I Became the Leader of Academy City chapter 1

1 – Rule 1. The student council president does not be late (1)

The unpleasant alarm sound was drowning out the chirping of the birds outside the window.

He gracefully stirred from the bed and promptly turned off the alarm— a habitual action.

In the ensuing silence, there rose within him a desire to lie back down in the bed.

Splish-splash!

He quickly deterred temptation with a washing of his face vigorous enough to replace a slap.

‘Pull yourself together. You have to get ready for school.’

He had hardly slept, justifiably so, as he studied late into the night.

During the holidays, he had gone through an appointment ceremony and became the prefect. It was a given that the workload would be a lot. Therefore, the time he could allocate to studying would be extremely limited.

This meant he had to thoroughly review all he could during the holidays, and had to cope with each day with meager hours of sleep.

Being late would just be a nonsense.

And especially for him, a prefect, who had to follow the school rules more strictly than anyone else!

‘Ugh, I’m so sleepy…’

Even then, no matter how sternly he reproached himself, the repercussion from the arduous holiday review session was powerful.

The fatigue clung on like a burr and showed no sign of shaking off right now.

My eyes automatically drifted toward the digital clock on the smartphone.

‘… maybe I could sleep for five more minutes.’

Never.

He should never have thought so.

He momentarily laid on the bed and blinked.

47 minutes had elapsed.

For a moment, he questioned his sight.

“…Ah.”

Snap! His hand automatically went to his forehead.

This was a problem.

‘Oh no…!’

He hastily set about getting ready for school.

To get ready for school faster than anyone else, he scrubbed up and changed into his school uniform. After he grabbed his bag and the formal hat, which was part of the school uniform, he rushed out…only to return.

He went back to retrieve the dried flower amulet. It was an amulet made out of purple herbaceous peony flowers. He needed to remember to take this.

After bolting out of the house once again, he put on the cap while sprinting through the streets.

‘It approximately takes around 35 minutes to get to school. The remaining time is 30 minutes and 45 seconds…! If I run and cut down about 5 minutes, I would narrowly escape being late!’

He used his smartphone clock to calculate the time.

I cannot be late.

Today is the start of the first semester of the second year. It’s my first activity as the head of the discipline committee.

I visualized how the situation would unfold if I were late on such a day.

‘The discipline head being late on the very first day… What a surprising character.’

‘I can’t believe we’ve elected someone like that.’

‘A disciplinary head should set an example. Starting off on the wrong foot, huh?’

‘The head starts by breaking the rules on the first day? Is he in his right mind?’

I felt like I could already hear the whispers behind my back.

‘I must not be late, especially on the first day!’

The discipline committee of the high school I attended, ‘Asung High School,’ was one of the strongest among the school discipline committees in this academy city.

Of course, this is only as far as the analysts’ overall evaluations are concerned. Who knows what happens when discipline committees clash.

Anyway, it was a fact that we were a strong team.

Perhaps because of this, the discipline committee of Asung High School had an atmosphere of meritocracy.

However, if I were to compare it to a game, I was just an NPC or an extra with no significance in the story.

Not being born with any special talent.

Merely standing out amongst the average, that was all.

Thanks to my gaming knowledge and the magic grinding methods I’ve been practicing since early childhood, I was able to stand my ground.

‘There are still many who doubt that I am the head of the discipline committee. Those who doubt my abilities…!’

I remembered this year’s Asung High School disciplinary head I saw in the game.

He was a third-rate antagonist who ultimately couldn’t become a head due to the appearance of a new promising player like me.

It was one of the reasons I chose the discipline committee of Asung High School.

While other discipline heads were remarkable, I felt like I could beat that third-rate guy. The timing was good.

However.

‘There’s a risk of getting backstabbed.’

The committee members who doubted the third-rate head’s abilities in the game eventually turned against him.

They overthrew him.

Because they believed they were superior in terms of ability.

From the begining, committee members didn’t follow the third-rate head’s orders properly, and their morale was destroyed early on.

I didn’t want to experience such things while I was the head.

‘That is why I need to be more perfect than anyone else.’

Even if I’m not the smartest, I had to portray a laid-back persona while achieving excellent results and endure being called a genius.

If I couldn’t adhere to the school rules, I had to immediately transform into an exemplary student as if I could be demerited at any moment.

As the disciplinary committee chairman of Asung High School, I have to consistently display a charismatic demeanor.

Only then, will the almighty force composed of nearly 400 students follow me properly.

But coming in late on the first day of my disciplinary committee duties?

My reputation…

As the committee chairman, my reputation began to diminish from the get-go…!

‘Great, the subway has arrived!’

Arriving at the station, I hurriedly hopped on the subway.

