Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest novel Chapter 884

The faint hum of mana still lingered in the air as Sylvie stepped into the locker room, the cool artificial lighting casting a soft glow against the sleek metallic walls. The locker room had been reserved specifically for the girls.

The simulation had ended. Their match was over.

And yet, the adrenaline hadn’t fully left Sylvie’s body.

She took a slow breath, flexing her fingers as if trying to dispel the lingering tension in her limbs. The mana she had burned through during the fight still left a faint ache behind, a reminder of just how much she had exerted herself.

Across the room, Layla sat on one of the benches, unstrapping her boots with a casual ease that suggested she wasn’t bothered by the outcome. The moment she noticed Sylvie walking toward her locker, she smirked.

"I think we did really good, considering the cards we were given," Layla said, her voice carrying an easy confidence as she pulled off one boot and set it aside.

Sylvie paused for a moment before nodding. "Yeah," she agreed. "We really did."

And she meant it.

They hadn’t won, but looking back, their performance had been solid. The odds had been ridiculously stacked against them—Carl’s sheer dominance, Lilia’s unrelenting precision, Jasmine’s unexpected interference. Despite that, they had lasted longer than they had any right to.

Layla stretched her arms over her head, letting out a satisfied sigh. "Seriously, though. That match-up was insane. I mean, Carl and Lilia? Who the hell put that together?"

Sylvie chuckled softly as she placed her bag in her locker. "Right? It felt so unbalanced."

Layla snorted. "More like straight-up unfair. But honestly, I think we held our ground better than expected."

Sylvie nodded, leaning against the cool metal of her locker. "Yeah. And I think I did pretty well too." She exhaled, glancing at her hands. "I stood my ground against Carl Braveheart."

Layla looked at her, eyebrows rising slightly before a wide grin stretched across her face. "You did!" she exclaimed, leaning forward. "And that’s not something just anyone can say. That guy’s a monster."

Sylvie chuckled, shaking her head. "He’s huge. Blocking his attacks felt like trying to stop a moving wall."

Layla let out a laugh before kicking off the rest of her gear, rolling her shoulders as she relaxed into the bench. "That’s because he is a wall." She smirked. "Actually, fun fact—I’m under the same mentor as him."

Sylvie blinked, surprised. "Wait, really?"

Layla nodded. "Yeah. Makes sense, doesn’t it? He’s a tank, I’m a tank. There aren’t many high-ranked tank mentors, so we ended up training under the same one."

Sylvie tilted her head slightly. "That does make sense."

Layla stretched her arms over her head before lowering them with a thoughtful hum. "Since I’ve trained under the same mentor, I’ve seen Carl fight up close more than once. And trust me—what we faced in that match? That wasn’t even him going all out."

Sylvie exhaled slowly. "I figured as much. Even when I was giving it everything, I could tell he wasn’t fully pushing himself."

Layla nodded, leaning forward slightly as she began explaining. "Carl’s not just big. He’s got an insane level of endurance. His physical durability is off the charts, and his mana reinforcement is absurd." She made a slight motion with her hand. "You saw how I tanked hits and held the line, right?"

Sylvie nodded. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

"Well, Carl does that ten times over." Layla scoffed. "I’ve seen him take direct mana-enhanced strikes from top-ranking cadets and barely flinch."

Sylvie frowned slightly, recalling their battle. "Yeah. I remember attacking him, but he barely reacted. Even when I tried to enhance my strikes, it was like… I wasn’t even making a dent."

Layla snorted. "Because you weren’t. His entire style is built around making it so nothing can move him. But the scariest part?" She smirked slightly, shaking her head. "It’s not his defense."

Sylvie looked at her questioningly. "It’s not?"

"Nope." Layla leaned back, her expression slightly more serious. "It’s his counterattacks."

Sylvie thought back to their fight, replaying moments in her mind. She had noticed that whenever Carl struck back, the force was overwhelming. It wasn’t just brute strength—it was calculated. Every move he made had weight behind it, and when he finally went on the offensive, it was devastating.

Layla continued, "Carl doesn’t waste energy attacking when he doesn’t have to. He absorbs hits, waits for the right opening, and then—bam." She clapped her hands together. "He strikes back with everything he’s been holding in reserve."

Sylvie exhaled, shaking her head in disbelief. "That’s terrifying."

Layla grinned. "Oh, it absolutely is. But hey—you held your own against that. Not many people can say that."

Sylvie smiled slightly, feeling a mix of pride and exhaustion settle in. "Yeah… I guess I did."

Just as Sylvie was beginning to fully process Layla’s words, the locker room door swung open with a soft click. Both girls instinctively turned toward the entrance, their conversation momentarily put on pause.

Jasmine strolled in first, her usual easygoing demeanor intact as she adjusted the collar of her academy-issued jacket. "Well, that was an absolute mess," she declared, running a hand through her hair. "I still can’t believe they threw us into that kind of match-up."

Behind her, a quieter presence followed. Lilia entered with her usual composed grace, her long green hair sleek and perfectly in place despite the high-intensity battle they had just come out of. Unlike Jasmine, whose expression was openly expressive, Lilia’s features remained neutral—calm, unreadable, yet undeniably sharp.

Layla smirked as she leaned back against the bench. "Speaking of overpowered opponents…"

Jasmine let out a laugh. "Yeah, yeah. I know you had to deal with Carl, but we had to deal with you and Ethan tearing through people."

Sylvie, however, wasn’t looking at Jasmine anymore.