Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest novel Chapter 1007

Chapter 1007: Chapter 237.2 - Gate Examination

The café doors swung open with a soft chime as the group stepped out into the crisp midday air. The sun had climbed higher now, casting sharp, clear beams across the academy grounds. A light breeze carried the faint scent of mana residue from the training fields, and everywhere cadets hurried to their own stations—checking gear, coordinating strategies, running last-minute drills.

Their group moved in steady formation, their steps measured, a reflection of the quiet understanding between them.

Their gear was familiar, each piece chosen with purpose. No flashy new equipment. No unnecessary changes.

After a brief discussion that morning, they had agreed: it was better to stick with what they knew. Their armor, weapons, and enchantments were already calibrated to their fighting styles. Confidence came from familiarity—and today wasn't about flashy displays.

It was about setting a tone.

Their first dungeon round.

Their first real impression.

Sylvie tightened her gloves slightly, feeling the familiar hum of mana running through the fabric. Irina adjusted the clasps on her combat jacket, flames flickering faintly along her fingers before fading. Jasmine twirled her dagger once, casually slipping it back into its sheath, while Layla gave her shield strap a sharp tug, securing it firmly against her arm.

Astron simply walked at the head of their group, silent as always, his presence steady as a compass point.

As they approached the central training grounds, the noise grew louder. The familiar gateway into the Mana-Linked Dungeon Arena loomed ahead—its massive arch inscribed with runes that pulsed faintly with silver-blue light.

But it wasn't the gate that caught their attention.

It was the crowd.

Lines of observers stood behind the barriers, their uniforms and badges marking them clearly—guild representatives, scouts, academy affiliates, and even a few private contractors. Their sharp eyes tracked the cadets moving toward the arena, clipboards and digital tablets in hand, murmuring notes to one another.

Layla let out a low whistle under her breath. "Whoa. That's… more than I expected."

Jasmine tilted her head, scanning the crowd with a grin. "It's not festival level, but still... this is serious."

Sylvie's heart thudded a little harder, but she kept her face composed. The number of scouts wasn't overwhelming—but it was definitely more than she had imagined.

Each one a potential opportunity—or a silent judge.

Irina, walking a step ahead, barely even glanced at the mass of scouts and officials. Her expression was cool, almost indifferent. The sharp glances, the notetaking, the subtle murmurs of judgment—it was all something she was intimately familiar with.

Growing up under the Emberheart name, she had spent her entire life under a spotlight. Interviews. Appearances. Expectations.

This?

This was nothing.

She carried herself with a casual, almost dismissive air, her fiery red hair catching the light like a burning banner as she strode forward. Let them look. Let them judge. It didn't matter. She would show them her strength soon enough.

Astron, as expected, showed even less reaction. His expression remained composed, distant. He simply continued walking, his sharp purple eyes flickering briefly over the assembled scouts before disregarding them entirely. In his mind, they were as much a part of the scenery as the stones under his feet. Irrelevant until proven otherwise.

Their team pushed through the final checkpoint, where a faculty member in dark academy robes waited with a tablet in hand.

It was Instructor Lowell—one of the field supervisors assigned to manage the practical examinations.

He looked up as they approached, his sharp gray eyes assessing them quickly before nodding once.

"Team Irina Emberheart," he said, reading from the glowing tablet. "You're next in queue."

He tapped a few buttons and projected a floating hologram above the tablet—a rough outline of a dungeon zone.

"This is your briefing," he continued, his voice clipped and efficient. "You'll be deployed into a collapsed urban zone—abandoned ruins, scattered vertical structures, minimal intact walls. Visibility will be low due to mana fog drifting through the area. Expect vertical combat scenarios—broken floors, unstable platforms, high ground contesting."

The group leaned in slightly, their faces sharpening as they absorbed the information.

"No prior intel will be given beyond this," Lowell continued. "You're expected to scout, secure objectives, and adapt. Remember: environmental hazards are active. Falling from unstable areas will trigger automatic extraction and count as a critical failure for your team."

Sylvie frowned slightly at that.

Falling hazards meant pressure not only from enemies but from the terrain itself.