The Vessel Demon frowned, staring down at the table.

He kept repeating the names in his head, weighing them one by one.

His brows slowly knit together as he struggled to choose.

For someone who had never been allowed to have a name at all, the choice felt heavier than he expected.

Before he could speak again...

A loud step echoed behind them.

"Heh."

A familiar, rough voice cut in.

"A new family name, huh."

Everyone turned.

Valtor had appeared near the table, arms crossed, a wide grin on his face.

His presence alone made the air feel louder.

Valtor looked the Vessel Demon up and down, not with cruelty, but blunt honesty.

"You were weak," he said plainly. "Born weak. Treated weak."

The Vessel Demon stiffened but didn't look away.

Valtor continued, voice firm. "But you're here to become strong. If that's the case, you need a family name that doesn't sound soft."

He jabbed a thumb toward his own chest.

"How about a name starting with V," he said. "Like mine."

Dahlia blinked. "Oh?"

Valtor's grin widened.

"Varkoros," he said slowly. "Strong. Heavy. Sounds like something that doesn't kneel."

The Vessel Demon's eyes widened.

He mouthed the name silently. "Varkoros…"

Something about it made his chest tighten. Not fear. Not doubt.

Excitement.

He nodded quickly. "I like it."

Dahlia tilted her head, then smiled. "Yeah. That actually sounds really good."

She leaned closer. "Alright then. If that's your family name, what about your given name?"

The Vessel Demon hesitated, then spoke more clearly than before.

"…Varko."

The table went quiet for a second.

Then...

Dahlia clapped her hands. "Varko Varkoros."

She laughed. "That actually sounds awesome."

Rachel smiled warmly. "It suits you."

Arden nodded. "Simple. Strong. Easy to remember."

Garion glanced at him and smirked. "Not bad."

Varko straightened his back without realizing it.

"…Then," he said, voice steady, "from today onward, I am Varko Varkoros."

He paused, then added carefully, as if the words themselves mattered.

"The first demon… of the Varkoros clan."

For a heartbeat, no one spoke.

Then Valtor threw his head back and laughed loudly.

"GOOD!" he shouted. "That's how it should be!"

He slammed a fist into his palm. "Train hard, Varko Varkoros. Don't disgrace that name."

Varko nodded hard.

"I won't," he said.

For the first time, his voice didn't shake.

He still felt nervous, but it was different now. It wasn't fear anymore. It was anticipation.

Garion finished the last piece of meat on his plate and wiped his hands casually.

"Alright," he said. "You all go train."

Everyone looked at him.

"Describe your current training routines to him while you're at it," Garion continued, nodding toward Varko.

"Let him see how you train, how you suffer, and how you improve."

Dahlia's grin spread instantly. "Oh, I like this already."

Garion stood up and stretched his shoulders.

"I'm heading to the lab," he added. "There's something I need to check."

Arden blinked. "Right now?"

Garion nodded. "Yeah. Don't slack off just because I'm gone."

The twins groaned in unison.

"Tch."

"Always the lab…"

Garion smirked and walked away without another word.

The moment he was gone, Dahlia turned toward Varko.

Her cheerful smile sharpened just a little.

"Alright," she said. "Now that you're officially here…"

She leaned in, hands on her hips.

"You said you want to be strong, right?"

Varko swallowed and nodded. "Yes."

Dahlia raised an eyebrow. "Not 'yes, master'. Not 'I'll try'. I mean really strong."

She jabbed a finger toward the gym entrance.

"Our training isn't normal. It's painful. Exhausting. Sometimes you'll feel like you're going to break."

Varko clenched his fists.

"I'm ready," he said. "I've already lived a life where I had no choice. This time, I choose it."

Dahlia paused.

Then she smiled wider.

"Good answer."

She turned and started walking. "Then follow me."

Varko stood up quickly and hurried after her.

As they walked, she spoke over her shoulder.

"First thing you need to know: no one here trains gently. We train our bodies until they respond without thinking."

They reached the gym doors.

Dahlia pushed them open.

Inside, the sounds of impact, breathing, and movement filled the air.

"This," she said, spreading her arms, "is where your old life ends."

Varko stared at the space in front of him, heart pounding.

He stepped forward.

And didn't look back.

---

Garion pushed open the lab door and stepped inside.

The familiar smell of metal, herbs, and strange solutions filled the air.

Inside, Mersha was leaning over a worktable, goggles slightly crooked, hands moving fast as she scribbled notes and adjusted a humming device.

Several bottles bubbled quietly beside her.

"Mersha," Garion said. "I'm back."

She froze.

Then her head snapped up.

"…Master?"

Her eyes widened, and she nearly knocked over a rack of vials as she turned around.

"You're back already?" she blurted out. "From the demon world?"

Garion nodded calmly. "Yeah."

Mersha stared at him for a second, then suddenly rushed over, circling him like she was inspecting a rare specimen.

"You're not missing limbs," she muttered. "No obvious corruption. Mana flow stable. Huh."

Garion raised an eyebrow. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Mersha finally stopped and grinned. "It is."

Then Garion continued, tone casual. "I also brought something back for you."

Her ears practically perked up.

"…Something?"

"You can check the shared storage of the gym," he said. "Materials from the demon world."

Mersha's grin stretched wider. "Materials?"

Garion added, "And some demon corpses."

There was a short pause.

Then...

Mersha burst into laughter.

"Of course you did!" she said, clapping her hands together. "I knew you wouldn't come back empty-handed!"

She dashed to the storage terminal and started scrolling rapidly, eyes sparkling as lists appeared.

"…Ash Demon tissue," she read. "Seal Demon fragments. Steel Demon bones—oh wow these density readings!"

She looked back at Garion, excitement practically vibrating out of her.

"Master, do you know how valuable this is?" she said. "I can test resistance thresholds, absorption rates, structural limits..."

Garion waved a hand. "Just don't blow up the lab."

Mersha giggled. "No promises."

She leaned closer to the screen again, already deep in thought.

"With this," she said quickly, "I can refine new supplements. Body reinforcement. Recovery accelerators. Maybe even resistance tonics specifically for demonic environments."

Her fingers flew as she started planning.

Garion nodded in approval. "That's why I brought it to you."

Mersha looked up again, eyes shining.

"Leave it to me, Master," she said confidently. "I'll squeeze every useful thing out of those demons."

She paused, then added with a grin.

"And if something explodes, I'll make sure it explodes in a productive way."

Garion shook his head slightly, amused.

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