The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

[Hey, what did you do to Illyna’s body?]

“What do you mean? There are three major meridians in the body: the lower, middle, and upper meridians. There\'s also one in the brain that can be widened and manipulated. However, that doesn\'t align with Illyna, who mastered the Long Sword.”

Doing something to the meridian in the brain was actually impossible unless it was an extraordinary case, similar to Davey\'s own experience. In fact, Davey didn\'t know how it was made possible, but at that time, he felt like he had died once.

Essentially, apart from the exceptional quartet—Odin, Hypocria, Rho Aias, and Daphne—that modified his body, there was no one else, including Davey, skilled at expanding the meridians and blood vessels in the body.

[Are you crazy? Just one wrong move and…]

“That\'s not an issue. Didn\'t you know that she would have died even if I hadn\'t done anything if we had started to tamper with her brain?”

[So, you did something to your brain?]

Davey chuckled bitterly at Caldeiras’ question.

[Aaaaaaaaaack!!! Spare me!!! I was wrong!!!]

[Enough! Stay still, you reckless and impudent fool! Do you think I\'m here just to watch your back?]

[I\'m sorry, Davey. Even if it hurts, please bear with us!]

[No, I told you I don\'t want to do it!!!]

[Shut your trap before I put a Hellfire directly onto your brain. Do you think we\'re going to kill you, huh?]

[You\'re going to kill me, right? You\'re going to kill me. This is insane…]

[There, all done! I have put him under anesthesia. Do it quickly!]

During that time, Daphne kept yelling at Davey while Rho Aias frowned, desperately trying to control his body. Odin assisted the two and subdued his wild mana. As for God Hypocria, she chose not to directly interfere with Davey, instead stabilizing his body with medicine and administering anesthesia through a device when necessary.

It took them months and years to complete this overwhelmingly frightening task. The men in the Hall were too scared to even come near the area where they worked. Later, they left Davey this comment:

[The crazy quartet actually chose to experiment on you... I am grateful that you became the subject for their clinical trial in my place. Hic! So, today, let’s have a drink… Hic! What was I saying?]

Even Dokgo Jun, known for his domineering and arrogant personality, patted Davey on the back and thanked him for his hard work, offering him a glass of his cherished liquor. This spoke volumes about how crazy and difficult that time was.

Compared to that? This was nothing but a mere child’s prank. Even so...

“This is more than I expected,” Davey remarked.

He had anticipated an increase in mana within Illyna’s body. However, as her mana surged, her latent talent reawakened, hinting at her potential to eventually join the exclusive ranks of the continent’s complete Sword Saints.

Who were the other two? None other than Reina and Davey himself.

While the Firefox, Grand Duchess Kathryn Carabella, could mimic sword manipulation to some extent, her progress toward becoming a Sword Saint was limited. Crossing that threshold seemed improbable in her lifetime.

Reina had only just begun her journey toward becoming a Sword Saint, so her mastery remained confined to techniques she already knew. Compared to Davey, who had endured excruciating pain and could control thousands of swords, Reina’s abilities were restricted to handling two swords, even with her utmost effort at imitation.

“U-Ugh… What’s that smell…” Illyna muttered, noticing the state of her clothes. Though modest in style, her attire was crafted from luxurious materials.

“My god…”

“Awake?” Davey inquired.

“Davey, what happened?” Illyna asked.

“I removed all the waste from your body and fortified your vessels and meridians. That’s why there’s an unusual smell,” Davey explained.

Blushing, Illyna frowned at the sticky residue on her clothes. “I loved this outfit…”

“You should have undressed before the procedure,” Davey remarked.

“Davey!”

“Stop screaming. My ears are ringing,” Davey said calmly, conjuring dark mana, enveloping the area, and summoning water pouches that he dispersed.

“Discard your clothes. Once they’re contaminated, you’ll struggle to clean them without special medicine,” Davey advised.

“Urghhh…” Illyna groaned, stripping off her soiled clothes as Davey averted his gaze.

“Don’t worry, the smell will wash off easily from your body,” Davey assured, offering a soap from his Pocket Plane to Undine.

