Makarov contentedly gulped down a large mouthful of alcohol before adding vaguely,
“Hmm, that’s about it. As for matters related to quests… Cana!”
Makarov shouted toward a little girl in the distance wearing a green dress.
“Come over here and show Byakuran around. Explain how the quest system works.”
“Alright, Master.”
Cana trotted over with poise and grace before greeting Byakuran.
“Hello, my name is Cana Alberona. Come with me, and I’ll explain how to accept quests.”
“Okay. Sorry to trouble you.”
Just as the two were about to leave, Gray suddenly ran over, shirtless as usual, and blocked their path.
“Wait! My name is Gray Fullbuster.”
Gray strode up to Byakuran in a few steps, raising his chin with a look full of fighting spirit.
“I heard what you said just now. You’re a Mage too, right? Since you’re a newcomer, why don’t you have a fight with me? Let’s see how strong you are.”
Watching Gray suddenly jump out to provoke him, Cana speechlessly covered her forehead.
“Gray, put your clothes on first!”
“Ah! When did my clothes disappear?!”
Gray’s face instantly turned pale with alarm.
Looking at the scene before him, a trace of amusement appeared in Byakuran’s heart.
Reenacting such a classic anime scene in person was simply too interesting.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
“Sure. A simple spar isn’t a problem.”
The moment Byakuran finished speaking, several tables of veteran guild members who had previously been engaged in drinking contests immediately turned their heads.
“Oh?”
Wakaba pushed up his sunglasses, the corners of his mouth curling into a grin.
“That brat Gray is picking a fight with someone again?”
Macao slammed his wine glass onto the table with a malicious smile.
“The new guy actually accepted right away? He’s got some nerve!”
“Hey, hey, hey! They’re fighting!”
Someone shouted first, and the entire hall immediately erupted.
“Move the tables!”
“Move the chairs!”
“Make some room!”
“Don’t block my view!”
Chair legs screeched against the floor as they were dragged away.
Several idle members quickly cleared out an open space in the middle of the hall.
Their movements were so practiced that it was obvious this wasn’t the first time they’d done this.
Cana rubbed her temples helplessly and waved at both sides.
“Can you guys act normal for once…?”
Then she turned toward Byakuran.
“Byakuran, be careful. That brat Gray doesn’t always know his own strength when he attacks.”
“Who doesn’t know his own strength?!”
Gray crossed his arms, looking excited.
“Newbie, you’re pretty straightforward! Don’t start crying if you lose!”
“Exactly, exactly!”
Wakaba raised his hand, encouraging them.
“Child versus child. Fair enough! Whoever loses treats us to drinks!”
“What kind of alcohol would a child drink?!”
Macao immediately retorted.
Then, after thinking for a moment, he changed his mind.
“Fine, then the loser buys us juice! Or they can run errands and buy alcohol for us. That works too!”
“Agreed!”
The scattered cheers instantly made the hall even livelier.
Someone slapped the table.
Someone whistled.
A few people had even begun whispering among themselves and placing bets.
“I’m betting on Gray. That brat has been practicing his Ice Make Magic quite diligently.”
“I’m betting on the newcomer. When the Master introduced him just now, that kid’s gaze was incredibly steady. He doesn’t look ordinary.”
At the counter, Makarov held his wine glass and narrowed his eyes as he watched the spectacle.
Instead of stopping them, he smiled and added fuel to the fire.
“You can fight, but know your limits. If you break any tables or chairs, you’ll pay for them yourselves.”
“And Gray—hurry up and find your clothes and put them back on after the fight!”
“I know!”
Gray shouted excitedly as he walked toward the cleared space in the center.
He waved at Byakuran.
“Come on, newbie!”
Byakuran walked into the open space and stood opposite Gray with a smile.
“Then please guide me.”
Gray immediately struck a battle pose.
Then, with complete confidence and passion, he began explaining his magic.
“My magic is Ice Make Magic!”
“It combines the caster’s magical power and imagination to create things from nothing and alter the shape of matter. It’s an incredibly versatile form of magic!”
Byakuran looked at Gray.
“What a coincidence. The magic I use is also Make Magic, but mine is Wood Make Magic.”
Hearing this, Macao and Wakaba immediately perked up.
“Make versus Make? What a coincidence. Now this is going to be a good show.”
Macao grinned.
Wakaba pushed up his sunglasses.
“The collision between ice and wood, both belonging to the Make family. This should be interesting. I’m looking forward to it.”
