The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1184

The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1184

Chapter 1184
There was no point in strangling Rinne. Evangeline knew it wouldn’t change anything.
Evangeline brushed the gritty sand off her clothes, then squinted out at the sea that stretched out past the horizon.
The white shoreline was stunningly beautiful, giving a different feel from the beaches she had seen in Korea. They called this kind of place a white beach, where the water was so clear you could see straight through it.
She had once thought about visiting such a place, and once she saw it with her own eyes, she had to admit that it was truly beautiful.
“So, where are the other two? Are they trying to figure out how to escape or something?”
Instead of responding, Rinne quietly led Evangeline on a trek through the woods. It wasn't long before they came to a stop deep into the forest.
“Did you say I was unconscious... for three whole days?”
“Rinne analyzes that your body wasn’t used to the aftereffects of the dimensional circle.”
Taking stock of her surroundings, Evangeline saw that Marky and Yuria had already constructed a large shelter and were drying fruit.
“What the hell are you two doing? We need to get out of here right now—”
“Oh my, you’re awake, Miss,” Yuria said with a cheerful wave. “Sorry, but escaping this place isn’t possible at the moment.”
Evangeline fell silent for a moment at the unexpected response. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“There’s a barrier over the island. That normally wouldn't be a problem, given our skills, but we checked and it’s something even Rinne can’t break through.”
Rinne was an Apostle, and not just any Apostle, but the leader of the extermination unit.
While she couldn’t draw upon her full power as she had previously, even if she could, it’d still be difficult to break through the mysterious barrier. Frankly, Evangeline had never expected that her power as a Sephiroth could be completely blocked.
Chandra, no, Marky had also lost the bulk of her strength after the fusion ended. Yuria, despite being a high elf and contracted with a high-ranking spirit, was comparatively weak in the group.
Evangeline herself was in the same boat. Being a so-called ‘attention-seeking dragon’ meant that with only three people recognizing her presence, she couldn’t properly unleash her powers.
“Did you try already?”
“Yes, we did what we could for now. Fortunately, the island is large, and there are plenty of trees. Lots of fruit and wild animals, too.”
“Can’t we figure out what kind of island this is, and whether it’s even the same planet, based on the animals here?”
Given that a dimensional circle had opened, they were likely in a different dimension. If they studied the local wildlife, they might at least get a sense of what dimension they were in.
“Well, it’s Earth... but also Tionis.”
“What?”
“The animals are all mixed together. Rinne said she’s never seen a dimension this disjointed.”
Evangeline knew Rinne would know, as she had surely experienced multiple dimensions already.
That meant they were on an island someone had artificially created, surrounded by a barrier someone had deliberately placed to prevent escape.
It made no sense.
“We’ve reached a conclusion already; we’ll wait it out here. He’ll come find us eventually.”
In short, survive and hold out until her father rescued them.
“So what even caused the dimensional circle?”
“Well... We don’t know either.”
If their dissection subject had been capable of triggering a dimensional circle, they never would’ve collected it in the first place, thinking it was edible.
Evangeline began to feel uneasy again, hearing the group of maniacs dead serious about food.
“The night air’s strangely chilly. Come over here.” Marky took her by the arm and pulled her along.
They had made their shelter from tree trunks and leaves, and it was surprisingly cozy.
“That fruit is indigenous to Earth, and that one’s from Tionis. That one over there is native to Yurgian, Rinne confirmed it.”
She handed Evangeline some fruit they had cut. “All edible. Rinne ed that no fruit showed any signs of being poisonous.”
“You’ve been studying the island the whole time I was unconscious?”
“Unfortunately, we still haven’t been able to gather much information.” Yuria looked apologetic, making it difficult for Evangeline to stay mad. She felt a wave of bitterness instead.
They probably hadn’t seen their predicament coming either.
They’d only brought it back because they thought it was an egg. No one would’ve guessed it was a catalyst for a dimensional circle.
“
Phew.
Still, why was I lying on the beach?”
“Rinne s a high concentration of mana in that area. Rinne s Evangeline’s recovery required a mana-rich environment.”
She pulled out a large tablet, the one custom-made by Al Hajat for Evangeline to use in outdoor streams.
“This is...” Evangeline didn't know when Rinne had taken her tablet.
“This island emits a strange energy wave. Rinne s it’s linked to multiple dimensions through dimensional rifts. According to Rinne’s analysis, it is connected to a special frequency.”
