Heretic Trainer: The Gym Is My Cultivation Method-Chapter 386: Legendary Beasts Apply for Membership

The four legendary beasts stiffened the moment they saw him clearly.

Eldrin was the first to react. His calm eyes widened just a little.

"...You," he said quietly. "Weren’t you still in the Demon World?"

Silvar took a half step forward, claws lightly scraping the ground. "Just what’s going on?"

Cindor tilted his head, embers flickering once along his wings. "I can’t understand it at all."

Bastor and Varyn remained silent, but the ground beneath them subtly shifted, as if acknowledging a familiar presence.

Garion looked at all of them and broke into an easy smile.

He shrugged. "Yeah. I was."

He waved a hand casually. "One way or another, I made it back."

He took a few steps closer, completely relaxed despite the pressure they naturally released.

"Let’s skip the small talk," Garion said. "We already know each other."

Silvar’s eyes narrowed. "You speak as if this is a reunion."

Garion snorted. "It is."

He pointed at them one by one. "You tried to stop me. I beat you. You tested me. I passed."

Cindor clicked his tongue. "Blunt. But accurate."

Eldrin studied Garion more carefully now, his voice calm and thoughtful. "You are stronger than before."

Garion nodded. "Yeah. Training didn’t stop just because I am on another world."

Silence settled for a moment.

Silvar finally spoke. "Then why are you here?"

Garion’s expression shifted. Still casual, but focused.

"I’m changing this island," he said. "It’s no longer just a sealed battlefield or a graveyard for grudges."

He gestured around them. "This place is becoming God Island. A place for training, growth, and balance."

Eldrin’s eyes softened slightly. "And us?"

Garion looked straight at them. "That’s what I want to talk about."

He crossed his arms and let out a slow breath.

"Your old job is done," he said. "Revenge is done. The gate is gone."

For a moment, the forest was quiet.

Eldrin’s brows knit together just a little. "...Are you kicking us out?"

Garion blinked, then laughed.

"Come on," he said, waving a hand. "Don’t say it like that."

He shook his head. "I’m not kicking you out. I’m repositioning you."

Silvar’s ears twitched. "Repositioning."

Garion nodded. "This archipelago is mine now."

The words landed cleanly.

"You already know," Garion continued, "God Gym has become a Grand Faction."

The four beasts stiffened at once.

Cindor’s wings flicked. "You passed Sorien’s test?"

Garion grinned. "Of course I did."

Silvar clicked his tongue. "As expected."

Garion gestured broadly around them. "So I’m remodelling the whole island."

He pointed toward the distance. "Then... can you stay on another island nearby?"

Eldrin lowered his gaze, thinking.

"...I see," he murmured.

Then he lifted his head again. "What if we have another suggestion?"

Garion raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

He uncrossed his arms. "Let’s hear it."

Eldrin glanced at the others, then back at Garion.

"What if," Eldrin said slowly, "instead of being moved away... we remain involved?"

Garion raised an eyebrow. "Remain involved in what?"

He gestured around them. "You know what my sect is, right? God Gym. A place for people to train their bodies."

He tapped his chest once. "I don’t need beasts guarding anything. My disciples’ bodies are already tougher than most beasts."

Eldrin didn’t argue. He only said calmly, "Hear me out first."

Garion paused. "Alright. Go on."

"When I say involved," Eldrin continued, "I mean joining your sect."

Garion blinked. "...Joining?"

He nodded slowly. "Yeah, but I already told you. You’re beasts."

Eldrin gave a small smile. "Then what if we weren’t?"

That made the clearing go quiet.

Silvar’s ears twitched.

Cindor stopped mid-movement.

Even Bastor shifted slightly.

Garion frowned. "Don’t tell me..."

Eldrin nodded. "What if we turn into humans?"

The reaction was instant.

"...What?" Garion said.

Cindor let out a sharp breath. "You’re serious?"

Garion looked back at Eldrin. "Even if you turn into humans, you’re still beasts at the core."

Eldrin shook his head. "Not temporarily. Permanently."

Garion stared at him. "...You can do that?"

The other three beasts sighed, then nodded.

"Yes," Cindor said. "We can."

Garion crossed his arms, clearly skeptical. "How?"

Cindor stepped forward slightly. "First, we fuse all our remaining power into me."

Garion’s eyes narrowed. "That already sounds dangerous."

"It is," Cindor replied flatly. "I will make all of us die."

Garion’s eyes widened. "You what?"

Cindor continued without hesitation. "As the Vermilion Bird, I can revive once. With all their power combined, I can revive all of us."

Eldrin picked up from there. "After that, I use my authority to restore our bodies completely."

He paused. "But I control the restoration."

Garion slowly understood. "...You reshape yourselves."

"Yes," Eldrin said. "Into human bodies, not beasts."

Silvar added quietly, "No return."

Garion was silent for several seconds.

"...That’s extreme," he finally said.

Cindor shrugged. "So was guarding this island for centuries."

Garion exhaled slowly, then looked at them again.

"And you’d do all that," he said, "just to train in my gym?"

Eldrin nodded without hesitation. "Yeah."

He lifted his gaze and looked straight at Garion.

"From what I’ve seen," Eldrin continued, "your cultivation path is... different and strong."

Silvar snorted quietly. "And annoyingly effective."

Eldrin didn’t react to that and kept speaking. "You didn’t just overpower us. You broke our balance without breaking yourself."

Garion raised an eyebrow. "That’s one way to put it."

Eldrin nodded again. "Your path lets you move like a human, think like a human, but hit harder than a beast."

He paused, then said honestly, "We want that."

Cindor folded his wings. "Not just raw strength."

Bastor shifted, the ground trembling faintly.

Varyn spoke softly, "Flow. Adaptation. Growth."

Eldrin continued, "If we stay as beasts, we’ll always be stuck in the same cycle. Strong, but rigid."

He clenched his fist slowly. "If we become human... we can train again. Fail again. Improve again."

Garion studied their faces one by one.

"...So you want to combine beast strength with human growth," he said.

Eldrin nodded. "Exactly."

Garion clicked his tongue, then smirked.

"I see," he said. "And you’re right about one thing."

He tapped his chest. "My cultivation path is the best."

That earned a short laugh from Cindor.

Garion uncrossed his arms. "Alright."

He looked at Eldrin directly. "If you’re serious... if you’re willing to throw away your old identities and start from zero..."

He paused, then nodded.

"...then you can start."

The four legendary beasts stiffened.

Eldrin bowed his head slightly. "...Thank you."

Garion waved it off. "Don’t thank me yet."

A grin spread across his face.

"God Gym training isn’t kind," he said. "You might regret this."

Cindor smiled. "Good."