Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest

Chapter 360 83.3 - Damsel?

Everyone has something they excel at. This is a lot more prominent in this world, where people's talents are being determined by something that they don't have complete control over.

After all, the existence of the status window itself makes the people limited to only one path.

The [Trait]s that are given to you is what you need to follow. That is a predetermined path. And I am no exception to that rule.

My first trait, [Perceptive Insight], is the thing that showed my future path for the first time.

Tracking, acting as a ranger or scout, etc. It was evident that my talent relied on observation, and that was still the same now.

It improved, but its essence remained the same. I was an observer and reader of traces. And this trait amplified was something another.

It was my passive, [Vengeful Bane]. It amplified my senses and strength against a demon, but the trigger to that was mainly demonic energy.

If I was in the presence of demonic energy, I would get a notice. This made me a demonic human detector in some ways.

THUMP!

And now, as my heart was beating this fast, this trait came alive. Demonic Energy was present, and there was a faint struggle of fighting. The situation suggested that Irina was captured by a demonic human.

'It is very hard to assess the strength of the demon contractor from these traces since the struggle wasn't even that long, but it feels like the demon contractor didn't want to waste too much time. It was in a hurry. If that is the case, then it may not have the necessary strength.'

I assessed while looking for any possible traces that could take me to my destination.

Activating my [Perceptive Insight], I focused my senses, allowing the world around me to take on a new clarity. With this heightened perception, I could see the flow of mana across the atmosphere, like threads of light weaving through the air.

Of course, that wasn't the end. I was not wasting my time while learning magic all this time. Even though I recently shifted my focus to mind magic, there was also a certain field that I was interested in.

Visionary.

A special field that was reliant on the reading of the world. Basically, it is a field that looks at things beyond norms, and it includes mana as well. It is a field that also produced the basic required skill 「Mana Observation」. After all, even if it was a basic skill, it stemmed from an analytical approach.

While studying magic, I looked for theories that could help me strengthen my [Perceptive Insight]. Even if compensating for your weaknesses is good, you should never look over the parts of your strengths that are lacking.

And there, I came across a special theory of magic just at the start of this week.

The theory indicated that every manipulation attempt of mana was basically an entry. Utilizing a spell and using it as an entry to a certain mechanism that was directly related to reality.

Skills and traits were also predetermined algorithms that would just ease the production of these entries.

It was a weird concept, like something that came out of a machine, a logical operator. The world of binary codes may certainly look like that, but how can the real world be like this?

But, somehow, I thought about a way to utilize this theory. After all, I was a lot different from the general researchers since I could see the world differently with [Perceptive Insight.]

Have you heard of Murphy's Law? Most people would know about it. If one thought of something, at the end of the day, that thought would manifest and become a part of one's reality.

And this law was observed by many people to be true. But how come this could happen? How could we manifest our thoughts? Was there such a power?

Scientists and psychologists have given an answer to this. When we thought of something and accepted that in our lives, then our brains would look for clues to support this thought. Those who thought the world was against them would look for clues to support this claim. Whenever something bad happened, our brain took this as if it were possible evidence of our thoughts.

In essence, Murphy's Law indicates that our thoughts are related to how we perceive the world. And that was my only limitation.

[Perspective Insight] was such an ability that it was not limited to the things that could be seen in the real world. It was related to my thoughts. I could grasp everything if only I could think from different perspectives.

I asked myself, what if I looked for entries? What if I assumed that they were real and they really existed, and I wanted to grasp their meaning? If so, would I be able to see things?

The answer wasn't clear. I tried it many times, but I wasn't able to reach a clear conclusion. Maybe my approach was wrong, or maybe the tools underneath me were wrong.

But right now, my thoughts bore fruit.

'They are really there.'

As I scanned the surroundings, I noticed the intricate dance of psions, their vibrant colors swirling and intermingling in a delicate balance.

But amidst this harmony, there were disruptions and anomalies in the natural flow of mana.

In certain areas, the psionic harmony was slightly distorted, as if a discordant note had been struck in an otherwise perfect symphony. These distortions were the telltale signs of Demonic Energy, their presence clashing with the natural psion distribution of the human domain.

They were not natural, a clear attempt to manipulate and change the world itself.

'So, it is related to the Demonic Energy. Of course, it is.' Realization dawned upon me as I observed the disturbances in the flow of mana. My efforts to find entries, to see beyond the norms of magic, had borne fruit. I could see the attempts of demonic energy to manipulate and change the world around me.

From this point on, I didn't need to do anything else. With this newfound clarity, I followed the trails of demonic energy manipulations, each distortion in the psionic harmony guiding me closer to my destination.

I moved with purpose but without urgency, keeping myself calm and focused as I tracked the source of Irina's captivity.

Step by step, I followed the subtle clues left behind by the demonic energy, my senses attuned to the faintest disturbances in the atmosphere. With each passing moment, I drew closer to the epicenter of the disturbance.

'The penthouse of the girl's dormitory. The fifteenth dormitory, huh? Interesting. So, she had been hiding right before their noses.'

I remembered a certain demonic human who would later wreak havoc in the academy secretly and then leave.

'Danielle. I guess her time did come.'

Normally, she was supposed to last a lot longer, but it seemed she was getting reckless. It was most likely because of this whole stir I caused.

While this worked well for certain demons, and it was bait, those like Danielle without faction would find it hard to operate.

Slipping into the shadows, I observed the slight "curtain of darkness" that seemed to shroud the penthouse of the girl's dormitory.

To the untrained eye, it would have appeared as nothing more than a trick of the light, but with my heightened sensitivity to demonic energy, I could sense that there was something concealed there, something sinister lurking just beyond the veil.

With a silent resolve, I quickly bypassed the small fences that covered the dormitory grounds, moving with the agility and grace of a practiced acrobat. My movements were fluid and deliberate, each step calculated to minimize noise and avoid detection.

After all, for a person like me, stealth was one of the most important aspects, and I could never let it go. I had already trained myself to climb on walls and trees and fall down from heights.

As I approached the penthouse, I concealed my presence even further, blending seamlessly into the shadows as I prepared to enter.

WARP! With a deft flick of my wrist, I bypassed the wards and alarms set by Danielle that guarded the entrance, slipping inside unnoticed.

The spatial leap of short distance worked wonders.

What greeted me inside was a scene straight out of a nightmare. Irina lay unconscious in the center of a complex symbol etched into the floor; her features contorted in pain as dark tendrils of energy coiled around her body.

Instantly, I recognized the symbol for what it was—a ritualistic magic designed to transfer the strength of the target to the caster.

Since I saw this same circle in the game, it has already been recorded in my memory once.

It was a vile and insidious spell, one that drained the life force of its victim to empower the one who wielded it.

And it seemed the ritual was almost completed since Danielle, with her blade, slit Irina's face.

"And once I am done with everything, I will feed your body to dogs. You will serve a fine meal."

THUMP!

With the presence of the demonic human before me, my heart started beating fast. Already, I could feel my passive taking effect.

The hatred inside me was slowly making its appearance.

Danielle took the blood from Irina's cheek, and she was about to drop it into the circle.

SWOOSH! But I was already having a hard time holding it in. I channeled my mana into the chakram I was holding.

[Celestalith] had already been brought out and was ready to strike.

"Huh?"

Danielle's hand was thrown to the ground outside of the circle with the blade it was holding.

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