The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

Crack! Crack!!

The sandworm that swallowed Davey bore a hole through the ground in order to ambush him.

It appeared in an instant, devouring him and disappearing before anyone could react. By the time the stunned onlookers snapped back to their senses, the sandworm was already chewing on him.

“Daddy!!”

“Step back!!”

[Sing! Answer the call! Descend upon the horizon!]

[Cyclone Cutter]

Whiiirrr!!

A barrage of high-circle magic wind blades sliced toward the sandworm with incredible speed.

Sir Gandav hadn’t been given his reputation as a mage of the Pallan Empire for nothing. The sharp, unrelenting wind blades precisely struck the sandworm in areas where they wouldn’t hit Davey as well.

He had analyzed the enemy’s weaknesses in an instant and used the most effective magic against it—this was a feat that only the most seasoned mages could accomplish. Still, Gandav pulled it off effortlessly.

However, the monstrous sandworm not only withstood the magic but deflected it entirely.

The nearby investigators were forced to avoid the rebounding attack.

- Shaaahhh!!!

The sandworm roared furiously, its gaping maw—lined with razor-sharp teeth—vibrating as it let out a bone-chilling howl.

“I knew its size alone was abnormal! That sandworm has been magically enhanced! Stay alert!”

The most effective way to deal with a sandworm was to use magic, but when magic failed to work, it became an entirely different kind of threat. The creature could burrow underground to escape or launch surprise attacks at any moment, making it a living embodiment of danger.

Gandav was visibly shaken by the sandworm’s unexpected resistance. Just as he began to prepare his next attack, Evangeline darted forward, her jet-black hair trailing in the wind. She was holding two swords: one black, one crimson.

“E-Eve…”

Shwing!

A dark red blade energy enveloped her blades. It then instantly disappeared as Evangeline gracefully landed on the ground behind the sandworm.

“What in the…”

The spectators, who had been frozen in shock by the overwhelming blade energy she’d unleashed, now stared blankly with their jaws on the ground.

“What just…”

The sandworm had been sliced in half and then into pieces. But that wasn’t the only thing that left everyone dumbfounded.

“A-Aura Blade?!”

“No way! A Master?!”

Evangeline’s sword was wreathed in a powerful energy—an Aura Blade.

Only an Expert who had broken through their threshold to become a Master could wield Aura Blades. Evangeline had manifested one at her fingertips—a clear indication that she was already a Swordmaster at her young age.

“Sir Jude… Am I really seeing an Aura Blade?”

“I-It seems so? My goodness. How could someone that young wield an Aura Blade?”

The sheer absurdity of this moment, where the record for the youngest Swordmaster on the continent had been shattered without warning, left the onlookers naturally speechless.

Meanwhile, Evangeline, indifferent to their reactions, reverted her dual blades into their original form—Twilight, the divine dragon sword—and rushed toward Davey. Without hesitation, she threw herself into his arms.

“Daddy!!”

“Well done, my girl. It seems you’ve finally broken through the wall.”

“Bwaaah!”

Even though his survival had been assured, she couldn’t help but be worried.

“You did well, Evangeline.”

Despite having been swallowed whole by the sandworm, Davey didn’t have a single scratch on him. Seeing him perfectly fine while Evangeline clung to him, sobbing uncontrollably, the others couldn’t help but question if the two were even human.

For Prince Davey, such eccentricities weren’t too surprising—he had always been the subject of countless legends and rumors. But Evangeline wasn't just a prodigy; she was in a league of her own.

Of course, this confusion stemmed from the fact that no one knew her true nature: a half-blood ancient dragon.

Regardless of what they thought, Davey was as calm as ever. He turned his attention to the shredded remains of the sandworm, his expression curious rather than concerned.

“Daddy…?”

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Huh? Oh… No! I’m fine!”

Smiling warmly, Davey patted her on the head. “Good. Well done., I’m proud of you.”

As he praised her, Sir Gandav approached cautiously and asked, “Your Highness, are you truly unharmed?”

“Hm?”

“I mean… that sandworm chewed you up, and considering its venom…”

“Oh, this?” Davey replied, holding out his hand to reveal some white powdery fragments.

“These guys seem to be calcium-deficient. Even after I restored them, they didn’t put up much of a fight.”

His lighthearted tone made Sir Gandav and the investigation team’s jaws drop once more. Their gazes seemed to clearly indicate that he was the weird one among them.

“Anyway, this is a problem that needs to be properly investigated. If we run into more sandworms like that one, it’ll be dangerous—even if you’re fine, Your Highness, it’s not something the rest of us can handl—”

“Just bury it. Why bother poking at it?”

“Pardon?”

“That thing was a chimera,” Davey said casually. “I’m guessing some dragon from ancient times made it. Looks like it’d just woken up and decided to roam around on its own. Messing with an obese lizard like that is more trouble than it’s worth.”

His words, while spoken nonchalantly, were anything but light.

* * *

- My toy?

In a dimly lit luxurious bedroom within a dark cave, someone slowly opened their eyes.

Clap!

The glowing stones embedded in the surrounding walls grew brighter, illuminating the space enough to reveal a luxurious, antique-style room—a setting so elegant that it seemed impossible to be in a cave. It was more flashy and beautiful than even most royal family chambers.

At the center of the room was a massive bed, so large that six or seven people could sleep on it without a problem. On the bed lay a figure.

- Mmm…

The figure stirred, long crimson hair cascading behind them as they sat up slowly.

- Ugh, my head… How long have I been asleep?

Their voice was difficult to place—it wasn’t quite masculine, but it wasn’t fully feminine either.

