Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest

Chapter 751 171.4 - Catching Up

As I sat across from Sylvie, my mind wandered—not just to the present but to the world of the game, to how much her presence had shifted from what I remembered. Sylvie's fork clinked softly against her plate, her expression still flushed with a mixture of curiosity and embarrassment from our earlier exchange, but my thoughts had already begun to spiral into analysis. 
'Sylvie,' I mused inwardly, letting the name echo in my thoughts. In the game, she was a slow burn—a character whose importance wasn't fully revealed until much later. For most of the first act, her presence was understated, almost overshadowed by the more dramatic characters like Irina or Seraphine. Players could easily overlook her, especially since her powers, her true significance as a Saintess, didn't awaken until the summer break of the first year. 
I traced my fingers lightly against the table, my mind replaying the game's progression. In the original storyline, Sylvie's powers had been dormant for most of the first year. She wasn't weak, per se, but her potential wasn't realized. It wasn't until that pivotal moment during the summer break, that her powers were awakened. 
And then it was the second-year winter break when the headmaster personally took her under his wing for intensive training, that she truly began to shine. By the time players reached the second semester of the sophomore year, Sylvie's transformation into a starting top-ranked Awakened was a good change. 
But this wasn't the game. Things were already diverging. Her powers had awakened earlier—far earlier than they should have. 
'Before the mid-semester break,' I thought, my eyes drifting toward her as she shifted slightly in her seat, still self-conscious. 'That was a major deviation. And if her powers awakened faster, then the ripple effects were to be impossible to ignore.' 
Sylvie had become far more central, far earlier, and that meant the pacing of the original events would shift as well. Characters who might not have taken notice of her until later would now see her as a potential ally—or a threat. And the challenges she would face were bound to escalate faster than intended. 
The training with Headmaster Jonathan, though… would likely remain the same. Even in the game, the headmaster had been one of the few characters fully aware of Sylvie's identity and potential from the moment that she had awakened them, and this time it was also the same. 
'After all, Sylvie had awakened in this academy, the Headmaster's home grounds in a sense. There is just no way that he was not aware.'  
This thought of mine had also aligned with the actions of the academy of the second part of the first semester. 
'Like how Sylvie was assigned to me and Irina's group. It is evident that the headmaster thought that her Awakening was somehow related to me.' 
It was not that hard to see. Since Sylvie had awakened her powers when she wanted to save me at that time. 
'That is why….Now that he already knew, why Sylvie looks much stronger also makes sense.' 
From the moment the academy began and the entrance ceremony brought us all together, I'd been observing the main cast. One by one, I analyzed them, taking note of how they had grown and shifted since the last time we'd all stood in the same space. 
Ethan. He had gotten stronger—undeniably so. His stance was firmer, his aura more refined. It was clear he hadn't been slacking off, and his progress was significant. From what I'd seen, his strength and stats had likely propelled him into the range of the academy's top 300, maybe even breaking into the top 100 if he pushed hard enough. His mana carried a subtle resonance that hadn't been there before, and while I couldn't pinpoint exactly what had changed, it was obvious he'd undergone some kind of breakthrough. He was growing into the role that would one day define him as the steadfast protagonist. 
Julia. Julia was still Julia—headstrong, and a force to be reckoned with. But she hadn't been idle either. I'd already seen her performance in the final exam duels, how she had awakened that during that time. And, it had vaulted her into the top ten of the academy in terms of raw combat strength. Her mana now thrummed with controlled ferocity, and her confidence had grown sharper, more resolute. She wasn't just a support character anymore; she was carving her own path to the forefront 
Lilia. It is hard to see through her, as she conceals her abilities so well that even with my [Eyes], it was hard to gauge her full strength. But even if I were to completely see through her, Lilia had never relied solely on brute force. Her mind, sharp and calculating, was her greatest weapon, and that hadn't changed. She didn't need to show her power; the subtle way she maneuvered through situations made it clear that she was always thinking several steps ahead. Hence, it is hard to see through her complete capabilities. 
