Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest

"I see your level."

Eleanor let the silence settle over the room for a few moments, letting the weight of exhaustion fully sink into the two cadets sprawled on the floor. Their bodies trembled, their breaths were uneven, but they were still conscious. That, at least, was a good sign.

She tapped a few commands on the console beside her, and instantly, the immense gravitational pressure lifted. The suffocating weight that had been pressing down on them vanished, leaving behind only the echoes of its toll in their aching limbs and strained muscles.

Ethan let out a shuddering breath, his fingers flexing against the floor. It felt unnatural to move freely again, like stepping out of deep water after being submerged for too long. Astron remained still for a few seconds longer, before finally shifting his posture, pushing himself upright slowly, deliberately.

Eleanor watched them both with cool, analytical eyes before speaking.

"I'll give you a few minutes to recover," she said, her voice crisp yet carrying a note of finality. "Then, we move on."

Neither of them responded, still too busy relearning how to breathe properly.

Eleanor turned away from them momentarily, pacing the room in slow, measured steps, giving them time to steady themselves. She had learned what she needed.

Now, it was time for feedback.

After a few moments, she finally turned back to them, her golden gaze locking onto theirs with piercing clarity.

"Both of you are talented," she began, her voice even. "That much is clear."

Ethan, still catching his breath, managed a weak grin. "Yeah? So I don't completely suck, then?"

Eleanor ignored the comment and continued.

"Ethan." Her gaze narrowed slightly, assessing. "Physically, you are strong. Very strong. I have seen countless cadets collapse in less than a minute under that pressure—but you held out. Your will to endure is not bad. And despite struggling, your body is already well-accustomed to operating under intense pressure."

She crossed her arms. "Most likely because it's you. Because you have already spent your life around powerful people. You have trained under conditions far beyond what most cadets can even imagine."

Ethan's jaw clenched slightly at that statement. She wasn't wrong. The Hartley name came with expectations, ones that had been drilled into him since childhood. His body had been forged under relentless training, pushed to limits far beyond normal.

"But." Eleanor's voice cut through his thoughts. "There are things you can improve."

Ethan huffed a breath, sitting up a little straighter. "Yeah? Hit me with it."

Eleanor's gaze sharpened. "You rely too much on brute force."

Ethan's expression stiffened slightly, but Eleanor pressed on.

"Your body is strong, yes, but you expect it to handle everything. Instead of using mana to assist you properly, you treated it like a secondary tool, something to be used only when your raw strength isn't enough."

Her eyes bored into his. "That's a waste. Your body and your mana should work in tandem—not separately. You relied too much on instinct to compensate for the gaps in your control. And instinct alone will never be enough against an opponent who is stronger, faster, and more precise than you."

Ethan's grin had faded completely now, replaced by something far more serious. He wiped the sweat from his brow, absorbing every word. It wasn't pleasant to hear—but it was right.

Eleanor continued, her tone unwavering. "You have the foundation for incredible growth. But unless you refine your mana control and stop treating it like a weapon separate from yourself, you will hit a limit."

Ethan didn't respond immediately, but something in his gaze had shifted. He understood.

Eleanor gave him a final glance before shifting her gaze to Astron.

"And you."

Astron's sharp purple eyes met hers, unwavering despite his exhaustion.

"You adapted faster than I expected," Eleanor admitted, tilting her head slightly. "Even when the pressure increased, you were always the first to adjust. Your ability to analyze, dissect, and react is impressive."

She stepped closer, watching him carefully. "You felt the shift before it happened. You could read the patterns of the mana pressure and adjust accordingly. That is rare."

Eleanor's golden eyes gleamed as she observed Astron, noting the way his breathing had already begun to stabilize despite the overwhelming strain from earlier. He had been through something like this before.

"You, like Ethan, have gotten used to strong presences," she noted, her voice measured. "However…" She paused, tilting her head slightly. "You're different."

Astron's gaze remained steady, waiting for her elaboration.

"It appears that, along the way, you've developed habits. Subtle ones. Ones that let you fight against stronger enemies."

