Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest-Chapter 412 93.4 - Duels [3]

From the moment I entered this world, I knew the storyline had changed, or the story of the game wasn't to be completely trusted, just like what was happening right now.

The attack was supposed to happen when Victor was dueling, interrupting the most important duel.

But that didn't seem to be the case any longer. And that was to be expected. 'Disgusting.'

Still, the atmosphere was filled with a disgusting demonic energy. I hated this to my core.

–THUMP!

My trait was acting already, making my heart beat fast.

I had already protected myself from the initial explosion with fast reflexes, a barrier of mana forming instinctively around me.

I activated my trait [Perceptive Insight], channeling mana into my eyes. The world shifted, and I saw it clearly. Many civilians were slowly turning into corrupted forms, their bodies tainted with demonic energy.

The demonic seeds inside their bodies began to act, and they started rampaging. Chaos erupted around the arena as screams and shouts filled the air. The once orderly crowd became a sea of panic and violence.

I watched all this while preparing myself.

'This is how it was supposed to be. The natural order.' I had no intention of interfering with what was happening.

These corrupted people were irrelevant to my goal, and they would stop once the demonic energy in the environment disappeared.

'This is how they operate,' I thought, observing the unfolding chaos. 'Spread corruption, cause panic, and weaken the resolve of the masses.'

My eyes scanned the crowd, noting the transformations, the corruption spreading like wildfire. The arena that had been a place of competition and camaraderie had turned into a battlefield of survival.

In the midst of this turmoil, I remained a detached observer. My purpose was not to save these people. My purpose was to hunt the demons responsible for this, to exact my vengeance.

Though, in a way, saving these people and not letting them get what they wanted was also a form of vengeance since they would stop once the demonic energy disappeared, killing demon contractors was also a way to save them.

'There,' I sensed a stronger presence, a concentrated source of demonic energy. My gaze locked onto the target, a figure moving through the chaos with a purpose.

'First one.'

From how he moved, the speed, the success rate of his erasing his presence, and the amount of pressure he gave, basically everything, I could predict his strength to some extent.

In this chaos, nobody would be here to check on me. Nobody would see what I would be doing unless I deliberately caused a strong disturbance.

Therefore, I was free to go all out slightly.

'Right.' I instantly blended into the shadows, using [Shadowborne] to mask my presence. Since Lilia was in close proximity, I needed to be quick with my acts.

I mustn't make her suspicious of me while gathering attention. It is annoying when it happens, and I hate it a lot.

–Eyes of the Hourglass

The world slowed down. I didn't want to waste any time.

The more enemies I killed, the better it would be for me.

'Not even one person will escape here.' In the darkness, I transformed the Celestalith into its rifle form. My eyes, enhanced by [Perceptive Insight], analyzed the mana flow and body structure of my target.

'Right shoulder. Cephalic Vein and Sternocostal head.' I pinpointed a weak point on his right shoulder, where his cephalic vein connected to the sternocostal head of the pectoralis. The mana nerves were concentrated in that exact location.

–PIU! In an instant, I aimed the rifle at the identified weak point. The compressed magic bullet flew through the air, nearly silent, and pierced the skin with unparalleled speed. The target had no time to react. Pain surged through his body as his mana flow was disrupted.

Before he could comprehend what was happening, I materialized from the shadows, my cold purple eyes locking onto his.

My black mask, adorned with golden ornaments, reflected on his fearful eyes. He recognized me as the attacker, but there was no time to respond.

'Fear me more.'

His body was paralyzed, not because of the pressure I was emitting or anything, but because of the pain he was experiencing.

But there was quite a high chance that he was feeling my killing intent as well.

STAB! A moment later, my dagger pierced his liver, sending waves of excruciating pain through his body. The agony was unlike anything he had ever experienced, as it seemed to me.

Being a demonic human must have made him feel like the strongest in the world, and it seemed he had faith in his organization, too.

"Pain. Do you know how it feels?"

His eyes widened in terror as he felt me grasp his demonic core. At this moment, he must have understood what I was going to do.

SMASH! With ruthless precision, I crushed it, savoring the pain reflected in his eyes.

"AAAAAAARGH!" This sound was supposed to come out of his mouth the moment he opened it. Letting out a sound is the first human reaction when the person experiences pain.

The reason?

To survive. We humans have always been social creatures. When we do things, we always do it with other people. If not, we wouldn't survive against all those animals and monsters.

