The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

"Oh goodness, that’s going to leave a scar,” Illyna frowned as she wrapped a bandage around Davey's injury.

“Getting rid of scars isn’t difficult.”

He’d endured so many—in fact, if he had always left his scars on his body, by this point one would be hard-pressed to find a single clear spot anywhere on him.

“Done,” Illyna said after carefully knotting the end of the bandage. She then placed a small charcoal briquette over a nearby fire pit and lit it with a lighter.

‘Huh? A lighter?’ he thought.

“You really are like a person from Earth now.”

“Well I mean, why shouldn’t you use good tools when they’re available? There’s no need to start a fire the old-fashioned way; this charcoal briquette will do!” she quipped as she brought over her bag, knowing what she needed to do next.

She then began pulling something out from the small compartment inside.

“Earth is such an amazing place. Sometimes I think about living here permanently.”

The civilization of Tionis didn’t even date back as far as the Middle Ages on Earth. Even so, it even surpassed modern Earth in some areas, and places like the capital of the kingdom had a surprisingly clean and advanced feeling to them. Davey couldn’t definitively say which was better, given his position in both worlds.

Illyna, having become adept with using Earth's innovations, smoothly opened a can of food, grilled the meat, and handed it to Davey.

“So after you consume another being’s power with this Predatory Assimilation ability or whatever, you’ll sometimes go crazy? Just because you're hungry?

To be exact, it happened when he consumed a power and still stored some power-hungry leftovers in his body. It was the same principle as humans getting hungry when they lacked nutrients.

"Think about it as if you were literally starving. If food suddenly appeared in front of you, you'd probably go crazy too."

Illyna seemed to understand his explanation. “Then isn’t your power dangerous?”

“There are three different ways I can avert that danger. Firstly, I can get rid of the tempting food in front of me. Secondly, there’s always the option to give up the power and eliminate the issue altogether. Lastly, and most reasonably, I will use my ability to absorb the power and repurpose it for what I need, eliminating the remaining traces which may trigger the madness.”

Davey thought it seemed plausible to use the power he consumed without modifying it, but he knew that it was still beyond his current capabilities.

“So, then it’s not dangerous if you know how to handle it,” Illyna said.

“Pretty much—I can get rid of it if things go wrong,” Davey replied.

“Why does your power work so weird?”

“Weird?” Davey asked.

“If you manifest both your mana and your characteristics, you end up going crazy,” Ilyna replied.

She had a point—something in his explanation didn’t quite add up. It didn’t explain why his trait caused madness every time it was used in conjunction with mana. Hypothetically, the only condition that triggered madness was when he retained the power he had consumed without converting or discarding it.

This was why when Davey used his Predatory Assimilation characteristic, he had sealed away all other mana and relied solely on this power. Back when he didn’t know about his Predatory Assimilation, he had thought the madness was just simple madness. But now after considering everything he’d recently experienced, he thought of one possibility.

“I guess that’s another thing I need to test. There’s a reason it’s been on my mind,” Davey said, his thoughts drifting to the dragons and what he truly wanted to achieve.

[Hehe, this is what dragontongue is, you bastard. How is it? Isn’t it awesome?]

Davey recalled the words of the dragon-born hero, who had never directly taught him in the hall but had teased him while providing invaluable combat experience.

“Just close your eyes. You haven’t slept for a week now. You’re going to crash any moment,” Illyna said, finishing their meal and making Davey lean against the wall. She sat down next to him, she fell asleep instantly as Davey looked at her in silence before quietly closing his eyes.

***

A dark night.

Illyna, who had been asleep leaning on Davey's shoulder, opened her eyes with a slight frown.

"Another dream…" she muttered, slowly getting up and trying not to disturb Davey. She remembered her dream vividly, depicting her and Davey entering a cathedral where priests were waiting. The subtext of it was clear as day—she wanted to marry Davey.

They say dreams show people what they truly want, and it seemed like the frequency of these dreams had begun to increase lately.

“This sweaty smell…” she mumbled, suddenly feeling self-conscious about the scent of her own body. She felt a wave of embarrassment at the thought that Davey might have noticed.

