Fairy Tail: Magic Gamer Chapter 3, a private fanfic

The choice was a no-brainer for me. I was already in the city and could always explore it on my own, but how often would I get the chance to spend time with a woman as beautiful as Erza? Maybe never, so I had to go with her.

Erza led me through Magnolia, making a straight line towards the Guild building. On the way, we continued talking, and she told me more about the various members of Fairy Tail. Nothing too substantial since she didn't spend too much time talking about anyone in particular. Though I felt like I knew the members a little bit even if I was still to meet them.

I also noticed how fondly she spoke about them even when she judged them harshly for their misconduct. Erza expected the best out of her Guild, no, family members, but she accepted and cared for them all the same even with their faults.

"What about yourself?" She asked as we marched across the streets of Magnolia. The place was even bigger than Clover Town and also so different from it. The buildings were pleasing to look at, but I think Clover Town looked better as they were intertwined with nature.

"There's not much to tell you. I grew up in a village up north of Clover Town. The people there treated me more like an outsider than anything else, but I didn't really have anywhere else to go," I said, deciding to be truthful with her.

"Growing up was hard since I food was scarce. I also got sick every winter and didn't have any medicine. But I pushed through no matter what. Until I recently unlocked my Magic. I wanted to leave the village immediately, but I first cleared out all the monsters in the nearby forest. Then… well, I left to explore the world see what it had to offer."

Erza stopped and looked at me. "You were the better person and made the right decision. I might not have known you for long, but I'd be proud to have you as a Guild member should you decide to join us."

"Thanks, that means a lot," I smiled, feeling happy after hearing her words. It also felt nice speaking about that with someone else, and I felt I made a small connection with the beautiful red-haired girl.

"Now, let's make haste. I have to make sure everything is still standing," Erza said and increased her pace. It didn't take us long after that to reach the Guild building of Fairy Tail. It was three floors big and had an interesting design, one I hadn't seen so far.

While I was looking at the building, Erza just kicked open the door before loudly declaring. "I have returned!"

The people inside were as quiet as mouses, not uttering even a single squeak at first. They were all hugging each other with large smiles on their faces.

"We were not fighting with each other!" A pink-haired guy wearing an open sleeveless vest and a black-haired guy that was… only wearing his underwear yelled loudly. "We are best of friends!"

Erza dropped Loke on the ground, his body hitting the floor with a thud before she went on. "Gray, put on some clothes and stop stripping in public! Natsu, I heard you destroyed an entire street worth of buildings on your last Job. Nab, stop looking at the Job Board and pick one already. Elfman…"

She admonished everyone she looked at, and they all winced and cowered from her gaze. Damn! Erza tore through them all in seconds and none even dared to talk back.

"Don't embarrass Fairy Tail in front of a potential new member!" Erza said, and quite a few turned at me for a moment. She then stomped on the ground, the building shaking from her strength, and everyone immediately looked away. Holy shit was she strong!

"Welcome back, Erza," another incredibly beautiful woman greeted her, and I recognized her by her white hair. That was Mirajane Strauss, and she was carrying a platter in each hand, each filled with a bunch of glasses.

"Mira," Erza greeted her with a nod. "Is the Master here? Leon here was recommended by Laxus to join."

This time, every single person in the building stared at me, making me uncomfortable as more than a few had weird looks in their eyes, especially the naked guy and his friend.

"He returned yesterday and is in his office still fighting with the paperwork," Mirajane said with a sweet smile and a soothing voice.

"Thank you," Erza said with a nod before grabbing me by the arm and dragging me over towards the stairs. I could've escaped her iron grip at any time I wanted to, but I allowed her to pull me up. Yep, that was the truth and I was sticking it with no matter what anyone else said.

Erza dragged me over to a small room where we found a tiny old man that was staring daggers at a stack of papers taller than him. In any other situation, I would've assumed he was standing in front of his greatest nemesis, but that was just a stack of papers.

"Master!" Erza addressed him while I stood next to her awkwardly, trying to figure out how this was the Master of a Mage Guild. He looked nothing like how I imagined he would. In fact, he was the exact opposite of the image I had in mind.

"Erza, save me!" He begged, tears gathering in his eyes. Unfortunately for him, she ignored his words.

"I would like to introduce you to Leon." Erza nodded in my direction. "He was recommended by Laxus to join the Guild, and he has my recommendation as well."

Huh? When did that happen? I guess she did say she'd be proud to call me a member, but I didn't expect this.

"Haha!" The old man let out a triumphant laugh before pushing away all of the paper on the ground. "That's all I needed to hear!"

"I'll go and keep the other members under control," Erza said before leaving the room.

"Bah, let them have their fun," the old man said, but she was already gone. He then jumped on top of the desk, staring right at me. "Now what do we have here."

"Um, hello. I'm Leon."

"And I'm Makarov Dreyar, the Guild Master of those bunch of troublemakers," he introduced himself, a massive grin growing on his face as he mentioned the word 'troublemakers'.

"Now." Makarov rubbed his hands, looking excited as he watched me with glittering eyes. "How'd you get my grumpy grandson of all people to recommend you? I can't wait to hear how he actually managed to make a friend."

"Well…" He looked so excited, almost making me feel bad for what I was about to tell him. "I wouldn't say that we are friends."

"Oh." Yeah, seeing him look as if he was about to cry kind of made me feel bad.

"I met Laxus on the road to Clover Town, and I kind of replicated his Magic after seeing it once. He ended up telling me to join Fairy Tail, though… he was a bit of an asshole," I informed the old man, watching him get more and more disappointment as he heard what happened. Though he did perk up when I mentioned replicating Laxus' Magic.

"Ah, Laxus… he didn't have the best of childhoods and has some trouble making friends. Do forgive him if he came out a bit too strong. He tries in his own way, I can tell you that much," Makarov said, a bright smile on his face.

I decided not to mention how he kind of threatened me while I was trying to figure out how he transformed his body into lightning, He did act like an asshole, but I wasn't sure if he would've actually attacked me.

Plus, I also didn't want to make this old man any sadder. Makarov was what I imagined when wishing I had a family. You know, someone that cared and supported me no matter what.

"I'll try," I promised to at least give Laxus another chance.

"That's all I'm asking for!" He clapped happily and did a little funny dance. "Now, Laxus aside, do you want to join the Guild? Now that's the important question."

I thought about it for barely a moment, thinking about to Erza and how she described everyone part of the Guild. "I do."

"That's great! Today's a great day! Any day we get a new member is a great day!" Makarov cheered as he hopped around.

That was it? I thought I'd be tested, asked to do a Job for them or told I'd need to prove myself against one of them in a fight. Instead, all I had to do was just say that I wanted to join.

"Bahahah! Don't look so surprised!" Makarov hopped off the table, landing next to me. He reassuringly patted me on the leg and said. "Fairy Tail is one big family, and you can never have too much of that. Plus, you were recommended by both Laxus and Erza, two of our S-class Mages!"

"Now let's go get you your Guild Mark and officially introduce you to everyone else!" Makarov marched out of the room, and I faintly heard him whispering something about defeating the paperwork another day.

Ah, I sympathized with him at that moment. The numbers were a hard foe to defeat, but I succeeded in the end. Maybe I could offer to help him in the future once I get settled down.

