The Strongest Crew

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 two Low-Grade Level Up Cards [Potential] on Bang Hojong and Woo Jongmin, since they were the only ones eligible for the upgrade.

With this, their Potential increased to E+. Potential determined how strong someone could become if they trained properly.

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.

"Oh? Sunbae, I'm the leader of this class. Is there something I can help you with?" Ryongho stood up from his desk, smiling warmly as he approached the second-year student.

In South Korea, seniority is highly respected. Even if the second-year student was only a year older, Ryongho still needed to show him some level of respect.

However, if this guy tried to push his luck, Ryongho wouldn't hesitate to beat the shit out of him—no mercy.

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.

"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," Ryongho 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, Ryongho's smile vanished. He returned to his seat, his expression now cold and calculating.

"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 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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Although Ryongho didn't know the exact stats of the other class leaders, one thing was clear—Kim Myeongjoong was the weakest among them, judging by his pitiful aura.

"I'm in," Sim Sangbo said with a grin. He was a natural-born bully, treating his classmates like punching bags. He had been doing this since middle school.

He had trained in boxing before, but not for competition—he simply enjoyed hitting weaklings.

"Fuck it! Let's fight then!" Kim Myeongjoong shouted, charging at Ryongho without hesitation.

Manho, Jongmin, and Hojong instinctively moved to protect Ryongho, but before they could, he held them back.

"You guys stay out of this," Ryongho ordered. He didn't want them making excuses about an unfair fight.

Kim Myeongjoong wasted no time, throwing a wild right hook aimed at Ryongho's face. However, Ryongho effortlessly tilted his head, letting the fist pass by harmlessly. Before Kim Myeongjoong could retract his arm, Ryongho slammed his elbow into the attacker's ribs.

"GAH—!"

Kim Myeongjoong stumbled, clutching his side in pain, but he refused to back down. With a roar, he threw a flurry of desperate punches. Ryongho sidestepped them with ease, reading every movement like an open book.

Then, just as Kim Myeongjoong tried to land a final, reckless strike, Ryongho turned and delivered a powerful spinning kick, activating Dragon Rage.

"GAHH!"

The roundhouse kick landed cleanly on Kim Myeongjoong's torso. Blood spurted from his mouth as he was sent flying like a cannonball.

He crashed to the ground, unconscious. Instant defeat.

Watching this, Sim Sangbo broke into a cold sweat. Despite his tough exterior, he had always feared being on the receiving end of a beating. That was precisely why he never competed in boxing tournaments.

But now, retreating wasn't an option. His pride wouldn't allow it.

With gritted teeth, he raised his fists. "You got lucky. That weakling was nothing. Try me!"

Ryongho didn't wait. He stepped forward, closing the distance in an instant.

"Shit!" Sim Sangbo cursed and immediately threw a sharp jab at Ryongho's face, using his superior reach. It was fast and precise—an experienced boxer's strike.

Ryongho simply raised his palm and caught the punch mid-air.

Sim Sangbo's eyes widened in horror.

Before he could react, Ryongho twisted his grip and yanked Sim Sangbo forward. A brutal knee strike slammed into his stomach.

"URGHK—!"

The air left Sim Sangbo's lungs as he doubled over in pain, but he still tried to swing a desperate uppercut.

Ryongho tilted his head, dodging it effortlessly. Then, with calm precision, he struck a powerful punch against Sim Sangbo's arms.

"AGHHH!"

Sim Sangbo screamed in agony. Tears filled his eyes as he glanced down at his arms—both of them were completely shattered.

"You lose," Ryongho stated coldly.

"WAI—!"

Before Sim Sangbo could surrender, Ryongho's fist smashed into his face, knocking him out instantly.

With that, Ryongho had defeated both Class 2 and Class 3 leaders in one fell swoop, making him the undisputed leader of three classes.