Ethan furrowed his brow, glancing at Astron. "Habits?"

Eleanor nodded. "They aren't necessarily bad. In fact, they are what allowed you to endure. You've trained yourself to react to superior forces—not by clashing with them, but by adapting before they even press down on you."

Astron didn't respond, but Eleanor could tell he understood exactly what she meant. His ability to adjust wasn't just talent—it was ingrained. It had been learned through experience, not merely natural instinct.

"But," Eleanor continued, her voice sharpening, "while these habits make you incredibly versatile, they also create limitations."

Astron's eyes narrowed slightly, but Eleanor didn't stop.

"Because you've learned to move around pressure rather than resist it, you've never fully tested your ability to withstand it."

She crossed her arms, her piercing gaze locked onto him. "If you don't set boundaries for how far you let those habits control your fighting style, you may find yourself unable to face an enemy who doesn't allow you to adapt."

Astron's fingers twitched slightly at the thought.

Ethan, still catching his breath, let out a weak laugh. "So what you're saying is, we're both kind of dumb in opposite ways."

Eleanor's eyes flicked toward him, unimpressed. "I wouldn't call it dumb," she said smoothly. "Just incomplete."

She straightened, her gaze shifting between the two as she rolled her shoulders slightly.

"In any case," she said, her tone shifting back to command, "for now, what you're going to do is simple."

She glanced around the massive training hall before gesturing toward the far end of the facility.

"You're going to run."

Ethan blinked. Astron's eyes flickered with faint recognition.

"You're going to run," Eleanor repeated, "until you get accustomed to this pressure."

Ethan groaned. "I knew she was going to say that."

Astron, predictably, didn't react, but there was a slight shift in his posture—as if he had also expected this.

Eleanor smirked slightly, then clapped her hands once.

The sound rang through the hall like a starting gun. Your next chapter awaits on My Virtual Library Empire

"Now, move."

Neither of them hesitated.

They ran.

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

*****

Eleanor folded her arms, watching as Ethan and Astron moved through the training hall, their bodies straining under the crushing force that still weighed on them. Each step was a struggle, each motion carefully measured to conserve energy while fighting against the ever-present gravitational pressure.

She knew exactly what they were going through.

This was not a normal kind of pressure.

She had joked earlier about Ethan not learning it, but the truth was, even the strongest Hunters wouldn't be able to exert pressure in the same way she did. This wasn't just a raw, overwhelming force—it was precision, a presence she could tailor to target every individual's unique weaknesses.

There was a reason why she was called "The Invoker."

Her mastery of mana manipulation—of imposing her will upon the battlefield—was what set her apart from others. The ability to control, warp, and adjust not just the pressure, but the way it interacted with everything it touched.

She had used this countless times in real battles. Suppressing enemies. Weakening creatures. Breaking opponents before they could even fight back.

This wasn't just training. It was a lesson in survival.

As she observed them running, Eleanor's mind began to process her initial assessment.

Their bodies were already at an impressive level.

'Stronger than expected,' she mused internally, her golden eyes flicking between the two figures moving across the hall.

Ethan was built like a tank. His endurance, his strength, his ability to take damage and keep moving—it was all elite. Even now, despite the strain, despite the unnatural weight pressing against every part of his body, he still pushed forward. His instincts made up for his lack of refined control, but Eleanor could see how he was beginning to adjust, trying to trust his mana rather than just wield it like a blunt tool.

Then, there was Astron.

'The fact that he is managing to compete with Ethan…' Eleanor narrowed her eyes slightly, her mind working through the details.

It was impressive.

It was more than impressive.

But she wasn't entirely surprised.

She had already known that Astron was hiding his abilities. That much had been clear from the start. However, to see it in real-time—to see him endure pressure that should have left most cadets broken—was still something to take note of.

'His endurance isn't raw strength. It's efficiency.'

And that made all the difference.

Most Hunters at this level wouldn't be able to manage that, even if they understood what needed to be done.

'However, which one is it….'

Yet even now, she was still unable to find the question to her real answer.