A few moments earlier...
Yuuki teleported directly above the three people, but he didn't intervene immediately. Instead, he observed them from above and watch the three of them fight back against the Flame Apes, until Yuuki noticed the strange, bird-like tattoo or mark on their bodies.
"This is...!" Seeing this, Yuuki's pupils contracted. Those marks were enough to tell him which world he was currently in, and he couldn't help but feel joy knowing that he had actually been isekai'd into one of his favorite anime.
Fairy Tail!
Just thinking of those hot girls in this world made Yuuki's heart beat faster in delight. 'Erza, Mirajane, Lucy… wait for me, my waifus!'
Yuuki already had a good idea of what would happen in the near future as he chase after those girls. But for now, he needed to make contact with the three mages from Fairy Tail. Based on their appearances, Yuuki could tell that the two adults were Alzack Connell and Bisca Connell, a husband-and-wife duo.
As for the younger mage, Yuuki identified him as Romeo Conbolt, the son of Macao Conbolt.
"Looks like the three of them are on a quest together. I remember them often going on quests, but I don't know exactly which point in the Fairy Tail timeline I am in right now. I'd better ask them."
Yuuki had already made plans for what to do next and decided to save the three of them from the monkeys. However, what happened next left him unsure whether he should feel touched or speechless at Romeo's words.
Romeo spoke with such resolve and sincerity that his words touched Alzack and Bisca deeply.
"So this is the power of nakama, huh?" Yuuki muttered to himself, watching as the three mages seemed to grow stronger through their bond. Even so, their newfound strength still wasn't enough to defeat the monkeys.
"Well, I gotta go save them now."
As he said those words, Yuuki extended his hand toward the group of monkeys. A purple light flashed in his palm before rapidly forming into a massive beam. In the blink of an eye, the beam shot toward the monkeys, obliterating every single one of them.
Back to the present.
"Thank you very much for saving us!" Bisca and Alzack said as they bowed their heads to Yuuki.
Yuuki shook his head and replied, "It's nothing. I was just passing by and noticed the three of you were having some trouble, so I decided to lend a hand."
"Still, we're really grateful for what you did, um…" Alzack hesitated, unsure of what to call their savior.
Seeing Alzack's awkward expression, Yuuki realized that he hadn't introduced himself yet, so he quickly gave his name.
"Yuuki. My name is Tenma Yuuki, but you can just call me Yuuki. We seem to be around the same age, after all."
Alzack had an average build and wore a poncho over his shirt, paired with brown pants.
Meanwhile, Bisca is a beautiful woman with long green hair and bangs framing her face. Her brown eyes and red lipstick complemented her appearance. She wore a revealing bikini top beneath a dark buttoned vest to cover her large breast, paired with a matching skirt and a cowboy hat that completed her distinctive outfit.
"I-I see… Then, Yuuki. My name is Alzack Connell and this is my wife, Bisca Connel. As for this young guy, he is Romeo Conbolt." Alzack still felt a little awkward about being so casual with their savior, but since Yuuki didn't seem to mind and was even quite friendly, he could only follow Yuuki's words.
Bisca, on the other hand, didn't seem nearly as awkward. Yuuki had already made a rather favorable impression on her. He was a handsome and powerful young man who didn't put on airs like those from Sabertooth.
Who wouldn't have a good impression of him?
Nonetheless, still curious about him, Bisca asked, "Yuuki, you said you were just passing by? Where are you headed?"
Alzack also looked at Yuuki, curious about what he was doing in this part of the forest. From what they could tell, he had come from deep within the forest before reaching their location.
As for Romeo, he had been silent for a while now. His intense gaze remained fixed on Yuuki, as if he desperately wanted to ask him something.
Hearing Bisca's question, Yuuki looked at her and had to admit that the women in the world of Fairy Tail have a really nice and curvy body.
'Still, isn't her outfit a bit too revealing? Her breast is even threatening to jump out from her bikini!'
Yuuki thought to himself while looking at Bisca's sexy cowboy outfit. Though, he was careful enough not to stare for too long as to not get caught by Alzack.
Yuuki shook his head, trying to clear his mind and steer himself away from temptation. Even if he decided to chase girls in this world, he still had his limits. He answered Bisca's question honestly, rubbing the back of his nose awkwardly.
"Cough, actually, I'm lost." Yuuki said.
"What? You're lost?!" Alzack and Bisca exclaimed in unison.
The two of them could hardly believe that such a powerful mage had been wandering around the forest simply because he had gotten lost.
"Yeah, I'm actually not from this continent, so I got lost the moment I arrived."
It was a little embarrassing for Yuuki, an adult, to admit that he had gotten lost, but there was nothing he could do about it.
And rather than continent, Yuuki wasn't even from this world!
"Is that so? Then, how about you come with us? We can show you the way out of the forest." Alzack offered.
After all, Yuuki had just saved them. Even if the incident hadn't happened and Yuuki were simply a passerby who happened to be lost, Alzack would still have gladly guided him out if he asked.
"That will be great. Man, I can finally rest easy. It's been exhausting wandering around in this forest."
