The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1318

Evangeline received a harsh scolding for having fallen asleep on a street bench. She had gone outside after eavesdropping the night before, and after that, her memory grew hazy as if she had simply gotten sleepy and dozed off.

“So, I slept on the street yesterday,” she told her stream.

[Boss... sleeping outside will get you sick]

[Seriously? You slept outside? What if someone did something dangerous to you?!]

[Even criminal scum won't touch boss. They’d have to be insane lmao]

[Even so, boss was too careless. There’s so many lunatics in the world]

“Like you guys?”

[Let's refrain from area damage boss gg]

[That's a good comeback]

Since she forced herself to stream despite feeling unwell, it was hard to go through any of the content she had prepared.

While she continued to play small games and chit-chat with the viewers, someone shared something interesting.

[Boss, did you hear the news? That terrorist they caught died]

“Excuse me?”

The culprit, who was subdued on the spot in Alfland, had been handed over to the Korean government for questioning.

No verdict had been announced in his case yet, given that not enough time had passed for a proper investigation to even take place.

‘Yet he still died?’

Wondering what really happened, Evangeline looked up the news on the internet and saw several articles pop up.

“What in the world...”

[They say he was murdered]

[Apparently, he was slashed so badly that even the police were shocked]

The mood in the stream grew heavy at the unexpected news.

Of course, the criminal had been nothing more than a psychopathic terrorist who tried to kill countless people, but such macabre subject matter wasn’t a suitable topic for her stream.

[Hey, our boss is still a baby! You shouldn't tell her stuff like this >:(]

“It's okay,” she assured them. “I've seen worse.”

[Still...]

“It’s okay. The revulsion you feel when taking a life is the same, whether it’s a person or a monster. That’s why my Dad always says I can cast aside hesitation in the moment I take a life, but I should never forget the weight of the life I’ve taken.”

Davey called that karma, an accumulated weight etched upon the soul.

Evangeline herself carried a considerable weight, but Davey bore a burden unthinkably heavier than hers.

“Everyone, listen up! If you don't live well, you'll be miserable even after you die.”

[Whatever, it's all superstition anyway]

[Even if God exists, that karma shit can't be real]

Of course, to those who didn’t know the River of Souls, what she said only seemed like an absurd story. In the end, even though she didn’t like it, the viewers just talked and gossiped about the terrorist’s death, and nothing more.

“I'll end the stream here today.”

[Nah]

[Nah]

[Nah]

[Three strikes, no choice but to continue the stream...]

“No, I can't. I'll see you tomorrow.”

[Just like her childish personality, her inner thoughts are petty too...]

All the viewers saw was a quick blur to show Evangeline's hand shooting across her mousepad.

[King Deer was banned]

“What the heck are you guys saying...”

[It's okay boss, you’ll become a more forgiving person with a bigger heart when you become an adult! Kids naturally prioritize themselves, so it can't be blamed on you]

“Hey! Where do you live?! I’ll track you down!!”

[Shoot!!! Let’s make a run for it!!]

[SCATTER!!]

She fumed at the viewers who relentlessly teased her, then sighed, finding the argument itself to be tiring. “Do you guys have any idea how kind and generous I am?”

[That’s what you call generous? Isn't that just being petty?]

[Oh my... you're dreaming the impossible]

[They say talented artists are all crazy, anyway]

“Do you all want the ban hammer to be in your future?”

After finally ending the stream ten minutes later, she stretched lightly and stood up. She then headed to the house where Hyun-Ah and Yeon-Hee were staying, wanting to personally deliver the news about the terrorist.

Just then, her sharp sense of smell caught a faint, fishy odor in the air. “Blood...?”

It was such a fleeting scent that she could’ve easily been mistaken. Yet, strangely enough, she felt a strong sense of deja vu.

She followed the smell, but found nothing and resumed her journey.

“Oh? Eva’s here?”

Evangeline ran straight toward Hyun-Ah, who was smiling brightly with open arms. “Hi!”

“Oh, my cute little niece. What brings you here today?”

“I just came to visit. Where’s Dad?”

“Ah. He went somewhere for work.” If he hadn’t gone to Tionis, she had a good idea of the kind of work he would be doing.

“Umm. About that terrorist...”

