The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1179

The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1179

Chapter 1179
Someone slammed a trembling fist onto a table. “How dare he do something like that?!”
If anyone analyzed the situation objectively, the professor from Heins Academy hadn’t done anything deserving of criticism.
Academic conferences had always been battlegrounds for professors and their egos, and debates over published theses were supposed to help refine ideas. That was the whole point.
However, no one had expected that man to go in for the kill like that.
Of course, long before that, the ‘victim’ himself had done similar things to professors from lesser-known academies. He seemed to have completely forgotten that.
“Heins Academy... They really are monsters.”
“I couldn’t counter any of their arguments... It was my failure.”
“No, this isn’t just your fault, Professor Toffsmann. All of us are to blame. I mean, what kind of mage thinks up something so deranged? Normally, the issues raised in that thesis would’ve taken years of experiments to even be identified. Then, once they were identified, we'd quietly work on solutions.”
However, those people had spotted every problem at a glance, while they themselves hadn’t even come up with a solution yet.
“What frustrates me most... is that I found myself agreeing with their criticism.” Professor Toffsmann groaned in despair.
“Bupherman, was it? As far as I know, he’s just a low-ranking 4th Circle mage from a small academy that shut down.
Haaah.
”
“No one expected Saint Davey of Heins to be such a good judge of people.”
In truth, the professors of Shakuntala were more familiar with Davey O’Rowane than the professors from other academies.
He was a legendary monster who had appeared out of nowhere, overturning his territory’s entire academic institution in a single moment. There weren’t many newly appointed professors around, so most of the participants had witnessed it firsthand. They had also heard rumors about what the professors of Heins Academy were capable of.
“Yet, this goes beyond anything we imagined,” someone muttered with a voice full of regret.
The professors from Heins Academy were on a completely different level than everyone else had assumed.
The biggest problem was that they were coming after the professors of Shakuntala with the intent to destroy their reputations.
“On top of that, they came in with their teeth clenched, ready to screw us over.”
“What the hell did we do to deserve this?”
Even if rebuttals were standard, there was still a point when someone was crossing the line. Pointing out issues in a thesis was one thing, but going beyond that to effectively grind their faces into the dirt wasn’t necessary.
Worse yet, the professors from Heins Academy didn’t even bother interfering with any other academy’s papers. They focused solely on tearing apart Shakuntala’s theses.
What made it even more painful was the realization that they didn’t even have a good excuse to counter them.
“It’s karma... Justified punishment for the things we’ve done.”
“I can’t accept this! This is against academic morality!”
Even while burning with resentment, none of them could voice any real complaints with substance.
“Three of our theses have already been destroyed. I’ve never experienced such a nerve-wracking conference in my life.”
“Professor Dilbeth... will you be alright?” One of the professors turned toward an elderly man with a long, graying beard.
He was a 6th Circle archmage, and a professor who had once served as an elder of the Mage Tower.
Professor Dilbeth was, in a sense, Shakuntala’s ultimate weapon.
“Your thesis is flawless, Professor. There’s no way we’ll lose this time.”
“
Haaah.
I’d like to believe that too.” Truthfully, even he couldn’t hide his shock at the rebuttals the Heins Academy professors had presented.
“While their circles may be low, their perspectives and ways of thinking outside the box were both completely different from ours. No, to be exact, it was broader.”
The remaining professors didn't know what to say.
“I’ll do my best.”
“If you fall too, our academy’s reputation will be in shambles.”
Saying that, the professors gripped his hands tightly and patted him on the back.
“Stay strong, Professor! Don’t let those vile Heins goons get to you!”
“I’ll give it everything I’ve got!” With those words, Professor Dilbeth reentered the conference hall, cheered on by the professors of Shakuntala Academy.
However, things didn’t turn out the way they had hoped.
- Are you ready?
- Hmm... I’ll be back before this black tea cools.
Professor Dilbeth was utterly demolished by a fellow 6th Circle mage who had also just taken the stage.
He was none other than an elderly mage from Heins Academy.
The magic professors of Shakuntala, watching that scene unfold, could do nothing but wear expressions as dismal as if the world had just ended.
* * *
“Hell yeah! Cheers, everyone!”
While the mood of Shakuntala had sunk, the professors from Heins Academy were practically in full-on celebration mode.
“
Kuhuhuhu!
I’ve never felt so damn refreshed in my life!”
“Exactly! Just thinking about the hell we went through because of them makes me shiver!”
“When someone hits you, you hit back. Always.” Saying that, Professor Bupherman raised his glass.
