Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest

Chapter 612 136.2 - The Hunt

As the airship soared quietly through the night, the cool air of Ardmont City finally came into view, its lights twinkling like a sea of stars below them. The atmosphere inside the ship was calm, but the tension between Maya and me still lingered from what had happened earlier.

Maya leaned against the window, her expression thoughtful, though the weight of the evening's events was clear in her eyes. After the incident, I could tell she was still grappling with her loss of control, the demonic energy that had surged through her, and the vulnerability it exposed.

"Did you really not need anything? Any help back there?" she asked quietly, her voice breaking the silence, though there was an edge of concern behind it.

I turned my gaze toward her, shaking my head slightly. "No," I replied simply, my tone steady and assured. "I will handle it on my own."

Maya exhaled softly, a sigh that carried more than just frustration. There was an unspoken heaviness in the air, and though she didn't argue, her eyes reflected a mix of lingering doubt and gratitude. She wanted to say more; I could feel it, but instead, she settled for a small shake of her head, her lips pressed together in thought.

The subtle tremor in her posture, the way she seemed to war with herself internally—it wasn't something I was unfamiliar with.

Maya looked over at me again, her eyes searching mine, perhaps hoping to find some sign of weariness or even guilt, but I offered her none. I remained as calm and composed as always, not allowing any of my own thoughts to seep through.

"Sigh…" Maya let out another small sigh, the sound barely audible over the hum of the airship's engines. She leaned back into her seat, gazing out the window again, the lights of Ardmont drawing closer as the ship began its descent. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The airship touched down smoothly on the landing pad, and the moment the doors opened, the cool night air of Ardmont swept into the cabin.

The city lights flickered in the distance, but my focus was already elsewhere. My mind was on the path ahead—what needed to be done. Zharokath would die, and there was no going back from this.

Maya stayed quiet beside me, her posture tense, her eyes still carrying the weight of the evening's events.

I could feel her wanting to say something, but she didn't.

She was waiting, perhaps for me to acknowledge her, to offer some kind of reassurance. But I had nothing to say.

As we reached the edge of the landing pad, I stopped, turning to face her. "You should head back to the mansion," I said, my tone cool and distant. "I'll take care of the rest."

Her eyes widened slightly, a flicker of helplessness crossing her face. She knew exactly what I meant. I was leaving her behind, and this time, I wasn't asking for her help. She had no place in what was about to happen next.

I turned away, ready to leave without further explanation. But just as I took my first step, I felt a sudden tug on my sleeve. Her hand, small and trembling slightly, clutched the hem of my clothes, stopping me in my tracks.

"Please," she whispered, her voice strained. "Come back safely."

I paused, the words hanging in the air between us. Slowly, I turned to face her again, my gaze meeting hers. There was warmth in her eyes.

But at that moment, I couldn't allow myself to feel it.

I paused, the words hanging in the air between us. Slowly, I turned to face her again, my gaze meeting hers. There was warmth in her eyes.

But at that moment, I couldn't allow myself to feel it.

Not now.

"I will."

Her hand lingered on my sleeve for a moment longer before she slowly let go, her eyes searching mine for something.

"Sigh…"

With a final glance, I turned and walked away, leaving her standing there as the cold wind of Ardmont swept through the night, her whispered plea still lingering in the back of my mind, but I pushed it aside.

There was no room for distractions, no place for sentiment right now.

I spotted the car waiting at the edge of the landing pad. The driver, arranged by Maya, stood beside it, ready and waiting. She had known all along that I wouldn't stay, that I would go through with this. The airship landing pad wasn't close to the city, and she had made sure everything was in place for my departure.

The driver gave a respectful nod as I approached, opening the door without a word. I stepped inside, settling into the backseat. The silence in the car felt heavy, but I didn't mind it. The soft hum of the engine kicked in as the car began to move, taking me toward Ardmont City.

The driver, as professional as expected, didn't ask any questions. He focused solely on the road ahead, maneuvering through the winding streets as we made our way into the heart of the city. I stared out the window, watching as the towering buildings of Ardmont grew larger in the distance.

The whispered plea from Maya echoed in the back of my mind, but I pushed it aside. This was my path, and nothing—not even the warmth in her eyes—could change it now.

