The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1173

The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1173

Chapter 1173
The River of Souls was where souls gathered. It was also the place they moved through for reincarnation and recovery.
Chandra’s soul was so damaged that it couldn’t even maintain a consistent ego. She had deteriorated to the point where, under normal circumstances, her very essence should’ve turned dark and murky. Yet, she had nonetheless existed in that broken state for thousands of years.
It left no question as to why she hadn’t become a vengeful spirit or gone through reincarnation after all that time.
“Thank you.” A young elf boy quietly bowed his head, a single tear rolling down his cheek. “What we sacrificed and protected for thousands of years has finally seen the light.”
“You’re insane. I’ve seen plenty of souls in my afterlife, but never a complicated case like this,” Jeo-Seung in a black suit said as he shook his head in disbelief.
To put it simply, Chandra’s followers were lunatics.
She had been bound by a soul contract with Leon, unable to find freedom even in death. If she were to reincarnate, Leon’s soul would naturally follow her into the next life, and their cursed connection would begin all over again, rinsing and repeating.
While they didn’t fully understand how the reincarnation system worked, her followers did everything they could to hold on to her, desperate to keep her from reliving the same events. They took her place in enduring the weathering and erosion that her wandering soul would have suffered.
Out of over four hundred followers, only about one to two hundred remained. Even those who survived didn’t look like they were in good shape.
“Now, the Empress...”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just get going. Can’t you see I’m busy?”
While a sob story might tug at the heart the first or second time, Jeo-Seung couldn’t care less by that point.
As he waved his hand with a tired face, the elf boy Finn gave him a sour look.
“Y-You seem really tired.”
“Damn right I am! Work just keeps coming my way, dammit!”
Watching him explode in frustration, Finn let out a dry laugh. “Well then, please take care of the Empress’s soul. She’s a pitiful one.”
“Yeah, yeah, I got it. That damned Davey already gave the order, so just trust him and move along, will you?” Sighing, Jeo-Seung submerged their souls into the river. The water already knew the answer.
“
Ahhhh,
shit. I shouldn't have to do everything myself! This ain’t right.”
The real problem was that such a cursed task wasn’t supposed to be his to begin with. Woochi was never meant to be stuck with it all. However, the gumiho Bi Yeon had that damned sorcerer Woochi in her grasp, so he wouldn’t be able to function properly anytime soon.
“Maybe I should just hand in my resignation...”
Of course, there was no guarantee anyone would accept it.
* * *
Born from the clay Nightmare forged within the Dream World, she had once been fused with Chandra’s soul. Yet with her soul gone, the nameless woman had become a completely separate being.
Still, that didn’t mean the ego and memories she’d gained from the fusion disappeared.
She hated humans, but she had no real reason to.
Right now, her emotions were a complete mess.
“
Haa...
”
She wasn’t Chandra, but saying she wasn’t felt off. Claiming she was Chandra also felt just as wrong. That strange contradiction left her confused.
She’d spent her existence hating humans. However, if she suddenly announced that everything had been a lie, everyone would surely be confused.
If someone questioned her own humanity, she would have only one response.
- Shut up.
“Marky. Rinne evaluates coldly that continued overthinking is pointless.”
“Shut up! Who are you calling Marky?!” she snapped, her voice flaring with anger.
Her striking beauty and enchanting aura remained unchanged, but someone had the audacity to give her a name like Marky.
“I’m not ‘Marky,’ so if you say it one more time, I swear it won’t be fun for you.”
“
Hmmmm.
But Miss Marky is still Miss Marky, right?”
“I told you I hate that name!”
‘Marky? What the hell?!?’
She had gone through all sorts of absurd things in her life, and that name felt like an insult to her entire existence.
“Then why not just say whatever name you want to use?” Yuria asked while scribbling down something.
The elf was right. She could just give herself a name if she wanted. But for someone who hadn’t even fully established her own identity, choosing a name wasn’t something she could just do. That was why, in the hastily settled situation, she had no choice but to stay still.
She asked what they were planning to do with her.
Davey answered in the simplest way possible.
- Figure it out yourself. It’s not like you want to die anymore.
Just as he’d said, once she was no longer fused with Chandra’s soul, the desire to die had all but vanished. Her hatred for humanity lingered like an itch, rather than some obsessive grudge.
