Everyone has those times when they doubt their decisions until this point. It is inevitable as long as you are not a complete narcissist who thinks of yourself as always right.
Doubting is human nature, and every human has doubts at some point.
Eleanor was no different than that.
She rose up in the ranks as a Hunter, trying to improve herself for the upcoming future and for her role.
After all, without knowing the path, how could she guide?
But even then, improving as an Awakened and a hunter had never been an easy task. It was taxing, and it took a lot of things from the person itself.
The more battles one encountered, the more fights one had with monsters, the more they would realize how cruel this world was, and to fit the world, one would need to become cruel as well.
And Eleanor was no exception. Being a genius hunter, she faced countless trials and countless betrayals.
In the end, seeing the real human nature, she became cold and stiff. She couldn’t maintain that zealousness when she was young.
That was how it was.
And honestly, she had never regretted her actions or how she behaved. Sure, she had been evaluating the students and the cadets according to their talents, but she didn’t see anything wrong with that.
After all, when she was a hunter, she had seen a lot of her colleagues who thought highly of themselves because of the flattery of their peers.
And none of them met a good ending. Thus, for Eleanor, overly flattering someone in this line of work was no different than sending them to death marching.
Thus, she was harsh on students so that they wouldn’t push themselves to death.
At least, that was what she thought so.
However, there was one big problem that needed to be questioned in this part. Sure, it was better for the Awakened with low talent to know their limits.
But who gave her the right to judge who was talented or not? What made her judgment better than others? Was it because she was the ‘Invoker’? Was it because she was in the top 100 of Hunter’s ranking?
Which one of those was the answer?
And most importantly – could she guarantee that her judgment was always correct?
For the first time, Eleanor was questioning herself.
‘I might have made a mistake.’
She thought inwardly, observing the students who were training with their swords. Everyone was practicing, trying to refine the most basic techniques.
In fact, the whole purpose of this training was to give an idea about the general level of mana control among the freshmen and how good they were at understanding the Federal Swordplay.
After all, the Federal Swordplay was developed so that even the most basic non-trained Awakened would be able to learn it fast enough and would move as a unit in the military.
Amidst the flurry of activity in the training room, Eleanor’s gaze settled on a figure standing apart from the others.
It was Astron Natusalune, one of the students who had recently caught her attention for reasons she couldn’t quite articulate.
In the past, Astron had been something of a troublemaker, often not paying attention in class and prone to challenging authority at every turn.
His behavior had irked Eleanor, especially since Eleanor thought he was not even trying at his classes. It was like he didn’t care about the grades at all. Thus, Eleanor was sure that this student would be expelled for his low grades and assumed that paying attention to him would be pointless.
However, she needed to make an example of him so that she could better control other students. Thus, she picked upon him from time to time. After all, students needed to know that going on her bad side is not something desirable.
But in recent weeks, she had noticed a change in him. But it was so subtle that she would have missed it if she had not paid attention. His presence was a lot less, as if something like a [Trait] was letting him conceal himself constantly.
And then, it was the events surrounding him. Though each one of them had their own main characters, somehow he was in every one of them. And considering that each of those events was somehow dangerous, even the fact that he survived showed that he was different from his past self.
Eleanor couldn’t deny that she was intrigued by this change in Astron and knew that she needed to confirm it.
As she watched him practicing with his sword, Eleanor found herself wondering about the true nature of talent and potential. Could someone like Astron, who had once been dismissed as a troublemaker, possess hidden depths that even she had overlooked?
‘This is quite possible. I am not omnipotent after all, and I can certainly make mistakes.’
Eleanor knew she was prideful, but she was also not stupid.
From the way he held the ‘weapon’ to the precision of his footwork, she could discern a level of control over his body that belied his previous reputation as a troublemaker.
There was a fluidity to his motions that spoke of dedication and practice.
However, despite his evident improvement, Eleanor couldn’t shake the feeling that there were still areas where Astron fell short.
For instance, his control over ‘weapons’ in general was good. But, if it was evaluated as a ‘sword,’ it fell short. This was expected since he was not a sword user.
‘For a dagger and a marksman, his performance is still better than expected.’
Looking at his scores and the information registered in the academy database, she thought.
‘His mana control can also check for improvement.’ With her exceptional mana sensitivity, she could detect the subtle fluctuations in his mana control, the slight inconsistencies that marred his otherwise impressive performance.
It was clear to Eleanor that while Astron had made strides in mastering the basics of body control, there were still fundamental aspects of mana manipulation that he had yet to grasp fully.
