The Academy Geniuses I Raised and Dressed-Chapter 196 : Latessi War (2)

“Yein. Do you even know where this Valro Latessi is hiding?”
Rio asked as we moved.
“I don’t know the exact spot,” I replied, “but I do have a clue.”
“What kind of clue?” Toby, walking beside me, asked.
“Wherever a Valro resides, there will be crowds of people—both civilians and Awakened. Remember what I said earlier? The six Valro Latessi are using Seoul as their battlefield for war games.”
Tobi nodded grimly.
“To defend themselves from attacks by the other Valro, each one surrounds themselves with brainwashed Awakened as guards. They also gather civilians around them, since ordinary humans amplify a Valro’s power and keep them from being so easily destroyed by rivals.”
“…It’s hard to believe. That anyone could treat humans as pawns in some grotesque war game.”
Tobi’s face darkened.
I didn’t argue. Soon enough, they would see for themselves—and belief would no longer be optional.
“But how are we supposed to find where people are gathering?” Jang Taeil asked. “There isn’t a soul anywhere nearby.”
“And if everyone’s been brainwashed, there’s no one to ask either…” Mayu added.
Her words jolted something in me. I pulled out my smartphone.
‘Right now, there should still be at least two people in Seoul who haven’t been taken by the Latessi.’
I chose to send a text rather than call. If they were surrounded by the brainwashed, a phone call would be impossible.
A moment later—
“!!”
A reply arrived.
[Brother, you’re alive!]
[Seoul is chaos. Somehow the Latessi appeared before even a year had passed.]
[You can see the red sky too, right?]
[Where are you now? Did you succeed in leveling the others?]
Messages kept flooding in. I asked if a call was possible.
Instead, the phone vibrated with an incoming call.
Every head turned toward me as the ringtone buzzed.
“Hello.”
[Brother, where are you?]
“I just left the Tower Dungeon in Gwangjin District. We fought some Yedum Latessi on the way out, but I’ve got a grasp on the situation now.”
[So you’re with Demons’ Class, right?]
“Yeah.”
[And the level?]
“150. We made it.”
[…Thank God. That means there’s hope after all.]
“Where are you?”
[I’ve been hiding at home since the sky turned red.]
“And Choi Yuri?”
[She turned into a spirit body. She says if Nerom notices her, she’s dead.]
“I see…”
Relief flooded me. At least the two of them were still safe.
“Hanye, do you know which Valro is controlling Yongsan District right now?”
[Nerom. I went outside once—it’s worse than the game ever described.]
“…I see. Then is Gwangjin District also Nerom’s territory?”
[No. That’s Pan. I saw footage on TV—Nerom’s forces clashing with Pan’s.]
“TV?”
[Yes. Nerom forced the broadcast of his own battles.]
“I understand. Do you know exactly where Pan is in Gwangjin?”
[During the broadcast, they showed Children’s Grand Park.]
“Got it. Thanks.”
[Wait—brother, you’re not actually planning to go there, are you?]
“I am.”
[Can you win?]
“Hundred percent.”
[…All right. Anything else you need to ask?]
There was one more thing.
“What about the Mayor?”
A sharp intake of breath came from behind me.
Aoh had both hands covering her mouth, staring at me.
[I don’t know for sure. But I think it’s safe to assume the Latessi got him. If he were fine, he’d have been fighting back—and if he did fight, he would’ve been captured quickly.]
“…Understood. Then stay hidden a little longer.”
[Are you really going to be okay?]
“Don’t worry. Once this is done, I’ll head to Yongsan. Just send me Nerom’s exact position by text.”
[…Okay. I will.]
The call ended. Immediately, the students surged toward me.
“Who was that?”
“There are still untainted people!?”
“Are they level 150 too?”
“What about the Mayor!?”
“Calm down.” I raised a hand. “That was someone like me—someone from another world. Thankfully, they’re safe, and I got confirmation on the Valro’s location.”
“Where is it?” Iris demanded, greatsword in hand, her eyes like blades.
“Children’s Grand Park.”
“That’s not far. We can run it,” Rio said.
I nodded. “Then let’s move.”
Iris bolted ahead, and the others followed without hesitation.
Together, we stormed down the abandoned road like a stampede.
“Yein… what about the Mayor?”
Ao came up beside me, her eyes desperate.
“So far, no one’s seen him. I’m sorry, but it’s very likely he was taken by a Valro. He was the strongest man in the world—of course they’d target him first.”
“…I see.”
Her face clouded with despair.
“Don’t lose hope. We’ll rescue him.”
“…Yes!”
She nodded firmly and sprinted ahead, matching pace with Iris at the front.
It almost seemed she worried more about the Mayor than even her family or friends.
Five minutes later, sprinting past rows of abandoned cars, people finally came into view.
And at once, all of us stopped dead in our tracks.
“What… what are they doing?”
Mayu’s voice trembled.
A dozen people were gathered near a collapsed building.
Some were smashing walls with shovels or chunks of rubble.
Those without tools hammered their fists against the concrete until their hands ran red with blood.
Others were stacking broken stone into crude walls.
Their movements were sluggish, mechanical.
Dark rings sagged under every eye. Heads lolled forward, jerking upright only when their bodies forced them to keep moving.
‘So Pan really does control this area.’
“Ao!”
Jin Yooyeon’s startled voice rang out.
Ao was already approaching the group.
“Everyone… what are you doing?”
Her voice was calm, gentle.
But not one of them answered.
So she reached out, grasping the wrist of a woman carrying a rock.
Only then did the woman finally lift her head to look at Ao.
“Let me go. I have to keep stacking these.”
The woman looked up at Ao with clouded eyes as she spoke.