Cana glanced at the chipped tables and chairs scattered around the guild hall.
She silently thought to herself:
Wood Make Magic…
Does this mean all the broken tables and chairs in the guild will have someone to repair them for free from now on?
If Byakuran knew what Cana was thinking, he probably wouldn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
The guild was still relatively peaceful right now.
But once Natsu and that group of walking disasters joined a few years later, when would the tables and chairs ever stop breaking?
He certainly didn’t want to become a full-time carpenter.
That job could be left to Laki, who would join the guild later and also use Wood Make Magic.
Hearing Macao and Wakaba’s comments, Gray became even more excited.
“Then let’s start!”
“Ice Make: Geyser!”
Gray slammed both hands onto the ground.
A large number of sharp icicles immediately erupted from the ground in front of him, resembling a row of crystalline blades.
They rushed straight toward Byakuran, carrying a bone-chilling cold.
Byakuran’s expression remained unchanged.
He calmly brought his hands together.
“Boom!”
Several thick logs suddenly burst from the ground.
They seamlessly connected, forming an arched wooden wall that firmly blocked Gray’s icicle geysers.
Ice shards scattered everywhere.
Yet the wooden wall remained completely motionless.
“What?!”
Gray was startled.
Before he could react, Byakuran brought his hands together again.
The magical power within his body began circulating.
A vine suddenly sprouted from the ground, shooting toward Gray like an agile snake.
Its speed was astonishing.
Gray reacted quickly, twisting his body and narrowly dodging the first attack.
But immediately afterward, the soil beside his feet exploded.
Several more vines burst from the ground and tightly wrapped around him.
Gray struggled desperately.
But the vines only tightened further.
Even more strangely, Gray suddenly felt the strength and magical power within his body slowly being drained through the vines.
Within just a few seconds, his legs became weak, and he completely lost the ability to resist.
“Damn it! This guy’s magic is so weird!”
Gray said helplessly.
“It can actually absorb my stamina!”
The battle ended instantly.
“Wood Release: Bind.”
The name of the technique had been invented by Byakuran on the spot.
The essence of Byakuran’s Make Magic was simple.
As long as he clapped his hands, anything he imagined could appear.
There were no fixed technique names.
However, he remembered that everyone in the original story shouted out the names of their techniques whenever they used magic.
Since he was in this world now, he might as well do as the locals did.
As for why he called it Wood Release instead of Wood Make, that was because Byakuran’s magic wasn’t purely Wood Make Magic.
He combined Wood Make with another type of magic, creating an effect similar to Hashirama’s Wood Release.
When he discovered these two types of magic while living in Grimoire Heart, Byakuran had already wondered whether they could be combined to recreate Hashirama’s Wood Release.
In the end, he discovered that combination magic was indeed possible.
However, it required continuously consuming nearly twice the amount of magical power.
For an ordinary Mage, this would mean exchanging stamina for powerful abilities.
For Byakuran, however, it was simply overwhelming power.
After all, stamina was never a problem for him.
The entire hall fell silent for a full two seconds.
The people who had been cheering and placing bets froze.
Some still had their wine glasses halfway to their mouths.
Others had only just finished moving the chairs.
The spar had seemed to have just begun.
Yet the winner had already been decided.
“Is it… already over?”
Macao blinked, seemingly unable to process what had just happened.
Wakaba pushed up his sunglasses and looked at Gray, who was still tightly bound by the vines.
“One attack, one defense, then a bind.”
“That was fast.”
He shook his head.
“Gray really kicked an iron plate this time.”
Cana quickly trotted over and began pushing the vines aside.
Seeing this, Byakuran naturally released his hands.
The thick vines immediately transformed into gentle green light and dissipated.
Cana glanced at Byakuran before looking at the marks left behind by the wooden logs on the ground.
There was a hint of surprise in her voice.
“That was much faster than I expected.”
“Byakuran, you’re amazing.”
At the counter, Makarov slowly put down his wine glass.
His gaze became much more serious.
Although his smile remained gentle, his voice carried the sharpness of an experienced Mage.
“Clean and efficient.”
“But, child, those vines had the ability to absorb stamina.”
“That’s not an effect of Wood Make Magic, is it?”
“The sensation of Gray’s strength being drained just now felt more like another type of magic.”
Byakuran released his hands completely, causing the remaining vines to scatter.
He nodded without hiding anything.
