Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest

In this world, how do you catch a fish bigger than you? No, it is not necessarily confined to this world.

In any world, how does one defeat the thing that is above them in terms of natural order? Can a cat hunt a lion? Can a normal jellyfish hunt a shark? Can a deer hunt a bear?

Are there any examples of such a thing happening in the world?

The answer is obvious.

The humans, we, are the prime example of that. From the moment we are born, do you think we have the necessary physical aspects to deal with a bear or any type of predator?

No, we do not.

But we are still in this world, living around for countless centuries or even millenniums.

That alone is an example.

Then how did we do it? At first, we were overwhelmed, but then we started adapting and getting crafty. We started utilizing the most important thing in this world.

Being able to think and plan.

The key to catching a bigger fish is here. To outsmart them, to plan your actions.

You first throw the bait.

Someone will bite it eventually.

The reason why I had made Ethan connect with Emily was for this purpose. After all, Emily was the main character of one of the side-quests, and her questline was long.

Therefore, there needed to be certain key elements that wouldn't change even now. And that was the case. As the guild conflicts over Azure Crest Guild's area intensified, people were bound to be sent by the demon contractors.

After all, the mobs can no longer deal with Emily and the area since the Hartleys are now looking over this district. Though Hartley's, in general, are a lot better compared to other families, this is not the case when you try to harm their descendants.

Especially Ethan, who has been doted on thanks to his lack of strength. Ethan's mother and father still dote on him, and they can never overlook such a matter.

Thus, they were bound to get desperate. And, just as I had thought, an assassination request had been sent via InfenalCovenant.

And then, utilizing Fred's smartwatch and identity, I was easily able to infiltrate as an assassin. After all, Fred was kind of a freelancer. Thus, he lacked conditions when I had first hunted him. Therefore, his death was overlooked, and nobody cared, thinking he just disappeared after failing to achieve his mission.

Also, the InfernalCovenant had yet to develop a method of self-destructiveness. Therefore, their smartwatches can be used for a long time.

It also doesn't always connect to the central server only when it is initiated from the smartwatch.

Therefore, they still lack in terms of this, though they are developing.

In any case, by pretending to be an assassin, I followed the notice, seemingly interested in the job, and checked the developments.

After that, it wasn't hard to learn the narrowed time to a certain extent since the employer seemed to be restless and wanted to achieve the result clearly.

It seemed they didn't trust the ones taking the job and wanted to guarantee it. Therefore, after getting the information, it wasn't hard to inform Ethan and track Emily using Horde.

Though I spent some money to invest in Horde, that was fine since they are doing their job clearly well, and also, I am frankly a lot richer compared to how I was before.

In any case, Horde tracked Emily with their newly bought equipment, and then they informed her that someone was indeed trailing her.

From that point on, I confirmed Emily would be attacked and informed Ethan.

Then, after he left, I followed him. Thanks to my improved endurance and the distance being relatively close to the Academy, it wasn't hard for me to follow Ethan without completely tiring myself out.

My speed does not lack compared to Ethan's.

As I watched Ethan approach the scene, my senses tingled with a faint disturbance in the air. It was subtle but unmistakable—a telltale sign of an artifact at work, weaving its veil of concealment around the area.

My specialized vision allowed me to perceive the subtle distortions in the surroundings, indicating the presence of the enchantment. The darkness cloaked the area, making it difficult to discern what lay beyond.

With Ethan drawing closer, I knew he needed to proceed with caution. The concealed area could be a trap, a haven for unseen dangers lurking in the shadows.

But Ethan would press on, driven by determination and purpose.

As he stepped into the shrouded space, I also readied myself.

It was imperative for me to mask my appearance and blend seamlessly into the darkness. With a quick invocation of my skill, [Shadow Leap], I vanished into the shadows, utilizing the small crack that appeared in the curtain of concealment thanks to Ethan's entrance. After all, that small crack connected the space inside and outside for a split second, making me able to utilize my skill.

As I materialized within the concealed area, my senses heightened, alert to the unfolding danger. Ahead, I saw Ethan engaged in a fierce clash with a cloaked figure—a skilled assassin, no doubt. He fought with determination, driven by the need to protect Emily from harm. It was in his character.

'No doubt that he is improving rapidly.'

I thought, looking at his prowess. This was also a good chance to observe the protagonist and see his speed of improvement.

'However, there is no way they only sent one assassin.'

Sure enough, as if on cue, a palpable pressure surged from the shadows, signaling the arrival of another assassin. The pressure emanating from it was a lot stronger than from the former, and from the ripples of mana across, I could see that that guy's strength was even on the level of Count Charles, the vampire.

He was probably an intermediate-rank 7 Awakened.

They really sent someone with a higher rank. The big fish was here.

'He is at least an executive. As expected, the organization must have noticed that the previous mobs couldn't be dealt with by normal guys. That means someone is behind Emily.'

In a sudden burst of movement, the second assailant emerged from the darkness, poised to join the fray. The dagger approached Ethan, who was pulled into a momentary dream.

Though, I know if I were to reveal myself here, that would be the end of us since we wouldn't be able to deal with the assassin. However, I didn't need to either.