“You already know?” Hyun-Ah was surprised.

“I read the news during my stream.”

“Oh, how impressive. Who did you take after to be so smart? Is it Perserque? Or Illyna?”

“Hehe.”

Hyun-Ah would never praise Davey, even if her life depended on it.

“Super Ribbon’s here too. Would you like to have snacks together? I was just baking some.”

“Aren't you busy?” Evangeline didn't want to intrude.

“Didn't you know? I'm on vacation. Your auntie should enjoy her hobbies too while she’s still young, wouldn’t you say?”

Thinking about it, Hyun-Ah was not very old either. She was called the “young vice chief” for a reason.

Evangeline had even heard rumors that she was quite popular at parties.

Super Ribbon, who was already sitting on the couch, nibbling on a snack and watching a movie, turned her head and smiled faintly. “Hey, what's up?”

“What are you watching?”

“A spy movie,” Super Ribbon responded.

“Ah. Is that the one that recently premiered?”

“Yeah. I heard they made it a while ago, but couldn't release it because of the accident. They finally released it after forever.”

Just as Evangeline was about to sit down next to Super Ribbon, she looked her in the eyes. “Sis.”

“Huh?”

“Did you get scratched anywhere?”

“No?”

Evangeline looked at Super Ribbon with her head tilted, then sniffed her as if something was wrong.

Super Ribbon was startled at the intrusion. “W-what's wrong with you?”

“That's strange, do you not sense something off? Maybe I'm not feeling well.”

“What's the matter?”

“Nothing. My sense of smell is just weird lately. I keep smelling strange odors.” Frowning slightly, Evangeline shook her head and dropped the subject. “Must be a mistake.”

“Is that so? Dad must be busy, though I was thinking of going back to Tionis to have dinner together today. Since he’s out, it looks like we'll have to go by ourselves.”

“Yeah... but when did you start calling him Dad?”

“Huh? Oh, I just wanted to call him more affectionately. You know, ‘Father’ is too stiff.”

Evangeline felt a sense of deja vu once again from the brightly smiling Super Ribbon. “It’s just doesn't make sense...”

“What's wrong?”

“Nothing. I must’ve slept badly...” No matter how much she tried to think, nothing came to mind. Evangeline slowly turned her head, holding her throbbing head and groaning, “Huh. I keep getting headaches...”

“You should eat something and get some rest, Eva. Rest here for the day. Any dimensional travel might put a strain on you.”

“Okay...” She felt like she was constantly forgetting something in her mind, but she couldn’t figure it out.

Unfortunately for her, she didn’t see Super Ribbon slyly smile after turning around.

* * *

The interrogation room was covered in blood. It was an absolute departure from any and all procedures or experiences the officials were familiar with.

“What a mess...” That was the first thought that came to Davey's mind.

“I think I can feel some malice from the blood...” Perserque, perched on his shoulder, covered her nose with the back of her hand and frowned.

“How was he when he was discovered?” Davey asked an officer.

“We only briefly brought him here for questioning. Then, we left the room for about ten minutes for an important matter.”

“You left the subject alone for ten minutes?”

“We thought it wouldn't be a problem since there are surveillance cameras and, as you can see, a mirror is installed here. Anyone could come back and keep an eye on him in secrecy if necessary.”

However, that was their misconception. Such wishful thinking was also why the intelligence agency of the Korean government requested Davey's help with the investigation.

“Just ten minutes, eh? In ten minutes, they disabled the mirror and camera and broke in. In that short time, they brutally murdered the target... This is no simple murder.”

“Yes. Our investigation picked up on a massive amount of mana in the area.”

Davey stroked his chin with one hand.

‘What could’ve been the motive? To silence him?’

That would generally be the safest assumption, but he had a hunch that things weren't so simple this time.

“Davey, this is a crime of hatred.”

“I know.”

“It certainly looks that way, but we think it could be a cover,” the intelligence officer added.

Davey was intrigued. “A cover?”

“Yes. Covering it as a hate crime to conceal the true intention. In fact, there are only a few assassins on Earth who can handle a job so covertly.”

Facing the culprit’s superior skill, even the Korean intelligence services had found it difficult to dig up any clues.

“Davey, we should read the area’s memory first.”

