The Knight King Who Returned with Gods : Chapter 55
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Episode 55 Level Test
Shocking reunions with Hari aside, the Hunter Academy
students had subtle expressions on their faces as they looked around the
Pantheon Guild compound.
'This
place is a joke.'
'No state-of-the-art
training facilities, no medical center.'
'The
cafeteria... is that a cafeteria? Why are they all huddled together drinking
water?'
A guild's headquarters represented its organization.
Take a look at the grandiose buildings of the Top 10
Guilds in the center of Seoul.
The Phoenix Guild, one of the Top 10 Guilds, had a
building worth over 100 billion won as its headquarters, with numerous training
facilities in the basement.
Chen So-yeon, who grew up in the number one guild in
Korea, the Divine Sword Guild, understood all too well what was required for a
guild headquarters.
First of all, there needed to be a training facility for
the hunters, a medical center, and a cafeteria. And a place for the office
personnel?
"Ms. Hari, here's some corn, you can go and steam
it."
"Oh, thank you."
"It's included in the offering, so please pass it on
to His Majesty."
""?????""
They passed by farmers stacking crops in the warehouses
under a taxation system that was completely unclear to them.
"Sir Yappy... is this really all there is?"
-Need more salt?
""?????""
Meal time? The cadets were slumped over, staring at the
salt-laden water in their glasses.
"This is the 'soldier' training center, you
guys."
"Aaahhhh! Die! Die!"
"Fuck you to death!"
They were fighting. Barehanded. Without a shirt on.
A week ago, news broke that the Pantheon Guild had
received a new class of second-batch cadets.
All of the first-batch cadets had been promoted, so much
so that the competition for the 100 second-batch cadets was a staggering 85:1.
The 100 low-level Hunters who had beaten the odds were
throwing fists at each other, almost eager to kill each other.
“Um, uh… Senior Hari. What is that, training?"
No, could that be called training?
Was it a match? A bout? Whatever. It was more of a battle
royale where everyone was smashing everything in sight.
"Um, that's training."
"That's... training?"
“It contains the very profound meaning of His Majesty the
Lionheart King! Ah, no. The Knight Training Manual is by another
person.......... But you too can experience it!"
Everyone is lucky! Hari smiled brightly. Someone got fed
up and took a step back.
"I, I'm out of here, I need to get away from this
crazy place!"
"Hmm, is everyone here?"
It was then. Leon appeared from behind the cadets. At his
appearance, all the cadets stopped.
""Greetings, Your Majesty!""
The politeness of the cadets, who had been beating each
other to a bloody pulp, was in some ways scary.
"Today we are visited by students from the Academy
who are considering enlistment at my gate. Training will be suspended for the
day and you shall take your spots."
The cadets stood into rows in unison. Gu Dae-sung,
Do-han, and other first-batch cadets stood closest to the King, followed by the
second-batch cadets.
The students naturally stood a bit further, seeming to
create a gap.
"Uh, Hari Noona...."
Just as Han Su-ho was about to speak, Hari had already
scurried off and moved to the front.
"Your Majesty, if you may, I have prepared a seat
for you!"
What was that clumsy historical drama way of speaking?
Hari put a cushion on Leon's seat like it was a given.
"Hmm. Where are Sir Yappy and Queen Beatrice?"
"Sir Yappy is tidying up the dining area, and the
Queen hasn't left her chambers, but she said she was getting ready to go
out........"
“Then, as a handmaiden, shouldn’t you go and help with
the preparation?”
“Ah… I have committed a mortal sin. I am being careless.”
Hari can't bear to say that she couldn't go because she
had to change out of her maid uniform.
“Tsk, tsk… It’s already done. Then you should move to
stand there as well.”
"Um... yes?"
"I will start training knights soon. Don't you see
that it won't be enough for us to remain at this level forever? Don’t you want
to be a knight?"
"Uh, yes!"
Hari sprinted off and found her spot at the front,
between the cadets and students.
