The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1010

The one-sided massacre began.

The place had been teeming with dangerous creatures, yet it was nothing like the rift Shiverwock was in before.

"Hah..."

Rick Bastom—an elite bodyguard serving directly under President Drumper—let out a hollow laugh as he watched the army of colossal golems shred the entire forest apart.

The man responsible for it all hadn’t even moved a step. The golems were doing everything.

He had no clue what else that man could possibly have up his sleeves.

If the enemies were weak standard monsters, it might’ve made sense. But they were facing foes with strength and durability that would’ve thrown even high-level Awakened individuals off their game.

President Drumper had given him the order to observe and report in detail on the true capabilities of the human known as Davey O’Rowane.

And so Rick, officially accompanying him as support, had entered the rift with him. Being able to witness his power firsthand was certainly valuable, but...

‘This is way beyond anything I could have imagined. It’s absurd.’

When he’d first met Davey—who had already been angry about the Awakened soldiers ignoring his orders—Rick had felt a sort of primal fear in his presence. He had first rebuked himself internally, upset that he was so fearful of what was ultimately just a fellow human being.

But it hadn’t taken long for him to realize his instincts had been spot on.

“By the way,” Davey said casually, walking forward with his hands in his jean pockets. “Do you know what they’re really hiding in Area 51?”

Rick gave him a dry smile.

“Couldn’t really say—I don’t know much myself.”

“Is that so?”

His strange smile freaked Rick out.

He wondered if Davey was really asking because he genuinely didn’t know, or if he had asked with some other intent.

A thousand thoughts crossed his mind—but none of them mattered in that moment.

“Kiyaaa!!!”

More grotesque, monstrous figures began crawling out of the forest.

Most were being fended off, but a few managed to slip through the line of defense and came charging at Rick with terrifying speed.

“Step back.”

Davey pulled one of his hands out of his pockets and lightly pushed Rick behind him. Then, with a motion like slapping, he swiped his arm upward through the air.

Whooom!! Boom!!!

A deafening sound like a sonic boom erupted as a formless storm blasted forth.

Crash!!!

The hideous monsters that had broken through and charged toward Rick were instantly shredded into chunks of meat.

Rick stared with a blank face.

“Hurry up. If you fall behind, I’m leaving you.”

“Ah. Y-Yes!”

Rick quickly fell in line, trailing behind like a fresh recruit following his general. Cold sweat dripped down his face.

What Davey had done to those gray-skinned, skeletal monsters wasn’t just raw strength—Rick was sure of it, despite no other indication of powers being used. It was the only logical answer. The storm that he had launched made even the largest tornadoes in America’s history seem like nothing.

‘What... What is that man?’

Rick had heard some things about Tionis from Awakened individuals who were stationed there.

They had said Tionis had magic and swordsmanship, yes. Still, on a fundamental level, the people there weren’t all that different from the humans on Earth.

This meant Davey was an outlier—an extreme one.

A being whose power couldn’t be explained by any rank or classification.

An entity at the pinnacle.

Rick walked forward with a pale face as he shuddered.

All he could feel was relief—relief that someone like Davey wasn’t their enemy.

* * *

Kiii!!!

“Kaaa!!!”

By the time they reached the area where immense power had gathered, Megatron had taken care of the remaining monsters with its mana chainsaw.

And now, following Shiverwock’s lead, they arrived at the lair of the creature Davey and Shiverwock were sure belonged to the Jangsan Tiger.

“Jangsan Tiger is as cunning as it comes! We're close! Its presence is getting stronger!”

Davey then saw a massive cave nestled deep beyond the trees.

"Looks like this is the place,” Rick said with a tensed face.

When he began taking a step forward to enter, Davey grabbed him by the collar and yanked him back.

"W-Wha—?!"

"Hold on."

Face stern, Davey walked in first and snapped his fingers. Orbs of light then manifested, scattering throughout the cavern to illuminate the darkness.

"What the..."

Rick widened his eyes as he took in the sight of a massive entity impaled against the cavern wall.

It was dead, the ground beneath it covered in blood-soaked white fur.

The creature, unlike how it was known to be like a tiger, had an unnaturally long form. It stayed motionless as if something had pierced through its body, pinning it in place.

“This... This can't be! Jangsan Tiger?!”

Shiverwock couldn’t believe it.

Davey casually pulled out Shiverwock’s card and tossed it into the air.

It instantly materialized, adjusting its size to a towering three meters tall.

Thud! Thud!!

While it wouldn’t have been surprising for Rick to flinch at the sudden appearance of Shiverwock, he simply remained silent.

It seemed he had given up on questioning anything Davey did by that point.

“It’s dead... no doubt about it.”

Shiverwock muttered grimly.

"Wasn't this supposed to be Jangsan Tiger’s domain?"

“Yes. This entire space is definitely formed from its power. But...”

"But the master of this domain is now dead.”

Davey slowly stepped forward and inspected the corpse, nudging it slightly.

Rick shuddered at the sight, his face pale.