Mirajane was the one to place the Guild Mark on me, and I chose to have it placed on my left shoulder. The color was a bit harder to decide, and I picked black in the end, the same as my hair under her suggestion.

Meanwhile, Makarov explained some things to me. Like how I could take Jobs from the Job Board, but I wasn't required to do so. Though he encouraged me to at least find a way to earn myself some Jewels. He also offered me one of the rooms in the building to stay for a few days until I found a place of my own. There were a few more things said, but I was just so overwhelmed for the moment.

With that taken care of, Makarov introduced me to the Guild one more time and declared loudly, "Let's party!"

Everyone cheered, a few drinks were shared, making me a bit woozy. The alcohol must've affected me at least a little bit since I couldn't explain how that brown-haired girl was drinking from a whole barrel with two more empty ones rolling on the floor next to her. Yep, I was definitely drunk to be seeing that.

The situation was still a bit too much for me, but I did my best to remember the names of everyone there. I wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or something else, however I felt extremely content with this.

The dancing, the music, the people laughing and having a good time made me feel warm inside. I felt that it was the perfect moment to eat one of my fruits, and I took out the Apple of Peace, wishing to make this a memory that I'd keep for a very long time.

I bit into the juicy fruit, my body and soul relaxing in a manner words couldn't describe. Though I felt the alcohol was really getting to me since I was seeing a talking cat that was flying around. Hmm, perhaps I shouldn't have combined the fruit with alcohol.

The party–the one going because of me!–was in full swing. I still felt a little out of place, not used to this sort of attention. Almost everyone congratulated me on joining the Guild, all of them seemingly interested in how of all people, the grandson of the Guild Master ended up recommending me to join. Laxus turned out to have a reputation of being standoffish and didn't really get along with most of them. Who would've thought?

Most seemed surprised I was capable of just learning his Magic on the spot. I didn't get it though. Magic really wasn't that hard to understand. Hell, I developed another type just a day after learning my first real Spell.

Sure, the notes I got from that zombie bear helped a lot. In fact, they played a huge role in copying Laxus' Spells and even my current understanding of Magic, but that was still all me. I did that! All on my own without relying on my Magic to simply hand me the Spells.

However, this wasn't the time to think about that. There was a party going on, filled with friendly and extremely weird people. They were all so different from one another, all having their own funny quirks.

I took a moment to look around and see what was going on. Cana, that brown-haired girl wearing only a bra for a top, was on her fourth barrel of alcohol. Yeah, that wasn't something I was imagining due to the alcohol and turned out to be actually a thing. She… I didn't get to talk with her a lot, other than exchaching a simple greeting, but damn if she also wasn't beautiful. Just looking at her curvy body made me all flustered inside.

Quickly, I looked away from her, my eyes ending up on that Gray fellow. I paused for just a moment, swearing that he just had clothes on. How the hell did he lose them already? And Erza was on him in seconds, admonishing him for his behavior. After ensuring he was properly dressed again, she returned back to her spot, sitting just a bit away from everyone and ensuring they were all behaving. My eyes briefly looked back at Gray, noticing he was already in the midst of removing his shirt eating at the same time. How was he even doing that?

Nevermind that. I looked away, seeing Natsu, that pink-haired guy that I think challenged me to a fight earlier, slowly inching my way. He was doing his best to avoid Erza's eyes and began whistling every time she looked at him. A fun guy, but I wasn't sure I wanted to fight him. Like, he burst into flames when he challenged me earlier, and the heat of those flames was intense. I was fairly sure he'd easily beat me.

Elfman, the buff white-haired man, was loudly talking with two older men about how manly he was. What a weird dude. Seemed really strong though with all of those muscles.

'Maybe he could teach me a thing or two about that,' I though as I looked at my skinny figure.

Makarov was dancing around near the bar counter, proclaiming how he'd have his fateful battle with his nemesis another day. Mirajane–God, she was even more stunning than her picture from the magazine–was watching everyone with a kind smile from behind the counter. I stared for just a moment, but that was enough for her to notice and look my way, her smile reaching her eyes as she tilted her head.

My face flushed as I looked away, taking me a moment to calm down. Now, I wondered who I could approach at this moment.

I approached Erza first since she looked a bit lonely. No, that was wrong. She didn't seem lonely, but she wasn't having as much fun as everyone else.

That wouldn't do, I decided. Erza was a bit forceful in her approach, but I liked her. Not in that kind of way! Although she almost made me weird inside when looking at her. Not as much as Cana, but that girl was barely wearing any clothes! I had no doubt that Erza would make me just as flustered if she was naked… And now I couldn't get that thought out of my mind.

This was all the alcohol's fault! It made me think about all kinds of weird things. Taking a deep breath, I allowed the feeling of peace to overcome me, thanking my past self of eating the Apple of Peace.

"Leon," Erza greeted me as I approached her, briefly looking at me before her eyes returned to watching the rest. "I hope you are enjoying yourself."

"It's my first time being at a party, so I'm not too sure what I should be doing," I said as I took a seat next to her. "Heard and watched a few from a distance and always wondered what I'd be like to be part of one. Now that I'm here, I have to say it's really fun even if I'm a bit overwhelmed."

"I'm glad to hear that." Erza offered me a smile and looked back at the rest. "They are a rowdy bunch, but they are good people. I'm sure you'll think the same after getting to know them better."

I followed her gaze, watching them dance and have fun. Sure, I came with a recommendation from one of their strongest Mages, though it's not like that forced them to be nice to me.

"And what about you?" I asked. "Why aren't you having fun with the rest?"

"Someone has to keep watch and ensure they don't do something foolish," Erza replied quickly, almost as if she had rehearsed or repeated that answer numerous times. "And I admit that I'm not the biggest fan of alcohol. I prefer sweet things far more than that."

"Anything specific?" I asked, already planning to do something nice for her.

"Strawberry cheesecakes are my favorite," Erza said, eyes glazing over just by mentioning her favorite snack.

"I'll have to get you some as a gift when I have Jewels to spare," I mused, the words coming out of my mouth before I could realize it.

"You do not have to do that." Erza turned to me with an intense gaze. Despite that, it didn't feel like she was really trying to dissuade me from doing that. It was more like she really wanted those cheesecakes but didn't dare admit it.

"I insist," I replied, mostly to confirm my thoughts and also because I did want to do something nice for her.

"If you insist," Erza said, body trembling with barely hidden excitement. "I'll have to show you the best bakeries in town. There's this one on the other side of Magnolia that…"

Erza proved my theory, considering how easily she accepted, and I got to listen to her talk about her favorite types as she described them in detail. I didn't interrupt her and allowed her to go on and on since I did succeed at distracting her for a moment, allowing her to have some fun.

'Maybe I can bake her some strawberry cheesecakes on my own if I get better at cooking.' That was an interesting thought and a way to get closer to Erza, which I definitely didn't mind doing.

Seeing Erza smile made this worth it. Sadly, it didn't last for long since there was an actual reason for her to keep watching over everyone else like a hawk. Because it took just a few minutes of her not paying attention before things got messy.

Chairs, tables, and drinks began flying in each direction as a massive brawl erupted. I panicked for a moment before noticing that no one was using Magic, and they were all laughing as they punched each other in the faces.