Yawning, they stretched lazily, waving a hand to summon a floating mirror in midair. They studied their reflection closely.

“Hmm… Let’s go with a sharper look today.”

A soft light enveloped their naked body. Their form then gradually shifted, transforming into a tall, muscular man with sharp features—a strikingly handsome face that exuded an air of effortless charm.

“Perfect. This transformation’s flawless,” he said, his voice settling into a deep, resonant tone as he ran his hand over his jaw with a satisfied smile.

With a snap of his fingers, the ornate wardrobe nearby opened, and luxurious garments floated out toward him. He dressed leisurely before stepping out of the room.

“This place hasn’t changed one bit. It seems I’ve been asleep for quite some time. The mana here has become so abundant.” He chuckled softly.

He immediately began chasing the traces of the guardian with whom his link had been severed. The guardian's trail led beyond a massive hole within a vast cave.

“That idiot… I made it guard this place, but it wandered off who knows where,” he muttered while venturing further into the tunnel.

Eventually, he arrived at a grand dungeon. It was completely empty—someone had already cleared it out, leaving nothing of value behind.

“Hm… So here you are.”

He ignored the state of the dungeon and focused on what lay at its center—the remains of his guardian, the magically enhanced sandworm. Narrowing his eyes, he examined the corpse carefully.

“Its lack of reasoning seemed to have made it lose control. Judging by the cuts, it looks like it was taken down by a Swordmaster.”

He couldn’t care less, though.

He waved his hand in the air with a face full of curiosity, gathering light particles at his fingertips and beginning to recall the memories of the earth.

Countless swords were scattered across the dungeon along with a group of humans and dwarves. Finally, it showed his guardian devouring a human. A black-haired girl then sliced it to pieces with an Aura Blade.

“Hmm… Even though I gave it significant resistance to Aura Blades, it still ended up like this? How strange,” he muttered while shrugging. “But I guess it doesn’t matter.”

He studied the memory carefully, paying particular attention to the girl. With a snap of his fingers, his body was once again engulfed in light. When the glow subsided, his form had shifted once more—this time from a late twenties man into a teenager, no older than his late teens.

“Time to have some fun. I’ll play with her plenty.”

For some reason, he focused on the girl in the memory.

As a Wyrm-class Red Dragon, moments of amusement like this were nothing new for him. In the past, he had always managed to keep his true nature as a dragon a secret without much trouble, even when indulging in such distractions. But now, having slept for hundreds of years, he figured things could be different.

Regardless, he had often been drawn to beautiful women, forming connections here and there. This time, however, his attention was unusually fixated. The beautiful young girl with jet-black hair carried a mystical sword that complemented her striking appearance.

“That sword… It’s far too powerful for a mere human to wield, not to mention too dangerous. Maybe I should reclaim it later… when she’s dead.”

To him, humans were mere objects of amusement.

“Well then, how should I approach her?”

He chuckled softly as he mulled over his options.

“For now…”

* * *

“A dragon, huh…”

Evangeline, who was sitting in front of Davey as they leisurely rode toward the royal capital of the Pallan Empire, turned her head curiously.

“What?”

“Evangeline, do you know anything about dragons?”

“Uhh… Me?”

“No, not you specifically.”

Evangeline had learned from Davey that she wasn’t human, but rather an ancient dragon. Although she had been quite shaken at first, her mental fortitude far exceeded that of an ordinary human, allowing her to quickly acknowledge the fact without much trouble.

“Just dragons in general. Not ancient dragons.”

There was a clear distinction between ancient dragons and ordinary dragons. The difference in power alone was like comparing the heavens to the earth, not to mention the disparity in size, lifespan, and the very strict conditions under which they grew.

“Hmm… I’m not sure. I’ve seen records mentioning dragons appearing, but I’ve also heard that all dragons across the continent are now extinct.”

“True. That’s what the records say.”

“Isn’t that right?”

“Well… yeah. They’re extinct. At least, I think they are.”

Evangeline tilted her head in confusion.

“I don’t know for sure either. Honestly, if I ever came across a dragon, I’d want to capture it and look into every part of it.”

“Umm… Daddy! I’ll help you! After all, I’m an ancient dragon!”

Davey chuckled dryly at her enthusiastic outburst.

“I don’t need an ancient dragon.”

A red-haired boy suddenly burst out of the forest, interrupting their playful exchange. He ran desperately toward the group, his pale, handsome face twisted in terror.

“Help! Someone, please help!” he cried.

“Stop! A child just appeared!”

‘A child in the middle of a forest like this?’

Startled, the group quickly dismounted their horses as they spotted the boy dressed in tattered rags.

Gasping for breath, he cried out, “M-Monsters! Monsters are trying to kill me!”

Davey narrowed his eyes. At the same time, a strangely massive horde of monsters coordinatedly swarmed toward them. Seeing the monsters work toward a single purpose, he felt a strange sense of familiarity.

“Daddy? What’s wrong?” Evangeline asked, noticing his expression.

However, Davey was already lost in thought, his mind flashing back to the northern regions of the Eastern Continent. He recalled how a cult created by Constellation Libra had incited mass monster attacks to assault humans. It was during such chaos that Evangeline encountered Executor Hildes.

‘Could this situation be the same as back then?’

As Davey pondered, his eyes fixated on the boy again. Though the boy appeared human at first glance, Davey’s heightened perception told him otherwise.

ChubbyCheeks & FriedNook's Thoughts

Editorb’s Thoughts

Poor guy is jumping straight into the mouth of a protective father 😭