Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest novel Chapter 169

Chapter 169 38.1 - Second Period

[Astron Natusalune, Cadet Rank 2450, approved.]

WOOSH!

As the door opened after my identity was confirmed, I slowly stepped into the training rooms inside the academy.

"Sigh…."

I needed to remove those thoughts from my head while also testing my new weapon, and that was the reason why I was here.

"You act all cold and edgy because you don't have a family, do you?" The talk we had on the train was different from the past ones. I didn't know when it began, but strangely, I was comfortable when it came to talking with Irina, even though it was mostly bickering.

"You lost them, and now you're this lone wolf with a chip on his shoulder, observing everyone like you're some wise sage."

And the words that spilled from her mouth stung for some reason.

'She was right, though.'

Observing is a habit of mine. Watching other people, learning their weaknesses, and storing them in my head for future use.

This wasn't something bad; at least, I don't think it is. However, looking at the past and what I did, it is quite easy to say that I didn't behave well and acted like I knew everything.

I also acted edgy and cold towards other people, and I was rude.

'Some of them deserved it, but then some of them didn't.'

This was especially the case with Sylvie.

'Now that I felt how those words feel like, I guess I was being an asshole.'

Whether she needed to get stronger or confront her past…There were better ways to do that, but rather than doing those, I spoke what I had in mind without thinking how it would make the other party feel.

"Well….I can't change the past, and it is not like what I did was wrong."

Of course, being an asshole and speaking harshly doesn't necessarily mean it is something bad.

The other party may feel angry, but feelings are temporary, and nobody cares about how you feel. If it gets you to the results you want, then feeling bad is not important.

I could approach the topic a lot more gently, but it would take a lot more time and effort, which I didn't have. I couldn't invest such a large amount of time into that and went with the most optimal decision from my point of view.

"At least I won't hold this moral superiority from now on."

In the future, I might change the way I speak or the way I act, or I might not change it. At the very least, I am acknowledging what I did wrong, and this is the first step to improving.

"Anyway, enough with the useless thoughts."

Mumbling like that, I readied myself. Right now, what was important was to familiarize myself with my weapon and understand its capabilities.

Reaching out to the empty shooting range, I readied myself.

'I guess the cadets are all resting.'

This was a common occurrence. Since the mid-terms had just ended and the cadets came from their break, nobody was here training, and I was here all alone.

[Which stage you wish to set?]

"Stage 3."

[Understood.]

The stages for shooting range were not much different from combat training rooms. It was just that the targets wouldn't attack you, and you could solely focus on your skills.

[3.]

I instinctively knew how to use the weapon in my head. Just like how it felt to draw different colors of my mana, the process was similar.

[2.]

'I should thank Senior Maya when I have a chance.'

It was largely because of her that I was able to learn how to control my mana precisely.

[1.]

'Let's start.'

As I drew my green mana and supplied it to my weapon, the rifle manifested in my hand, an ethereal creation with intricate designs glowing softly. Just as I had seen in my head, the design was the same.

It didn't seem like a normal modern rifle that shot bullets but rather a fantasy weapon with a futuristic design. [The training starts.]

With the voice of the training room voice assistant, the dummy targets appeared on the shooting range one by one.

WR!

A low hum resonated as I channeled mana through the rifle. Orbs of condensed energy danced on its surface.

'Deep breath.'

Relaxing myself, I focused on the feeling of the weapon. The mana I had channeled was like an extension of my energy, and now I was feeling how it felt to condense it on the tip.

'Aim.'

The energized bullets formed a vortex at the rifle's muzzle as my eyes observed the movements of the dummies.

'Certainly, the increase in my stats is evident.'

I was able to feel the movements of the targets a lot better than before, thanks to the increase in my intuition parameter.

SWOOSH!

Countdown reaching '1', I squeezed the trigger.

Energy erupted, bullets speeding toward holographic targets.

PAT! PAT! PAT!

Each shot found its mark, the targets shattering one by one.

'The power is a lot more than before.'

This change in the power output was something that was incomparable to the previous times.

'I knew the Moonstone would help.'

Just as I had expected and speculated before, my power output was limited because of the medium I had been using. And, now that it was Moonstone, the power of the moon was flowing a lot more swiftly than before.

'I need to experiment with the power a lot more, but I don't think it will fall short against the rank-4 or maybe rank-5 awakened.'

It was very hard to measure the limits of my new power in this short amount of time, but I was not in a hurry in any case.'

SWOOSH! TAP!

But, aside from the power output, there was one other important thing.

'The characteristic of the green-colored mana is still preserved.'

Just like before, whenever the condensed energy of green-mana hit the enemy, it left a trail. A small thread that connected me to the target that was shot revealed the target's location and guided a possible trajectory.

'This will come in handy.'

As the last target vanished, I lowered the rifle, a mix of satisfaction and concentration on my face. The hum faded, and the weapon returned to its dormant state.

"Sufficient," I muttered, recognizing the successful integration of the rifle's capabilities. The exploration didn't meet its end, but there were many things I needed to check more.

"Change the formation."

I called the voice assistant.

[Which form do you wish to set?]

"Unmoving."

[Understood.]

The shooting range shifted, adapting to my new command. This time, the targets weren't going to stand still. I drew out the green mana within the weapon, this time channeling blue-colored mana to initiate the transformation. The ethereal rifle morphed seamlessly into a dazzling longbow, bathed in a vibrant, fiery blue hue as if ignited by celestial flames.

'It is pretty shiny.'