Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest

My dreams, they have been changing recently. If before, I would always see the scene where the demons' claws pierced her chest.

Though there were occasional different dreams as well, most of the time the context was like this.

Yet now, I had another dream.

In that dream, she was there again, smiling, her eyes filled with warmth and sadness. The kind of sadness that clings to your soul but never quite lets you feel at peace.

I could feel her presence, as if she was right there beside me, the air around her heavy with unspoken words. She didn't say much, though—she never did. Just smiled, that same bittersweet expression that always left me feeling empty when I woke up.

And just like that, the dream faded, slipping away like water through my fingers.

I slowly became aware of a weight on my body, something soft and warm pressing against me. My senses stirred, the last remnants of sleep clinging to my mind, but I opened my eyes, blinking as my vision cleared.

Senior Maya.

She was lying against me, her head resting gently on my chest, her eyes closed, and her face calm, almost peaceful. Her breathing was slow and steady, and for a moment, I just lay there, unsure of what to make of the situation. Her purple hair cascaded over me like a delicate curtain, and there was a faint blush on her cheeks, though I couldn't tell if it was from sleep or something else.

I glanced around, my mind still hazy from whatever had just happened. The clearing, the orchid… the overwhelming light. It all came rushing back in flashes, but here I was now, with Maya asleep on top of me.

'What happened…?'

I tried to recall the last thing I remembered clearly—reaching for the orchid, feeling the mana surge through me, but after that… nothing. My body felt heavier like I had been drained of energy, but there was no pain. Just a strange sense of… peace.

'Or is it peace?'

I raised my head slightly, just enough to get a better look at how we were positioned. Maya was lying on her side, her head nestled against my chest, her arm draped loosely across my waist. Her body pressed softly against mine, and I could feel the gentle rise and fall of her breathing, rhythmic and calm.

From the way her legs were curled slightly to the side, and her hand resting so lightly on me, it seemed like she had been sitting beside me at first, then at some point, she must have laid down. Her posture wasn't forced, no signs of tension—just a natural stillness as if she'd settled there to watch over me and had fallen asleep in the process.

'Did she... stay here with me the whole time?'

I let my gaze drift to her face. The blush on her cheeks was still there, giving her an innocent, almost serene look. The contrast between her usual composed demeanor and this sleeping form made me pause.

'She must've been guarding me after I lost consciousness...' I thought, piecing it together. The way she was lying suggested she had tried to keep me close, maybe worried I wouldn't wake up. Her body seemed protective, even in sleep.

'But, still….How was she also forcefully put to sleep?'

The thought struck me with a sudden clarity. Maya wasn't just any normal human; she was Awakened, just like me. Her stamina and resilience far exceeded that of an ordinary person. She could go for days without rest if necessary. If she had been watching over me, there's no way she would have just drifted off to sleep like this unless something forced her into it.

'It might have been the orchid,' I thought. 'If the orchid had the power to affect me, it's possible that it did the same to her. But then… why did it take longer? Was she resistant? Did her vampiric blood give her more strength to fight it off?'

There were too many variables. The orchid, the mana, Maya's bloodline, my own involvement. It was like trying to connect pieces of a puzzle when I didn't have all the edges. I could speculate, but that wouldn't get me far. At the end of the day, there was only one way to know for sure, and that was to ask her directly when she woke up.

For now, I needed to focus on something I could control—myself.

Taking a slow breath, I spread my senses throughout my body, trying to get a better feel for what had changed. Something felt different, almost subtly so, but it was there. The moment I focused inward, I noticed it—an underlying energy that hadn't been there before. A steady hum, like a rhythm coursing through me, as if the mana from the orchid had integrated itself into me.

'Indeed. The flower was absorbed. I feel… stronger. Healthier' Whatever it is, something had changed, and whenever something like this happened the easiest way to check it was.

'Status.'

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?Name: Astron Natusalune

?Occupation: Weapon Master (level 4)

?Talent Limit: 10.5 --> 12 ?Passives:

Vengeful Bane

Bloodline Resonance

Psychic Cognizance

?Attributes:

Variable Attributes:

Strength: 5.34 --> 5.50 (+0.16)

Dexterity: 5.64 --> 5.81 (+0.17)

Agility: 5.72 --> 5.89 (+0.17)

Constitution: 5.37 --> 5.53 (+0.16)

Intuition: 5.79 --> 5.96 (+0.17)

Magical Power: 6.17 --> 6.36 (+0.19)

Mana Capacity: 6.25 --> 6.44 (+0.19) ?

