usatvline Chapter 45 Ethan's View
Chapter 45 Ethan's View
"What a weirdo," Ethan muttered to himself as he left the training ground and headed towards his team. He had only recently awakened his powers and didn't yet fully understand the Hunter's power system, but as someone from a powerful family, he knew how excellent Morse's hand-to-hand combat skills were.
It's not that he's invincible or anything like that. On the contrary, Morse himself doesn't seem to have practiced any fighting skills much; he looks like he's only had a little training.
But what caught Ethan's attention was something entirely different: his talent.
"He improved very quickly," he commented, recalling the match.
Ethan is a righteous man who believes in his own values, but he is by no means a fool. In fact, he is exceptionally clever in combat.
It's difficult to accurately describe Morse's talent in words, but if Ethan had to, he would describe it like this:
“Fighting him is like fighting another version of myself.” He was eager to talk to Morse about combat techniques, his views on the spear, and his fighting style. Morse seemed like someone who took everything very seriously.
However, what made communication difficult was Morse's initial aloofness. They had almost no contact, and all Ethan knew was that Morse was last in rank. That was Ethan's entire impression of him, as Ethan hadn't paid him any attention at first.
Ethan first noticed Morse at the training ground. Morse was practicing with a dagger, and his skills seemed quite good. The techniques he used appeared to be the kind of common, readily available dagger techniques. Therefore, Ethan didn't think he was particularly skilled at the time, but he still acknowledged that Morse was quite capable.
Nevertheless, Ethan at the time assumed he was deliberately limiting his performance for training, as he could clearly see his movements were slower. He never considered that that was his limit. After all, to become a student at this academy, such physical attributes obviously couldn't be everything.
But that seemed to be the case. When they fought, Ethan felt that Morse's strength was quite low, and his stamina was also weak. The only thing he was good at was speed.
"I have to admit, his skills are incredible. No matter how I try, I can't seem to gain the upper hand against him." This is what makes Ethan believe that Morse's talent lies not only in his physical attributes, but also in his combat skills.
“This is quite interesting… I really want to see what he’ll become. His beliefs are also intriguing,” Ethan thought to himself. In his eyes, Morse behaved like a wolf. He hated contact with others, was aloof regardless of gender, and seemed to prefer being alone.
“Listen, Ethan, I respect your opinion, but don’t waste your time on me. The world doesn’t work the way you imagine it to be.”
Recalling Morse's words, Ethan pondered their meaning.
“Not everyone’s world works the way I imagine, does it? You sound just like my brother,” Ethan thought, recalling what his brother always said. His brother often told him he needed to grow up, but Ethan didn’t want to.
It wasn't that he didn't know how the world worked. On the contrary, he simply wanted to believe that by becoming a better person, he could make the world a better place. He preferred to be someone who could consider others rather than an ordinary hunter who only pursued their own interests.
Ethan believes that the world would be a better place if everyone could let go of their selfishness.
"Hey! Where are you going all by yourself?" Just as he was pondering, a hand suddenly patted his shoulder.
"Lucas."
"Where are you going, Ethan?"
That was his childhood friend. Seeing him approach, Ethan couldn't help but smile. "I was just about to come find you," he said, and they started walking together. "Where is everyone else?" Looking back, it seemed only Lucas remained.
“They’re all gone. Julia said she was going to training, and Victor followed her around like a dog.”
"If he hears you say that, you're in trouble."
"It's alright, it's alright. Even if it's Victor, he can't plant that many spies in the academy. Besides, that guy is still pursuing my silly sister, he doesn't have time to deal with me."
"Yeah, that's true. He doesn't hide anything at all."
"That's just his style. But that guy... does he really think he can make my silly sister like him just by showing off?"
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Uh...maybe?"
"Do you really think so, Ethan? It seems you still need to learn more about girls."
“Okay, okay, playboy. By the way, where’s the others?” Ethan asked with a smile, Lucas’s teasing always made him chuckle. Lucas had always been like that, always enjoying joking around and making people laugh. However, Ethan knew that no matter what happened, he could trust Lucas.
"The others? Irina's not in a good mood, probably off tormenting some students, who knows. Alice said she had something to do, probably some business meeting. Honestly, how can she manage her studies, training, and her guild position all at the same time? I really don't understand," Lucas remarked, mentioning Alice.
Irina is beautiful, Lucas's type, but also the type he absolutely dares not approach. If that girl knew about his behavior at the academy, she'd probably burn him alive.
“Yes, she’s always very busy. But every time I see her notes, I’m impressed. She’s probably the most organized person I’ve ever met,” Ethan replied, recalling Alice’s notes. Although he knew their values differed, Ethan still respected her.
"And what about Karl?"
“Karl? He said something about the student council, so he should head over there,” Lucas replied, and they continued walking.
However, Ethan suddenly became curious about what Morse and the others thought of him.
“Hey, Lucas, have you heard of Morse?” Ethan asked, his curiosity piqued.