“We should.” Davey thought he should start by reading the memories of the Earth spirit present in the room. Gnoass’s power could easily break down any clumsy disguise and reproduce the memories in their purest form.

Davey immediately gathered his spirit mana to read the memory.

However, things didn't go as planned.

“Hmm?”

“Davey?”

“The memory has been erased. Did they use a spirit-type power?”

“We need to summon Gnoass,” Perserque insisted.

“We definitely should,” Davey acknowledged before turning to the man next to him. “Excuse me, sir. Please hold onto something around you, as there might be a little shaking.”

“Yes? Oh, right!”

Ignoring the flustered agent, Davey put his hand on the ground. His spirit mana began to surge, and the surrounding area was filled with immense reverberations of power.

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!

Gnoass, the Earth Spirit King, was the first Spirit King Davey contracted with, as well as his most reliable spirit.

Gnoass caused massive tremors once it appeared.

Rumble. Rumble.

The shaking, after rattling the area for a while, suddenly stopped as if it never happened.

Soon enough, the ground warped, and a small human made of dirt, no bigger than a palm, appeared.

[You rarely summon me, Contractor.]

“Isn't it a good thing that there aren't urgent situations that require summoning you?”

[I told you to summon me occasionally.]

“Enough. Let's try to restore the erased memory here first.”

Gnoass sighed with apparent displeasure. Still, as a Spirit King, it quickly sucked it up and began to establish control over the surroundings.

However.

[Contractor.]

“Did you find it?”

[There are no memories.]

“What?” Davey’s eyes widened at the unexpected answer. “What does that mean, ‘no memories’? Can't they be restored?”

[That's not it. It's as if the memory was swallowed whole. You cannot restore what is not there. This is like...]

“What is it like?”

[It seems like that Predatory Assimilation ability you possess.]

Davey saw the agent behind him flinch at those words. It was obvious what he was thinking, Davey didn’t even need to hear him say it out loud.

“Surely... you didn't kill him?” the agent spoke in a trembling voice.

“If that were the case, I wouldn't have come here and brought out Gnoass,” Davey reassured him.

“But... I've never heard of an Awakened individual capable of deceiving you.” The agent immediately covered his mouth. “I misspoke. I apologize.”

“I understand that you can be suspicious, but keep it in check,” Davey reminded him.

[It's not a matter of restoration. It's definitely your Predatory Assimilation ability.]

Davey closed his eyes and thought about the possibility.

Someone had brutally murdered the terrorist. To be honest, that part didn't matter. The problem was that Predatory Assimilation had been used by the culprit to erase their traces.

While there were many directions for an Awakened individual to specialize in, out of all the powers, he found it inconceivable that there could ever be an individual who awakened with his Predatory Assimilation ability.

If there were, there was no way he wouldn’t know about it.

“Any other clues?” Davey asked, left at a loss.

[None. The traces were erased too cleanly.]

If the spirit's memory was erased, the only option was to find the clues himself.

Davey turned to the agent. “Can I see the body?” 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

“Yes? Uh. But... alright, I understand. I’ll make a request to my superiors and then take you over.”

The agent seemed to think there would be no harm in showing, so he made a call somewhere and soon guided Davey to the morgue.

Thud!

The door of the refrigerated mortuary opened. Once they entered and the agent pulled off the white sheet covering the body, Perserque and Davey's eyes widened.

“What the...”

“My goodness!”

“Why... what’s the matter?” The agent seemed utterly unaware of why the two were reacting that way.

However, the two had noticed the traces left on the corpse immediately.

“Davey...” Perserque began with nervousness.

“It really is Predatory Assimilation,” he muttered.

The power that was supposed to belong to Davey alone still lingered in the man's corpse.

“Let the officials know we’re going to have to tighten up and figure this out immediately. A great catastrophe might occur if we mess up.”

“But, why did they not erase all the traces here?” Perserque asked.

Her question was valid. The traces in the interrogation room were perfectly erased, while there were considerable traces remaining on the corpse itself.

In that case, there was only one answer.

“Either it was a spontaneous crime, so the killer had no time to plan carefully, or they were almost interrupted and had to cut things short.”

Judging by the sword marks left on the corpse, Davey felt like it was both.

“Look. The sword marks are random slashes, clearly done out of uncontrolled rage.”