-----------------------------------------

I blinked as the numbers and details unfolded before me. My talent limit had increased, not by a small margin either—another boost pushing me further beyond the original boundaries.

'From 10.5 to 12...' It was rare for something to affect my talent limit so significantly, especially considering how difficult it was to improve it under normal circumstances.

'This orchid…' I had never seen it before, not even in the game, and yet it had clearly played an important role in my development. The subtle yet noticeable increase in my attributes confirmed that this wasn't just any ordinary plant.

The increments weren't large, but they were consistent across all my variable attributes—strength, dexterity, agility, constitution, intuition, magical power, and mana capacity. The orchid had given me a comprehensive boost.

'Not just physical attributes either,' I mused as I glanced over the changes. My magical power and mana capacity had also grown, almost as if the orchid had refined me on a fundamental level, enhancing both my body and my magical capabilities. It wasn't just an energy boost; it was a deep-rooted improvement.

'Interesting.'

Whatever it is, it was a welcome improvement.

"Hmm….."

And just at that moment, I felt Senior Maya wriggling. It seemed she was about to wake up already.

Maya stirred against me, her body shifting slightly as she began to wake. Her movements were slow, almost hesitant, as if her mind was still caught in the haze of sleep. I stayed still, watching her carefully. After a moment, her eyes blinked open, their pink hue slightly dazed as they tried to focus on her surroundings.

"Hm… What happened?" she murmured, her voice soft and drowsy as she glanced around, clearly disoriented. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, blinking a few more times as if trying to shake off the remnants of sleep.

I remained silent, waiting patiently for her to compose herself. There was no need to rush her—she had been through something as well, and I wanted to give her a moment to fully wake up.

It didn't take long. Maya's eyes cleared quickly, the fog of sleep disappearing as her sharp senses returned. Her gaze flickered around the clearing before landing on me. She blinked once more, her expression shifting as the realization of her position hit her.

"Junior…" she began, her voice steadying, though there was a faint blush creeping into her cheeks as she sat up, adjusting herself. "How did this happen?"

Maya furrowed her brow as she sat up straighter, her eyes narrowing slightly as she seemed to search her memory. Her hand brushed absently against the grass as if grounding herself in the moment.

"I remember… placing your head on my lap," she said slowly, her voice laced with uncertainty. "But… everything after that is a blur."

She glanced at me, her expression a mixture of confusion and frustration. "It's strange. I don't fall asleep that easily, especially not while guarding someone. It feels like… something just made me sleep."

I nodded slightly, considering her words. I had been thinking the same thing. Given her strength and willpower, it was unlikely that she would simply fall asleep like that on her own. Something else must've been at play.

"Seems like the orchid had more of an effect than we realized," I said calmly, observing her as she tried to piece everything together.

Maya's hand came to her forehead, as if trying to massage the missing memories back. "It doesn't make sense… I felt fine until that point, then suddenly, nothing."

I stood up slowly, stretching out my limbs as the lingering effects of the orchid's energy seemed to settle in my body. "Let's not dwell on it any longer," I said, offering Maya a hand. "We've already spent enough time here, and the evening's approaching."

Maya looked up at me, still somewhat perplexed, but after a moment, she nodded and accepted my hand.

As I pulled her up, the last traces of frustration faded from her expression, replaced by a sense of calm acceptance.

As we walked back toward the mansion, the silence between us was comfortable but carried a subtle tension. Maya's usual calmness had returned, but I could still sense that faint nervousness lingering in her expression, almost like she was anticipating something.

The mansion loomed ahead, its elegant design standing in contrast to the fading light of the evening. The walk back felt shorter this time, though maybe it was because both of us were lost in our own thoughts.

When we arrived at the entrance, Maya paused for a moment, her hand resting on the door handle as if she were about to say something. But instead, she turned toward me with a gentle smile.

"I'll leave you to settle into your room," she said, her voice calm but holding a softness to it. "Take your time to rest. I'll check in later."

I nodded, appreciating the space she was giving me. "Thank you, Senior."

With that, Maya gave me a small nod and disappeared down one of the mansion's hallways, leaving me alone in the entranceway.

The silence settled in, and for the first time since arriving at the mansion, I felt a sense of stillness. Now, with Maya gone and no immediate tasks ahead of me, I could finally take a moment to think.

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