"What a weird guy." Ethan muttered to himself, leaving the training ground and walking towards his team. He had just awakened recently and didn't know much about the hunter's power system, but as someone from a powerful family, he knew how good Morse's hand-to-hand combat skills were. It's not like he's invincible or anything like that. On the contrary, Morse himself doesn't seem to have practiced fighting skills much, and it looks like he's only trained a little bit. But what caught Ethan's attention was something completely different: his talent. "He's improving 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 stupid person. No, in fact, he is particularly smart in combat. It’s hard to describe Morse’s talent in words, but if I had to, Ethan would describe it this way: "Fighting him is like fighting another self." He wanted to talk to Morse about fighting techniques, his views on the spear, and his fighting style. Morse looked like a man who took everything seriously. However, what made communication difficult was Morse's initial indifference. There was almost no contact between them, and he only knew that he was the last one in the ranking. This was all Ethan's impression of him, because Ethan didn't care about him at the beginning. Ethan first noticed Morse at the training ground. Morse was practicing with a dagger and seemed to have good skills. The moves he used seemed to be ordinary dagger techniques that could be found anywhere. Therefore, Ethan did not think he was particularly powerful at the time, but he still admitted that he was very capable. Even so, at that time, Ethan thought that he was deliberately limiting his performance for training, because he could clearly see that his movements were relatively slow. He never thought that was his limit speed. After all, to be a student of this academy, such physical fitness was obviously not all that was needed.
But that seems to be the case. When they fought, Ethan felt that Morse's strength was quite low and his stamina was also weak. The only good thing was his speed. "I have to admit that his skills are amazing. No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to gain the upper hand in front of him." It was this that made Ethan believe that Morse's talent was not only reflected in his physical fitness, but also in the fighting skills themselves. "This is interesting... I really want to see what he will become in the future. His beliefs are also interesting." Ethan thought to himself. In his eyes, Morse behaves like a wolf. He hates contact with others, acts indifferent regardless of the other person's gender, and he seems to like to be alone. "Look, Ethan, I respect your point of view, but don't waste your time on me. Not everyone's world works the way you think it does." Recalling what Morse said at the time, Ethan pondered the meaning of this sentence. "Not everyone's world works the way I imagined it does, does it? You sound a lot like my brother." Ethan thought, remembering what his brother always said. His brother often said that he needed to grow up, but Ethan didn't want to. It's not that he doesn't know how the world works. Rather, he just wants to believe that by being a better person, he can make the world a better place. He would rather be a better person who thinks of others than the average hunter who only pursues his own interests. Ethan believes that if everyone could let go of their selfishness, the world would be a better place. "Hey! Where are you going alone?" Just as he was thinking, a hand suddenly patted his shoulder. "Lucas." "Where are you going, Ethan?" That was his good friend since childhood. Seeing him coming, Ethan couldn't help but smile. "I was just about to come find you." He said, and they started walking together. "Where are the others?" Looking back, it seemed that only Lucas was left. "They both left. Julia said she was going to training and Victor followed her like a dog." "You're going to be in trouble if he hears you say that." "It's okay, it's okay. Even if it's Victor, he can't have so many spies in the academy. Besides, that guy is still pursuing my stupid 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 that he can make my stupid 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 are the others?" Ethan asked with a smile. Lucas's teasing always made him laugh. Lucas has always been like this, always joking and making fun of people. However, Ethan knew that no matter what happened, he could trust Lucas. "The others? Irina was in a bad mood, maybe she went to torture some students, who knows. Alice said she had something to do, probably a business meeting. Seriously, how can she manage school, training and her guild position at the same time? I really don't understand." Lucas sighed when mentioning Alice. Irina was very beautiful, the type that Lucas wanted to pursue, but at the same time she was the type that he absolutely dared not approach. If that girl knew about his behavior in the academy, she would probably burn him alive. "Well, she is indeed very busy. But every time I see her notes, I admire her. She may be the most organized person I have ever met." Ethan replied, thinking of Alice's notes. Although he knew that they had different values, Ethan still respected her. "So, what about Carl?" "Carl? He said something about the student union, so he should go over there." Lucas answered and they continued walking forward. However, Ethan suddenly became curious about what Morse and others