The next morning, the "Church of Gains" had already gone too far.
Villagers were lined up in front of my burned-down gym, bowing like it was some holy ruin.
"Blessed be the Dumbbells of Destiny!"
"Praise be the Sweat of Salvation!"
"Flex for us, Lord Ark, so our harvest will grow strong!"
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "You people need therapy."
Narsh leaned against the fence, arms crossed, smirking.
"No, Ark. They need you. Which is worse."
---
That's when we saw him.
A man in white robes, riding a horse, approaching the village gates.
Unlike the fake priest from before, this guy looked legit.
Silver embroidery. Golden staff. The whole "holy package."
The villagers gasped.
"It's a priest from the capital!"
"A real one!"
"Quick! Hide the shrine made out of cabbages!"
"…Wait," I said. "Why do we have a shrine made of cabbages?"
Narsh pointed. Sure enough, three old ladies had stacked cabbages into a pyramid with my name carved into it.
"…Beautiful," I whispered.
"Disgusting," Narsh snapped.
---
The horse stopped at the square.
The priest dismounted, tall and stern, with cold gray eyes.
"I am High Priest Malrik, envoy of the Holy Church," he declared. "Rumors have reached us of a boy who wields the power of the gods. I have come to see the truth."
The villagers immediately shoved me forward.
"There he is!"
"Our Lord Ark!"
"The Muscle God Himself!"
I awkwardly waved. "…Yo."
Narsh buried her face in her hands.
---
Malrik's eyes scanned me, sharp and skeptical.
"So… you are the child they call Sage."
"Sage?" I blinked. "I thought I was the Protein King."
"Shut up," Narsh hissed.
The priest ignored my stupidity. He raised his staff.
"If you truly possess divine power, prove it. Revive someone before my eyes."
The crowd murmured.
All eyes turned to me.
"…Uhhh, do we have a spare dead person lying around?" I asked.
The villagers gasped in horror.
Narsh kicked me in the shin. "You f*cking moron!"
---
Just then, fate decided to screw me over.
A young boy ran into the square, crying.
"M-my dog! He got crushed by a cart!"
He held a limp, motionless puppy in his arms.
The villagers gasped.
The priest narrowed his eyes.
Narsh whispered, "Ark… don't. This is insane."
But the boy looked at me with trembling hope.
"Please… save him, Lord Ark!"
I froze.
I didn't even know how I revived Old Man Jiro. It just… happened.
Could I even do it again?
The priest's cold voice cut through the silence.
"Show me, boy. Or I'll know this village speaks lies."
---
I swallowed hard.
This was it.
My muscles tensed, my hands pressed on the tiny body, and I willed—no, begged—whatever strange power inside me to answer.
Ba-dump.
Warmth flowed again.
The puppy's body glowed faintly.
Its chest rose.
Yip!
The dog barked, wagging its tail, alive once more.
The villagers erupted in cheers.
"Another miracle!"
"Praise the Muscle God!"
"The Child of Abs saves again!"
The little boy hugged his dog, crying tears of joy.
---
But Malrik didn't cheer.
He stared at me with cold suspicion.
"That power… it is not divine blessing."
The crowd fell silent.
Malrik's voice was heavy, sharp as a blade.
"It reeks of something else. Something unnatural. Do you even know what you've done, boy?"
I opened my mouth—
But for once in my life, I had no words.
Narsh's hand tightened into a fist at her side. She whispered, just loud enough for me to hear:
"Ark… I told you. Power like this always has a cost."
---
[Author's Note: And now, sh*t just got serious.]