Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest novel Chapter 379

Chapter 379 Chapter 88.2 - Final Exams

Irina stepped out of the restroom, her expression composed despite the whirlwind of thoughts in her mind. The air outside was crisp, a stark contrast to the tense atmosphere inside the classroom.

She scanned the hallway, her eyes landing on Astron, who was leaning against the wall, waiting for her.

'Well, I knew he would get the sign.'

He looked calm, as always, his demeanor unruffled by the exam they had just completed.

As she approached him, he straightened, meeting her gaze with an unreadable expression. Irina, ever the competitor, couldn't resist the urge to probe his performance, even though this wasn't the exam they had bet on.

"How did you do?" she asked, her tone casual but with a hint of curiosity.

Astron shrugged slightly, his eyes reflecting a calm confidence. "It went well enough," he replied. "And you?"

Irina narrowed her eyes, searching for any sign of uncertainty on his face. "I did fine," she said, her voice steady. "I just wanted to see if you were feeling the pressure yet."

Astron mumbled. "Pressure? From Dungeon Theory 1?" And then he looked into her eyes. "Hardly. But it's always interesting to see who's paying attention in class."

Her lips twitched into a smile, acknowledging his point. "You seem very sure of yourself," she noted, crossing her arms. "But we'll see how you handle the rest of the week."

"Indeed we will," Astron agreed, his tone light. "Though, I suppose the real test will be on Thursday."

"Introduction to Mana," Irina said, a glint of determination in her eyes. "The hardest one, and the one that I am going to crush you on."

Astron shook his head. "I wouldn't be so sure."

"If I am not sure, how can I show my best?"

"Interesting approach. Is this your way of trying to put pressure on me? Or do you want to soothe yourself by appearing strong before my eyes? Which one of these is true, I wonder."

The calm confidence in Astron's voice and the penetrating gaze he fixed on her made Irina shudder internally. It felt as though he could see through her, reading even the deepest parts of her thoughts. But she refused to let any sign of doubt show on her face. Instead, she met his eyes with a smirk.

"You think you've got me all figured out," she said, stepping closer to him. Her body leaned slightly forward, bringing her face closer to his. The proximity allowed her to catch a subtle whiff of his scent, something clean and faintly woodsy. She focused, not letting it distract her.

Lowering her voice to a whisper, she said in his ear, "If I put something into my mind, I can achieve it, no matter what."

With that, she pulled back and turned on her heel, leaving him with a lingering sense of her presence.

Her steps were quick and purposeful, her heart pounding not from fear but from the thrill of the challenge.

Yeah, because of the thrill of the challenge.

Surely.

However, for Astron, who was able to notice the redness in her ear, her words didn't mean anything.

********

The second half of the theoretical exams are oral exams. It is being conducted like an interview.

The students will sit in their halls, and once their name is called, they will enter the room in which they will perform their oral explanations.

In the game, it was shown as a cutscene, but the real world was, of course, different.

I walked into the room shown on my table.

Contrary to written exams, oral exams were to be conducted in random rooms. As for the reason why?

I have no idea.

Not that it is important anyway.

Entering the room for my oral exam, I immediately noticed that a few students were already waiting there.

I quickly scanned the room, checking for the familiar faces, which was zero.

There was a palpable tension in the air for the students, though, an extension of the written exam in the morning.

I made my way to an empty seat by the window in the third row.

The students in the room were talking quietly among themselves. I listened in, catching snippets of their conversations.

"I can't believe how tough that Dungeon Theory exam was," one student muttered, running a hand through their hair in frustration. "I thought I was prepared, but some of those questions were insane."

Another student nodded in agreement. "Yeah, especially that last question about the mana flow variations in different dungeon environments. I totally blanked out. If I don't nail this oral exam, I'm screwed."

I couldn't help but nod inwardly.

The exam questions had indeed been challenging, but I believed that those who had put in the effort could manage them.

The difficulty lay in the complexity of the calculations and the need to grasp a systematic approach to dungeon theory. In essence, the academy had already provided the methods to solve certain problems, and it was the student's job to implement those techniques to their own methods.

"It was tough but not impossible," a student with glasses interjected, drawing the attention of the students around him. He had a confident aura around him. "If you understood the core principles and how to apply them, it was doable. The key was to stay calm and think through the problems methodically."

It seemed he was one of those who figured out the method to get better grades from the academy. But, well, the academy has the oral exams for this reason.

And him acting like all-knowing made me think.

'I wonder if he is the first type or the second type.'

The first type was those who acted like this because they had already internalized the concept in their minds and could implement it with utmost proficiency. This type is the one that pushes any industry further and develops it.

The second type is those who act like this not because they internalize the concept but because of the problem-solving algorithm. This type can only shine in the academy and only knows how to copy from others. These are the ones that regulate the industry.

They got the methods from the first type and then implemented them in their works and repeatedly created things.

However, the second type has a weakness. They don't develop their creativity and are only bound to other's ideas. And when faced with situations that they have never seen before, they can not achieve anything.

CREAK!

Just at that moment, while I was thinking about this, someone entered the room, and all the eyes were drawn towards her. Considering her beauty and presence, it made sense.

Lilia, with her red eyes, looked around for a second and then noticed me. Seeing the smile appearing on her face, I knew what she was about to do.

"Sigh…"

"Why are you sighing?"

"You are drawing attention to me."

"Isn't that good?"

"It is not."

"Why?"