Heretic Trainer: The Gym Is My Cultivation Method

Garion now stood on a barren plain covered in dragon corpses, staring at the man who should have been another candidate.

The man’s long black hair was tied loosely behind his back, while his dark green eyes carried a cold, predatory calm.

His body was tall and lean, wrapped in a dark cloak woven from dragon-scale fibers.

Several small dragon fangs hung around his neck like ornaments, while faint golden-red system symbols flickered deep within his pupils.

Garion stared at him for a moment before grinning. ”So, you’re the guy, huh?”

The man smiled faintly. ”That depends on what you mean.”

Garion cracked his neck. ”The Dragon Slayer boss. The candidate Atlas dragged me all the way here to beat up.”

Atlas crossed his tiny arms.

[Technically, I detected him. You dragged yourself here while smiling like an idiot.]

Garion ignored him.

The cloaked man’s smile widened slightly. ”My name is Kairox, a candidate bound to the [Dragon Hunt Sovereign System].”

Garion raised an eyebrow. ”Dragon Hunt Sovereign, huh?”

Kairox spread his arms slightly, as if presenting the corpses scattered around him. ”My system rewards me for hunting dragons.”

His gaze shifted back toward Garion. ”The Dragon Slayers were only one of my projects.”

Garion whistled. ”Only one? Pretty damn big hobby.”

Kairox did not seem offended. ”You call it a hobby. I call it preparation.”

The air between them grew quiet.

Garion’s purple-black-white eyes slowly glowed.

Kairox looked at him for several seconds before suddenly speaking again. ”Before we fight, can we talk?”

Garion blinked for a moment before laughing. ”Ah, sure, why not? I like a good talk before fighting.”

Atlas immediately looked at him.

[You agreed suspiciously fast.]

Garion shrugged. ”What? Maybe he’s got something interesting to say.”

Kairox’s expression remained calm, but there was a faint approval in his eyes. ”At least you’re not completely irrational.”

Garion pointed at him. ”Careful. I’m very irrational. I’m just also curious.”

Kairox stepped forward slowly, his boots crushing the old dragon bones beneath him. ”We’re both candidates. We both possess systems, and we both have the right to rise above the ordinary gods of this world.”

His voice remained steady. ”There’s no rule saying candidates have to oppose each other.”

Garion listened silently.

Kairox continued, ”Your system clearly allowed you to grow beyond normal cultivation logic. Mine allows me to hunt, harvest, and evolve through dragon power. Our strengths are different, but that is exactly why cooperation would be useful.”

He gestured toward the distant [Vyrmgrave Planet]. ”The Dragon Gods hired you. Fine. But why obey them? Why serve ancient beasts that only fear losing their dominance?”

Garion’s grin did not disappear, but his eyes became calmer.

Kairox’s voice became lower. ”Work with me. Together, we can take more than one planet. More than one civilization. Candidates are not meant to be tools of gods. We are meant to stand above them.”

Garion stared at him for a moment before scratching his cheek. ”That’s your sales pitch?”

Kairox frowned slightly.

Garion sighed. ”Not bad, but I already took the job from the Dragon Gods.”

Kairox’s eyes narrowed. ”You would reject another candidate because of a job?”

Garion shook his head. ”Not just because of that. My system already gave me a mission.”

He raised a second finger. ”And another thing. If I follow you, I just become another frog in a pond.”

Kairox’s expression cooled.

Garion grinned wider. ”I don’t want to rule beside someone and call myself special. I want to be the best.”

His aura slowly twisted as gravity began pressing down on the dragon bones around him.

He spread his arms wide. ”I want God Gym to become so damn good that gods, dragons, candidates, and whatever arrogant bastards crawl out of space all come to train under my roof.”

Atlas sighed.

[There it is. The gym advertisement hidden inside a declaration of war.]

Garion ignored him again.

Kairox stared at Garion coldly, the faint politeness from earlier disappearing from his face. ”How stupid. You’re not thinking clearly. I’m one of the best candidates, and you’re rejecting me?”

Garion laughed when he heard that. ”Oh? You’re one of the best? Where the hell did you hear that from?”

Kairox’s eyes glowed golden-red. ”Because I have already hunted dragons, and dragons are among the apex beings of this world.”

Garion’s grin only widened as his own pressure began pouring out. ”Is that so? And that’s all it takes for you to call yourself one of the best candidates?”

He shook his head with a grin and shifted into a fighting stance. ”If that’s the case, then let me see if you’re actually one of the best candidates.”

Kairox stared at Garion for a few seconds, then let out a quiet sigh. ”You’re making this harder than it needs to be.”

Golden-red system symbols flickered again in his pupils as he took one slow step forward.

”I’ll give you one more chance to think it through properly. We’re both candidates. We don’t need to fight for the amusement of dragons, gods, or systems that want to push us against each other.”

His voice remained calm, but the arrogance beneath it was impossible to hide.

”Stand with me, Garion. We can divide resources, share information, and crush every faction that tries to restrain us. You can keep your little gym. I don’t care about that.”

Kairox’s eyes narrowed slightly. ”But don’t mistake stubborn pride for ambition. Rejecting cooperation with me may be the dumbest decision you ever make.”

Garion listened quietly, and for a moment, he genuinely looked like he was thinking about it.

Atlas floated beside him, watching with narrowed eyes.

[You are not actually considering this, are you?]

Garion rubbed his chin. ”Hm...”

Kairox’s expression relaxed slightly, thinking his words had finally gotten through to him.

A moment later, Garion suddenly grinned and casually said, ”Nah.”

Kairox’s face immediately turned cold.

Garion rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. ”Sounds pretty boring.”

”Boring?” Kairox repeated.

Garion raised both fists as purple-black-white gravity began twisting around his body.

”Yeah. If I wanted to share a throne with some arrogant bastard who thinks hunting dragons makes him special, I’d have stayed home and opened a partner program.”

Atlas covered his face with one tiny hand.

[Why do you always make it sound like a business meeting?]

Garion ignored him and looked straight at Kairox. ”I already said no. I took the job, got the mission, and honestly... I don’t like you.”

The bones beneath Garion’s feet cracked apart as his aura surged. ”So let’s get this thing started already.”

Kairox’s smile vanished completely. ”Fine.”

Golden-red light exploded from his eyes. ”Then I’ll show you why dragons feared my name.”

Garion laughed and stepped forward. ”Good. Try not to disappoint me.”