My destination was Asung High School, where I am currently studying.

The subway’s punctuality was commendable, but…

‘Why is it so slow… hurry up, please…’

The subway moved at a snail’s pace.

I felt like exploding from frustration.

A considerate message from the robotic driver was soon broadcasted.

– We are slowing down briefly to keep a safe distance from the train ahead. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

What is the train in front doing?!

At this rate, the advantage of taking the subway will vanish.

‘Should I just run?’

Could I strengthen my body with magic and reach there if I sprinted at full speed?

‘No.’

The distance was not even relatively close.

And running to the destination faster than the subway would have been difficult.

“Huh?”

While I was feeling restless, suddenly, a familiar face appeared.

It was a mixed-race male student wearing the uniform of a prestigious high school.

‘Is that the protagonist?’

It’s already my 17th year after reincarnating into this world, but that person was vividly ingrained in my memory.

The original protagonist, ‘Lee Tae-sung’.

He was enjoying his youth, happily chatting with the official heroine, a tsundere female student.

The main scenario was in full swing starting from my freshman year in high school.

Luckily, I was the same age as Lee Taeseong so it was easy to track how things were progressing.

Even last year, all sorts of things happened at the school he attended, such as attacks by villain groups or the sudden appearance of mysterious black towers.

A guy like him must have had many good opportunities while experiencing various incidents, and he probably built a good rapport with the heroines. Since there were undoubtedly no exceptions, he was likely to marry all the heroines in the end…

‘I’m not concerned, really.’

Possibly because of what I had seen in the game, I was interested in his movements.

But, of what use was it for me to be concerned?

After all, he and I were from different schools.

As long as I didn’t get hurt, I had no intention of getting involved in the original scenario.

However, since I was late, I could see the protagonist too.

Well, their school is nearby.

It must be the right time for them to go to school.

“?”

Our protagonist Lee Taeseong glanced at me as if he felt my gaze.

He noticed things like a ghost. He must be quite skilled at this point.

I lowered my head and pulled the brim of my school hat over my eyes.

It was nice to meet you, but let’s not get involved.

Then it happened.

Screeech!!

“Woah!”

“What the heck!?”

Suddenly the train came to an emergency stop in the middle of the track.

Thankfully, the speed wasn’t too fast but even at an average speed, the abrupt halt was dramatic enough to make us fall over.

The students were taken by surprise and let out short screams.

‘What’s going on!?’

I was as confused as anyone.

Had there been an accident?

Soon, all the doors of the train opened, and students dressed in battle gear over their school uniforms began to stream in.

‘Crazy…’

I could clearly discern what was going on.

Each of the students seemed to share the same thought, each wearing an anxious expression.

Silently, silently, the armed students each took positions in the middle of the aisle.

“Attention.”

Kaang!

The students were startled as a male student dressed in combat uniform and a skull tattooed on his chin struck the ground with a long axe.

The door closed, and the subway began to move again.

“From now on, we’re in charge here. Stay quiet and we won’t bother you.”

It was an oppressive order.

‘Ah…, I see.’

A reality overlooked for the past 17 years suddenly came to mind.

Just as wherever boy detective Kim Jun-grim and famous detective Co-non would go a murder event would happen.

That wherever the protagonist went, there would be an unexpected event.

‘AHH… Fed up with this…!’

He wanted to scream his lungs out.

Why…!

Why did this have to happen today!

Oh God!!

“What, what’s going on?”

“Is it a villain…!?”

“Is, is it a school dropout? Or an expelled student…?”

The students inside the subway were terrified.

It was a matter of preconception, but both dropouts and expelled students were seen as objects of horror.

Because villains often were such types, prone to causing terror.

Especially in a city where education was of utmost importance, it was unknown what state of mind someone who’d escaped or been expelled ought to be in.

So much so that there were many ghost stories and webcomics and webnovels on the internet that featured dropouts or expelled students as the villain.

“That logo, it’s ‘Anomia’, isn’t it…!”

A male student said in a trembling voice.

‘On top of everything, it’s Anomia…’

Anomia.

It is a Greek term meaning the absence of divine purpose and law.

Despite their embarrassingly juvenile group name, they were unexpectedly one of the biggest villain groups.

Those who had occupied the subway were a part of Anomia’s forces.

Especially troublesome were those guys.

Their objective as a group was to create a city where everyone is equal and free by overthrowing the city’s existing order and discipline.

Their tendency to weigh matters according to their beliefs rather than practical gains and losses was strong.

“You!”

“!”

When the tattooed male student roared with a surge of power, the students shivered in fear.

He approached a female student sitting in one of the seats.

“Were you trying to record a video?”

