Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest novel Chapter 857

"That is the girl you need to bring down."

The voice inside her spoke.

Her eyes lingered on Irina for a moment longer than necessary before she tore her gaze away, a faint clench in her jaw betraying the irritation simmering beneath her composed exterior. She had more important things to concern herself with.

Yet, before she could take another step, a voice called out from the crowd.

"Maya!"

A fellow sophomore, a girl named Elaine, weaved her way through the bustling cadets to reach her. Elaine was friendly, competent, and someone Maya had worked with on multiple occasions. Normally, she wouldn’t mind the company, but right now…

Elaine grinned, oblivious to the storm quietly brewing within Maya. "We’re heading to the lounge for a bit. Want to come with us?"

Maya hesitated.

A few months ago, she wouldn’t have thought twice about agreeing. Spending time with her classmates, strengthening relationships, maintaining a presence—that was the natural order of things.

But right now, her mind was elsewhere. The irritation from earlier still clung to her like an unwanted presence, the words she had overheard, the pictures she had seen—they refused to leave her thoughts.

Not to mention the faint whispers of her other self, lurking at the edges of her consciousness.

"Look at her."

"Standing there so confidently, so sure of herself."

"And you? You’re here. Wasting time."

Maya’s fingers curled slightly at her sides, her nails pressing faintly into her palms.

She didn’t have the patience for this today.

"I’ll pass," she said, her voice perfectly polite but carrying no room for argument.

Elaine blinked, clearly surprised. "Oh. Are you busy?"

Maya simply nodded. "Something I need to take care of."

Elaine didn’t push further, sensing the finality in Maya’s tone. "Alright, maybe next time." With that, she turned back to join the others, her excitement unbothered.

Maya exhaled slowly.

She needed to cool her head down.

******

The crisp evening air greeted Maya as she stepped onto the academy’s expansive training grounds. The echoes of sparring cadets filled the space, the clashing of weapons and the occasional burst of mana-infused techniques blending into the rhythmic hum of combat.

She barely spared the others a glance as she moved with purpose, her path set toward the Elemental Chamber—her usual refuge.

"You should be doing something."

Her other self’s voice slithered into her thoughts, smooth yet laced with impatience.

Maya exhaled sharply through her nose, her pace unwavering. "I am."

"No, you’re distracting yourself. Again." The voice scoffed. "You saw her. You heard them. Irina Emberheart stands there like she’s untouchable, and you’re here, avoiding the inevitable."

Maya’s jaw tightened, but she didn’t deny it.

She had seen Irina’s confidence—how she carried herself, how she seemed utterly unbothered by anything. Even after everything that had happened, after the rumors, after the whispers, Irina moved as though she was always in control.

That fact grated against Maya more than she was willing to admit.

And her other self knew it.

"You don’t have the luxury of waiting anymore," the voice pressed, its tone sharper now. "I told you—she’s the one standing in your way. If you don’t move first, she’ll take everything from you."

Maya’s fingers twitched at her sides. She knew that.

But things had been moving too fast. She had barely had the time to think about how to act, how to strike properly.

Too much had happened—her realization about her other self, the confrontation with Irina at the infirmary, the storm of emotions that had been suffocating her since. And through it all, Astron’s presence remained at the center.

She couldn’t deny that he was a part of this equation.

Irina wasn’t just standing tall on her own—she was standing beside him.

And that…

That bothered her.

"You agree with me, don’t you?" her other self whispered, softer now, coaxing. "You know I’m right. You know what you need to do. So why aren’t you acting?"