The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

The first god with emotions, Willow, had emerged. They were the Goddess of Harmony, a transcendental being born from Goddess Freyja’s high-level authority going haywire.

Of course, there were several ways to explain what had led to such a result, but one thing remained clear upon consideration—the position of a goddess was definitely not all sunshine and rainbows.

The flowing white winged dress Willow wore, which was practically her symbol, lightly fluttered. She gently waved her hands in the air. While it might’ve looked like a pointless gesture, the shimmering light which appeared before her proved otherwise.

“I hate this...” she said in a tearful, hollow voice.

Perhaps because she had been resurrected as a goddess her weeping had become more sacred, making her look extremely delicate at first glance.

“How long do I have to keep doing this crap...”

Her choice of words was particularly crude, but that was to be expected.

“I didn’t wake up just to make it rain or snow...” she mumbled while sneaking glances at the being beside her.

Smack! Smack!

The beautiful being beside her wore an expressionless face, and was smacking a slender stick against one of the pillars of the sacred temple. It was none other than Goddess Freyja, the Primordial God of Creation.

The slapping sound was her silent warning that Willow would be punished if she didn’t do it right.

“Ugh, fine! I’ll do it!” she finally relented.

Only then did Goddess Freyja seem satisfied, lowering the stick and crossing her arms.

Willow, still teary-eyed, started waving her hand again.

She wanted to quit right there and then, go down to middle earth, and spend time with her family. However, since she had become a goddess due to Davey's poor control of his authority, there were fundamental duties and restrictions she had to follow.

It was fun at first. She’d thought she could boss Davey around, since she was technically his superior.

However, things turned out woefully different from her expectations.

Willow had the level of a god, yet was not a complete divinity, and thus couldn’t exercise authority over the fully divine Davey in any way.

In the end, she was saddled with a massive obligation and zero returns.

She had screamed that she didn't care about being a goddess, and proclaimed that they could take it all away instead, but all she was left with was Goddess Freyja's strict guidance.

What truly infuriated her was the raw deal of her change in existence. She was resurrected not merely as the ego of a sword, but as a goddess. In other words, she couldn't easily descend to middle earth like the other heroes in the Saint Sanctuary.

Those bound to this place, excluding the special case of Goddess Freyja, couldn’t recklessly manifest or interfere with the world.

Recognizing the pressing issue, Davey had gone down to middle earth to solve the problem.

Willow, who was suppressing a massive downpour occurring in a specific dimension using her authority, asked, “I... I really can’t go down?

“My dad promised me that we’d go eat delicious food and play together...”

The goddess simply gazed at Willow.

“I... can’t go down?”

Well, she had the vague notion that she probably could if she really wanted. Sure, it’d take more effort than the heroes had to put in, but it would likely allow her to manifest for a very short time. Albeit, most of her power would be sealed.

It frustrated Willow to no end. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

“This isn’t what I wanted! Why does it have to be me, of all people...” she cried between sobs.

The Goddess slowly approached, gave her a hug, and patted her back. She didn’t say a word, but for some reason, Willow felt a sense of peace wash over her.

Nonetheless, she complained, “Don’t just comfort me, give me a solution! What did I do wrong to deserve this?!”

After suffering for so long, she had finally been saved, only to be left to watch from afar all over again. It felt incredibly unfair.

However, there was so much that needed to be done, and the situation was what it was.

She figured she just had to be satisfied that she could at least see him occasionally.

Thinking about it, she felt like crying again.

* * *

“Should I tell everyone or not...” Separate from what was happening with Willow, Davey had run into another issue. “I probably should. There’s no reason to hide it.”

“You’re right, Father.”

Since Perserque and Super Ribbon were the only ones who knew the details about Willow, he needed to let the others know so they weren't out of the loop.

“But where do I even start...” he mumbled with a sigh.

“Just tell them everything without hiding anything. Even though it’s not the best ending, they'll understand.”

After all, in the end, Willow did manage to gain a new life.

“More importantly, can she really not come down?” Super Ribbon asked in a depressed voice.

Delivering the news about her existence was one thing, but the fact that she had become a goddess who couldn’t leave the Saint Sanctuary was another.

Super Ribbon especially seemed to be focusing more on that caveat.

“It’s not that she can’t come down at all,” Davey assured her. “She might be able to briefly manifest herself for short periods.”

Even though she was a divinity with emotions, a god was still a god, so manifesting in the mortal world would undoubtedly carry massive repercussions.