"I'm sorry you had to witness this, Leon," Erza apologized as she stood up. "I'll gladly show you the best place to buy cheesecakes in town whenever you want, but for now…"

Erza turned her attention to the rest of the Guild, and an invisible pressure descended down on everyone in the building. Every single person that was fighting went deadly pale, audibly gulping as they realized their predicament. They didn't even get the chance to plead for forgiveness before Erza moved.

"Woah." I gaped as I saw her in action. She was like a hurricane, leaving knocked out bodies wherever she passed by.

Seeing how Erza wore armor, I figured she fought up close like me and had considered maybe asking for some lessons in the future. Now, I wasn't so sure if I wanted to do that anymore. Like, she didn't even seem to be giving it her all, but she still knocked out everyone she punched with a single hit.

Scary! But also somehow really hot. Still scary though, and I'd rather avoid getting on her bad side since I didn't think I could take a single hit from her, the memory of her shaking the entire building with a stomp earlier was still fresh on my mind.

Leaving Erza to handle the fighting bunch, I moved to the relatively calm counter. Makarov was still happily jiggling around, not even caring about what was going on.

He… was definitely not what I expected from a Guild Master. In fact, he was the exact opposite in appearance and personality. Honestly, he seemed more like a kind elderly man just enjoying watching his grandkids having a good time.

"How kind of you to distract Erza and allow the others to have some fun." Mirajane's voice took me by surprise.

"I… that wasn't my intention. She seemed a bit lonely, and yeah," I said lamely. Mirajane was much harder to talk with than Erza, that was for sure.

"Oh?" She leaned on the counter, hands cupping her head and squishing her breasts, making them even larger than they already were. "Have you perhaps come to keep little ol' me from being lonely as well?"

That was one of my intentions of coming here, but now I just felt embarrassed after she pointed it out.

"You're so cute when you get flustered," Mirajane said with a melodic giggle, making this even worse for me!

"Don't worry, I'm just teasing you," she added with a wink.

I just blinked in response, mentally screaming at why my Seduction skill was failing me so hard here. Sure, I wasn't trying to seduce her, but it should've helped with speaking with her at least! She just giggled at my embarrassed expression that I no doubt was showing on my face.

"You did a good thing," Mirajane said as she pulled back, a kind smile now on her face. "Erza is a bit stiff and hard to approach. There are few that are willing to speak with her just to keep her company."

"Really?" I asked, looking back at Erza, who was in the middle of admonishing a member of the Guild. One that was knocked out, but she didn't seem to care and continued to chastise them. "I mean… she's been real nice to me."

"You two do seem to be getting along quite nicely," she hummed before giving a look over. "Say, I overheard about your meeting with Laxus, but what about before that? I'm fairly interested to hear what someone like you did before that. As long as you are willing to share, that is."

"I don't really mind," I shook my head. I already told Erza already and didn't mind informing someone else as well. Especially someone I would be spending a lot of time with now since I was part of Fairy Tail.

Midway through my retelling, Mirajane reached out over the counter and placed her hand over mine with an understanding smile. I had to do my best from there to ensure I didn't stutter like an idiot.

"The past is the past," Mira said, her eyes trembling for a brief moment. "We have to work towards our future and Fairy Tail is as good as any place to do that."

There was something I was missing here. Mira seemed really sad for a moment, but she pushed through it with a smile.

"She is absolutely correct!" Makarov jumped on the counter, and Mira took her hand off of mine, making me miss her soothing touch.

"Though I couldn't help but overhear something intriguing." Makarov looked at me. "You said you just recently unlocked your Magic? Hmm. Hmm. I don't think I've heard of such a situation before. Sure, some bloom earlier than others, but at sixteen, you are practically a grown man!"

That wasn't true! I still had some more growing left in me! I was sure of that.

"Well, that's what happened to me," I replied.

"Then again… Magic is called Magic for a reason! It's not something that can be easily studied."

I disagreed with that.

"It's an unexplainable magical phenomena!"

I strongly disagreed with that.

"However, there have been plenty of weird cases documented over the years. We have our own library here at the Guild, and perhaps you can find a similar case like yours there," Makarov offered, and I immediately perked up.

"A library? What else is there?" I asked.

"Oh, plenty of things to read! We have everything from history to fiction, including a few Magical Books."

And now I was hooked, wondering where exactly this library was. Magic Books were one thing, but I also wanted to see if there were any books that could grant me Skills. I really needed to go there whenever I had the time.

"Could you point me towards the library?" I asked, immediately interested. "And does the Guild have a librarian I can ask for help?"

"It's past that door and at the end of the hallway," Makarov told me where to find it.

"As for a librarian." Mira looked at me with a teasing smile. "We don't have one, but one of our members tends to spend a lot of time there on her own. Maybe you could keep her some company, hmm?"

"Right… I'll just go and check it out." I quickly walked away, hearing Mira giggle from behind me.

Following the directions, I entered a room that was filled with a bunch of bookshelves, all of them fully stacked with various books. There were a few couches on one side of the room while the other had a couple of desks. One of them was occupied by a blue-haired girl who was reading a book with a smile.

"Hello." I went over to introduce myself to the girl. She looked stunning, just like every other woman in the Guild, though she was beautiful in a cute way while the rest were… devilishly sexy. Not that there was anything wrong with that since my heart still sped up when I decided to approach her.

She looked up from her book, taking a moment to observe me with her big brown eyes. "Ah, Leon, right?"

"That's right." I nodded.

"I'm Levy. Sorry for not being part of the party, but they tend to get loud at any given opportunity," Levy said apologetically. "Not that there's anything wrong with that! I just prefer spending my time with a good book during the evenings."

"They can be a bit overwhelming," I agreed with her and looked around. "Even this seems a bit overwhelming, to be honest. I wanted to look for a few specific books, but I have no idea where to start."

"Oh? I can help with that," Levy quickly said, her eyes lighting up with excitement. She left what looked like a card in between the pages of the book she was reading before closing it shut. "What are you looking for?"

"A few things. The first would probably be something about Magic awakening. I know that most people awaken theirs at an early age, but I got mine like…" I paused thinking it over. "Less than two weeks ago."

"That's a really interesting topic!" Levy cupped her chin. "I remember reading about this in a few books. Nothing too detailed, but it has happened in the past. Usually, it's because the person had low Ethernano reserves, and it took them a long time to naturally increase it. Though there were a couple cases where the Mage had Magic so strong, they instinctively suppressed it since their bodies couldn't handle it. Now, that wasn't confirmed to be the truth, but it's the most common theory."

"Huh." I thought over her words. Was I in the second category? Or perhaps the first? Both seemed likely since my Magic seemed to do some crazy things and worked on its own rules. I also did start with low Mana–not Ethernano like she or the Magic Theory notes mentioned–compared to my current reserves. That could also be a reason for why I unlocked it so late.

"I'd like to see those books if possible, but I'm also looking for books about common skills, like mathematics, cooking, just anything in general," I said, seeing a bright and happy smile forming on Levy's face.

"I also wouldn't mind checking out any notes or books about Magical Theory or some useful Magical Schools–"

"A man after my own heart!" Levy whispered before quickly placing a hand over her mouth.

"What?" Did I hear that right? I really hoped I did.

"Nothing, please continue," she said, cheeks slowly beginning to flush.

