The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

Even though Moderation and Si-Woo were pretty close friends, their wishes were drastically different.

Neltarid had said he'd grant Moderation’s wish, but couldn't stop the headache from coming on. “Creating life? That's seriously not as simple as it sounds.”

Neltarid could create consciousness, sure. Using the memories of his predecessor, he could break off a piece of his power to create beings like Rinne or the valkyries. However, it was hard to say whether a consciousness born that way truly had free will.

Unlike the golems Davey made, if the being Neltarid created had a consciousness and emotions, it could potentially live a sad life. Of course, he knew Moderation wasn’t the kind of person who'd be neglectful and let that happen.

On the other hand, Neltarid also felt relieved.

‘I bet Si-Woo’s wish isn’t a cakewalk either.’

Willow chimed in, “Come on, look on the bright side! It's not like he asked for three thousand court ladies like some king.[1].”

Neltarid muttered, “Senior, you're pretty knowledgeable about Earth's history.”

“Historical dramas are just interesting.”

Neltarid sighed deeply and glanced at where Si-Woo and Moderation had been.

“I guess I'd better accept the circumstances. I need to think about this and brainstorm, so I'll get going first.”

Just as he was about to return to his sanctuary, the door opened, and someone walked in.

They were clearly startled when they saw Neltarid, who also got a fright.

“Saintess...”

“Umm... Yes... Yes, my god Neltarid?”

Sporting the most benevolent smile he could manage, Neltarid replied, “That's right, Agatha. I'm your god.”

Yet as soon as Agatha saw that, she began to sob and collapsed onto the floor, weeping, “Sob... sniffle... Lord God...”

He had no idea what to even say at her sudden outburst.

“I don’t like it!” she cried. “That appearance... I think I'm gonna start hating that flying squirrel and that chicken.”

Neltarid completely froze. If he were a god without emotions, such an indignity wouldn't have happened. Or rather, he wouldn't have even gotten involved with his creations in the first place.

However, being he was still a young god with newfound emotions, Neltarid was inexperienced. He couldn't say a thing.

It might’ve been less painful if his ordeal had ended there.

After Agatha ran away, Frelia and Kain, valkyries who had entered to manage the sanctuary, similarly wailed as soon as they saw their god, prostrating themselves.

“AHHH!! Oh, God! Why...”

“Sob...”

Neltarid felt a twisting pain deep in his consciousness, despondently muttering, “Alone...”

The two mortals immediately lifted their heads to listen.

“Speak, Lord God. Sniffle.”

“I want to be alone, so everyone get out.”

* * *

Given the similarities between their wishes, it was clear why Moderation and Si-Woo made for such great friends.

Willow walked through the air with light steps. She grumbled, “Hmm. I think maybe a mature woman is his type, eh? I should at least consider his preferences, but I can't figure out who exactly qualifies as his type. My pride would be hurt if I asked for every little detail...”

Of course, she wasn't without clues. Since her eyes could see the souls of others, she could get a rough idea of the image of the person he desired.

The only problem was ensuring there was nothing that would destroy both of their happiness.

“It'd be tough to find someone on Earth, right? I should check out Tionis first.”

Surely, among the countless dimensions, there'd be someone who'd be a good match for Si-Woo.

Neltarid invited Davey to his sanctuary and asked for a favor.

He was surprised to hear the request. “You want me to make a body like Dirro's?”

“Yes. But unlike the Dirro you have, I want it to be much tougher. I'm going to implant consciousness into it.”

“Just out of curiosity... are you crazy?”

Davey gave a wry smile at the harsh criticism.

Then, Neltarid told him exactly what he wanted, only without mentioning Park Seung-Hyun.

“Hmm. I kinda get it. You want a living action figure, right? One that can double as a housekeeper. Are you expecting some maxed out character from an RPG game?”

“...Is it possible?”

“Uh... I’m not sure. Dirro's appearance can change freely, so it's hard to make a body tough enough to handle a consciousness. Before we talk about anything else, what's the purpose of this android? You pervy bastard.”