“...”

After contemplating, Illyna carefully got up and headed toward a nearby lake. Normally, Sword God Ares was attached to her and couldn’t stray far, but in this space, things were different. She hadn’t seen him in a while, and she didn’t know anything about what he was up to now.

Splish-splash…

She neatly took off her clothes, set down the extra garments she had prepared in advance, and walked into the lake. The water bore beautiful reflections of the moonlight, casting a serene glow across the surface.

"Ha…" she sighed as the cold water touched her skin, her face flushing slightly.

“I think he’s getting the hang of it…”

Davey often said she had such talent that it was almost disastrous, and she also thought the same for his own talent.

Davey didn’t show extreme talent in any one area, but he possessed a vast array of abilities that were impossible for most to achieve. It was hard to say whether such talent was due to his inherent characteristic, or if he had built it up after learning from his teachers. The important thing was that his growth rate was always phenomenal.

[Descendant. You look like you have a lot on your mind.]

“Ah, ancestor. No peeking,” Illyna muttered in a dissatisfied tone as she hid herself in the water.

“Where have you been all this time?” she asked.

[I'm slowly reaching my limits in maintaining my spiritual body. I didn’t tell Davey, but it may be time for me to leave soon.]

“If you purposely didn’t tell him, I won’t pass on the words, but…” she trailed off, a bitter tone in her voice.

“That power, the characteristic Davey has…”

[It seemed like he’s getting the hang of it.]

“Isn’t it dangerous?”

[Even in this situation, you’re worried about him instead of yourself…]

There was a hint of exasperated laughter in his voice.

[It depends on how he handles it. He’s the only one with that characteristic, after all.]

Even if someone was a hero, there was no way they could suddenly and fully understand their characteristics all at once.

[Rather, my descendant, he’s going to get married soon.]

Illyna smiled weakly, a bitter look on her face. “It was going to happen someday. She can’t stay in the imperial palace forever.”

[You’re not going to tell him?]

She had kissed Davey before, but he had been in a half-asleep state at the time, so his memories of it were vague at best. Even someone with perfect memory could only remember what they recognized consciously; they couldn’t recall situations where their consciousness was lost.

[That’s a shame. It would be nice if you just expressed how you feel.]

“It’s true that I like him, but will revealing my true feelings really change anything?” she asked, but Ares didn’t respond.

“He’s already married,” Illyna continued.

[Yes.]

“I don’t want to disrupt the blissful harmony between them.”

Of course Illyna didn’t have the right to push aside Aeria, whom Davey had accepted, and demand a place by his side.

“You know, ancestor,” she giggled softly. “I’m actually a coward… I’m afraid he’ll say no.”

She submerged herself in the water up to her mouth.

[Not confident… That doesn’t sound like the descendant I know. I don’t remember you being someone who suffers like this, not being able to speak your mind.]

Illyna blew bubbles in the water in lieu of answering.

[The choice is yours. It’s rather weird for me to say this, but didn’t my daughter once tell you the same? Seize the chance when you have it. Whether she was bragging or saying it out of spite, at least the Perserque I knew wasn’t someone who spoke empty words. I almost forgot, there was an old saying…]

When she turned her head, Ares’s soul, which had been leaning against a tree, began to dissipate.

[You might as well try, fail and become an idiot if you’re going to be an idiot regardless.]

“Why are you helping me?” Illyna asked, finally voicing the question that had been bothering her.

“Perserque is your daughter. I like the man who married your daughter. Ancestor, are you a fool?”

Ares sighed at her question.

[Descendant, I’m not the type to just give everything away.]

“But why then…?”

[Davey is a valuable student of mine, but my daughter’s safety is the most important thing to me.]

Illyna fell silent at his serious words. She couldn’t help but wonder what secrets Perserque had that even her father, Ares, would act like this.

[What if that poor, weak child happens to injure herself when she doesn’t even have any authority?]

Her eyes turned cold when she understood the implications.

‘I was an idiot for taking him seriously,’ she thought.

An absolute being who was practically deified; she wondered if the humans of the Pallan Empire knew that their Sword God was like this.

