A few hours passed, and soon up ahead, an island ca into view. At first glance, it looked like any other island, except the sky above it was a bit unique.
A mass of dark purple clouds churned slowly, lightning flashing inside.
Garion lifted his chin, eyes wide in surprise.
"So this is it? The famous Demon Gate Island?"
The elder at the bow nodded without turning.
"Indeed. This is what you asked for, yes?"
Garion’s lips twitched into a half smile.
This is not what I wanted, but what my system wanted. But fine. A challenge is a challenge.
He then crossed his arms and leaned back again against the railing, inspecting his new territory.
Dahlia stepped closer to the edge, clinging to it with both hands.
"It feels... heavy. Like the air is pressing down on already."
Before the elder could answer, the sky around them suddenly darkened further.
From the purple cloud, massive bird-like beasts broke through. Their features were black and their eyes red.
Dahlia flinched as she stumbled back, her heart pounding.
"Master!"
Garion straightened, cracking his knuckles, a grin forming on his face.
"Finally, sothing fun."
But the elder only raised his hand calmly, stopping Garion.
"Do not worry. I’ll handle this."
A circle of runes lit up along the edges of the flying ship, and in an instant, a glowing barrier appeared, wrapping the ship.
The first bird slamd into it with a screech, sparks flying as its claws scraped against the barrier, barely shaking the ship.
Dahlia’s eyes widened, staring in disbelief.
"It... it blocked it?"
The elder lowered his hand, still smiling.
"This ship was built for nurous dangerous travels. Wild beasts cannot easily touch or even destroy it."
Another bird screeched and ramd into the barrier, but it was thrown back, flapping wildly before running away.
Garion leaned forward, tapping the barrier with his finger.
"Not bad. A boat that flies and fights back. I really want to get one of these later."
Dahlia let out a shaky laugh, the color returning to her face.
"Good. Because I thought we were about to beco bird food."
Garion chuckled and patted her shoulder.
"Relax, disciple. If the barrier didn’t work, I’d have wrestled one of those things out of the sky myself."
She gave him a flat look, knowing what he said was indeed the truth. His master was just that crazy.
The elder only shook his head, keeping his eyes on the growing island ahead.
"Save your strength. What waits on Demon Gate Island is far more dangerous than a few birds."
The ship pressed forward, the barrier glowing faintly, carrying them straight towards the dangerous island.
---
The ship soon landed on the rocky shore of the Demon Gate Island.
The mont both Garion and Dahlia stepped off, both of them froze, feeling the different air around.
Garion’s boots sank into the dark soil, and his muscles instantly felt heavier, like the gravity had doubled.
Dahlia rubbed her arms, her face tense.
"It’s... heavy. Like the whole island is pushing down on ."
Garion clenched and unclenched his fists, testing his strength.
His chest rose and fell slower than usual, as if every breath was heavier than before.
"Not just heavy. My body also feels... drained. It’s really strange."
Behind them, the elder just laughed before explaining it to them.
"This is the demonic mana that covers the Demon Gate Island. This is the main reason why most avoid this place."
The elder raised his fist, as if he were grabbing so of the mana.
"This mana seeps into the body, weakens the flow of mana, and makes the body work harder than usual."
He then shook his head, and confusion appeared in his eyes as he turned to Garion.
"Yet, here you are, asking for this cursed island. I really cannot understand you."
Garion straightened his back and grinned.
"That’s simple. It’s just perfect for . If my body is weakened here, then training in this state will only make it tougher."
Garion leaned in, staring back.
"And when we leave this place, healed and rested, we’ll be stronger than ever."
Dahlia turned sharply at him, her brows furrowed.
"Master, you call this perfect? It feels like my chest is being squeezed already?"
Garion only laughed and tapped her shoulder.
"That’s the point. A true gym isn’t about comfort. It’s about struggle. No pain, no gain, right?"
Of course, he didn’t ntion the real reason, which was... the system had chosen this place itself.
The elder stroked his beard, nodding slowly.
"I see... I may not fully understand your body cultivation path, but your words seem to align with the way you live. I won’t advise you anymore."
He looked past them, toward the dark treeline.
"Long ago, we built a small outpost deeper inside, hoping to study this island, but after years of no progress... we decided to abandon it."
He then gave Garion a map of the Demon Gate Island with the coordinates of the outpost.
"The building should still be standing. You may use it as the foundation for your new sect here."
Garion’s grin widened as he looked at the coordinates on the map.
"Perfect. Saves the trouble of building a new place from scratch."
Dahlia sighed.
"Master, you’ll probably tear the place down and rebuild it anyway."
Garion only chuckled, hearing what she said.
The elder then turned back toward the flying ship.
"Then I shall leave you here. Rember, the God Gym’s na has already spread across the region after your victory."
The elder then raised his three fingers.
"In three months, I will return and bring those who wish to beco your disciples."
Garion nodded firmly.
"Good. By then, this place will already be ours."
The elder stepped onto the ship, glancing back one last ti.
"Be careful, Demon Gate Island has swallowed many over the years."
With a hum of runes, the ship lifted again, rising into the sky until it vanished into the clouds.
Garion stood still for a mont, staring at the dark sky.
The weight of mana pressed down on him, but his grin never faded.
"Dahlia... Welco to our new gym."
Dahlia groaned and rubbed her temple.
"Only you would call this cursed island a gym, Master."
Garion laughed loud and clear as he looked forward to this cursed island.
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