Rinne tapped the tablet a few times and continued, “Rinne s there’s a spot on the island where that wave is strongest. If we can reach it, we can stream with the tablet, meaning we can also send out a rescue signal.”
That was all Evangeline needed to hear. She quietly looked around at the others, then nodded and bit into the apple Rinne had handed her.
“Even though spirit magic doesn’t work properly here, and our powers are all tangled up, you don’t have to worry, Miss. Our Gourmet Research Society specializes in situations like this,” Yuria said as she snapped a twig and tossed it into the campfire.
Her words weren’t particularly reassuring.
* * *
The tablet Rinne handed to Evangeline had managed to pick up a signal for about five minutes while she’d been unconscious.
Since Rinne told her, Evangeline had spent the entire day staring at the tablet screen that only showed ‘No Signal.’
Meanwhile, Rinne and Yuria seemed to be thriving in their newfound environment, exchanging ideas and throwing themselves into various survival projects.
“No, listen. We need to start with a small garden first.”
“Meat is the priority. Rinne states hunting as step one.”
“Okay, let’s say we catch animals and raise them. What are you planning to feed them with? Raising young to the right size takes time. That’s why starting a garden makes more sense—”
“How about we reinforce the shelter first? Do you remember how humid and damp it was when it rained two days ago?”
Even Marky had jumped into the debate, arguing back and forth. Judging by how the three of them were acting, they didn’t seem to grasp the seriousness of their situation at all.
“
Haaah
.” Evangeline silently glared at the trio, then stood up, eyes fixed once again on the tablet.
“Where are you going, Miss?”
“I’m going to take a look around. I might get a signal.”
“Since we haven’t scouted much yet, Rinne will accompany you.”
“No need, I’m fine on my own.”
Warble.
Just when she was about to leave base camp with the divine dragon sword Twilight in one hand and the tablet in the other, her stomach rumbled.
Her face turned red, and she averted her gaze in silence.
“You shouldn’t starve yourself, especially at your age when you have to eat a lot.” Yuria gave her a bright smile and handed her some fruits and leaves she’d gathered.
“Kyaa?!” The moment she saw what was in her hands, Evangeline shrieked and jumped back.
It was only natural—she had offered her a giant caterpillar, one larger than her own hand.
“B-Bugs?! How am I supposed to eat that?!”
“It’s tasty, though?” Yuria just innocently smiled, and Evangeline felt a cold sense of dread settle over her.
She suddenly realized that in the eyes of someone who used cricket wings for brewing tea, the island might very well seem to be a treasure trove of exotic ingredients
“Miss, just eating fruit isn’t enough for a healthy diet. Ancient dragons—especially ones like you that are still in development—need protein too.”
“Forget it! It’s not like I’ll have issues just because I don’t eat bugs!”
“
Awww.
But it really is delicious,” she said with a disappointed face. She then lowered her head, making Evangeline flinch with guilt.
While the whole mess had been entirely their fault, and it was a major incident, Rinne and Yuria clearly felt responsible for what happened. They had become determined to monitor her nutrition, down to the last calorie.
“L-Look, even so... I mean, there are wild animals here—”
“Here, here! Just try it!”
Fwup!
That damned elf suddenly shoved the caterpillar straight into her mouth! Her face turned a ghostly pale, entirely frozen in shock.
Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes.
“
Bleh.
Forget the taste, I just can’t get past the look of it. That thing is...”
Despite being a member of the Gourmet Research Society, Marky had very different tastes compared to Rinne and Yuria.
* * *
After the caterpillar incident, Evangeline’s distrust in Yuria peaked. Shaking with frustration, she stormed out of the base camp.
What made her so angry wasn’t that Yuria had tricked her. Instead, it was something far more tragic to her.
“Why was it good...”
What broke her the most was that the caterpillar Yuria had given her was unexpectedly savory and chewy!
Yuria Helishana, the high elf and President of the Gourmet Research Society, had very clear culinary preferences and beliefs.
As long as it tasted good or was good for the body, she’d eat it.
Her research data, gathered over a long period, was beyond anyone’s imagination.
Spat! Spat!
Still, the appearance was unbearable. She tried desperately to erase the memory of that disturbingly tasty caterpillar as she fumbled with her tablet.
“Come on... please connect. I just want to go home... I miss Mom... I miss Dad...”
Sniffling, she desperately tried to send a rescue signal. Alas, the tablet couldn’t pick up anything.
Sighing, Evangeline sat on a nearby rock in defeat. However, just her luck, a wild boar suddenly came charging at her.
She remembered bursting into tears as a child one time when a wild boar charged at her, and how her father had stepped in to protect her.
