Garion and Dahlia stood at the edge of the beach with the hundred new disciples gathered behind them.
Garion looked at them, clapping his hands.
"Alright, everyone. The God Gym isn’t far at all. It is just a few days of walking. So, keep up, don’t wander off, and try not to die."
The group exchanged uncertain glances.
"Just a few days of walking."
Dahlia heard it and smirked.
"You’ll find out soon enough."
The first day went smoothly. The recruits followed closely behind Dahlia, who led the way confidently.
Every now and then, the forest shook with distant growling sounds of demonic beasts.
By the second day, those growls became closer and the demonic mana in the air made ven breathing feel tiring for new disciples.
Suddenly, the trees to the left rustled violently. A demonic wolf lunged out, black smoke trailing behind it.
All the new recruits panicked instantly.
"Protect the formation!"
Before anyone could react, Dahlia had already begun to move.
In a single leap, she appeared in front of the demonic wolf, and with a single punch, the wolf’s head exploded into black mist.
The disciples froze in place.
Garion, who had been walking behind them, just smiled.
"See? That’s what a proper warm-up looks like."
Dahlia wiped off the black blood from her hands, then turned toward the group.
"If any of you screamed instead of fighting, congratulations. You’ve failed my first incisive test."
Several of them looked away awkwardly.
One brave disciple raised his hand.
"S-senior sister, we didn’t scream. We were just... breathing loudly."
Dahlia’s eyebrow twitched.
"Loud breathing counts as fear."
Garion laughed quietly behind them.
"Careful. She’s serious about that."
By the third day, things started getting harder. The demonic mana in the air thickened.
The new disciples’ steps grew heavier, their breathing rougher.
Dahlia, meanwhile, still walked like it was nothing, humming to herself as if she were taking a casual stroll.
When she noticed how slow the group was getting, she turned around and frowned.
"Seriously? This is all it takes to tire you out?"
A few disciples tried to speak between breaths.
"Senior Sister... the mana... it’s too heavy..."
Dahlia crossed her arms.
"Excuses. If mana can slow you down, then you’re just too weak. Move faster!"
The disciple frowned.
"No buts!" Dahlia’s voice cracked like thunder.
"You think training at God Gym will be easier than this?!"
Everyone straightened instantly, terrified. Even Garion chuckled at the reaction.
"Don’t scare them too early, Dahlia."
Dahlia just threw her face off, crossing her arms.
"I’m not scaring them. I’m motivating them."
Garoin just laughed, amused.
"Looks more like trauma to me."
On the fourth day, another beast attacked.
This time, it was a demonic boar; its tusks were sharp and dripping black liquid.
The disciples barely had time to react before Dahlia dashed forward again.
She slammed her knee into its jaw, followed by a clean hammer fist that broke its skull.
The beast collapsed instantly.
The group was stunned again as Dahlia stood over the corpse, breathing calmly.
"If you can’t even channel something , you’ll never survive this island."
Garion smiled faintly. "I taught her well."
By the fifth day, most of the disciples looked like they had aged ten years.
"Master... how much longer?"
Garion smiled casually.
"Just a bit more. The God Gym’s not that far from here. Think of this as your warm-up before training."
Several disciples nearly cried.
"This is a warm-up?!"
Dahlia turned around, expression sharp.
"You heard, Master. If this is too much, turn back now. The door to God Gym only opens to those who don’t quit."
No one dared to move.
Garion nodded approvingly.
"Of course. I learned from you."
Finally, as the sun dipped low on the sixth day, the forest opened up, revealing a strange building which was the God Gym.
The disciples stopped, staring in awe.
"What’s that building?"
"It doesn’t even look like a sect..."
"It looks... divine."
Garion smiled proudly.
"Welcome to the God Gym. From today onward, this is your new home."
He then turned towards Dahlia.
"Alright, Dahlia. Take them to their rooms. There should be exactly one hundred rooms in the outer disciple dormitory. Each of them gets one."
Dahlia nodded. "Got it, Master." Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs noveⅼfire.net
Garion added, "Also, there’s one extra room next to yours. That’ll be for Arden. Show him around, too."
"Understood," she said, glancing at the quiet boy who followed at the back of the group.
Garion crossed his arms.
"And make sure to teach them how to use everything inside. I don’t want everyone breaking a toilet out of curiosity."
Dahlia sighed softly.
"Yeah, yeah, I remember what happened the first time I tried using one."
"Exactly. Don’t let them repeat your mistakes."
She glared half-heartedly.
"I’ll make sure of it."
Then Garion stretched his shoulders.
"Good. For today, let everyone rest. Tomorrow morning, we’ll be having the real training."
The disciples, who had been standing nervously the whole time, finally exhaled in relief.
Dahlia clapped her hands.
"Alright, you heard Master! Follow me. Rooms are signed by number, so don’t get lost."
A few of the new recruits exchanged awkward smiles, still confused and amazed by the strange interior.
Dahlia rolled her eyes.
"Stop standing there like a lost sheep. Come on, I’ll show you everything."
She pointed toward the long corridor leading to the dormitories.
"We’ll go in groups of twenty. I’ll teach each group about how to use the things inside your rooms. The furniture here isn’t like what you’ve seen before."
The disciple whispered in confusion.
"Furniture? teach us?"
"Trust me, you’ll need it. These rooms were built by the Master’s amazing magic. Everything looks simple, but if you mess around, you’ll either break it or accidentally flood the bathroom."
Several disciples blinked in alarm, wondering what she meant.
Dahlia just waved her hand off.
"Don’t worry. It’s safe... mostly."