The Max Level Hero Has Returned!
chapter-577

Confusion rippled through the assembled group at the sudden question.

"Hundreds, perhaps thousands of evil monsters await my command, barely suppressing their hunger and desire for destruction. Your opponents will be these monsters, not me. While their individual power may not be all that, dealing with all of you should pose no challenge."

Her declaration did not elicit any angry reaction. Instead, it only earned eerie silence, for she wielded undeniable power, and her words carried staggering revelations.

"That... That can't be!"

"Now that your curiosity is satisfied, it's time for you to meet your end."

The smile instantly vanished from her face, replaced by a chilling aura. Before anyone could react, she retrieved a small flute from between her breasts and blew it powerfully.

Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!

Everyone was aware that this object was used to summon and command the evil monsters. Kwak Joon-Seong, now disarmed, and Han Ja-Seong, the youngest disciple of the Heavenrend Sect, quickly scanned the dark cave, sweating profusely in tense anxiety.

Thud thud… Thud thud thud!!!

Their vigilance turned to horror. Grim figures, seemingly a hundred of them, crawled out from within the dark cave. These single-eyed evil monsters with sharp protruding beaks were as fearsome in reality as the rumors suggested. The sight of them could make anyone's legs tremble in terror.

"D-Don't panic! We can handle them if we stay calm!" Han Ji-Wook urgently shouted, but it did nothing to ease the militia members’ agitation.

"Now. Take them down," the red-haired woman said resolutely.

The evil monsters commenced their attack amidst a dreadful cacophony of screams.

***

"Be sure you capture a good shot,"Davey instructed the jiangshi, cradling Perserque in his arms against the breathtaking cave backdrop.

The White Wraith Jiangshi seemed momentarily dazed as it looked at Davey, but then it raised the recording device, which produced a clicking sound.

"Ah, good. It's nice when you listen. Perhaps I'll take one along on my way out."

"Davey, no matter how you look at it, it appears that many people have fallen victim to that jiangshi."

"If not for that guy, who would be following us around taking pictures?"

"I don't quite like it."

In response to her words, the White Wraith collapsed and began to disintegrate.

Whoooooosh…

Simultaneously, the part of its body Davey had pointed crumbled into dust.

"If you find it disagreeable, I'll simply get rid of it."

Since the White Wraith was already a deceased being, the moment it met Davey’s gaze, it was destined to exist and disappear according to his will. No matter how meticulously it was crafted and what hardships its creator went through, in the end, it was nothing more than a puppet.

To control a jiangshi solely using martial arts, one would need techniques from the realms of sorcery. In other words, to subdue a rampaging jiangshi, one had to apply a talisman to its forehead, chant spells for several days, and keep it suppressed until gaining control. In that regard, the methods of controlling a jiangshi were significantly more effective with devil mana.

However, that did not mean qi was inferior to mana. It was able to enhance the human body in refined and minute ways, and it made possible far more varied applications than mana—acupoint techniques, movement arts, and so on.

It wasn’t like infusing mana into one’s body to enhance it. Using mana, it was impossible to achieve that natural, water-like movement that was the result of high-level qi cultivation. Amplifying physical performance by taking the body as one big whole was nowhere near as effective as strengthening each separate muscle and acupoint using qi.

"Maybe next time, I'll try using psychokinesis or some magic."

It would’ve been more convenient for them to have the jiangshi following them around, but Davey only looked silently at Perserque, who had her gaze on him while the jiangshi completely disappeared.

"What?"

"Why not just let me down now?"

"Ah. Just enjoy it a bit longer."

"Davey!"

"So what? Nobody's here to see. And who cares if somebody does see us?”"

As Davey responded nonchalantly, her lips inevitably caught his eyes.

"Don't get closer."

As if Perserque could read his thoughts, her pale, slender hand immediately reached out to prevent his mouth from getting any closer.

"It's not good to do this outside, Davey."

"Who’s going to see?"

