The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1135

The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1135

Chapter 1135
Evangeline’s days pretty much always began with oversleeping.
For someone who loved their sleep, getting enough of it was one of the greatest pleasures of the day. Yet she woke up early one day, forgoing that happiness.
“All set?”
“Yeah. I packed some snacks, too.”
“Alright.”
Kouna, who had shown up early, gently patted Evangeline on the head with a curious look on her face. Though she had become more expressive over time, openly showing her emotions still didn’t come naturally to her. “Then, shall we go?”
Kouna had become an employee under the Sacred Group, now a multinational corporation, investigating international rifts and related tasks.
The silence gates had been appearing and disappearing without a trace in several countries, mostly appearing in places where the concentration of mana had risen to a certain level. Daejeon in Korea was one such example.
Humming to herself as she got in the car, Evangeline glanced around, her eyes darting around constantly as she tried to take in the scenery of Earth.
She was especially excited, almost as if the Earth she was seeing felt different from the one she had visited before her second growth.
“By the way, where are we going?”
Kouna smiled softly. “An Awakened from the U.S. will be joining us first. After that, we’re heading to Hongcheon.”
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“Hongcheooon?”
“Yeah. I heard it’s a small town with fresh, clean air. It’ll be my first time there as well, so we’ll be moving together with the investigators dispatched by Sacred Group.”
Hyun-Ah ultimately couldn’t find the opportunity to come along. The circumstances did not allow her to go out in the field with them.
“By the way, where did you get that outfit?” Kouna asked as they drove.
The clothes Evangeline was wearing weren’t like typical Earth casualwear or something from Tionis. They looked more like fantasy gear, fresh out of a movie.
“
Oh,
this? Uncle made it for me.”
Kouna recalled that the prince from the Middle East who was helping her was a remarkable Awakened proficient in the crafting field.
Indeed, before Davey had stepped in to completely reform Grape-flavored Cat Tower and Maga, Al Hajat had been the top-ranked crafter in Alf Online. There was no way that any gear he made would ever be low quality.
“This other one was made by Grape-flavored Cat Tower, and Maga made this one!”
Evangeline was quite popular with all of them. Even Maga, who usually had no interest in anyone other than Yun Ji-Ah, aka Oxygen Bear Soup, seemed to be surprisingly fond of Evangeline’s charm. Whenever she saw her, she always showed a noticeably friendly attitude.
“
Hmmmm.
” Kouna looked curiously at the items, nodding in interest.
As they made their way to the Gangwon-do region, Kouna was suddenly struck by memories of the past.
Just a few years ago, there hadn’t been a single place on Earth untouched by monsters. Fortunately, most of the land had been reclaimed. Back then, the things they had had since come to enjoy would’ve seemed like a luxury.
They eventually arrived at their destination, then Evangeline immediately opened the door and stretched her arms wide. While the air there wasn’t as fresh and clean as that of the Moon Forest or the Divine Tree's Land, the refreshing atmosphere had its own way of lifting her spirits.
Just then, a man with a relaxed expression and sunglasses approached, speaking awkward Korean. “Hey, ladies? I think I’m lost. Do you happen to know where this is?”
“Quit messing around, Chris.”
“
Oh,
Miss Kouna. If you’re that uptight, you’ll never get a boyfriend.”
Kouna sighed at the man mumbling to himself in English. Then, she gave the best answer she knew. “Eat shit.”
“
Gah!
”
Like Kouna, Chris Marten had also signed a contract with the Sacred Group, currently designated for lending them his strength.
Not only was he an S-class Awakened from the U.S., he was also an international agent working under the Sacred Group. He was considered the number-one most popular Awakened individual in the United States.
Although being S-class came with restrictions on movement, the U.S. government was heavily invested in its relationship with the Sacred Group, so there weren’t any conflicting issues.
“Still, didn’t expect you to show up in person.”
“Isn’t it obvious for me to show up? We’ve got silence gates in our country, too. The higher-ups want us to gather as much intel here as possible before things go too far south.”
Get ahead of the damage before it hits home.
That was the message he had been given, and he was making sure to keep it clear.
As America’s S-class Awakened and so-called superhero, Chris made smalltalk jokes that seemed light but carried real weight.
“By the way, you’re Prince Davey’s daughter?”
“Yes...” Evangeline answered with a slightly stiff expression.
He responded with a bright smile as he shook her hand. “I’m Chris Marten, S-class Awakened from America.”
