Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest

Irina’s fiery smirk remained as she walked over to Astron, who stood at the edge of the summit with his usual calm demeanor. Her gaze flicked briefly to Julia, who was still catching her breath, muttering about Irina’s unexpected presence.

’This guy,’ Irina thought, a mix of amusement and exasperation flickering across her expression. She had pieced it together the moment Julia spoke—Astron hadn’t mentioned their team was right behind them. And knowing him, it was deliberate.

Stopping beside him, she tilted her head, her amber eyes narrowing slightly. "Did you not mention us to Julia?"

"No," Astron replied simply, his voice steady as ever.

Irina crossed her arms, her sharp gaze studying his unreadable expression. "Why?"

"There was no need," he said, glancing at her briefly before looking back toward the horizon. The faint breeze at the summit ruffled his dark hair, and his composure was maddeningly unaffected.

Irina clicked her tongue, her smirk faltering into something closer to irritation. "...You," she muttered, her tone carrying a hint of disbelief. "You do realize that if you had told her and taken full control of the situation, your team could have won, right?"

Astron’s sharp purple eyes turned to her, and for a moment, she thought she saw the faintest flicker of amusement. "Remember," he said calmly, "this is a training exercise, not a race."

Irina raised an eyebrow, her smirk slowly returning as she let out a small laugh. "Well… oddly enough, for something that’s ’not a race,’ we got a notification declaring a first-place finisher."

Astron paused, his gaze steady as he considered her words. After a moment, he simply said, "I have no comment on that."

Irina couldn’t help but laugh softly, shaking her head as she glanced over at Julia and the others. Her competitive spirit still burned brightly, but she couldn’t deny that Astron’s pragmatic approach intrigued her. He had a way of seeing the bigger picture, of remaining unfazed by the smaller victories and losses.

"You’re impossible, you know that?" she said, her tone lighter now.

"Only to those who don’t listen," Astron replied, his tone betraying the faintest hint of humor.

Irina rolled her eyes, though her smirk softened into something more genuine. Standing beside him at the summit, with the cool wind brushing against them and the rest of the teams catching up in the distance, she found herself strangely content.

"Next time," she said, her voice carrying a playful edge, "don’t hold back. I want to see how far you can really push them."

"You do know I will not do that," Astron said, his calm purple gaze fixed on her.

Irina tilted her head, her smirk fading slightly as curiosity flickered in her amber eyes. "Why?"

Astron didn’t answer immediately, his gaze steady and unreadable as he looked at her. After a moment, he spoke, his voice quiet but firm. "Don’t you know?"

Irina opened her mouth to respond but stopped herself. She did know. She knew exactly why Astron wouldn’t give everything he had for something as inconsequential as a race. Her competitive spirit bristled against it, but deep down, she understood his reasoning. The way he always seemed to look beyond the immediate—it was as infuriating as it was admirable.

"That…" Irina trailed off, the words catching in her throat. She let out a soft sigh, her fiery hair shifting slightly in the breeze as she turned her gaze toward the horizon. "I guess I do."

Astron’s expression didn’t change, but the faintest flicker of understanding passed through his eyes. He didn’t press her further, allowing the quiet moment to settle between them.

Irina crossed her arms, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. "You’re always like this. Thinking ahead, holding back. It’s frustrating sometimes, you know?"

Astron’s lips curved into the faintest hint of a smile. "Is it?"

"Yes," she said, though her tone had softened, her earlier annoyance replaced by something closer to resignation. "But… I guess that’s what makes you, you."

As the wind settled at the summit and the last of the cadets gathered around, the instructors arrived, their sharp gazes sweeping over the students. Professor Eleanor stood at the forefront, her commanding presence immediately silencing any lingering chatter.

"Congratulations to all teams who reached the summit," she began, her voice crisp and clear. "You’ve completed the course, and your rankings and feedback will be provided momentarily."

Eleanor’s gaze shifted to the digital tablet in her hand as she tapped a few commands. Large holographic displays sprang to life above her, showing the rankings and individual team scores. As expected, Victor’s team held the top spot, with Irina’s team listed second and Astron’s team third.

The results earned murmurs from the gathered cadets, though most of the noise came from those in the lower ranks. Irina and her team exchanged satisfied glances, while Julia folded her arms with a grumble. "Third? Ugh, I hate being in the bronze position."

Eleanor’s sharp gaze cut through the murmurs. "Now, let me provide feedback on the top three teams."

She turned to Victor’s group first, her expression neutral. "Victor Blackthorn’s team. First place with the fastest completion time. As expected, your coordination and resourcefulness were impeccable. However, I would caution against over-reliance on Victor’s individual abilities. A team must succeed as a unit, not as a single powerhouse dragging the others forward."

Victor gave a small, almost dismissive nod, clearly unaffected by the critique. His teammates, however, looked slightly uneasy.

