The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

For Princess Maria, being able to see clearly wasn't entirely new. During a previous test in the Hyeon Empire, she had briefly experienced chaotic emotions because of the clarity of vision Davey had given her. However, that had been an illusion, not any type of true healing.

As she carefully unraveled the bandages covering her eyes, her expression froze as she stared ahead, her face betraying her disbelief.

"How is it?" Davey asked calmly.

She trembled her hand and gently touched him on the cheek. A single tear slid down her face.

"A... Ah..."

Though she had tried to act indifferent, pretending that it hadn’t mattered, the moment was a clear reveal of just how much of a blessing she knew it was to be able to see clearly again.

"You were in a better situation than Princess Latiana," he explained.

"I... I can see..." Maria stammered, her voice thick with emotion.

"Any cloudiness or blurriness?"

"No... But how? Even the most skilled doctors and priests said it was impossible.”

"By human standards, maybe," he replied calmly as he retrieved a small syringe and injected her arm.

"Ow..." she winced slightly.

"You’re going to need regular injections for a while. I already told Tanya, so she’ll ensure you get them on schedule."

"Am I really seeing again? Is there a possibility of my vision fading…” she trailed off.

"You’ll be fine. Congratulations," he reassured her.

Once her new reality sank in, Maria broke into tears of joy. "Ah... Ahhh!"

She wasn’t the only one overwhelmed. Nearby, Princess Latiana stood by the window, staring out into space with an expression of pure awe.

"I can see birds," she whispered.

"Of course.”

"I can see trees... The colors are back... Colors..."

The two women had similar reactions to their newfound sight. For Latiana, who had her light taken away due to cruelty, the return of her vision was an almost unbelievable miracle. ℝ

"Let’s test your sight," Davey said, holding up two fingers. "How many fingers do you see?"

"Two... Two…!" Latiana exclaimed eagerly.

"Wrong. It’s three. It seems like your vision isn’t correctly conceiving light at the moment.”

"What?!" she gasped.

"Just kidding. It’s two. Looks like your vision is working just fine. Here, take a look in this mirror."

Then Davey handed her a mirror. Latiana gazed at her reflection—her silver-gray hair that went well with her clear, translucent gray irises. Her face and eyes were spotless, making it hard to believe they had once been scorched beyond repair.

"I took care of your burn marks as well. Consider it my gift to you. I assume you won’t be wanting to cover yourself with an eye patch anymore.”

"This feels... like a dream..." Latiana murmured.

"If you’re unsure, we can check.”

With that, Davey pinched her cheek without mercy.

"Ouch!" she squealed, squirming in pain.

“I can’t believe you thought you were dreaming. I worked hard on that surgery," he teased.

"..."

"You said hope leads to betrayal. That might be true, but I don’t make false promises to my patients.”

'Unless it’s absolutely necessary in order to save them, and if the consequences are manageable.’

Otherwise, no matter what the situation, he never gave false hope to his patients.

Latiana stared at her hands, still struggling to grasp her new reality. Her eyes had been irreparably damaged, her optic nerves dead. The resulting aftereffects had caused relentless pain, to the point where she could barely sleep.

Now, not only had the pain vanished, but her vision was sharper than ever before.

"For now, try not to overexert your eyes. You should rest as much as possible for a month or two while your artificial eyes fully adapt," Davey advised.

"Artificial eyes...?" Latiana repeated.

She knew that artificial eyes were fake eyes to replace those that were damaged, and that they weren’t capable of absorbing light. Knowing this, it was extremely difficult for her to understand what had happened.

"The cores of Black Slimes are typically harmful to humans, but depending on how they’re processed, they can be made to closely mimic human tissues. That’s what those are made of."

Davey went on to explain how neural signals worked, along with the process of removing her necrotic nerves and installing the eyes. Latiana listened, but it was clear she didn’t fully understand.

"The artificial eyes circulate mana to relay visual information to the brain. Though for humans, overusing mana can temporarily affect vision.”

‘Of course, you two are an exception,’ he thought.

"Plus, to minimize strain and make the brain think otherwise, I’ve inscribed a self-circulating magic circle to support the process.”

