The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1002

Twisting a rift into oblivion with his bare hands?

What kind of absurd nonsense was that?

A rift wasn’t something that could simply be twisted or bent.

There had been countless attempts to destroy rifts among researchers in the past, but every method had ended in failure.

Typically, entering the rift and dealing with whatever lay inside was the only way to destroy one effectively. But to destroy a rift without even stepping into it? Unheard of.

The Awakened Unit stood frozen in shock, their minds struggling to process what they had just witnessed.

Then, almost in unison, they snapped their heads toward Davey, desperate for an explanation.

Alas, he had already left the scene to ponder his righteous revenge.

* * *

“Sister, is Davey really okay?”

Taking a bite of her oversized cheeseburger, Illyna made a subtle expression and turned her head in his direction.

“Davey? Hm... To be honest, his reaction was a bit unexpected even for me,” she admitted.

“Isn’t he always like that?”

“No, it’s rare to see him openly sulking like that. That just makes him even cuter, though.”

Hearing that, Hyun-Ah nearly spat out her soda.

“Ugh. My poor single soul can't do this anymore! Maybe I should find a good man and get married too...”

“Being with someone you love is a wonderful thing. In that sense, Davey showing jealousy like that is just so adorable.”

Illyna, suddenly looking mildly uncomfortable, put down her cheeseburger.

“It’s too greasy... I don’t think I can eat anymore.”

“Don’t force yourself. Everyone has different tastes when it comes to food.”

“But it looked so good in the movies...”

She mumbled, clearly disappointed. The disparity between seeing something and experiencing it firsthand seemed to leave her feeling resentful.

“So, did you really come here just for the baseball season?”

“Well, it’s true that I’m here to help with the ceremonial first pitch, as Yeon-Hee asked. But... that’s not the main reason.”

She reached into her handbag and pulled out two small photographs.

“What’s this?”

“These are rifts discovered in Area 51 and Miami.”

The rifts in the images swirled with black and violet hues, each stretching at least twenty meters wide.

“We’ve never seen rifts of this size, color, or unique wavelengths before. The U.S. Special Disaster Response Agency is keeping a close watch on them. It’s all they can do, since they can’t risk approaching recklessly either.”

“Hmmm.”

“And just in case, let me warn you—there’s a rumor that these rifts can hypnotize people. You should be careful too.”

Rifts that couldn’t even be approached without struggle were new to Illyna.

“This type of rift has never appeared before. Since Sacred Group provides support related to Awakened individuals all around the world, we receive all related reports. I came here to verify it myself after a report from one of our U.S. branches.”

The more they understood about these rifts, the fewer casualties there would be.

Following the United Nations resolution, the Sacred Group was responsible for collecting and sharing intelligence on dangerous rifts worldwide.

“Oh, Lady Hyun-Ah. It’s been a while.”

A man entered the quiet restaurant and interrupted their discussion.

Dressed in a suit that looked like something straight out of a superhero movie, Chris Marten strode in with a confident smile.

Like someone greeting an old friend, he casually walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Have you finally started missing me?”

“I’m here for work, so hands off, you sleazeball.”

Hyun-Ah shot him a sharp glare, making him chuckle awkwardly.

“Sorry about that. He’s... not exactly in his right mind.”

“Oh? And who is this other beautiful lady? Nice to meet you. I’m Chris Marten,” he said while flashing a charming smile.

With a hushed voice, Hyun-Ah muttered under her breath to warn her sister-in-law, “Watch out. He’s a massive playboy.”

Of course, that didn’t seem too relevant for Illyna.

She had a fondness for superhero and action movies, and so looked intrigued at the prospect of getting to know him.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Illyna.”

“Chris Marten. A pleasure, Lady Illyna.”

“I hear you’re America’s hero. Would you mind giving me an autograph?”

“Oh, of course!”

Taking the paper and pen Illyna handed him, he hesitated briefly before scribbling something down.

Handing it back, he lowered his voice and added smoothly, “I would love to spend some time with a lady like you.”

“I’m good, thanks. The autograph is enough.”

“Come on now, don’t be like that. There’s a party tonight—why don’t you join me?”

Illyna instantly stiffened her face.

