Chapter 80: The Burn Is Real
Dahlia didn’t know what Garion meant when he said, "This isn’t over yet."
But the moment she turned back to her disciples, her eyes widened.
Thin trails of smoke were rising from their bodies. At first, she thought the floor was steaming from heat, but no...
It was them.
Their veins began to glow a deep red, pulsing like burning lines beneath their skin.
Their lips looked dry, their faces flushed, and faint heat waves shimmered in the air around them.
"What the?! Master! Their bodies are smoking!"
Garion only smiled calmly, arms folded.
"That’s normal."
"Normal?!"
"It’s just a side effect of the Demonic Creatine," he said casually.
"It causes overheating, glowing veins, and sometimes extreme focus or mild aggression. A bit of dehydration, too."
Dahlia’s jaw dropped.
"A bit of dehydration? They look like they’re about to catch fire!"
She looked around again, also noticing that they indeed didn’t seem to notice their own condition.
Their eyes were sharp, movements steady, and every one of them looked completely focused on their sets.
It was almost eerie.
Garion chuckled quietly.
"See? They’re so focused they don’t even feel it. That’s the beauty of it."
Dahlia frowned, placing her hands on her hips.
"You always say things like that before something explodes."
Garion laughed louder this time.
"Relax. This isn’t bad. The effects are worth it, though. Rapid muscle growth, boosted power, and better endurance."
Garion pointed at some of them.
"It even helped them absorb mana faster while they train."
Dahlia sighed, glancing again at the glowing disciples.
"Still... they look like walking furnaces."
Garion just laughed.
"Think of it as a body forging. Their mana veins are adapting to the demonic energy. It’s actually good conditioning."
Dahlia shook her head.
"You and your weird training logic."
Garion smirked.
"You’re the one who volunteered to teach them."
She grumbled.
"Yeah, but I didn’t think I’d be teaching a bunch of human torches."
He chuckled again, clearly enjoying himself.
"Don’t worry too much. Just help them with their form. When they’re in this state, their bodies will remember every correction."
Garion flicked his fingers, grinning.
"It’s the perfect time to build proper form."
Dahlia sighed but nodded.
"Fine. You owe me if one of them passes out."
She walked among them again, tapping hteir shoulders, adjustnig grips, correcting theior posture,
"Straighten your back. Don’t rush the reips. And you... Breathe properly. You’re not fighting for your life, just lift the damn weight."
Garion watched from behind, nodding approvingly.
"Good. Their limits are expanding. This is how a real God Gym starts."
Dahlia turned her head slightly, glaring at him.
"You’re enjoying this too much, Master."
Garion just smiled.
"Of course. Pain builds character."
She groaned.
"You and your quotes."
---
After a few hours, the training finally ended.
The moment Dahlia said, "Alright, that’s enough for today!"
The disciples didn’t even cheer. They just dropped their weights and slumped to the floor, breathing heavily.
Garion looked over them calmly.
"Not bad. You all lasted longer than I expected."
Dahlia nodded, wiping sweat from her neck.
"Yeah, they didn’t pass out this time. That’s already an improvement."
But before Garion could reply, a loud noise echoed through the hall.
GRRRRRRRRR!
Everyone froze. It wasn’t one stomach. It was dozens of them. Then came another, and another.
Garion raised an eyebrow.
"Ah. Looks like another side effect I don’t know about is kicking in."
Dahlia blinked. "Side effect?"
He smiled. "Extreme hunger."
The disciples clutched their stomachs.
"Senior Sister! I’m starving!"
"Me too!"
"I feel like I could eat a whole horse!"
Dahlia’s eyes widened.
"Already?! We just finished training!"
Garion laughed softly.
"Their bodies used too much energy from the Demonic Creatine. They’re still burning their energy, so now they need fuel."
Dahlia aighed.
"You could’ve warned me earlier."
Garion shrugged.
"I did say they’d need the restaurant."
Dahlia rolled her eyes.
"Fine, fine. Everyone, move! Let’s go eat before someone tries to bite the dumbbells."
The hall instantly came alive again.
Even the most exhausted disciples suddenly stood up and rushed toward the restaurant.
When they ented, the smell of cooked meat and broth filled hte air.
Platters of steaming food appeared one after another through the system’s auto-serving function.
Without waiting, the disciples dove in.
"Don’t fight over the plates!" Dahlia shouted, but it was too late.
They were already devouring everything.
One boy tore into a roasted beast’s leg like a wild animal.
"This is amazing!"
Another girl was eating rice straight from the pot.
"Senior Sister, I think I could eat ten more bowls!"
The sound of chewing, slurping, and satisfied groaning filled the room.
Dahlia just stood there, speechless.
"They’re like starving wolves..."
Garion sat calmly at the nearby table, eating his own roast meat.
"Told you. They train, they burn energy, they eat. It’s the perfect cycle to build muscle and discipline."
Dahlia sighed.
"More like building a kitchen destroyer."
At one table, a disciple raised his hand weakly.
"Senior Sister... can we get more food?"
Dahlia stared at the pile of empty dishes beside him.
"You already ate six plates!"
He nodded desperately.
"I’m still hungry!"
Garion chuckled.
"Let them eat. Their bodies need it."
Dahlia shook her head, watching them stuff their faces like beasts.
"If they keep this up, we’ll need to build a second restaurant."
Garion leaned back, satisfied.
"That’s fine. As long as they’re growing stronger."
One disciple burped loudly and immediately shouted.
"Seconds!"
Dahlia sighed again, rubbing her forehead.
"Yep. Definitely need a second restaurant."
Garion laughed quietly, then turned to the group.
"Oh, right, I almost forgot. After this... I’ll be giving you all another gift."
The room went silent. Every disciple froze mid-bite.
The last time Garion said those words, they’d ended up drinking the fiery Demonic Creatine.
Now, their eyes widened in fear.
"Wait... another gift?" someone whispered.
"What is it this time? Demon soup?"
Garion only smiled mysteriously.
"You’ll find out soon enough."
A visible shiver went through the entire group.
Dahlia grinned, crossing her arms.
"Don’t worry. It will be really good for you guys..."
The disciples groaned in dread, and just like that, dinner ended with fear instead of dessert.