The Knight King Who Returned with God-Chapter 34 Holy Grail Knight Standing Army Training Manual

Leon intended to resurrect the Holy Grail Knights.

But he knew well that finding fitting candidates for such an order in this era would not be easy.

Someone like Yakt Spinner was a rare exception. More importantly, before he could even form the order, he needed soldiers who could support the knights.

That's precisely why Leon had gathered low-rank Hunters like Gu Daeseong.

They were to become heavily armed soldiers equipped with spears and shields—an iron wall supporting the knights.

"I wouldn't say they're completely disappointing... but they're just passable."

"Well, they are Hunters, so their base physical strength is quite good, isn't it?"

Hari didn't know what kind of world Leon came from. From a modern perspective, even low-rank Hunters were exceptional talents when compared to regular soldiers.

And yet Leon found them mediocre?

"Hmph. Look at them. They're already exhausted from barely finishing off 4,000 dying orcs."

"...Excuse me?"

Hari had no idea what Leon was talking about. Sure, most of the orcs had died due to radiation, but there were still over a thousand left.

Even if they were diseased, wasn't it only natural to be worn out after running around to hunt them all down?

"I don't expect knight-errant level from average fighters. But these are supposed to be superhumans of this world, aren't they?"

"...I suppose so?"

"Then at the very least, they should match the lowest-tier members of my royal guard. I'm not asking for Eldric Master Guards or Rohana's Sacred Watchers. But not even reaching the level of the Baltaric Orc Smashers, even with the Lionheart's blessing?"

"...Your Majesty, I truly don't understand what you're saying."

Leon realized he was referencing concepts Hari couldn't grasp. Still, he couldn't help but compare these Hunters to the soldiers who once shared in his glory.

"To explain it simply—the Baltaric Orc Smashers could each take on five orcs solo. With the blessing of a War Knight, ten. When fighting alongside me, they butchered thirty."

"...And those weren't knights?"

In the Gates, orcs were among the toughest and most dangerous monsters outside of large-scale boss monsters. Even B-rank Hunters struggled against elite orcs in one-on-one combat.

And yet Leon was saying his non-knight soldiers slaughtered thirty orcs each? Hari herself had a hard time dealing with thirty orcs at once.

"What kind of monsters were the knights in your world?!"

"You? You'd be about knight-errant level."

Hari was dumbfounded. She was the youngest A-rank Hunter in history—and Leon considered her a mere knight-errant?

Even within Leon's own hierarchy, there were three knight ranks:

Knight-errant. Squire Knight... and Holy Grail Knight.

"So when he said we were weak, he really meant it..."

Hari now understood—Leon's standards were so far above modern Earth's that even top Hunters barely registered.

If Sir Yakt is a Holy Grail Knight... does that mean all Holy Grail Knights are S-rank or above?!

Gulp.

If Leon's Holy Grail Knights were revived in this era... it could turn the global military balance completely upside-down.

"For now, I must raise them to at least the level of common soldiers."

"H-How... do you intend to do that?"

What kind of training regimen would this Lionheart King implement? Would she be allowed to join?

As Hari looked on with anticipation, Leon answered flatly:

"Physical conditioning."

Gu Daeseong, Team Leader Kim Do-han, and the other 49 Hunters were summoned to a temporary training camp in the Naju Plains.

"Wow~ They really gave us a fat training allowance, huh?"

"No kidding. We won't have to worry about living expenses for a while."

Despite being told to report for training, they couldn't resist coming back—because of the sheer exhilaration they felt in the orc gate, and how undeniably stronger they had become.

The buffs from Lionheart's Blessing and the Orc Slayer's Aura... plus the traits they received: Orc Hunter and War Knight's Man-at-Arms.

The Orc Hunter trait only activated when fighting orcs, and Man-at-Arms only worked when fighting alongside Leon.

Even so, they figured it was better to train under Leon with financial support than play glorified porter in random Gates. It was a better investment for their futures.

"Hey, Gu. What's with your face? Your lips are all cracked."

As Team Leader Kim noted, Gu Daeseong's face was covered in blisters and bruises.

"...Don't tell me you joined a Gate raid already?"

"Y-Yeah... I was itching for action, so I joined a blue gate raid..."

After fighting alongside Leon in the yellow gate, Gu Daeseong had felt a strange euphoria—a sense of omnipotence.

He had felt like he'd truly become stronger. Maybe he could fight better than before.

So, without much thought, he joined a blue gate party as a daily raid member.

It turned out to be a goblin hunt, but his body wasn't nearly as tough or agile as it had been in the orc gate.

