The Academy Geniuses I Raised and Dressed

I was probably inside the game now.

I say “probably” because I can’t completely rule out the possibility that this isn’t a game world at all, but rather another actual, existing world.

Still, whether I’m in a game or a game-like world doesn’t make much of a difference.

What matters is that I will return to my original world.

I have no desire to stay in some world that’s frozen right on the brink of collapse.

Sure, my old world wasn’t exactly great, but at least it was better than this.

At the very least, I didn’t have to fight monsters that went around killing people.

Games are fun because they’re games, because they’re not real.

But once a game becomes reality, it’s no longer fun—it’s just the start of a new cycle of pain.

The real problem is figuring out how to go back.

It’s only a theory—there’s no solid evidence—but I’m guessing that the only way to return is to clear the game.

I clearly remember the message that popped up just before I ended up here:

[Congratulations. You are the first player in the world to defeat the hidden boss.]

[A new difficulty has been unlocked for top-tier players.]

A new difficulty probably means something even harder than what I was playing before.

At the time, I was playing Latessai on the highest setting: Hardcore.

Enemies had insane HP and dealt massive damage, but the scariest part was that if you died even once, your character would be permanently deleted.

So even if this world really is a game, there’s probably no resurrection if I die here.

Which means that if I want to return to my world in one piece, I’ll have to clear every scenario without dying.

But at this rate, there’s no way I can pull that off.

My mental, stamina, and energy aptitudes all fail to reach even a B rank—my stamina and energy are both bottom-of-the-barrel F rank.

And to make things worse, my ability is “Craftsman.”

Sure, the Craftsman build was busted enough to take down even the hidden boss.

But the problem is that it takes forever to reach that level of power.

And the only reason I was able to do it before was because I was playing the protagonist—who gets all sorts of buffs and narrative perks. Doing that with this Nam Yein character…

He was the definition of weak. So fragile that even a single hit from a level 10 monster could kill him. A background extra among background extras.

Even the idea of starting to gather materials and level up through combat was absurd.

The only reason I managed to kill anything back in Seawater Cavern was because I got lucky—the environment just happened to provide the right ingredients.

And there just so happened to be Giant Spikewilds capable of causing chain explosions.

But I couldn’t rely on that kind of luck forever. If I ran into anything even a little stronger, I’d be done for.

That left me with only one option.

I had to use companion characters to fight in my place.

Just like every other academy, Gwangcheon had several characters you could recruit as companions.

Among them, three had abilities so essential they were practically mandatory to keep alive and on your side.

And one of them was this very Hunter trainee who appears right in the prologue—Lumina.

I glanced to the side.

Lumina was fidgeting nervously, clearly unsure what to do with herself.

“Lumina.”

“Y-yes?!”

Her sudden shout made me freeze.

I felt eyes on me—some of the other students had stood up and were staring in our direction.

“S-sorry… I’m just not used to people talking to me…”

Lumina mumbled in a barely audible voice and lowered her head.

God, that’s heartbreaking.

I cleared my throat and spoke again.

“Have you joined a squad yet?”

“A squad? No, I haven’t…”

Her shoulders slumped.

“No one ever asked me to join… Even if I wanted to, I don’t think I’m strong enough…”

So she hasn’t joined a squad yet—just like in the game.

“W-what about you, Yein?” She looked at me, “I saw a bunch of people trying to recruit you earlier… I guess it’s only natural, after seeing that power you showed… ahaha…”

She smiled awkwardly, but I could tell she was thinking, “It’s different for someone like me.”

“I haven’t decided which squad I’m joining yet.”

“R-really? That’s… lucky…”

“Actually, I’m not planning to join any squad at all. And I’m only telling you this…”

I lowered my voice so only she could hear.

“…I want to make my own squad. I’ve been looking for people who I think would be a good fit.”

Her eyes widened.

“I… I see…”

“Yeah.”

I didn’t say anything more.

Lumina fidgeted restlessly, trying to say something, then giving up and looking down again. Over and over.

