Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest novel Chapter 72

Chapter 72 Chapter 18.1 - Small but not small help

"Yo… Mister Playboy…" When Ethan reentered the room after his conversation with the girl named Emily, his two friends, Lucas and Julia, welcomed him with grins that held a hint of mischief.

Rolling his eyes at their predictable antics, he braced himself for the upcoming teasing session. It wasn't the first time they had jumped at the chance to rib him about anything remotely related to romance or relationships.

"How was your little chat with the mysterious girl?" Julia's tone dripped with sweetness, but her twinkling eyes betrayed her true intentions.

Ethan let out an exasperated sigh, deciding to humor them. "Just a conversation, you guys. Nothing to write home about."

Lucas arched an eyebrow, his grin widening. "Oh, come on, Ethan. 'Just a conversation'? You've never been one to strike up random conversations with strangers, especially not attractive ones like her."

Running a hand through his hair, Ethan felt his cheeks warm under their playful gazes. "Well, she needed to discuss something with me. Not a big deal."

Julia's smirk turned into a knowing one. "Something, huh? Care to share?"

Shaking his head, Ethan refused to give them more ammunition. "I hate to break it to you, but there's really nothing juicy to spill."

Hearing this, the smile on Lucas' face widened. "It seems our Ethan finally managed to break free from that little edgy guy?"

"Tch….How much am I going to tell you that it is not like that?" Seeing that the point was once again turning into that, Ethan clicked his tongue. These two twins were talented at making everything into a joke.

"Ho? So, how is it like that, then? Whenever I see you, I feel like you are talking about him?"

"It is just how you feel."

"Yes, yes." Lounging back in his chair, Lucas let out an exaggerated sigh. "And here I thought our Ethan was finally stepping out of his hermit shell. Talking to mysterious girls—next thing you know, you'll be exchanging love letters."

Ethan shot him a mock glare, amusement slowly overtaking his embarrassment. "You guys are relentless."

Julia shrugged nonchalantly, her smirk unrepentant. "Just making sure our friend's social life gets some action."

"You make it sound like I am not talking with anyone?"

"But, you aren't right? Aside from us, whom are you talking with?"

When Ethan heard about this, he started thinking about his life in the academy. When it looked at this aspect, they were right. Ethan was someone who didn't spend time with others aside from his friend circle.

"But, is that even a bad thing?"? He asked in response. He was no stupid guy, and he knew that if not for his surname, he would get rough treatment from everyone around him thanks to his rank.

"Well…..It is not that bad, but you should really meet someone, you know." Julia answered. It was true that having low amounts of friends was not that bad, but she also wanted Ethan to explore the life of youngsters like her.

"Look at me….For example, I am meeting with someone."

"HA! Who are you meeting with?"

"None of your business."

"Tch. Of course, it is my business; I am your brother."

"So?"

"At least, tell me. I am curious."

"No."

"Sigh….."

While those two were bickering amongst themselves, Ethan's thoughts turned to what he should do about Emily's offer.

He had no reason to accept such an offer out of nowhere, but part of him was feeling pitiful after seeing Emily's appearance. As Ethan could see, it was obvious that Emily's family was having a hard time, as she explained, and he wanted to help her.

"Hey, guys. Do you know about Emily's Family?" Ethan asked, diverting the conversation to a different topic.

Lucas waggled his eyebrows playfully. "Oh, is this another one of your 'casual conversations'?"

Ethan sighed, used to their teasing by now. "Just answer the question."

Julia leaned forward, her tone faux-serious. "Well, well. Our Ethan, showing interest in someone's family matters? I'm shocked."

Rolling his eyes, Ethan ignored their antics. "Come on, just tell me if you know anything."

Lucas leaned back, putting on an exaggerated thinking expression. "Hmmm, let me think… Nope, don't know anything."

Julia nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Ethan. We're just your friends, not your personal investigators."

Ethan shot them a mock glare. "You two are impossible."

Lucas chuckled. "Alright, alright. Fine, we do know a bit. Emily's family is in a bit of a tough spot, financially speaking."

Julia nodded. "Yeah, she doesn't talk about it much, but she's been trying to find ways to help out."

Ethan frowned. "What do you mean, find ways to help out?"

Julia shrugged. "I've heard that she spends most of her weekends outside of the academy. Apparently, she's been exploring dungeons to make some extra money."

Ethan's eyebrows shot up. "Exploring dungeons? That's risky business for a cadet, no?"

Lucas nodded. "Yeah, but from what I've gathered, she's pretty skilled. She's been doing it for a while, I think."

Looking at it like that, it seems what Emily said was not a lie. Of course, Ethan wanted to believe her, but in the end, he also needed to confirm those things.

"Then it makes sense."

"What makes sense?"

"Nothing."

Just like that, Ethan's investigation concluded as his judgment on the matter. Just like a hero would do, he immediately judged that he should help a person in need….

*****

"I wish to use the PhantomGlide Dummy," I declared, standing in the midst of the academy's training grounds. My gaze was focused on a particular area, which was fairly empty at this hour of the day.

The academy personnel, a trainer overseeing the training activities, raised an eyebrow at my request. "Are you certain about that?"

My answer left no room for doubt. "Yes. I want to use my remaining ticket for it."