At the same time, she casually reached out and grabbed his wrist—the one suddenly resting on her shoulder.

“You know, it’s not exactly polite to act like this toward a married woman.”

“Huh? Ahhh!!!”

“Sorry, but the only person who gets to touch my shoulder without permission is my rude husband.”

Chris let out a sudden scream, shakily collapsing to his knees.

Illyna, despite her delicate appearance, had begun applying immense pressure to his wrist. As she tightened her grip to the point that she was about to crush his bones, he paled, yelping in a panic.

“W-Wait! I get it! I get it! I did wrong! Please let go!”

“Illyna!! You’re going to break his arm at this rate!”

Startled, Hyun-Ah jumped to her feet.

But then, she cheered her on.

“Twist his wrist! He deserves it!”

“Gah?! Lady Hyun-Ah! Have you lost interest in me?! Have you forgotten that passionate night we shared—”

“Sis!! Kill that bastard!!”

As Hyun-Ah shouted in rage, Illyna twisted his wrist harder, making him groan and bang the floor with his fist.

After the struggle went on for a while, she finally let go of his hand. He gasped for breath and smiled cheerfully.

“Hoo. Phew. I should be thankful to God for my hand. Who would’ve thought you're an Awakened individual... A physical-type, huh? You’ve got some serious strength.”

Even though he spoke like he'd just had a near-death experience, he had a relaxed expression. Illyna could tell he had been pretending to be in pain the whole time.

Above all, she hadn’t even used much strength—just lightly twisted his wrist. So if he had acted too tough, that would’ve raised suspicions instead.

Trying to force a shift in the tense atmosphere, he shrugged and bowed his head slightly.

“My apologies. I enjoy dating many women, but I don’t mess with someone who’s already taken. That was rude of me.”

Illyna looked over at Hyun-Ah.

She sighed and grumbled under her breath, clearly annoyed by the implicit demand for an explanation.

“We met back when the U.S. deployed him to Afghanistan. I went there to help my uncle, and that’s where we crossed paths.”

“Ahhh, yes. The passionate night we spent together...”

“Don’t twist things. We just spent the night researching a rift. And don’t forget—you were out in the field, and I was in the operations room.”

“Of course. I received your briefing, including your heated panting. It gave me such a surge of energy, which allowed me to take care of the rift right away—”

“Say one more word. I dare you, you bastard.”

When Hyun-Ah suddenly stood up, visibly furious, he raised both hands in surrender.

“Whoa, whoa. I’ll stop. Calm down. Believe it or not, I’m under a pretty tight contract with the Sacred Group.”

Chris Marten, an Awakened individual and the most heroic figure in the United States.

He had a massive fanbase, and was even secretly under contract with Sacred Group.

Illyna looked around, finding it suspicious that he’d say something so secretive so casually, but no one around them seemed fazed in the slightest.

It then hit her—the whole place belonged to the Sacred Group.

He gave a light-hearted laugh, but then his smile faded away.

“I came as soon as I heard you were here. I ran into a few so-called obstacles on the way so I was a little late, but... is this about the rift in Miami?”

“Yes, something like that. It felt off, so we figured we should check it out ourselves.”

“The government hasn’t issued clearance yet, but I think an official subjugation request is coming soon. Things seem to be getting pretty serious...

“But this lady over here—who exactly is she?”

“My identity is classified information. Still want to know?”

His expression lit up with surprise.

“Wow, classified? This is exactly the kind of shit I live for.”

Illyna made a stunned face at his excited attitude.

“Don’t mind him. He’s always like that,” Hyun-Ah explained.

“Let me introduce myself again. Nice to meet you, lady of classified status. I’m Chris Marten, an S-Class Awakened individual currently under contract with the Sacred Group.”

“I’m Illyna O’Rowane. I’m not here for work—I came here because of a personal connection.”

“O’Rowane? Maybe... Wait, what?!”

Startled, he turned to Hyun-Ah.

“O’Rowane? Tionis?”

Once Hyun-Ah nodded, his eyes widened as he looked at Illyna with fascination.

“Whoa... I never thought I’d experience something like this in my life.”