Judging by that reaction, there’s a good chance she’ll go along with this…

At the very least, I’d bought myself some time.

She might say no one’s ever invited her to a squad, but who knows? Things can always change.

Even if someone else tried to recruit her now, she wouldn’t give an immediate answer.

After all, I’m the only one who’s shown her any attention. And I just told her I want to make a squad—with the right people.

I can’t invite her just yet. I need to lay more groundwork first—to make sure she can’t say no.

If I mess this up, my odds of survival will plummet.

I need time to prepare bait she can’t possibly resist.

Gwangcheon Academy was located in Yongsan.

After getting off the bus, I stared at the school buildings with a strange feeling in my chest.

A four-story main building, a gym, a training field—it all looked exactly like it had in the game.

“This practical session was a complete failure, so you’ll all have makeup assignments tomorrow.”

Jeong Jooil gathered us in front of the school gate, curling his lip as he spoke.

“But sir… tomorrow’s Saturday.”

Someone raised their hand.

“And what of it?”

His voice was ice cold.

No one dared to speak again.

“If you fail again, don’t even think about advancing. Honestly, the fact that you couldn’t even clear the first floor of Seawater Cavern says enough. You’d be better off quitting and finding something else to do.”

Everyone’s faces fell.

“The exact format and grading criteria will be posted later. Dismissed.”

As he walked toward the main building, a few students shook their fists behind his back or flipped him off in ways I can’t really describe politely.

A little while later, I followed the others to the dorms.

Once inside the boys' dorm, I looked around at the layout.

How am I supposed to find my room?

I hesitated for a moment, but the answer revealed itself quickly.

All the other students were heading up to the fourth floor.

Sure enough, that was the floor assigned to first-years.

There were even nameplates on each door.

This must be it.

I stopped in front of the room farthest to the right from the central staircase.

[1-B Nam Yein]

After confirming the nameplate, I reached for the doorknob.

Clunk.

I tried to open the door, but it was locked. I searched my pockets but couldn’t find a key.

Then I saw how the others were getting into their rooms—by placing their wrists against a device next to the door.

Oh right, I had something on my wrist too.

A smartwatch-like device was strapped to me.

I mimicked what the others had done, and the door unlocked with a beep.

Once inside, I shut the door and looked around.

A neatly made bed.

A desk with a tablet and a notebook on top.

A small wardrobe.

That was it.

Time to dig.

I opened the wardrobe and pulled out every piece of clothing inside.

Then I crouched and dragged out a suitcase from under the bed. I unpacked that too, laying everything out.

“Okay, Nam Yein. Who are you, really?”

Right now, I wasn’t Hong Heechul anymore—I was a first-year Hunter trainee named Nam Yein, with silver hair.

To avoid trouble later, I had to learn as much as I could about who Nam Yein was.

Since he died just minutes into the game, I knew almost nothing about him.

After a few minutes of searching through his clothes and luggage, I found just one clue: a single photograph.

In the picture was a young boy, presumably Nam Yein as a child, and a silver-haired girl who looked around the same age.

A sister, maybe? Or a twin?

As I studied the photo—

The figures in the picture started to blur, just slightly.

…What the hell?

I rubbed my eyes and looked at the photo again.

The picture still showed the young Nam Yein and the silver-haired girl.

“Maybe I’m just tired from the dungeon.”

I set the photo down.

Still wondering if there was a better way to learn more about Nam Yein, I fiddled with the smartwatch on my wrist.

“Ooh…”

A hologram popped up, displaying a screen full of icons. When I tapped one, the interface shifted with a smooth animation.

“Yup. Definitely near-future tech.”

I played around with it for a bit until I got used to the controls, then checked the photo album and the contact list.

The photo album contained nothing but a few default sample images. The contact list had only two entries.

XXX-XXXX-XXXX

OOO-OOOO-OOOO

“What the hell is up with this guy Nam Yein…”

I was baffled.

How could someone only have two contacts in their phone?

“Not even his parents are listed. Don’t tell me… is Nam Yein an orphan?”