Yet despite facing a much bigger boar, she felt nothing at that moment, sitting there. No fear, just numbness.
Sling!! Pfft!!
With a swift slash, the deep crimson blade in her hand sliced clean through the air.
The boar’s momentum was spent, crashing to the ground and tumbling before coming to a stop, laying lifeless at her feet.
She placed the unresponsive tablet on the rock with her sword pointing toward the ground, muttering in despair, “I want to go home... I want to lie in my bed.”
When someone with an ego was stripped of what they were capable of enjoying, that longing hit even harder.
Sadness overtook her, and the sky strangely grew darker as if the island were responding to her emotions.
Drip, Drip. Drip-drip-drip—Whoosh!!
Soon came the downpour.
Her thin clothes, only just having barely dried, were soaked through in seconds.
Evangeline looked blankly up at the sky, then let out another sigh.
Holding the waterproofed tablet in one hand, she grabbed the boar’s leg with the other and began dragging it along behind her.
That was when it happened.
“Who’s there?!” she suddenly stopped and shouted, eyes widening in alarm.
She could feel someone watching from the forest, yet it wasn’t murderous intent or hostility.
While she hadn’t sensed anything earlier, but now that she had, a chill ran down her spine. Whoever it was, they must have been right beside her the whole time.
Gripping her sword tightly, she remained silent and alert.
Ding!
Suddenly, the tablet got a signal. Her eyes shot open once the notification sound rang out, and she began tapping furiously on her tablet.
She quickly turned on the one and only link she had to Earth, her stream.
“Please... please... please!!”
It wasn't long before her stream went online with the familiar notification sound.
“Yes!!” She screamed in joy and began jumping around, ecstatic.
To anyone else, she might’ve looked like a lunatic, dancing in the pouring rain. Yet to her, it felt like she’d spotted a plane while stranded on a deserted island.
The viewers instantly started flooding in.
[???]
[What? Why is boss suddenly streaming?]
[Explain why you disappeared mid-stream last time!]
[EX]
[PLAIN]
[NOW]
[EX]
[PLAIN]
[NOW]
The chat spam rolled in, overflowing with chaos and outrage.
[Are you trying to piss us off? Explain now, boss! You want us to punish you with money or what?!]
Their fury, fueled by confusion and ignorance, quickly escalated. Yet as soon as the webcam activated and the screen showed Evangeline’s situation, the chat fell silent.
[Wait... Why does boss look like that? What the hell?]
[Where is she? Why is she in some forest? And why is she standing in the rain?]
They all remembered something going wrong three days before, when the burst of light had flashed across the stream.
There’d been no following explanation, no update since. The boards had thus been ablaze with speculation.
“I’m sorry, everyone. I didn’t mean for this to happen... but I think I’m stranded on a deserted island.”
Watching her gloomy confession, viewers began dropping question marks in chat.
“I’ll show you...” Evangeline started to walk, dragging the wild boar behind her while heading back to base camp.
She figured that once they saw the others preparing food, water, and shelter, they’d understand just how serious things were. She also needed to warn those three about the strange presence she had sensed in the woods.
She didn’t know why the signal had suddenly returned, but it clearly coincided with the rain. It fortunately didn’t seem like it’d cut off again any time soon.
Finally, she arrived at base camp.
Seeing the three of them waiting there, Evangeline turned the camera in their direction.
However, she suddenly froze, left speechless.
[???]
[???]
[???]
[Holy mother of—what the hell?!]
The reason she froze was simple.
In the middle of the torrential downpour, she spotted three lunatics dancing and singing around a massive campfire—that somehow refused to go out with wild enthusiasm—banging on makeshift instruments.
Marky was rhythmically tapping on a hollowed-out fruit like a drum. Yuria and Rinne, meanwhile, were wearing questionably revealing outfits as they danced in circles around the fire.
Their movements, paired with their soaked clothes clinging tight to their bodies, made the whole scene feel aggressively suggestive.
“W-What in the world?!”
[What do they think they’re doing? A tribal ritual or something?]
[Yo, is it just me or does the gourmet club president have killer curves LOL]
[Why are they dancing like that LOLS]
[These gourmet society club psychos HAHAHA]
They’d never been normal, but what she was seeing... Watching them clap their hands and spin around the fire like some jungle tribe, her last shred of patience began to snap.
The worst part was that she had just streamed that madness to the viewers!
She finally lost it.
“What the hell are you psychos doing?!”

.
!
Chapter 1184