Clang!! Crash!!

Screeeeeech...

"Oh, I suppose that someone is going to see."

Annoyed, Davey turned his head toward the loud commotion coming from a spot not too far below. He noticed a small opening that, upon closer observation, ended up being the entrance of what looked like a giant ant tunnel.

As he reached the end of the tunnel, Davey could see the scene that was currently unfolding. Surrounded by numerous evil monsters, a number of people were desperately brandishing their weapons, and Davey was able to recognize two men among them The first one was Han Ja-Seong, the young man Davey had rescued on his way here, and the other was the young master of the Gongdong Faction who had been quarreling with Oh Bak-Sae

The young master of the Gongdong Faction was using some barehanded fighting techniques, but he seemed quite inept. He was probably a swordsman and it seemed that he had lost his sword. Davey could also see a familiar woman looking leisurely at them.

"Isn't that the woman I knocked out?"

"Yeah, that’s her."

Davey regretted sparing her life without knowing her circumstances. However, killing a random person would have been an equally impulsive decision.

Even though he was barely dealing with his own problems right now, Kwak Jeon-Seong somehow discovered Perserque and shouted at her, "Ah! Miss!"

"Ack!"

Realizing his mistake, Kwak Joon-Seongcovered his mouth with a flushed face, but it was too late.

"Capture them as well."

The red-haired woman directed evil monsters to approach Davey, her amusement unmistakable in her seductive smile. Evidently, the red-haired woman had no idea that Davey was the one who had knocked her unconscious.

A look of defeat painted the militia members' faces as they saw Perserque and Davey being surrounded. And then…

"Oooh!!! Miss! I, Kwak Joon-Seong, the second disciple of the Gongdong Faction, shall protect you!!"

With seemingly newfound confidence, he quickly reached Perserque, who had slipped from Davey’s hold, and grabbed her hand. It was as if the clumsy movement he had displayed earlier was nothing but an act. He dragged her away, somehow failing to notice her dumbfounded expression.

Immediately, Davey lightly gripped the arm of a nearby evil monster and kicked the monster away.

Crack!!!

The arm was gruesomely torn off, and Davey used it as a club to strike the back of Kwak Joon-Seong's head as he attempted to escape.

Bang!!!

With a resounding noise, too substantial to be dismissed as a mere collision between the monster's arm and a person, Kwak Joon-Seong was propelled through the air like a cannonball, causing him to collide with the horde of evil monsters. The bizarre scene astonished everyone.

Kwak Joon-Seong, the evil monsters that were caught in the collision, and even those nearby— they all gaped at Davey in stunned silence.

"You really don’t know what’s good for you. To think you dare to mess with another man's wife," Davey explained, but he did not earn a single response.

He turned toward the quiet crowd, brandishing the arm of the monster he was holding like a club.

Whack!!!!

The unexpected strike crushed the head of the monster, sending it flying.

"Why are you all looking like that?"

One of the militia members muttered with a flabbergasted expression, "Goddamn it, what the fuck did I just see?"

His question seemed to reflect what everyone else had in their mind.

“I’m just trying to enjoy a honeymoon, so why are there so many problems? It seems like it’s dangerous here, so don’t do anything stupid and go back to where you came from,” Davey said, holding Perserque in his arms.

“Stop! It’s dangerous here! Everyone came to rescue you two!” Han Ja-Seong shouted, making Davey halt.

“Me? Why?”

“Don’t you see what’s in front of you right now? It’s too dangero—!”

Suddenly, one of the evil monsters attacked the back of Davey’s head with its sharp claws.

‘Ah, so this is a dangerous attack,’ Davey thought.

However, everyone fell silent once more as they watched the scene that was unraveling before them. Davey didn't even bother turning his head around to see the attack, but he was still able to effortlessly avoid it. He then grabbed the evil monster’s neck and threw it into the air.

A red aura glowed around Davey’s fist, and as the monster fell, Davey launched his attack.

