Returning to the matter at hand, after inviting the trio, he also explained how their crew would operate. For now, they would start by collecting protection money from their classmates.
Geumryong High School had a solid reputation, and each class had at least 40 students. The monthly protection fee for each student would be 50,000 won (approximately $35).
The crew would be structured into four ranks: Leader, Executive, Team Leader, and Normal Member—for now.
Fifty percent of the protection money would go directly into Ryongho's pocket. Executives would receive 25%, Team Leaders 15%, and Normal Members 10%.
"...What if someone refuses to pay?" Woo Jongmin asked, clearly intrigued.
"Beat them up." Ryongho answered without hesitation. If someone refused, they would keep beating them until they complied.
Bang Hojong, Woo Jongmin, and Noh Manho exchanged glances. It was obvious that they were tempted. Bang Hojong and Woo Jongmin were already bullies—no one dared provoke them before because they had Noh Manho backing them up.
Although Noh Manho wasn't a bully himself, he never hesitated to beat up anyone who tried to harm his friends.
"Alright, we're in." Noh Manho said firmly, his expression serious.
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• Create a Crew (Elite Quest)
Description: Recruit five C-Rank individuals or higher to form your own crew.
Progress: 1/5
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Seeing the quest progress update, Ryongho felt pleased.
"Good choice. For now, Manho will be an Executive, and under him, Hojong and Jongmin will serve as Team Leaders." Ryongho explained.
After Ryongho finished speaking, a new panel appeared beside the Quest Panel. It was called the Crew Panel.
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- Executive:
・Noh Manho (70/100) [C] +
- Team Leader:
・Bang Hojong (80/100) [D] +
・Woo Jongmin (80/100) [D] +
- Member: None
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After checking the Crew Panel's functions, Ryongho concluded that it allowed him to track who had joined his crew.
The numbers beside each name represented Loyalty Points:
0-30: Low loyalty, highly likely to betray.
31-60: Loyal, but still has a chance of betrayal.
61-90: Very loyal, with a minimal chance of betrayal.
91-100: Completely loyal, no chance of betrayal.
Next to the loyalty score was the individual's Overall Rank, and the "+" symbol indicated that he could view their attribute details. Additionally, he could use Level Up Cards to enhance their attributes directly from this panel.
Without hesitation, he used the Low-Grade Level Up Card [Speed] on Bang Hojong and Low-Grade Level Up Card [Endurance] on Woo Jongmin, since they were the only ones eligible for the upgrade.
With this, Bang Hojong's speed and Woo Jongmin's endurance both increased to D+.
Ryongho then issued his next order.
"Tomorrow, Hojong and Jongmin will collect the protection money. Explain to the students that by paying, they'll be protected from bullies—both in this school and from other schools. If anyone refuses, let them be for now. I'll handle it later."
He understood that some students wouldn't be willing to pay 50,000 won upfront. Beating them up immediately would attract unwanted attention from teachers and parents, which wasn't ideal.
Instead, he planned to wait until he could establish connections with bullies from other schools. That way, if a student refused to pay, he could arrange for them to be targeted both internally and externally, forcing them to seek his protection.
"Understood." Hojong and Jongmin nodded, their excitement clear.
Just as they responded, the classroom door suddenly burst open with a loud bang.
Since school hadn't started yet, it was unlikely to be a teacher.
Ryongho glanced toward the door. As he suspected, the person who entered wasn't from their class.
A student wearing a gray hoodie stood at the entrance, scanning the room with sharp eyes. His attire and unfamiliar face suggested he was a second-year student.
Rumors said that the entire second grade—except for the Prestigious University Entrance Exam Class—was unified under a single faction: Middle Path, led by someone named Won Jaok.
As for the Prestigious University Entrance Exam Class, it was under the control of a different group—the Sacred Pedigree Crew, led by Ma Giseok.
"Who is the leader of this class?" the second-year student asked in a loud voice.
"It's me." Manho said, raising his hand. This was something he and Ryongho had discussed before.