"Uh... What if that thing suddenly moves?"

"It won’t. It’s already dead."

There was no doubt about it. And the cause of its death—

"A... hairpin?"

He noticed something embedded in its chest.

It was a strange, ornate hairpin.

He naturally pulled it out.

Crackle!!

The hairpin fought back by releasing a surge of resistance. It was as if the hairpin was warning Davey to stay away.

But he couldn't care less. He yanked it out completely.

Squelsh!!

Once he pulled out the hairpin that had kept its body pinned, its entire corpse crumbled into dust.

Then, as they had succeeded in raiding the rift, an opening appeared and the space itself slowly began unraveling.

"I-Is this it?”

Rick asked hesitantly.

"Looks like someone took care of the boss before we got here."

Davey then looked at the hairpin in his palm and wondered who the culprit was.

"Hey, Shiverwock."

"What?"

"You recognize this?"

“No. You think I remember every single hairpin I see?”

Davey nodded, falling deep into thought.

Then, without hesitation, he wrapped the hairpin in cloth, sealed it with a talisman, and stored it away in his Pocket Plane.

Unlike when he raided the rift Shiverwock was in, this one left him with nothing but unease.

* * *

The rift in Area 51 had been kept almost entirely under wraps, so there was little public panic.

However, those who were aware of it were struggling.

Not only did they have to cover up the existence of the rift, but they also had to figure out how to deal with it properly.

"Mr. President, I’ve returned."

"Oh! You’re here."

President Drumper visibly brightened as he welcomed Rick Bastom, motioning for him to take a seat across from him.

"I already received the report that the rift was cleared."

"It was almost ridiculous, honestly."

Rick let out a bitter chuckle as he sat down, meeting the president in the eyes.

"So? No major issues?"

"No. If anything, it went... too smoothly."

"Well, that’s a relief. It’s a shame we had to use both of our favors in the deal, but we’ll officially announce that we only had one right to assistance."

Drumper clicked his tongue, clearly displeased about that part. Then, after a brief pause, he spoke again.

"So... Did you learn anything else about him?"

He asked with a serious face.

"For example, the source of his power or whether he’s truly as strong as he seems. If he has any weaknesses."

Rick closed his eyes.

Tionis wasn’t a concern.

But Davey—

"Mr. President, may I speak freely?"

"Go ahead. Tell me everything you saw and felt."

Even thinking of what Davey had done made him sweat. Only after clenching his trembling fists could he talk about him.

"You must give up. He’s not human.”

As Drumper saw his horrified face, he widened his eyes slightly.

The person in front of him was none other than Rick Bastom—America’s secret weapon.

Chris Marten was considered the top Awakened individual, but behind closed doors, those in the know unofficially ranked Rick higher.

And now, that Rick was visibly shaken, despite not having fought at all.

"He’s exactly what they call him—a one-man army. Both in strength and in the subordinates he commands,” he muttered.

Rick continued to recall everything he had witnessed.

“Even if... you went against him?”

"If I were to fight him... though I don’t even want to think about it...”

He gritted his teeth.

"I wouldn’t last a second. A single wave of his hand can cause disasters. No matter how hard I tried to analyze his abilities, his weaknesses, his limits... I...”

One’s pride would normally keep one from admitting such a thing. But against someone like Davey, even holding out against him would be deemed ridiculous.

"He’s not human. He’s what people joke about when they talk about true transcendent beings. I swear I wasn’t hypnotized or threatened by him to say any of this.”

“Rick...”

"I’m requesting a few days of leave. I still contain myself from trembling, thinking about him...”

President Drumper let out a sigh as he thought about just how absurdly powerful Davey had to be to make an S-Class Awakened individual, who had simply stood by his side, to feel this kind of fear.

* * *

Shiverwock seemed unsettled by Jangsan Tiger’s death.

Unlike Shiverwock, Jangsan Tiger was a truly malicious ghost.

Davey had no intention of letting it live anyway, so its death wasn’t an issue.

The real question was who had killed it before him.

"No point overthinking it. It’s dead—that’s all that matters."

In the end, he had taken care of the two tasks Woochi had left behind.

There was nothing more for Davey to handle.

He still had some lingering questions, but he figured those could wait. After all, he’d eventually ascend to the Saint Sanctuary, and he could ask Woochi himself.

Crackle!!

Before sending Shiverwock to the Demon World, he decided to let him stay in the Heins Territory for a while. He took it somewhere within the territory.

"You’ll be staying here with your new roommate... no, let’s call it a castle-mate."

Davey gestured toward a large warehouse-like structure. Then Shiverwock, still maintaining its three-meter form, furrowed its brows.

“This world is bizarre. Everything is unfamiliar. And... What's with this weird feeling?”

Its expression twisted slightly, but Davey said nothing. Pushing open the massive doors, he gestured for it to follow.

"Meet Killer Rabbit."

As he confidently stepped inside, Shiverwock immediately froze in place at the sight before it.

"Kyuu?"