“No, no! That’s not it… aaack!”

From Noble mtl dot com

The tattooed male student growled like a beast, and roughly snatched the female student’s smartphone.

Then crunch! He stomped on it, smashing it to pieces.

The female student whimpered.

“My phone…”

“Listen up, all of you! Stay calm, stay quiet, and you won’t get hurt. Dare to pull another stunt and next time it won’t be your smartphones, but your heads that end up like this!”

The tattooed male student threatened the passengers with a roar.

The students’ faces clearly reflected their fear.

Clang, clang!

“Where are we going…?”

“I’m scared…”

The students were whispering.

The subway abruptly changed its route and sped down a different track.

It appeared that Anomia had taken control of the controls.

They must have overpowered the driver and were now operating it themselves.

If that’s not the case, then this…

‘I remember. Is this a subway event…’

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Honestly, I wanted to cry.

Although I recorded and mastered game knowledge as best as I could remember, I didn’t remember the exact time and day each event took place.

This event… it was today, precisely on the day of the second-year’s opening ceremony.

Then ultimately.

‘I’m definitely late…’

With resignation, I imagined the discipline committee members gossiping about me incessantly.

The 45th head of the discipline committee was a moron who started the first day off late, a rascal who broke rules he was supposed to enforce, a person unworthy of being the head…

The stock price of An Woojin, the head of the discipline committee, was drawing a sharp downward curve.

‘…Let’s just sort out my thoughts.’

No matter how much I regretted, there was nothing left.

Because what happened had already happened.

I let out a deep, silent breath and gathered my feelings.

‘What was the subway event about?’

I racked my brain.

‘…It was a kidnapping. Their target was a student on the subway. Who was it?’

I couldn’t remember clearly.

Was it a freshman from a certain school?

It didn’t play a big role in the game’s subway event and was merely mentioned, so it was very difficult to recall.

However, the effort of racking my brain paid off as I remembered the target’s story.

The target of Anomia usually went to and from school in a car with security.

However, for some reason, the car broke down on the first day of high school. It was Anomia’s doing.

So she decided to fully enjoy the excitement of her first day at school and took the subway.

This was exactly the place.

‘I remember he was beloved by the mafia.’

The mafia of the school city… yet the members were only young kids, and it was more like a family game.

Still, it was not a size to be ignored.

‘I’m sure the mafia and Anomia clashed around this time, right? This was part of the dispute. But why did they seize the subway? … Because there were too many enemies to deal with otherwise.’

In the sky of the school city, crime control drones and CCTV always flew around, and patrol robots exchanging information with the drones roamed the streets.

If they kidnapped the target, they would first be caught by the drone and then have to clash with the patrol robot.

Even if they succeeded in disabling the robot, they would have to face either the police academy or the discipline committee of the school in charge.

Unless they had powerful forces, ordinary kidnapping was nothing short of a suicide mission.

But what if someone were to kidnap an entire moving subway?

The problems that Anomia has been worrying about would instantly be resolved.

Of course, if the objective isn’t achieved swiftly, we will inevitably collide with the very enemies we were cautious of.

“What’s your purpose?”

Lee Taesung, our hero brimming with a sense of justice, stepped forward. He seemed to have decided to probe into the situation, unable to bear it any longer.

His expression, the nuance in his speech, and even his lines were all befitting of a main character.

Swish.

“Stay still. Or else you’ll get hurt.”

The student with the tattoos threatened by extending an axe just below the hero’s chin.

The hero tilted his head backward and furrowed his brow.

The blade of the axe was imbued with magical power. It was a purple magic, the same color as the wielder’s eyes.

Magic influences the pigment in the iris, overlaying the owner’s natural eye color with its own hue.

‘That’s that… Looks like they’ll have a quick showdown and be done with it.’

How is the hero’s party going to handle these guys?

A chance to counterattack would come only after the subway event had progressed to some extent.

The police academy students, who mostly handle public spaces and secluded areas, would diligently follow and lend their support.

And to add, a female student from the police academy would join the hero as a heroine.

“Ugh…”

The protagonist, having locked eyes in a silent confrontation, carefully assessed the situation and stepped back with a frustrated expression.

“Alright, I’ll let you off this time. But there won’t be a next.”

The tattooed student mocked the retreating protagonist.

‘Should I intervene?’

He touched the brim of his cap, pondering.

This was the autonomous district of another school. If someone with the position of a Conduct Officer were to intervene without a valid reason, it would be considered internal interference and post-incident handling would become extremely troublesome.

But regardless of that, resolving the situation at hand seemed like the best course of action for now.

‘Huh?’

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a familiar clock tower through the window.

