The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1124

The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1124

Chapter 1124
Super Ribbon, perhaps taking after her father, was remarkably clever. Unlike the pure-hearted and naive Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon, she had already matured to an extent. She was witty, insightful, and clearly understood right from wrong.
Of course, by Hyun-Ah’s standards, she was still just her little niece. Still, that didn’t mean her decisions could be taken lightly.
Earth was engaged in long-term trade with Tionis, the realm Davey belonged to, under the agreements formed and approved by each nation. The massive airship Asgard delivered advanced materials not native to Earth, and in return, Earth’s supplies were sent back to Tionis.
Well, technically speaking, it wasn't to Tionis directly, but rather to other worlds that needed those same goods. While Hyun-Ah didn’t know the full details of the exchanges, what she did know was that the materials her squid, no, older brother Davey brought to the nations of Earth were enough for them to practically drool over.
As a result, the Sacred Group, which was the middleman of the distribution and logistics, was seeing its stock price climb day by day. It was perhaps for that same reason that most countries were eager to stay on friendly terms with Tionis unless something truly serious happened.
If the daughter of that incredible man wanted to study abroad, there was no way those nations would stay still.
Being that Evangeline had learned the knowledge of another world, she had enough merit to be accepted as a special admissions student. There would be no downside for the school. In fact, her enrollment would even boost their image.
However, Super Ribbon didn’t want any special treatment. She instead wanted to take the entrance exams and earn a spot based entirely on her own merit.
Still, she was technically a sword. Hyun-Ah wasn’t sure how much work she had or would ever put into her education.
“I totally underestimated her...”
“My goodness! When did you even start studying Earth’s curriculum?”
Super Ribbon politely answered, “I studied hard using the reference books you gave me.”
“I mean, still...” Muttering in disbelief, Hyun-Ah slumped in her seat as she finished grading the tests.
Super Ribbon, a child from another world, had aced an exam that even most seasoned test-takers struggled with.
Given the short study period, her progress was beyond impressive.
“Maybe you just didn’t study enough, kiddo,” Yeon-Hee said teasingly to Hyun-Ah.
“
Oh,
come on, don’t say that! No one’s ever said I was dumb.”
Yeon-Hee smiled as she brought over a plate of sliced apples, watching Hyun-Ah slump in defeat. “Our little Super Ribbon is seriously brilliant. I’m so impressed.”
“
Hehehe.
” Clearly pleased, Super Ribbon giggled before Yeon-Hee pulled her into a hug, gently stroking her hair.
“I’m proud of you, sweetie.”
Still grinning, she responded, “I love you too, Aunt Yeon-Hee.”
“How’s Hyun-Soo— I mean, Davey doing?”
“
Oh,
he’s great! Every time he makes a move, the whole Tionis continent shakes.”
Yeon-Hee had already heard stories about his absurd power, but apparently, the people of Tionis were just like all the people on Earth who feared and respected that power.
Hyun-Ah whined with arms stretched out, “Super Ribbonnn, come hug me too!
“Hey, can’t you see she’s in my arms?”
“You’re always like this with her!” she complained.
“Well, I’m usually busy with work and barely get to see her, so when else am I supposed to smother her with affection?”
Hyun-Ah snapped back, “If you’re that jealous, why don’t you hurry up and marry your fiance already?”
Yeon-Hee had recently begun preparing for marriage with a certain man. Though she looked young for her age, the time had come for her to think about settling down.
From her perspective, she had been a bit concerned, given Yeon-Hee’s status and company position. Yet after some digging, it became clear that her boyfriend was responsible and hardworking. As such, she figured there was nothing more to be said.
“Your future husband is a lucky man. You’re going to stay like that forever, after all.”
“Please, like you aren’t?”
Both of them had taken the elixir brought by Kain, an apostle of the Church of Neltarid, at Davey’s request. Made from Mermaid’s Blessing and divine grace, it was an incredibly rare potion that effectively halted physical aging.
Kain had grumbled about how hard it was to obtain, yet brought it to them for free anyways.
While it was truly something extraordinary, it granted the drinker not immortality but eternal youth.
Sure, there were Awakened individuals who didn’t experience aging due to mana and monster exposure. Even so, a regular person staying young forever was on another level entirely.
“Maybe that’s why I feel like I can take it easy now. I’m good to just take my time, you know?”
