The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 940

“Eek!”

Evangeline flinched at the sheer intensity of Sir Halphas's frenzy. With gleaming eyes, he staggered toward her, extending his hand as though he were a starving man reaching for a precious morsel of sustenance.

Grasping her shoulders, Halphas shouted, “Just for a moment! Just for a brief moment! That... that sword... just—”

Stammering as though he had stumbled upon the discovery of a lifetime, he shouted while spraying spittle, “Quickly!!”

Before he could go any further, someone struck the back of his neck. It was none other than Sir Gandav, who was standing by his side.

“My apologies, Prince. It seems Sir Halphas is rather exhausted.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s natural for a craftsman of his caliber to react this way,” Davey replied calmly.

“Even so...”

“Just tell him to be more careful next time.”

He then shifted his gaze to the securely closed door and narrowed his eyes slightly.

“And the results?”

“As you can see... we failed to secure a path despite our best forging product,” Gandav admitted with a sigh.

Without a word, Davey approached the pedestal meant for the forged item.

Their failure wasn’t anything to criticize.

In truth, among the craftsmen Davey had encountered, Halphas’s skill was unmatched. Yet, he had failed to cross the final barrier, lacking the ultimate potential required to truly shine.

“But boy, his manners...” Davey muttered under his breath, then turned to Evangeline.

He gestured for her to place the sword on the pedestal.

Chiiing!!

The room filled with a resonant hum. A massive gate then began to creak open, revealing the interior.

They were greeted with a dark, semi-circular chamber. Glowing stones were placed regularly along the walls for illumination, bathing the vast interior in light.

But it wasn’t the size of the space or the glowing stones that left everyone speechless.

It was the sight of the countless weapons, armors, and tools on the walls. Although none of them were extraordinarily fresh, their quality surpassed even the legendary mithril sword Halphas had gifted to Emperor Sullivan.

Considering the average craftsmanship level of the continent, the room was a treasure trove beyond imagination. It was as if the room itself was the reward for their struggles up to that point.

The others, eyes gleaming with excitement, rushed forward.

“W-Wait! We must confirm that there are no traps first!” Gandav shouted urgently.

Davey, however, shook his head.

“There are no traps. You can touch them freely.”

“Your Highness?”

“There’s no reason to protect these anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

Davey briefly paused, then spoke mercilessly.

“They’re all failures.”

That was right. Failures.

The weapons stored within were far from worthy of bearing the name of Surtr. Yet, it was clear they were laid out methodically, step by step. The reason was simple.

“Incremental failures.”

“Incremental failures?” Gandav echoed.

“Yes. Surtr gradually addressed each issue he reached on his forging path, making adjustments along the way. Any skilled blacksmith capable of passing the test will immediately recognize the underlying essence of these works.”

Of course, the test didn’t require a legendary sword on the level of Caldeiras. It simply sought a smith capable of imbuing a weapon with a soul—a ludicrously high level of mastery. Any craftsman who reached that point could then study these swords, retrace his countless failed attempts, and extrapolate it to dramatically improve their own skills.

Surtr had arranged this final space with the intention of paving the way for future generations of craftsmen.

“Unbelievable... Even as an amateur, I can tell these weapons are extraordinary...” someone murmured in awe.

“It’s all about perspective.”

“I found it!”

One of the blacksmiths rushed forward toward Gandav and Count Ainz while holding an exquisite sword.

“Is this the so-called masterpiece?”

“Yes, it’s exactly as depicted in the records.”

“Ah, it’s quite decent. It’s a weapon imbued with a soul,” Davey remarked casually.

The blacksmith’s eyes widened. “You can tell just by looking?!”

“It’s basic discernment knowledge for mages...”

Gandalf let out an exasperated sigh. “Well, even so, I can’t see anything.”

The room fell into an uneasy silence. Davey pondered how to respond when a groan broke the stillness. Halphas, who had only just regained consciousness, was crawling toward Evangeline, his eyes wide and desperate. The way he moved with a singular focus implied that he couldn’t have cared less about Surtr’s creations on display.

“I-I need... to see that sword...” he rasped.

“Oh, for crying out loud...” Davey muttered, staring at him with a mix of irritation and disbelief.

Eyes burning with an almost fanatical intensity, he shouted, “Just this once! Just for a moment!”

His desperation was almost pitiful. Evangeline hesitated, considering it before timidly handing her sword Twilight to him.

“Just... Just for a moment, okay?” she said nervously.

“Oh, thank you! Truly, thank you!” he exclaimed.

Drawing Twilight slowly, he inspected it with such focus that he was completely in his own world. His hands trembled as he admired every detail.

“Amazing... simply amazing... I can’t even identify the metal, yet it feels as if it holds a soul. And this seamless curvature, this flawless surface—it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen! The way the internal structure... Ahh! Everything I’ve ever made is garbage!”

His breathing grew ragged as he clutched the sword.

“Ah... Now I can die without regrets.”

Judging purely by its appearance, Twilight was nothing more than a beautifully crafted and sturdy sword. Its true nature only revealed itself when Evangeline wielded it. Yet, for reasons unknown, Halphas seemed to instinctively sense something deeper within the blade.

What he was showing was a phenomenon sometimes experienced by blacksmiths, but only those who were on the verge of mastering the art of imbuing weapons with a soul. The other blacksmiths in the room had simply marveled at the unique forging techniques, failing to perceive the soul-like resonance within the weapon.

After all, Twilight didn’t carry any special magical enhancements. Its true power—aside from the indestructibility and shape-shifting abilities Helixium provided—was something only a dragon could fully unleash.