“Why are you stacking them?” Aoh asked.
“……?”
Confusion flickered in the woman’s gaze.
“Because I have to. I must keep stacking. That’s all.”
And with that, her body suddenly sagged.
Ao flinched and caught her—only for the woman’s eyes to snap wide open. She began slapping herself across the face.
“No! I can’t sleep! I can’t rest!!”
“W–wait! What are you doing!?”
Ao grabbed her hands to stop her.
“Let me go. I must keep working. To rest is a sin. Only if I keep piling these stones will I have worth.”
She thrashed as she spoke.
The students stood frozen, like statues of ice, as they watched.
The others nearby carried on with their meaningless labor, oblivious.
I pulled a Sleep Potion from my inventory, stepped up to Ao, and sprinkled a few drops onto the woman.
“Haah…”
At once her body went limp, and she collapsed into slumber.
“Yein…” Ao whispered.
“These people can’t be reasoned with.”
I went around, splashing every one of the workers until they too slumped into unconsciousness.
“So this is the Latessi’s doing as well?” Iris asked.
“Yes. Under the influence of a Valro Latessi, the brainwashed adopt compulsive behaviors. Those actions themselves serve as a ritual that amplifies the Valro’s strength. The one ruling this area is Valro Latessi Pan. His creed is ‘misguided effort.’”
“You mean his power grows, like leveling up?”
“The more humans he enslaves, the more Awakened he can bind, and their levels rise under his sway. In other words—he gains the upper hand in their war games.”
“Tch.”
Iris clicked her tongue, face twisted with disgust.
“So the closer we get to him, the more people we’ll see enslaved like this?” Ao asked, rising to her feet.
I nodded.
“Then we need to kill this Pan as quickly as possible,” she said firmly.
“Ao is right,” Jin Cheongryong agreed.
“Which means… we’ll have to fight the hunters he’s enslaved too?” Zen asked.
“There’s no avoiding it,” I said. Then I added, “But it’s also a chance. Valro control Awakened through the Horima. If a battle starts, prioritize killing the Horima. Without them, those under control will regain themselves—at least until another Horima catches them. And there’s something else you all need to know before we fight a Valro.”
I explained the Valro’s combat methods, and specifically Pan’s tactics and how to counter them.
The students listened in dead silence.
“Then let’s change out your equipment before we move.”
I drew out handfuls of rings from my inventory.
“…Yein.”
Tobi’s voice called me.
“Yes?”
“Why are those coming out of your inventory?”
Everyone else stared at me too.
Lumina’s face drained of color as her eyes darted between me and the others. Meiling and Seo Yui wore expressions of shock.
“Ah. I should be honest about that too. I’m the Mysterious Craftsman.”
[What!?]
The entire class shouted as one.
Only Iris snorted, clearly unsurprised.
“All right. No time for shock. Take the rings. Every moment wasted is more power for the Valro.”
Iris stepped up first and snatched one. The others followed, one by one.
“Yein… You really… you really are the Mysterious Craftsman?” Rio asked, leading his team over. He stared at me in awe.
“Yes.”
“My god… all this time, right beside us.”
“How do you even make so many items in such a short time?”
“These rings—did you use materials from the Tower dungeon?”
“Then what are you really? I thought you were just the Mysterious Craftsman…”
Rio, Maria, Ha Yugeun, and Bella all spoke at once, but I ignored them.
“I’ll explain later. For now, just take the rings.”
“Promise?” Maria pressed, eyes locked onto mine.
I nodded. Only then did the four of them collect theirs.
Finally came my own squad.
I held the rings out to the three of them.
But they hesitated, watching me.
“What’s wrong? Here.”
I extended them again.
“A–all right…”
Lumina reached out timidly.
“Why did you hide it?”
Meiling’s voice trembled.
I turned to her. Her face was tight with anger.
“You said you came from another world like this one. Why hide something so important from us too?”
“I told you already. If you hadn’t seen what’s happening now, you’d have dismissed me as insane.”
“You seriously think we would’ve treated you like a lunatic? Honestly?”
“Meiling. Stop.”
Seo Yui stepped between us.
“Yein isn’t us, and we aren’t Yein. We can’t fully grasp what was in his heart. But…”
She reached out and took both rings from my hand.
“I never once thought of you as insane.”
Seo Yui handed one to Meiling.
Meiling closed her fingers around it, refusing to meet my eyes, and stalked away.
Ten minutes later, we reached the front of Children’s Grand Park.
“It’s certain Pan is here,” Rune said, arms folded.
All around, people moved in endless meaningless tasks. Some smashed buildings to pile rubble into walls. Others dug pits three meters deep with their bare hands, only to shovel the dirt right back in.
“…Madness.” Someone muttered.
Then shadows swept down from the sky. Latessi.
“What have we here? Hunter candidates?”
“So a few of you still remain unclaimed.”
“Let’s brainwash them quickly, expand Lord Pan’s army.”
Their speech carried intelligence unlike the Yedom.
Double-layered wings on their backs.
Horima.
The flying Latessi raised their hands toward us—then froze, eyes wide.
“What are these creatures?”
“They’re not being brainwashed!?”
An arrow from Jang Taeil and a blade of wind from Ao answered them. Both strikes found their marks, bursting through skulls in an instant kill.
“Ghhk!”
The last Horima tried to flee, but Jin Cheongryong leapt like lightning, slamming it into the ground headfirst. Its skull shattered against concrete.
“Invaders!”
“Bring the Awakened!”
Horima were swarming everywhere now.
“As I said—take the leader’s head and it ends.”
I turned to Demons’ Class.
“Finish this quickly.”
And together, we charged straight into the park.
(End of Chapter)