The First Step: Registration
Even though the semester hadn't started yet, there was a reason I'd returned to the Academy. I'd come back for two specific objectives. The first was registering as a candidate for student council president. Applications were possible anytime before the semester began, but I had far too many enemies inside the Academy. I stood in complete opposition to the professors especially. There was a very high chance those bastards would foam at the mouth and interfere with me.
Damn right they would. Fucking idiots.
That's why I'd chosen vacation period. This was the time when professors dumped every last task onto the research students and kicked back to play. I was taking full advantage of the current situation where even the administrative staff were exploiting the research students. Nearly all the research students were on my side anyway, except for the tiny fraction on the verge of becoming professors themselves.
Still, just to be safe, I'd prepared one insurance policy.
It's insurance. It's not like I'll be the one suffering anyway.
I headed toward the main building to register my candidacy for student council president. But the person waiting for me at the reception desk was—
"You bastard! What the hell are you doing here!"
It was Professor Pilyong. The bald professor bared his teeth and growled the moment he saw me. This was definitely not the scenario I had anticipated.
"Fuck, why are you here, Professor? Where did all the research students go?"
"It's because I can't use the research students thanks to you!"
From what I could gather, the Kim Shinu Law meant he could no longer exploit the research students like before. Now he had to pay them for any work, and the stingy bastard didn't want to spend the money, so he'd come out himself. Even though it was just minimum wage, Professor Pilyong was acting like it was some massive concession.
Those fuckers? Maybe they'll come to their senses after they lose their jobs.
Sure enough, the staff were shooting me sharp glares because they could no longer exploit the research students. Every single one of them displayed open hostility—whether they were sitting at their desks or just passing by. The desks were piled high with documents, unlike when the research students handled everything. It was obvious they'd been dumping all the work on the students and only skimming the night shift pay.
I have no idea who would come here.
If Moojan had seen this place, he probably would've been thrilled thinking it was packed with blood demons.
As I kept looking around, Professor Pilyong lost his temper again.
"I asked you what the hell you're doing here!"
Then suddenly a number floated above Professor Pilyong's head and ticked upward. Confusion flashed across his face.
"No way. Is this fucking bastard really trying to register for student council president?"
"Of course I came to register for student council president. Don't you have any common sense? Oh wait—you don't have any hair, so I guess that means no brains either?"
Professor Pilyong ground his teeth audibly. When I held out the envelope containing the required documents, he immediately swatted it away. He clearly had no intention of processing it properly. A deeply resentful sneer followed.
"You think everything will go your way? You think the Academy is a joke!"
"The Academy is a joke? I've never thought anything of the sort."
"Then why are you running for student council president? If that isn't looking down on the Academy, what is?!"
I calmly spat back at the furiously raging Professor Pilyong.
"The only thing I look down on is you, Professor."
"Come outside, you son of a bitch!!!"
Professor Pilyong finally shot up from his seat. He couldn't contain his boiling anger. The sight filled me with pure bliss. I had made Professor Pilyong angry. I could control Professor Pilyong's emotions.
That fucking Laoer 2 bastard, seriously.
Meanwhile, Professor Pilyong pointed at me and poured out every ounce of his rage.
"I will definitely tear you apart while you're still alive!"
"Professor."
"Shut your mouth! You dog bastard! Someone like you—I can kill you easily!"
He was barking like a chihuahua whose body had been taken over by rage. I shot him a mocking laugh.
"Don't use such strong words. It makes you look weak."
"You fucking bastard!!!"
They say when people run out of things to say, they start cursing. Looking at Professor Pilyong, it seemed the saying was true. He stopped responding to me and reached to tear up the envelope I'd submitted.
Right on cue, the door behind him opened and familiar footsteps echoed. Looked like the insurance I'd requested had arrived. Of course, the deranged Professor Pilyong hadn't even noticed who had entered.
"If you tear that, it'll be a big problem. There's a recommendation letter in there too."
"Stop talking bullshit! What insane idiot would write a recommendation letter for someone like you!"
"Ahem!"
The sound of someone clearing their throat came from beside me. The document envelope was already half torn. Preparations complete. I immediately turned and spoke.