After Leon’s rampage, every record of Chandra’s existence had been wiped from the world. Hardly anyone had known what she looked like to begin with, and most of those who did had agreed to keep quiet for business-related reasons. No one wanted unnecessary confusion, especially on the Korean side.
Fortunately, there hadn’t been much physical damage to deal with. Everything destroyed in the hollow space Verdandi had eroded had been a mere illusion. Thanks to that, no one remembered that she’d once stormed the Blue House and tried to assassinate the president.
“So... What exactly are you doing right now?” Feeling a dull ache creeping into her head, she squinted at Rinne and Yuria, her supposed Gourmet Research Society colleagues.
“We’re working on a new recipe, planning to share this explosive flavor with everyone,” Yuria said proudly as she pulled out a large box.
“To who?”
“To whom? Of course, we’re planning to share it on the livestream of our adorable Miss Eva, who’s busy dieting.”
* * *
“Alright, done!” Evangeline nodded with satisfaction. In front of her was a cute-looking character she had drawn per her chat’s requests.
“Why are you saying this character’s a male? No matter how you look at it, based on body proportions, this is clearly a female.”
[Ah, she’s out of touch with the current trends.]
[Boss just made a controversial statement...]
“No, that’s not what I meant... Look, right here. Based on the body proportions alone, this build fits a woman, not a man!” she protested passionately with a flushed red face.
For her, it made no sense for a woman-like character to be insisted as being a man. Still, arguing over gachapon-style game characters made for profit wasn’t going to change anything.
“
Oh!
I guess I can kind of understand now.”
[What are you talking about, boss?]
“You guys have bigger busts than this character, so that means he’s a man?”
[Wow, she just dropped an AOE attack gg]
[So, what, we’re all just fat now?]
[She just drove the nail in the coffin. Ruthless. Completely ruthless.]
“No! I-I didn’t mean it like that...” Flustered, she fumbled over her words and let out a long sigh. “
Ugh.
Whatever. Talking to you guys always gives me a headache.”
She grimaced like she was really in pain.
Dding!
[UncleGardian has donated 10,000 Won.]
- Boss, why do you look so down?
One viewer, noticing her clearly unwell appearance, decided to ask her personally what was wrong. It was then that a flood of messages in foreign languages poured in from international viewers.
“
Oh.
It’s nothing, I’ve just been on a diet lately...”
[You look way too pale to just be dieting.]
[I agree, your body’s gonna get destroyed.]
“It’s not like that. I’ve just... been a little sensitive lately,” she muttered gloomily as she rubbed her stomach.
Outwardly, Evangeline looked no different from her usual self. However, she really wasn’t doing well, partly because she wasn’t human, instead being an ancient dragon. Still, the real reason for her sensitivity lay elsewhere.
Crack.
Suddenly, Evangeline ground her teeth. The viewers instantly thought they had said something wrong.
“Sorry, everyone. I shouldn’t be showing this kind of side to you.”
[Constellation Sagittarius has donated 500,000 Won.]
- Did something happen?
The question echoed the thoughts of everyone watching. With a deep sigh, Evangeline finally responded, “There are two troublemakers.”
Troublemakers.
At first, the viewers wondered if she meant toxic viewers, though they quickly realized who she was referring to.
Clunk!
The studio door swung open, and two familiar faces, along with an unfamiliar one, stepped in.
“
Tch.
” Her face darkened even further.
“Oh my, you were streaming? Sorry for interrupting.”
“If you’re sorry, then leave!” Evangeline snapped, but the intruder, Yuria Helishana, ignored her and walked closer.
“Nope. I thought you might be unwell, so I brought you something healthy to eat.”
Without even asking, Yuria plopped a box onto the desk. She then popped it open and pulled something out.
“
Agh!!
” Evangeline instantly made a disgusted face.
“Just one bite. I worked really hard to make it.”
“You... Youuu!!!”
That menace knew full well that Evangeline was on a diet, and yet she still did that. Honestly, she wanted to manifest in her true form and swallow Yuria whole, but she restrained herself with superhuman patience.
[Damn, that looks so good...]
[Elf ma’am really just barged in and launched a stomach attack?]
