The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1137

The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1137

Chapter 1137
“What do I do?” Evangeline was clearly worried, unable to hide her anxiety over the horns that had sprouted from her head.
Watching her carefully, Super Ribbon gently reached out and touched the horns.“How does it feel?”
“I don’t really feel anything...”
“
Hmm.
I’m not sure what to do about them either.”
“Mom, help...”
“It’s alright. It doesn’t seem particularly dangerous.”
It wasn’t just Super Ribbon who felt that way. Both Illyna and Perserque, who stood nearby, agreed. However, Perserque, being the most skilled mage among them, was especially meticulous in examining the changes that had occurred in Evangeline’s body.
“These horns seem to be similar to her.”
They had rushed over as soon as they heard the news about Evangeline. The only one absent was Aeria, who had gone with Davey to the Moon Forest for a visit to catch up with friends. Knowing how long it’d been since they’d been there, the two with Evangeling hadn’t bothered to inform them of the situation.
“Similar to Mom’s?”
“That’s right. Think of it as a sort of medium to store power. Of course, even if the horns break, the power won’t disappear...” Perserque murmured in thought.
Illyna asked a question, “Didn’t Eva say she suddenly got a lot stronger after streaming recently? What if it’s like a pimple?”
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“The phrasing is a little odd, but the principle does seem somewhat similar.”
Inside Evangeline resided a massive power, fitting for an ancient dragon. The issue was that the power was supposed to grow gradually, yet due to the power of Hercules it had been continuously amplified without any restrictions.
Though her body had grown, the overwhelming strength she was born with still far exceeded what her form could contain. The horns were a result of that imbalance.
“I wouldn't worry about it too much, it doesn't seem like a big problem.”
Evangeline nervously inquired, “What if Dad finds out?”
“
Hmmm.
”
Her anxious question prompted Perserque and Illyna to exchange glances.
“Well... When it comes to you, he definitely tends to be overly protective.”
“Whether we like it or not, he’ll definitely worry a lot if we tell him. He might even take you away to try and treat you properly.”
“N-No! I want to stay here and keep streaming!”
Perserque gave her a faintly bitter smile, hearing her outburst. “You can’t stay on Earth forever, you know.”
“Still...”
Watching Evangeline hesitate, Perserque made a proposal. “Alright then. Let’s keep this a secret from your father.”
“Really?!”
“But! Only if you can make me one promise.”
“A promise?”
“Yes. You’ll have to cut your streaming time in half, and use that extra time to investigate silence gates.”
Surprised by the condition, Evangeline puffed out her cheeks and pouted.
Streaming had become a huge source of enjoyment for her. As was to be expected with someone like Evangeline who didn’t have many friends, chatting with viewers during her streams felt incredibly fun. That was why her mom’s suggestion felt even more unexpected, especially given how she usually disliked combat missions like rift exploration.
“
Ugh.
”
“Evangeline. You know, there was this one time,” Perserque began to say.
Illyna suddenly smiled, as if recalling something amusing.
“Your dad once forced Aeonitia to take a break, cold turkey, from what she enjoyed.”
Aeonitia had stuck close to Davey in order to survive. Even though he had no intention of harming her, she continued desperately trying to produce results. After long enough spent living that way, her concept of rest was completely warped.
While she’d seemed fine on the outside, internally she had been an emotional and anxious mess.
“So what happened to her?”
“What do you think? Aeonitia is the type to become totally obsessed once she gets into something—she ended up becoming a complete shut-in, stuck playing games all day. Davey had a hell of a time trying to bring her back to normal.”
Evangeline didn’t know what to say, hearing the new information.
“That’s what I’m worried about. Things in this world rarely go the way you expect, Eva.”
Evangeline thought back on how she’d spent the previous few days. Ever since she’d gotten into streaming, the time she spent online had exploded.
“I’m sure he wants you to do what makes you happy, but if it gets to a point where you can’t control it anymore...” Perserque warned, purposely trailing off.