Ryongho wasn't the type to submit to someone just because they were older than him. However, in South Korea, seniority was highly respected. Even if a second-year student was only a year older, they were still expected to receive a certain level of respect.
Ryongho had no interest in entertaining someone weaker than him. So, he told Manho to act as the temporary leader if a second-year student ever approached them.
For now, he wanted to avoid provoking hostility from the second-years before uniting the first-year students. He was still outnumbered, and there was a chance that some of the second-years were stronger than him.
"Sunbae, Is there something I can help you with?" Manho stood up from his desk, smiling warmly as he approached the second-year student.
"Oh, so you're the leader?" The second-year nodded. "Well, I just came to inform you that protection money will be collected at the end of the month."
At Geumryong High School, it was tradition for first-year class leaders to send 70% of their collected protection money to the second-years. Then, the second-years would pass 70% of their earnings to the third-years. This system had been in place for a long time.
"Hear me out! Every student in this class must pay 70,000 won to the leader! Got it?!" The second-year student announced loudly.
"If anyone refuses to pay… we'll beat the shit out of you." He added, his tone carrying a clear threat.
Most students lowered their heads in fear, avoiding eye contact so they wouldn't accidentally offend him.
"Don't worry, Sunbae. I'll have everything ready by the end of the month." Manho replied with a smile.
The second-year student gave him a nod before turning and leaving the classroom.
The moment the second-year was out of sight, Manho's smile vanished and returned to his seat.
"Hey, Ryongho… do we really have to pay them?" Bang Hojong asked anxiously. The thought of losing a chunk of their earnings didn't sit well with him.
"Of course not." Ryongho's cold voice was firm. "Don't worry—before the end of the month, I'll crush these jumping clowns."
How dare the second-year students set their sights on his money?
"Manho, invite the leaders of Class 2 and Class 3 to the rooftop during lunch break." Ryongho ordered, his voice cold and firm.
He needed to grow stronger—fast—so he wouldn't have to worry about the second-years.
"Got it." Manho replied with a serious expression.
He had already acknowledged Ryongho as his leader, and he would do his best to carry out any order. He respected and admired Ryongho's strength.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Lunch break.
Ryongho, Hojong, and Jongmin sat on the rooftop, enjoying their meals.
Normally, the rooftop would be locked by the teachers, but Ryongho had stolen the key from the teachers' office earlier. He had used Song of the Siren to put the teachers to sleep, making it easy to get what he needed.
Just then, the rooftop door swung open. Noh Manho entered, followed by the two leaders of Class 2 and Class 3.
The Class 2 leader, Kim Myeongjoong, was quite tall, with blonde hair and a rough-looking face. Meanwhile, the Class 3 leader, Sim Sangbo, had brown hair, an unbuttoned uniform that exposed his singlet, and a tattoo covering part of his body.
As they arrived, Kim Myeongjoong and Sim Sangbo stopped near the entrance, while Noh Manho continued walking until he stood beside Ryongho.
"Are you the leader of Class 1? Tch, you better have a damn good reason for calling me here." Kim Myeongjoong scoffed, trying to act tough.
Sim Sangbo remained silent, quietly analyzing Ryongho.
"Kim Myeongjoong and Sim Sangbo, right? Fight me. If I win, you two will become my underlings." Ryongho said without hesitation, skipping any unnecessary words.
"What the fuck? Is this bastard insane?" Kim Myeongjoong cursed, convinced that Ryongho was bluffing.
"Oh? And what if you lose?" Sim Sangbo asked, intrigued.
"I won't lose." Ryongho replied confidently. "But if, by some miracle, I do… you can decide what to do with me."
Dealing with them wasn't worth overthinking. He would win, simple as that.
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Name: Kim Myeongjoong
Rank: C
Strength: C+
Speed: C
Potential: E
Intelligence: E
Endurance: C
Specialization: None
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Name: Sim Sangbo
Rank: C
Strength: C+
Speed: C+
Potential: D
Intelligence: C
Endurance: C+
Specialization: Boxing (Outboxer)
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