After all, the transmission of information through the optic nerve was essentially a form of electrical signal. All Davey did was choose a method to manipulate and replicate those signals. It was a procedure that would’ve been impossible without the knowledge he had gained from the Goddess of Medicine Hypocria.

"Take her to a quiet forest and let her recover there for now," he instructed a beastfolk maid.

"Will I really... truly... be able to see from now on?" Latiana asked nervously.

"You will," he said calmly.

She suddenly sprang to her feet and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you!! I’ll never forget this!" she cried.

Davey was again reminded that she was just a small girl—there was no need to imagine how overjoyed she was. As he observed Latiana from afar, he heard a familiar voice.

"It seems like you pull off some astonishing new surgery every time I see you,” said an old man.

"Even so, I was nervous about this one. It’s a delicate area," Davey admitted.

The old man laughed heartily. "You performed a procedure most people wouldn’t even dare to think of, let alone attempt. Who would ever think of crafting an artificial eye from a Black Slime, something so incompatible with the human body?”

"Well, the cores of Black Slimes share several similarities with human organs."

"This is nothing short of a revolution in the field of medicine! If this were to be revealed and published, it’d undoubtedly cause an uproar."

"Along with plenty of headaches?"

"Haha, such is the fate of the exceptional. Still, it’s a shame. With this, countless people across the continent could regain their sight… but there’s no one besides you who’s capable of performing such a surgery."

The operation was exceedingly precise. Connecting and manipulating nerves directly would be impossible without highly specialized equipment. The old man carefully preserved the video stone that documented the surgery.

"Your Highness, may I take this and show it to the professors at the academy?"

"Do as you please."

"Haha, I’m already getting excited just imagining it. This will surely shut up those junior professors who doubt your skills…!"

"By the way, how is that maid I sent to the academy as a graduate student doing?"

"She’s brilliant. With the right guidance, she could become an exceptional doctor.”

"Raise her well, but don’t push her too hard."

"Haha, graduate students never expect to get any sleep or free time anyways!"

‘Even as a joke, that sounds a bit intense.’

Davey made a wry smile at the thought. He then wondered how Maximus would react when he returned from his travels across the continent.

"Oh, right. Baron Gorneo."

"Yes?"

"I recently ran into a medical student from the academy, Tadia, back in the territory."

"You’re familiar with Tadia?"

"You know I never forget a face."

"Ah, of course. Tadia…"

Baron Gorneo appeared slightly surprised.

"She’s one of the war orphans you took in, Your Highness, and she has shown exceptional talent in the medical discipline. To be honest, I’ve been keeping a close eye on her to bring her into the Graduate Program."

"Hmm…"

"I was already planning to invite her over to treat her to some fine food and suggest she consider becoming a graduate student."

"Huh… it seems everyone thinks similarly.”

"But why are you asking about Tadia, Your Highness?"

Davey couldn’t figure out why she seemed so anxious when he bumped into her.

"No particular reason. I just wanted to make sure she’s doing well."

"Haha, it’s an honor for her that you give her any thought. To my knowledge, she’s not up to anything suspicious—she’s always been an exemplary student."

But the urgency on her face from their last encounter still lingered in his mind—he felt something gnawing away at him.

* * *

[Drinks tonight? You in?]

"Man, how much does she love drinking?" Maga Han Yu-Na chuckled as she read the text.

[How about straight-up soju? You game?]

[I’ll get a crate ready, you just have to show up. My treat this time. Oh, and can you bring Ji-Ah too? I’m totally looking forward to seeing her again.]

[Did you know? I inherited the TC-related business. Technically, your salary comes from me—don’t get cocky. Also, Ji-Ah’s too busy to waste time on someone like you.]

[I’m against power abuse! And you ask what’s wrong with me? I’m a professional gamer, you know! Do I have to become a global superstar or something?]n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

[You’re a womanizer. Ji-Ah’s too good for you. Don’t even think about it.]

[Fine, fine. Remember the place where we first had drinks? Let’s meet there. I’ve got someone to introduce you to.]

She thought the mention of being introduced to someone was a little concerning, but she decided it wasn’t too big of a deal.

Known as Oxygen Bear Soup, she used to be a crazy one along with Hyun-Ah, but she had mellowed out a lot in recent years. In the process, she became close to TC, the esports team her father’s company sponsored.

