Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest novel Chapter 886

"She even used [Cleansing]."

The reaction was immediate.

Both Irina and Julia’s eyebrows rose in unison, but Julia was the first to speak.

"Wait, what?"

Irina remained silent, her smirk fading into something more thoughtful.

Julia, on the other hand, looked genuinely surprised. "She really used [Cleansing]? Not just a partial purification, but an actual full state removal?"

"Yep," Ethan confirmed, crossing his arms. "She got rid of Carl’s [Gravity Command] like it was nothing. I was getting pulled straight into his range, and the next second? Gone. I could move again."

Julia let out a low whistle. "Hah. That’s… kind of insane, actually." She turned to Irina, her expression shifting slightly. "You knew she could do that?"

Irina’s smirk returned, but this time, there was a glint in her eyes that hadn’t been there before. "I had my suspicions."

Lilia didn’t react outwardly, but inwardly, her mind was still working.

’[Cleansing].’

That was an advanced ability. Not just something any healer could use—it required not just mana efficiency, but precise control over the nature of magical interference.

Ethan exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I was surprised too, to be honest. Even though we still lost, if not for Sylvie, we wouldn’t have had a chance at all."

Irina hummed at that, her golden eyes glinting with thought. "So you do get it."

Ethan scoffed lightly. "I’m not that dense."

Carl, who had remained silent through most of the conversation, finally spoke.

"Your plan was crude."

Ethan turned toward him, blinking. "Well, yeah… That’s right." He let out a dry chuckle, not bothering to argue. "Not exactly my best work."

Carl simply nodded, his tone flat. "You focused too much on speed and adaptation, but you didn’t account for control. You had no defined role allocation, and your fallback was reactive rather than structured."

Ethan crossed his arms, processing that. He wasn’t offended—it was just… true.

Carl was from a military family. The Bravehearts had served in high-level strategic operations for years, with his brother and father both actively deployed. Ethan had heard before that Carl himself participated in missions occasionally—though his rank wasn’t particularly high, the experience alone put him on another level when it came to structured combat.

Carl continued, his tone as unreadable as ever. "You relied too much on your brute force."

Ethan let that sink in.

He wasn’t wrong.

Carl had controlled the pace of the battle. Lilia had dictated the pressure. Ethan had reacted rather than dictated anything himself.

He frowned slightly, but not in frustration—just thought.

"Yeah," Ethan admitted, "I see what you mean."

Carl gave a short nod, as if that was the only response he had expected.

Irina smirked at the exchange but didn’t interject. Julia, on the other hand, looked vaguely amused. "Man, Carl’s the last person I’d expect to give actual feedback."

Carl didn’t even glance at her. "It’s basic strategy."

Julia rolled her eyes. "Right. Basic strategy from someone who’s basically half-military."

Carl didn’t deny it.

Ethan tapped his fingers against his arm, still letting the conversation sit in his mind.

Yeah. His approach had been too crude. He had treated the match like a combat test, when really, it was structured like a tactical mission.

And he had lost because of it.

He exhaled, shaking his head slightly. "Alright. Noted."

Carl simply nodded again, and the conversation settled into a brief silence.

Irina, still watching Ethan with a sharp gaze, finally spoke. "So? You gonna keep relying on your instincts, or are you actually gonna start thinking when you fight?"

Ethan smirked, shaking his head. "You’re enjoying this too much."

Irina just grinned. "A little."

Julia stretched her arms above her head, groaning. "Alright, enough battle analysis. I’m starving. Let’s go eat."

Ethan, still mulling over Carl’s critique, looked up and glanced around. "Where’s Lucas? Are we not waiting for him?"

The moment the words left his mouth, he felt a shift in the air.

Irina’s golden eyes sharpened as she snapped her gaze toward him, her entire posture stiffening. "That bastard won’t be showing his face for a while."

Ethan blinked. "…Okay. That sounded personal."

Julia, who had perked up at the change in conversation, smirked as she practically vibrated with excitement. "Oh, it is. And trust me, it’s hilarious."

Lilia, who had been silent up until now, glanced at Irina with a raised eyebrow. "I take it something happened."

"Oh, something definitely happened," Julia confirmed, already practically bouncing as she grabbed her things. "Come on, let’s talk about this over food. I promise you, it’s worth hearing."

Ethan, now very intrigued, glanced at Irina again. She looked genuinely irritated, which was a rare sight. Usually, Irina had a controlled kind of frustration—this, though? This was different.