The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1044

In the period since Davey and the rest of the 268th batch joined as new knights, two more batches had followed. Normally, the Archon Knights only recruited in cycles of five to ten years, meaning there shouldn’t have been any new batches yet after theirs. But due to past incidents—attacks from dark mages, conflicts with the Illuminati, and various other disasters—the number of knights had dwindled significantly.

In response, the order had hastily gathered new recruits, even if it meant bending their usual high standards. Maybe that was why so many arrogant brats had made it in.

The twin sisters of the Anchor Knight Order, who had just returned from patrolling a danger zone in the north, summarized everything that had happened while Davey and Illyna were away.

“Well, there isn’t supposed to be a younger batch after us yet.”

The new recruits consisted of eight knights in the 269th batch and ten in the problematic 270th batch. Compared to the 268th, the numbers were small, but even gathering that many had been a struggle. After all, recruiting knights required meeting strict criteria.

“Of course, their arrogance is a problem. But we can’t exactly criticize them when they have the skills to back it up and are genuinely committed to protecting the order.”

In other words, they weren’t bad kids; just incredibly self-absorbed.

“Sure, other knight orders are complaining too, but when have the senior knights ever been pushovers? It’s just that Alpha Reinforcements is... a little special.”

The 270th batch of recruits was still only considered trainees since they had yet to take the official knight promotion exam. Nevertheless, after watching the senior knights train, they had openly declared that their seniors weren’t as impressive as they expected and even outright started provoking them. The seniors weren’t happy about it, but they couldn’t just beat down the new recruits, who were needed for the order’s future.

Then things got even worse. The instructors who usually oversaw the trainees had been sent away on a large-scale mission, leaving the 266th batch in charge of training. The problem was that the 266th batch was the only one without a Master-level knight. They were good seniors, but in terms of pure skill, they lacked the strength to dominate the fresh recruits.

As a result, while leading a training session, a trainee defeated one of the 266th knights. That was all it took.

Realizing that their seniors weren’t as formidable as they had thought, the 270th batch started banding together to openly disrespect their seniors. That led to the already fragile hierarchy within Alpha Reinforcements shaking down to its foundation. The strongest seniors—those who could have put these disrespectful kids in their place—were all out on missions with the instructors.

To make matters worse, their particular batch of recruits had an unusually high number of Special Ones, making them even harder to control.

“So that’s why we, the 268th batch, got called in.”

The 268th batch had some of the best records since the 266th. They had been recalled from their missions to correct the attitudes of the 270th batch.

“Can’t we just round them all up and beat the crap out of them?"

Fildyr, a paladin and Lucia Shelman's partner, shut him down at once. “Shut it, Damur.”

“Tch.”

“Honestly. If those 270th brats were even half as reasonable as Damur—”

“What are you mentioning me for?!” Damur shouted.

"While you might be annoying, at least you don’t disrupt the hierarchy.”

Despite his rough edges, Damur was a traditional guy who followed the basics of respect.

Unlike him, the new kids were lost in their delusions, completely blind to reality. Of course, the definition of delusions was subjective, but Davey could see that the trainees had no idea just how dangerous the Zone of Evil was.

“The 266th told them how crucial cooperation and intel-gathering are, but they just ignored it.”

Illyna, who had been quietly observing, commented, “Just crushing them with brute force won’t fix the problem.”

“I know.”

“Davey! Do you have a plan?”

He knew that completely overwhelming them in a direct fight would be easy. However, he wasn’t sure if it’d be effective.

“They’re blatantly ignoring the protocols that their seniors have spent years refining, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I don’t even need to step in.”

It was time to teach the kids just how terrifying preparation and information could be.

“When’s their next training session?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Where?”

“The same training ground where you pulled that crazy stunt on us before.”

“Perfect. Let’s change the conditions a bit. If Illyna and I take the lead, it won’t be effective.”

His comrades exchanged confused glances but soon nodded in agreement.

“Show them just how much you all improved after facing me.”

“We’ll crush them."

* * *

“The so-called ‘top batch’? What’s the point of facing them if two of their best aren’t even participating?”