One of the players, Kim Park-Soo, had a laid-back and easy-going personality that made him popular both within the team and beyond. Even Team Vasirian liked him as well. Thanks to his friendly nature, he and Yu-Na had struck up a friendship. He liked drinking, and so the two often met for drinks outside of work as well.

"Here! Over here!" Kim Park-Soo called from a quiet private room at the bar.

When she entered, she noticed another person sitting beside him.

"Oh?"

"Nice to meet you. I’m Si-Woo."

"I’m Ha… Han Yu-Na. Are you, by any chance, the pro gamer from Team Vasirian…?"

"Yes, I am.”

"Wow…"

Her face lit up with excitement.

"It’s an honor to meet the world’s top pro gamer in person!"

"Hey! I’m a pro gamer too, you know?"

"Don’t even compare yourself to someone superior like him. Do you think they call him Emperor Si-Woo for no reason?"

When she mentioned his nickname, his face turned slightly pale, but he quickly regained his gentle smile as he watched their banter.

"Haha, you two seem to get along well."

"Yeah, I guess so. She’s been pestering me for an autograph forever, so I set this up."

"Oh, well, that was thoughtful of you. Can I get an autograph too?"

"Of course, I’d be happy to."

He quickly signed the paper she handed him and added a brief message.

"Wow. This is what being a fan is all about. I’ll treasure this forever."

"Haha, you’re getting me all flustered. I’m just an outdated pro gamer who’s even lost to an amateur."

"Wow, you're both pro gamers, but the difference in personality is insane."

"What did I even do this time?"

As Kim Park-Soo grumbled, Han Yu-Na plopped herself down on the seat, shoving him aside.

"Move over. It's cramped."

"Ugh, fine. I’m letting it slide because you’re giving me a salary!”

"What about the drinks?"

"Already ordered. Get ready—tonight, I’m going to show you my perfect golden-ratio cocktail bombs."

"You can mix it all you want, but you’ll never beat an Awakened."

Even for crafting Awakened, the physical prowess of a first-generation Awakened individual was exceptional.

"It’s kind of bizarre when you think about it. How is it fair that a crafting-type can be that strong?"

"Let’s just say the guy who trained me wasn’t exactly human himself."

She frowned as she recalled the devilish grin of the black-haired, red-eyed young man who had put her through hellish training.

"Alright, bottoms up! Just pour it all out!"

The three of them quickly grew comfortable with one another, exchanging stories and jokes. What began as a casual meetup soon spiraled into something entirely unexpected.

* * *

"Hic! Hey, why don’t you ever keep your promises to meee…"

By the end of the night, Kim Park-Soo was extremely drunk. He glared at Han Yu-Na as he slurred his words.

"What promise? Just drink this and sober up already."

"Ah, thank you kindly."

As he gulped down the bottle she handed him, his expression instantly cleared up.

"Whoa! This stuff is incredible! Seriously, let’s start a business together! You just do the manufacturing, I’ll do all the selling! No hangovers, instant sobriety—this is every office worker’s dream product!"

"If I go into business with you, even the best ideas bound to succeed will fail. Besides, I have no intention of selling something like this."

Her firm reply left him smacking his lips in disappointment.

"But seriously, what promise are you talking about?"

"You said you’d introduce me to someone! I want to meet someone already… I’ve been single my whole life, you know? But it’s all been preparation for the perfect romance. You get me?"

"Wow, listen to you go."

"Hahahaha!"

Si-Woo laughed heartily. Han Yu-Na then faced him and asked a question.

"Come to think of it, Si-Woo, do you have a girlfriend?"

"Me? Uh… Not exactly."

Her eyes narrowed sharply. She contemplated for a moment before widening her eyes. Her woman’s intuition was telling her something.

"You don’t have a girlfriend… but there’s someone you’re interested in, isn’t there?"

"Uh… No, that’s not—"

"Come on, there totally is! Didn’t you say in an interview that your ideal type is someone you can game with?"

"That’s just… well…"

ChubbyCheeks & FriedNook's Thoughts

Editorb’s Thoughts

Whenever I drink I just get emotional and cry. Why can’t I be blessed with inebriated bravado instead…