The gigantic, white-furred, bipedal rabbit, its muscles bulging to an absurd degree, was pumping iron next to a massive bull with stars streaked across its body, Constellation Taurus.

Both of them locked eyes on Shiverwock as the two walked in.

An unspoken tension filled the air.

Then, Shiverwock turned around.

“I must’ve walked into the wrong place. I’ll just—”

"Kyuu."

Before it could finish, Killer Rabbit and Constellation Taurus grabbed its arms in an instant.

"Whoa, look at that! You’re already bonding! Congrats!"

“W-Wait! This is a mistake—!”

"Killer Rabbit, it’s heading to the Demon World. You’ll be together for a while, so get along."

Killer Rabbit nodded, then handed Shiverwock a dumbbell.

Shiverwock began sweating.

As a longtime Dokaebbi King, it had feared nothing.

But right now, it was making a face that it couldn’t accept what was happening.

“L-Look, I’m fine! I don’t need to fit in! You can just put me back in that damn talisman—!”

"Kyuu."

Killer Rabbit nudged the dumbbell even more. Before it could protest further, the two dragged it inside.

Seeing the three, Davey couldn’t help but smile.

“No, no, you don’t have to be shy. I know you like getting strong. You’re a perfect match with them!”

“No, wait! This isn’t right! H-Have mercy!!”

“Well, toughen up. They're your castle-mates from now on.”

“Ahhhh!!!”

As Shiverwock wailed, the two dragged it into the back of the storage room. They were like ghosts pulling someone by the legs in a horror movie.

"Alright. The dokkaebi problem is handled."

Davey turned and walked out with noticeably lighter steps

"Wow... that was brutal."

"Go to Per. I’ll join you after checking in on Amy."

"Got it."

She nodded in response. He tore through space.

He figured there was no need to retrieve Aeonitia and Tiara just yet. They had insisted on finishing their research before returning.

However, he did need an answer to something.

Crackle!!

As he entered the Saint Sanctuary, he found himself in a familiar place. freewebnøvel.coɱ

Odin’s Hermitage.

It was a floating stone temple suspended in the sky—where Odin spent her time fishing alone.

But the moment he arrived, he froze on the spot.

"Pfft!! Hahaha! I'm gonna die!! I swear, I’m gonna die!!”

Woochi was rolling on the ground, laughing out loud.

He had been his main objective in visiting this place.

But right now, something far more shocking had unfolded before him.

“...”

“...”

To the side, the Sword God, Ares, lay limp. And Woochi was laughing hysterically at a small woman in front of him.

Thwack!!

Odin slammed him into the ground.

"Stop laughing."

"Yes, ma’am."

Woochi immediately shut up.

"So... why exactly are you dressed like that, Mrs. Santa? Christmas is Earth’s thing, isn’t it?’ a culture of Earth."

"S-Shut up!!"

Thwack!!

It was a bright red Santa outfit, but the design had been altered into a short skirt, clearly made to look feminine.

It had fluffy white trim on the hat and hem, and the skirt barely covered past the thighs, which made her pale legs feel comically out of place with the rest of her small frame.

There wasn’t even a hint of sexiness to it—if anything, it came off as cutesy and ridiculous.

The Odin he knew would never wear something like that, not even if the other alternative was to die.

Clearly embarrassed at having been caught wearing something so obviously tailored to someone’s peculiar taste, Odin kicked Davey without hesitation and bolted away, her face blazing red.

Unlike her usual tendency to burn or throw him off cliffs when annoyed, this time she looked downright embarrassed.

“Ahahahahahaha!!”

Woochi burst into uncontrollable laughter, waving his hand as if he couldn’t take it.

“Man... I thought I’ve seen it all after living this much. To see something this good right in front of my eyes? The joys of the world are all here.”

In response, Davey silently pulled the hairpin from his Pocket Plane and tossed it to him—the same hairpin that Jangsan Tiger had been pinned on.

“Huh? What’s this...?”

As Woochi caught it and unwrapped the cloth, he widened his eyes, and his whole body froze.

“Ares, so why exactly is Odin dressed up like that?”

Then Ares, who had practically melted into the floor by now, answered.

“She got sweet-talked by Dokgo Jun. She was trying to figure out how to repay you, and... well, this is what she came up with.”

Back in Atrellia, Davey had helped resolve her sorrow.

“That proud mage tried to swallow her pride and do a Santa act... only to get caught mid-act. Of course she’s mortified.”

Odin, who rarely showed any emotion, ran away with a red face in sheer embarrassment.

He had to acknowledge that it was a pretty rare and amusing sight.

“Davey... where did you get this from?”

Woochi asked, cold sweat running down his face.

Shiverwock seemed clueless, but Woochi clearly knew something about it.

“I picked it up. Jangsan Tiger was pierced with it.”

In response, Woochi’s hand began to tremble violently.

“Ah, ah... No, no. This can’t be... This freaking lunatic...”

He was the type to get mad and laugh often, but to see him this shaken and scared was a first, even for Davey.

‘What the hell...?’