Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest novel Chapter 990

Julia slowed her steps slightly, glancing over her shoulder at the pair just behind. "What even is luck, anyway?"

Irina blinked, caught off guard. "What?"

"Come on," Julia said, waving a hand vaguely toward Astron. "He pulls answers out of thin air, survives sparring matches that should've knocked him flat, and nails the hardest exam questions like it's a casual walk through the woods—and then calls it 'luck.' So what is it?"

Irina just shrugged, her smirk returning. "Nothing."

Julia narrowed her eyes. "Come on. Say it."

Irina turned forward, casual and composed. "No."

"Say it."

"I said no."

"Tch," Julia scoffed, folding her arms again. "Coward."

"I call it wisdom," Irina replied smoothly.

Lucas glanced between them. "You two gonna duel again right here on the stairs or…?"

"Don't tempt her," Ethan said, eyeing Julia warily.

She shot him a quick grin. "Relax. I don't have the energy. Yet."

The group continued descending the courtyard steps, the day finally cooling with the approaching dusk. The sunlight stretched long across the stone, painting the walls in pale gold and sleepy orange.

"So," Lilia said, breaking the lull, "now that theoreticals are over… what's the plan for the rest of today?"

"Crying," Julia offered.

Lucas raised a hand. "I second that."

"Seriously," Lilia said, ignoring them. "Practical exams start tomorrow. Should we rest up? Or hit the training room for a final warm-up?"

Carl, ever steady, spoke up from the back. "Rest is valuable. Fatigue accumulates."

Irina nodded slightly. "He's right. We've been going hard since the second week started. Burnout's real."

Ethan rubbed the back of his neck. "I was thinking of hitting the training hall for a bit. Not too hard. Just enough to keep the rhythm."

"Of course you were," Julia muttered, nudging him. "Because you're physically incapable of stopping."

Astron spoke then—quiet, but audible. "I'll go with him."

Ethan glanced at him, surprised—but nodded. "Yeah. Sure."

The moment Astron's calm voice floated through the group, several pairs of eyes turned his way.

Julia narrowed hers. Lilia raised a brow. Even Lucas, who had been halfway through stretching dramatically, paused mid-motion and looked between the two of them.

"…Of course," Julia muttered under her breath. "Of course you'd go too."

Ethan scratched the back of his head, half-apologetic. "It's just to keep the edge. Not going all-out."

Astron said nothing else. He didn't need to.

The group exchanged a few more glances, but none of them voiced what they were really thinking.

Because this wasn't new.

This was typical.

Ethan and Astron were training maniacs in their own ways—one out of self-discipline and the ever-present need to grow stronger, and the other out of… something else. Something colder, deeper, and harder to define.

Irina didn't say a word. She looked at Astron for a long moment, reading him the way only she could. But there was no flare of disapproval in her expression. Only the faintest breath of understanding.

"He's just being himself," she thought.

"Alright," Lilia said with a small sigh, lifting her hands in mock surrender. "Just don't push yourselves too hard. Or worse—start sparring each other again and forget to stop."

"No promises," Ethan said with a faint grin.

Lucas laughed. "At this point, I wouldn't even be surprised if you two study by fighting each other."

"Oh…" Lucas was still grinning when Ethan suddenly tilted his head, genuinely intrigued.

"Wait." Ethan's eyebrows lifted. "That could actually work."

He looked toward Astron, something sparking in his eyes. "If we paired off and went through the theoretical topics while sparring—like, you know, pressure-based recall—we could condition our reflexes and our retention."

Lilia groaned. "No. Absolutely not. Stop."

Julia made a choking sound. "Ethan. No."

But Ethan had already turned to Astron, fully considering it now. "What do you think?"

Astron paused.

He didn't answer right away. His eyes flicked from Ethan to Lucas—and then slowly narrowed.

Just slightly.

Lucas raised both hands innocently. "Hey, I was joking."

Astron's expression didn't change much… but it did change. The faintest crease at the brow. A thin glint in his eyes.