“He said he’s terrible at housekeeping. And he's not great at talking to people.”

“So, he wants a being that can be a conversation partner and handle the chores for him?”

“Yes.”

If it were just simple housework, a being like Dirro would be enough, but having a consciousness and emotions put it in a whole different league.

“What a weirdo. You said this is a wish? Wait, maybe that's why it's a wish? This kind of request sure is rare.”

“So, is it possible?”

At Neltarid's repeated question, Davey fell silent for a moment before speaking.

“It'll be fun for a change. Fine. But I need to be compensated for this.”

“I understand.”

At his answer, Davey grinned and raised his fist.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“Let's squeeze out some tears. Since I’ll need some elixir.”

His face went pale.

“Th... that's just a metaphor, it's not made that way!”

“But it still has a similar effect, doesn’t it?”

“I'll... I'll give it to you, just calm down first!”

Even though Neltarid was the God of Tranquility, the man Davey O’Rowane—who had endlessly ended beings much stronger than him—was a terrifying figure.

* * *

Davey, visiting his workshop for the first time in a long while, sighed as he saw his sister Aeonitia sleeping on the floor with a blanket. The two didn’t have a great relationship, given her birth mother was related to Queen Lynesse Bariatta who was one of those responsible for his own mother’s suffering and death.

Nonetheless, he understood that Aeonitia hadn’t done anything wrong. He had no intention of bringing up guilt by association, so he never held her accountable.

Her rights and perks as a royal had practically become meaningless in the face of how quickly Heins Territory was growing, so she chose to stay in Davey’s workshop and conduct her research.

Her Development Society was an infamous group of troublemakers, even in Heins. Along with the Gourmet Research Society led by Yuriana, it was involved in innumerable events both good and bad.

Aeonitia and Tiara often caused trouble in pursuit of their goals.

When Davey slowly walked over to her workbench, he saw small nippers[2] and a wrench. From the looks of things, she hadn’t wasted any time before familiarizing herself with his tools.

Moving past the tools, he turned his head to see a large crystal ball fixed to some sort of stand.

He figured it was probably one of Aeonitia's recent tech innovations.

Perhaps sensing his presence, she gradually woke up. Wrapped up in the blanket, she sat up and rubbed her eyes, curiously murmuring, “Davey...?”

He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Why are you sleeping here? Go to your room.”

She puffed up her cheeks, indignant. “I was just resting my eyes for a bit.”

“If you don't take care of yourself, you'll be an ugly hag in no time. You must be ever-vigilant in your skin’s fight against dark circles and blemishes.”

Despite his warning, she didn't budge, insisting, “Just let me work and have fun! Anyways, what brings you here? Haven't you been busy lately?”

He chuckled and spread out a blank blueprint on the crafting table. “Figured I’d stop by and hang out.”

The sight piqued her interest. “Hmm? What are you making?”

“Aeonitia, do you know the detailed structure used to make Dirro from the Avenger Squadron?”

“Hmm. Well, not the inside... but it’s based on a homunculus, unlike a regular golem.” She rattled off everything else she knew about it. Some of her explanations were novel and unique in perspective, while others only served to show her inexperience.

“I’m going to make another Dirro,” Davey began, “but this one’s gonna be way tougher than the old Dirro, more solid.”

“Huh? If it’s that rigid, the body won't be able to change its form freely, will it?”

“You’re right, but that's part of the design. The regular Dirro can change forms from head to toe like a slime, but this one won't deviate much from its basic form.”

‘Neltarid would want that, anyway.’

“Hmm. Still, even if you make it that tough, it'll be hard for it to do anything significant in a fight,” she argued.

“That's fine. It's not going to be in combat—I’m designing it for household use.”

Her eyes sparkled. “No way! Are you planning on mass-producing homunculi for household use?”

“Nope. We haven't really gotten that far with streamlining the design, and it’d cost so much to produce that there wouldn't be any point for us.”

Besides, he couldn't just casually release something that might upset an entire market’s economy.

