"Good," Max said after seeing that they accepted him into their group without hesitation. He had expected arguments, suspicion, or even outright refusal, but none of that came. Their quick acceptance left him more surprised than he cared to admit.

'I suppose the terror of the golden crown is enough to make most geniuses wary of me,' Max thought quietly, his eyes calm even as the crown above his head continued to glow faintly.

"Let us move on then," Max said aloud, his voice even.

Evan turned his head toward Nina, his expression questioning. When she gave a silent nod of agreement, he followed without another word. The group began to move once more, now with Max walking among them. Nina took the lead again, her Fate Compass in hand as its faint glow guided their path forward into the vast violet wasteland.

Evan's demeanor, however, remained guarded. Though he did not speak, his eyes flicked toward Max again and again, sharp and cautious, as though expecting an attack at any moment. His body remained tense, his aura ready to respond instantly if Max made any move. For his part, Max paid the attention no mind. He ignored Evan's mistrust and walked with quiet steps, his expression unchanged.

The silence of their journey soon grew heavy. No words passed between them, the stillness broken only by the sound of their feet pressing into the violet earth and the distant crack of thunder rolling through the strange sky.

It was clear that Nina's group had not suddenly begun to trust Max. They had only allowed him to join because their paths aligned and because his presence meant another shield between them and the monstrous threats of the wasteland.

As they pressed deeper, the dangers of the land revealed themselves again and again. A violet scorpion emerged from a fissure in the ground, its stinger dripping with venom that sizzled when it struck the soil. Packs of poisoned wolves prowled in the distance before lunging with snarls, their fangs gleaming green under the light.

At one point, lightning bats burst from the broken trees above, their wings sparking with electricity as they screeched. And beyond those, many other creatures appeared, each one radiating the unmistakable strength of the Mythic Rank.

Each time, the group fought fiercely. Evan unleashed torrents of water to drown their enemies, his techniques weaving defense and offense seamlessly. Nina's presence burned with restrained power, her commands sharp and clear as her companions followed without hesitation. The three geniuses behind them also played their parts, striking with enough force to wear down their foes under coordinated attacks.

The battles were fierce but controlled, and though the monsters were strong, the group defeated them without suffering any serious injuries.

Through it all, Max never moved to lift his sword. He walked with them in silence, watching their strength unfold before him, his golden crown glowing faintly above his head like a silent reminder of the difference between them. The monsters fell one after another, but none by his hand. He had no need to act, not yet.

While they continued their march through the violet wasteland, Max's sharp eyes never stopped observing. He studied the flow of mana when Evan shaped his water techniques, the movements of Nina when she guided her subordinates, and even the smaller strikes of the three geniuses at the back. It did not take long for him to notice something curious.

Their methods of channeling power, their way of summoning skills, and even the subtle fluctuations in their bodies were no different from the humans on his own planet.

'Is it because every being is bound to the system?' Max wondered, his thoughts narrowing as he considered the possibility. The more he compared their techniques to what he had seen before, the more the similarities stood out.

Suddenly, his body stiffened. His Three Dimensional Body pulsed faintly, a ripple of awareness flashing through him. A presence stirred in the distance, faint but distinct. The sensation told him exactly what it was.

"There is a centipede a mile ahead, moving in the same direction we are," Max said evenly, turning his gaze toward Evan and Nina. His tone carried no hesitation. "We should take a detour and circle around it before heading forward again. I think these centipedes are connected. When one attacks, it draws the others to its side. If we clash with it, the rest will surely come swarming."

Evan frowned, scanning the wasteland with narrowed eyes. He saw nothing. The ground was steady, the soil did not tremble, and no sound of movement carried through the air. Nina's team also searched, their senses flaring outward, but they found no trace of what Max had warned them about. Doubt flickered in their expressions, suspicion gnawing at them.

Max noticed their hesitation and let out a quiet shrug. His voice was calm, almost indifferent. "I have given you my warning. If something happens, do not blame me. It will not be my fault." With those words, he slowed his pace and created distance, moving to the side as if to separate himself from their choices. He had no interest in fighting another horde of centipedes unless he was absolutely forced to.

Evan's brows knitted tightly, his heart caught between skepticism and caution. He did not want to believe, but neither could he ignore the weight of Max's presence and the golden crown above his head.

Nina, however, showed no conflict. Her eyes hardened as she turned to her group. "Everyone, take a detour. Move slightly to the left," she ordered firmly.

Evan sighed, resignation in his voice as he fell back in line. The others followed Nina's lead without argument. Together they shifted their path, circling around the place Max had warned them of. Before long they drew up alongside Max again, now moving with greater care through the wasteland, the detour taking them past what might have been another deadly encounter.

"You had better be right about the centipede," Evan warned, his glare fixed on Max with every inch of his posture radiating suspicion. No sooner had the words left his mouth than the ground beneath their feet shuddered and split, and a massive centipede burst up from the exact spot they had just vacated. The sudden eruption of rock and soil threw them all off balance and left the team frozen for a heartbeat.

Shock spread across their faces, and Nina's eyes widened as she realized what had almost happened. She had obeyed Max because of the golden crown above his head, and in that instant the risk of ignoring his warning had become painfully real. The absence of any sign before the beast broke the surface made the near miss all the more terrifying.

They continued on after the shock, the violet wasteland swallowing their footsteps, and the detour proved its worth more than once. Monsters of Mythic Rank still appeared, but Nina's team cut them down efficiently, their coordination and strength making short work of the threats.

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