“The Master is right.”
“Pure Wood Make Magic doesn’t have that effect.”
“The magic I used just now was actually a combination of two different types of magic.”
“Another magic I can use is Nature Magic.”
“Nature Magic?”
Cana repeated softly.
Makarov froze for a moment.
Then his eyes suddenly lit up.
He slammed his wine glass onto the counter, his voice rising with excitement.
“Nature Magic?!”
“That’s an extremely rare and powerful form of Ancient Magic!”
“It’s a magic capable of resonating directly with all things in nature and manipulating the power of nature itself!”
“Even in today’s magical world, there are very few people who can truly master it!”
“You brat! You actually know this magic?!”
The hall instantly exploded.
“Ancient Magic?!”
Macao abruptly stood up, his chair scraping loudly against the floor.
“You’re telling me he knows Ancient Magic at ten years old?! You’ve got to be kidding me!”
Wakaba pushed up his sunglasses, unable to suppress the grin spreading across his face.
“We struck gold!”
“Our guild is going to be glorious this time. Another monster-level genius has appeared!”
“It’s combination magic!”
Someone shouted loudly.
“Make Magic plus Nature Magic! That’s just too powerful!”
At that moment, Gray climbed to his feet and rubbed his aching wrists.
Although his expression still showed clear dissatisfaction, the way he looked at Byakuran had completely changed.
“What the heck?! So it was combination magic!”
“I was just careless this time!”
“But next time… I definitely won’t lose so quickly!”
Makarov laughed heartily.
He jumped down from the counter and excitedly walked over to Byakuran, giving him a heavy pat on the shoulder.
His voice was filled with undisguised joy.
“Good! Good! Good!”
“Fairy Tail is truly fortunate to welcome a child like you!”
“This old man’s face is practically glowing with pride!”
“But—”
Makarov blinked.
His tone became more relaxed, yet serious.
“The stronger the Ancient Magic, the more careful you must be when using it.”
“When fighting your companions, a light touch is enough.”
Byakuran was nearly knocked sideways by Makarov’s enthusiastic pat.
He smiled and nodded.
“Understood, Master. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“That’s good!”
Makarov picked up his wine glass again and raised it toward everyone.
“Raise your glasses!”
“Let’s celebrate our guild gaining another extraordinary child!”
“Agreed!”
The cheers rang through the guild hall again, even livelier than they had been during the spar.
…
“By the way, do you have a place to stay?”
Cana asked.
“Fairy Tail has guild dormitories. If you don’t have anywhere to live, you can apply for a room.”
“As for the money, you can owe it for now and pay it back later.”
“I do.”
Byakuran nodded.
“I’m currently staying at an inn. I’ll complete a quest first and then find a place to rent.”
“I won’t need the dormitory. I’m still more accustomed to living alone.”
Does Fairy Tail actually have a male dormitory?
I remember that, in the original story, the guild dormitories were even more expensive than renting a place outside.
I wonder if the extra money was used for maintenance fees.
After all, with that group of guild members living together, the dormitories probably need repairs every few days.
“Alright.”
Cana nodded.
“The quest process is basically what I mentioned earlier.”
“Newcomers like us can only take on simple, non-combat quests at first, such as delivering letters, delivering goods, or finding lost cats.”
“However, Byakuran, you’re very strong.”
“If you have the Guild Master’s approval, you can also accept combat quests, such as exterminating magical beasts.”
“However, there’s one thing you need to remember.”
Cana pointed toward the stairs.
“The second floor contains the S-Class quests.”
“Junior Mages aren’t allowed to take them.”
“Only Mages who pass Fairy Tail’s S-Class examination and receive recognition as S-Class Mages can go upstairs and accept those quests.”
“If you’re not an S-Class Mage, you can’t even go up there.”
“Understood. Thank you, Cana.”
Byakuran nodded.
S-Class Mages are the top combat forces of every guild.
And Fairy Tail’s S-Class Mages are especially impressive.
The difficulty of Fairy Tail’s S-Class examination is clearly a tier higher than that of other guilds.
Just look at the Phantom Lord arc in the original story.
The combat strength of Phantom Lord’s S-Class team, the Element 4, was roughly at Natsu and Gray’s level during that period.
In Fairy Tail, however, that level of strength could only be considered the cream of the crop among A-Class Mages.
It still wasn’t enough to reach Fairy Tail’s S-Class standard.