"The guy you fought? What's wrong?" Lucas asked back.
"I think he seems quite interesting."
"What? Dude, don't tell me you have that kind of fetish." Lucas said, pulling away as he teased him with a smile, but his words had already attracted the attention of those around him, and all eyes were on Ethan.
“What nonsense are you talking about?!” Ethan himself was not gay, but he felt a strong need to defend himself to clear up this misunderstanding.
“I mean, you just come here like that, suddenly ask me about some gloomy guy, and say he’s interesting. What am I supposed to think?” Hearing Lucas’s reason, Ethan wanted to sigh and cover his face, but he held back.
“Can’t you just think about it normally? I only asked because I thought that guy was a bit mysterious,” Ethan said. He just wanted to ask his friend’s opinion, but Lucas had complicated things again.
“Okay, okay, I was wrong, don’t get worked up.” Lucas smiled and raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. “But you’re right, Morse is indeed a bit mysterious. There have been quite a few rumors about him lately.”
Ethan's interest was further piqued. "Rumors? Like what?"
Lucas leaned closer, as if to share a secret. "Uh, you know, the stories around here are always exaggerated. Some say he's the sole survivor of the attack on the academy two weeks ago. Remember the sounds in the forest then? Like a monster appeared."
Ethan's eyes widened. "Wait, you mean there was an attack at the academy? And monsters?"
"Yes. The academy has been trying to cover this up, but it's said that a monster has sneaked into the academy. They don't even know what kind of monster it is. Some people even say it's a demon. Remember those three who didn't come to class? They were killed by that monster."
Ethan was clearly skeptical. "That sounds a bit far-fetched, doesn't it? If it were true, it would have been in the news by now. After all, how could no one know about the deaths of three academy students?"
Lucas sighed and shook his head. "Ethan, you're still thinking of this place as a regular academy. The world doesn't work the way you think, especially in the realm of hunters."
Ethan frowned, clearly confused. "What do you mean?"
Lucas leaned against the wall, his expression turning serious. "Do you know how the college operates? They need to protect their reputation, which sometimes means keeping quiet about certain things, especially things that might cause panic among students or the general public."
Ethan's suspicions hadn't dissipated. "But a monster attack? That's not something you can just cover up, is it?"
Lucas raised an eyebrow. “Is it really that hard to cover up? Think about it, Ethan. We live in a world where hunters face unimaginable creatures, where magic and the supernatural are real. The general public probably has no idea about the specific details of what’s happening at the Academy. And the Academy Council wields considerable power. They can control the dissemination of information.”
Ethan was still unconvinced. "I understand what you mean, but the deaths of three students? This is not something that can be easily covered up."
Lucas gave a knowing smile. “You’ll be surprised. The Academy Council has ways to make things disappear. They can manipulate the story, making it sound like an accident or some kind of training mishap. They have resources we can’t even imagine.”
Ethan crossed his arms, lost in thought. "So you mean Morse might be involved in that attack?"
Lucas shrugged. "Who knows? But it certainly adds to his mystique, which is why rumors like that circulate. People are always drawn to the mysterious and inexplicable. And, supposedly, he switched his weapon from a dagger to a bow after that weekend."
"He changed his weapon?"
"Yes and no. He didn't completely change his weapon; he just registered the bow as one of his weapons. I think he was awakened by the danger."
Hearing this, Ethan thought for a moment. Switching from a dagger to a bow wasn't common, but to assume he changed weapons because of that attack... that still sounded too much like speculation. Perhaps Ethan's innate fondness for Morse influenced his judgment, but he didn't believe Morse could do such a thing.
“Hmm… I don’t think that’s possible.” Ethan recalled his training session with Morse today. “He’s not that strong; he couldn’t possibly do something like that.”
"Oh? Why do you think that?"
“You know, I was paired with him today, right? He looks really weak, probably the weakest in terms of strength,” Ethan explained.
"Are you sure? Maybe he's deliberately hiding his strength?"
“No, that’s impossible. His movements were very clear; he was used to that power, like it was an instinct.”
"Hmm...that makes sense. Irina also said that guy has a hard time even dealing with an ordinary silver wolf. Speaking of which, why are you suddenly interested in him? Don't tell me it's because of Sylvie. He made her cry, are you angry now?"
Ethan's face flushed slightly. "No, that's not it. I'm not interested in Sylvie."
Lucas laughed and nudged Ethan with his elbow. "Oh? Really? Then why are you so excited?"
Ethan sighed. "Sigh...don't make fun of me."
Lucas laughed. "Ethan, you can't hide it from me."
Ethan rolled his eyes. "Okay, you win. Maybe I'm a little upset about it, but that doesn't mean I like her. It just makes me a little uncomfortable."
Lucas understood Ethan. This wasn't specifically targeting Sylvie; he knew that. After all, he knew who Ethan truly cared about.
However, that doesn't mean he won't continue to tease Ethan. "Yes, yes, I believe you."
And so, the two continued their conversation as they walked.