“Alright. I’ll be careful.” She understood clearly what the warning meant. If things went too far, she’d end up with heavy limitations imposed on her. “So what do we do about this, then?”
“It seems like your power’s been growing uncontrollably because of the streams. If that’s the case, the solution should be to drain it somehow.”
The affection that others had for her turned into emotional energy, which granted her immense power. If that accumulated and constipated power was the problem, all she had to do was let it out.
“There are always silence gates to deal with, too. That makes for some convenient timing.”
* * *
Super Ribbon’s day began with a trip to the library.
Evangeline’s studio and Aunt Hyun-Ah’s place were both nice places to stay, no doubt. Even so, for Super Ribbon the library was a rare and valuable space, one where she could quietly study while also experiencing and observing Earth’s culture. It was essentially a place of cultural communication for her.
Even when she couldn’t concentrate on books, watching the people around her added an unexpected enjoyment. However, it seemed she had incidentally become somewhat well-known in the area over the previous period.
“Excuse me...” A young man approached Super Ribbon down the road from the library, looking like he had just reached adulthood with a clean and respectable appearance.
“Yes? Can I help you?”
“
Umm.
You’re the one who comes to the library every day, right? I was wondering... if I could get your number?”
Given that they were in a quiet and rarely used section of the collection, she couldn’t help but feel a bit cautious.
While Super Ribbon wielded immense authority and power, her actual combat ability wasn’t exactly extraordinary. Coupled with her personality that hated causing trouble, there wasn’t much she could do.
She stayed alert inwardly, but paused to think on why he would want her number. A common-sense realization eventually flashed through her mind.
‘He’s asking for my phone number!’
After thinking for a moment, she simply told the truth. “Sorry, I don’t have a phone...”
“
Oh.
” The look on his face clearly said he didn’t believe her, and he didn’t seem ready to give up easily. Instead, he handed her a small note from his pocket. “
Um.
Well, this is my number. I fell for you at first sight. If you’re ever interested...”
“
Ah.”
Only then did Super Ribbon realize what he was really after, and her expression turned sour.
She belatedly realized that she stood out like a sore thumb in public. Her appearance naturally drew attention, and her unique hair color made it practically impossible for others not to stare. With blue and red mixed like streaks, her hair could easily come off as flashy and even rebellious.
Yet, strangely enough, the color looked so natural on her that it didn’t leave that kind of bad impression.
She bowed her head slightly, lost in thought. She wasn’t really interested, and wasn’t even human to begin with. She was a sword that resembled humans, but her desires were fundamentally different from them.
In short, the kinds of romantic or emotional attractions living beings formed were still far beyond her grasp or consideration.
She figured that getting caught up in something unnecessary would just be a hassle. She even started questioning whether the guy was in his right mind, considering that he had approached her solely based on her appearance.
“I’m sorry, but—wait,
huh?
” Just as she was about to answer, she noticed that the man who should’ve been in front of her was suddenly gone.
He had vanished without a trace.
Thinking it odd, she suddenly recalled experiencing something similar before.
“That’s weird...”
Then, something caught her eye.
A puff of pure white fur.
She slowly walked forward, almost as if hypnotized. Once she got closer, she stood frozen, staring blankly at what stood before her.
Even from behind, the figure was massive, easily over two meters tall and packed with muscles.
“
Ah! Um.
” She slowly backed away, trying not to make a sound.
A voice called her from behind, “Super Ribbon.”
“
Huh?
” Startled, Super Ribbon’s eyes widened. “Wha— Dad?”
“
Shh.
”
Davey approached with a gentle smile. His demeanor was as kind and familiar as ever, and even as he spoke to her, Super Ribbon instinctively moved toward him, about to hug him.
However, she ultimately stopped. She suddenly felt like whatever trance she was under had shattered all at once.
“Who are you?”
“What are you talking about, Super Ribbon?”
