Limitless Evolution: I'm The New Dragon God?-Chapter 78: A Hero?

"Ryuzen, right? I’ve been meaning to meet you," Noah said with a warm smile.

"Me? Why?" Ryuzen asked, confused.

"Because I saw you fighting relentlessly from the very beginning of the outbreak. Despite being a Junior Hunter, you didn’t give up. If you hadn’t been there, a lot more innocent people would have died. You saved them... even if none of them bothered to thank you."

Noah lowered his head slightly, showing genuine respect.

"So let me show their gratitude on their behalf."

The gesture stunned not only John and Maki, but also Aurora. She blinked, clearly caught off guard by the sudden sincerity in Noah’s voice. She could tell he wasn’t joking. And deep down, she couldn’t deny the truth in his words. Ryuzen had risked everything when most would have run.

Not far away, Venus heard every word too.

And though she didn’t say anything, the words made her heart tremble.

Only now she understood what kind of situation he was really in. And yet she blamed him so childishly.

Guilt gnawed her heart like piercing needles.

But with her difficult personality, she wouldn’t admit it out loud. Not yet at least.

On the other hand, Ryuzen’s expression softened slightly at the man’s words.

Noah wasn’t just anyone—he was almost a legend, a man with S-Rank power, a figure known across the continents. And yet, he had bowed his head to thank a Junior Hunter.

That gesture alone stirred a faint respect in Ryuzen’s heart.

"There’s no need for someone of your caliber to apologize," he said quietly. "I didn’t do anything special. I just did what I had to do to survive. I wasn’t born to be a hero like you."

Noah chuckled, and beside him, Aurora let out a soft laugh, her voice smooth and wise.

"Heroes don’t need titles or fate, Junior," she said. "They’re born from choices. From the heart. We never wanted to be called heroes either, but here we are."

Her gaze lingered on him with a strange clarity.

"Your nature determines everything. And I can tell—you were born to be one, Ryuzen."

But Ryuzen said nothing.

Because deep down, he knew the truth. He was selfish. Unlike them, he wasn’t the kind who would throw his life away for others. He wasn’t that noble.

Seeing Ryuzen remain silent, Noah and Aurora exchanged a glance.

They assumed he just needed more time.

"Well, that’s all for now," Noah said, flashing a grin as he turned away. "Good luck with the Selection Trial tomorrow. Don’t take the position of a Second Blood Legion member lightly. With it comes better resources... and access to truths this world has kept hidden."

With that, the duo began to walk off. But just as they reached the doorway, Venus suddenly called out.

"Uhm... Wait."

The duo paused, and turned back.

"Miss Aurora, could you please check on my mother again?" she asked, her voice soft but earnest. "She still isn’t waking up."

Aurora’s gaze met the girl’s tired, swollen eyes, and her heart softened.

"Sigh...Alright. I’ll keep checking on her from time to time," she said gently. "But to be honest, there’s not much more I can do. She has to find the strength to wake on her own now. I’m sorry... maybe I’m not such a great Divine Healer after all."

She gave a light, bittersweet smile.

Venus quickly shook her head and bowed deeply. "Thank you. Truly."

Afterward, the two groups went their separate ways.

While walking from the inner chamber toward the deck, John suddenly flashed a curious smile at Ryuzen.

"Wow, Ryu. Even S-Rank Evolvers are praising you now. What level have you reached? I’m really curious."

"Level 15," Ryuzen answered flatly. He didn’t bother hiding it. Trying to keep it secret would only make them more suspicious.

The moment the words left his mouth, the couple froze. Even Venus paused for a moment, clearly caught off guard.

"Level 15 already...?" John muttered in disbelief. "How long has it been? A week at most? And you’ve already reached that level? That’s insane. It took me a whole month to get there. And after that, leveling became painfully slow..."

Maki nodded, her expression thoughtful. "It took me twenty days, and even then I was pushing myself hard. Still, nowhere near you, Ryu. You must’ve poured in an insane amount of effort and determination to grow this fast, right?"

Ryuzen simply nodded, offering no further explanation.

He didn’t feel the need to tell them the full truth. That his level wasn’t ordinary in any sense. With an S-Rank bloodline, every level-up brought a massive boost to his stats and mana. He didn’t know how much others gained per level, but it was clear he stood on a different plane from most of them.

--- 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

That afternoon, the five massive airships suddenly descended onto a barren stretch of desert.

The sky was a muted gold, heatwaves rising from the sand like ghosts. Confusion quickly rippled through the passengers.

"Why are we stopping in the middle of nowhere?" a worried woman asked, clutching her bag tightly.

"Yeah... what if the Hollows show up?" a grizzled man muttered, his hand drifting to the dull combat knife strapped to his belt. "We’re sitting ducks out here."

Before panic could set in, a calm voice echoed from the intercoms of every ship.

‹ We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. Our navigators have received a report that one of our Supply Ships, along with several other survivor carriers, will be merging with our convoy on the route to the Safe Zone. The arriving ships include survivors from the nearby Fortress Cities. The process will take approximately one hour. Please remain calm and patient until we resume course ›

The message ended, leaving a heavy silence.

Then, murmurs began to rise.

"Supply ships... that means they’re bringing food, right?"

"Yeah, finally. I’m starving."

"The Horizon Alliance really knows what they’re doing. They’ve kept us alive this long."

"But which Fortress Cities are joining us?" another woman asked, eyes scanning the horizon.

"I’m not sure about all of them," a man replied. "But I heard our neighbour Twin Moon Fortress was hit hard... completely destroyed."

At that, a deep sigh passed through the crowd.

"So much death... so much loss," an elderly woman muttered, her voice brittle like the wind. "Is there really any hope left for humanity?"

Just then, a girl standing beside her gently took the woman’s hand. Her voice trembled, but her eyes held a spark of defiance.

"Don’t give up, Grandma. Maybe our hero, the Dragon Slayer Valarox, will come back. He saved us once. He’ll save us again. We just have to believe..."

"Tch," a young man scoffed under his breath. "Valarox is just a myth."

The girl turned to him with narrowed eyes. "Even if he’s a myth, hope isn’t. And right now, it’s all we have."

The man looked away, silent.

The desert wind blew gently, carrying with it the weight of silence, fear, and fragile hope.