“Now that I think about it, you two are both huge movie fans,” Hyun-Ah said to lighten the mood.

His eyes lit up in response.

“Movies? What kind do you like?”

“I pretty much love all Hollywood films. Especially the explosive action ones.”

“Wow, Hollywood! Do you know Marble?”

“Of course. I stayed up all night watching the entire cinematic universe.”

Her answer made him look incredibly proud and vindicated, like his patriotism had been stirred.

He extended a hand for a shake.

“Same here. Finally, someone I can relate to! I even cried while watching them seven times in theaters.”

Hyun-Ah shot him a sarcastic look.

“With a different partner every time?”

“Well, that was great too, but honestly, I liked watching them alone back then.”

With his unique tone and quirky accent, he made the conversation fun. Watching Hyun-Ah engage with him despite pretending to dislike it made Illyna relax a little. If he were truly a worthless human being, she knew Hyun-Ah wouldn’t be talking to him at all.

“What about you, princess? What movie do you like most?”

“That movie Tram Stormers was really interesting. I think it was easier to understand because I’m familiar with golems.”

“Wow! Same here. Clink! Clink! I am Octopus Lime!”

He shouted in excitement, exaggerating his movements.

Then his phone rang.

“Uh oh! Sounds like something’s gone wrong! I’ve got to head to the scene for a rescue operation, but please come to the party next time, Lady Hyun-Ah!”

“I’ll go if I feel like it.”

She waved her hand dismissively, motioning him to leave, then sighed once he vanished in an instant.

“He’s a decent person at heart... just too frivolous.”

Looking at the signed paper in her hand, Illyna smiled faintly.

“I’m going to brag to Davey.”

“Heading back already?”

“I can’t leave Davey alone for too long, since he’s probably sulking. If I don’t kiss him and calm him down, he might really get mad.”

She still didn’t realize just how scary the impact of timing could be.

* * *

After twisting the rift shut with his bare hands and returning to the hotel, Davey halfheartedly leaned on the bed.

He was in a strange mood, watching a video on his smartphone.

“She said she wanted his autograph...”

The screen showed Chris Marten.

Most of the video footage showed him rescuing people in disaster zones, accident sites, or from monster attacks.

He always wore a smile as he saved people, to such a degree that calling him a real hero felt fitting.

Personality-wise, he didn’t seem like a bad person, but watching his behavior, Davey couldn’t help but feel that he was a bit of a womanizer.

He figured Illyna wanting to get his autograph probably had more to do with her love of hero movies than Chris himself.

Following that train of thought, he began to figure he may have been too petty about it.

He knew full well that he was the only person Illyna loved, and maybe he had indeed acted too childish.

‘Right, from now on, I’ll let it go...’

Ding-dong!

“Room service.”

Davey got up and opened the door.

Zoom!!

A woman burst through the doorway and lunged at Davey.

‘Assassination attempt? Out of nowhere?’

Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Davey instinctively slid his fingers between the awl she had thrust toward him, yanked it away, and twisted her arm back.

He then swiftly kicked her legs to knock her down and pinned her to the floor.

The woman, now restrained on the ground, glared up at him with wide eyes.

She suddenly reached toward him again, clearly wanting to hurt him no matter what it took.

Davey thought about ending her life on the spot but changed his mind at the last second and instead slammed his fist into the floor right next to her head.

Bang!!

The heavy impact shook the area.

Her movements were bold and aggressive, but ultimately not threatening enough to be taken seriously by him.

He swiftly flipped her onto her stomach, twisted her arm slightly, and restrained her easily.

Now that she was subdued, it was time to learn more about her identity or purpose.

Just as Davey was about to cast a spell—

“Davey! I brought you a gift! Your favorite donuts...!”

Thud!

Illyna stepped into the room, only to drop a paper bag and stare blankly at the scene in front of her.

A heavy silence fell.

“What is this... Never mind. Carry on. I’ll just leave you to it.”

Still dazed, she turned to walk away.

Davey frowned.

‘What the hell is wrong with her?’

Then it hit him.

He was currently pressing down on a woman.

“Owww! W-Why are you doing this to me, sir?!”

Suddenly, the woman made a frantic face as she struggled beneath him, apparently panicking.