Yeon-Hee rejected her idea right away. “You should find a good guy too.”
“Oh, hush. By the way, doesn’t Kain technically count as my nephew?”
Kain called Illyna his mother, after all. Despite his unstable personality, he seemed to meet with her occasionally while fulfilling his duties.
Smirking faintly, Hyun-Ah glanced over to the living room sofa where Evangeline was splayed out, fully absorbed in a video game.
Evangeline was also an adorable niece of hers.
“Eva, are you enjoying the game? Come have some fruit with us.”
“Ugh! Are you trying to taunt me?!” Fully locked into the game, Evangeline wildly squeezed and yanked the controller around, looking like she might dive into the screen at any second.
“Eva.”
Hearing Super Ribbon’s calm voice, Evangeline flinched and looked up. “
H-Huh?
”
“Come sit down.”
“Okay.” Like a startled kitten, Evangeline scurried over and sat down before taking a bite of the apple. She chewed it and smiled, seemingly enjoying the taste of it.
Hyun-Ah turned to Super Ribbon and continued their college discussion. “I did some digging and found a few universities you can apply to, no strings pulled or attached. They have special admissions programs, so as long as you pass the entrance exam, you can transfer in just fine. Though, in your case, you'd probably start as a freshman.”
“Really?!”
Eyes wide with excitement, Super Ribbon shot to her feet. Her hair, a stunning blend of blue and red, fluttered with the movement. Her two-tone hair could’ve looked strange on anyone else, yet it somehow only made her appear more beautiful.
“Are you sure you don't want to just let Auntie handle it? All I have to do is say a few words here and there, then they'd be tripping over themselves to take you.”
“But that would make things difficult for Dad, wouldn’t it?”
The sight of her bright and sincere smile made Hyun-Ah’s eyes narrow with frustration. “Man... I wish I had a daughter just like you. Fine, then. I’ll create the opportunity, so you just focus on studying.”
“Okay!”
From the start, what Super Ribbon truly wanted was just to study. It was unusual, considering most kids her age would rather play, but she was earnestly pouring all of her energy into learning. That alone was a sight to behold and admire.
“And Eva,” Hyun-Ah added.
“Yes?”
“Your dad definitely has a nasty temper, yet deep down, he’s kind of a softie. Knowing that, try not to hate him too much, okay?”
She pouted slightly. “It’s not like I hate him...”
She suddenly stood up from her seat.
Hyun-Ah was confused “Did you already finish eating? You don’t want anything else?”
“No, thank you, Auntie.”
The bright smile she used to wear when she’d say she loved them was gone, yet from Hyun-Ah’s perspective, even the quieter side of Evangeline was endearing.
There was something genuine about how she held back her words, too shy to say what she felt.
“
Oh,
right! Eva.”
“Yes?”
“It’s fine to go out and have some fun, but don’t wander too far. There’s been a surge in monster mana waves lately. During times like this, rifts or monster breaks can happen out of nowhere.”
“Okay.”
“I heard you’re already Master-level? I know you’re strong, but please don’t go anywhere too dangerous.”
“Don’t worry, Auntie. If monsters dare to show up, I’ll protect everyone myself,” she spoke with a grumble, her face flushed red. She then turned and disappeared into her room.
Considering she’d asked them not to tell Davey she was there, Hyun-Ah figured she had probably had a big fight with him. Frankly, she found it incredibly adorable. She could tell that Evangeline clearly cared for him, but was too embarrassed or prideful to say so. It reminded her a lot of how she used to be.
“Alright then. Super Ribbon, I’ll tell you which subjects you need to focus on. Why don’t you come with me so we can grab the books you’ll need?”
“Huh? We’re going somewhere?”
“Come on, who do you think I am? I’m the VP of a global corporation.”
Of course, Vice President was just the title. Her position in the company was closer to an executive director. It was difficult to define her role since she essentially held all the decision-making power, and no one at the company dared to defy her—regardless of her title.
“If my precious Super Ribbon wants to study, you better believe I’m ready to help! I’ve already bought everything you might need; you just have to pick what you want and bring it with you.” Grinning playfully, Hyun-Ah twirled a sleek black card between her fingers.
Super Ribbon blinked in disbelief at the overwhelming demonstration of power.
“
Oh!