In most guilds, being able to handle ordinary S-Class quests is probably enough to qualify as an S-Class Mage.
But in Fairy Tail, one must be capable of handling S-Class quests with ease to truly qualify.
It was similar to the grading system in Jujutsu Kaisen.
If a Jujutsu Sorcerer could defeat a Special Grade Cursed Spirit, they might be considered Grade 1.
But to be considered Special Grade, they needed to possess enough strength to overwhelm Special Grade Cursed Spirits.
Based on his current strength, Byakuran estimated that he was roughly on the same level as Natsu and Gray at the beginning of the original story.
Although he possessed infinite magical power and could theoretically use magic endlessly, his current output wasn’t particularly powerful.
Even if he used Wood Release with all his strength, it would probably only be comparable to the incomplete First Hokage summoned through Edo Tensei when Orochimaru invaded Konoha.
At most, a single use of Flowering Trees could summon a small grove on a rooftop and cause some trouble for the Third Hokage.
But as his body grew and he continued training, his magical capacity would also increase.
His maximum magical output would naturally grow stronger as well.
Presumably, once he reached adulthood, reaching the level of Senju Hashirama shouldn’t be too difficult.
The kind of Hashirama who could clap his hands and summon an entire forest, create a giant wooden Gundam, and even summon the colossal Buddha.
However, although his future was promising, there was still one problem.
The final boss—the Black Dragon—possessed magic immunity.
That made Byakuran feel that his cheat might not be quite powerful enough yet.
He also couldn’t remember exactly how the original protagonist group had defeated the Black Dragon.
Fortunately, that final battle was still a long way off.
There was no point worrying about it now.
He would simply take things one step at a time.
Since the original story managed to defeat the Black Dragon, there was no reason that adding a powerful combat force like himself would make things worse.
Now, it was time to decide which quest he should take as his first mission after joining Fairy Tail.
…
“Looking for Linus, the weapon shop owner’s lost puppy, ‘Wangcai’ — 10,000J.”
Pass.
“Looking for Selena, the tavern owner’s lost kitten, ‘Xiaomi’ — 10,000J.”
Pass.
“Helping Lower Creek Village harvest rice — 20,000J.”
Pass.
Honestly, these daily tasks could probably be completed without Mages, right?
Looking at these mission slips gave Byakuran a strong sense of déjà vu.
They were basically Konoha Genin missions.
Then his eyes landed on another quest.
“Clearing out the wild boar herd harassing Stream Bank Village — 100,000J.”
This one looks good.
At least it’s a combat quest, and the difficulty isn’t particularly high for me.
It’s perfect as a first practice quest.
I don’t have much money right now, and the 100,000J reward is pretty decent too.
You’re the one.
Byakuran tore the quest slip from the board and walked toward the counter.
“Guild Master, please register this for me. I want to take this quest.”
Makarov took the quest slip and looked at it.
“Oh, a combat quest.”
“Would you like to reconsider?”
“For your first quest, you should choose something simple to familiarize yourself with the process. Jumping straight into a combat quest still carries some risks.”
“This is the one, Guild Master.”
“Don’t worry. I’m very strong.”
“Normally, someone as young as you, Byakuran, and a newcomer at that, would only be allowed to take non-combat quests to gain experience.”
“But considering your strength, I’ll make an exception.”
“I’ll approve it.”
“However, you can’t go alone.”
“You need to find an experienced senior to accompany you.”
“Is that so?”
Hearing this requirement, Byakuran glanced around the guild.
Finding an adult to accompany him would probably turn him into the person being taken care of.
At that point, it wouldn’t even be clear whose quest this really was.
Finding someone around his own age would be much more convenient.
The only people around his age who had already joined the guild at this point were Laxus, Cana, and Gray.
Laxus wasn’t here right now, so he must have gone out on a quest.
I wonder what Laxus is like at this point in time.
In my impression, Laxus entered his rebellious phase after becoming an S-Class Mage.
He couldn’t stand the guild members saying that his achievements were only because he was the Guild Master’s grandson, despite his own abilities.
Combined with Ivan’s banishment, it eventually caused him to become such an irritable older brother.
I wonder if he already has that twisted tsundere personality right now.
As for Cana, I don’t know how strong she is at this point.
I haven’t seen her fight, so it’s difficult to judge.
I don’t even know whether she has started learning Card Magic yet.
As for Gray…
After our sparring match just now, I have a rough idea of his strength.
