The Academy Geniuses I Raised and Dressed

The morning after I saved Meiling from Cheongwang’s gang—

"Yein, did you finish the end-of-month assignment yesterday?"

Lumina walked up to my desk and asked.

"I couldn’t finish it because something came up."

"Something came up?"

Lumina tilted her head.

"My drone got destroyed halfway through."

"Ah."

She looked like she immediately understood.

"Did a monster attack it?"

"Yeah."

In reality, it had been hit by an arrow from Jin Cheongwang.

"And there’s a bit more to the story, but I’ll tell you later. Over the weekend."

I decided to hold off on telling her about Meiling.

There were too many students in the classroom to mention that she had been ambushed by Cheongwang’s gang.

Stirring up the entire school was one problem, but with a certain upcoming event in mind, talking now would be like walking myself up to the gallows.

"The weekend…"

A cloud suddenly formed over Lumina’s face.

"We were supposed to settle things with Eleanor this Saturday, right?"

I nodded.

After a bit of hesitation, Lumina asked, "…Can I come too?"

"You want to come, Lumina?"

"Y-Yeah."

"I don’t mind."

I answered, a little puzzled.

"Then we’ll go together this weekend."

"Okay!"

She looked determined, like she was bracing herself for battle.

As she returned to her seat, I stared at her back and began to think.

‘This is different from the game.’

In the original Eleanor event, no other companion character ever joined.

Naturally, none ever insisted on coming along like this either.

Of course, even if she came along, it wasn’t like she’d actively participate.

It’s not like Lumina was going to suddenly shout, “Everything you guys made is garbage! Look at this badass item I made!”

‘Between the principal and Jeong Jooil… there are quite a few things here that aren’t quite like the game.’

Maybe that was the side effect of this world becoming real.

Things that could be ignored or skipped in the game had become unavoidable.

At any rate, I’d need to proceed with more caution than ever, and if unexpected things happened, I couldn’t rely solely on game knowledge. I’d need to be flexible.

Later, after getting through a round of pointless liberal arts classes and grueling training courses I had no interest in, Lumina and I headed down to the first floor of the main building.

‘Still a long line, huh.’

Students were lined up by grade, waiting to receive their dungeon access permits and drones for the assignment.

Still, it was less crowded than yesterday.

After waiting in line side by side with Lumina for about three minutes, it was finally our turn.

Lumina received her permit and drone first, and then I stepped up.

"Hm? According to our records, you already received your permit and drone yesterday."

As I held my smartwatch to the reader, the staff member looked at me with a confused expression.

"My drone got destroyed by a monster in the dungeon yesterday."

At my words, his expression immediately soured.

"You’re saying your drone was destroyed?"

"Yes. That’s why I came to get a new one…"

"Are you trying to blame the drone so you can take another shot at the assignment? Sounds like a trick to me."

His voice was full of annoyance.

I wondered what his problem was.

"As far as I know, you can retake the end-of-month assignment as many times as you want within the deadline."

"That doesn’t mean you can break as many drones as you like, you know? Those are valuable school assets."

Ah, right.

Even though Gwangcheon Academy is funded by one of the world’s two largest conglomerates—Forward—it’s still scraping by financially.

Case in point: the worn-out barrier belts we used during mock battle training. It was a miracle they hadn’t fallen apart yet.

No wonder they were so protective of their gear.

If a drone came back broken, the staff probably got scolded for not supervising properly.

But the one who destroyed my drone wasn’t me—it was Jin Cheongwang.

I wasn’t the only one feeling wronged here.

"Step out of the line. You’ll need to submit a detailed report on how the drone was damaged. After that, you can receive a replacement."

An unexpected development.

This didn’t happen in the game.

Lumina looked at me with concern, and the students behind me craned their necks, curious about what was going on.

"How much is the drone?"

Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice—the one I’d heard in the Magic Engineering Lab yesterday.

Turning my head, I saw Chen Meiling standing behind the staff desk.

She had appeared without anyone noticing.

"Is that Meiling!?"

"She came to school today!?"

The kids in Class A were whispering excitedly.

"I asked how much the drone costs."

Even though she was speaking informally to adults, none of the staff dared to correct her.

Not only that, but the staff member who had been arguing with me actually flinched.

"W-Well… it’s not just about the money, it’s—"

"I asked how much it is."

Meiling narrowed her eyes at the staff, her tone sharp.

"I-It’s 1.5 million won…"

As he mumbled, Meiling slammed her hand down on the desk.

The staff all visibly flinched in unison.

Under her hand was a stack of cash.

"Three million. Buy two brand-new ones with this and give us both the permit and the drones."

"E-Excuse me??"

"Geez, are you deaf? I said give us the dungeon access permits and recording drones."

"But Meiling, you already received yours yesterday…"

"What are you doing? Stop talking and just hand them over!"

An older staff member nearby barked at him.

The one who had been arguing with me finally gave in and went to fetch the drones.

In the meantime, the older staff member bowed deeply and tried to return the money to Meiling.

"Miss Meiling, you really didn’t have to go this far. We’ll purchase replacements ourselves."

I had to hold back a laugh at the way he said, “Miss Meiling.”

But Meiling coldly refused to take the money back.

"You're telling me to take money out of my wallet and put it back in? Are you trying to humiliate me?"