"Oh! Has the insane idiot arrived? Thanks to the Professor's excellent teaching, I learned that term."
"Oho."
The insurance I'd requested was none other than the Chairman himself.
Only then did Professor Pilyong's rage-narrowed vision seem to widen. He finally registered who had entered. The moment he spotted the Chairman, his face turned deathly pale. A cautious question slipped from his lips.
"I-is it true that the Chairman's recommendation letter is inside?"
Professor Pilyong's eyes began trembling violently. The hand that had been tearing the envelope froze in midair. The Chairman spoke calmly to the utterly flustered professor.
"Just as Student Shinu said, my recommendation letter is indeed inside that envelope."
"...Eh?"
"And yet you were about to tear it up. How impressive."
As if the reality was too much to process, Professor Pilyong let out a pathetic squeak. The Chairman gave the half-conscious professor a cold smile.
"At this rate, you might even tear up the Chairman's seat. It's frightening just thinking about where you might live after that."
"N-no! It's not like that at all!"
"What should I do? There are so many promising candidates eager for professor positions these days."
"I'll accept any punishment! Please spare me!"
Professor Pilyong immediately bowed his head low. His attitude was completely servile, a total reversal from how he'd treated me moments ago. Even the staff who had been shooting me hostile glances quickly looked away.
Right now I'm the strong one, you bastards.
I sent the staff a contemptuous gaze—the look of someone who tramples the weak. Meanwhile, the Chairman looked at Professor Pilyong and gave a faint smile.
"I'll settle for a pay cut."
"W-wait a moment!"
Professor Pilyong desperately clung to the Chairman. A man's obsession was normally a tag that didn't work on Nopia, but Professor Pilyong didn't seem to care.
"P-please, at least spare me from the pay cut! At this rate I'll only be able to afford three meals a day!"
He was fighting desperately to avoid the deduction. Of course—
"If you grow hair on that head of yours, then there won't be a pay cut."
"......"
It didn't work at all. The moment the Chairman left, Professor Pilyong's face looked like a death row inmate's. I mocked him with a grin.
"Please process the registration properly. Who knows, maybe hair will grow then."
"Fuuuuuuuuuck!!!!!!"
Leaving behind Professor Pilyong's anguished scream, I walked out of the main building wearing a happy smile. The Chairman and his secretary were visible as soon as I stepped outside. The Chairman looked at me and chuckled.
"Well done. You'll have to hand over the president's seat to me, won't you?"
"Of course. As long as you stay alive until this novel ends."
"...Student Shinu, please watch your mouth."
The Chairman smiled like nothing was wrong while his secretary stood there at a loss. After a simple greeting, I moved away from them.
Of course, I wasn't planning to end things there. The moment I thought I was out of sight, I reinforced my legs with mana. The place I was heading was near where the Chairman and secretary had been. I quickly hid my body and eavesdropped on their conversation.
From a short distance I saw the secretary with an awkward expression and the Chairman looking completely relaxed. I'd jumped in midway, but I didn't need the full context—the core of their discussion had already reached my ears.
"Chairman, are you really okay with this? That student is a mad dog. He's impossible to control."
"Don't worry. Once I take the president's seat, I can dispose of the mad dog afterward."
"How exactly?"
The secretary voiced his doubt. The Chairman stroked his chin and continued.
"Simply put, we can just prevent his graduation. Using the Academy's authority."
"But what if the Academy loses its power? What if some unfortunate accident occurs?"
"In that case, we simply make him shoulder enormous compensation for the resulting accidents. No problem at all."
"......It would be better to just commit suicide."
With that, the two of them disappeared. The Chairman was laughing heartily. The secretary wore a complicated expression.
There was no way I would get caught, but Piece, worried about the possibility, only spoke after they had vanished.
If you've made it past 180 chapters, you should realize by now that it's full of nothing but idiot bastards.
Not yet.
Anyway, I didn't consider them allies. What kind of place was this Academy? It was packed with backstabbing bastards worse than the Leaf Village. So I needed to prepare too. The best way to fuck them all over nicely.
That's why there was still work left. The next step.