thought of him. "Hey, Lucas, have you heard of Morse?" Ethan asked, his curiosity aroused. "Is that the guy you fought against? What happened?" Lucas asked back. “I think he looks quite interesting.” "What? Dude, don't tell me you have that kind of fetish." Lucas said as he distanced himself and teased him with a smile, but this sentence had already attracted the attention of the people around him, and their eyes were all focused on Ethan. "What are you talking about?!" Ethan himself is not gay, but he feels a strong need to defend himself to dispel this misunderstanding. "I mean, you just come over here and suddenly ask me about a gloomy guy, and say he's interesting. What else can I think?" After hearing Lucas's reasons, Ethan wanted to cover his forehead and sigh, but he held back. "Can you think of it more normally? I just think that guy is a bit mysterious, so I asked." Ethan said. He just wanted to ask his friend's opinion, but Lucas made things complicated again. "Okay, okay, I was wrong. Don't get excited." Lucas smiled and raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "But you're right, Morse is a bit mysterious. There have been a lot of rumors about him recently." Ethan's interest was piqued even further. "Rumors? Like what?" Lucas leaned in slightly, as if to share a secret. "Well, you know the stories around here are always exaggerated. Some say he was the only survivor of the attack on the academy two weeks ago. Remember that sound in the forest? Like a monster appeared." Ethan's eyes widened. "Wait, you mean there was an attack at the academy? And there were monsters?" "Yes. The academy has been trying to hide it, but it is said that a monster has sneaked into the academy. They don't even know what the monster is. Some people even say it is a demon. Those three people who didn't come to class, remember? They were killed by that monster." Ethan was obviously skeptical. "It sounds a bit outrageous, right? If it were true, it would have been on the news a long time ago. After all, how could it be possible that three students died and no one knew about it?" Lucas sighed and shook his head. "Ethan, you still think of this place as an ordinary academy. The world doesn't work the way you think, especially in the field of hunters." Ethan frowned, clearly confused. "What do you mean?" Lucas leaned against the wall next to him, his expression becoming serious. "You know how the academy works? They have to protect their reputation, and sometimes that means keeping quiet about certain things, especially those that might cause panic among students or the public." Ethan's suspicions still remained. "But a monster attack? That can't be covered up so easily, right?" 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, a world where magic and the supernatural are real. The general public may not even know the specific details of what goes on in the academy. Besides, the academy council holds a lot of power. They can control how information is disseminated." Ethan still wasn't convinced. "I understand what you mean, but the death of three students? This is not something that can be easily covered up." Lucas gave him a playful smile. "You'd be surprised. The Academy Board has ways of making things disappear. They can manipulate the story to make it an accident or some kind of training incident. They have resources we can't even imagine." Ethan crossed his arms, lost in thought. "So you're saying that Morse might have had something to do with the attack?"
Lucas shrugged. "Who knows? But it certainly adds a layer of mystery to him, which is why rumors like this spread. People are always attracted to mystery and the unexplainable. Also, it is said that he changed his weapon from dagger to bow after that weekend." "He changed his weapon?" "Yes and no. He didn't change completely. He just registered the bow as his weapon. I think he awakened to the danger." Hearing this, Ethan thought for a while. It was not common to switch from a dagger to a bow, but assuming that he changed weapons because of that attack...it still sounded too dependent on assumptions. Maybe Ethan's natural affection for Morse also affected his judgment, but he didn't believe that Morse could do such a thing. "Well... I don't think that's possible." Ethan thought back to today's training with Morse. "He's not that strong. He can't do something like that." "Oh? Why do you think so?" "You know I'm in the same group with him today, right? He looks really weak, probably the weakest one in terms of strength," Ethan explained. "Are you sure? Maybe he is hiding his strength on purpose?" "No, that's impossible. His movements clearly showed that he was used to that kind of power. It was like it was instinctive to his body." "Hmm... that makes sense. Irina also said that it would be hard for that guy to deal with even an ordinary silver wolf. So, 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 blushed slightly. "No, it's not like that. I'm not interested in Sylvie." Lucas laughed and nudged Ethan with his elbow. "Oh? Really? Then why are you so excited?" Ethan sighed. "Ah... stop teasing 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 feels a little uncomfortable." Lucas knew Ethan. This wasn't specifically about Sylvie, he knew that. After all, he knew who Ethan really had in mind. However, that didn't mean he wouldn't continue to tease Ethan. "Yes, yes, I believe you." And so, the two continued their conversation as they walked and talked.