I stared hard at the contact list.

Nam Yejin was probably the girl in the photo. Judging by the shared surname, she was likely a relative.

“And this ‘Sponsor’ person… Could it be that Nam Yein actually has a sponsor backing him?”

In Latessai, a sponsor was a system where a Hunter trainee could receive quests aimed at personal growth and get rewarded with money or items.

Picking the right sponsor to match your character was one of the fun parts of the game.

“But why would a character with trash stats like this already have a sponsor?”

Surely there had to be some basic requirements. With F, F, and C aptitude ranks, there was no way he should have qualified.

“Wait… If he has a sponsor, maybe he has money too?”

Money was crucial for growth.

Back in Seawater Cavern, I had gained Craftsman experience points by dismantling discarded weapons and crafting items.

Which meant that if I bought a bunch of cheap gear and took it apart, I could probably level up my Crafting skill fairly quickly.

I opened the digital banking app I had seen earlier on the smartwatch.

Thankfully, it didn’t require a password. When I tapped the icon, a prompt asked me to place my thumb on the watch. Biometric security.

I checked the balance and then quietly shut the screen off.

“…Talk about false hope.”

My voice came out dry and hollow.

Balance: 0 won.

How the hell had this guy Nam Yein even been living?

“That means my only option really is gathering gear and materials from dungeons…”

The next opportunity would probably come—

Buzz.

Suddenly, my wrist vibrated.

When I turned on the screen, a message had arrived.

The sender was the Gwangcheon school office.

“!”

The moment I read it, I rushed out of the room.

Girls’ Dorm, Gwangcheon Academy

Inside her room, Lumina paced restlessly between the wall and the door.

Her mind was still tangled up with what had happened earlier.

“There were a lot of other students, but I couldn’t see you. I was worried the monsters might have gotten you.”

“Have you joined a squad yet?”

“I want to make my own squad. I’ve been looking for people who I think would be a good fit.”

Nam Yein’s voice echoed in her ears.

“Why would Yein say all that just to me? Could it be… he wants me in his squad?”

Her inner voice insisted—why else would he sit next to her and bring all that up?

But then, another voice cut in.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Someone like me wouldn’t be of any help to anyone. Yein’s just a kind person who couldn’t ignore me.”

Lumina had a habit of cutting down her own hopes before they had a chance to bloom.

It was a defense mechanism—born from her fear of being hurt when expectations inevitably failed.

“Yeah… that’s right. I shouldn’t get carried away with wild thoughts.”

She tried to reinforce that resolution, but her imagination betrayed her.

She pictured herself in a squad with Nam Yein, fighting side by side with their teammates to bring down monsters.

Just the thought filled her chest with excitement and emotion.

But reality quickly pulled her down again, and she slumped onto her bed with a heavy expression.

Even if she did join a squad, there was no way she’d be useful.

She hadn’t taken down a single monster today—even though their whole class had gone into the dungeon together.

“Maybe… maybe I’m just not cut out to be a Hunter…”

Jeong Jooil’s voice seemed to echo in her mind—telling them they should all just give up and find another path.

Buzz.

“Kyaa!?”

Lumina shot upright in bed, startled by the sudden vibration.

“W-what was that?”

She checked her smartwatch—and her face turned stiff.

[1-B Supplemental Field Practice Assignment]

“We couldn’t even clear it with the whole class—now they expect us to clear it in pairs?! This is impossible!”

She wanted to scream.

“Something must be wrong. A revised notice will probably be sent out…”

She stared anxiously at her wrist, but even after five minutes, no follow-up message arrived.

“Is this for real…?”

Tears welled up in her eyes just as the smartwatch buzzed again.

Another message.

But it wasn’t what she had expected.

Sender: Dorm Supervisor

Lumina, please come downstairs.

Nam Yein is looking for you.

“Yein!?”

“Mmgh!”

Lumina clamped her hands over her mouth.

Then, flustered and overwhelmed, she grabbed her coat and bolted out of the room.

(End of Chapter)