[Come on... I didn’t even eat a late-night snack today.]
[I’m losing my mind I’m losing my mind I’m losing my mind I’m losing my mind I’m losing my mind I’m losing my mind I’m losing my mind]
“
Whoosh!
”
Ignoring the raging storm of messages, Yuria waved a chunk of perfectly seasoned meat on the bone right in front of her. It practically screamed delicious.
The more she waved it, the more Evangeline’s face twisted in agony.
[Stop the stomach assault!]
[STOP!!]
A message even showed up in the chat from Manager, aka Al Hajat.
[Antonio, about tonight’s dinner... I’d like something like that, please.]
[Constellation Leo has donated 100,000 Won.]
- Whoever cooked that knows their meat—that’s the proper way to cook it. Honestly, I’d go out and hunt it myself if I could...
“Get out!!” Evangeline screamed, finally losing it.
Yuria stepped back, looking hurt. “
Uuuuwwww.
”
“You’re sniffling? Seriously?! You’re an adult, not some kid throwing a tantrum!” Evangeline yelled, furious.
After a moment of thought, Yuria calmly responded, “It’s an uwu.”
[LOL LOL LOL LOL]
[She really said it’s a uwu LOL]
[As if saying it again makes any difference LOL]
Her suffering was pure cinema for the viewers, which was why Yuria and her interruptions always drew massive viewership. She usually made Evangeline completely lose her composure with every appearance.
As Evangeline neared the breaking point, Yuria acted like she had no choice, retreating to the back of the room to start setting something up.
The room Evangeline used for streaming was surprisingly pretty spacious. As such, even with her streaming up front, the viewers could clearly see a full grilling station set up in the back.
As she placed meat on the grill, it sizzled, and the mouthwatering aroma filled the room, driving Evangeline over the edge.
She groaned, grinding her teeth, but fought to hold herself together. Unfortunately, the viewers had already shifted to the feast unfolding in the background.
[Whoa... the way she wraps that meat in lettuce. What even is that seasoning? Looks like fruit.]
[Gourmet confirmed. She really knows what to add.]
[Wait, there’s a new face?]
Usually, it was just Rinne and Yuria who crashed the streams. The two constantly bickered, yet when chaos broke out, they demonstrated amazing chemistry. That contrast made them popular among the viewers.
[You’re right, who’s that new person? Damn, everyone on this stream is pretty AF]
“
Ah!
Marky...” Evangeline responded with a sigh.
However, Marky—who’d been staring at the grilled meat with a gulp—suddenly shrieked, “I’m not Marky!!!”
“You are Marky, though.”
[LOL MARKY]
[What even is that name LOL]
[Why’s her name Marky LOL]
Seeing the messages laughing at her name only made her face contort even more.
“I haven’t decided on a name yet! I will soon, so stop calling me that!” Face flushed red, she yelled with all her might, then let out a long sigh.
The stream continued. In the back, the intruders carried on with their mukbang, while up front, Evangeline resumed her drawing. The viewers became more and more confused, unsure what they were even supposed to focus on.
As the chat gradually shifted toward the mukbang happening behind her, Evangeline’s patience finally snapped.
“Get out!! I said, get out!!” Furious, she grabbed the salt shaker Yuria had left behind and hurled it. The cap flew off midair, and the salt inside spilled straight into a bowl of mysterious brown sauce.
Bubble. Bubble.
Watching as the sauce immediately began reacting violently, all three of their faces turned deathly pale.
Before anyone could say a word, the three shouted in unison, “HIT THE DECK!!!”
Boom!!!
* * *
“
Puhahahahahaha!!
”
Park Seung-Hyun, also known as Moderation, was rolling on the floor, clutching his stomach, laughing non-stop for a solid thirty minutes at yet another legendary incident on Evangeline’s stream.
“A
hahahah! Agh!
How in the-
hahahaha!!
How does salt in a sauce cause an explosion?
Bwahahahaha!!
”
Since he was streaming his reaction live, his viewers—some of whom were secret informants—went straight to Evangeline and tattled on him.
Before long, another absurd video pulling in major views went up on YouTube.
Antonio, secretary to Prince Al Hajat and the one handling video editing in his stead, gave it his all when it came to video editing.

.
!
Chapter 1173