Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest

Chapter 632 139.2 - Prepare

The sound of my alarm cut through the quiet stillness of the room, a sharp reminder that it was 5 a.m. Normally, I would have already been awake for hours, ready to face the day long before the sun crept over the horizon. But the exhaustion from yesterday's fight had weighed heavily on me, demanding a rare concession: rest.

I sat up slowly, feeling the lingering fatigue in my muscles. My body had needed time to recover from the strain. Physical exhaustion wasn't something I succumbed to often, but the battles had pushed me beyond what I could maintain indefinitely.

'A momentary lapse,' I mused, already brushing it aside.

Slipping out of bed, I stretched, loosening the stiffness in my limbs before retrieving a small vial from my spatial bracelet. It contained a shake—one I'd prepared earlier, optimized for quick recovery and sustenance. I added a few drops of enchanted caffeine into the mix, stirring the liquid.

The brew wasn't about the caffeine itself—an Awakened like me would hardly notice such trivial effects—but this variant served a more specific purpose.

Enchanted and engineered in mana genetics, it worked deeper, accelerating blood flow and sharpening the body's functions without the jittery side effects common to stimulants.

I drank it in one smooth motion, the cool liquid sliding down my throat. Already, I could feel its effect spreading, revitalizing the muscles and clearing the faint haze from my mind. I glanced outside, noting the faint hint of light on the horizon.

'This will suffice.'

As the [Everchanging Glyph] took effect, I could already feel the weariness ebbing away, replaced by the steady hum of strength coursing through my body. My muscles, which had been sluggish only moments ago, now pulsed with renewed energy. Three hours—that's all it took. The glyph had always been efficient, adapting my body to overcome fatigue far quicker than any normal recovery method.

I rolled my shoulders, feeling the stiffness dissolve completely. The dull ache from the prior day's battle had vanished, leaving behind only the keen awareness of my surroundings. My thoughts sharpened, no longer clouded by the remnants of exhaustion.

'Ready,' I thought, satisfied with how quickly my body had adjusted.

I glanced toward my desk, where the necklace I had taken from Zharokath rested under the dim light. Its dark metal links seemed ordinary at first glance, but I knew better. I reached for it, the cold weight in my palm.

Holding the necklace closer, I examined the intricate engravings along its surface. Each line, each curve, was deliberate—part of a larger design meant to conceal its true purpose.

I narrowed my gaze, activating my [Eyes] to see the underlying mana flow within the necklace. The world shifted as the familiar sight of mana trails appeared before me, each thread shimmering with varying intensity.

I focused on the engravings, tracing the lines of mana that ran through the necklace's structure.

The patterns were meticulous, modern magical engineering intertwined with something far older, far more powerful—Ancient craft. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

'A really detailed magical engineering but at the same time filled with Ancient craft,' I thought, the contrast between the two clear. The modern elements were designed to suppress the deeper, more primal forces embedded within the necklace. Layers of mana suppression had been woven into the design, each one carefully crafted to conceal the artifact's true nature.

I shifted my focus deeper, allowing my [Eyes] to see beyond the surface mana. The intricate mana lines of the necklace connected to an ancient source, one that resonated with the void.

And well, I had factually confirmed that the knowledge from the game was once again correct. This was an artifact from the Void Clan, bound to a hidden space.

The Void Clan was known for its manipulation of space, using artifacts like this to maintain access to dimensions unknown to most.

As the ancient mana thrummed beneath the suppressions, I nodded.

The artifact wasn't just valuable—it was essential to the Void Clan. Zharokath couldn't allow anyone else to see it, yet he could never part with it.

'Now, let's get ready.'

Now that everything was finally confirmed to be true, it was my time to get ready for the hunt.

'The primordial, isn't it?'

Contrary to what most people may think, not all primordials are as invincible as the legends claim. Sure, they possess immense raw power, but many lack the intellect necessary to wield it effectively. They are primal, driven by instinct rather than strategy. That's where the demons of intellect came in, seizing control of these ancient beings, twisting their strength for their own ends.

Most of the primordials never developed an intellect of their own. Their sheer power alone could fuel their clans, but when faced with entities that could strategize, plan, and grow in number, they eventually fell. Forced into hiding, they became relics of their former selves, scattered and hunted by those with the cunning to exploit their weaknesses.

I knew this all too well. The MistWraith, the primordial of shadows, had been one such being.