“You... You’re not my father.”
Her words made the smile on his face stiffen for a moment. “
Haha,
what are you saying?”
“There’s no way I wouldn’t be able to recognize my own father.”
Her voice was calm, but her face was full of wariness as she glared at him.
“In that case, that thing too...”
Turning her head, she realized the massive white rabbit wasn’t real either. The moment she came to that realization, the illusion shattered. The enormous rabbit dissipated into light, and the flirtatious man it had grabbed up collapsed onto the ground like a broken puppet.
Super Ribbon rushed over and checked the fallen man’s condition. She had some measure of medical knowledge, having learned from Davey.
‘He’s alive, at least.’
Frowning, she stood up.
“
Ugh.
This isn’t good...” Davey, or rather the man masquerading as him, averted his gaze slightly as he murmured.
Boom!!
Like a flash of lightning, he lunged forward, grabbing Super Ribbon by the neck and slamming her into the wall.
In the deserted alleyway where no one else was around, the thing wearing Davey’s face glared at her with wild eyes. “You... You look
delicious
.”
“Y-You...”
“It’s a little different from what I usually eat... but I guess that doesn’t matter.”
Super Ribbon instinctively understood as she watched the creature twist its head unnaturally and mutter to itself. It was one of those monsters from the silence gate. It was a dark priest.
However, she had no idea why something like that was there, or why it was targeting her. None of it made any sense.
“
Grr...
”
Grimacing as the creature tightened its grip around her neck, Super Ribbon gathered strength into both hands. It wasn’t that she couldn’t use her powers, it was just difficult to control them.
Boom!!
She pulled forth two opposing mana forces, merging and detonating them in a burst of energy, managing to break free. When she stumbled back and turned to face the creature, her eyes widened.
Unlike what Evangeline had experienced, the monster was strong—far beyond what would be found in a D-class swamp rift, and stronger than even a typical B-class. She felt like the sheer danger it radiated was at least a S-class or higher.
Super Ribbon was a sword. Her full strength could only be properly utilized when wielded as a weapon by someone. When alone, she couldn’t draw out her true potential.
Having escaped the monster’s grasp, she ran away, quickly weighing her options as she sprinted. She only got a short distance before she thought about what might happen if she led it into a populated area. The danger it would pose to anyone caught in the crossfire was immense.
She made up her mind, resolutely turning back.
If she kept running, she’d only end up being caught by that eerie creature humming behind her. Alas, dragging innocent people into it wasn’t an option for her.
If Davey were there, he might’ve told her to use the others as human shields and run for her life. Super Ribbon, however, hated that kind of thinking. She instead ran only deeper into the cave-like interior of the city, racing through the maze of tangled paths.
It was clear the creature was after her specifically. She was certain it wouldn’t go after anyone else just yet.
It wasn't long before she was forced to come to a stop.
Unfortunately, she had hit a dead end.
“So this is as far as you were able to get?”
She had no response.
“You’re not human, are you? That’s pretty interesting. You really do look delicious...” The creature, still wearing Davey’s face, giggled creepily to itself. “I guess I got the look just right, luring you in successfully.”
As it muttered to itself in its distorted tone, Super Ribbon pulled something out and held it in her hand.
“
Huh?
What’s that?”
“Go back, now. Before you regret it.”
“Regret? Why?”
“I don’t know exactly what you are... but I don’t want to use this unless I have to.”
Faced with her warning, the dark priest, seemingly from the silence gate, only shrugged. “I feed on information, as well as the impurities within the mana you living beings leave behind. At first, I was just a cog in the system.”
Its form slowly began to warp.
“Then... I discovered something—some humans are really tasty.”
Super Ribbon recalled Evangeline saying something similar, that the silence gate was consuming the impurities in the mana when they were investigating the rift.
The silence gate, and the dark priest. They weren’t official names, but metaphorical terms.
