Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest-Chapter 943 - 216.3 - Overachievers

"Why should it be different?"

The question hit harder than expected-not sharp, but weighty. Astron didn't wait for an answer. He stepped closer, his voice low and unwavering.

"You may feel talented, Ethan. And you are. You work hard, and you believe that with enough effort, you can shape the world around your own rules."

His pale violet eyes locked with Ethan's, unblinking.

"But you should start to understand this by now: no matter how strong you become, no matter how righteous your intentions-there will come a time when you feel the limits of your ideals."

Ethan stood still, frozen in place as the words settled over him like slow-falling ash. "And when that moment comes," Astron continued, his tone quieter, colder, "it's not always you who pays the price."

He tilted his head slightly, just enough to shift the weight of his words.

"It's the ones closest to you who bleed for your convictions."

Ethan's throat tightened. He wanted to argue-wanted to say that wasn't how it had to be. That strength and principle weren't mutually exclusive. That justice could be clean, even if the world wasn't.

But he couldn't speak.

Because he knew what Astron was saying wasn't wrong.

He remembered Jane, her hands trembling.

He remembered the silence that followed the sound barrier.

He remembered how helpless he felt-even after he'd fought back.

Astron stepped back slightly, giving him space again.

"Remember that well," he said.

Then he turned, resuming his walk down the hallway as if nothing more needed to be said.

Ethan didn't move at first.

His heart still beat hard in his chest, and something within him stirred-something caught between resistance and understanding. Between the boy who wanted to protect people the right way...

...and the man the world might force him to become.

****

The door to the facility hissed open with a quiet thunk, releasing a wave of cool, artificial air. Ethan stepped through first, his boots echoing against the polished floor, followed closely by Astron-silent as ever, his sharp gaze already sweeping across the dimly lit hall.

It had been a few days since the incident. Since that conversation in Eleanor's office. Since Ethan's temporary suspension. And now, this place the same cursed training ground where they had been pushed to the brink-was to become their new normal.

Ethan exhaled slowly as the familiar chill of the building settled over him. "Back to hell," he muttered under his breath.

Astron didn't comment, but the slight twitch of his eyebrow suggested he agreed. From the far end of the hall, a familiar presence stirred.

Eleanor stood beside the console, arms folded neatly behind her back. Her long coat fluttered slightly from the ambient currents of mana in the room. As they approached, she turned to face them fully, her expression unreadable-but her eyes, as always, were sharp. Calculating.

"You're here. Good."

Her tone was neutral, businesslike, but Ethan immediately tensed. That same feeling crawled up his spine-the one that said something unpleasant was about to begin. Eleanor didn't waste time.

"I know this isn't the usual mentorship block," she began. "But from now on, this is where you'll be training."

Astron's eyebrows lifted slightly. "Why now?" he asked, voice calm.

Eleanor met his gaze without flinching. "Because both of you are being targeted."

The words hung in the air, colder than the temperature around them.

"Targeted?"

Eleanor nodded once, her tone clipped and precise. "The incident with Grayson. The sudden escalation. The way information was twisted, and how quickly it spread through the academy..." Her gaze narrowed. "It wasn't spontaneous. Someone is watching you. Both of you. And they're not just looking to slow your progress. They want to break it."

Astron's gaze sharpened as he studied her. "You're certain?"

Eleanor nodded. "Too many threads point to the same conclusion. You're rising too fast. You're becoming threats to the wrong people." She turned slightly, her voice lowering. "And out there-your every move is being watched. Twisted. Used against you. Here, at least, I can control what happens."

She glanced back at them. "You're safer here."

Ethan's jaw clenched slightly. "So what-this is our shelter now?"

"No," Eleanor said, eyes glinting. "This is your forge."

That silence again-tight, thick, unrelenting. Until-

"... You just want to train us more," Astron said.

Eleanor blinked once, then slowly turned her head toward him.

It wasn't a question. It was a statement.

Ethan blinked, surprised not at the accusation, but at who had said it.

Astron's voice was calm, but pointed. He was still watching her, eyes narrowed just slightly, testing her.

A rare shift passed through Eleanor's face-faint amusement, a flicker at the corner of her lips, gone almost as quickly as it appeared.

"I won't deny it," she said coolly. "Convenience does have its perks."

Ethan stared between them, incredulous. "Wait. That's it? You're just gonna say that?"

Eleanor glanced at him briefly. "I don't recall ever lying to you."

Astron held her gaze a moment longer, then gave a small exhale through his nose-his version of a scoff.

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"...Thought so."

Astron's gaze lingered for a moment longer before he took a single step back, arms at his sides, his expression unreadable.

"I refuse."

The words landed like a quiet blade, sharp and definitive.

Ethan turned toward him, eyebrows raised. "Wait, what?"

Eleanor's eyes narrowed, the faint glimmer of amusement in her expression vanishing.

"I don't recall offering you a choice," she said flatly, tilting her head slightly.

Astron didn't flinch. "Then consider this my refusal of obligation."

Eleanor's expression didn't shift, but the air seemed to still around them.

"I don't want to be under scrutiny," Astron continued, his voice calm, almost detached.

There was no anger in his tone, no outward defiance-just truth.

Eleanor's gaze sharpened. "You're that adamant about hiding your power?"

Astron's lips pressed into a thin line. "I'm adamant about not being observed."

The silence that followed was different this time-charged, not with tension, but something subtler. Understanding, perhaps. Or challenge.

Ethan glanced between them again, confused but slowly piecing things together. Eleanor stepped forward slowly, her coat whispering against the floor. "Is that what you think this is?" she asked, her voice quiet, almost amused again. "Observation?"

Astron didn't respond. He didn't need to.

Eleanor studied him for another second before exhaling lightly and lifting her hands in mock surrender. "Fine, fine," she murmured, her tone softening-but her eyes still glinting.

"I expected something like this," she continued, pacing a short distance. "You don't like to be watched. You don't like to be known. You operate best in silence." She turned back toward them, arms loosely folded. "That's precisely why there are no cameras or any type of recording device inside this facility."

Astron's brows lifted slightly-not quite surprise, but interest.

Ethan blinked. "No recording?"

Eleanor nodded. "Not a single one."

She let that sink in for a beat before continuing, her voice casual now. "And if that's still not enough-if you want to hide it even from him..." she gestured toward Ethan without looking at him, "then there are also isolated training rooms. Three of them. Soundproofed. Mana-sealed. Shielded against perception techniques."

Astron's eyes narrowed, not out of distrust, but scrutiny.

Eleanor met his gaze, her voice still low. "I don't care how strong you are. Not unless you choose to show it. But if you're worried about being exposed-don't be. I made sure this place is for growth, not surveillance."

Ethan crossed his arms, shifting his weight slightly. "So let me get this straight. You built an entire facility that's basically invisible to the academy, then made sure no one could see what we're doing inside it, just in case this guy wants to go full shadow-mode?"

Eleanor didn't turn to him. "I built it because students like you need places like this.

And I kept it hidden because Astron isn't the only one who wants to control what others see"

She paused, then looked at. Astron again.

"It's your choice. I won't ask again."

Astron stared at her for a long moment. Then, slowly, his head tilted.

"I accept it, okay."