Eleanor then shifted her attention to Irina’s group. "Irina Emberheart’s team. Second place, with excellent performance across the board. Your synergy and use of mana manipulation were commendable, particularly the complementary abilities displayed by Irina and Sylvie."

Irina’s smirk widened slightly, and Sylvie beamed, her earlier demeanor replaced by her usual cheer.

Eleanor’s gaze sharpened. "However, Irina, I would remind you not to let your competitive instincts override caution. While your approach was effective, there were moments when risk could have led to costly mistakes."

Irina raised an eyebrow but didn’t argue. "Understood, Professor," she said, though her smirk remained firmly in place.

Finally, Eleanor’s gaze fell on Astron’s team. "Astron Natusalune’s team. Third place, with one of the most balanced performances of the day. Your teamwork and strategy were exceptional, particularly in navigating the illusion formation and handling unexpected traps."

Elise straightened slightly at the praise, and Simon grinned, nudging Julia with his elbow. "See? Not bad at all."

And just like that she continued giving feedback to the students. And then as she finished,

Eleanor stepped back, her gaze sweeping over the gathered cadets. "Overall, this exercise was a success. Many of you demonstrated significant growth in teamwork and adaptability. Those who struggled should take this as an opportunity to learn and improve. Dismissed."

The holographic displays faded, and the instructors began to depart, leaving the students to gather their thoughts.

"You are leaving already?"

Julia noticed someone leaving immediately, her brows furrowing as she called after him.

Astron paused briefly, glancing back at her with his usual calm demeanor. "Yes."

Julia huffed, crossing her arms. "Let’s grab a quick me—"

"No," Astron cut her off bluntly, his tone neither harsh nor apologetic. He turned without waiting for a response and began descending the rocky path.

Julia watched him go, a bemused smirk playing on her lips. "As usual, Mister Aloof…" she muttered, shaking her head. Despite the curt reply, she didn’t seem offended. If anything, she looked amused, as though she’d expected nothing less.

Letting out a small sigh, she turned her attention to Irina, who was still lingering with her team. "Well, well, Emberheart," Julia called, her tone teasing. "Second place and still acting like you’re queen of the summit. What’s the secret?"

Irina turned at the sound of Julia’s voice, her fiery yellow eyes gleaming with her usual competitive spark. "It’s not about acting, Middleton. It’s just natural," she replied, her smirk widening as she crossed her arms.

Julia snorted, walking over with an exaggerated swagger. "Natural, huh? Is that what you tell yourself when you’re just one step behind Victor?"

The playful jab didn’t faze Irina. Instead, her smirk deepened, her confidence unshaken. "One step behind, sure, but still miles ahead of you."

Julia rolled her eyes, a grin tugging at her lips. "Touché."

As they bantered, Lilia approached the group, her red eyes sharp and her expression unusually stiff. Ethan followed not far behind her, his posture relaxed but his brow furrowed slightly. It didn’t take long for Julia to notice the tension between them, the air practically crackling with unspoken irritation.

"What happened here?" Julia asked, her sharp blue eyes flicking between Lilia and Ethan.

Lilia scoffed, crossing her arms as she looked away, refusing to answer.

Ethan, on the other hand, didn’t hesitate. His tone was calm but carried an edge of pointedness. "Pride often leads to destruction."

Lilia’s head snapped toward him, her eyes narrowing into a sharp glare. "Humph!" she huffed, turning away again with a dismissive flick of her hair.

"It means," Ethan said, his hazel eyes meeting Julia’s with a hint of exasperation, "that sometimes people refuse to acknowledge when they’re out of their depth, and it costs them—and the team—precious time."

Lilia’s scoff was louder this time, her tone biting as she finally spoke. "If you’re so brilliant, maybe you should’ve done it yourself."

Ethan’s gaze sharpened, his calm demeanor wavering slightly. "I would have, if someone hadn’t insisted on ignoring the warnings and rushing ahead."

Irina, watching the exchange unfold, raised an eyebrow. "Wait, what’s this about? What happened?"

Julia leaned closer, her grin widening. "Oh, this sounds good. Spill it."

Ethan crossed his arms, his tone steady as he explained. "We were stuck in an illusion formation. I told Lilia it wasn’t something we could brute-force or rush through, but she decided to ’handle it herself.’"

Lilia’s eyes flashed with irritation. "It wasn’t as simple as you’re making it sound. And for the record, I did break through it—eventually."

"Yes," Ethan said evenly, "after wasting half our time because you wouldn’t listen to reason."

Irina let out a low whistle, glancing between the two. "Yikes. Sounds like teamwork wasn’t exactly your strong suit today."

Lilia shot Irina a sharp look but didn’t respond. Instead, she turned away again, her jaw tight as she stared out at the horizon.

Julia, unable to resist, leaned toward Ethan with a smirk. "Let me guess. You were right, and she hates admitting it?"

Ethan didn’t answer directly, but the faint quirk of his lips said enough.

"Tch."

Lilia was annoyed.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!