Garion folded his arms, his expression turning a little more serious.
"rsha, before you start working on supplents... I want you to make sothing else first."
rsha blinked. "Sothing else? Not supplents?"
Garion nodded. "Correct. This cos first."
She tilted her head slightly, confused. "But... why? I thought supplents were the priority."
Garion smiled a bit. "Normally, yes. But we’re on Demon Gate Island, rember?"
rsha nodded slowly. "Yes, Master... this island is dangerous."
Garion crouched down slightly to et her eye level.
"Yes, indeed, and also... rsha, do you know what’s going to happen in one week?"
She froze, not knowing it. "...Sothing... bad?"
Garion sighed softly. "I forgot that you’re young. They probably didn’t tell you."
He placed a hand on her shoulder.
"In one week, the demonic beasts on this island will start waking up. I’m talking about second realm... and even third realm beasts."
rsha’s eyes widened in shock.
"Th-Third realm beasts? Master, that’s... that’s extrely dangerous! Isn’t that a calamity for God Gym?!"
Garion smirked, completely calm.
"For normal people? Yes."
He tapped his chest.
"But I’m here. Even a third-realm beast doesn’t bother ."
rsha stared at him in awe. "...Master, you’re scary."
Garion laughed. "Good. That ans you understand."
He straightened up and pointed to the glowing equipnt behind her.
"That’s why your first task is not creating supplents."
rsha nodded quickly, trying to focus. "Then... what should I make?"
Garion raised two fingers.
"First: a healing potion. The disciples will need it during ergencies."
rsha gulped. "Healing... I’ve only made poisons, Master..."
Garion waved his hand dismissively.
"It’s the sa thing. Like I told you, everything depends on the dose. You’ll do fine."
Then he raised a second finger.
"Second: a strengthening potion. Sothing to boost their bodies for a short ti if they need to escape or hold off a beast."
rsha’s expression tightened as she clenched her tiny fists.
"So... support potions. For protection."
Garion nodded. "Exactly."
She inhaled deeply.
"Master, I’ll make them as best as I can. I’ll study everything. I won’t let anyone down."
Garion smiled proudly.
"That’s the spirit. And don’t rush. Quality is more important. If you need rare ingredients, take them. Don’t hesitate."
rsha nodded again, more firmly this ti.
"I’ll start right away."
Garion nodded once, satisfied, and walked out of the lab.
Behind him, rsha turned toward the glowing equipnt, rolled up her sleeves, and smirked.
"Alright... Let’s make sothing amazing."
---
Valtor sat on a bench, sweat running down his forehead as he pulled the dumbbells up with shaking arms.
Each curl made the veins on his biceps bulge because the auto-adjusting weight kept increasing little by little.
"Hff... hff... DAMN... this one hates ..." He growled, barely lifting the next rep.
Beside him, Seira calmly pushed the leg-extension machine.
Her expression stayed cold, but her legs trembled with every lift.
The machine also kept increasing the weight on its own.
Valtor glanced sideways.
"Hey, Ice Princess," he muttered, still lifting. "You know why Master took rsha away just now?"
Seira didn’t look at him, but her eyebrows twitched.
"...I don’t know. But since she’s from a poison clan... it could be sothing obvious."
Valtor blinked. "Obvious like what?"
Seira pointed her chin toward the table where the glowing supplent bottles were lined up.
Valtor followed her gaze... then froze.
"Wait... WAIT... YOU DON’T AN..."
Seira nodded slowly. "Yes. Supplents."
Valtor stared at her in horror. "Master asked her to make NEW ones?!"
Seira kept training, her voice calm.
"It’s logical. I’ve heard this since I was a child. The strongest doctors in the world were always the strongest poison makers."
Valtor swallowed hard. "So... Master wants her to improve the supplents."
"That’s my guess."
"At least that’s good, right?" Valtor forced a grin. "Stronger supplents! Better effects!"
Seira finally stopped her rep and looked him in the eyes.
"Valtor."
"...What?"
"You rember her reaction after drinking the supplents, right?"
Valtor’s smile died. He rembered too well.
When rsha drank the supplents, she always smiled and said that they were delicious.
His face paled. "Wait. WAIT. Don’t tell ..."
Seira exhaled. "Yes. If she tries to ’improve’ Master’s formulas... the taste might get WORSE for us."
Valtor dropped his dumbbell on his foot.
"DAMMIT! NOOOOOOOOO!! WHY?!"
Seira stood up calmly, brushing her hair behind her ear.
"And you know what the senior disciples always say, right?"
Valtor gulped. "Wh-What?"
Seira ticked the points off with her fingers.
"Master Garion is insane. Master Garion is powerful. And most importantly, Master Garion made those supplents himself."
Valtor shivered.
Seira continued in her cold, steady voice.
"So if Master personally took rsha away... There is a chance he told her to keep the taste that painful."
Valtor’s soul left his body.
Behind them, Arden walked past while wiping sweat from his forehead.
He paused mid-step, brows furrowing as he caught a few pieces of their conversation.
"...What was that about?"
Seira turned to him.
"Senior Brother Arden, the supplents may get stronger... but the taste might get worse."
Arden froze.
Slowly... very slowly... he turned pale.
"Yes... that is logical," he said, adjusting his glasses with a shaky hand.
"If rsha improves the formula using poison knowledge... the bitter or spicy components may increase."
Dahlia, who had been lifting a barbell, dropped it with a loud clang.
"GODDAMMIT! NO! IT’S ALREADY HORRIBLE!"
She pointed dramatically at Arden.
"Arden! Can’t you stop them?!"
Arden sighed deeply, shoulders slumping.
"Stop Master Garion?"
He gave her a tired look.
"Sister Dahlia... If I had the power to stop him, the supplent would already taste good by now."
Dahlia’s mouth twitched. "Fair point."
Valtor crawled toward them, grabbing Arden’s pants.
"PLEASE... SAY SOTHING HOPEFUL!"
Arden sighed again, patting Valtor’s shoulder with a sympathetic expression.
"We can only leave it to fate. Just... pray that the improvent is good... and the taste stays the sa."
The entire dojo fell silent.
Dahlia took a deep breath and crossed her arms.
"Well... whatever happens next... let’s survive it together."
And sowhere far away in the Divine Cafeteria’s secret lab, rsha happily humd while mixing glowing liquids.
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