He got beaten black and blue by goblins swinging crude clubs.

"Don't push yourself too hard, man. You'll hurt yourself."

"Y-Yeah..."

While the trainees murmured among themselves, Hari entered the camp and called out in a loud, clear voice:

"His Majesty Leon Draconia Lionheart and Holy Grail Knight Sir Yakt Spinner are entering!"

At her announcement, everyone fell silent and stood at attention. Just Leon's presence alone made them snap into formation like a trained unit.

"Congratulations on passing the basic test. You are still lacking in many ways to be part of my military order, but that can be remedied in time."

A Simple Test? The Orc Gate?

They were only low-ranking Hunters, yet they had cleared a Yellow-grade Orc Gate.

Not only that, but due to Leon's utter intolerance for the existence of orcs, they had ended up turning over 4,000 of them into enemies.

None of them had ever killed that many orcs in their lives. The reward was so great, they even earned the title Orc Hunter.

"As I watched your battle, I observed many issues. There are plenty, but the most important is your physical body."

The Hunters couldn't really object to that statement.

Naturally. Among Hunters, physical capability varied wildly depending on rank.

A single C-rank Hunter could overpower three D-ranks. The gap widened exponentially with each rank.

"Han Hari alone could probably beat all of us to death..."

Han Hari, the youngest A-rank Hunter in Korea, could probably kill every Hunter here using physical strength alone.

And on top of that, she had her unique skill, Blessing of Fire, which only increased the gap.

"So, we will begin with training your bodies. From now on, you will undergo thorough training under the Lionheart Kingdom's standing army training manual."

Standing army training?

Like a medieval military boot camp?

Doesn't sound that hard, honestly.

These were Hunters. Whether they served as porters in raids or trained to become higher-ranking, they were far from undisciplined.

The fact that they remained stuck at the bottom was simply due to their natural limits.

So what if some medieval fantasy king came and put them through a few exercises? How much difference could it possibly make?

"Hmph, I see only doubt in your eyes. But I understand. Unlike my subjects, you live in ignorance."

Gu Daeseong cautiously raised his hand. Leon noticed and gave him permission to speak.

"Your Majesty... may I ask, what exactly does this training entail?"

"How do you think a body becomes stronger through training?"

"Uh... wouldn't that be through... muscle training?"

"And what is the principle behind this muscle training?"

Gu Daeseong pondered for a moment before answering.

"The human body has a recovery mechanism... If you damage your muscles and then let them heal repeatedly, they grow stronger and bigger."

"Exactly. You push the body past its limits, widening its boundaries. Everything in life expands through such overload."

It was the most basic principle of training. Tear the muscle, let it rest and regenerate, and repeat with more overload.

Fundamental and obvious.

"Sir Gratas, the Holy Grail Knight known as the Giant Slayer and the creator of the standing army manual, once said: 'The more you hammer a human, the stronger and tougher they become.' Truly a wise saying."

"...Excuse me?"

Humans weren't metal. How could you just "hammer" someone and expect them to get stronger?

"Then how should a professional soldier—one who protects the kingdom—be trained? Surely it must be on a different level than the common farmer! And so, Sir Gratas devised the following supreme method for optimal results!"

Leon spoke with booming pride, but the Hunters felt a creeping sense of dread.

"Tear the soldiers' bodies apart. Beat them until they're pulped, then allow them to recover. The muscles that regenerate after such damage will grow stronger. And to avoid getting hit again, their reflexes will naturally improve."

"...Sorry, what?"

"Say what now?"

Why was this so extreme?! Gu Daeseong and the others stared at Leon in stunned silence.

"From now on, beat each other like you're trying to kill! Until your muscles are torn apart and your fists break from punching!"

If their bones shattered, all the better. In fact, aim to break them!

"Th-that's impossible! I mean, it's not entirely wrong, but still!"

It was true that human bones and muscles could grow stronger from being broken and reformed. Martial artists trained their fists by pounding iron plates, after all.

"But doing something like that would destroy our bodies!"

"And why would that be?"

It was a question that drained the will to respond. Why would a body break down? Because it has limits.

If anyone could become a superhuman just by repeatedly beating themselves to a pulp, ancient armies would have done it already.

"Normally, the blessing of the War Knight would be sufficient. But consider yourselves lucky—you stand before a Guardian of the Grail."

Leon took out the Holy Grail. It shone with a radiant golden light, awe-inspiring just by its presence.

And now that it had regained its function, it was no mere ornamental cup.

