Chapter 81: From Peaceful Night to Food War
Dinner finally came to an end.
The disciples leaned back in their chairs, holding their swollen stomachs.
Plates were empty, bowls were stacked, and the restaurant looked like it had survived a war.
Just when everyone thought they could rest, two large creteas suddenly appeared in front of Garion.
The disciples groaned quietly.
"Not again..."
Garion stood up with his usual calm smile.
"Don’t look so nervous. This one’s not as bad as the last."
He opened the crates. Inside were 101 bottles, each one made of black glass with a faint mist swirling inside.
"Come forward and take one. Everyone gets one bottle."
The disciples hesitated but obeyed. One by one, they stepped forward and picked up a bottle.
When they looked inside, they saw a creamy, black drink that gave off light mist.
One boy sniffed it carefully.
"Huh... it doesn’t smell like anything."
Another nodded.
"Maybe this one’s safe?"
Dahlia stood beside Garion with crossed arms, raising an eyebrow.
"That’s why they think now, but just wait until they taste it."
The disciple froze, glancing down at their bottles nervously.
Garion chuckled.
"Relax. This one won’t burn your mouth. Probably."
He lifted one of the bottles and shook it slightly.
"This is Demonic Protein. It’ll speed up your recovery and help your body rebuild itself faster after training."
He paused and smiled faintly.
"But remember, drink it before you sleep. It’ll make you very sleepy afterward."
The group nodded quickly, but none of them looked reassured.
"Alright," Dahlia said, waving her hand.
"You heard, Master. Go take a bath, then head to bed. Training starts again the next morning."
Groans filled the air as the disciples dragged themselves out of the restaurant, holding their bottles like they were bombs.
---
Back in their dorms, each disciple stared at the bottle on their bedside table.
A few of them gathered in the hallway, whispering.
"Do you think it tastes better than the first one?"
"I hope so. My tongue still feels weird from that one."
"What if this one puts us to sleep forever?"
"Don’t be stupid," another muttered.
"Master said it helps with recovery."
"Yeah, but he smiled when he said it. You know... Senior Sister always said that’s never good."
They all stared at their bottles in silence.
Finally, one brave disciple sighed.
"Alright, I’m drinking it. If I don’t wake up tomorrow, tell Senior Sister she owes me a new robe."
He uncapped the bottle and gulped it down in one clean motion.
His face twisted instantly.
"Ugh! It’s... bitter!"
The others stared.
"How bitter?"
"Like... if darkness had a flavor."
Still, one by one, they all followed. The same reactions echoed across the dorm.
"Ugh!"
"Bitter!"
"My tongue’s dying!"
"Why does everything he makes taste like punishment!?"
Soon after, the bitterness faded, and a deep sleepiness overcame them.
One disciple yawned so wide his jaw cracked.
"I think it’s working..."
Another barely managed to go back to his room before falling asleep right in the hallway.
Within minutes, the entire dorm was filled with the sound of soft snoring.
---
Dahlia checked the hallway later, peeking into a few rooms.
"All asleep already?"
Garion crossed his arms, smiling.
"Told you it makes them sleepy. Perfect revocery timing."
She sighed, shaking her head.
"You and your supplements... someday one of them’s going to drink the wrong one."
Garion chuckled quietly.
"Not if I make sure every ’wrong one’ becomes the right one."
Dahlia rolled her eyes.
"You’re impossible."
He smiled wider.
"That’s why I’m the Master.
And just like that, the God Gym fell silent for the night.
---
The next morning, Garion and Dahlia were already sitting in the restaurant.
The table was filled with a mountain of meats, rice, vegetables and soup.
There was easily twice as much food as last night’s dinner.
Dahlia blinked in surprise.
"Master... why did you prepare so much food? They haven’t even trained yet. No one’s going to eat this much."
Garion just smiled calmly, crossing his arms.
"You’ll see."
Dahlia tilted her head, frowning.
"That’s what you always say before something weird happens."
Before Garion could respond, the doors to the restaurant burst open.
Dozens of disciples rushed in, eyes wide and glowing faintly with hunger.
The moment they saw the food, their expressions turned wild.
"FOOD!"
And just like that, another chaos began.
They didn’t even wait for permission.
They charged straight toward the tables, grabbing anything they could reach, instantly turning the restaurant into a battlefield of breakfast.
Dahlia froze, eyes wide.
"What the hell?! They haven’t even said good morning!"
Garion chuckled softly.
"I forgot to mention something."
She turned to him sharply.
"What did you do this time?"
He smiled.
"I forgot to tell you that aside from making them sleepy, the Demonic Protein has another side effect."
He gestured toward the food stampede.
"Another side effect is that it massively increases appetite and after a full night without eating..."
His grin grew wider.
Dahlia groaned, rubbing her forehead.
"Unbelievable. They look like beasts that haven’t eaten in days!"
The disciples didn’t even notice the conversation. They were too busy stuffing their faces.
"Pass the meat!"
"There’s soup over there! Move!"
"Who took the last plate of meat?! Give it back!"
One girl even used her plate as a shield to block someone trying to steal her meat.
Garion leaned back in his chair, watching calmly.
"At least they’re enthusiastic."
Dahlia crossed her arms.
"Enthusiastic? They’re one step away from becoming a true demonic beast!"
Garion smirked.
"It’s a good thing for them. Becoming beasts, meaning they had better recovery and physique."
Dahlia sighed.
"You always find a way to make chaos sound better for us."
One disciple looked up mid-bite.
"Master! Can we have seconds?"
Garion nodded casually.
"Go ahead. There’s plenty."
The disciple cheered, and the others followed, rushing back for more.
Within minutes, every plate on the table was empty.
Dahlia looked around the mess, shaking her head.
"It will be a pain to clean this all up."
Garion laughed.
"Don’t worry too much. I already have an instant auto cleaning function."
Dahlia could only sigh, seeing the aftermath of the breakfast chaos.