that if we just defeat the boss here, the other kids can also get out. Is that true?”

Jin-woo, who had heard about the 10th floor beforehand, asks as he climbs up.

“Yeah. Since this is a layered dungeon, if we defeat the boss, who is essentially the main core of the dungeon, the system will naturally create an exit, allowing the other kids to get out.”

In the original story, when they were attacked, everyone was freed after clearing the dungeon, so it’s highly likely that something similar will happen here.

“Is that so? Then we don’t need to drag it out. Should we just challenge it now? How about the raid strategy?”

Yeong-je, holding a fountain pen, asks with a curious expression.

“It’s not that difficult. We just need to use this guy.”

The kids look in the direction I point. There, the miner lies on the ground, his limbs broken, in a daze.

“You mean we should use this almost dead uncle? He can’t even be a meat shield……”

Se-ah shakes her head, muttering, seemingly feeling sorry for the miner’s pitiful state.

Understanding her concern, I smile and say,

“What we need is ultimately his body and his pickaxe.”

I walk over to the fallen miner, grab his tattered clothes, and drag him to the side of the entrance to the boss room.

“I don’t know if this will work here……”

The activation condition for his ability is to strike the ground with a ‘tool’.

I force the pickaxe into his hand and tap the wall with it. The wall starts to wobble like soft tofu.

“It works?”

If this is the case, things will be much easier.

I punch the wobbling wall, and it bursts open, a smile spreading across my face.

After swinging my fist a few more times,

Finally, a new space is revealed beyond the wall.

“This should be enough.”

After disposing of the miner in a corner of the dungeon, I gather the kids and explain what’s to come.

Now, all that’s left is to defeat the boss.

“So, I’ll briefly explain the strategy. The 10th floor dungeon is called the ‘Stone Coffin’ and is also where the golem, the boss, is waiting.”

Of course, it’s not an ordinary golem, given that it’s the final boss.

“The core that powers the golem is the core of this dungeon itself. Since this is a layered dungeon, the golem will be much stronger and harder to deal with than the original. We probably wouldn’t stand a chance if we all went in.”

Jin-woo, who had been listening quietly, raises his hand.

“Huh? You mean we wouldn’t stand a chance even if we all went in?”

“No. We’d either be swept away or turned into stains on the floor as soon as we enter. The reason is simple: the golem’s strength changes based on the number of people who enter through the main door.”

This was a difficulty adjustment for solo players who didn’t have a party.

The system was simple: the difficulty would be easier if you challenged it alone, and harder if you challenged it with multiple people.

However, there was a loophole in this system.

“That’s why this hole is important.”

While playing the academy game as usual in reality, I once had a curious thought.

‘What would happen if I trick the miner into entering the boss room of the dungeon?’

The miner, the most crucial villain for a speed run from the 1st to the 9th floor.

I had done the dungeon speed run many times using him, but I had never directly entered the boss room. From the 9th floor, where there were no monsters, we could just run to the boss room.

When I entered the boss room with him, I discovered something amazing.

The boss wouldn’t recognize the number of people who entered unless they came through the main door.

This was true even when I came with a party.

If one person entered through the main door and the others entered through an abnormal method, the golem’s difficulty would be adjusted based on the number of people who entered through the main door. This made it much easier to clear with multiple people.

In other words, a bug exploit was born.

“Really? That works? How does the vice-captain know that?”

Yeong-je asked, puzzled by my explanation.

“We haven’t cleared this dungeon yet, right?”

The other kids also look at me, apparently finding it strange that I knew the strategy for a dungeon we hadn’t cleared.

Well, I had a backup plan for this.

“Didn’t I say this dungeon was created by the previous club that used our club room?”

“Yeah?”

“And that club disappeared overnight, right?”

“Well…… it’s just a rumor.”

I look at the kids, who are focused on my story, and tell them the answer I had prepared.

“Even though they disappeared quickly, they left something behind. Among the things they were about to throw away, I found some research materials. It said ‘bug found’.”

“Ooh.”

“There was such a thing in the club room?”

Of course, it’s a lie.

But the kids nod, apparently finding my explanation convincing.

“Now that I’ve explained, let’s talk about the strategy. It’s simple. Three of us, including me, will go in first and take our positions, and the other one will come in as the golem stands up, then we’ll all attack the core. Any questions?”

I glance around, but no one has any questions.

“Jin-woo will open the door. The rest of you will go in first and take your positions. Jin-woo, come in 5 minutes after we do.”

“Okay. I’ll just stand by the door, right? I’ll open it exactly 5 minutes later~”

The four of us enter through the hole first.

As we emerge from the end of the hole, we see a giant golem lying dormant.

“……It’s really big. It’s going to move?”

Se-ah mutters, shaking off the dust after squeezing through the hole.

As she says, the golem is about the size of a two-story building, sitting silently in place.

“Let me explain simply. When the door opens, the golem will open its eyes. At the same time, a light will start to shine in the core in its chest, and that’s our chance.”

The golem’s core is a vital point, much like a human’s.

Attacking it is not easy.

“When the core activates, a shield will form around it. Since the shield protects the golem’s important parts, it will be quite sturdy…… but I’ll take care of that. Se-ah, move us in front of the core. Yeong-je, cast all the buffs you can on Chae-yeon.”

“……Me?”

Chae-yeon, surprised to hear her name, looks bewildered.

“Yeah, once I break the shield, you’ll destroy the core. That’s your job.”

Among us, only Chae-yeon, besides me, can deliver a proper critical hit to the golem’s core.

But since I need to break the shield, the natural choice is Chae-yeon.

She should be able to destroy the core for sure.

“Chae-yeon, have you learned the Heaven-Splitting Sword?”

“……The basics.”

“Then…… can you do it?”

“Yes. I can.”

“Then it’s settled.”

Checking the time on my wrist, I realize Jin-woo will enter in about 2 minutes.

During this time, Chae-yeon receives all kinds of buffs from Yeong-je, standing beside me.

Her closed eyes and the grip on her hilt make her look like a true swordsman.

“30 seconds.”

Se-ah’s voice, watching the clock, reaches my ears.

I start to infuse my gauntlet with aura, preparing for the one decisive blow.

I pour all the remaining aura into my gauntlet, as if it’s the only thing that matters.

As I forcibly infuse the aura into the gauntlet, [Midas’s Gauntlet] gradually turns red.

“10 seconds!”

[Aura Ability: ‘Calliope’ dominates ‘Midas’s Gauntlet’.]

Seeing the message I’ve been waiting for, I smile and look at the knuckle on my hand.

Unlike before, when it was just a knuckle, my right hand now sparks with the force of the aura.

“5 seconds!”

I grab my right wrist with my left hand and prepare for the strongest punch.

“1 second!”

At that moment, Jin-woo’s voice comes from the entrance.

“Boss, is it okay to just come in like this?”

Instantly, the golem’s closed eyes snap open, and the core in its chest starts to glow brightly.

“I’ll move us!”

At the same time, Se-ah’s mana envelops me and Chae-yeon, and the scenery changes.

In an instant, Chae-yeon and I are moved to the golem’s eye level.

“Chae-yeon! Get ready!!”

With Chae-yeon still closing her eyes, I twist my waist and swing at the green shield surrounding the core.

Creak creak creak──!!

The moment the force of my punch hits the shield, cracks start to appear on its seemingly solid surface.

At that moment, Chae-yeon’s voice comes from behind.

“──I’m ready.”

“Destroy it!!”

Crash!

Finally, the broken shield reveals the purple core, and Chae-yeon murmurs softly.

“Heaven-Splitting Sword.”

──Dawn has arrived.