Davey clarified, “I’m making it for just one person.”

“Who exactly is worth you going to so much trouble?”

“Who knows? Not even me, actually.” He chuckled before beginning to draft the layout for the power core, its form similar to Dirro's. “Watch closely. You'll have to learn to do this too, eventually.”

Aeonitia, looking thrilled, stared at the blueprint with sparkling eyes. “Okay!”

‘I should try starting with one of the prototypes I designed back then.’

Fortunately, Davey had come up with other versions while making Dirro the first time, so the process didn't have to start over from scratch.

* * *

Once rumors about Davey and his homunculus crafting spread, others joined in to contribute their expertise.

Tiara, one of the continent’s six great beauties who was always obsessed with anything interesting, and with whom Davey almost had a marriage contract in the past, quickly arrived to analyze his progress. “Hmm. The circulatory system's fine.”

The half-vampire Milpieu similarly reported, “This part's fine, too.”

The fundamental body was a freely transforming slime. However, it wasn't a regular slime—it came from a Slime Lord equivalent to a field boss in an RPG.

Davey quietly contemplated as he looked at the slime-like living being wriggling inside the large test tube.

If it were taken out of the test tube at that moment, it’d scatter like crushed jelly. Yet, once finished, it’d be the foundation of a body tougher than any typical human’s. Davey had also managed to ensure it’d still be able to change its form in various ways fitting household tasks, since they wouldn't require drastic transformations.

Similarly scrutinizing the test tube, Milpieu asked, “Are you particularly close to the recipient of this thing? This is all pretty elaborate for just an acquaintance.”

Davey shook his head, answering, “I haven’t had any specific requests from the intended person yet, so I can't be sure.”

Milpieu thought she must have misunderstood. “But... you're still making it?”

“It was a request from Neltarid. At the very least, Neltarid wouldn't have handed over the Teardrop of God to some shady guy, so I’m choosing to trust his judgment.”

Even if Neltarid was inexperienced, he was still a god, so his judgment wouldn’t be completely off-base.

Aeonitia brought over a device the size of a small child's fist, announcing, “Davey, the core's finished! But... I don’t really get it.”

“What don't you get?”

“Even if we put this core in as-is, there's no power source itself. The homunculus wouldn’t move, would it?”

He nodded. “That's right.”

“Then at the very least, we’d need to put in a source of our own. Since it's not a power core, are you going to embed a magic stone in the body?”

Realistically, it seemed like the Philosopher's Stone or something equivalent would be necessary for the completion of such an endeavor.

Yet obviously, Davey didn't have something like the Philosopher's Stone on hand.

“Then how...”

“You guys underestimate the power of a god too much,” he said calmly as he pushed the core into the completed slime-like form.

The slime material began to writhe and change shape, and the transformation gradually progressed over a period of two hours.

The homunculus, which had been a small slime form, soon began to look like a human. Its skeletal structure was close to that of a female human, though its features weren't properly separated yet, and it had no hair. It also had no belly button, or even anything else that would identify it as human.

It was literally a figure with limbs stuck on like a human made entirely out of jelly.

“Hmm. Since you didn't use the material with at least basic artificial intelligence implanted, its appearance isn't fixed like Dirro.”

“That's okay. That's not my job.”

Aeonitia wrapped the tiny homunculus in a blanket and held it like a swaddled baby, then reluctantly handed it over to Davey.

“Be sure to show us when it's finished.”

Tiara agreed. “We're curious about how it'll change.”

Since it was still incomplete, they made Davey promise to show them the completed version once it was ready.

Finally finished with the manufacturing, he moved to the space where Neltarid was staying.

“It took a week to make.”

Neltarid was surprised by his cavalier attitude and swift results. “Isn't making it in a week pretty amazing?”

“Nah, I already had a similar concept all mocked up before this. It's just that the work took more effort than expected.”

What he made was only the base for the body, and the base for the consciousness to settle in.