"I recently got some notes about Magical Theory, but I already learned everything I can from them. And I even have a Scroll about Take Over: Beast Soul, but again, I already picked it up." I continued.

"Oh! May I see? I recently found some interesting texts about Magical Theory myself. Here in the library of all places! They were tucked in between the fantasy books, and I nearly missed them."

That immediately got my attention, but I first showed her what I had. Levy quickly scanned the notes, oohing and awing as she read them in seconds with a pair of her own Gale-Force Glasses. Then she looked at the Scroll and froze.

"What language is this?" She asked and looked at me.

"I…" I inspected the Scroll, only now noticing it was a different language. "I'm not sure. It looks the same to me since I have a… Magic? That allows me to speak and read any language."

"This is incredible! Do you know how much we can learn with a Magic like that? Ohh, there are a few texts that stumped me over the years, and I'm still having trouble translating them! Ohh, and there are a few locations I visited that I had no idea what was written on their murals! We should definitely do a few Jobs in the future together. You will be of great help!"

"I don't think I"d mind that," I said without even thinking about it. I mean, why would I mind going on a Job with a cute girl like her?

For a few moments after that, silence followed, both of us just staring at each other with flush faces.

"Right! The books! Yes, the Magical books! Uh, we have everything about Holder Magic around here. And we have a bunch of Caster types as well. I remember reading about Requip and Archive recently, but I've seen a few more lying around."

"How about we start with the Magical Theory notes? As much as I'd like to check up on the other Magic Books, I feel it'd be better to improve my knowledge about Magic first."

Levy stared at me with the happiest smile I had ever seen. I stared back, growing more embarrassed by the moment, though I made sure not to look away.

"Right." She coughed. "The notes. Yes, the notes! This way. I made sure to move them from the fantasy section to the magical one."

I followed after her, my eyes lingering on her figure and just now noticing how much shorter she was compared to me. Erza and Mira were nearly as tall as me, but Levy almost a head shorter. She still looked really pretty and the short dress she wore certainly showed off her nice legs.

"Over here." Levy showed me where the book was, and I managed to raise my eyes before I made a fool out of myself.

"Would you like to read it together? We can even compare it with the notes I have," I suggested since I wanted to spend more time with her.

"I'd love that!" Levy exclaimed before looking away. "I mean, if you wouldn't mind."

"Not at all," I said, a smile growing on my face. I was enjoying talking with her, but I also found it a tad bit amusing to be the one flustering someone else.

We returned back to the desk she was using and sat down, opening both my notes and the book we just got. She offered me a smile when I put on my own glasses, and we began reading. Instantly, I noticed that my notes were lacking in comparison to the book.

"This is a lot more advanced," I noted as I kept flipping through the pages.

"You're not wrong, but there's quite a few things missing from your notes," Levy agreed while studying them. "The author definitely knows what they are talking about, so I'm inclined to believe their boast of creating hundreds of different types of Magic. Some of their theories and ideas are really interesting. Unfortunately, they haven't documented the process in creating them."

"That's true. I would've loved to read how they went about creating Magic," I replied, looking at a particular page that described just that. "This here talks about that, and… I have to say, it's way different than what I did."

"Huh?" Levy looked at me in surprise. "You've created a type of Magic?"

"I mean, I guess so? It's nothing that special since I made it more or less a day after I got my first Spell, and it basically just empowers my body. I managed to improve it some when I met Laxus, and I upgraded it even further earlier today," I said, growing more confident with each word.

I did something really impressive, didn't I? Barely knew a thing about Magic other than it needing Mana to work, and I made my own little branch. Well, I doubted it was my own now that I read so much about Magical Theory. Someone must've definitely done the same in the past, but I did it without anyone's help or knowing anything about Magic in the first place.

"That's incredible! I know most Mages passively empower their bodies with their Ethernano, but you figured out how to do it actively? Wow…" Levy stared at me with a look of amazement, and I got lost in her pretty eyes.

"What cute little fairies."

"Did you hear that?" I asked, looking around but finding nothing out of the ordinary.

"Hear what?" Levy asked with a tilt of her head.

"I thought I heard something… must've been the people having fun at the party," I replied even though I was certain I heard something.

"Whoo~ I was almost discovered." There it was again, and it was followed by girlish giggling. I was definitely not imagining this.

Quickly, I got up from my seat, rushing over to where I heard the voice from, which was from behind one of the bookshelves. There I came face to face with a blond girl, staring back at me with a mischievous smile.

"Oh, no~ I have been found," she giggled before sticking her tongue out.

"Hi," I said at first since I didn't know if she was a Guild member or not. She hadn't been at the party, but I heard that not all members were currently here. "Who are you?"

"Who are you talking to?" Levy stepped beside me.

I looked at her weirdly before pointing back at the girl, but she was now gone, disappearing in the split second I took my eyes off of her. "There… there was a girl there."

"Are you sure? I didn't see anyone. You didn't drink too much, did you?" Levy asked, placing a hand on my forehead.

"No, I–"

"Boo!" The girl appeared between the two of us, scaring us both with her sudden appearance.

"Her!" I pointed at the giggling girl.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Levy asked after taking a deep calming breath.

"I am the ghost of the first Guild Master." The girl wiggled her hands as she spoke in a spooky tone.

We just stared at her with wide eyes. She giggled one more time before she ran away, her figure passing through the bookshelves as if they weren't there in the first place. "You'll never catch me alive, he he he~"

"I think… I think we need to tell the Guild Master about this," Levy said after a moment, still staring at the location where the… ghost–was she an actual ghost?– disappeared.

"Nooo! Please don't tell little Maky about me!" She walked back through the bookshelf, eyes tearing up and a large pout on her face.

"We should definitely tell him about this," Levy nodded with determination. Since I was a new member and barely knew about the Guild, I decided to follow her lead.

"Noo! You'll ruin all my fun!" She began crying now, making me feel slightly bad about this. "How about this? I saw you reading the Magical Theory book, and I know the location of two more! They are even more advanced! How about that? I'll tell you where they are if you don't tell little Maky about me."

Levy and I looked at each other, already knowing what the other would say.

"We should keep this a secret."

"Yeah, the ghost of the first Guild Master haunting our library will be our own little secret."

"Yes! Subordinates, get!" We looked back at her, and she began whistling, pretending she hadn't said anything.

"You will have to show us those books first," Levy said, ensuring we didn't get scammed.

"Yep! No problem! Now, follow me, minions!" Then she began marching, walking through the bookshelves and forcing us to rush after her. True to her words, she did end up showing us two more books about Magic Theory, all hidden in sections they weren't supposed to be placed at, which seemed to greatly annoy Levy.

The girl, who Levy informed me was Mavis–if she really was the ghost of the first Guild Master–disappeared after showing us the books. We had a brief discussion then, deciding to keep our promise to her since she didn't lie to us. Of course, if anything fishy happened around the Guild, we'd rat her out, but we would keep her presence a secret for the time being.

"Good choice~" Mavis hopped out of the ground, going through the floor as if it didn't exist.

"You did good!" She then reached out and poked me on the nose. "Boop!"

While I was too astonished to know how to respond, she turned to run away, only to stop in place. Mavis then walked backwards until she reached me and turned around, poking me on the nose again.