While we’re at it, why don’t you try getting closer to Kouna? Hyun-Soo dumped that poor girl on us since Davey is her so-called custodian, but he barely even checks in on her. She’s probably feeling really lonely lately.”
Hyun-Ah thought the two of them might make great friends.
* * *
Watching Super Ribbon smile so brightly, Evangeline found herself grinning without even realizing it.
However, the moment she stepped into her room and leaned back against the door, she quickly brought both hands to her mouth, tugging at the corners of her lips.
“No, no. I can’t be like this. I’m not a little kid anymore.”
She was a grown-up now! She knew she couldn’t keep acting like a child.
With a renewed determination, she looked around the room Hyun-Ah had arranged for her. Since she’d basically left home, she planned to stay at Aunt Hyun-Ah’s place for a while.
Whatever Super Ribbon had told Hyun-Ah, she figured it must’ve made an impression. After just a moment of thought, Hyun-Ah had summoned a team to quickly set up a room fitting her taste.
One corner of the room had myriad art supplies. Hyun-Ah had remembered her love of drawing, making sure she had everything she might need.
While Evangeline normally preferred working with watercolors, since she was on Earth, she felt like trying out some of the local tools and technology.
“What should I draw...?”
Just as she’d learned, she naturally turned on the computer and drawing tablet, then held a stylus in her hand.
As she fiddled with it, a photo she’d seen shortly after arriving suddenly popped into her mind. It had been a photo of a pure white hospital room. Aunt Hyun-Ah and Yeon-Hee were in unusual outfits, and in between them, there had been a man with an unremarkable face.
Not particularly handsome, and not someone you'd remember easily. His expression was slightly irritated, as if he didn’t want to be there. The very personification of the word ‘ordinary.’
Yet, he’d felt so familiar.
“Dad....” She shook her head violently. “
Hmph.
He doesn’t even care about me, anyways.”
She then began her drawing, recreating that photograph. Gifted with natural talent, Evangeline blended her own techniques into the drawing and quickly sketched that image of the three of them together.
Davey’s previous life before being born in Tionis, Shin Hyun-Soo, standing beside his two sisters.
As she immersed herself in the work, her eyes gradually turned violet, taking on an almost vacant, ethereal glow. It was a sign that Evangeline was falling deep into her concentration.
It didn’t take long for her to finish a beautifully detailed and vivid illustration. It was as if she had envisioned the finished product from the very start. What had begun as simple lines and scribbles was gradually transformed into a complete piece.
In the drawing, Davey—no, Shin Hyun-Soo—was smiling brightly, with two women laughing beside him. In the original photo, at least two of them had still seemed a tad bit unhappy. Yet in the picture Evangeline drew, they looked overjoyed, radiantly happy.
“
Ah,
it’s already this late.” She paused and stared quietly at the sketch. “Yeah. I like this version better.”
A soft smile spread across her face.
Ding! Ding!
Suddenly, a notification sound rang from the corner of the tablet.
It was the alert for a new video being posted.
[Power Rankings of S-Class Awakened]
It was a cliché and clickbaity title, effective at attention-grabbing.
Earth had two groupings of Awakened individuals: the first class and the second class.
The first class had carried their power over from the game Alf Online, where they’d already built up incredible strength. The second class, on the other hand, were Awakened who had risen from the natural emergence of mana, and began to unlock special abilities that way.
Most of the strongest were still first class individuals, yet due to heavy losses from past monster attacks on Earth, a fair number of second class individuals were rising in the overall rankings.
One by one, the video began listing the names and faces of various individuals. Evangeline was unfamiliar with most of them, and frankly, none of them caught her interest.
The video showed their basic information alongside clips of them hunting monsters, fighting in raids, or showing off their abilities.
As she absentmindedly watched, a thought crossed her mind.
‘
Why isn’t Dad in this?
’
In Evangeline’s view, Davey was the strongest person in the world. She couldn’t help but wonder why he wasn’t included in such a ranking.
Even though she inwardly claimed not to care, Evangeline couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of irritation at the fact that he wasn’t even mentioned.
She lifted her finger with a frown and began typing out a comment using the two-finger hunt-and-peck method.
- Why isn’t the Saint of Tionis on the list?
It was a simple question borne of curiosity, but anonymity had a way of making people cross the line.
- You wanker, why the hell would Davey be in a ranking of Awakened individuals’ strength???? You think he’s an Awakened individual? Dumbass, smh.