The blue-skinned figure, wrapped in a blanket, was made of a slime body. The inside was thus completely transparent and see-through. The only internal organ visible was the core.

Neltarid handed a vial over to Davey, saying, “Here's the elixir, as promised.”

Davey accepted it with a smile. “Alright, thanks. It was fun.”

“Then, I'll begin.”

Neltarid began to mutter in a divine language. He injected his power into the homunculus by breaking off a piece of his own power.

At the same time, his body slowly floated up, and huge wings of light spread out behind him. Letters of light quickly gathered around the homunculus, which was floating in the air with him.

Davey watched the being slowly transform as Neltarid gave it consciousness.

There appeared to be nothing inside. But things presumed to be bones were created, and muscles formed after veins and internal organs came into being.

Finally, a belly button, eyes, nose, mouth, and other vital spots began to appear one by one. Lastly, the skin began to turn opaque, and the red hair on the head started to grow long.

Neltarid took the time to tell Davey, “That's a projection of the consciousness's own desired appearance.”

Of course, Davey already knew that.

Unlike other homunculi, this one with a genuine consciousness was virtually the polar opposite of the golem Rinne.

Of course, unlike the immensely powerful Rinne, the newborn homunculus only had enough durability to be slightly tougher than a human, not to easily break if hit by a moving car. Beyond that, it had no power.

“I name you Grace.”

Once Neltarid bestowed a name upon the incomplete consciousness in the name of a god, the homunculus, now in the perfect form of a girl, slowly opened her eyes.

Her red appearance and golden eyes gave off a particularly sparkling feeling.

“Your existence is for happiness. Move for your own happiness as well as the happiness of the one who will be your master.”

Grace slowly looked at Neltarid and Davey. She then patted over to them, picked up the fallen swaddling blanket, and promptly wrapped herself up in it.

She then plopped down, using her arm as a pillow, and bluntly declared, “I'm hungry.”

“Hmm?”

“Go get me food! Food!”

Davey and Neltarid were silent for a moment before finally coming to their senses and locking eyes.

Neltarid muttered, “I think I messed up.”

Davey’s head shook with disappointment. “Seriously, you should be ashamed to even call yourself a god. Whoever they were, the person who made the wish obviously didn't want this kind of personality. Actually, just be honest, who the hell asked for this?”

“That... that would be the human named Park Seung-Hyun.”

Davey was stunned. “Ah. Moderation? How'd that happen?”

“Well... It is a reward for hiding the embarrassment of Senior Willow and I.”

'Oh, that video?'

Davey chuckled. The fact that those two mortals had looked out for the two gods made Davey smile.

“Then you should've done it right, you bastard! What the hell is this?” Davey said with a scoff.

Neltarid was indignant. “This is my first time doing something like this!”

Grace cut in to shout, “Shut the hell up! Give me food!”

Watching the homunculus scratch her belly and talk in a crude way, Neltarid closed his eyes for a moment. After taking a moment, he said, “Lord Davey. The body... Can you just make it again?”

“Don't be ridiculous, you jerk. You're not planning on killing the consciousness that's already complete, are you?”

“W-well, no, but...”

Neltarid had messed up.

Big time.

* * *

At the same time, at a monastery in Tionis, Willow had already spent a week observing a woman. Since she was granting a wish, she was watching carefully to make sure everything went off without a hitch.

“Hmm. She's a decent candidate.” A complicated expression settled on her face. “Everything's great, but there's just one problem...”

Using her divine vision to peer into the woman’s heart of hearts, she had decided that as long as the woman had a meet cute with Si-Woo, both of them would be happy for life.

Yet, she couldn't let herself jump to a conclusion and make the choice without utmost consideration.

“Still, a succubus is probably not the way to go...”

‘But seriously, what the hell is a succubus doing in a monastery serving a goddess?’

1. There is a famous king in Korean history called Uija of Baekje, who was the final ruler of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He is well known for his reputation of spending his days with court ladies instead of working, though the amount of three thousand is a bit of an exaggeration. ☜

2. Think pliers that cut. ☜

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