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Chapter 222 Chapter 49.2 - Lilia Thornheart

She felt suffocating whenever she was that close to such talented individuals. The way they trained was a lot different and their focus on their careers bothered her. She was also in the Arcadia Hunter Academy, but her main focus wasn\'t being a combatant but taking control of her guild while forming her faction itself.

Therefore, she liked being with more generic students rather than being with the high-rankers.

However, as she entered the private training room, she found someone- Astron engrossed in his practice, his movements fluid and focused.

There was a dedication in the way he handled his equipment, a sharpness in his gaze that betrayed a level of skill she hadn\'t expected.

\'This is bottom rank?\'

Even just by looking at him for two seconds, her trained eyes were able to see how fluid his movements were and it certainly didn\'t belong to your average low-rank.

Lilia leaned against the doorframe, silently observing. She also concealed her presence out of habit unconsciously for some reason while covering herself with mana. Even if she wasn\'t specialized in combat, that didn\'t mean her rank, which was five, was a joke.

\'Interesting.\'

No one was here aside from her. Especially this room, which was on the corner side of the club room, was known for its slight malfunctioning and errors in the strength of the monsters. Thus, it wasn\'t much preferred by other students.

Her initial annoyance with Astron started to give way to a growing sense of curiosity. The hunch she had about him being more than he appeared seemed to gain weight with each practiced maneuver.

As she observed, Lilia took mental notes on Astron\'s movements, strengths, and weaknesses.

She watched with a critical eye, analyzing the precision of his strikes and the efficiency of his maneuvers.

The more she observed, the more she found herself intrigued by the disparity between Astron\'s skills and his apparent low rank.

\'I understand he is getting held back by his body and probably stats, but even then….He shouldn\'t be such low rank.\'

It was indeed weird, considering the fact that the progress he was displaying with his bow was not normal.

From time to time, Astron faced monsters with faulty strength in the training room. Some were weaker than expected, and others stronger. Despite the inconsistencies, Astron pressed on, his determination unwavering. Even when faced with tougher opponents that should have been too challenging for someone of his rank, he persevered.

\'Stubborn.\'

Lilia couldn\'t help but admire the tenacity Astron displayed. It was as if he was training not just for the sake of gaining ranks but for some deeper purpose that eluded her.

\'Indeed, it is just as they told.\'

Considering the comments that came from Ethan and Carl, Lilia nodded her head. This guy was certainly stubborn and had whatever it needed to take to become a hunter.

Even though it was just training, at such an age, Lilia was well aware of the criteria that a hunter needed to harbor. Her father was the one who taught her specifically and one by one.

Her father once said, "The true difference between an Awakened and a Hunter lies not only in their physical strength but in their mental fortitude. A Hunter\'s strength isn\'t just measured by their ability to defeat monsters; it\'s also about facing the challenges that life throws at them. Mental resilience is the hallmark of a true Hunter."

That was also the reason why, even from the start, she had never underestimated Ethan and had been investing in him. While he was awakened later, the moment he awakened, she herself knew that he would be great.

She always got this feeling from Ethan, and even though it was not exactly the same, Astron also had it.

\'Really….I guess I behaved a little wrong.\'

She thought, remembering their first encounter. She judged him from his rank and deemed him worthless; thus, she didn\'t show any mercy towards him.

When she bumped him at the door, she was annoyed to the max, and she hated that fact. Well, she still didn\'t regret doing that as she knew not all people deserved her time.

He was also not a person that deserved goodwill, but that was not the point.

\'In any case, I may consider him as the part of my faction.\'

She thought as she analyzed the pros and cons of having him. From what she knew, without conducting a direct investigation into his past, Astron was someone who didn\'t have a family, and he was from an orphanage. This was already a widely known fact in the school, thanks to rumors, though she didn\'t believe them.

[Benedict. Investigate Astron Natusalune.]

She once again immediately texted her assistant to investigate him, and the reply came immediately.

[Benedict: Understood, Miss Lilia. I will continue with the investigation.]

\'Good.\'

She thought, seeing the response. She was sure that Benedict would get the job done as it was her handpicked man from the streets.

"You shouldn\'t pry while other people are training."

But at that moment, she heard a voice coming right before her eyes.

FLINCH!

She immediately flinched as the unknown voice came very close. Closer than it was supposed to be.

Astron was standing right in front of her, and she hadn\'t even noticed. Her eyes widened, and instinctively, she got into a defensive position without even realizing it. In her startled state, she swung her fists in a quick attack to defend herself.

