Dahlia, Arden, Valtor, Seira, Rynar, Rynor, and the rest of the disciples were still grimacing… imagining a future where the supplements tasted even worse.

And then... Garion appeared beside them without warning.

"Morning, disciples."

Everyone flinched.

Dahlia sprinted toward him instantly, eyes wide with panic.

"MASTER! PLEASE TELL ME IT'S NOT TRUE! YOU'RE NOT MAKING MERSHA UPGRADE THE SUPPLEMENTS, RIGHT?!"

Garion blinked. "…Wow. How did you even know that?"

Dahlia froze. "So it is true…"

Seira let out a quiet breath. "…My prediction was correct."

Valtor grabbed his head. "NOOOOO... WHY?!"

Dahlia took a deep step forward and pointed at Garion dramatically.

"Master, please tell me you DIDN'T tell her to make the taste worse!"

Garion only smiled. It was a calm, dangerous, teasing smile.

"Just look forward to it."

Dahlia's shoulders slumped instantly.

"GODDAMMIT! I KNOW THAT SMILE! THAT'S YOUR 'YOU WILL SUFFER LATER' FACE!"

Garion laughed before lifting his hand and speaking in a serious tone.

"Alright, enough. I called everyone because I need to tell you something important."

All the disciples straightened up.

Garion looked across the crowd.

"You all know this island is Demon Gate Island, yes?"

All of them nodded.

Garion continued, "Then do you know why this place is terrifying to normal cultivators?"

Arden raised his hand slightly.

"Well… this island is filled with demonic beasts. More violent than normal beasts. And the mana here is heavy and poisonous to ordinary cultivators."

Garion nodded. "Correct."

Arden added, "But thanks to our special path, the mana here actually helps strengthen our bodies."

The disciples murmured in agreement.

Garion smiled proudly. "Exactly. But there's another reason this island is feared."

Everyone stared blankly, except Dahlia.

She raised her hand.

"Because in one week from now… every second realm beast and third realm beast on this island will awaken from their slumber."

The entire group exploded.

"WHAT?!"

"THIRD REALM?!"

"WE'RE GOING TO DIE!!"

Garion blinked, slightly surprised.

"How do you know that?"

Dahlia shrugged. "The Avenora and Revalis elders told me."

Arden snapped his fingers. "OH, yeah. They told me too. I forgot."

Garion nodded slowly. "I see. Well… they're right."

He crossed his arms and looked at everyone calmly.

"In one week... no, maybe even starting tomorrow, the beasts will begin to grow more aggressive and stronger."

The disciples trembled.

Garion smirked. "But don't worry. They still can't touch the God Gym."

He pointed at himself with full confidence. "You've all heard that I beat a third-realm elder, right?"

Everyone nodded quickly.

Garion smirked, pointing to himself. "So relax. I'll protect you."

A wave of relief spread across the dojo.

"Thank goodness…"

"Master is too reliable…"

"I thought I was going to die early…"

But then... Garion clapped once.

"And because I can guarantee your safety..."

He smiled.

The same smile that meant hell for his disciples.

"And since all of you have changed your path now…"

He pointed toward the jungle outside the God Gym.

"Starting tomorrow… every one of you will go out and hunt demonic beasts."

There was a silence, and suddenly... Every new disciple collapsed emotionally at the same time.

"WE'RE DEAD!!"

"I DIDN'T SIGN UP FOR THIS!!"

"MOM, TAKE ME HOME!!"

But on the other hand... the senior disciples... were all smirking.

Rynar cracked his knuckles, eyes shining. "Finally."

Rynor grinned. "I missed the smell of beast blood."

Clara spun her dagger. "Hunting arc!"

Eliza nodded silently with a faint smile.

For three whole weeks, the seniors had been stuck teaching basic anatomy and cultivation theory.

And now, it was the perfect time to relieve their stress by hunting those stupid demonic beasts.

Valtor was also quite excited despite being a new disciple.

He slammed his fist into his palm. "YES!! HUNTING!! I'M SO READY!!"

Dahlia's eyes sparkled. "MEAT!! LOTS OF MEAT!!"

Arden didn't cheer like the others, but he was quite excited from the look on his face.

"Time to impress my junior disciples."

Seira crossed her arms, chin lifted.

"…I dislike the chaos, but I prefer fighting beasts over reading corpse textbooks again."

Valtor laughed loudly. "EVEN THE ICE PRINCESS IS READY!"

Seira glared at him. "Don't call me princess."

Meanwhile, the new disciples were still grieving.

"CAN'T WE JUST… WATCH THE SENIORS DO IT?!"

Dahlia walked past them with a bright smile. "Nope! Everyone hunts! Even the weak babies!"

Valtor pointed at the jungle proudly. "I'll carry you all if I have to, BUT WE'RE GOING!!"

Rynar laughed. "You can barely carry yourself after squat day."

Rynor added, "He cried earlier in the cafeteria."

"THOSE WERE SPICE TEARS!!" Valtor protested.

Garion ignored the chaos and raised a finger. "You will hunt in teams. No one goes alone."

The noise died down a little.

Then Garion continued in a steady voice. "And let me tell you why this is necessary."

The disciples straightened, listening despite their fear.

Garion pointed at their bodies one by one.

"Here in the God Gym, you train your body. Consider your body as a weapon. Every squat, every push-up, and every supplement you drink... those are the hammer strikes shaping that weapon."

He tapped his chest. "Right now, your body is like a beautifully forged sword."

The disciples blinked and were impressed for a moment.

Garion smirked. "But how do you know the sword is truly strong?"

Valtor pumped his fist. "By using it!"

Garion nodded.

"Exactly. By testing it. No weapon can be trusted unless it's swung against real danger. The same applies to your bodies. Training alone isn't enough. You must experience real combat."

He pointed toward the jungle again.

"That's why you will fight demonic beasts. To see how strong your new bodies truly are."

A cold shiver spread through the new disciples.

"But master…" one whispered, voice trembling. "What if we… die?"

Garion waved his hand casually. "You won't."

Another disciple whimpered, "H-How can you be so sure…?"

Garion smirked.

"Because I'll be watching. And because I don't allow my disciples to die. Especially not from something as small as demonic beasts."

Valtor nodded eagerly. "MASTER WOULD PUNCH A THIRD REALM BEAST FOR US!!"

Dahlia pumped her fist. "That's our Master!"

Even Seira cracked a tiny, respectful nod.

Garion snapped his fingers, ending the discussion.

"Prepare yourselves. Tonight, you rest. Tomorrow, you test your bodies."

The dojo fell silent.

Every disciple felt a mixture of fear… excitement… and a strange spark of determination.

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