Chapter 70: System Upgrade Smells Like Sweat
Inside the training hall, Dahlia was in mid-squat, her face red and dripping with sweat.
The metal bar across her shoulders held nearly 150 kilograms of weight, and her legs trembled slightly as she pushed herself back up.
"Third set... done."
She dropped the bar back into the rack with a loud clang. She bent forward, breathing hard, her hair stuck to her neck.
"Ugh... Master’s been in his room for three months straight, and there’s not even a single room for him."
She groaned, wiping her forehead with a towel.
"What’s he even doing in there? Did he fall asleep mid-cultivation or something?"
She glanced toward the hallway that led to Garion’s room.
"Today’s also the day that the old elder’s supposed to come with the new people. If Master doesn’t show up soon, they’ll think this place is abandoned."
Just as she was about to continue doing other kinds of workouts...
Click!
The door to Garion’s room opened. Dahlia froze, slowly turning her head.
Garion stepped out, stretching his arms lazily. His hair was messy, and his clothes slightly torn at the sleeves.
Dahlia blinked in disbelief.
"M-Master...?"
Garion just smiled faintly.
"Yo. Been a while."
She hurried over, eyes wide.
"Master! Have you finally reached the Mana Core Realm?!"
Garion’s grin widened.
"Of course."
The excitement on her face was instant.
"That’s amazing! Then..."
But before she could finish, her expression changed. She stopped a few steps away, her nose twitching slightly.
"Uh... Master..." she said slowly, waving her hand in front of her face.
"You’re so... smelly."
Garion binked. "Huh?"
Dahlia covered her nose and backed up a little.
"Seriously! You smell like... sweat and something rotten. Go shower before you kill me with that rotten smell."
Garion looked down at himself.
His clothes had not been changed in three months. His skin was covered in faint soot and dried sweat.
He sniffed once and frowned.
"...Okay, fair point."
Dahlia laughed, unable to help herself.
"Three months of cultivation and not a single bath? You’re lucky you didn’t evolve into a stink elemental."
Garion rolled his eyes but chuckled.
"Fine, fine. I’ll take a quick shower first. You wait here."
As he headed toward the bathing room, Dahlia smiled faintly, shaking her head.
"Typical Master... becomes a Second Realm monster, but still forgets basic hygiene."
She looked toward the doors.
"Well... at least he came out just in time. The new recruits should be arriving any minute now."
---
Thankfully, all the facilities in the God Gym were designed in a modern style, so Garion didn’t have to deal with weird old-era tubs anymore for bathing.
He just walked into a clean, tiled shower room, turned a handle, and warm water poured down instantly.
"Now this is something I missed."
After a while, he stepped out, refreshed.
He looked more human again with his clean hair, clear skin, and fresh face.
Instead of the usual robe, he wore something new: a simple, sleeveless top and long, flexible pants, with a thin jacket tied around his waist.
It wasn’t traditional at all. It looked more like a casual sports outfit than a cultivator’s attire.
As he stretched his shoulders, a familiar screen appeared in front of him.
[Congratulations! You have advanced to the Mana Core Realm!]
Garion frowned slightly.
"That’s it? Just congratulations? No gifts?"
He waited for a moment. Then another screen appeared.
---
[God Gym Management Interface]
[Level: 1]
[Owner: Garion Gravithor]
---
[Current Abilities:]
[1. Divine Training Resonance]
[2. Divine Equipment Creation]
[3. Divine Supplement Creation]
---
[Current Facilities:]
[1. Training Hall]
[2. Restaurant and Bar]
[3. Dormitory]
---
[Members]
[Private Disciples: 1/2]
[Outer Disciples: 0/100]
---
[Active Missions:]
[1. Recruit 100 new members.]
[2. Recruit one new private disciple.]
[3. Help Dahlia break through to the Mana Core Realm.]
---
Garion blinked a few times, then let out a low whistle.
"Well, I’ll be damned... so the system got an upgrade too."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, reading through each section.
"God Gym now has a level system, huh? And I can actually check the stats clearly now."
He scrolled down the interface mentally, analyzing.
"Only level one, huh? Guess that means there’s still a lot of room to grow."
Then his eyes narrowed at the members and mission sections.
"Private disciples: one out of two... so I can only recruit one more like Dahlia that had an amazing talent."
His eyes then went toward the second row.
"And a hundred outer disciples. That must mean the new ones will be normal members."
He tapped his chin, thinking back about the multiplier.
"I wonder... If Dahlia gives me ten times return as a private disciple, and a random guest only gave me half..."
He tilted his head in curiosity.
"Then... what about these outer disciples? Will it be two times, three times... or even five times?"
Garion smirked, his eyes glinting with interest.
"Guess I’ll find out soon enough."
Closing the interface with a thought, he walked out of the bathroom and headed back into the main hall.
---
Dahlia was already waiting for Garion, holding a towel around her neck.
The moment she saw him, her expression brightened.
"Good, Master! At least you don’t smell like a rotten egg anymore."
Garion chuckled.
"Yeah, yeah. I get it."
But then Dahlia’s gaze dropped, her expression changed completely.
Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked him up and down, pointing at Garion’s clothes.
"Wait, what are you wearing?"
Garion glanced at his new clothes.
"This? Just something comfortable."
Dahlia frowned, tilting her head.
"Where’s your robe? This cloth is just too... strange! You actually look like some bandit, wearing this!"
Garion shrugged.
"I threw it away. These new clothes are easier to move in. Didn’t you get some in your room, too?"
Dahlia frowned.
"I did, but... I didn’t wear them."
Garion raised his eyebrow.
"Why not?"
"They’re weird!" she said instantly, puffing her cheeks slightly.
"The top is too short. It doesn’t even cover my stomach! And the pants are tight! And there is a thin jacket that looks like it’s for decoration, not armor!"
Garion crossed his arms, smirking.
"Just wear it. You’ll see how different it feels once you start moving in it."
Dahlia gave him a skeptical look.
"Are you sure it’s not just another one of your strange ideas?"
Garion chuckled.
"Maybe. But comfort matters. You can’t fight properly when you’re drowning in robes."
She sighed in defeat.
"Fine, fine. I’ll go try it on."
As she turned away, Garion called out.
"And take a shower while you’re at it. You just finished trading and a bit smelly."
Dahlia waved her hand behind her.
"Yeah, yeah, I know!"