The air crackled with the swift movement, but Astron smoothly dodged her unexpected attack. He moved with an agility that surprised her, effortlessly avoiding her fists.

"You\'ve got quick reflexes," he remarked casually.

Lilia, now more composed, withdrew her fists, her expression shifting from surprise to a mix of embarrassment and annoyance. She cleared her throat, attempting to regain her composure.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her tone carrying a hint of irritation.

"What do you mean? Shouldn\'t I be the one to ask such a question?"

"You\'ve got quick reflexes," he remarked casually.

Astron retorted, a hint of annoyance in his eyes. Lilia raised an eyebrow, realizing the irony of her question. It was indeed her who had intruded into the training room without any awareness of his presence.

\'Yeah….What I did was rude.\'

Even though she might be curious about someone, or she might want to observe, intruding on someone\'s privacy in broad daylight wasn\'t the best way to start a relationship, especially when she wanted to recruit him.

Lilia nodded, acknowledging his point. "Fair enough. I suppose I should have been more aware of my surroundings."

"It is not about being aware of your surroundings. It is about being aware of other people\'s boundaries."

As she looked into his eyes, she understood why she didn\'t like him even at the start and why Irina constantly whined about him. This guy never backed down.

Well, it was not like her ego was this fragile anyway.

"Yes...It is about other\'s boundaries. Sorry if I bothered you."

"You certainly did."

"..."

"What? If I were the one doing that, I would be labeled as a creep, you know?"

"Well, you shouldn\'t blame me for that. Blame your fellow men who destroyed your gender\'s reputation."

"You do have a point. But that doesn\'t negate my point either. Next time, I won\'t be this merciful."

"Ho? What are you going to do?"

"Do you want to try?"

"Look at this guy. Do you know who I am?"

"Who doesn\'t know the school goddess Irina?"

"…..Cough…"

She normally didn\'t get embarrassed when she heard about her nickname, but for some reason, she did right now, though she hid it immediately.

"Though, if you are the goddess, I would probably be an atheist."

"...Was that supposed to hurt?"

"I expected a little annoyance."

"Too bad for you. I am not that fragile."

"That is good."

"Indeed."

Lilia\'s eyes reflected a mix of annoyance and amusement as she bantered with Astron. The guy didn\'t seem too bad when being looked at closely.

Astron raised an eyebrow, breaking the banter for a moment. "Why were you observing me without revealing yourself?"

Lilia, maintaining her composure, replied, "It was nothing. Just interested in how my fellow archers train. No specific reason."

Her expression remained neutral, not betraying her true intentions. Astron, still eyeing her with a hint of suspicion, shrugged. "Alright, suit yourself." His demeanor seemed to let it go, but his eyes said everything she needed to know.

\'He knows.\'

She knew he understood her reasons immediately, and it wasn\'t even hard for him.

\'What a perceptive bastard.\'

She disliked perceptive people like that, especially men since they were harder to control from her perspective. She wasn\'t a man, so putting herself into a man\'s shoes was a lot different from a woman\'s.

\'Well, we will see about that.\'

"I will be leaving."

"So, you will leave without paying me anything back."

"Why should I pay you back?"

"For watching me display a good play in front of you?"

"What makes him good?"

"The fact that you just watched for a very long time."

"You…..you were aware of it from the start."

"I was."

"….Interesting…Astron Natusalune."

A smirk played on Lilia\'s lips as she approached him confidently, a subtle allure in her gaze. She brought her face very close to his, the distance between them narrowing.

"What do you want, Astron?" she inquired, her voice laced with a mix of curiosity and a hint of challenge.

\'I wonder how high you evaluate your performance.\'

"Nothing much." He mumbled, his eyes locked. He didn\'t seem to be fazed by her behavior or antics, which were different from what she expected. "Next time, let me watch you how to train." His words were simple but serious.

"You want to watch me train?"

"Yes."

"Why do you think this trade is equal? Considering our ranks, shouldn\'t you give me something more?"

"It is for me to judge after watching you train."

"…How do I know you are not biased?"

"We will think about it after that."

"....."

She stopped for a second, pondering. Letting him watch her training meant she would be disclosing her method to him, and that wasn\'t something she preferred. Especially considering that it was her mother who taught her, and she didn\'t want to reveal that.

She looked at his eyes for a little more and saw he was not going to back down.

\'It wouldn\'t much matter anyway. What can he even learn from one training session.\'

With that thought, she accepted his offer with a smile.

"Okay."