"N-No, that’s not what I meant at all… Th-Then I’ll gratefully accept it."

The older staff member wiped the sweat from his face and bowed.

A moment later, Meiling and I each had a brand-new drone in hand, along with freshly printed dungeon permits.

"Hey," Meiling said, looking at me.

"What?"

I answered briefly—and instantly, I heard a collective gasp around us, as if people were watching a horror movie.

Meiling pulled something out of her pocket and shoved it against my chest.

When I took it and looked, it was an envelope sealed with a gold-ribboned decoration.

"Let me be clear. Whatever they say, just refuse. I don’t want anything more to do with you."

With that, Meiling turned around and stormed out of the main building.

"Y-Y-Yein… Wh-What just happened? You and Meiling already knew each other?"

Lumina asked, her face pale as a sheet.

"Well, it’s a long story. Not really something to talk about here."

I glanced around.

Every staff member and student in the area was staring at me.

"I’ll tell you over the weekend. For now, let’s go. We need to focus on the assignment."

"O-Okay. That makes sense, but…"

Lumina looked at me with lingering curiosity but eventually gave up and silently followed.

"See you tomorrow, then. Good luck on your assignment."

We said goodbye at the path where the male and female dormitories split.

"Okay…"

Lumina answered weakly and started walking away.

She turned around once to glance back at me, then trudged off toward her dorm.

After returning to my room, I opened the envelope Meiling had given me.

To Student Nam Yein,

I heard that you saved my daughter from danger.

I would very much like to meet you and express my gratitude in person.

I will send a car to the main gate of Gwangcheon Academy at 6 PM this Saturday evening. I hope you will find time to come.

‘It’s here.’

Chen Kai.

Father of Chen Meiling, and CEO of Forward Magic Engineering, a subsidiary of the Forward Group.

In simple terms, Magic Engineering uses materials from the Demon Realm to manufacture items.

Everything from student protective gear to mock battle robots used across the academies comes from Forward Magic Engineering.

Kai himself is a renowned inventor who has developed many products that fuse demonic materials with modern tech.

‘Saturday evening, huh.’

That gives me plenty of time even after the showdown with Eleanor.

‘But sending a car without even asking if I’m available? That says a lot about his personality.’

Maybe that’s his way of saying refusal won’t be accepted.

Either way, this is an event I’ve been waiting for—no reason to complain.

I set the invitation down on my desk, changed into my combat uniform, and grabbed my inventory.

First things first, I had to finish the end-of-month assignment again.

Saturday, Noon

Inside Workshop Eleanor, its owner Anne Eleanor stood with her arms crossed, waiting for her opponent.

"You actually showed up instead of running away!"

She shouted toward the doorway.

"I’m the one who challenged you, remember?"

Yein replied in a flat voice, a sharp contrast to Eleanor’s bluster.

"But why did you bring her? Is she your assistant or something? She doesn’t look like she has any talent at all."

Eleanor’s eyes turned toward Lumina, standing behind Yein.

The blacksmith girl’s burning gaze made Lumina shrink back slightly.

"She’s just a witness. And besides, you brought someone too, didn’t you?"

As Yein said, standing beside Eleanor was Lee Donghyuk, the manager of the Hunter Gear Shop.

"He’s going to act as the judge today. His eye for gear quality is much sharper than mine."

"And you’re sure he won’t be biased in your favor?"

"No need to worry."

Donghyuk smiled at Yein and said,

"I take pride in my role as an equipment appraiser. Even if Miss El’s work is on the line, if it’s not up to standard, I won’t approve of it."

"See? No worries. Donghyuk is absolutely ruthless when it comes to judging."

Despite her confident tone, a flicker of discomfort crossed Eleanor’s face.

"Alright, enough chatter. Let’s start the match."

Eleanor gestured behind her.

There were several items covered by a large cloth.

With a confident flourish, she yanked the cloth away.

"Wow!"

Lumina’s eyes widened.

A greatsword rested in a rack.

A full suit of metal armor adorned a wooden mannequin.

And a ring was displayed atop a jewel-studded pedestal that looked like it belonged in a high-end boutique.

Even though Lumina didn’t have the skills to assess gear quality, it was obvious these items were exceptional.

The ornate design of the sword hilt, the polished sheen of the armor—those were impressive enough.

But what caught Lumina’s attention most was the radiant glow coming off each piece.

The greatsword, the armor, and the ring all emitted a vivid blue aura.

"The aura’s incredible…"

Lumina whispered.

"Right? Even a beginner can tell."

Eleanor gave her a smug smile.

"These are the finest items I’ve ever crafted. Let me make this clear—there’s no way I’m losing today."

A bold declaration of victory.

"Now, let’s see what you’ve brought."

"Sure."

Yein reached into his inventory and began pulling out the items he’d prepared.

Every time his hand emerged from the glowing portal, a swirling mist hovered around his palm.

And when he released it, the mist solidified into a piece of equipment.

It was the moment when the gear materialized from his inventory.

As the items took shape one after another, the smile vanished from Eleanor’s face.

She stared, mouth agape, at the lineup of weapons and armor laid out in front of her.

Lumina and Donghyuk were also speechless, gazing at the axe, armor, and necklace.

"This… This is insane!"

Eleanor practically screamed.

All the items Yein had brought were glowing with a deep crimson hue.

(End of Chapter)