Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest novel Chapter 942

Chapter 942 216.2 - Overachievers

Ethan rose from his seat at the back of the classroom, sliding his tablet into his bag with practiced ease. The ache in his ribs had dulled into a throb, but the weight on his mind hadn't lessened since the night of the ambush—or the hearing. freeweɓnøvel.com

His eyes drifted across the room, landing on Astron, who stood with his usual quiet composure, adjusting the strap of his bag while scanning the final glyphs on his tablet one last time.

Ethan made his way toward him, weaving between desks and half-formed clusters of students still caught in casual conversation. When he reached Astron's side, he didn't waste time.

"Let's go."

The words were spoken quietly, but directly.

Astron looked up from his screen and gave a faint nod before turning, falling into step beside him without question.

Today was Eleanor's training day. That meant field coordination, team formations, and high-intensity drills. The kind of session where mistakes were punished with bruises or worse—and Ethan knew better than to show up late or unprepared.

But more than the physical regimen, he wanted to talk.

Not just about strategy.

About what happened.

They walked together down the hallway, the hum of voices behind them fading into the background. For a while, the silence between them was typical—quiet, but not uncomfortable.

But Ethan broke it.

"Are you aware of what happened?"

Astron didn't stop walking, but he turned his head slightly, his sharp eyes flicking toward Ethan with that usual unreadable expression. His tone, when he responded, was calm—almost clinical.

"Are you talking about how you got baited and lost to your emotions?"

Ethan winced internally, even though he'd expected nothing less. Astron never sugarcoated things. He didn't offer sympathy—just observations, blunt and precise.

Of course, he would phrase it like that.

Ethan rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah," he muttered. "That."

They rounded a corner, the halls quiet now except for the steady rhythm of their footsteps. Astron didn't offer follow-up commentary right away, and Ethan glanced sideways at him.

"You knew, didn't you? That it was going to happen."

Astron finally stopped walking. He turned to face Ethan fully now, his expression neutral. "I suspected. You're easy to read when it comes to people you care about."

Ethan's jaw tightened, but he didn't respond.

Astron continued. "They were watching for a weakness. They found it in Jane. And they knew they could find the rest in you."

Ethan looked away, his shoulders tense. "I thought I could handle it. I didn't think I'd… fall for it like that."

Astron's voice remained steady. "You're not weak, Ethan. You're just human."

Then, in that way only Astron could manage—half-critical, half-genuine—he added, "Though admittedly, it was quite a performance. If you had just waited three more seconds before snapping, it might have been salvageable."

Ethan scoffed, shaking his head with a short laugh. "Thanks for the encouragement."

Ethan's pace slowed slightly as Astron's words sank in, the sting of their blunt honesty softened by the fact that they were, as always, true. Astron didn't deal in comfort. He dealt in precision.

Ethan let the silence stretch for a few moments before speaking again, quieter this time.

"What could I have done differently?"

Astron didn't answer immediately. His steps remained measured, but his gaze grew more focused, more analytical—as if mentally reconstructing the entire confrontation. His voice, when it came, was calm.

"You had four sophomores surrounding you. That alone should have raised alarms. Then they activated a sound barrier to isolate you. That's not a conversation. That's a trap."

Ethan frowned. "I thought it was just a confrontation. They said they wanted to talk."

"They lied," Astron replied without hesitation. "And you believed them. That's the problem."

Ethan looked away, jaw tight. "So… what would you have done? If the same happened about Irina?"

Astron stopped again.

This time, there was a pause—not because he was thinking, but because something shifted behind his eyes. The hallway lights caught his profile as he turned, and for a moment, Ethan saw something different in his expression.

It wasn't coldness.