"Wait... Gu, look at you!"

"Huh? Wha—?"

Team Leader Kim Do-han stared at Gu Daeseong in surprise. Rightly so—his bruised face had suddenly healed, smooth and unblemished.

Could it be... that cup?!

Gu Daeseong's Guess Was Spot-On

"All warriors recover in the presence of the Holy Grail. Unless you drink the holy water directly, you'll only experience bone mending and muscle regeneration. Fatigue will be somewhat restored as well."

Even that alone was incredible! The Hunters were shocked. Just this healing ability made the Grail a treasure of at least Unique grade.

"From now on, for five hours—beat up everyone in sight. There are no allies. You'll take hits from all directions and strike down anyone before you."

Hit while being hit.

There are no winners or losers.

"As long as the Grail exists, you'll keep healing. And if... anyone remains in one piece after five hours, I shall personally beat you myself."

In short:

Beat each other harder than the Grail can heal you.

Get hit, hit back, get injured, get broken. You'll heal anyway.

"He's insane! That guy is actually insane!"

"W-wait... is he seriously training us like this?"

Begin.

Even after Leon issued the royal command, the Hunters just stared at each other awkwardly. No one moved for a while—until Yapi cracked his wire.

Clang!

A chilling sound echoed like a slave driver's whip lashing at workers building a pyramid.

"D-damn it all!"

"Doesn't matter how we die—might as well go down swinging!"

"Dieeeee!"

The Hunters dove into a wild brawl, fists flying. Thus began five hours of hell, full of punches, bruises, and broken bones.

Gu Daeseong started off trying to avoid as many attacks as possible while taking down his immediate opponents.

But with 49 people in a chaotic frenzy, there was nowhere to hide. The only way to get hit less was to knock out the other guy first.

"Uwaaaaaah!"

As he shouted and threw a punch, the opponent in front of him looked familiar.

"G-Gu! It's me! It's me!"

"T-Team Leader Kim?"

"We don't have to fight each other, right? Let's work together!"

"Y-yeah, but..."

Just then, a sharp, metallic sound zipped past their ears—perfectly calculated to threaten only the two of them.

Screeeee—

Perched above the chaos with a sad look was Hari, and on her head sat Yapi, glowing red eyes expressionless, aiming a mini-sized machine gun.

"D-damn it...!"

Feeling threatened, Gu Daeseong had no choice but to punch Team Leader Kim. As Kim fell backward, Daeseong screamed:

"This is madness! Everyone's gone mad! Guh-hek!"

But his scream was swallowed by the roar of Hunters swarming from all sides.

Hell lasted five hours.

It was past noon when it finally ended.

"Alright, enough! Training should come with food. It's lunchtime now!"

As Leon clapped, the Hunters collapsed with bruised, swollen faces. Despite the brutal fight, no one had a single broken bone—thanks to the Grail's healing power.

No, to be precise, their bones had been broken—but then healed, so they could keep fighting.

"Ugh... I thought I was gonna die."

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"I've never heard of a training method this barbaric."

They had hit each other so much they could barely feel the pain anymore. All they felt was endless hunger and thirst.

"S-so hungry..."

"Gotta eat something..."

"Isn't this where that blessed rice is supposed to be famous? Maybe we'll get some of that?"

They all hoped for the legendary "Blessed Rice" of the Naju Plains.

Said to cure cancer, restore health, and even boost stamina recovery just by eating it—an unbelievable item.

After it went viral on YouTube, even the Association officially acknowledged its effects.

But what lay before them was completely unexpected.

"..."

"..."

The Hunters tilted their heads in confusion at the "meal" placed before them. They couldn't make sense of what they were seeing.

"Uh... Ms. Hari, what is this?"

Hari looked apologetic under their puzzled stares. Leon, however, answered matter-of-factly:

"Water."

"Yes... I can see that, but..."

"Water with salt and sugar."

"Ah... I see."

So it was salted sugar water.

The Hunters clearly wanted to say something, but under Leon's proud, dignified gaze, they lowered their heads.

"What... is this?"

"I feel like everything I know is being challenged."

"We just went through hell and our meal... is sugar-salt water?"

Was there some greater purpose here they just didn't understand due to their own ignorance?

Screeeee—

As the confused Hunters looked around, Yapi approached with his robot arm—holding a salt shaker.

"Salt. Anyone need more?"

Sir Gratas, Giant Slayer.

Standing Army Training Manual – Protocol Zero:

Feed soldiers just enough to keep them from dying.

Proper meals begin only once they become official regulars.