“Looks like they won’t be completely sitting out. They’ll be watching from a distance and giving minimal support, but they won’t step in directly.”

“And our condition to win is to just reach the target and touch the core? Is this a joke?”

What made it even more ridiculous to them was that only three knights were guarding the core. The rest of the senior knights were prohibited from coming within a two-kilometer radius of it.

In other words, as long as they could keep the other knights occupied, breaking through and touching the core would be easy.

Sure, the three defenders would try to hold them back, but against the oh-so-gifted 270th batch, three seniors wouldn’t be a real challenge—their reasoning assured them of it.

“They’re seriously underestimating us.”

“Hmph. They were never that impressive to begin with.”

The ten trainee knights of the 270th batch smirked with confidence.

They had been wary when they first heard that they’d be facing some of the most well-known seniors from the 268th batch. After all, the 268th had two particularly famous figures. One was Saint Davey O’Rowane, the one-man army, while the other was Illyna, who had received the sword belonging to Sword God Ares and was an extraordinary talent in her own right.

Hearing that those two would be involved had initially made them nervous and tense. But then, it was announced that neither would be directly fighting. More precisely, Illyna had dropped out of the training entirely.

To them, it was downright ridiculous.

Barus, the de facto leader of the 270th batch, frowned as he watched the 268th batch casually enjoying their meal. Among them sat Davey, idly chatting and eating as if nothing was worth his attention.

“Even if they’re our seniors, they’re looking down on us too much.”

“Yeah, they need a real wake-up call.”

They spoke loudly, making sure the 268th batch could hear. Some of the other senior knights from other batches reacted immediately, but the 268th barely spared them a glance. Their only response was the same sort of mild indifference one would show to a barking dog.

The seniors continued eating and talking amongst themselves, completely unbothered. Perhaps it was that dismissiveness that pushed one of the more hotheaded 270th trainees to act. Ignoring Barus’s attempts to hold him back, Bethel grabbed his tray and stood up.

Clatter!

He deliberately tripped, sending his entire tray spilling over one of the twin sisters, Shayir Renda.

A cold silence fell over the room. Even though Barus frowned, he hadn't stopped his comrade. The seniors who had been chattering and lively immediately turned quiet.

“You bastards—!” Heg shot up from her seat, grabbing her massive weapon with fury.

But before she could take action, Fendyr—the younger of the twin sisters—grabbed her arm and pulled her back down. “Don’t make a scene while we’re eating. Energy intake is important.”

“Consider yourselves lucky,” Heg spat out.

Despite the provocation, the 268th batch still didn’t react. Seeing this, the trainee grew even more arrogant and began mocking them.

“Hah. I heard the 268th batch was supposed to be impressive. I didn’t expect you to be such easy and helpless targets,” he said while smirking, waiting for a reaction. frёewebηovel.cѳm

Shayir Renda, however, simply summoned her contracted water spirit to promptly wipe away the spilled food.

She then smiled. “Watch where you’re going next time, Junior. Got it?”

“A-A senior should act like a senior if they expect to be respected, don’t you think?” Bethel taunted further.

Shayir merely picked up her empty tray and stood up. "In the Zone of Evil, it’s sometimes hard to even eat at all, so don’t play with food.”

“Hah.”

Annoyed that his provocations weren’t working, Bethel prepared to escalate things further. However, Barus finally stepped in and stopped him.

“Enough, Bethel.”

“But, Barus—!”

“I said enough,” Barus calmly said before walking over to Davey with his own tray in his hand.

Standing before him, Barus politely nodded. “It’s an honor to meet you, Senior.”

“Yeah. What’s your name?”

“Barus. I’m a Special One.”

“I see. I’ve been hearing about a talented recruit.”

“Yes. I’ve heard plenty about you as well, Senior. I was looking forward to facing you in our upcoming strategy match. If neither you nor Illyna is joining...” Barus glanced around. His expression made it clear that he doubted such a small number of seniors would be enough.

“Hey, Barus.”

“Yes?”

“What’s the eighth rule of the Archon Knight Order?”