“I will select the best among you students and appoint
them as squires. I will personally guide and teach those selected as knights in
training. It will truly be an honor to be taught by me.”
It was still odd to be gazed down upon from such a high
place, but the cadets seemed to be understanding.
“Um, Your Majesty. If I become Your Majesty’s squire, can
I learn the Holy Law?”
Jae-hyuk. Among the people here, he was in the top three
in terms of skill. He was naturally confident that he would be selected.
"The Holy Law can be taught to anyone. However, it
is only by the grace of the Deities of the Pantheon that any of you will be
qualified to use it."
"Pantheon......."
In short, if you want to learn the Holy Law, you have to
convert first.
The students were familiar with the deities of Leon's
world thanks to the Pantheon YubTube channel.
Most of them would probably choose the God of War and
Flame.
In any case, the students were drawn to Leon's Holy Law.
-I saw it on YubTube. I thought it was incredible!
-What about the fact that he just buffed the whole army
with a fire power? How the hell did he do that?
This was the most media-savvy generation. They knew all
about Leon and what he'd done, and they'd seen all the videos.
-But it looks like the videos were edited. The camera
work is so perfect.
-They say he's stronger than an S-class, but is that true?
Isn't there a little bit of hoax in there?
-The Archdemon he killed looked pretty helpless. Maybe he
was just weak?
Hari was dumbfounded by what she heard behind her back.
Even the good-natured Hari would be furious at such a stupid
remark. How can anyone be so ignorant?
An Archdemon was a sort of catastrophe that, upon its
appearance, the government... no, all governments on the continent would be on
high alert and, if necessary, dispatch their own S-class hunters to eliminate
it in a timely manner.
Have you forgotten that the Archdemons we've seen so far
were capable of wiping out a whole city by themselves, and now ----
"Su-ho."
"Eh, Noona?"
"Su-ho, don't you ever talk ill of His Majesty. I
mean it, I'm really concerned as your sister."
"......Yes."
Hari was worried that Su-ho, who had grown up like a
brother to her in the orphanage, might have gotten a bad dip while she was
gone.
She couldn't imagine the Lionheart King letting it slide
just because he was a rambunctious adolescent boy.
"......."
Cheon So-yeon and Jae-hyuk also heard the warning.
Although she might be a bit naive, her intuition was as
sharp as a knife. That warning made them both a little nervous.
"First, let's see your skills. All of you, grab your
swords."
""?????""
The students looked dumbfounded at Leon's words. He
didn't give them time to adjust.
“The time limit is… yes, until the last person falls.
Well, you won’t die anyway. The Holy Grail will heal your wounds.”
At those words, the Hunters, who had been in full
training before the students had arrived, shuddered. Their bodies had already
healed until 'there was no scratch'.
"Ah, hold on, please, what does that mean──"
No way? Really? That uneasiness turned to certainty when
Leon stepped into the middle of the students, his steps as light as a breeze.
"About forty of you, I hope you got to at least
touch my body."
The next moment, there was an enormous surge of power.
It was enough to make the more sensitive among the men
doubt their senses.
"Dodge!"
Immediately after Hari's voice rang out, Leon's finger
moved to the forehead of one of them. His finger flicked, and──
-Bam!
The man who was hit in the forehead was knocked back with
full force and bounced like a blown baseball. A huge aftereffect swept everyone
along the straight line.
* * * * *
The students of the Hunter Academy were the elites of the
Hunter world.
Among the growing number of Awakened, they awakened early
and at a young age, and by the time they reached their senior year, they were
already seasoned in combat.
They were used to dealing with monsters, and they had the
guidance of their teachers, high-ranking Hunters, to ensure their safety, but
there were several who had cleared scarlet gate.
"He... didn't hold back, did he?"
Jae-hyuk couldn't believe what was happening in front of
him. So did Han Su-ho.
"Everyone was confused at first, but we immediately
raised our weapons to fight......."
The real sword swung by a classmate is caught by two
fingers. Simultaneously, they witness Leon slamming the sword's owner to the
ground.