Unless she was a special case like Woochi, it wouldn't be easy for her to come down whenever she pleased.

“I’ll have to think about that part more.”

After all, it was ultimately his fault that she became a goddess.

He really didn’t know what to do. Frankly, there was nothing he could do.

However, he also thought it was a relief that she hadn’t become a god burdened with restrictions like Neltarid or Thanatos.

‘Perhaps Goddess Freyja specifically chose Willow to be the first case of a new form of God.’

He couldn't afford to waste time pondering—not when he knew Willow was longing for him in the Saint Sanctuary.

He had returned to Heins Territory after three long years. Although the buildings felt familiar, he couldn't deny the abstract feeling of the passage of time. He needed to hurry back to the people who had been left worrying about him when he disappeared without a word.

“Davey?”

The first people he met were Yuria and Aeria. Carrying Darian and Abel, Aeria shot up the moment she saw him and rushed over, throwing herself into his arms.

“Where’d you go all this time?!”

Seeing her uncharacteristically angry, he didn't need to ask to know how much she had worried. “I’m sorry.”

“Seriously, leaving just a single letter... Did you even think about the people who were waiting for you?”

Since he usually shared his departures, it seemed she had been especially worried this time. After all, he had not said anything at all about what had been going on.

Yuria was similarly overjoyed. “Gracious Savior! You’ve returned?”

“Yes. Was everything alright here?”

“How could it be alright? Everyone was in a panic because you suddenly vanished. Miss Evangeline was so worried...” Yuria smiled leisurely and started talking about Evangeline.

Evangeline, who had sensed Willow's existence earlier than him, had apparently worried greatly that something terrible had happened to him after his pursuit. If so, it would've been all her fault.

“What about the others? How are they?”

“They’re all inside. Should I call them over?”

“Yes. Please do.”

Yuria quietly bowed her head and disappeared.

Davey got back to the task at hand. Only after he soothed Aeria, who refused to leave his embrace, could he meet the others.

Excluding those who waited silently, most of them had been quite worried and up in arms about him.

The most frantic among them was Reina. As a being subservient to him, she was sensitive to his emotional changes. With his mental state constantly crumbling because of Willow, she seemed to have been deeply affected.

“If you had come back even a little later, things would’ve really gone off the rails. There's a limit to how much I can stop everyone going crazy, and honestly, I was getting worried too...” Illyna glared at Davey, snapping at him with displeasure. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Just words?” She grabbed his collar and looked up at him, wearing a look of dissatisfaction. “I barely stopped the two of them from tearing open a dimension to find you!”

Evangeline, standing nearby, shook her head with a tired expression.

Reina, synchronized with his emotions, had gone berserk. Illyna had then matched her energy.

Since Perserque, who’d normally have stopped them, was operating separately, there was probably no one there to hold the two back.

“More importantly, Dad—who was it?”

Facing her question, he contemplated for a long time on how to explain.

Just then.

The space next to him tore open, and a pretty black-haired girl in a flowing winged dress screamed, “Dad! Save me! I seriously feel like I’m going to die!”

When she screamed and reached out a hand toward him, he instinctively reached back out for her.

‘What in the world is going on?’

Just as he was unable to hide his bewilderment, something from beyond the rift snatched Willow back inside.

“Kyaaak! No! I don’t want to! Eva, save meee!”

It had happened in an instant, and everyone stared blankly at the disappearing rift.

“Uh... Well...” Davey had no words.

“Just now...”

“Phew. Since it’s come to this, I’ll tell you. That was my first daughter, Willow.”

“First... daughter?”

“Well, it’s complicated, but she was essentially born even before Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon.”

After that, Davey slowly told them Willow’s backstory.

* * *

It was difficult to describe Willow’s life as a whole with any word other than tragic.

As someone who had witnessed the memories of her life firsthand, Davey had seen continuous suffering and sadness.

Since someone who had seen it firsthand felt that way, it was no surprise that those hearing the story had the same reaction.

Aerie couldn’t help but become teary while listening to the story, and Illyna wore a complicated expression. Evangeline kept muttering something blankly to herself.

All the unreasonable things Willow had experienced since her birth made them feel guilty, as if they were all accomplices in her implicit persecution.

“Then, is that child... is Willow okay now?”

“Actually, that’s what I’m worried about. As you saw a moment ago...” Davey paused for a moment, then looked at Reina. “Reina, you know what I’m talking about, right?”

“Yes. She gave me the same feeling I had when I saw Goddess Freyja. Could it be... Willow was resurrected as a goddess?”

