Garion stood at the front of the restaurant, arms crossed, eyes slowly sweeping over the tired faces in front of him.

"All of you have reached the Second Realm," he said calmly.

"But not all of you have awakened a [Unique Physique]."

The words landed heavily.

For half a second, the room was completely silent.

Then...

Dahlia's shoulders relaxed at once. She let out a long breath and leaned back in her chair.

"Ahhh. That scared me for a moment."

Rynor blinked, then grinned. "Wait."

Rynar tilted his head. "…So that means?"

Clara's face lit up. "Oh! Oh! That means it's not for us, right?"

Eliza didn't say anything.

She simply lowered her head slightly and continued eating, as calm as ever.

Dahlia clapped her hands together cheerfully. "See? I knew it. Master wouldn't torture us again for no reason."

Rynor laughed loudly. "Haha! Guess we're safe this time!"

Rynar crossed his arms, smirking. "Yeah. Been there, done that."

Clara leaned forward dramatically and pointed at Garion.

"Master, you should really warn people before you say things like that. My heart almost stopped."

Garion didn't respond. He only let the smile stay on his face.

Across the room, the mood was very different.

Seira's brows knitted together slightly.

Her posture remained straight, but her eyes sharpened.

Valtor frowned deeply. "…So it's for us."

The realization hit him hard.

He glanced around and noticed the pattern immediately.

Second Realm.

No [Unique Physique].

That narrowed it down fast.

Valtor clicked his tongue. "Damn it."

Seira folded her arms. "Figures."

The contrast didn't go unnoticed.

Dahlia leaned over the table, smiling brightly at them. "Aww, what's wrong? You two look so serious."

Rynor laughed and jabbed a thumb in their direction. "Looks like the juniors are up next."

Rynar nodded. "Yeah. Congratulations."

Clara clasped her hands together, eyes sparkling with fake sympathy.

"Don't worry! The pain probably won't kill you."

Valtor shot her a glare. "That's not comforting at all."

Seira didn't react. She simply stared at Garion. "…What kind of supplement?"

Garion raised an eyebrow slightly. "Straight to the point."

He didn't answer immediately.

His gaze lingered on Seira and Valtor, then swept past them.

"Whether you're disciples who just stepped into the Second Realm," he continued, "or those who've been here for a while."

He stopped walking.

"All of you already know this," Garion said. "The most important part of the Second Realm…"

He lifted one finger.

"…is [Unique Physique]."

The room went quiet.

Slowly, heads began to nod.

Valtor swallowed. "Yeah."

Clara crossed her arms. "That's the real wall, right?"

Garion nodded. "Exactly."

He turned his head slightly. "Mersha."

Mersha straightened instantly.

She adjusted her glasses, smiled brightly, and nodded back.

"Senior disciples. Junior disciples," she said, her words coming out fast.

"I made something good."

The way she said "good" made several people uneasy.

She reached into her coat and carefully pulled out a reinforced bottle.

Inside was a thick black liquid.

It moved slowly, almost like it was breathing.

The moment the bottle appeared, a strange smell spread through the room.

Clara gagged. "Why does it smell so bad?"

Rynor pinched his nose. "That's not normal."

Rynar muttered, "That's definitely not normal."

Mersha grinned wider. "Right? Isn't it amazing?"

Dahlia leaned forward, eyes narrowed. "…That's not one of the old ones."

Garion shook his head. "No."

Mersha lifted the bottle proudly. "I call this [Unique Physique Elixir]."

The words hit the room like a strike.

"…What?" someone whispered.

Valtor's eyes widened. "You're joking."

Mersha tilted her head. "I don't joke about science."

Garion continued calmly, "The moment you drink this..."

He tapped the bottle lightly.

"...you will instantly awaken your [Unique Physique]."

For half a second, no one spoke.

Then...

"What?!"

"Instantly?!"

"Are you serious?!"

Even Dahlia shot to her feet.

"Wait, wait, wait," she said, pointing at the bottle.

"Instantly? Like no fight? No near-death experience?"

Clara leaned over the table, eyes shining. "You mean no dramatic screaming on the battlefield?"

Mersha giggled. "Oh, there will still be screaming."

That did not help.

Valtor stared at the bottle, breathing slow and heavy. "…So that thing just forces it."

"Yes!" Mersha said happily. "It skips the trigger and punches the door open."

Seira's eyes narrowed. "…What's the price?"

Garion's smile sharpened.

He didn't answer right away.

Instead, he tilted his head and said lightly, "What's the fun in that?"

A few people stiffened.

"Why don't you find out yourself," Garion continued, eyes on Seira, "Seira."

Seira frowned. Just a little. But everyone noticed.

She didn't like vague answers.

Garion then turned his head toward the other side of the table.

"And of course," he added, "you too, Valtor."

Valtor straightened immediately.

"You two," Garion said calmly, "are my direct disciples."

His voice grew firmer. "And among the First Realm disciples, you fought the most."

Valtor's throat moved as he swallowed.

"So," Garion continued, "consider this a gift."

The word "gift" made several people twitch.

Valtor glanced at the black bottle again. His palms were damp. "…A gift, huh."

Before either of them could respond...

"DON'T TAKE IT."

Clara slammed her hands on the table and jumped to her feet.

Rynor stood up too. "Yeah! Don't!"

Rynar pointed sharply. "We've seen these things!"

Clara waved her arms wildly. "The effect is insane, okay? It really does transform you!"

Rynor nodded hard. "But you already know how this goes!"

Rynar added bluntly, "Everything here has a price."

The room went quiet again.

Seira and Valtor exchanged a brief glance.

Seira's lips pressed into a thin line.

Valtor frowned, jaw tight.

Then...

"You should take it."

Dahlia's voice cut in, calm but confident.

Everyone turned toward her.

She leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, a small smile on her face. "Seriously."

She looked at Seira first. "You already know how strong a [Unique Physique] is."

Then she glanced at Valtor. "We've all seen the difference."

Valtor clenched his fist unconsciously.

Dahlia continued, "Yeah, the taste should be really horrible, and the side effects are crazy."

She shrugged. "But they're not permanent."

Rika nodded gently. "That's true."

Rena leaned forward. "You won't be crippled for life or anything."

Clara opened her mouth. "Still..."

Dahlia raised a hand. "Clara."

She smiled slightly. "They're not kids."

Silence followed.

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