Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest

Chapter 763  Chapter 175.3 - New semester, same training

Irina's fiery smirk remained as she walked over to Astron, who stood at the edge of the summit with his usual calm demeanor. Her gaze flicked briefly to Julia, who was still catching her breath, muttering about Irina's unexpected presence. 
'This guy,' Irina thought, a mix of amusement and exasperation flickering across her expression. She had pieced it together the moment Julia spoke—Astron hadn't mentioned their team was right behind them. And knowing him, it was deliberate. 
Stopping beside him, she tilted her head, her amber eyes narrowing slightly. "Did you not mention us to Julia?" 
"No," Astron replied simply, his voice steady as ever. 
Irina crossed her arms, her sharp gaze studying his unreadable expression. "Why?" 
"There was no need," he said, glancing at her briefly before looking back toward the horizon. The faint breeze at the summit ruffled his dark hair, and his composure was maddeningly unaffected. 
Irina clicked her tongue, her smirk faltering into something closer to irritation. "...You," she muttered, her tone carrying a hint of disbelief. "You do realize that if you had told her and taken full control of the situation, your team could have won, right?" 
Astron's sharp purple eyes turned to her, and for a moment, she thought she saw the faintest flicker of amusement. "Remember," he said calmly, "this is a training exercise, not a race." 
Irina raised an eyebrow, her smirk slowly returning as she let out a small laugh. "Well… oddly enough, for something that's 'not a race,' we got a notification declaring a first-place finisher." 
Astron paused, his gaze steady as he considered her words. After a moment, he simply said, "I have no comment on that." 
Irina couldn't help but laugh softly, shaking her head as she glanced over at Julia and the others. Her competitive spirit still burned brightly, but she couldn't deny that Astron's pragmatic approach intrigued her. He had a way of seeing the bigger picture, of remaining unfazed by the smaller victories and losses. 
"You're impossible, you know that?" she said, her tone lighter now. 
"Only to those who don't listen," Astron replied, his tone betraying the faintest