Crack.
A vein popped on her forehead as the tablet bent.
“Damn it...”
Reading the curse words directed at her, she furiously began tapping at the keys again.
- I was just asking a question. Why are you getting so mad? And who are you to call him just Davey? Is he your buddy or something?
This was the strongest form of protest she could muster.
- LOL who cares? Isn’t he just some punk not even in his twenties? Honestly, I find the Saint of Tionis super annoying. Not a fan.
Another person chimed in.
- Yeah, same. I don’t really like him either. He acts like he can fucking do whatever the fuck he wants just because he’s strong. Comes off like the world owes him shit.
- Frfr, LMAO
As more and more comments started rolling in, Evangeline felt yet another vein about to pop on her forehead.
“These people are pissing me off...”
Tap, tap, tap, tap!
- The Saint of Tionis risked everything to protect people like you, and this is how you talk about him? It’s just sad.
- Yeah, no. I didn’t ask to be saved LOLS And that bastard wrecked my shop while handling a monster. Who’s gonna pay for that,
huh?
Crack!
“
Phewww.
” Evangeline didn’t know why she was reacting so strongly. She started shaking with anger she couldn’t quite explain. Then, lifting her pale, small hand, she slammed her desk.
“What the hell is wrong with these people?!”
Grinding her teeth, she aggressively grabbed her mouse.
Clicking around with mounting rage, she eventually found the private messaging feature and sent a message.
- Apologize. No matter the cost, the Saint of Tionis worked tirelessly to protect humanity.
Something was boiling inside her. A deep, inexplicable fury took hold of her entire body, and before she realized it, the power of the ancient dragons began to seep from her. Of course, the person who had left those cruel, mocking comments had no way of sensing that. They were too busy taunting her; ridiculing her tone; mocking her words; and spewing more venom her way.
They even started spreading baseless rumors as if they were facts, provoking her even further.
- The Saint of Tionis isn’t that kind of person. Apologize.
With her teeth clenched tight and her expression twisted in rage, Evangeline trembled, not knowing what to do with the anger burning through her. At the same time, objects around her began to vibrate.
- Did you ever see him in person?
Huh?
I know plenty of people who have. You gonna worship the guy no matter what, just cause he’s the Saint of Tionis? Whatever. I’m done. This is boring. Get lost, kiddo. Doesn’t he also have like, what, three wives or something? Why hasn’t Neltarid come and arrested that womanizing bastard yet?
It had been quite some time since people found out that the god Neltarid existed on Earth. Though the Church of Neltarid had nearly been wiped out, there was once a time when they’d performed miracles.
Crack!!
That was it—her patience hit its limit, and her fury exploded with chilling intensity.
- You. Send me your location. Right now.
-
Ooooh,
scary!!! You gonna come fight me in real life or something? Why the hell would I tell you where I am?
The reply was drenched in sarcasm.
Glaring coldly at the screen, Evangeline began drawing on the power within her. At the same time, she started reading the malevolent intent that was seeping through the computer screen, a feat that’d normally be impossible even for the most gifted in psychic abilities. Yet there she was, doing it.
She stood up and flicked her hand. The air tore open, and a black longsword appeared in her grasp.
Shing. Swish!!
She smoothly twirled the blade and swung it once through the air, trying to keep her explosive rage under control.
“Don’t talk crap about my dad...”
Panting in anger, she turned her head. “There’s your dirty stench...”
Smelling a terrible stench of malice, a pair of small black wings coated in a thin, membranous film sprouted from her back.
Without hesitation, she opened the window and shot into the sky.
After a while, Hyun-Ah came to knock on the door to her room. “Eva, are you in your room?”
However, her eyes went wide the moment she stepped in and saw the state of the room. “What in the world...”
The room was a disaster, with the window wide open and the computer still on. She walked over in a daze and scanned the words on the monitor.
Words failed her.
As she stayed silent, Yeon-Hee called her from across the hallway, “Hyun-Ah, call Eva for dinner. Wait, what the heck?”
As Super Ribbon and Yeon-Hee entered the room one after the other, their eyes also widened at the sight.
“Hyun-Ah, what is—” Hyun-Ah, silently staring at the monitor, finally spoke, “I think Eva... just left to fight someone in real life.”
Her voice carried a hint of panic, unsure what the proper response was in such a situation.

Chapter 1124