The shape-shifting ability itself was an unexpected bonus, simply a side effect of his divine power being infused during its creation.

“Do you see it?” Davey asked Halphas.

“What? Ah... hmm, it’s strange. On the surface, it’s definitely just a beautiful sword. The balance is remarkable, and it’s incredibly sturdy...”

“But you feel that there’s more to it.”

Halphas fell silent, his hands trembling as he gazed at the blade.

“If you’ve started to experience that unique sense, you’re ready to cross that final threshold.”

Though he still had a long way to go before reaching the top, most blacksmiths didn’t even have a chance at making it to such a point.

His body shook as he looked down at his hands. “C-Cross the threshold...?”

“Yes—the threshold of imbuing a weapon with a soul. Honestly, you’re still far from achieving the level of a thousand-day blacksmith, but you’re getting there.”

“And you... you’ve achieved that level?”

Davey smirked faintly as he walked past him. “I can’t create a divine sword with its own consciousness, no.”

Instead...

“I’ve developed my own forging style. Honestly, that Twilight isn’t any lesser than a divine sword.”

Twilight was perfectly suited for Evangeline. If she were to test wielding Caldeiras and Twilight, the latter would likely resonate with her more strongly.

While Surtr’s craftsmanship was something not even Davey could match, he had instead mastered a different style of forging that leveraged the magic he had learned.

Halphas bowed his head deeply. “Please... accept my apologies. I’ve been arrogant, despising those I deemed unskilled who entered the workshop. But it was I who was blind.”

“Did something happen in the past?”

Halphas averted his eyes, avoiding the question. It was clearly not a topic he wanted to discuss.

“Well, now that we’ve cleared the labyrinth, let’s gather these relics and head back,” Count Ainz said, clapping his hands to lighten the heavy atmosphere. “The royal family is likely in chaos dealing with the rebels. We must return to assist His Majesty.”

“Rebels? Was there a rebellion?! Who dared to rebel?!” Halphas roared, his shock and outrage evident.

Considering how he had been engrossed in forging throughout the chaos, it wasn’t surprising he was unaware.

“You’ll find out when we return. Let’s go, Sir Halphas.”

As the investigation team prepared for a swift retreat, Davey lingered in the chamber, observing the surroundings. For some reason, he felt a strange sense of déjà vu in the space.

“Daddy! Let’s hurry to accept some missions at the guild! I can’t wait to test out this sword!”

Still staring at the chamber, Davey pointed to a spot on the wall. “Evangeline.”

“Yes?”

“Want to try taking that out?”

Evangeline followed his gaze to the wall, where a large hole had mysteriously appeared.

“Huh? What’s that hole doing—”

Boom!!!

The hole in the wall expanded rapidly before something massive burst out and swallowed Davey whole. The thing that had devoured him at breakneck speed was a magically enhanced sandworm.

An ordinary human would’ve been shredded to pieces by its teeth, their body reduced to tatters. But even as the worm chewed his body, Davey remained unperturbed, only nodding thoughtfully.

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

“It’s been ages since I’ve been swallowed by a sandworm... Not since Hercules threw me underground. But why is there an enhanced sandworm here? These things are usually used as guardians, raised by dragons to protect their treasures.”

Despite the constant chewing, Davey calmly pondered the situation.

“Hey, bite me properly or do something more. This feels even weaker than a natural sandworm’s teeth,” he muttered, casually restoring its pulverized teeth as he laid down and waited patiently.

* * *

Aeria El Lyndis.

Davey’s wife, a member of the ninetails race and a former Princess of the Lyndis Empire, had been in particularly high spirits lately.

It all began when she followed Illyna’s advice and started playing an online game. She had made a close friend in one of her matches as well.

Having her first casual, down-to-earth friend was a new and thrilling experience for her, and she quickly became enamored with the dynamic. With no prior experience, she didn’t have the keen senses to discern whether to restrain herself around others; she became close in no time.

Her new friend was the same age as her—still a minor—but their friendship was undeniable. Despite her friend’s slightly timid nature, Aeria didn’t mind—it mirrored her own personality.

“Aeria, are you heading out today?” Illyna asked as she helped Aeria tidy her hair.

“Yes, Illyna!”

“Do you want me to come with you, just in case?”

“No, it’s okay. I’m just meeting a friend.”

“Hm... What do you think about this whole thing, Perserque? Aren’t you even a little worried?”

“Overprotection isn’t good,” Perserque quipped, not looking up from the novel she was engrossed in. She smirked mischievously. “But still, be careful. You never know when annoying flies might show up.”

“Got it!” Aeria replied, chuckling softly. She then stood, ready to leave.

Having decided to be tourists, they had dressed themselves to blend in with the ordinary people on Earth. They tried to hide the fact that they were from Tionis as much as possible.

Aeria had magically dyed her teal hair to avoid drawing attention, even concealing her ears and tail through magic as well.

“I’ll keep an eye on Darian. You go have fun,” Perserque added.

“Yes!”

This was her first real friend, after all. Clutching her bag, Aeria eagerly hurried to the meeting spot. Though the sun was setting, she wasn’t worried—she planned to have just a quick chat.

It was then.

“Hey, you think I’m joking, you little fucking bitch?!”

Thud!!

As she neared the meeting place, her sharp hearing caught the sound of someone’s cold, venomous voice.

“I-I’m sorry! Please, just leave me alone today!”

“Hah. Funny, aren’t you? You bitch. Right, guys?”

Thud!! Thud!!

Aeria instinctively moved toward the source of the commotion out of worry. Sometimes, instincts were scarier than logic.