Strong.
Filthy strong.
The students were never one to take unarmed opponents
lightly.
The student doesn't hesitate to swing his sword at Leon,
responding to an almost instinctive rush.
However, even with the sword and his unique skill, he
can't even manage to make him move his feet, let alone make any impact on his
body.
"What kind of monster is that......."
Cheon So-yeon, who was holding her own precious sword, didn't
dare to charge at Leon. Her feet felt heavy, as if she was facing off against
her grandfather. No, judging by his momentum, he was probably much stronger.
Cheon So-yeon had been raised to be the successor of the
number one large guild in the country, the Divine Sword Guild. Under the
tutelage of Cheon Su-jin, the so-called Broadsword Master, she even had more
practical experience than her senior, Hari.
But she had never seen anything like this. A monster that
can overwhelm Hunters with their momentum alone, without even moving from their
spot?
“Woah, you’re strong as expected. Kids, you shouldn’t
attack recklessly.”
It was the voice of Han Hari, who was looking for a
chance to make a move. Han Su-ho looked at her,
"Noona... do you think we can beat him?"
"No, it's impossible. He hasn't even summoned his
holy sword, not to mention his horse."
"????"
He wanted to say something else, but Hari casually gave
instructions to the students. Being the most senior and holding the title of
Class A Hunter was not for nothing.
"Let's do it this way. Do you remember the joint
gate attack in the second and third grades? Just like the boss raid attack back
then."
"Noona... But wouldn’t it be a bit much to treat a
person like a boss monster?”
In response to Su-ho's common sense attitude, Jae-hyuk
pointed his finger at Leon.
"Su-ho, do you think he's any less than a boss
monster?"
"......."
"I agree."
"So-yeon, even you......."
Cheon So-yeon frowned at the piercing sensation from
earlier, thus agreeing with Hari's plan.
"Hurry, Senior. I don't think it'll take more than a
minute for us to be wiped out."
It was then. Among the students being swept away like fallen
leaves in a cold wind, a hulking student charged with a mace in his arms.
The hulking student's skin was hard as steel.
"Gaaaah!"
Unique Ability: Iron Skin. A unique skill that hardened
the skin of the entire body, eliminating the need for armor. The response to
this was a simple flick of the finger.
-Bam!
"Huh?!"
He collapsed, his midsection crushed. The student vomited
up what he ate this morning through his gullet. Leon clicked his tongue.
"You're so fragile, you relied on your skills and neglected
to train."
His armored skin shattered like glass. A mere flick of
the finger? No matter how many times you saw it, it still doesn't make sense.
"Now!"
Hari's shout sent Su-ho and Jae-hyuk running. Jae-hyuk, a
spear wielder, and Su-ho, a shield swordsman, attacked at the same time.
Of course, the difference in reach between hands and
spears was incomparable. Jae-hyuk and Su-ho don't rush in and strike at Leon
from outside his range.
"It's a solid, standard strategy. However, you're
overly trusting in the difference in weapon length."
Leon flicked his finger. The same finger flick as before.
The difference was that he hit a spear instead of flesh.
-Bang!
The spear pole snapped and flew upward.
“Ugh! What kind of power?!”
Leon's fist stretches out toward Jae-hyuk, the moment he
was off-guard and defenseless. In a precarious moment, Su-ho instinctively
raised his shield to protect Jae-hyuk.
-Tup!
"Huh?"
The shield was grabbed. What Leon did was simple. He took
hold of Suho's shield and flung it into the air.
Su-ho who had his left arm slipped into the handle of the
shield was also sent flying through the air.
Simply grab the shield and throw the person into the sky?
"Is that a person......."
"Guhhh!"
Su-ho flew in the air for a moment before falling down.
Leon nudged him with his foot to get him up.
"Come on, get up. You're not exhausted already, are
you?"
"Oh, no!"
Su-ho scrambled to his feet. The two students engaged in
a coordinated attack, parrying Leon's blows.