It looked like alcohol, but it was actually a non-alcoholic drink.
“If they slap your left cheek—!!”
At his shout, the other professors raised their glasses high and yelled in unison, “Rip out every damn tooth on their right!!”
Clink!
The academic conference wasn’t even halfway through, which meant the nightmare for Shakuntala’s professors was still long from over.
The conference was held in two formats. First was a series of simple presentations to publish new information. Second involved a showcase of long-prepared work, brought forth for a larger audience.
Yulis, who was sorting documents related to the conference held at the Red Tower, looked over at the bed where his wife Winley had fallen asleep, and let out a quiet sigh.
He had insisted he didn’t need her help, yet she had come regardless, only to fall asleep from exhaustion. The sight made his heart ache.
“Why do you push yourself so hard...” he muttered bitterly as he gently stroked her cheek.
Now that she was a mother, he truly wished she wouldn’t overexert herself. However, his concern never seemed to reach her.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.” After tucking Winley into bed, Yulis stood up to greet the unexpected visitor. He wondered who it could be at such a late hour.
“It’s been a while, Yulis.”
“
Oh,
Davey! Long time no see,” Yulis greeted him warmly, visibly pleased. “Can I get you some tea?”
“I’d love some.”
Davey stepped in with a relaxed smile and sat down on the couch. He glanced over at Winley, who was sleeping on the bed, and briefly made a surprised face.
“She’s lost weight.”
“
Haaah.
I’m really worried about her. I keep telling her to rest, but she never listens...”
Yulis and Winley’s relationship as close partners was well-known around town.
“So, what brings you here, Davey?”
“
Oh,
nothing much. I just heard that several of our professors were attending the conference, so I thought I’d sneak over to see how they were doing.”
Yulis nodded and paused before speaking, “There’s been quite the commotion.”
“Really? Did something happen?”
“
Hmm.
You could say that, sure.” Yulis let out a dry laugh. “They turned the whole conference upside down! I’ve never seen Shakuntala’s professors walk out looking so defeated.”
Many of Shakuntala’s professors were highly renowned, and while Heins Academy certainly wasn't lacking, the name Shakuntala had been the long-standing symbol of academic prestige and influence.
By contrast, people had only heard vague rumors about Heins Academy suggesting that it had gathered an impressive lineup of talent. On top of that, some of its professors hadn’t even made much of a name for themselves prior to joining the school.
“Davey, can I ask... When you were selecting professors, did you have any specific criteria?”
“Why?”
“It seems like every time people join your academy, they seem to completely transform.”
“It’s nothing special.” Davey waved it off with a grin. “People don’t break—or rather, die—that easily.”
Yulis broke out in a cold sweat. “Wait... don’t tell me you orchestrated all of this?”
An absurd theory started spinning in his head.
‘Could he have deliberately set up the situation so that the professors would unleash chaos at the conference?’
“Well, who knows?”
“Don’t tell me... I did hear that Heins Academy hasn’t published much recently, and funding has taken a blow. Not to mention, your clockmaking and moon grass businesses have both hit a slump...”
Davey’s smile deepened, and Yulis let out a bitter laugh.
* * *
Shakuntala’s conference team was on the verge of complete collapse.
“What have I even been doing with my life...”
Professor Dilbeth sat slumped in the corner, dragging his finger across the floor as he muttered to himself, “I’m going to take a leave of absence after this conference... I need to shut myself in and do some serious reflection.”
“Getting beaten in logic... by a 4th Circle... Beaten in
logic...
”
They all looked like a bunch of defeated soldiers. By that point, it felt downright unfair. They had no clue what they had done to deserve being torn apart with such ferocity.
The sense of indignation and unfairness finally broke Professor Toffsmann. He suddenly stood up, no longer able to hold it in.
“Don’t do it, Professor! If you go and confront them, it’ll just make us look even more pathetic!”
“Yes, we may have lost completely, but I’m so bitter that I can’t even sleep! I have to ask them what kind of grudge they have against us!”
“But still...”
“Did you see that look in their eyes?! They didn’t come to participate—they came to ruin us from the start! Damn it!” Fuming, Professor Toffsmann stormed out of the room.
The other professors looked at one another, clearly uncomfortable. Everyone except Professor Dilbeth eventually followed Toffsmann, heading toward the lodging of the Heins Academy professors.
“Why are you doing this to us?!” Toffsmann protested with resentment once they finally reached them.
At first, the Heins Academy faculty denied any intentional malice.
“We just pointed out the issues we saw... What more is there to it?”