"Boop?" She repeated the action a few more times before I began swatting her hand away.

"Stop that," I told her.

"You're a really weird one, you know that?" Mavis asked before being swallowed by the floor. Her head popped back moments later though. "But you are still my little fairy, so you are a special kind of weird!"

And she was gone again. I turned to Levy. "This really happened, right? I didn't just imagine it all?"

"Yeah… I think we should call it here for the night," Levy replied. "But can we study those books together when we have some free time? If you want to, that is."

"I'd love that," I didn't even have to think about that answer. Levy was really smart, and I more than enjoyed my time with her.

I ended up sleeping in the room offered to me by Makarov. It wasn't anything special, but the bed! The bed was absolutely divine! It was the most comfortable thing I had ever slept in, and I honestly didn't even want to get up.

However, there were so many new things I wanted to do. So many things I had to do, really. So after releasing a deep sigh, I managed to lift myself up.

"Hi!" Mavis jumped out of the floor in front of me at that moment.

"Gah!" Naturally, I jumped back in fright.

"Bye!" She waved as she came down from her jump, the floor swallowing her in her descent.

Well… if anything that certainly woke me up, though it took me a moment to calm down. The memories of the previous day then hit me, and I smiled as I recalled the more than enjoyable moments at the end.

I planned on repeating the events from yesterday, that being spending time with Levy in the library. However, I first had to get myself situated. Makarov did allow me to stay in the Guild building for a few days, but he encouraged me to find a place of my own. For that, I will need Jewels, which I was sorely lacking.

Thankfully, I was now part of a Guild and had an easy way of earning cash as a Mage. I just had to pick one of the available job offers, preferably one that wouldn't take me more than a few hours to complete and earned me a good amount of Jewels.

However, before I went out, I had to take care of one last thing. Well, I didn't need to do this now, but I wanted to. The beast dwelling in my Soul was trying to make a mess there, though it wasn't having much success. I figured it was a good idea to bring it down a notch while figuring out a way to further improve my Spell.

I felt myself get drawn into that empty black space the moment I tried using my Spell, the panther using every bit of its power to pull me there for a rematch. That was a mistake on its part as it obviously took it a considerable amount of effort to get me there as the creature was panting in exhaustion.

I, on the other hand, was in tip-top shape since I just woke up. Not to mention that I was prepared for this and knew how to fight here. So, I turned my body into lightning and blitzed the beast, utterly crushing it in a few seconds without it being able to even scratch me back.

It receded back into my Soul, running away in fear, but I knew that it would try fighting me again in the future. Not like it mattered since I proved I could easily take it down.

After dealing with the beast, it was time for me to start my day. I stopped briefly at the door of my room, staring back at the divine object. With no small amount of effort on my part, I turned around, deciding to leave the bed where it was and not store it in my Inventory. It's not like it was about to grow legs and run away.

Downstairs, I found Mira just about done fixing up the place. Quite a few things had gotten broken after that brief brawl, and I felt kind of bad not coming down earlier to help out with the mess. I mean, I was part of the Guild now as well and had to make myself useful in some way.

"Good morning," I greeted her as I quickly walked over to help place the rest of the furniture.

"Good morning~" Mira greeted me back with a smile, and my stomach rolled either from hunger or something else at the sight. And here I thought had gotten better after flustering Levy a few times.

"Aren't you a sweetheart?" Mira giggled as she told me where to place the stuff while I did my best to keep my face hidden from her. "Thank you for the help."

"No problem."

"Do you have any plans for the day?" Mira asked as she went behind the counter.

"I was thinking of taking a Job, one that I can complete in half a day or so," I answered.

"There should be a few like that. I can help you pick one if you'd like," she offered with a smile, and I had a hard time saying no to that.

"I'd appreciate that."

"But before that, you wouldn't leave on a job without eating breakfast first, would you?" Mira leaned on the counter. "Just tell me what you'd like, and I'll prepare it real quick."

"Ah, I don't really have any money right now," I said, embarrassingly looking away. "Is why I'm taking a job so quickly."

"No worries, no worries." Mira waved off my concerns. "I'll just put it on your tab. Surely you will pay it when you have enough Jewels."

"I…"

"...yeah, that sounds great." I accepted.

"What would you like to eat?" Mira asked with a little bit of excitement. "Or would you like to be surprised?"

"Why don't you surprise me?" I said before quickly adding. "But nothing too expensive since… yeah."

"No problem, no problem~" she replied with a sing-song voice as she began preparing my breakfast, a pleasant aroma filling the building moments after she began sizzling something on a pan.

"Here you go." It didn't take long for her to present me with plate filled with eggs, some meat, and tomatoes.

"This is really good," I said after taking a few bites, greatly enjoying the meal.

"Thank you~"

"You know, I'll have to cook for you sometime in the future as thanks," I said absentmindedly while focusing on my food. Cooked food tasted really delicious, and I made a note to improve my own cooking to make things as good as this.

"Oh? You can cook?" Mira asked.

"I've read a book." I nodded after gulping.

"You are so precious," Mira said with hands clasped together.

"What?" What did I do now?

"You can't learn how to cook by just reading a book, silly," Mira replied with one of her melodic giggles.

"Well, I can." I took my stance and was ready to defend it.

"We'll see, we'll see," she said as I continued eating my meal, quickling finishing it all.

I was just about to go look at the Job Board, when I decided to ask. "How much do I owe you for this?"

"Hmm, it usually costs a thousand Jewels."

I felt my face go pale at her words and my jaw weakly hung as I stared at her. A thousand Jewels for a simple breakfast? How much money were those guys making to afford such costs? Damn! I made a good choice of joining a Guild if it paid so well.

"But since it's your first time, I won't charge you the full price, so how about we note it down as ten Jewels, hmm?" Mira continued, her mouth twitching oddly as she wrote down how much I owed on a piece of paper.

That was a really big discount. I was even about to quickly count it down, to nine hundred and ninety Jewels. Mira sure did me a big favor…

"You're messing with me!" I accused her, and she burst out laughing,

"Who knows, who knows?" Mira asked as she took my plate and twirled around.

"You do!" I said.

"Well, I guess you'll have to find out by buying another meal from me~"

Oh, this woman was Evil! With a capital E! She was as scary as she was beautiful, and well, she was the most stunning woman I had ever seen. That made her also the scariest person I knew.

"Now, how about we pick up a job for you before the rest of our members come along and pick out the close and easy ones for some extra Jewels," Mira led me to the Job Board.

I stayed quiet, not daring to utter a squeak in front of this Devil.

"Let's see, oh, would you look at that?" She asked, picking up three from the board. "Those should be good enough to start with."

I looked at the jobs she presented to me. The first was to kill a flock of Hane-Sakanas that were flying around near Mt. Haboke. The second one to slaughter a small group of four Hodras that were seen close by one of the farms near Magnolia. And the last one was to deal with a mole infestation. Magical Moles to be exact that were proficient in using Earth Magic and were extremely hard to catch.

"I think I'll go with this one," I said, picking the Hodras group and returning the rest after Mira gave me a brief description of the monsters.

The Hane-Sakanas were flying creatures, and I lacked good ranged attacks. Sure, I had Lightning Bolt and had a good bow with arrows, but I wasn't confident in my chances of hunting them all down. Three, I could guarantee with my Boss Battle, but what of the rest?