The water spirit appeared distressed, yet she accepted the soap and consumed it before wrapping herself around Illyna. With the sound of trickling water in the air, Undine swiftly cleansed Illyna’s naked body, removing the unpleasant waste and revealing her flawless skin, all thanks to Undine’s efforts.

Swoosh—

Afterward, Davey retrieved a men’s shirt from his Pocket Plane and handed it to Illyna, who, with a flushed face, slowly slipped it on.

"That... Feels a bit breezy down there," Illyna remarked.

"I only have men’s underwear. Would you like to wear that?" Davey offered.

"...Please."

While some might refuse, Illyna seemed more concerned about wearing just a single shirt than the idea of men’s underwear. After donning the black men’s underwear Davey provided, Illyna knelt on the ground and sighed.

"Anyone who sees me will think I\'ve done something wrong."

"Your body?"

"I feel very refreshed. My mana has increased. And most of all..." Illyna lifted her hand toward Caldeiras, which was propped against the wall a short distance away. Caldeiras shook as if responding to her call. "So, this is the sword manipulation you were talking about... Perhaps I can do it now too."

Claiming sudden mastery over sword manipulation solely due to increased mana would normally be nonsensical. However, in Illyna\'s case, it seemed more accurate to say that she couldn\'t use sword manipulation previously due to insufficient mana. Now equipped with enough mana, it had become possible for her.

"Your talent is even more extraordinary than I thought."

"Pfft..." Illyna chuckled, smiling as if she found Davey’s words delightful.

Perhaps due to her body\'s purge of waste, her skin appeared fairer, almost glowing, enhancing her radiant smile. She resembled a beautiful flower blossoming under the sun, fitting for one of the Six Beauties. Clearly, she hadn’t earned that title for nothing.

Illyna stood and hugged Davey, resting her head on his back. "Thank you, Davey. You\'ve been a tremendous help."

"It\'s nothing. No need for unnecessary words," Davey replied, producing a robe to cover her.

Quickly wrapping herself in the robe, Illyna asked, "But...how do we leave here?"

Davey shook his head. "I\'m not leaving. Now that the dark mages we were supposed to apprehend have perished at the hands of the Death Knight, I must attend to what brought me here."

"What brought you here?"

"Yes. I\'m heading to the Demon World through the passage connected to this realm, located at the end of the underground mountain range."

Illyna seemed stunned by Davey’s revelation, staring at him incredulously before letting out a disbelieving laugh. "Wait, did I hear that right?"

"You did. I’m going to the Demon World."

"You... You\'re truly doing everything!" she exclaimed in disbelief. "No human in the continent could survive whatever it is you intend to do."

"There’s nothing I can\'t handle," Davey chuckled, drawing on dark magic and cautioning the unseen presence observing them. "I’ve kept you waiting for too long. Just wait for me."

There was no response, but Davey didn’t need confirmation. He had already sensed the peculiar thread of devilish mana connected to this place from the start.

Raising his hand toward the wall, Davey refrained from dispelling the magic, wanting to trace its source. With time now available, he swiftly pinpointed the mysterious entity’s location and directed his raised hand toward it.

[7th Circle Elemental Magic]

[Tempest Bullet]

A tempest swirled at the tip of Davey\'s fingers, coalescing into a bullet that he unleashed without a moment\'s pause. A black barrier materialized to counteract the incoming magic. Yet, the Tempest Bullet effortlessly shattered the barrier, piercing through it and obliterating the bedrock beyond.

Rumbleeeeee—

The walls trembled and then collapsed, unveiling the true interior: a vast cave.

“My god…” Illyna gasped.

Within a section of the cave, bright red, bubbling magma flowed.

“This is…inside the subterranean mountain ranges,” Davey noted.

“I believe this is the lower level,” he added.

The lower floor was swarmed with monsters. Given the multitude of creatures, experts or masters, traversing this area, Davey deduced they were likely on the lowest level or nearby.