“Don’t play dumb! Sure, we don’t have grounds to formally complain about how you acted, but this is way over the line!”
The Heins Academy professors exchanged glances.
They had planned to stay quiet, but then one professor stood up.
“You?!”
It was a professor who hadn’t spoken a word during the conference to that point. Even so, everyone recognized his face—it was Professor Vent, who had once belonged to Shakuntala but later transferred to Heins Academy.
“Professor Vent! You?!”
What shocked them even more was the prestige and position Professor Vent held.
Back at Shakuntala, he wasn’t considered special. He’d been an outsider among the faculty, so when he had announced he was transferring to Heins, everyone just laughed at him.
They figured Heins Academy was just another upstart academy, with only Davey’s name carrying any weight.
That was how it was supposed to be, at least.
None of them had ever imagined that the very man they’d dismissed would become one of the professors who brought Shakuntala to its knees.
“You want to know why?”
“Y-Yes, I do.”
“Why... WHY?!” His eyes widened as he shot up and grabbed Professor Toffsmann by the collar. “Why did you do
that
to us first?!”
“W-What are you talking about?!”
“Those damned middle school exam questions the Dean assigned!!”
The Heins Academy professors all nodded together, remembering their struggles.
“Why did you file a formal complaint over that and drag us straight down to hell?!”
Professor Toffsmann blinked in confusion, looking to the others as if asking what in the world Vent was talking about.
Vent gritted his teeth and went on, “The five exam questions the Dean sent to the middle school division. You filed an official complaint over them. And not only that, but you filed it directly to a new professor! That complaint ended up in the hands of none other than Archbishop Alice, the department head!”
“T-That was just a simple complaint!”
“Is that so? So it’s just bad luck that it ended up in her hands, is that what you're saying?”
“H-How is that our fault?! If something’s wrong, it’s right to speak up!”
“
Oh,
really?” Vent let out a quiet, creepy laugh.
Toffsmann knew something was off. Vent was never the type to laugh like that.
Vent reached into his coat, pulled out a roasted sweet potato, and took a bite before speaking again, “You know who eventually had to hear about that complaint? Our Dean.”
That one sentence made the Shakuntala professors freeze, because they knew exactly who that Dean was.
That young brat who once carried the title of Saint, the same brat who had seemed to know nothing about magic, had brought Shakuntala to its knees.
“The Dean called us all together and said one thing.”
- I’m disappointed in all of you.
Afterward, all hell broke loose.
As Professor Vent poured out each detail of that nightmare, the expressions of the Shakuntala professors stiffened more and more.
“H-However, those exam questions really were far too difficult for middle school cadets...”
“That’s just because of their rigid thinking! The only reason they couldn't solve them was because they were stuck in the conventional way of doing things! If their fundamentals were solid, those questions wouldn’t have been a problem!”
Professor Toffsmann flinched and stepped back. “Even so! You didn’t know the answers either, which is why you stayed silent when we filed the complaint...”
He could feel the deep, burning grudge radiating from their eyes.
“That’s right... You’re not wrong. That’s why we never called you out directly at first. We were the ones who weren’t good enough, after all.”
They didn't know what to say in response.
“Because of that, we got summoned by the Dean and spent two weeks in hell. After all our years as mages, I never want to go through something that horrific again!”
There were rumors that any professor dragged away by Davey would come back changed after only two weeks to a month.
Some would say that kind of hardship is nothing if you want to grow as an individual. Yet, everyone who actually went through it said the same thing:
- Then you try it, you dumbass bastard.
It was profanity with not a shred of respect, which was completely justified.
Two weeks might not sound like much. However, those who thought so were not aware that Davey was contracted with the Spirit of Time, Altair.
“We’re not going to let you have it your way after you threw us into that pit of hell. We won’t rest until we do the same to you!”
“Damn right!”
One by one, the other professors from Heins Academy pulled out sweet potatoes.
They looked plain and unimpressive, yet somehow, the way they held them inspired absolute confidence.
“We’re united by these sweet potatoes! Go ahead and try to stop us! Knew that our revenge has only just begun!”
“
Kehehe.
My dear sweet potato... You’re the only one who got me through that hell.”
“It’s almost time for the round of presentations, isn’t it? We’ll be waiting.
Kuhuhuhuh.
”
Shakuntala’s professors instinctively stepped back, startled by the half-insane glint in the eerily chuckling group’s eyes.
Seeing their madness up close, the professors began to seriously consider dropping out of the conference and going home immediately.

.
!
Chapter 1179