The Moles were also a problem since I had to see my enemy to use most of my abilities. If I couldn't find a way to get them out of the ground, I would instantly fail the Job.

The Hodras were the only real option here, and I felt it was a good one. There's four of them, which was perfect for me. I did need three to use my Boss Battle ability and not wasted the chance to utilize it for the day. I could even try using Beast Soul on the last one if I felt like it. Not to mention that they were pig-like monsters, and pig was supposed to taste just as good as boars…

Yeah, the choice was obvious.

"Not a bad choice," Mira commented as she placed the rest back on the board. "As long as you have some experience hunting in a forest, that is."

"I do. I did hunt down the monsters near the village I grew up in." I nodded confidently.

"So you did," Mira said and offered a bright smile. "Good luck on your first job and stay safe, alright? If you feel like it's too much, just turn around and come back. No one will laugh at you for that."

"I will," I promised and left the Guild. Quickly, I rushed out of Magnolia and then hopped on my wolf to carry me the rest of the way there since the forest wasn't that far away from the city.

This was familiar ground for me, and I was confident in locating the beasts in a timely manner. I would definitely try to do this quickly since I wanted to spend another evening with Levy in the library.

It was embarrassing, but I almost got lost in the forest despite how confident I was. There were just too many tracks I wasn't familiar with, and I actually didn't know what to look for to spot potential Hodra locations.

It might've taken me an entire day to look for those monsters, but thankfully, they were large and very very loud. At least, I was sure that was them since they were oinking from a massive distance away. I used everything I knew about being sneaky and stealthily tried to make my way over to them.

My steps were careful and measured as I steadily made my way over the sounds. I was perfectly synchronized with the various noises coming from the forest while merging with my surroundings. Not a single creature was even aware I was here, and I managed to sneak up on the absolutely massive monsters. Those guys were even bigger than the zombie bear I faced and were slightly intimidating despite the fact that they looked like pigs.

But I wasn't scared since I knew I could take them down. I had my armor on me, wore my Grass Gloves, and tightly gripped the Grass Sword. Oh, and I had the Lucky Charm around my neck, just in case it actually did something.

The monsters failed to realize that I had nearly reached them as they seemed to be too absorbed in pigging out on the… carcass they were feasting on. Alright, they were maybe a bit more dangerous than I thought, but this was fine.

I activated my Enhancement Spell, overcharging it to improve its effect even more. My Mana was renegerating even faster now that my Soul was at thirty one, so I could afford to keep this active for quite a while before I was forced to use only the basic version of my Spell.

With all of my preparations done, I rushed at them, getting a free swing that did massive damage to one of the monsters. Its stomach was nearly split open from my just my first attack, and the creature was badly bleeding and nearly dead.

They now knew I was here, but it didn't matter since one of them was nearly dead, and since they were aware of my presence, I used Boss Battle on three of them while summoning my Wolf and sending it to distract one of the monsters.

Those creatures surprised me. They seemed to be slightly weaker than the Vulcans I fought, but they worked well together and their large bodies made them difficult to dodge.

Thankfully, my wolf was distracting one of them, and I had to deal with only three… scratch that, only two of them as the last stayed behind, panting at it stared at the backside of one of the monsters.

What was going on with all of those monsters? Was my Boss Battle somehow making them horny? Because this was the third time this has happened!

Come to think of it, this always happened when I used Boss Battle on more than one enemy at the same time. I'd have to do some more testing to figure it out, but now wasn't the time to get distracted.

I jumped over a charging pig, hopping on its back with my enhanced strength before flinging myself at the injured monster. I had to end it as quickly as possible to not give them the chance of attacking me at the same time.

My sword flashed with lightning speed as I buried it in the back of the injured pig. I heard the last monsters let out a triumphant roar and felt my connection with my wolf disappear.

That was unfortunate, but I didn't let it distract me, focusing on my enemy as I dragged my blade across its back, splitting the monster in two.

I jumped away just moments before the last pig–the one my wolf managed to distract for a bit–returned, making the fight a two against one again.

Briefly, I looked at the panting pig, who still seemed to be more interested in the backsides of its brethren. That still baffled me, but it was to my advantage.

However, my Mana was trickling down fast since I was pushing my Spell to its limits. I was on a timer, so I didn't waste any time in throwing myself at my next target.

I felt myself enter a state of being, my strikes becoming more precise and deadlier with each hit. Each and every hit of my sword opened large and grievous wounds on the monster I was targeting as I relentlessly attacked it over and over again.

The second monster fell just as quickly as the first. The panting pig finally realized their predicament and decided to join the fight, but it was already too late.

Had I fought all four at the same time, I would've had a hard time, maybe I could've even lost. However, I was more than capable of taking two of them at the same time.

My overcharged enhancement ended just as I killed the third monster. Only one remained, and I might've had a hard time taking it down without any Magic. Thankfully, my Mana recharged fast enough to allow me to use the basic version of my spell indefinitely, so I just danced around it in a relaxed manner while slashing it at any given opportunity.

And just like that, I slayed the four monsters, completing my first official Job. Technically, I still wasn't done since I had to hand it in. The one who requested the Job wanted to see a tail from each monster, so I cut off the necessary parts and stored the corpses in my Inventory.

Those things could be useful for when I decide to practice my cooking. Or I could sell them for some extra cash to a butcher in Magnolia. Surely, a town as big as this had a place like that. I mean, Clover Town had two and it was smaller than Magnolia.

Now, only one thing remained, and I walked over to inspect my rewards.

Right, the first thing that caught my eye were the plethora of cooking tools. A couple of different pans, a few pots, various knives, and other such items were bunched up together. They all looked exceptionally well made, making the ones I already had in my Inventory look like dirt compared to them.

All of those were quickly stored alongside the big and juicy Peach of Strength. This was my second such fruit, and I had to use them soon enough since my physical abilities proved to be lacking. I thought I had become strong after eating three of them in the forest, but that was clearly not the case.

The last remaining object was a little booklet with the words "Beast Breathing" inscribed as its title.

"Beast Breathing?" What the hell was that?

I opened up the first few pages to take a look, finding that it's actually a sword manual that also taught a specific breathing method. That seemed useful, I guessed.

I mean, I did need to improve my fighting Skills, so it wasn't bad. Just a bit unexpected to get it from the pigs. Though they were considered beasts, so maybe that's why I got it?

Either way, it was time to get back, though I wondered if I should eat the fruits now.

Gained Beast Breathing Manual, Physique fruit: 1d15. Luxury Cooking Tools.

Now, how about some gains? First, let's start with the Skills. 3 2d100+31i

With everything handled here, I hopped on my wolf and got out of the forest. The person that made the Job request was situated not that far away, just in between Mongolia and the forest itself.

"Oh, wow." I marveled at the humongous farm that the person owned. I had seen a few back in Loya, but this one was as big as the village and was owned by just him and his family.

"Hello, son. What can I do for you?" The man who I presumed issued the Job asked. He was a balding man and was dressed like a typical farmer.

"Hi," I greeted with a wave and hopped off my wolf. "I'm here for the Job request."

"Which one?" He asked. "I hope it ain't for the mole one cause a strapping young man took them out earlier. He just left after staying for a nice lunch with the family."