[Heavenly Destroyer]

[Dark Lightning]

Boom!!!

Red lightning illuminated the surroundings and it killed all the other evil monsters immediately.

“What danger?”

Han Ja-Seong was at a loss for words at Davey’s question, so it took him a moment before he could even form a response. “What the fuck did I just see?”

‘Do you guys only know that phrase?’ Davey thought.

***

The abrupt turn of events rendered everyone into complete silence. While evil monsters might not pose the catastrophic threat level of the White Wraith Jiangshi, they were certainly no trivial entities. Each one was as dangerous as a monster straight from the depths of hell, a menace beyond the capabilities of ordinary individuals.

And yet, Davey showcased formidable external martial skills despite his seeming lack of command over qi. His physical prowess hinted at rigorous training, contrasting with the absence of qi emanating from him. The youngster had effortlessly dispatched the evil monsters, a red lightning bolt circling his fist as if the encounter was nothing more than child's play.

The red-haired woman ran her hand through her hair in irritation. "Ah... It seems you have greatly underestimated me."

"Seems to me like you're the one underestimating others."

The remaining monsters closed in on Davey.

"You're claiming I underestimate you?"

"Do you not recognize me?" Davey asked.

"Pfft. Why should I?"

The woman’s retort stirred Davey's penchant for sarcasm. However, now that he thought about it, it made sense.

"Right. You must have observed something to form an opinion, haven't you? That's why I say you're underestimating people. You'd have been more cautious if you had encountered something beyond your comprehension."

Annoyed by his seemingly mocking words, the red-haired woman quickly lifted one arm, rolling up her sleeve. Then, with an irritated expression, she pressed a blade against her thin, pale arm and slowly dragged it across her skin.

Drip... Drip...

Crimson droplets spilled in a slow rivulet.

"Fine. Let's stop joking around. I'll summon the souls and the White Wraith Jiangshi to erase all of you."

[O restrained demonic beast, O White Wraith Jiangshi born from a hundred tormented souls…] The red-haired woman coldly chanted a spell.

She could have taken out her weapon and gone for a direct clash, but her instincts warned her against it. For some reason, this youngster who barely had a drop of qi made her feel strangely unsettled.

“D-demonic beast and White Wraith Jiangshi?!” Han Ji-Wook exclaimed in alarm.

The woman answered in an icy voice, "Yes. The Frost Tiger is the ultimate being in this place. You will find out that the power of these creatures is not to be taken lightly, so look forward to it."

Soon enough, a massive tremor would mark the arrival of the monstrous creature. And the White Wraith, now hunting humans outside, would quickly return as well. It was nothing more than a corpse, but it had enough strength to threaten even the highest-level masters all on its own.

These words made everyone stiffen.

In the tense silence, Davey slowly raised his hand. "Excuse me."

"..."

"Is this the tiger thing you mentioned?"

With complete nonchalance, Davey took out something from his pocket and tossed it at the red-haired woman, causing her eyes to widen as if they were about to pop out.

What Davey had thrown before her was a frozen fang of a beast. Something like that could not possibly come from an ordinary beast, which made it clear that the fang belonged precisely to the formidable monster that was supposed to be lurking somewhere in this cave.

"You... You're lying. What deception is this!"

"And if the so-called White Wraith Jiangshi is what I think it is…" Davey sighed. "It seems the level of people here has gotten ridiculously low now that the Heavenly Destroyer is dead."

Davey sounded like he was lamenting, but he then smirked as if he had just remembered a good joke.

"Oh, but your creature was pretty awesome. I even got the tiger fur as a souvenir."

With those words, he pushed his hand into the air, alarming everyone. Then, as he withdrew his hand, they stared aghast once more at what he brought out.

In his hand, Davey held a giant tiger fur glowing blue. Since taking a tiger's hide just to make a coat would make him feel guilty, this one could become his wife’s new tiger coat instead; it was an unexpected boon, all thanks to the red-haired woman.