Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest novel Chapter 714

Chapter 714 161.3 - Market

Irina stared at the receipts in her hands, her hazel eyes growing wider with every passing second. Her gaze darted between the numbers again and again, as if hoping they would magically rearrange themselves into something that made sense.

200 Valer.

300 Valer.

No charge.

Her jaw dropped. She raised her hand, pointing at Astron with a trembling finger, her mind spinning in disbelief. "How!" she exclaimed, her voice tinged with equal parts outrage and confusion. "How did you do this?!"

Astron's gray eyes met hers, calm and unbothered as always, "I told you," he said simply, his tone maddeningly composed. "I observed."

Irina gawked at him, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. 'Observed? That's it? Just observed? He didn't use mana, didn't pull out some hidden skill. He didn't even haggle the normal way!!

She threw up her hands, her receipts fluttering to the ground as she began pacing in small, frustrated circles. "This doesn't make any sense! The scarf-200 Valer?! That vendor practically begged me to take it for 2000! And the carrings-300?! I spent 6000, and I thought I was being clever!" She stopped abruptly, spinning to face him. "And the pendant! Free?!

Astron watched her tirade with an unreadable expression, his hands tucked casually into his pockets. "You're overthinking this," he said, his voice steady. "I pointed out flaws in their products and leveraged their circumstances. That's all."

"That's not all!" Irina shot back, jabbing a finger at him. "You didn't just point things out-you made them fold like wet parchment! That's not normal!"

Astron tilted his head slightly, the faintest hint of amusement flickering in his eyes.

"What's abnormal about it?"

Irina's eyes narrowed, her frustration bubbling over. "Everything! You didn't even raise your voice. You didn't argue, or charm them, or-I don't know-bribe them! They just... caved! It's like you hypnotized them without even trying."

He raised an eyebrow. "Would you prefer if I had?"

She groaned, throwing her head back in exasperation. "Astron, I'm being serious!"

"And I'm answering seriously," he replied, his tone infuriatingly even. "I observed their weaknesses, applied pressure where necessary, and allowed them to make a choice. Simple"

Irina glared at him, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. 'Simple? Simple?!

There's nothing simple about this! He makes it sound like some mundane chore, like sweeping the floor or folding laundry.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing thoughts. "Okay," she said finally, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Let's break this down. The scarf vendor-what did you say to get him to drop the price to 200?"

Astron shrugged slightly. "I pointed out the low-grade mana infusion and the lack of craftsmanship. He understood the value wasn't what he claimed."

Irina's eye twitched. "And the earrings?"

"I informed him of the actual material costs and the poor quality of the enchantment," Astron said, his tone as calm as ever. "I also mentioned a few... external factors that persuaded him to be more agreeable."

Irina threw up her hands. "External factors?! What does that even mean?"

".....

But as Astron didn't reply, Irina finally came into a thought!

'Wait.....'

She stood frozen, her hazel eyes narrowing as a realization struck her like a thunderclap. It wasn't just about Astron's ridiculous haggling victories. No, this was about her. About the truth that those vendors had likely known all along.

She clutched the receipts in her trembling hands, her mind replaying every moment of her supposed "triumphant" negotiations. The scarf vendor's hesitant smile, the jewelry seller's mock indignation, the pendant vendor's exaggerated explanations-it all clicked into place.

"Those shameless bastards,' she thought, her jaw tightening. "They were playing me the whole time!'

She could almost hear their smug inner voices now: Oh, look at her, thinking she's being clever. Let's humor her-she'll never know she's still overpaying by triple. Her hands clenched into fists, crumpling the paper. "Those... those scamming parasites!"

Astron raised an eyebrow at her outburst, but wisely kept silent.

Irina's face flushed as the humiliation settled in. All that effort, all that haggling and it was a lie. A performance, with her as the fool, dancing to their tune. She could practically feel their invisible laughter trailing after her as she walked away from each stall, proud of her "victories."

Her teeth ground together as she imagined the vendors chatting amongst themselves after she left: Did you see how she thought 2000 was a bargain? Hilarious. She was practically begging to be overcharged!

Her anger flared, hot and uncontrollable. "How dare they!" she hissed, her voice rising with each word. "How dare they scam me and pretend like they're doing me a favor?!"

Astron, still maddeningly composed, watched her with faint amusement. "You're taking this personally," he noted.

Irina rounded on him, her fists clenched at her sides. "Of course I'm taking this personally! I spent hours negotiating, thinking I was outsmarting them, and the whole time they were probably laughing behind my back! It's infuriating!"