"No, it's for the Hobras," I answered and took out the tails from my Inventory. "Here's the proof."

"Good man!" He clapped me on the shoulder. "Those things are a menace when given the chance to breed. Had a large group eat all of my crops in the past. Now I issue a request every time they are sighted."

He left to get me my payment while I wondered who had completed the mole quest. I missed the chance of doing two jobs today, but that wasn't so bad since I hoped to meet Levy later.

After handing me my payment, I bid him goodbye and returned to Magnolia, making my way straight back to the Guild. I had to pay back Mira for the breakfast and get myself something else to eat since my stomach was rumbling.

Earned 600 Jewels. Paid the 10 from earlier and spend 15 more for a good meal. Jewels now at 587.

"Thanks for the meal!" I didn't forget to thank Mira as I paid for my food.

"You're welcome~" she replied as she picked my plate.

That done, I left the main building, feeling multiple pairs of eyes on my back as I made my way over to the library. I hoped Levy was there today as well. We hadn't made an official agreement to meet up, but, well, I really wanted to meet her again.

And if she wasn't there… I could always study on my own. There were plenty of things there, including the notes about Magic Theory!

My eyes scanned the room as soon as I stepped inside the library, finding the girl I wanted to meet sitting on the desk we used to read the books yesterday. My heart skipped a beat as I walked over.

"Hi," I said. She looked up and blinked her eyes once before offering me a blinding smile.

"Hello," Levy said before storing away her book and pulling out the one from yesterday. "I haven't read any further, so… we can continue together?"

"Oh, I'd love that!" I was excited to do just that, but I also wanted to show her something. "Before that though."

I pulled out the new book I got, the one about the Beast Breathing. "I got another book that seems to be written in a different language and I wanted to show it to you."

"Another? How?" Levy jumped from her seat and took it off my hands. Her eyes quickly scanned the entire thing with her Gale-Force Glasses. "I don't recognize it…"

She then looked at me. "No, really, how? You were gone for half a day… Not that I looked for you earlier or anything, but I heard you took a Job request earlier. How did you end up with another book that's written in a language I don't recognize?"

"Well." I scratched my head.

"Here's the thing. I have a Magic that lets me challenge an enemy, and if I win, I get a random reward. Could be anything really, like this, for example." I showed her the Grass Wolf sword. "I've also been rewarded with armors, fruits, or even books like this. Actually, one of my first rewards was a book that gave me the ability to read and understand any language in existence…"

"Where. Is. It?" Levy was in my face in seconds, and I felt my cheeks heat up by the proximity.

"I… absorbed it?" I replied hesitantly.

"Elaborate!" I had never seen her be so intense. Didn't even know she could pull this off.

"I didn't know how to read back then and… well, when I picked up the book, my Magic offered me to absorb it and gain the knowledge, and I accidentally ended up accepting," I replied, actually fearing for my life here with the way she looked at me.

"Deep breaths," Levy said quietly as she backed away. "It was an accident. Plus, it wasn't lost forever since you gained the knowledge… That settles it! You will definitely be coming with me on a few requests!"

"I thought I already agreed to that?" I asked, watching her blush in realization.

"And not all hope is lost," I continued after. "I can read the book out loud for you while you write it down. Then we can try deciphering it with my help?"

"Yes!" Levy grabbed my hand, surprising me with how soft her touch was, before dragging me over to the desk. "I actually prepared to do that for the Scroll you had, but this is even better now that you have yet another language I don't understand!"

However, before we could get into translating the thing, we heard the sobbing voice of Mavis. "That's wrong!"

"What?" I asked.

"That's so wrong! It's not right!" Mavis continued, tears dripping from her eyes. I panicked, not understanding what was going on. Was there something inherently wrong with my Magic? If she was really the ghost of the first Guild Master, then she surely knew a lot about Magic.

"Your stupid Magic skips all the important steps! You have to go on a dangerous adventure, fight multiple baddies, travel and bond with your companions, and only then discover the objects that are lost to time!" Mavis continued crying. "Your Magic skips everything important and hands you the objects at the beginning of the journey! It's not right!"

"Ignore her," Levy said, pulling my attention back to her. She had a blank book out with a pen in her hand, ready for me to start reading. "Now let's decipher a lost language!"

We didn't get to study the books about Magical Theory that day, but I still had a good time, especially due to how close we sat together, touching shoulder to shoulder. Mavis kept sobbing from behind us, though we kept ignoring her, focusing on translating the entire thing. The Beast Breathing book wasn't that long, and we did half of it in the evening, leaving us with only a few more hours of work left before finishing it all.

All in all, I enjoyed my evening, feeling like I got even closer to Levy. Plus, I got to witness another side of her, one I didn't think she had at that. That girl got easily flustered, but she could become really intense when she wanted to.

Maximum Mana now at 575.

Body Enhancement passively gains 236 EXP due to keeping it active at all times. Now at rank 8 (99/900)- Increases Physique Stat by 76%. Gain +26 to combat rolls.

It is now July 9th, X783. 9 days before ?. 3 days before Levy grabs us and drags us on a special Job.

I woke up feeling better than ever. The bed still fought me with all its might, but I managed to win and leave it, only looking back it once this time around.

I had so much to do today, after all. Not to mention that Levy would soon want to go on a Job with me, and I had to prepare for that as well.

After arriving at the main hall, I ordered some breakfast from Mira, who was happy to prepare another meal for me.

"This is really good," I told her my thoughts. I was honestly growing in love with her cooking, making me wonder if I should even bother working on my own Skill or if I should just keep ordering from her.

"Hmm, compliments will get you nowhere~" Mira hummed back at me. "But do keep going~"

I scoffed and focused on my meal. Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed the fake pout on her face.

"Thanks for the food." I paid her for the meal and looked around. The Guild building was pretty much empty this early in the day, and we were the only ones here for the moment.

"Any plans for today?" Mira asked.

"I was hoping to ask one of the members for some help," I replied with a sigh.

"Oh? Which one? Maybe I can help you find them?" Mira offered.

"Elfman," I answered. "Was hoping he could help me train my body."

"Ho ho ho~" Mira laughed. "I see how it is. Compliment my cooking first. Then get close to my brother to get to me."

"What?" I asked. I didn't even know Elfman was her brother.

"Was Levy not enough for you?" Mira leaned in with a grin. "What a bad man you are. Going after both of us at the same time."

"No, that's… that's not what it is?" I backed away from the evil woman.

"I mean…" Levy was great, and I enjoyed spending time with her. Getting together with her… yeah, that would be awesome.

Mira was also great, really. Even if she kept teasing me so much… wait! She was doing it again.

"Argh! Stop teasing me!"

"But I can't help it." Mira just giggled in response. "You're so easy to tease and so cute when flustered."

"You. Are. Evil." I made sure she got the message.

"Perhaps, perhaps not."

"There is no "perhaps not". You are evil." I took my stance and defended it.

"Oh? But would an evil woman like me point you to where the person you seek is currently at? Hmm?" Mira leaned in like the evil woman she was.

"Maybe if I asked nicely?" I offered her my best smile.

"That will do." Mira patted my shoulder before linking her arms with my own. "Now, let's go find that brother of mine."