It was a structure that should be within the jurisdiction of Ahseong High School.

‘Why can I see that already?’

He quickly realized the reason why.

It was all thanks to the subway, which, like a runaway train, had strayed off into an unexpected course.

With the thought:

‘Isn’t this our school’s jurisdiction?’

…I needn’t worry about matters like intervention in internal affairs.

Suddenly, an idea flashed through my mind:

‘Wait a minute, this…’

A smile involuntarily crept onto my lips.

Perhaps, it could compensate for my tardiness.

Adjusting my baseball cap, I approached the tattooed male student.

* * *

“Who the hell are you?”

The tattooed student opened his eyes broader in caution.

A cap-topped boy was approaching him.

Given the black school uniform, it was clear he was a student from Ahsung High School.

His name was Woojin Ahn.

The piercing gaze targeting him startled the tattooed student.

The authoritative poker face Woojin had meticulously honed as part of his role as a disciplinary chairman didn’t mean anything to the tattooed student, who didn’t know anything about him.

Woojin exuded an inexplicably commanding aura.

Almost as if his personal worth as a human being was perceptibly distinct.

Instinctively feeling uneasy, the tattooed student barely managed to conceal his emotional upheaval as he infused power into his axe.

“What’s wrong with this guy!? Get lost! Haven’t I warned you?”

“This is our turf.”

“What?”

As he slipped black gloves onto his hands, Woojin spoke as if issuing a warning.

“We enforce the arrest on the spot and see that offenders face strict punishment.”

It was an official proclamation declared when the disciplinary committee apprehends a person on suspicion of violating the rules.

His voice was firm, like a judge pronouncing a verdict.

“What’s this f*cker saying!”

The tattooed student whirled his power-charged axe in irritation.

An instinctual premonition arose suggesting that if this man was not immediately eliminated, things could become dangerous.

Swiftly, Woojin twisted his body to the side.

Whooosh!

The axe swished through the air.

The blade of the axe barely missed Woojin’s body, at a precarious and precise distance. As if he’d calculated the trajectory the axe would follow through his senses.

At the same time, Woojin stepped heavily on the tattooed male student’s right foot.

Crack!

“Argh!”

The metal floor was trampled down, along with a creepy sound of bone-breaking and even the combat boots getting crushed.

He used his inner strength to reinforce his body. It was a technique anyone could do, but Woojin’s skill level was of a different dimension compared to most students.

The tattooed male student felt an intense pain.

In that moment, a black stick was drawn from Woojin’s belt.

The manner in which Woojin swung it down was precise.

with a sharp, crisp sound, the retracted metal rod inside the stick extended to its full form.

It was a three-section staff.

Zzzz! Woojin’s power was converted into a turquoise lightning and flowed into the power circuit of the three-section staff.

He swung the staff with all his might.

Boom!

Crack!

“Argh!”

The sound of the impact was hard to believe it was made by merely swinging a staff.

No, the sound that reverberated was almost a booming sound.

The heavy blow sent the tattooed male student tumbling to the door.

At the moment of impact, the turquoise electrical current invaded the tattooed male student’s entire body causing an electric shock, then it was discharged into the air.

Grumble! The tattooed male student collided with the entrance door.

“Aargh…”

He barely managed to cling onto his fading consciousness.

If he hadn’t reflexively poured his strength into his battle uniform and skin to increase his defense, he would have already fainted.

His arm and ribs were broken.

Currents coursing through his body caused his entire frame to tingle and shudder.

The tattooed male student had no idea what was happening.

Neither did the other students around him, unable to comprehend what they’d seen or heard.

It all happened so quickly.

“Senior!”

“This crazy son of a b*tch!”

Other Anomia members were shouting.

Anomia colleagues from the next compartment came rushing towards Woojin, taking up defensive positions.

But Woojin didn’t care.

It was as if they were nothing.

Like they were mere insects.

A lock of hair shadowed his eyes. His turquoise irises coldly surveyed the enemies.

“What on earth… are you?”

The tattooed student just managed to get himself up, gritting his teeth.

“Execution, punishment… what gives you the right to say such things!?”

‘Ah.’

That’s when Woojin finally realized.

In his haste, he forgot to wear his badge, which indicated his authority.

The ability to arrest and detain should have been plainly visible.

Just as no one would question how a uniformed officer could arrest a criminal.

Swish.

Woojin took out a red badge with a golden border from his pocket and placed it on his left arm.

The red badge of the disciplinary committee.

It was the visible requirement for performing the duties of the committee.

The golden border symbolized leadership.

All Anomia members were utterly horrified at the sight of the badge.

“Disciplinary committee.”

Woojin answered, tapping his badge with his finger.