When I faced it, what I killed was a shadow of its former glory—raw power without the cunning or intellect to back it up.

It had hidden itself away, weakened by years of evasion and depletion, until it became little more than a beast. It had been difficult, yes, but far from the challenge a primordial in its prime would pose.

'That is why this hunt will be possible.' I thought, recalling the plot of the game.

In the original timeline, the Void Dragon wouldn't even make its appearance until much later, after the academy had ended. It was part of an arc aptly titled ❰After Academy Arc 3, Subjugation of Void Dragon❱.

I can easily remember the details clearly.

As the world continued its downward spiral toward destruction, the frequency of gates increased, bringing stronger monsters with each breach. Humanity's forces would grow desperate, and in an effort to bolster their ranks, the qualifications to become a hunter would be lowered.

But numbers alone wouldn't be enough. The challenges would overwhelm them, despite the surge of new hunters.

In the scenario of the Subjugation of the Void Dragon, it all started with a terrorist attack on the sixth largest city in the human domain—an event that turned the West into a war zone. Demonic humans—those corrupted by the influence of demons—unleashed chaos, and the city became a battlefield, with human hunters pitted against them. Amid the turmoil, a specific dungeon appeared, one that changed everything.

That dungeon was the key. Its sudden emergence was tied to the Void Dragon, and from its entrance appeared the Void Dragon who had been lying dormant all this time.

From the moment the Void Dragon emerged from that dungeon, it wasn't just another boss battle—it was a turning point in the game's narrative. The Void Dragon would make its appearance in the real world, fully fledged and devastating in its power. It wasn't some half-formed creature that could be stopped easily; it was an apex predator, a beast capable of bending space and void energy to its will.

The entire region where the dungeon appeared would fall under the control of the demonic humans. The once-thriving city and the surrounding territories became a war zone, entirely dominated by chaos. The destruction didn't stop there. Over time, the corruption spread like a plague, creating a perimeter of devastation around the city. Anything caught in that radius was either annihilated or transformed by the dark influence of the Void Clan and their dragon.

For a long time, the Federation had no way of breaking through the demonic forces holding the region. The military campaigns they launched to retake the city failed repeatedly. Resources bled away, soldiers were lost, and hunters—both seasoned veterans and inexperienced recruits—were sent into the meat grinder, only to be decimated by the forces they faced. The whole Federation was stretched thin, and the situation became more desperate with each passing day.

That's where the player would come in. At that point in the game, the Federation would be forced to invest massive resources and send their strongest forces to deal with the Void Dragon. The player's task was to spearhead the campaign to retake the region, facing down demonic humans, powerful monsters, and ultimately, the Void Dragon itself.

In the game, the player as the Main Character Ethan would eventually lead the charge to retake the region alongside the main cast: Julia, Carl, Sylvie, Lilia, Lucas, and either Irina or Seraphine. Each of them brought their unique skills to the battlefield, working in tandem to push back the demonic humans and monsters that had overrun the area. Their teamwork was crucial, with S-rank hunters lending their strength to ensure that the land was reclaimed.

It was a grueling campaign, but eventually, they pushed the demons back. The Void Dragon was defeated in a climactic battle, its body collapsing into the void from which it came, and the land was freed from the grip of the demonic humans. The victory, however, was bittersweet. While the region had been reclaimed, the damage was done—the Federation's resources were stretched to their limits, and the victory came at a great cost.

This victory also signaled something far worse: the weakening of the borders of the human domain. The Federation, having expended so much to defeat the Void Dragon and reclaim the lands, was now more vulnerable than ever. Sensing the opportunity, the demons didn't hesitate. They launched a frontal assault on the Federation, striking at the weakened defenses.

It was the next stage in the game's descent into chaos—one that forced the player and the main cast to face not just the scattered forces of demonic humans but an organized and brutal invasion from the demonic armies. The war for humanity's survival had only just begun.

'But the main focus is not the invasion of demons.' I reminded myself, bringing my thoughts back to the real reason I wanted to hunt the Void Dragon.

In the game, killing the Void Dragon wasn't just about retaking territory or defeating a powerful enemy. It was about the reward—the Primordial Essence that dropped the moment the Void Dragon was killed. This essence was no ordinary loot.

It contained a piece of the demon's power, offering the player something incredibly rare: a trait known as

[Voidborne]