“I’m Kouna, officially a Japanese Awakened, but I’m under Sacred Group now.”
“I-I’m Evangeline!”
Chris let out a laugh, like he found something amusing.
“What’s so funny?”
“I mean, don’t you think it’s funny how we’re both part of Sacred Group, and this is a Korean rift... but there’s not a single Korean Awakened here?”
Kouna gave a nod, seeming to agree. “There are S-class Awakened individuals in Korea, but they’re all private sector.”
Even so, the fact that none of them were involved in an incident within their own country was kind of absurd.
“Don’t worry. The Korean government has already requested that one guild join the operation.”
Chris tilted his head, curious. “Do you mean Balhae? I think that’s the name. It’s a bit small for a mid-tier guild, but they recently obtained powerful artifacts seemingly out of nowhere. So I’m guessing their potential is higher than it looks.”
“
Ooh.
Sounds like a sure thing.”
* * *
A single Awakened had arrived from the struggling mid-tier guild, Balhae. Their limited presence was due to a requirement that the investigation team be limited to a small group of about four to five people.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Yeon Soo-Ah from Balhae. I’ll be joining to help with reconnaissance. My combat strength isn’t all that high, but... I can count on you, can’t I, Mr. Superhero?”
“
Wow,
very nice speech! I’ll protect you all you want.”
Yeon Soo-Ah gave a polite nod to both Chris and Kouna, then smiled warmly the moment she saw Evangeline. “It’s nice to see you again! I watched your stream.”
“S-Stream...?” In stark contrast to her relaxed demeanor, Evangeline trembled slightly.
She wasn’t streamer Eva at that moment, which meant there was only one proper response for her to do. “S-Stream? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Despite the cold sweat trickling down her back, Evangeline denied the truth with all her might.
“
Oh?
Still trying to keep it a secret,
eh?
”
Unfortunately, Yeon Soo-Ah wasn’t the only problem.
“
Ah,
now that I think of it, you do stream, don’t you? I’ve been watching, too! Not the full livestreams, though; I unfortunately can’t catch the whole thing, but I’ve subscribed and liked all the highlights,” Chris said in a playful tone.
Evangeline resumed shaking with anxiety. Cold sweat running down her face, she awkwardly looked away. “I-I really don’t know what you’re talking about...”
“Sure. If you say so. In your heart, I mean.”
“S-Stop talking nonsense, and let’s just get moving!”
“Shall we? By the way, why didn’t Hyun-Ah come along...?”
Kouna’s eyes sharpened. “Don’t try any weird moves, you damned playboy hero.”
“
Oof!
That hurts... I’m a single man with no girlfriend, I swear.”
“Yeah, yeah. Though according to Haitai, your past is incredibly... let’s say colorful, isn’t it?”
“
Wow,
no privacy at all these days.”
He took a step back with an exaggerated gesture. Of course, while Haitai granted Kouna the power and foresight of the Celestial Maiden, it didn’t make her all-powerful.
The investigation team now consisted of four members, but none of them were worried about their small numbers.
In terms of pure combat power, even if Kouna wasn’t top-tier, Chris definitely was.
“I wish Mom could’ve come too...”
“
Oh,
the goddess of baseball! Miss Illyna.”
“Ba... what?”
Sensing her confusion, Chris explained what Illyna had done in the U.S. and even showed a video of her throwing the ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game. Illyna was dressed in a stylish outfit that accentuated her figure as she threw the ball.
“Every baseball fan probably knows about her since then.”
“A-America? Do people there really like Mom that much?”
“Of course they do. Princess Illyna is so popular in the U.S., she ranks among the sexiest women in the country.” He chuckled, saying she was especially adored among baseball fans and jokingly said how she was treated like a goddess. “But wait, is the princess on Earth too?”
“She didn’t come with us,” Evangeline answered calmly as she lifted her head.
Eventually, the group arrived at the location where Korea and the Sacred Group had ed abnormally high mana concentration. They began checking their equipment in preparation.
Chris lightly cracked his knuckles, raising his energy. He was essentially the strongest force in the group. Of course, there was also Evangeline, but Chris and Yeon Soo-Ah didn’t know much about her abilities. All that was known publicly was that she had taken down a few wolves at a D-class gate.
Looking out at the vast and peaceful mountain terrain, Chris clapped his hands lightly. “Well then, young lady! Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Following his prompt, Evangeline closed her eyes, then slowly opened them. Her dragon eyes shifted into sharp violet, scanning the surroundings intensely.
