Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest novel Chapter 846

Astron remained silent for a moment before finally responding, his tone as dull as ever. "We’re not talking about our own abilities," he stated flatly. "This is just a randomly assigned profile, remember?"

Lucas blinked, before letting out a small chuckle. He caught that fast. Most students simply treated the exercise as a way to compare real strengths and weaknesses, but Astron had immediately pointed out the intended nature of the lesson. It wasn’t about themselves—it was about assessing a theoretical profile.

Without missing a beat, Astron continued. "But if we’re following the assigned profile…" His violet eyes flickered to the tablet again, scanning over the statistics before speaking. "This individual has a strong affinity for combat adaptability and physical reinforcement but lacks a refined mana signature. That means his reinforcement ability likely prioritizes raw strength over efficiency. If that’s the case, artifacts that optimize mana flow would be beneficial. A mana circuit optimizer or an attunement glyph would reduce energy loss during reinforcement."

Lucas watched him closely, his smile unfaltering, but inside, he was quietly impressed. Huh… not bad. Even though this wasn’t a particularly difficult exercise, Astron’s ability to assess and pinpoint optimizations with precision stood out. Unlike other students who might have just thrown out generic suggestions, Astron had considered the logical next steps, showing a surprising level of insight.

Lucas let out a laugh and waved his hand playfully. "Well, if that were really me, then yeah, I’d definitely pick those up. Wouldn’t want to be inefficient, after all." He winked before leaning back again, as if he was completely at ease.

But his mind wasn’t at ease at all.

He was thinking.

About the timeline.

Astron wasn’t supposed to be here. He was supposed to die in the final exams after becoming a demon contractor. That was the sequence of events Lucas had seen in his visions. That was the truth that was supposed to unfold.

Yet, it hadn’t happened.

Not only had Astron avoided his fate, but the entire attack during the final exams had somehow been exposed and prevented.

That wasn’t something that could just… happen. Not naturally.

Maybe someone else notified this guy?

Lucas frowned inwardly. The butterfly effect was real, yes—but this wasn’t just a minor ripple in fate. The villain organization, Vanguard, had been planning that attack with precision. The Demon Contractors had moved carefully, ensuring their infiltration was undetected.

Yet, someone had managed to predict the attack. Someone had changed the course of events.

Someone else saw the future.

Lucas was sure of it.

But there was no one in the academy—no one even remotely connected to Astron—who could fit that role. He had checked, investigated, turned over every stone in the break period. The results weren’t bright. Astron’s history was clean. Just an orphan, adopted by a hunter named Garrett, admitted to the academy likely through connections. Nothing about him screamed ’chosen by fate’ or ’harbinger of change.’

Yet, Lucas couldn’t deny it—Astron was one of the most changed variables. If there was someone who had interfered with the timeline, they must have influenced Astron in some way.

That was why Lucas had been keeping an eye on him. Searching for clues.

Could it be him?

It was possible. But at the same time, the change was too drastic.

Lucas sighed internally. The more he thought about it, the more complicated things became.

Even if Astron had somehow seen the future, it didn’t explain the stark difference between the person in his visions and the one sitting before him now. The Astron of the vision was weak—far too weak. It was precisely because of his lack of talent that he had been driven to desperation, to the point where he had chosen to become a demon contractor.

But the Astron before Lucas?

He was different. Stronger. More composed. Even his presence was subtly different, no longer the easily ignorable, quiet student he once was. It didn’t make sense.

Maybe a regression? Lucas considered, his fingers absentmindedly tapping against the edge of the desk. But even that theory didn’t fully hold up. If Astron had regressed, shouldn’t there be signs? Awareness of events that had yet to come, an unnatural level of skill, something to indicate that he was trying to change his own fate?

But there was nothing.

No clear-cut signs, no obvious advantages that a regressor should have.

Then what the hell is it?

Lucas hated uncertainties. He had spent two months thinking, investigating, searching for clues—and Astron remained an enigma.

But there was no point in overthinking if he wasn’t getting anywhere. He needed to start somewhere, even if it was just through conversation.