Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest

What is the fate?

What is the strength?

Emily, who had been watching the fight unfold before her eyes, asked herself this question countless times.

Ethan, with his spear facing the enemy that had targeted her, and the assassin clashed with him using his daggers – two of them were in their own world.

And here she was, just standing there watching the fight.

She knew she needed to feel grateful for Ethan. She needed to thank him for saving her in such a situation.

But something inside her didn't do as she wished.

There was something missing.

And as she watched the fight, she started realizing what that emptiness meant. Where it came from, or why she was feeling it.

'I am feeling useless.'

Seeing the two figures continuously clashing, Emily thought. The reason why she was feeling this empty.

It was because she was always on the receiving end of things. From the start, she never once gave anything meaningful to Ethan.

She was always saved.

And that was something she found undoubtedly unacceptable. She didn't want to be a liability. She refused to do so.

Why was this the case?

She couldn't answer, and neither did she need to. She just knew that this was her wish. From the bottom of her heart, she desired such a thing.

But the reality often disappointed the person. After all, she lacked the strength, and strength wasn't something that came from wishing so.

Gritting her teeth, she watched the scene.

Ethan somehow successfully managed to overpower the assassin. There was a faint pressure emanating from him, something that she couldn't put a name on but instinctively knew it was from a higher existence.

Something that was above her in the natural order. It easily suppressed her feelings and aura.

And as expected, Ethan managed to overpower the assassin and cornered him.

But then Emily witnessed the assassin throwing a dagger, and she wanted to warn Ethan. But not to her avail, as her voice was suppressed.

Emily felt like the aura that she initially felt when she entered the place somehow converged on her, covering her mouth.

However, Ethan managed to deflect the vial, and at that moment, Emily saw lighting surging from Ethan's body.

It was the first time she had seen him using lightning, but she somehow felt it was suited to him.

But then, just as Ethan was about to finish the assassin, suddenly, he stopped. He didn't move. Somehow, his eyes turned full black, and the concealment around Emily, this time converged on Ethan.

Then suddenly, someone appeared right before him. It was another assassin, and this one gave goosebumps to Emily!

As if they were of a higher rank. She felt suffocating just by being in the presence of the assassin. The aura and the killing intent suppressed her clearly.

The darkness around them also pressured her constantly, making it harder for her to even breathe.

Then, Emily saw the dagger in the assassin's hand approaching Ethan, but Ethan showed no signs of realizing that. It was as if his consciousness was from far away.

Emily didn't know what was happening, but she knew Ethan's life was in danger. Just like before, something was happening again, and it was because of her.

'No!'

Because of her, Ethan was this close to dying.

'NO!'

She gritted her teeth, trying to channel mana into her heart. Into her body.

As Emily focused her mind, channeling her mana with all her strength, a sudden tremor rippled through the darkness surrounding her. In that fleeting moment, she felt a small thread of energy entering her body from her spinal bulb, and her mana underwent a rapid transformation.

'Urghk! It hurts!'

It was not a phenomenon that could be foreseen, nor was it something that she was expecting. But no matter what, Emily's mana went under a qualitative change.

But that change brought pain inwardly.

With that change, she forced herself to move. And since her body was undergoing a change, her condition wasn't stable. With blood pouring from her eyes, Emily channeled her now darkened mana.

Then she felt the restrictions binding her dissipate, allowing her to move freely once more.

With a determined resolve, she pushed herself forward, propelling her body towards Ethan with all her strength.

In an instant, Emily materialized before the assassin, her sword poised to deflect the incoming dagger. With a forceful shout, she cried out to Ethan, "ETHAN, WAKE UP!"

Her voice echoed through the darkness as she intercepted the assassin's attack, her movements fueled by a mixture of desperation and determination.

And in that crucial moment, she felt Ethan twitching beside her, a sign that her words had reached him.

With lightning-fast reflexes, Ethan sprang into action, his spear lashing out toward the newly appearing assassin with incredible speed and precision. It was an instinctive act since Ethan's eyes were still wide open.

–SWOOSH!

"Tch."

The assassin, taken aback by Ethan's sudden resurgence, clicked his tongue in frustration, swiftly distancing himself from Ethan.

"You really are weird." The newly arrived assassin spoke, looking at Ethan.

"Master! Why did you reveal yourself?" The other assassin addressed the newly arrived assassin, feeling surprised by the sudden events happening.

It was apparently his master.

Realizing the choice of words, Ethan and Emily's bodies tensed. The assassin before them may not even be simple at all.

"Sigh…." The Master released a sigh of frustration. "Do you think you would still be alive if I hadn't done so?"

"That…."