Clearly, they were the ones with the weapons, and they
should had the advantage in melee, but Leon's unreasonable physical prowess
overwhelmed them both.
"Jae-hyuk, what should we do? He's a monster!"
"Do you get it now?!"
At this moment of desperation, when they can barely hold
on, a shadow leaped up from behind Leon's back.
"Your Majesty, be prepared!"
Hari jumped into the air and increased her momentum, her
sword aiming for Leon's defenseless head, but──
-Bam!
He caught it with one hand.
"......Doesn't that hurt your palm?"
"I thought you were saying it was a big move."
Hari looked sheepish when Leon pointed it out.
"You know my ability, right?"
At that moment, a sudden explosion erupted. The flames
that had been compressed around the blade burned through the air and shot
directly at Leon.
It was an application of Beatrice's compression of energy
from a while ago. But──
"The God of War and Flame protects me. Fire cannot
hurt me."
Leon didn't even get a red palm, let alone a burn. It was
a difference in ability rather than physicality. But at that moment──
-Clang!
The sound of iron grinding came from Leon's palm. Hari
pulled away the sword from his grasp.
'Even
if it's not full power, it's not like she didn't use her best.'
She has talent, after all. With the sword free, Hari
slashed with the fire-encased blade at full speed.
"I thought I told you, fire doesn't work."
Still, she didn't hesitate. Leon's eyes narrowed.
Behind him, reflected in her pupils. The glow of a sword
and spear was there.
At the same time as Hari's slash, Jae-hyuk and Han Su-ho
also struck without missing a beat.
In other words, the fire was a means to draw attention.
At that moment, no one would have guessed that Jae-hyuk and Su-ho would be
caught in the reflection of her pupils.
'That's
a good coordination, but....'
It's obvious. Moreover, in simultaneous attacks, they
were at a diagonal angle to each other, so if Leon avoids them, won't they
collide?
Leon was just about to step aside to avoid the pinch. A
keen sense of premonition flashed through Leon's mind.
'There's
another one?'
A wind of magical power blew. The side of Leon’s neck
felt cool. A fatal blow was fired towards that blind spot.
Cheon So-yeon. Granddaughter of the broadswordsman Cheon
Su-jin.
Her sword was a rapier specialized for stabbing. The
charging sword was also the art of stabbing itself.
The flashing blade was aimed precisely at Leon's
retreating path.
"Not bad."
Just before the barrage of attacks came crashing down,
Leon's voice reached even the fallen cadets in the back, their eyes widening as
they focused solely on the tip of their blades in the moment of attack.
"Realize that there is an 'overwhelm' that renders
all your skills and coordination useless."
"Uh?"
He caught a stabbing sword with his hand without even
looking at the flash of light coming from the blind spot.
Was that even possible, without eyes in the back of his
head?
Leon captured Hari's blazing sword in his left hand and
Cheon So-yeon's flashing rapier in his right. His palms tightened.
-Crack!
There were terrible crunching sounds of metal. In the
next moment, even Su-ho and Jae-hyuk's weapons, which had arrived in the space
of 0.7 seconds later, were also shattered by Leon's hand.
“It’s made of poor quality material. Instead of
containing the energy of the stars, did they just hit it with a hammer? One
needs to arm themselves properly."
Leon easily smashed the swords of the two men. For a hand
that destroyed four real swords in an instant, his hand was completely clean.
"What the......."
Is it really just strength? Are you saying that it was
enough to crush a weapon made of magic stones?
"That... Your Majesty... are you human?"
"Pardon me. I am a demigod."
They knew he was strong, but this kind of power was
beyond my imagination,
Leon's stern gaze fell on the four of them as they failed
to deliver their surprise. Hari raised her hands thoughtfully.
"S, surrender?"
"How can you surrender already, when your limbs are
still intact?"
"Does that imply... any meaning?"
"If you want to be treated like a cadet."
Hari shook her head in exasperation. Hari had no
intention of taking the salt water for a meal.
***
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