Barus tilted his head slightly. “A-A... knight must always give their all, accept both victory and defeat, and learn from the outcome.”

“Good. Don’t forget it,” Davey said calmly. He then stood up and left.

The rest of the 268th batch followed suit and walked out of the cafeteria.

Watching them leave, Bethel let out a small chuckle and turned to Barus.

“See? Nothing to worry about. It’s all thanks to you.”

The other 270th trainees seemed to share the same thought, but Barus felt a strange sense of unease.

* * *

The time for the mock strategy battle had arrived.

Despite their opponents being juniors, the 268th batch prepared for the bout with the same seriousness as they would a real mission.

Carrying her massive weapon on her back, Heg smirked at Bethel. “Hey, juniors. Your gear looks pretty minimal, don’t you think?”

“We won’t need any of that useless stuff. Only cowards need such things,” he scoffed in turn.

“Sure, whatever you say.”

The 270th batch had minimized their supplies: barely any food, few repair tools, no gas masks, and only the bare minimum of magical artifacts. Their equipment was clearly optimized for speed.

“You don’t even know what kind of strategy we’ll use, but you’re still so confident, huh?” Bethel questioned.

“Honestly, aren’t you the ones who are underestimating us?”

“Alright, everyone, get ready,” a senior from the 266th batch, who had already lost once in a previous strategy battle, called out in a slightly hesitant tone.

The two batches split up and moved to their designated positions on opposite sides of the forest. Before the 266th senior signaled the start, the 268th batch began their final preparations.

“Idiots. There’s a time for common sense, and a time when it just doesn’t apply,” Heg muttered as she pulled her gas mask over her face.

“Leave them be. They won’t learn until they learn the lesson themselves.”

“Alright, I’m heading out to get ready.” Fildyr grabbed his partner, Lucia Shelman, by the wrist and pulled her along.

“May Saintess Daphne’s blessing be with us!”

Thud!!

At that moment, something heavy fell from inside her robes.

“Oh dear, why did this drop...”

At her feet was a massive mace.

“Are you trying to kill them?” Davey chuckled.

“Don’t worry. With Saintess Daphne’s blessing, they’ll be fine.”

He could only sigh in response.

“Hey, Davey,” Shayir called out while approaching him. “If all of us are going out to fight, then who’s going to guard the core? Since we’re only allowed three defenders, then the best choices are Heg, Fildyr, and me—”

Davey smiled. “It’s fine. Illyna might’ve stepped back, but it’s not like I’m also doing nothing.”

“Didn’t you send Megatron to the frontlines too?”

Davey’s smile turned into a grin. “Like I said, you don’t need to worry. Some very nasty guys are waiting for them over there.”

He had already leaked all the necessary information to the 270th batch in advance, yet they hadn’t listened at all. It was about time they paid for it.

With the cry of a giant eagle, the strategic battle officially began.

Turning to Megatron, Davey commanded, “Move to the bombardment area. Prepare for shelling.”

[Executing command.]

He had said that he wouldn’t directly interfere. Still, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t lend a hand.

“This is Davey O’Rowane. To make the gap between us crystal clear, I won’t be using any buff magic. I’ll start my part now, so go ahead and dodge if you can.” Raising his hand, he added, “Load up the tear gas and flashbangs.”

Clank!

Megatron locked its arms into the ground before a massive cannon extended from its back.

“Input Coordinates: 652.522.119. Power Output: Level 3.”

The barrel whirred as it adjusted its aim.

Meanwhile, the 270th batch made its way to the core. They moved quickly, their speed a reflection of their confidence. However, as they ran, the 268th batch began slowing them down little by little. They still didn’t realize why their seniors had emphasized proper preparation in such a straightforward clash.

Even with warnings from experienced knights, dealing with certain situations firsthand was always more difficult than expected.

However, since they hadn’t prepared at all, the only option left for them was to suffer even more than usual.

—Davey, we’re ready.

Smirking, he gave the order.

“Fire Stage 5 CC Rounds. Full strafe.”

Boom!!

A thunderous explosion echoed through the forest.

Those who looked down on experience and advice always had to learn the hard way.

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