‘….But, still…It feels like he has overcome those small details with his overall understanding. I am even sure that he didn’t notice the mistakes he was making because they became a habit, and they are working. This is the behavior of a self-
taught Awakened.’ His lack of understanding of certain techniques and principles was evident in the way he executed his strikes, revealing a gap in his knowledge that could prove to be a hindrance in the long run.
‘Of course, the personalized training programs and individual guidance are scheduled for the next semester, so this is something that is not normally that important. But, this is a good opportunity.’
The way the academy worked was pretty simple. In the first semester, the students would be mostly welcomed to life as Hunters. Thus, most of the courses were actually easy and free. At least, that is how it looked from the outside, but in reality, it was different.
In essence, the whole first semester was itself a test to see the raw talents and observe them without any outside interference.
It was the second semester where the specialized guidance would take place. Therefore, normally, the academy wouldn’t interfere with the students too much right now.
But Eleanor decided to make an exception to that rule.
‘Though it may be a little selfish, it is fine for me since the headmaster can’t possibly care.’
After all, this was how the world worked. Strong was exceptional, and exceptional had special rights.
Approaching him, she created a small barrier around them to isolate the space and their talk.
CLANK! As the sword of the academy hit the dummy, she called his name.
“Student Astron.”
The body of the student came to a halt. And then, Astron turned his face to Eleanor, locking his eyes with her.
“Instructor Eleanor,” Astron greeted, his expression unreadable as he awaited her next words.
Eleanor studied him for a moment, noting the intensity in his gaze and the poised readiness in his stance. She couldn’t help but feel a sense of curiosity once again as she questioned herself.
‘Is this his usual demeanor? He looks sharp, that is befitting of a cadet.’
“Student Astron,” she began, her tone firm yet devoid of warmth. “I’ve been observing your progress during these training sessions, and I must say, I’ve noticed some remarkable improvements.”
Astron’s eyebrows lifted slightly in surprise, but he remained silent, waiting for Eleanor to continue.
“You’ve shown a commendable level of dedication and discipline,” Eleanor continued, her gaze unwavering. “Your control over your body and your mana has improved significantly since the beginning of the semester.”
Astron’s expression didn’t change as he nodded his head. “Thank you for your words.”
“However,” Eleanor added, her voice taking on a more serious tone, “there are still areas where you can refine your skills further.”
She paused, allowing her words to sink in before elaborating.
“For instance,” Eleanor continued, her grip firm on the sword, “the way you infuse your mana into your blade.”
With a practiced motion, she demonstrated, channeling her mana into the sword. Astron watched intently as the blade seemed to shimmer with an ethereal glow, a testament to Eleanor’s meticulous mana control.
“Notice how the mana flows seamlessly along the surface of the blade,” Eleanor explained, her voice steady. “This ensures maximum efficiency and enhances the cutting power of the weapon.”
Astron nodded, his gaze focused on the demonstration before him.
“However,” Eleanor continued, her tone becoming more pointed, “I’ve observed that in your technique, the mana is not distributed evenly. Instead, it seems to gather in pockets along the interior of the blade.”
She paused, allowing her words to sink in before continuing.
“This creates inefficiencies in your mana usage,” she explained, her expression serious. “As the mana pools within the blade, it cancels out the tension on the surface, reducing the effectiveness of your strikes.”
Astron’s brow furrowed in concentration as he processed her words, realizing the implications of what she was saying. His eyes shone for a split second, and then they were slightly widened in understanding.
“While this may not be immediately apparent in shorter weapons or projectiles,” Eleanor added, “it becomes more pronounced in longer blades, where the distribution of mana is crucial for maintaining the integrity of the weapon.”
She gestured towards the sword in her hand, indicating the importance of proper mana control in maximizing its potential as a weapon of choice for Hunters.
“It’s a subtle detail,” Eleanor concluded, “but mastering this aspect of your technique will greatly enhance your effectiveness in combat.”
Astron nodded, a determined glint in his eyes as he absorbed Eleanor’s feedback. It was clear that he understood the importance of refining his technique and mastering the intricacies of mana manipulation.
“Thank you, Instructor Eleanor,” he said, his voice resolute. “I’ll make sure to focus on improving my mana control moving forward.”
‘Hmm….His attitude….My approach was really wrong…’
Realizing this, Eleanor couldn’t help but curse herself inwardly.
“Now, please demonstrate. I will check upon it and will give you feedback.”
Thus, she could only compensate for her past self since it would only be fair to do so.