He can cast magic instantly, react quickly enough to dodge probing vine attacks, and possesses decent offensive power and reaction speed.
Although he’s still far weaker than the Gray of the future, this level of strength is already above that of some ordinary adults.
It’s more than enough to deal with a group of wild boars.
With that thought, Byakuran’s gaze settled on Gray.
“Gray!”
“I have a combat quest here that requires a team. Do you want to come with me?”
“Huh? A combat quest? A team?”
The shirt Gray had only half put on immediately fell back to the ground.
He strode over to Byakuran in a few steps.
Without even looking at the quest details, he excitedly raised his chin.
“Sure!”
“Perfect! This gives you a chance to witness this lord’s style during an actual quest!”
“This time, I definitely won’t lose to you!”
“Hey, Gray. Your clothes…”
“Ah, I’ll put them on later!”
Gray waved his hand before leaning over to look at the quest slip.
“Clear out a wild boar herd?”
“Not bad!”
“Much more interesting than finding cats!”
Behind the counter, Makarov watched the scene unfold.
His mustache twitched in irritation.
He slammed his hand onto the counter.
“Wait!”
“What I said was to find an experienced senior to accompany you!”
“Not for you two brats to team up and run outside!”
“No matter how ordinary a wild boar herd is, it’s still a combat quest.”
“Sending two children to complete a combat quest is far too dangerous!”
Byakuran turned his head toward the old man.
There was a faint trace of amusement in his voice, but every word struck directly at Makarov’s argument.
“But Guild Master, you clearly said just now that I should ‘find an experienced senior to accompany me.'”
He turned sideways and pointed toward Gray, who was already rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
“Gray joined the guild before me.”
“He’s already taken quests.”
“And his strength is pretty good.”
“Isn’t that exactly what you mean by an experienced senior?”
“You never said that a senior had to be an adult.”
Makarov:
“…”
The entire hall fell silent for a moment.
Then several muffled laughs escaped from the surrounding members.
“You got checkmated, Guild Master.”
Wakaba adjusted his sunglasses, his shoulders shaking slightly.
Macao also struggled to hold back a smile.
“Logically speaking… it’s pretty difficult to refute that.”
“Y-You bastards! What are you laughing at?!”
Makarov’s old face flushed red.
He angrily pointed at the two children.
“What I clearly meant was a mature and reliable senior who can hold down the fort!”
“Not two brats who strip off their clothes and fight every chance they get!”
“Who strips off his clothes every chance he gets?!”
Gray immediately bristled.
Byakuran continued staring at Makarov calmly.
Then he casually added another sentence.
“Then, Guild Master, are you planning to go back on your word?”
Makarov instantly fell silent.
His mustache trembled with anger.
He picked up his wine glass and gulped down a large mouthful, as though trying to swallow his frustration along with it.
In the end, the old man completely lost his temper.
He irritably pulled his jester hat down.
“…There’s really no dealing with you kids!”
“Fine, fine! Take the quest if you want!”
“But listen carefully!”
“If you encounter a situation you can’t handle, retreat immediately!”
“Don’t push yourselves beyond your limits!”
Makarov’s tone gradually softened.
He picked up his wine glass again and looked at the two eager children standing before him.
There was still a trace of worry deep within his eyes, but he no longer tried to stop them.
After a brief pause, his gaze moved from Byakuran to Gray.
His expression became serious.
“In Fairy Tail, there are no Mages who can’t handle their own affairs.”
“Once you’ve accepted a quest, you must complete it with your own hands.”
“How you walk your path, and how you respond when faced with danger…”
“Those are all necessary steps for you to grow into independent Mages.”
“I can worry about you.”
“But I will never make your choices for you.”
These words caused Byakuran’s heart to tremble slightly.
He nodded earnestly.
“We’ll handle it properly, Guild Master.”
Gray also straightened his back.
His excited expression became serious for once.
“Of course!”
“I’ll keep an eye on this guy.”
He paused.
“No… we’ll complete the quest together!”
Makarov smiled again.
He raised his hand and waved toward the guild doors.
“Go.”
“Returning safely is the best answer you can give me.”
“Yes!”
The two replied in unison.
Almost jogging, they pushed open the guild doors and stepped outside.
Warm afternoon sunlight spilled over them, stretching their shadows long behind them.
At the counter, Makarov watched their departing figures.
A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
Then he took another mouthful of wine and sighed with a slight headache.
“…Good grief. There’s another restless brat.”