Lucas. There is something odd about Lucas. From the beginning, he'd always been one of the most stable members of the cast—a dependable, straightforward presence. But now… now there was a shadow over him, a strange sense of concealment. It wasn't just his demeanor, though that had grown more reserved; it was something deeper. An artifact, perhaps? It seemed to actively interfere with my [Eyes], intercepting my attempts to see through his mana flow and aura. That kind of interference wasn't easy to achieve, and the fact that it existed made him suspicious. Whatever Lucas was hiding, it wasn't something small. 
'I had been thinking about this for a long while….' 
His change in the Phantom's Land…..If it is related to this, Lucas needs to be investigated more. I had already been thinking about this for a while, and now that it is like this, I can just look through him. 
Carl. As usual, Carl was steady. He had always been the anchor of the group, reliable and consistent in his approach. While he hadn't changed drastically, his aura was solid, his training evident. He didn't need dramatic growth; his steady pace was enough to keep him progressing. 
There is no need to mention Irina since her progress was already before my eyes. 
But of them all, the one who had changed the most was undeniably Sylvie. 
She was different, not just in strength but in presence. From the moment she awakened her powers, the shift in her was not that much. 
After all, even if she had awakened her powers, it is not that she would immediately be able to use them. 
Most importantly, her powers are different from a normal Awakened. It is a different system, hence she needs to understand it differently, as the previous guidelines wouldn't exactly be helpful to her in a concrete sense. 
'Sylvie's growth is rapid,' I thought, watching her absently as she continued her meal. 
And such growth was not that easy to achieve. 
Her aura carried a new weight, her mana laced with a unique resonance that only someone with her Saintess lineage could possess. Even her movements were more confident, her presence less timid. She had begun to grow into the role the game had foreshadowed, but far earlier than it should have been. 
I leaned back slightly, letting my words fall with deliberate precision. "Just like how you've changed," I said, my tone calm yet probing. "Was the training with the Headmaster helpful?" 
The question was pointed, a calculated move to gauge Sylvie's reaction. If the Headmaster had been actively involved in her growth—and I was almost certain he had been—then her response would tell me more than she realized. Sylvie might be growing stronger, but changes in inherent personality traits weren't instantaneous. The girl she had been—a timid, innocent presence—couldn't suddenly morph into someone composed and commanding without external influence. 
Her fork froze halfway to her mouth, a slight tremor betraying her surprise. Her eyes widened briefly, a flicker of something akin to panic flashing in their emerald depths before she quickly schooled her expression. But it was too late. I'd already seen the tells. 
Her lips parted as if to speak, but no words came immediately. She glanced down at her plate, her fork clinking softly against the ceramic as she set it down. That motion—avoiding eye contact, redirecting her focus—was an instinctual attempt to buy time. She was trying to suppress her reaction, but it only confirmed what I already suspected. 
Sylvie's fingers tightened slightly against the edge of the table, a barely noticeable shift that betrayed her internal struggle. Her body language screamed unease, but she was working hard to mask it. For anyone else, she might have succeeded, but not with me. 
'Nervousness,' I noted. 'Likely stemming from the fact that I hit the mark. She didn't expect me to mention the Headmaster so directly, and it threw her off balance.' 
Finally, she looked up, her expression carefully composed, though a faint flush tinged her cheeks. "I… I think so," she said, her voice hesitant, the words measured. "The Headmaster has been… encouraging." 
Her choice of words struck me immediately. Encouraging was vague, an intentionally noncommittal term. It didn't align with the rapid growth I'd observed in her. Encouragement alone didn't produce the kind of transformation Sylvie had undergone—it required deliberate, intensive guidance. 
She shifted slightly in her seat, a subtle discomfort in her posture as if she was trying to decide how much to say. Her gaze flickered away for a moment before returning to mine, her hands clasping together in her lap. "You really…..How did you know?" she asked softly, her voice tinged with both curiosity and unease. 
I held her gaze for a moment longer, my expression unreadable, then leaned back slightly in my chair. "It was just a guess," I said evenly, my tone calm but pointed. "And it appears I was correct, thanks to your reaction." 
It is still apparent that there are things that she needs to improve. 
'In this short amount of time…..Well, even the headmaster can't change someone's character in one and a half months.'  
It was time to teach her a little. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om