Her face flushed with embarrassment. To cool off the heat, she fully submerged herself in the lake.

“It’s not that I don’t understand…”

***

Davey continued his fight with Eclipse, who had been recreated within this space.

Thud! Thump, thump!!

Her breath attacks rained down like dozens of rays. Her breath went beyond just a mere attack—it was like a natural disaster that scorched the earth and threatened to engulf everything in its path.

It had been quite a while since Davey had started fighting using only his Predatory Assimilation characteristic, coupled with the mana of Eclipse he had consumed through it—he had sealed all other types of mana, power of taboo, and divine power away.

At first, he was covered in injuries and busy simply trying to stay alive. But gradually, things began to change.

Crack!!

Davey extended one hand, drawing out the power of Predatory Assimilation to consume the incoming breath in midair. He approached Eclipse at high speed as he fought his way through her breath in midair, devouring as much of her mana as he could.

‘Two steps to the right, then sway to the left.’

Bang!!

Swoosh!!!

‘An omnidirectional tail attack, followed by a swing or snatch.’

Swoosh! Boom!!

Davey ducked and dodged the tail attack that created a sonic boom. Eclipse followed up immediately by stretching her massive front paw out to snatch him up.

Seeing her helped him realize that habits were hard to break. Although her attack patterns were different, as long as she was a living being, she would have habits of her own.

Davey had carefully studied her habits, using them to maximize his effectiveness with minimal movement. Although his physical capabilities were still somewhat lacking, he had reached a level where he could avoid her attacks if he remained cautious.

She had lost her temper and was no longer using proper magic. She simply relied on her physical capabilities and breath attacks, though they were still plenty threatening. Moreover, even in her enraged state, she had yet to use her natural and instinctual power to its fullest extent.

At first, Davey had the idea of using his strange characteristic Predatory Assimilation to consume Eclipse herself, not her power. But he realized that doing so was as difficult as a novice swordsman trying to draw an Aura blade. He had paid his prices for attempting such an act.

However, even if it wasn’t possible now, he knew it wouldn’t stay impossible forever.

Davey evaded her attacks by rapidly circling around her massive body. Although the attacks kept coming, he calculated every second, predicted her next move, and either dodged or deflected them. The combination of relentless breath, tail strikes, and sharp claw attacks were threatening.

As if enraged by the fact that she kept missing, Eclipse reached a boiling point. With a fierce roar, she unleashed Fear, forcibly blocking his escape route before firing a direct breath attack.

‘Firing distance… Unavoidable.’

‘Breath power… Undeflectable.’

Then the only option left for him was frontal defense.

Crack!!

With an eerie sound, something light green and intangible spread out from his outstretched palm, chewing and swallowing the incoming breath. He knew that the longer he devoured the breath, the harder it would become to control, so he had to act quickly. He needed to forcefully create a chance for himself.

Davey didn’t only gain physical strength by consuming her mana. As it clashed with the mana inside him, the Eclipse mana he consumed ignited even more fiercely.

“Davey!!”

Illyna shouted in confusion as the mana acted differently from what she thought would happen, but he knew he couldn’t miss this opportunity.

“Tsss…”

He took a short breath and closed his eyes. Meanwhile, her breath pressed him down against the earthen hellscape, making the ground crack. He felt like his entire body was being squashed with a press.

But Davey wasn’t enduring this hardship simply to increase his physical abilities.

He was attempting to go beyond the levels of demigods, to consume and use a power of a completely different type—something beyond his current reach. This was why he had chosen this path despite knowing its dangers.

He knew that Eclipse, in her semi-rational state, couldn’t understand what he was doing unless she suddenly got herself together. But he didn’t have to worry about that, since mana moved faster than sight.

As Davey slowly opened his eyes, the world began to appear like a grand modifiable natural law unfolding before him. Without hesitation, he unleashed the second power he had gained by consuming her mana, using the power through his voice.

It was something he had been eager to try.

Thud!!

[Absolute Dragontongue]

[Kneel.]

Thud!!