The silence gate was meant to be a kind of system. It appeared in places where mana was heavily contaminated, consumed the impurities as it purified the mana, and then disappeared. Yet for some reason, the particular one she found herself in seemed to have gone completely out of control.
The fact that it said humans tasted good suggested it had started feeding on the mana inside human bodies as well.
Super Ribbon figured that the previous case involving streamer Wherry’s sudden death, where there were no external injuries and it looked like he had just collapsed, might’ve been caused by the same dark priest. It certainly could have been mana depletion shock that was triggered when the creature devoured all the mana in his body.
Since mana was influenced by human emotions, it wouldn’t be strange for their stored mana to be almost entirely polluted.
Under normal circumstances, that process wouldn't have resulted in the bizarre creature before her.
So either it was an aberrant mutation... or wasn’t the real thing at all.
“I gave you a fair warning. You really won’t regret this?”
“What are you talking about? Don’t be so dramatic, just let me have a little taste of your mana.” The creature grinned darkly.
With that, Super Ribbon made her decision. She resolutely yanked and pressed the small device in her hand that looked like a panic button, closing her eyes.
She hadn't wanted to do it, but she was left with no choice.
“
Huh?
What is that...”
A blinding light exploded out of the device.
Once Super Ribbon opened her eyes again, she exhaled deeply in relief.
It was a real teleporter, and it had worked. A rabbit, massive and muscular with fluffy white fur and beady red eyes, stood directly in front of her and stared down.
[Oh my, girl. Looks like you've gotten yourself in quite the mess.]
“
Uh.
Sorry, but could you take care of that monster over there...?” Super Ribbon mumbled, and the rabbit’s round red eyes slowly rolled and shifted.
It eventually turned its gaze toward the dark priest still frozen in shock, wearing Davey’s face.
“
Huh?
That’s the same form I was mimicking earlier...”
[Oh my. He’s exactly my type!]
Its eyes gleamed.
Something was very wrong. The dark priest reached out as the hulking, muscle-bound rabbit strode toward it. At the same time, an intangible pressure began to crush it.
“I’m pretty strong. Someone lent a ton of strength to me, but... why aren’t you stopping?” The stunned dark priest began to stumble backward in fear.
Even just considering the weight of the mana alone, the rabbit should’ve already been immobilized. Yet it kept moving nonetheless, muscles flexed with thick and grotesque veins bulging along its arms. It didn't slow down at all.
Then, without warning, the unhinged white rabbit closed the distance and grabbed the dark priest by the shoulder, whispering into its ear.
[It’s okay... I just want to check your abs and quads.]
“
G-Gaaah!!!
” The dark priest shrieked in pure panic.
However, the rabbit paid its scream no mind. Its tiny pink tongue slid out of its mouth with a soft slurp before disappearing again within.
There was no doubt who the real predator was. It didn’t matter how strong the dark priest was, because the rabbit made it lose all of its fighting spirit.
‘This is why I didn’t want to summon it...’
Super Ribbon shook her head as she looked at the white rabbit Davey had delegated to protect her and Evangeline.
She still couldn’t figure out who had lent the dark priest their power and knowledge. As she was thinking it through, her expression twisted. “Come on... no way. There’s no way Father gave that thing its power.”
There was no reason to, after all. It also wasn’t like he even knew what was going on there.
At least, that was what she wanted to believe. Alas, a small part of her mind whispered otherwise.
‘What if he does know? If so, why would he have allowed this to happen?’
It wasn’t like Davey suddenly developed some kind of disgust toward humanity. The thing felt more like a puppet crafted for a specific purpose.
Super Ribbon vigorously shook her head.
‘No. I’m just being paranoid.’
Tying up her blue-and-red hair just the way Perserque did, she stepped toward the completely frozen dark priest.
“Alright, here's the deal. I’ll let you off easy if you answer a few questions.”
Hearing her words, the already frozen form of the dark priest began to crumble even further.
“Who gave you your information and power?”
It had no words.

.
!
Chapter 1137