Yuuki readily agreed to Alzack's offer, letting out a long sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, Bisca watched the two of them talk from the side and had to admit that, while Yuuki's overwhelming strength had left a deep impression on them, his nonchalant attitude and the slightly embarrassed expression he showed were surprisingly cute.
A slight curl formed on her lips, but she quickly sighed, reminding herself that she was already married and loved her husband and daughter dearly. Otherwise, Bisca might have been tempted to go for him.
"By the way, is there something you wanted to ask me, little man?" Yuuki asked, tilting his head slightly as he looked at Romeo, who had been staring in his direction for some time.
Alzack noticed that Romeo's eyes were locked onto Yuuki, which made him smile wryly. Knowing Romeo's personality, he already had a good idea of what the boy wanted.
Still, Alzack warned him, "Romeo, don't stare too much. That's rude."
However, Romeo seemed not to hear him and instead made a surprising move.
"Please take me as your disciple!"
Romeo didn't look away, meeting Yuuki's gaze with a resolute expression.
Seeing this, Yuuki had to admit that the boy's determination was impressive. However…
"I'm sorry, but I can't."
"That…" The light in Romeo's eyes dimmed as disappointment washed over him.
As for Alzack and Bisca, they had already expected that answer, but they couldn't help but sigh sympathetically for Romeo.
"I cannot teach you because we practice differently."
'That's right, I directly power up through the System.' Yuuki thought to himself.
"But..."
Romeo was still feeling down after hearing Yuuki's answer, yet when he heard those words, he looked up at him again, waiting for Yuuki to continue.
"I cannot teach you, but I can give you a pointer or two."
Yuuki held up two fingers toward Romeo, causing the boy's spirit to rise again.
Standing up straight, Romeo looked excited. "Please! Whatever it is, I'll do it if it'll make me stronger!"
Nodding, Yuuki smiled. "Oh, that's a good spirit."
Beside them, Alzack and Bisca were also curious and listened in, especially since Yuuki didn't seem to mind them overhearing. Now that they were paying closer attention, Yuuki finally continued.
"Actually, it's not that complicated."
Romeo, Alzack, and Bisca were confused, but none of them interrupted Yuuki.
"The first thing you need to do is develop a strong sense of Ethernano. Most mages only understand their own magic power and know little about Ethernano. Simply put, Ethernano is the magic particles that exists in the environment, which mages can absorb and convert into magic power to cast their spells."
"Without it, you're basically no different from an ordinary person."
As expected, the three of them had only heard the term Ethernano for the first time.
"What you need to do is gather more Ethernano within your body to expand your magic capacity. Once you do that, your magic power will increase by leaps and bounds, allowing you to surpass even those who are stronger than you. As for how to absorb Ethernano, you simply need to meditate. Any form of meditation will work, as long as you're comfortable with it."
Like obedient students, Romeo and the married couple nodded seriously, already considering practicing according to Yuuki's advice.
"Oh, and one more thing."
Right, Yuuki had said he would give them two pieces of advice. Almost forgetting about the second one, the three of them felt a little embarrassed, especially after getting so excited about trying the new method Yuuki had introduced.
"Emotions can affect magic by a very large margin, and that's one of the main reasons why those at the very top are so powerful…"
Yuuki paused for a moment, thinking of certain beings.
'For example, Zeref and Acnologia.'
"So, use those emotions as fuel to drive yourself to become a much stronger mage."
After hearing Yuuki's advice, Romeo, Alzack, and Bisca were deeply grateful and thanked him.
"Thank you for this advice, Yuuki."
In response, Yuuki simply shrugged. "No problem. Let's get going first. I'm already kind of sick of this forest."
Hearing the impatience in his voice, Bisca chuckled. "Sure, Yuuki. Then let's get moving."
Just before they could leave, Romeo called out to Yuuki.
"By the way, Yuuki-san…"
"Yes?" Yuuki stopped in his tracks and turned toward Romeo. The boy seemed hesitant to ask whatever was on his mind, so Yuuki encouraged him.
"Don't hesitate. Just ask me whatever you want."
Seeing that Yuuki didn't mind, Romeo finally gathered his courage and asked, "I noticed that you don't have a guild mark on your body. Or is it hidden?"
Romeo's question also made Alzack and Bisca raise their eyebrows.
"Now that you mention it, he doesn't seem to have one."
Bisca nodded as she examined Yuuki's body, searching for a guild mark. However, her gaze lingered a little longer than intended as she noticed how well-built his body is, causing her cheeks to redden slightly.
"Yup, I'm actually an independent mage." Yuuki lied without blinking. He had already guessed what Romeo was about to say next, and it actually played right into his plans.
'This is going much smoother than I thought.'
Hearing those words, Romeo gulp and became excited so he said hurriedly with expectation "Then, why don't you join our guild?"
"Sure!"
"....." 3x
"...Ehhhhh?!!!" 3x
Like Bisca and Alzack, Romeo had only been trying his luck. He hadn't really expected Yuuki to actually agree, especially after Yuuki had directly rejected his request to become his disciple.
Yet…
What had they just heard?