Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest novel Chapter 1026

A beat passed.

Then another.

And slowly—subtly, like the shift in wind before a summer storm—something changed.

The weight in the air didn't vanish, but it tilted. Lightened.

Raine exhaled, her lips parting slightly as her grip on her crystal case loosened. She blinked once, then again, like something had just clicked behind her eyes. The quiet murmuring stopped.

Kaela didn't move at first, but her bowstring—once caught between fidgeting fingers—was finally let go. She rolled her shoulders once, just barely, and her stance corrected into something straighter. Sharper. Less burdened.

Marin let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and finally—finally—his feet moved again. Not the nervous bounce from before, but a firm step forward. Grounded. Present.

He looked at Ethan for a long second, eyes unreadable behind the scarf. Then, without warning—

Smack.

His hand landed against his own cheek in a loud, self-inflicted slap that made Raine jump and Julia whip around.

"…What the hell, Marin?" Julia muttered, blinking.

But Marin didn't answer her.

He looked straight at Ethan. The corners of his eyes crinkled just slightly above the cloth. "Thanks," he said. "Really."

Then he turned to the rest of the squad. His voice was clearer now. "Alright. No more bitching. Ethan's right."

He glanced toward the gate.

"We've trained for this. And if we trip, we get up. Simple as that."

Kaela snorted under her breath, barely audible, but she was nodding. Raine gave a small, almost reluctant smile, tucking her crystals back into her belt pouch and rising to her full height.

Even Deacon—quiet, often forgettable Deacon—straightened beside them, his hand tightening over the hilt of his shortblade.

There was no fiery cheer. No rallying war cry.

But that didn't matter.

Because something had steadied.

And beneath the eyes of the Federation scouts, the fear didn't own them anymore.

They remembered.

They all remembered.

Ethan Hartley—the boy who hadn't even ranked in the top 2000 when the semester began. The one who had no elemental affinity in the first month. The one who showed up late to group matches because of extra remedial sessions and was paired with cast-offs no one wanted.

He'd been behind all of them once.

And now?

Now he stood at their side, second-in-command, lightning spear at his back, calm in his voice, and no one questioned why.

He must have felt what they did—worse, even.

But had he whined?

Had he frozen like Kaela, or spiraled like Raine, or cracked jokes like Marin to hide it?

He hadn't.

He'd gotten stronger.

Quietly.

And maybe… maybe that's what they needed to do too.

****

They began to walk.

Boots hitting stone. Step by step, five shadows cast forward toward the shimmer of the gate. No hesitation now. No faltering. Just motion—measured, ready.

Ethan walked just behind Julia, his spear strap snug across his back, gauntlet humming faintly with residual psions. The others flanked close—Raine adjusting her wristbands, Kaela scanning their surroundings, Marin flicking his fingers like he was already warming up for the first strike.

And then—

SMACK.

A sharp, sudden smack landed clean across Ethan's shoulder.

He winced, stumbling half a step forward. "Ow—again?"

He turned to look at her, frowning. "What was that for?"

Julia didn't stop walking. She just tilted her head, smile playing at the corners of her lips. "No reason."

Ethan gave her a look. "Seriously?"

"What?" she asked, all innocent eyes and not-so-innocent amusement.

He opened his mouth to press further—but Julia beat him to it. She raised her hand, index finger pressing gently to her lips, mock-thoughtful.

"Shhh," she whispered with a grin. "You looked cool back there."