"I clearly gave you every advantage that assassin needs, yet you still have failed the initial strike."

"But, master… That guy appeared out of nowhere."

"It is your job to ensure that the target is eliminated before any type of interference happens. Anything else is just an excuse." The Master spoke, looking at the young assassin."But you are partly right; this guy is not simple."

The Master mumbled, looking at Ethan.

'Even though I used the [Dream Substituion], its effects were reduced by more than half.'

The Master Assassin analyzed. From the moment Ethan attacked his discipline, he knew he needed to interfere. Thus, he, in fact, pulled Ethan into a dream. In the real world, Ethan stopped in his tracks.

That was one of the skills he got after advancing the trait he acquired after making a contract with a demon, [Nocturnal]. He had never seen his skill fail him this much in his life.

That was one of the skills he got after advancing the trait he acquired after making a contract with a demon, [Nocturnal]. He From the moment Ethan made his appearance, this mission was no longer something that he could use to train this disciple of him.

"Well, it seems the warning given by the upper ranks was right. There was really someone strong involved with his girl." Master spoke and then locked his eyes with Ethan.

"Though, he is just a kid."

With those words, the assassin appeared right before Ethan, his body leaving an afterimage even in Ethan's eyes.

CLANK!

With his incredibly fast reflexes, Ethan was able to deflect the attack at the last split second using his spear.

As the Master Assassin closed in on Ethan with blinding speed, his dagger flashed like lightning, slashing with relentless ferocity. Ethan, caught off guard by the sudden onslaught, struggled to keep up, his spear deflecting some but not all of the attacks.

With each slash, Ethan felt the pressure mounting, his body straining against the overwhelming speed and precision of his opponent.

Despite his best efforts, he couldn't deflect even half of the strike, and rather deep cuts began to mar his skin, drawing blood with each passing moment.

Meanwhile, Emily found herself locked in a fierce clash with the young assassin, their swords clashing with a metallic ring that echoed through the darkness.

Though she initially struggled to stabilize herself, at this point, Emily refused to be a liability, drawing upon her resolve to defend herself against her assailant's relentless assault.

With each clash of steel, Emily's movements became more fluid, her instincts guiding her sword as she deflected the assassin's attacks with growing confidence. Emily could feel like something inside her had evolved. She could see the assassin's movements, which she previously struggled to grasp, and this gave her the advantage she needed.

On the other side, Ethan and the assassin clashed with each other, and the air cracked with tension.

'This is not good!' Ethan, feeling the weight of each strike, knew he had to find a way to break through the barrage of attacks.

'I am going to die at this rate!' With a quick judgment, he focused his mind, activating his skill, [Temporal Warding].

A shimmering barrier materialized around Ethan, momentarily deflecting the assassin's relentless assault.

CLANK!

For a fleeting moment, Ethan felt a surge of hope as he managed to fend off the incoming strikes.

However, the assassin sneered, disdain evident in his voice. "Futile tricks," he remarked, his confidence unwavering.

With a swift motion, he unleashed his own skill, [Lizard's Fang], a technique specifically designed to break through barriers. After all, as an assassin, how could he not have such a skill?

Most of important people who would be subjected to assassination requests would carry special artifacts with them to defend themselves regardless of whether they were Awakened or not. After all, this world didn't lack danger with demons and monsters around already.

The barrier created by Ethan's [Temporal Warding] shattered like glass upon impact, leaving him vulnerable once more.

Ethan gritted his teeth, realizing that his opponent was not to be underestimated. No, the strength of his enemy was beyond his scope.

He was releasing his [????'s Might], but the enemy was not being affected compared to the assailants previously.

Even with his 5.69 strength, he was unable to completely deflect his attacks. His speed was a lot more lacking. Ethan now knew he was not in a good situation at all, and he acted impulsively by coming here this fast.

As if to compound Ethan's predicament, the assassin intensified his pressure, exerting his dominance over the battlefield.

'Huh?'

Suddenly, Ethan's movements began to falter, and his thoughts grew sluggish, as if his mind was under drugs.

And that was the case!

The assassin had already used another skill, [Dream Ailment], from his trait [Nocturnal], as he knew that the artifact that created this concealment was starting to run out of energy, and they needed to leave.

The spear in Ethan's hands gave him a weird feeling, and for some reason, the assassin felt like Ethan was improving himself as he battled. Though the assassin was still in an overwhelming advantage, he knew he needed to trust his gut.

The effects of the assassin's 'Dream Ailment' began to take hold, clouding Ethan's mind and sapping his strength. Despite his best efforts to resist, Ethan found himself struggling to maintain his focus, his movements becoming increasingly sluggish with each passing moment.

SLASH! And the master assassin slashed.