After about ten minutes of flight on Blackie’s back, Marcus finally spotted the yellow rocky region Liam had mentioned. At the northernmost edge of it stood caves of every size, their openings scattered across the stone like dark wounds.

That had to be Black Earth Cavern.

"They’re obviously yellow rock caves," Marcus muttered. "Why call it Black Earth Cavern?"

He checked his gear, assigned the attribute points from his last level-up, then patted Blackie’s neck.

"Blackie, let’s head down."

Neigh!

Blackie gave an eager whinny, circled lazily through the air a few times, then descended toward one of the larger cave entrances.

The beast was becoming more obedient by the day, and far easier to handle.

Its only flaw was laziness.

Whenever Marcus went out grinding for experience, Blackie rarely bothered to contribute unless absolutely necessary.

"This cave is dark as hell."

Now he understood the name.

The outer walls were yellow stone, but once he stood at the entrance and looked inside, everything changed. The cave’s interior was formed from black, soil-like rock that seemed to swallow all light. It reflected nothing, absorbed everything.

The tunnel ahead looked less like a cave and more like a hole cut into the void. The name Black Earth Cavern suddenly felt very accurate.

"Pebble, go scout ahead."

Marcus lit a torch and sent Pebble forward. Pebble had barely advanced five meters when the walls and ground suddenly erupted.

Seven or eight black-scaled creatures burst straight out of the stone, each covered in heavy armor-like plates with a sharp horn jutting from its head.

Black-Horned Pangolins. Exactly what Marcus had come for.

"Watch out!"

He shouted from the entrance. Pebble reacted instantly and tried to dodge, but a sharp cracking roar thundered through the cavern.

CRACK!

A barrage of flying stones materialized from nowhere and slammed into Pebble all at once.

One hit kill.

Pebble shattered and vanished before Marcus could even blink. The pangolins immediately burrowed back into the black earth as if they had never been there.

Marcus stared.

’Unbelievable.’

What kind of ridiculous monsters were these? They were Level seventy and above, at least.

Still unwilling to give up, Marcus summoned Pebble again, then called out the Sea Demon Soul as backup. This time, Pebble carried the torch while the Sea Demon Soul guarded beside it, and the two slowly advanced into the darkness.

Same result.

Five meters in, the Black-Horned Pangolins exploded from the walls again without warning.

Another storm of rocks came screaming through the air.

"Pull back!"

Marcus had expected it this time. Pebble and the Sea Demon Soul retreated at full speed.

Even so, Pebble’s luck ran out again and it was instantly killed. The Sea Demon Soul barely made it back alive, surviving only because of its monstrous Defense and huge Health pool.

Worse still, even after using its overpowered Taunt skill, it failed to draw the attention of a single pangolin.

The creatures simply ignored it and the Sea Demon Soul returned empty-handed.

Marcus rubbed his forehead. Those Black-Horned Pangolins were definitely above Level 70.

"Recall."

With a frustrated sigh, he activated a Town Portal Scroll. A flash later, he reappeared in his house at Dragon’s Peak Citadel.

Those monsters were that absurdly strong, and Madam Jane had conveniently forgotten to mention it.

"Anya, Chloe, I’m back."

Marcus dropped into a seat inside the garden pavilion. Alana stepped forward at once and poured him a cup of chrysanthemum tea. At the same time, he sent private messages to Anya and Chloe, the only two who could return immediately.

"We’ll be right there."

Both women used Town Portal Scrolls without delay and appeared inside the house moments later.

"Marcus, did you finish the quest?"

They walked over together. The moment Anya noticed Alana sitting close at Marcus’s right side, she calmly crossed over and sat on his left instead, hooking herself around his arm before anyone else could claim the space.

Marcus grinned shamelessly. "No problem." He launched straight into the story of everything that had happened at Red Locust Grove.

First came the red locust wood basket. Then the tale of the thousand-year Red Locust Spirit. He embellished every dangerous moment and every clever decision.

As Anya and Chloe listened with widening eyes, Marcus felt increasingly pleased with himself.

Unable to resist, he reached down and gently squeezed Anya’s soft hand.

"And that’s not even the best part."

Next, he pulled out the materials harvested from the Venomous Horned Serpent.

The girls immediately gathered closer to inspect them, openly amazed. Once they had admired everything, Marcus handed the entire collection over to Alana and left management of the materials in her care.

"Master... this many Mythic-grade materials?"

Even Alana gasped.

"How did you obtain these?"

She understood better than anyone how rare such things were.

"Master... did you encounter a Mythic Beast?"

"Not a Mythic Beast."

Marcus smiled.

"A Divine Beast."

"Divine Beast!"

Anya, still wrapped around his arm, stared at him in shock.

"Yep. A real Divine Beast."

Unable to help himself, Marcus leaned over and kissed her smooth, pale cheek.

"Alana, we’ve got some red locust honey. Make everyone a few cups." Seeing the eager curiosity in Anya’s eyes, Marcus deliberately delayed the story. He would let her wait a little longer.

He took out the red locust honeycomb, and Alana immediately began preparing tea.

"Marcus, what happened?" Anya demanded, shaking his arm. "Tell me now!"

"All right, all right. I’ll show you."

Marcus took out his recorder crystal.

"Alana, come watch too. You don’t want to miss this."

She was still brewing. "Master, it’s almost ready."

Marcus noticed this batch was taking longer than usual. Alana had added several extra ingredients and was using a far more delicate process than simple tea-making.

A few moments later, she returned carrying a tray.

"Master, it’s done."

She placed the cups before them, smiling with obvious pride.

The tea shimmered with rich golden-yellow and soft red hues, the chrysanthemum blending beautifully with the locust honey.

Marcus narrowed his eyes. Whenever Alana looked this pleased with herself, it meant she had improved something. He lifted the cup and inspected the item description.

—

Locust Honey Chrysanthemum Tea:

Red locust honey and chrysanthemum refined using the special technique Hundred-Flowers Delicate Hands. Exceptional flavor. Fully enhances the detoxifying effects of red locust honey. After drinking, Poison Resistance increases by 5%. Effect does not stack.

—

Marcus nearly laughed. Alana truly was a Grandmaster Alchemist. Even a simple cup of tea could become a stat-boosting treasure in her hands.

"Ah."

"That’s incredible."

Anya and Chloe checked the descriptions on their own cups and exclaimed in surprise.

"Please, Master. Enjoy." Alana sat gracefully beside Marcus, her eyes bright with satisfaction.

"Cheers."

Marcus took a sip. It was sweet, fragrant, and smooth, with no heaviness at all.

At the same time, he activated the recording crystal and began playing the footage from Black Crow Marsh, showing the battle against the Divine Beast Venomous Horned Serpent.

Surrounded by three beautiful women, drinking premium tea, and watching replay footage of a Divine Beast battle he had participated in... Life really did not get much better than this.

Ding!

[Player Stonehaven. You have consumed Locust Honey Chrysanthemum Tea. Your Poison Resistance has increased by 5%.]

The system notification rang out just as the final scene of the battle ended and everyone finished their tea.

’Perfect timing.’

"Come on," Marcus said after a short rest. "Let’s go sell that Venomous Horned Serpent meat."

Anya, Chloe, and Alana changed into their concealment masks, then followed him out toward Boss Blaze’s general store.

He needed to ask Path to Heaven about the current market price. If high-grade cooking ingredients sold well, today might become even more profitable.