Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest novel Chapter 879

TAP! TAP! TAP!

Ethan moved. Fast. His body cut through the battlefield like a blade, Lilia’s form drawing closer with every second.

She was already adjusting, repositioning atop the ruined structure, bowstring pulled back—but something was off.

Her aim wasn’t on him.

It was on Sylvie.

Ethan’s eyes narrowed.

’So she realized it too.’

Lilia wasn’t just a sniper—she was an intelligent one. She had figured it out. Sylvie was the problem.

She was the reason Ethan was still in the fight.

And now Lilia was about to take her out.

Ethan gritted his teeth.

’Not happening.’

His feet pushed harder against the ground, the distance between him and Lilia closing in an instant—

Then—

A figure appeared between them.

CLANG!

Sparks flew as a sword blocked his spear mid-thrust.

Ethan’s momentum stopped abruptly, his eyes flicking toward the new obstacle in his path.

A girl stood before him, blade raised, feet planted firmly. She had been waiting for him.

And she was smiling.

"Oh… Who would have thought I’d be against Ethan Hartley?" she mused, tilting her head slightly. "But I guess I can’t complain with this team."

Her voice was casual, almost amused—like she wasn’t standing in front of one of the highest-ranked combatants in their year.

Ethan’s mind worked fast.

Jasmine.

That was her name.

He had seen her before. She was always near Sylvie. A swordsman, quick-footed, capable—but not someone he had considered a major threat.

Not until now.

She shifted her stance, blade gleaming with a faint trace of mana.

Ethan didn’t hesitate.

No mercy.

TAP!

He exploded forward.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Eight moves.

That was all it took.

Ethan outpaced her instantly, weaving through her defenses like they barely existed.

She parried once. Twice.

But by the third strike—she was too slow.

By the fourth—her footwork was broken.

By the fifth—her guard was open.

By the sixth—her sword was forced wide.

By the seventh—his spear was already in position.

By the eighth—she was down.

THUD!

Jasmine collapsed onto the ground, her blade knocked from her grasp, her breath heavy as she stared up at him.

Ethan didn’t give her a second glance.

His eyes were already locked back onto Lilia.

And he moved again.

THUD!

Jasmine hit the ground, her sword slipping from her grasp as she exhaled sharply.

She wasn’t hurt—Ethan hadn’t needed to go that far. But she was defeated.

Still, she smiled.

"Lasting eight moves against Ethan Hartley…" she muttered between breaths, eyes flickering with something like amusement. "Not bad…"

Ethan barely registered her words.

His gaze had already snapped back to Lilia.

And the moment he did—

His stomach dropped.

She had recovered.

The eight moves he had spent on Jasmine… had given her time.

Lilia’s bow was already raised, another arrow nocked, her mana rippling around it. The last one was strong—but this one?

It was worse.

SWOOSH!

Ethan moved. Fast.

His entire body reacted before his mind could even process it—his instincts screaming at him to dodge. He barely twisted his torso, feeling the arrow brush past his ribs, the sheer force of the mana surrounding it cutting through the air like a blade.

He narrowly avoided it.

Or so he thought.

—Wait.

Something was wrong.

His eyes barely caught the shift—the arrow bent.

It changed trajectory mid-flight.

’That’s not possible.’

But it didn’t matter if it was possible or not—it was happening.

Before he could fully grasp the reality of what was unfolding, the arrow struck.

THUD!

A sharp pressure slammed into his side, a force that shouldn’t have been there. His breath left him instantly, body recoiling from the impact. It wasn’t pain—it was pure displacement.

His surroundings blurred.

The battlefield—the sound of distant clashes—everything faded.

The next thing he knew—

Darkness.

The simulation had ended.

He was out.

His mind reeled, but his body remained frozen. The system had declared his loss, cutting him off from the battlefield. It was over.

His team had been eliminated.

They had lost.

Ethan stared blankly at the darkened screen in front of him, his heart hammering against his chest.

’I… messed up.’

He could feel it—the weight of failure settling over him like an unwelcome burden.

Sylvie had already been taken out. The moment he lost track of her aura, he should have known—should have realized.

Jasmine had slowed him down. He had wasted just enough time for Lilia to recover, and that had sealed their fate.

He had been outplayed.

Ethan let out a slow breath, forcing himself to push past the frustration clawing at his chest.

No excuses.

He just wasn’t good enough.

Not this time.

*****

Sylvie’s heart pounded in her chest, her breath steady but quick as the simulated battlefield flickered into existence around them. The digital skyline loomed over them, and the weight of mana woven into the very fabric of the simulation hummed beneath her feet.