The city lights reflected off the car's windows, illuminating the road ahead as we neared our destination.

Then, as we reached the heart of the city, the car slowed, eventually pulling up to a secluded side street. The driver parked smoothly, his demeanor calm as he turned slightly toward me. "We've arrived, sir," he said in a low, respectful tone, offering no further commentary.

Without a word, I opened the door and stepped out into the cool night air. The city was alive with distant sounds, but in this quiet corner, there was only the soft rustle of the wind and the steady pulse of my own resolve. I adjusted my coat, my eyes scanning the surroundings as I mentally prepared myself for the next steps.

The driver remained in the car, awaiting further instructions.

"You may return to your post now."

"Understood sir."

With that, he pushed the pedal and left me alone in the street.

'It starts now.' I walked further into the cool night air of Ardmont, the lights of the city surrounding me, and I quietly activated my spatial bracelet.

In an instant, I felt the familiar weight of my banquet clothes vanish, replaced by the subtle form of my [Unknown's Armor].

It shifted smoothly around me, morphing into a black hooded cloak that concealed my presence in the night.

The cloak seemed to blend with the darkness itself, rendering me a mere shadow, a wraith among the city lights.

I activated the spell I had learned, feeling the mana surge through my legs.

My body shot forward, leaping from the ground with a fluid grace. My hands gripped the ledges with precision, my feet barely touching the surface as I scaled the building with rapid ease.

I scanned my surroundings, locking onto the building ahead. Twenty-five floors. Not much of a challenge.

Floor after floor, I ascended, the wind rushing past me as the height increased. In less than a heartbeat, I reached the top, my feet landing soundlessly on the roof. The city stretched out before me, the glowing lights of Ardmont flickering like stars beneath my gaze.

This high above, the world below seemed distant—insignificant. My mind focused only on one thing: Zharokath.

'This chance can not be wasted no matter what.' The method that I had used to track him down would not be effective for a long time.

Zharokath—always cautious, always hiding in the shadows, like the rat he was. His movements were calculated, his every step shrouded in layers of protection.

His demonic nature, combined with his clan's resources, made him slippery—impossible to track through conventional means.

But I had learned long ago that nothing was invincible, and no shield was without its cracks.

I crouched low on the roof, feeling the cool night breeze brush against my skin as I peered out over the cityscape.

Zharokath was careful.

His clan's artifacts, a complex web of magical protections, surrounded him at all times. They masked his presence, deflected attention, and made him almost impossible to pinpoint.

Almost.

'Everything has an opening.'

Zharokath's defenses were like the most intricate systems, not just built on raw power but on precision and understanding. He wasn't just cautious; he was meticulous. His entire existence was surrounded by artifacts and spells that constantly monitored the world around him, sensing any disturbances or attempts to track him.

But like any system, his protections had a vulnerability—a flaw rooted in a principle Astron had studied many times in his own research: signals and noise.

'Every person in this world emits mana,' I thought as I crouched on the rooftop, my eyes scanning the city below. 'Every human, elf, demon—anything alive that has evolved under mana's influence—has a unique emission.'

But Zharokath's devices were designed to ignore these emissions, to separate the signal from the noise. Noise.

That was the key. All living beings in this world emitted a constant stream of mana, a kind of background hum in the environment. For a tracking spell to work, it had to ignore this noise, focusing only on the specific signature of its target.

Zharokath had taken advantage of this concept, surrounding himself with enchantments that disguised his true signature, blending it into the background, filtering him out like static in a field of signals.

But I know that no system can filter out everything.

Every filter has its limits. Even the most complex devices had to balance sensitivity with practicality.

If they filtered out too much, they'd miss real threats; if they filtered too little, they'd be overwhelmed by the constant flood of mana emissions from the world around them.

I leaned forward, the wind carrying the cool night air across my face as I analyzed the patterns of mana around me. Noise. That's what most detection methods saw—a constant buzz of mana from every living being.

The trick was to slip through that, to make the transmission a part of the noise by the detector formations that Zharokath surrounds himself with, yet at the same time being a receivable signal that I can track myself.

Yet, was this a really easy thing?

For most people, it would not be.

'You are here.'

But for me, it was achievable.

'Since I could see the faint thread connecting me and him at this moment.' 

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