“That way.”
She wasn’t just capable of seeing a rift. She could track the flow of mana itself.
While Yeon Soo-Ah was a recon-type Awakened, silence gates weren’t something even recon users could see. Of course, there could be exceptions, but she was not one of them.
Looking at it that way, one could ask what purpose Yeon Soo-Ah served for the team. To be precise, her role wasn’t limited to recon, she was a support.
She was a healer.
Among her Awakened abilities was a recovery-type power that had been enhanced, thanks to Davey. Of course, few people knew that detail.
“I hope this ends up being an expedition where I’m not needed,” she wryly commented.
Chris gave a sly grin. “Don’t worry. No one’s getting hurt today.”
“I found it.”
Evangeline murmured as she opened her half-lidded eyes.
“We need to go that way...”
Suddenly, monsters silently started to appear in the forest.
“
Huh?
There isn't even a rift here, but monsters just popped out?”
“Whatever is going on here, it’s definitely abnormal.”
“Well then, time to work,” Chris said calmly, cracking his fingers.
He casually stretched his hands and strode forward, while Kouna unsheathed her single Japanese sword and dashed in. Watching the two, Evangeline retrieved the divine dragon sword Twilight still in its scabbard.
Before she was able to unsheathe it, Yeon Soo-Ah told her, “No need to jump in. Just leave it to those two.”
Evangeline first hesitated, then eventually lowered the sword without drawing it.
Boom!! Kaboom!!
While there weren’t many monsters, the fact that they were all targeting the same direction was suspicious. The monsters charged in aggressively, frenzied as if they felt threatened by Evangeline’s visual ability.
She watched them close in with narrowed eyes.
Boom! Boom!!
Chris suddenly shot forward like a flash of light, and the battle began.
He moved through the forest like a superhero from a movie, subduing the monsters with explosive force. The monsters weren’t particularly strong to begin with, and the fact that Chris was simply on the stronger end—perhaps even the peak—among Awakened individuals made the outcome obvious.
Slash!! Squelch!!
Elsewhere, Kouna swung her blade with swift precision, cutting through mutated wolves without hesitation.
Watching the two of them work, Yeon Soo-Ah let out a short sigh of admiration. “As expected, their skills are insane! No wonder the Sacred Group is said to have the highest number of elite Awakened individuals in the world,” she said in a tone mixed with amazement and resignation.
“Though I have to admit, it feels a bit weird to see I’m not all that necessary,” she said flatly. She then suddenly turned to Evangeline as if she’d remembered something. “By the way, Evangeline?”
“Yes?”
“Why do you hide your identity on your stream?”
“I-I have no idea what you mean!” Evangeline blurted out awkwardly, her eyes darting around.
“Come on, let’s be real. It’s not like anyone’s fooled.”
Flustered, she shouted with her cheeks turning red, “I-I don’t know anything about that! I think you’ve got the wrong person!”
Boom! Boom!!
Meanwhile, Chris and Kouna showed no mercy as they continued to wipe out the monsters.
No matter how strong they were, they couldn’t detect silence gates, which made Evangeline’s presence absolutely essential.
Perhaps it was her animal instincts, but Evangeline couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that there was something strangely unsettling about the traces of the rift she had been sensing.
* * *
While Evangeline was out participating in the rift investigation, Super Ribbon, with a lighter heart after passing the first test, made her way to a library.
Whether on Earth or in Tionis, discovering new knowledge or information had always brought her a deep sense of joy.
Since her true form was a sword, her human shape was merely a projection, a simple imitation akin to a spiritual body. Even so, it was more than enough to meet her needs.
She entered the calm, cool library with the desire to simply sit and read in silence. However, her presence was simply too noticeable, no matter where she went.
“Excuse me.”
“Yes?” As she turned her head, her hair dyed with streaks of bluish-red, fluttered slightly. Super Ribbon tilted her head curiously at the young man who had approached her.
“Have you ever thought about becoming an actress?”
“An... actress?” She blinked, visibly puzzled, and the man nodded enthusiastically.
“Yes! An actress. For dramas or movies, anything really. Are you interested at all?”
She lowered her gaze for a second to think. “I’m sorry, but I’m not intere—
huh?
”
However, just as she looked up to finish her sentence, the man had vanished.

.
!
Chapter 1135