Randomly breaking through a wall, Davey followed the lingering traces of dark magic in the air, seemingly without the need for intricate turns or getting lost.

“Davey?! There’s magma below?!” Illyna exclaimed.

“Don’t worry. Just follow me,” Davey reassured, seizing Illyna’s arm and leaping into the sea of lava.

“I-I don’t want to die yet… Kyaaaaaaaack?!” Illyna shrieked.

Even Sword Master-level beings would perish if they fell into magma. However, there was no cause for concern.

‘Hands are quicker than the eyes... No, that\'s not it.’

In an instant, Illyna’s mana surged, enveloping her body and moving as if it possessed a life of its own.

“The Millennium Pill grants extreme resistance against fire and water attributes. When consumed properly, it generally renders someone invincible. It’s akin to near-perfect resistance to ice and fire,” Davey explained.

“What... What?!” Illyna exclaimed.

However, it wasn’t flawless and only effective up to a certain level.

“Just so you know, you need to be adept at manipulating and controlling your mana. Even though your body might become invulnerable, it’s not foolproof. You must manage yourself well, as your mana will continue to deplete,” Davey cautioned.

“D-Daveeeeeeeeeeeey!!!” Illyna cried out.

Magma held incredible density. The moment Davey landed on it, he sent a powerful shockwave. Meanwhile, Illyna, who had been dragged along, was astounded to find her feet unharmed despite touching the gurgling magma.

‘Ah. Her body might be invincible, but the same doesn’t hold for her clothes.’

Illyna frantically tried to extinguish the fire with one hand as the hem of her robes immediately caught ablaze.

“This... This is shameful!” she exclaimed.

Adhering to the custom of not exposing her ankle or calf, Illyna felt deeply embarrassed by these parts being revealed.

“Ah. Who’s even going to claim they saw your legs?” Davey retorted.

“You’re the only one that’s weird!!!”

“In my eyes, the morals and etiquettes of this world are the ones that are weird.”

Why was it acceptable to show their backs but not their calves? It seemed absurd to Illyna.

“You should follow Rinne’s example.”

“Hiiiik!”

With red eyes flashing in the magma\'s glow, Davey swiftly dragged Illyna toward the walls, where a gigantic fish-like creature suddenly lunged with its mouth wide open, as if aiming to swallow her whole.

“Wow, the magma fish is enormous.”

Ordinarily, magma fish would reach lengths of about two meters. However, this one that leaped out measured at least ten to fifteen meters.

“Davey! Behind you!”

“Did you eat radioactive materials too?!”

Davey embraced Illyna and skillfully maneuvered his feet to stick to the walls. Then, using the fish\'s head as a springboard, he executed a powerful attack, cracking the creature\'s tough skin with a meteor-like strike. After delivering a fatal blow, Davey leaped back to the walls.

In a fleeting moment, Davey spotted someone observing them from above the river of lava—a dark mage in a black robe emitting the earlier dark magic. It was the target he sought.

Like a rocket, Davey propelled himself from the river of lava, entering a hole in the cave wall. Swiftly pushing Illyna aside, he pursued the black-robed man who immediately fled upon seeing Davey. But Davey was faster, delivering a punch straight to the man’s solar plexus.

Crack!!!

Instead of the expected sound of flesh being hit, they heard something solid shattering into pieces.

“Keheok!!! W-Wait!!! My bone got hit!” the man shrieked, doubling over in pain.

Davey pulled the hood of his robe and murmured, “A lich?”

‘Huh? Did I hit a bone?’

“…”

Davey maintained his silence before raising his fist once more.

“H-Heok?! Wait, wait a moment!” the lich pleaded, fear flashing in his eyes.

Despite the lich\'s protests, Davey struck him on the shoulder without hesitation.

“Keuaaaaaaack!!! My bone!!! My bone got hit!!!” the lich cried out in agony.

Observing the lich\'s odd behavior after enduring Davey’s actions, Illyna remarked, “No... You only have bones left, so there’s nothing else to be hit but your bones, right?”

Davey wholeheartedly agreed with Illyna\'s assessment.

“You, what are you?”