Valtor didn't hesitate. He tilted his head back and chugged the entire bottle in one go.

"GULP!"

Seira blinked, then followed him with a sharp exhale of determination.

She lifted her bottle and swallowed it all in one breath

For one second, both of them were silent.

Then...

Valtor's eyes shot wide open. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS SPICE...!!"

He dropped to one knee, slapping the floor. "MY TONGUE IS ON FIRE!!"

Seira stiffened, face twitching. She covered her mouth with the back of her hand.

"This is… beyond spicy… This is torture… What IS this!?"

Dahlia grabbed her stomach and burst out laughing.

"Hahaha! Of course it's spicy! The effect is insane, so the taste has to be insane too!"

Valtor glared at her through watery eyes. "YOU COULD HAVE WARNED US!"

Seira fanned her mouth. "My mana veins feel like they're boiling…"

Arden nodded calmly. "Yes. That's normal."

Then all three turned toward Mersha.

The small girl stood there, holding her bottle with both hands, and then drank the whole thing.

She lowered the bottle with a soft smile.

Valtor froze. "Wait… why are you smiling?"

Seira stared. "…You're not dying?"

Dahlia leaned forward. "How are you okay?!"

Mersha tilted her head sweetly. "It's… delicious. A little hot, but yummy."

Valtor choked on air. "DELICIOUS?!"

Seira pressed her hand to her forehead. "Is your tongue made of steel…?"

Mersha pressed her finger to her lip thoughtfully.

"I've had poisons that tasted much worse. Some were so bitter they made me cry. Some burned holes in wooden tables… So this is actually not that bad."

Everyone just stared at her.

Valtor pointed dramatically. "THIS GIRL IS TERRIFYING."

Seira nodded slowly. "I… am no longer surprised that she survived her family."

Dahlia wiped a tear from her eye from laughing. "Oh Mersha… you're amazing."

Arden coughed politely.

"A-anyway… Since you've all finished drinking it, the supplement should kick in soon. Your workouts will be easier now."

Valtor cracked his neck, his veins glowing faint red. "Good. Because after that taste, this better be worth it."

Seira stretched her arms, feeling the heat spreading through her body. "It's powerful… I can feel the mana boiling already."

Mersha smiled softly, cheeks faintly warm. "My chest feels fuzzy… is that normal?"

Dahlia grinned. "Yep! That means it's working and also..."

She clapped her hands sharply. "Time to move!"

She didn't even wait for them to recover. She shoved Valtor gently toward the nearest machine.

"Come on, hothead! Your veins are glowing red. Use it!"

Valtor stumbled forward, still fanning his burning tongue.

"Fine! Just give me a minute! My mouth is dying!"

Dahlia ignored him and dragged Seira next.

"You too, ice princess. That heat in your body will make your body even better while training."

Seira's steps were steady, but her cheeks were a bit red.

"It feels… hotter than I expected. My whole body is warm."

"That's good," Dahlia smirked. "Use that warmth."

Then she gently guided Mersha.

"And you, little poison fairy. Since you're not dying from the creatine, you can go first."

Mersha nodded cutely. "Okay."

Arden moved beside them, stepping in front of a new machine.

"Alright. We'll continue introducing the equipment. Follow closely."

He pointed at a machine with two long handles and a sliding seat.

"This is the rowing machine. It trains your back, legs, and core. Very important for overall body coordination."

Valtor sat down immediately and grabbed the handles. "Like this?"

"Yes," Arden said. "Now pull slowly."

Valtor pulled.

FWOOOSH!

The seat shot back so fast he nearly flew off the machine.

"BRO! WHAT? WHY IS IT SO STRONG?!"

Arden calmly held the machine in place.

"Because you are stronger now. That's the effect of the creatine."

Seira stepped onto the next machine, a vertical bar with weights attached.

"And this one?"

Dahlia leaned on it with a grin.

"Shoulder press! It's good for your upper body strength. Try it."

Seira grabbed the bar and pushed upward slowly.

Her arms trembled… then stabilized as the mana heat inside her spread.

"Oh… this feels surprisingly smooth."

"That's the creatine again," Dahlia said proudly. "Makes the muscles fire harder."

Mersha was guided to a stretching rack with multiple ropes and pulleys.

"This one is for flexibility," Arden said. "Very important for someone who moves quickly like you."

Mersha stepped inside and pulled one rope. Her leg lifted straight into the air.

She blinked. "Oh! It moved so easily."

Arden nodded. "Yes, but don't overdo it..."

Mersha pulled another rope.

Her other leg went up.

Valtor choked. "HOW ARE YOU NOT SNAPPING IN HALF?!"

Seira stared. "Her flexibility is… horrifying."

Mersha smiled innocently. "My family trained us a lot to escape chains and ropes."

Dahlia took over again, dragging them to another section.

"Next machine! This is the leg press. It trains your thighs and glutes. Super important!"

Valtor cracked his knuckles and sat down."Alright. This one looks easy."

Arden set the weight for him.

"With the creatine in your system, you might feel stronger, but don't forget proper form."

Valtor nodded and pushed.

His legs launched the weight stack upward with a loud CLANG!

"OH COME ON! NOT AGAIN!"

Valtor grabbed the machine to stop himself from flying backward.

Dahlia fell over laughing.

"HAHAHA! VALTOR, YOU'RE TOO STRONG RIGHT NOW!"

Seira stepped onto a balance board next, focusing calmly.

The board shook violently.

She didn't move.

Mersha admired her. "Woah… she's like a statue…"

Arden smiled. "Good balance, Seira. Your training will be very effective."

Then Dahlia suddenly appeared behind them, hands on her hips again.

"Alright! You tried the machines. Now we combine them!"

Valtor froze. "Wait, combine? What does that mean?"

Seira narrowed her eyes. "Senior Brother Arden, explain."

Mersha tilted her head. "Are we… mixing them?"

Arden stepped forward with a warm smile that somehow made them nervous.

"It means… circuit training."

Valtor paled. "Circuit… what?"

Dahlia clapped loudly.

"One minute on each machine. No breaks!"

All three juniors shouted together:

"NO BREAKS?!"

Dahlia pointed dramatically.

"Welcome to REAL training!"

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