Eclipse’s massive body stumbled as if a colossal meteorite had crashed into her.

The absolute power granted only to ancient dragons, that became stronger the more arrogant the wielder was.

Dragontongue.

In the current world, only Arbit and Eclipse could use such a power, yet a mere human was now manifesting it. Davey confirmed his hypothesis with this success.

At the same time, he concentrated the power of Predatory Assimilation active throughout his entire body into his right hand. He didn’t use it for the madness to encroach on him, but instead, started to reawaken the mana he had sealed away.

“Davey?! What are you doing…?!”

“Experimenting.”

He understood her concern, but he had to see if he was right.

Activating Predatory Assimilation while his mana was active would cause the madness to consume him instantly. He couldn’t figure out the reason for this phenomenon.

Thankfully, he was able to quickly get his answer.

There was only one instance when this damned Predatory Assimilation characteristic showed its madness—when Davey didn’t discard or modify the power he had consumed to suit himself.

He realized that this damn trait consumed the mana, power of taboo, and divine power he usually had activated, but would regard them as outdated and incompatible with him. Because they were not being actively utilized or discarded, unmodified to fit his current state, it was like they decayed into madness.

But he figured if he could modify his powers using Predatory Assimilation, there would no longer be any instances of madness taking control over him. [1]

He even knew this was going to be a bold attempt, but Davey didn’t hesitate and unleashed his first power.

Holy power.

Release.

Whoosh!!!

White energy surged through him, and Predatory Assimilation began to alter the structure of the holy power. The fundamental structure of mana, the primordial power, distorted and changed, with Eclipse’s mana being used as the catalyst.

“Ugh?!”

Along with some serious dizziness, the lazy holy power slowly began to transform. While its inherent laziness remained, the characteristics of the holy power shifted into something different from the basic holy power he knew.

In response, Davey instinctively raised his index and middle finger to the sky.

‘I address Goddess Freyja, the primordial will that governs all things. I rate your middle finger very highly.’

[9th Level Transcendence Holy Magic]

[Middle Finger of God]

Zzt… Crackle…

White lightning struck. Instantly, before Davey had time to react, a white pillar of light, containing tremendous power and destructive force that seemed nothing like a holy magic attack, poured down from the sky.

But the ray of light didn’t reach Eclipse. It exploded in the air as if an intangible curtain had blocked it, making it scatter in all directions. Although it seemed like a failure of an attack, Davey couldn’t help but smile when he realized that it was an experimental success. The original holy magic had changed, and it had done so in the most optimal and useful form for him.

The pieces of light that had exploded in the sky and split into hundreds of remnants seemed to pause for a moment, then quickly pouring down again under the influence of gravity, forming an enormous group of pillars of light.

Davey unleashed the highest level of holy magic attack, adapted to his unique characteristic.

“Ahhhh, so that’s how it works,” Davey murmured, grasping the changes in the divine power.

The holy power had evolved into something new. It manifested after enhancing the aspects Davey believed were necessary when he saw his holy power. Although the aftereffects and impact of this power hadn’t significantly increased due to his lack of control over Predatory Assimilation, Davey knew he had gained the potential to tailor it to his needs.

His power was very similar to that of Hercules, the strongest hero of the hall. Hercules possessed the power to endlessly evolve the abilities he honed, without borrowing from others. Davey’s power, on the other hand, allowed him to evolve and use a vast range of abilities by consuming whatever he could get his hands on.

Davey figured Hercules might have a higher power limit, but in terms of direction and scope, Predatory Assimilation offered something the man’s ability could never match.

He realized he sure received one hell of a balance patch.

“Let’s go!! To the moon!”

His power was strong enough to tear through Eclipse’s wing membrane. Still, he knew it wasn’t enough. He began to feed on the power of taboo using Predatory Assimilation.

“Alright, let’s see how you change.”

1. Think of it like updating a game you have mods installed for, but not updating those mods. Once you try to use the outdated mods, it crashes the game aka madness. Imagine your phone got an update, and now you need to update all your apps before using them. The update brought new capabilities to the phone, so the apps may now have new features that make use of that too. ☜

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