At the cliffs outside the forbidden zone, Lucia and Rose were still there.

Lucia had clearly been waiting anxiously despite trying to hide it. The moment she saw Max walking out alive, her eyes widened before relief washed across her face.

"You finally came back," she said, quickly stepping forward. "Do you know how long you were inside?"

Max smiled faintly.

"Long enough to gain something worthwhile."

Rose, standing slightly behind Lucia, studied him carefully.

The moment her gaze settled on him, her expression subtly changed.

She could sense it. The Max who had entered Dragon Death Valley and the Max who had returned were not the same.

His aura was deeper and so was his presence.

Even standing still, he carried a pressure that hinted at terrifying growth.

Rose narrowed her eyes. "You found something in there."

Max glanced at her and smiled. "You could say that."

Lucia looked between them, then crossed her arms.

"You two can discuss mysteries later. First explain why the sky shook earlier and why I heard a dragon roar from inside the valley."

Max coughed lightly. "That... may have been related to what I found."

Lucia stared at him in disbelief.

Rose remained silent, but for the first time since meeting him, even she felt genuine curiosity about just what this man had done inside Dragon Death Valley.

"It’s like this..." Max began, seeing that neither Lucia nor Rose intended to let the matter go.

He folded his arms and looked back toward Dragon Death Valley for a brief moment before continuing.

"When I was still in the mortal world, I obtained an ancient treasure by chance. At first, I did not fully understand what it was, but later I realized it had merged into my body."

Lucia’s brows rose slightly. "Merged into your body?"

Max nodded.

"It was not an ordinary artifact that could simply be carried in a storage ring or used whenever convenient. It became part of me. Since then, it has continuously influenced my bloodline and physical foundation."

Rose’s eyes sharpened.

"A treasure capable of integrating with the body and strengthening bloodline potential..."

Even someone as composed as her understood how rare such a thing would be.

Max continued in a calm tone, revealing only what he wished them to know.

"My bloodline has always possessed unusual qualities. That treasure helped awaken and refine it over time, but refinement alone was not enough. It still required nourishment powerful enough to push it to a higher stage."

Lucia slowly began understanding.

"And the black dragon corpse..."

"Yes," Max said with a faint smile. "The moment I learned Dragon Death Valley contained the remains of an ancient black dragon, I became interested. A corpse that could still influence an entire forbidden zone after death clearly held terrifying essence within it."

He tapped his chest lightly.

"If my bloodline could absorb even a portion of that essence, it might evolve significantly."

Rose looked toward the valley again, her expression thoughtful. "So that was your true reason for coming here."

Max nodded.

"That was the main reason."

Lucia crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him.

"You entered one of Orion’s most dangerous forbidden lands because of a theory?"

Max chuckled.

"It was more than a theory. I could feel my bloodline reacting the closer I got to the core region."

He then shrugged lightly.

"And fortunately, I was right."

Lucia let out a slow breath somewhere between annoyance and relief.

"You speak as though risking your life in a place where people become monsters was a minor inconvenience."

Max smiled helplessly.

"If I do not take risks, how can I grow?"

Lucia stared at him for a few seconds before shaking her head.

"You are impossible."

Rose, however, was still studying him.

"And the dragon roar?"

Max coughed lightly.

"The strengthening process had... some side effects."

Lucia immediately looked suspicious again.

"Side effects?"

Max smiled with practiced innocence.

"Nothing dangerous."

Lucia’s expression made it clear she did not believe that for even a moment.

Rose remained silent, but inwardly she understood something important.

Whatever ancient treasure Max spoke of, and whatever had happened inside Dragon Death Valley, his gains were far greater than he was admitting.

That only made him more dangerous than before.

Max stretched lightly and looked toward the horizon.

"In any case, what I came for has been achieved." Then he glanced at the two women beside him. "So, shall we leave this place?"

"Hmm." Lucia nodded.

Truthfully, she had no desire to remain on Orion any longer. The planet was filled with danger, hidden schemes, forbidden zones, and far too many people capable of turning hostile at any moment. Even though valuable opportunities existed there, she felt more than ready to leave.

She then turned toward Rose with genuine gratitude in her eyes.

"Rose, thank you for all your help this time."

As she spoke, Lucia took out a storage pouch and handed it forward.

"There are one thousand divine crystals inside. Consider it payment for guiding us and helping throughout this journey."

Rose glanced at the pouch, then calmly shook her head.

"No," she said. "Keep it."

Lucia froze.

Her eyes widened in complete disbelief.

"I do not believe this," she said, staring at Rose as though she had become another person entirely. "You are refusing money?"

As far as Lucia had always known, Rose valued profit above nearly everything else. She was the kind of person who would calculate gains before offering a smile. To see her reject a thousand divine crystals so casually was almost more shocking than anything they had encountered in Dragon Death Valley.

Rose only smiled faintly.

Then she shifted her gaze toward Max.

"I would rather become friends with Max," she said. "Since that is the case, how could I charge friends for such a small favor?"

Lucia looked between them suspiciously, clearly unconvinced that kindness alone explained this change.

Max, however, laughed softly.

"Hehe, Miss Rose, I appreciate that."

He gave her a sincere nod.

"If you consider me a friend, then I will do the same. If you ever need help in the future, ask me. If it is within my ability, I will certainly do something about it."

Rose’s smile deepened slightly.

"Oh, I definitely need help," she said. "But right now, you are still too weak for the matter I have in mind."

Her tone carried teasing honesty rather than insult.

"I suppose I will wait until you become a little stronger before asking."

Max smiled helplessly but did not deny it.