“That’s right.”

The others gasped in dismay. Everyone there knew the kind of restrictions divine beings carried.

“Then... we can’t even meet her?”

“It's not that serious, but I do have to find a solution before we get to have a happy reunion.”

“Why were you hiding this from us?” Illyna asked with a tone of disappointment. “Do we truly matter that little to you?”

“That wasn't my intention,” he softly responded.

“Then what was it?!” she yelled, venting her resentment. “We have a right to worry! Eva hasn’t been able to sleep properly for days because she was worried sick about her older sister, and we’ve been constantly wondering when you would return and if you were hurt...”

Tears finally began cascading down her cheeks. Perserque reached out to her, but then lowered her head.

“That’s not it,” Davey assured her. “I originally intended to not tell anyone about it.”

“Why?”

“The situation ultimately turned out okay, but what if I hadn’t been able to save Willow?”

They didn't know what to say.

“Would you all have been able to handle that kind of shock?”

While things had fortunately worked out, if they had known about it when he thought she had perished, he was certain that Illyna and Aeria would’ve likely been devastated too.

“That’s why I couldn’t tell anyone. Perserque finding me was just a coincidence.”

In the end, Illyna backed down.

“If you hide something from us again, I’ll seriously kill you,” she grumbled, full of sorrow.

“I had another older sister...” Evangeline still seemed lost in confusion. “Then, did Willow cause the Dark Ghost incident?”

“Yes,” he confirmed.

“Why?”

“She had her reasons, but it’s not something we need to worry about much. What’s important now is how to allow her to stay in middle earth.”

Aeria slightly raised her hand. “Ummm. Doesn't Woochi stay in middle earth for long periods without any major problems?”

Woochi was also a hero whose only remaining essence was his soul.

However, unlike the others, he was a special case who could stay in middle earth for a long time.

“I was thinking about him too, but he’s just so unpredictable.”

Davey wondered if he should just catch him and ask. He wanted to, yet unlike the other heroes, Woochi rarely appeared in the Saint Sanctuary. He would suddenly show up only when he needed something.

Given that his tendency for it had worsened after getting involved with the gumiho Bi Yeon, Davey knew it wouldn't be easy to find him.

‘How should I even go about catching him?’

Just as he was contemplating this, the space behind him tore open, and a man in a dopo[1] with a long staff slung over his shoulder appeared.

“Ta-da! It’s me, Woo—huh?” Woochi, who had appeared with a relaxed face, let out a sound of bewilderment. “Hey, why the long face?”

“Perfect timing. I actually needed to ask you something.”

Woochi seemed to instinctively sense danger and slowly backed away. “Wait. Davey? I think I have something important I need to do...”

“Everyone, grab him!”

Following his command, Illyna and Reina instantly rushed to Woochi’s side and snatched his arms like they were arresting a criminal.

“Ugh! What are you crazy people doing?!!”

That old geezer would never be a gentleman and answer their questions nicely. Davey had no intention of letting the only key to Willow’s freedom escape.

He approached Woochi, who had been instantly subdued.

“Woochi! You know about Willow’s situation, right?”

“Willow? Aah. Well, I know about it, yeah. So?”

“Is there a way to let her stay in middle earth for a long time, like you do?”

He chuckled at his question. “Hmm. First, you’d need to find others to take over her duties. For me, Jeo-Seung alone is enough, but the job she took on was originally Goddess Freyja’s. You'd need at least twenty demigods.”

Davey pondered for a moment at the notion.

Then, one fact suddenly came to mind.

The demigods the Goddess created! There was already a perfect set of sacrifices to dump Willow’s work onto.

“Woochi,” Davey suddenly called out.

“H-Huh?”

“The zenoen. They’re still asleep, right?”

The souls of the failed world the Goddess had once created.

He thought of the many demigods, including Parthenon, who had been corrupted into demons.

“When can I wake them up?”

Woochi stared at Davey for a moment. “Wow... You evil bastard.”

‘Like you’re any better, running around after dumping all your work on Jeo-Seung!’

Woochi seemed genuinely uncomfortable at the idea, avoiding his gaze and clearing his throat. “The Goddess already purified them, taking extra care, apparently because they’ll have a role to play someday. All Willow needs to do is go and wake them up.”

‘Perhaps the Goddess purified them instead of letting them perish specifically for this moment.’

1. A dopo is an overcoat in hanbok, a traditional clothing of Korea, mostly worn by male Confucian scholars from the Joseon dynasty. ☜