Therefore, once the pain receptors are triggered, we seek our companions, aiming to alarm them and alert them of the danger we encounter.

This stupid demonic fucker did the same. His eyes were filled with fear and pain, and he tried to scream, but his vocal cords had been seared, preventing any sound.

Because I had burned them.

Since I already knew he would try to scream.

"In this place. There is only darkness for you. No one is going to save you; no one is going to listen to your pleas. You are going to die here alone, without achieving anything. Do you know the reason why?"

His eyes were unfocused; he looked like a lifeless shell. The small flame danced at the tip of my finger, the source of his silent torment. A basic spell named [Ignite] ranks one spell. But, if utilized precisely well, even that can become lethal from a short distance.

"Because I will never let you."

–THUD! The light in his eyes dimmed as the last of his strength left him. I let his lifeless body fall to the ground, the demonic core crumbling in my hand.

I could feel something entering my body, and I also felt my energy increasing.

Bloodline Resonance.

It seemed that passive skill was doing its work.

Even though I hated getting stronger over the energy of a demon, for the sake of my vengeance, I could do anything.

"One."

It was the start of my hunt.

*******

–BOOM!

Lilia was suddenly blasted by the explosion, her mind not focused. The force sent her crashing into one of the chairs from a faraway distance. Fortunately, she managed to avoid any serious injury, her body rolling to a stop against the wreckage. She quickly gathered herself, shaking off the disorientation and scanning her surroundings.

The situation was chaotic. Smoke rose from the ground as explosions erupted all around, the acrid scent of burning debris filling the air. Lilia's breathing became rough, and a strange feeling in the air affected her body, making it harder to focus.

She looked around, her eyes widening in horror as she saw civilians attacking others. Their bodies showed signs of monstrous transformation, though they retained their human form and most of their body structures. They looked like mindless beasts, their eyes glazed over with a savage hunger.

"What is happening?" Lilia muttered to herself, trying to make sense of the chaos. The term 'demonic corruption?' flashed through her mind, but before she could ponder it further, she was attacked.

A transformed civilian lunged at her, its mouth twisted into a grotesque snarl. Lilia instinctively raised her arm, channeling her mana to create a protective barrier just in time to deflect the attack.

–THUD! She countered with a swift strike, her training kicking in as she fought to defend herself. Even before everything, she was a hunter. Though the course of subjugating other humans was for higher classes, that didn't mean she didn't know what to do.

'Strike efficiently and make them lose their consciousness.'

No matter what, the corrupted civilians were nothing but mindless monsters, and their strength increased a lot.

–Slingshot.

And then, after she had attacked her enemy, she sent a quick dart to the monster. The dart contained a paralysis potion, and it took effect instantly. She always carried things like these so that for the positions when she couldn't draw her bow instantly, she could still protect herself.

But then she realized something.

"Astron."

She called for the boy who was just beside him a second ago.

Lilia's eyes darted around, searching frantically for Astron. He had been beside her just moments ago, but now he was nowhere to be seen.

She considered the possibility that he might have been sent farther away by the explosion.

'This is entirely possible.' "Astron," she called out one last time, her voice calm. But no answer came once again. Then following that, before she could make a move to search for him, an instructor appeared by her side, his presence commanding and protective. "Stay safe under the barrier," he instructed, his tone firm as he conjured a shimmering shield around them.

Lilia glanced at the crowd and the students within the barrier, their faces pale with fear and uncertainty. Her eyes narrowed with a cold glint. She saw this chaos as an opportunity—a chance to increase her fame and prove her strength.

"No," she stated resolutely, stepping out of the barrier. "I want to participate in the fight."

The instructor's eyes widened in surprise, and his initial reaction was one of refusal. "It's too dangerous. You need to stay here."

But then he paused, recognition dawning in his eyes as he looked at her more closely. "Lilia Thornheart?" he asked, his tone shifting to one of respect. He knew of her strength and reputation, and he understood that she was no ordinary student.

Lilia nodded, her expression determined. "Yes. I can handle this. Let me fight."

The instructor hesitated for a moment before reluctantly nodding. "Very well. Be careful."

A small smile curved on Lilia's lips as she turned her attention back to the battlefield. With a fierce determination, she readied herself for the fight ahead, knowing that this was her moment to shine.

*****

Yet, on the other side of the arena, something different was happening.

"Grrrrr..."

A student with purple hair and supposed purple eyes was growling.

Her eyes slowly turning to red.