Emily, previously a bystander in the conflict, began to undergo a transformation. The mana of the dark curtain converged around her, mingling with her own energy in a display of raw power.

'So this was her talent…'

It was then that I realized the true extent of Emily's talent from the game since it wasn't clearly revealed. However, I knew from one conversation that it was thanks to a demon contractor she clashed with. It seemed that using her was the right choice.

'Digestion and Absorption.'

The mana converged to her and assimilated into her mana, mutating. There needed to be certain triggers, and it seemed the first one was darkness-attributed psions.

Emily intervened to save Ethan from a fatal strike, and she was successful.

Then, with renewed determination, Ethan engaged the second assailant in a fierce clash, his every move a testament to his resolve.

But despite his best efforts, Ethan's skills alone were not enough to match the power of his adversary. His stats fell short, and it seemed as though defeat was inevitable.

However, I knew Ethan better than anyone. I knew that he was not one to go down without a fight.

And just as I had expected, Ethan reached deep within himself, tapping into his strongest technique and the skill of spear—the very limit of his current abilities.

'Heavenly Shura.'

A skill that enabled him to even clash with the higher ranking enemies. The leverage of the main character.

'And now it is my time.'

With a surge of energy, I also activated his [Celestalith], transforming it into [Umbralith].

Since Ethan's decision was a bold move, a last-ditch effort to turn the tide of battle in his favor, I needed to utilize this strike, which was on the border of the 6-rank well.

And then, I activated the gravity pull around the second assailant, and then, from that moment on, the rest was history.

********

As the shockwave blasted the assailant off, the Master Assassin seized the opportunity to act. With lightning speed, he unleashed a 'Dream Ailment' on the assailant, hoping to slow their thoughts and gain a momentary advantage, and then he threw another dagger at his enemy.

But his relief was short-lived, as he felt the effects of his own injuries taking their toll. With his mana reserves nearly depleted and his condition worsening by the second, the Master Assassin knew he couldn't afford to linger in the battle any longer.

Utilizing the momentary pause caused by the 'Dream Ailment,' the master assassin made a split-second decision to flee, his survival instincts kicking into overdrive.

However, as he reached for the ring on his finger to activate the artifact, a sudden realization struck him like a bolt of lightning.

His whole hand was missing, severed cleanly at the wrist.

"Urghk-!"

As he coughed blood, his vision blurred.

Turning his head, the master assassin's eyes widened in horror as he saw the assailant manipulating the chakrams connected to him with silvery threads.

It dawned on him that the assailant had not been affected by his 'Dream Ailment' at all, and he had fallen into a trap of his own making.

There were two people who were strong against his dream attacks!

First, this blue-haired bastard, and now this newly arriving guy.

"Burghk-!"

He coughed another mouthful of blood as he struggled to stand. His body was on the verge of collapsing.

"Grrrr….."

Slowly, the emotions he suppressed to think logically started getting out of control.

As the assassin struggled to stand, his body wracked with pain and his vision growing dimmer with each passing moment, a wave of intense hatred washed over him.

'It is because of you!' He realized that he could no longer escape without finishing this bastard, without avenging himself against those who dared to defy him.

"Grrrr…"

With a growl of fury, the assassin's mind was consumed by thoughts of revenge. He knew that he was facing two formidable foes, but he refused to go down without a fight. If he was going to die, he would take them with him.

With a hateful glare directed at the newly arriving adversary, the assassin made a desperate move.

Ignoring the pain coursing through his body, he attempted to bite down on the small capsule hidden in his teeth, a last resort that he had kept as a failsafe.

–SWOOSH!

But before he could even sink his teeth into the capsule, the assailant appeared right before his face as if materializing from the shadows.

In a blur of motion, the assailant slashed at his mouth with the chakrams, moving with such speed that the assassin could barely react. It was as if his thoughts had been read.

–CRACK! The chakrams sliced through the air with deadly precision, cutting into the assassin's flesh with a sickening sound. Blood sprayed from the wound as the assassin's mouth was torn open, his scream of agony muffled by the onslaught.

But that wasn't the end, as the assailant attempted to grab the capsule inside his mouth as if he knew the exact location.

And then, the assailant grabbed the capsule.

However, the Master Assassin's eyes shone bright for a split second.

'You dared to come close to me!'

In an instant, the assassin channeled every bit of his remaining mana and even his life force. It was the same technique Ethan had used, but Assassin did it to the extreme that he would be dead one hundred percent after using it.

A crimson aura erupted from his body, a bloodlust aura of his peak strength, enveloping the assailant before him. And just as he expected, the assailant wasn't able to resist his full aura, meaning he was weak.

'DIE!'

Because his mouth was ripped open, Assassin could only scream inwardly. He channeled his aura into his arms, creating a blade.

STAB! And then he stabbed the black-cloaked assailant in his chest, his arm passing through the assailant's body.

'Hehehehe...Now, due to the poison, you bastard.'

On the tip of his nails, he hid poison after all.

SLASH!

But this was his last thought as his neck was severed. The last scene he saw was the assailant, whose chest now had a hole in it.