She led me out of the building, and I kept as quiet as a mouse, my face feeling like it was about to burst from how hot it felt. We ended up walking for just a few minutes, but they felt the longest in my life before we arrived behind the Guild building where a shirtless Elfman was working out.

"Elfman~" Mira called out to her brother, her arms tightening around mine with surprising strength. And here I was hoping to get away from her.

"Mira." Elfman stopped his training to look at us, his eyes narrowing with hostility the second he spotted my predicament.

'Don't look at me like that! It's not my fault.' I wanted to tell him, but I didn't dare do it in front of Mira.

"Our newest member here wanted to meet you specifically," Mira said, the hostility in his eyes dropping by a tiny bit. "Said he is impressed with your physical appearance and wants to learn how you accomplished it."

I definitely didn't say that!

"Really?" And all of the hostility was gone in a second. Now his eyes were visibly shining as his whole body trembled in excitement.

"Yes." I nodded and felt Mira lightly pinching me with a smirk on her face.

"I'll leave you two to have some fun." She waved us goodbye and left.

"Hm, you are a bit skinny," Elfman said as he walked around me, inspecting me closely. "But have no worries! I will turn you into the manliest man under my training!"

"Yay?" I replied, feeling a bit lost.

"Come, student! Let me teach you how to be a man!" Elfman dragged me over to where he was practicing moments ago.

"That's it! Keep your form steady, no matter what! That's the most important thing. It doesn't matter how many reps you do if you do them incorrectly," Elfman instructed me asI kept doing push-ups while he sat on my back.

"Pause. Break time," Elfman said moments later. "You began making mistakes there."

"Sorry," I said as I got up.

"Don't apologize! You're doing great! I can see you visibly improving already!" Elfman congratulated me.

Then he continued making me do all kinds of exercises, testing my limits, and figuring out the perfect plan for my training. He definitely knew what he was doing, but I already knew that after I saw his appearance. Now, I felt it, actually feeling how I was growing stronger under his teaching.

"Man, I feel sore in places I didn't even know I could feel sore," I said as I plopped my ass on the ground. "But damn if getting stronger doesn't feel nice."

"That's the spirit!" Elfman gave me a big thumbs up. "If you continue like this, you might become as manly as me one day! Just keep up the good work!"

"Sure will." I gave him a thumbs up of my own.

"Good. Good." Elfman nodded at me before looking me over again. He stared at me for a moment, nodded again, and patted me on the shoulder. "I approve."

Huh? Approve what?

Physique is now at 19 (0/1900). Maximum Health now at 190. Yes, you did gain one more level in Physique.

Elfman really likes us now and approves.

"Hey, I plan on doing some cooking later. Want to join me? Figured I could do it as thanks for all of this," I asked as we sat down on the ground.

"There's no need for that! I was glad to help you!" Elfman said at first. "But I wouldn't mind joining you for a meal. Though… do you know how to cook."

"I've read a book about it," I said, giving him the same answer I gave Mira.

"Ah, so you do. That's great!" And he threw out a completely different answer than her. See, he actually understood me!

"By the way, would you mind just watching over me as I eat a couple of fruits? They are supposed to make me stronger when eaten." I decided to ask him since he knew better than me.

"Of course! But are you sure they are safe?" He asked before shaking his head. "What am I asking? Even if they aren't, I'm sure you are man enough to overcome them!"

Alright, this settled it. Elfman was my favorite person in the Guild… Levy flashed through my mind at that moment. Correction, my favorite male in the Guild.

"Thanks," I said and took out the fruits before taking a bite out of the first.

"Woah!" I stumbled, Elfman immediately reaching out to keep me standing still.

"Are you alright?" His voice was concerned as he supported me.

"Yeah…" I breathed out, feeling my body bursting with energy. "Just the rush of it… I nearly doubled my strength with that."

I kept careful watch of my Status when I ate the fruits. The first one gave a whooping fifteen points to my Physique stat. The second fruit barely improved upon that, and I felt like it hit a wall, unable to increase it further than thirty-five. However, all of that energy it had was instead transferred over to me.

"Really?" Elfman stepped back after I got control of myself. He looked me over with a frown. "It doesn't look like it."

"Trust me, I know," I replied, checking to confirm that it said thirty-five next to my Physique.

"Let's test it then!" He puffed up and slapped his chest. "Punch me!"

"What? I don't want to hit you," I said.

"It's fine, it's fine, just punch me! I'm man enough to take it!" He slapped his chest again.

"If you say so…" I thought about using Body Enhancement for a moment before deciding against that. I was now almost as strong when I used the normal version of the Spell. I couldn't even imagine what I could actually do now that I was so much stronger.

I took a deep breath, squared up, and punched him with all my strength. Elfman was pushed back and almost lost his footing, but he managed to stop himself from tumbling on the ground.

"That's a good manly punch!" He excitedly jumped over. "Keep this up and you will be able to do it! I believe in you!"

"Do what?" I asked in confusion, not really getting what he was saying. Elfman just patted my shoulder in response.

Physique is now at 35 (0/3600). Health is at 350/350, and we have 5 AP per day.

"I'm gonna go buy some stuff around town. Wanna join me?" I asked Elfman since he was fun to be around, even though he did enjoy making everything about being "manly enough."

"Sure," he agreed.

"That's great." I let out a sigh of relief. "I'm still new around here and haven't got the chance to explore Magnolia yet."

We went around town, chatting about this and that while I grabbed things I could afford and thought would be useful. Mostly things that would help me with cooking and serving the meals I'd eventually prepare.

I saw plenty of interesting things I wanted to buy, but they were all sadly way out of my price range. Like, wow, six thousand for a communication Lacrima that needed another one to be actually used? That's a total of twelve thousand Jewels! I'd have to do at least sixty of the job I did yesterday and not spend a single Jewel to afford that.

Eventually, we ended up passing a bakery, and I stopped there. "I wonder if they sell strawberry cheesecakes here?"

"Probably." Elfman shrugged. "Why? You like sweet stuff?"

"I haven't really tried any to say that I like them, but I know Erza enjoys them. I'm thinking of getting her a few as a gift," I replied, still staring at the bakery.

Elfman turned me around with the most serious face I'd ever seen. "Forget everything I said earlier."

"What?" I titled my head.

"You are actually far more manly than me," he answered, not really explaining what he meant. Elfman then confused me even more as he turned around, quietly whispering. "To actually dare go for both? What a man, what a man…"

I left the muttering guy outside while I grabbed some cakes to give to Erza when I saw her next. Maybe I could even share a few with Levy if I catch her in the library later today.

On the way back, we chatted some more and ended up discussing Magic, only for him to inform me he used Take Over: Beast Soul.

"Really? I know that Spell too!" I said excitedly.

"Ho? Take a look at my manliness!" Elfman declared before showing me a perfect partial transformation, turning his right arm in that of a bear.

"Nice one!" I said as I watched him do some poses.

Jewels now at 500. Gained spices, some vegetables and fruits, plates, blank book, and a pen.

I used my own Spell to show off my transformation. Immediately, I felt the beast try to pull me into a fight to determine who'd control my body.

Of course, I struggled, doing my best to prevent it from coming to that. However, the panther did manage to succeed in pulling me to the blank space.

"Fuck off, you mangly beast!" I roared in anger. I was trying to impress my friend, and here it was trying to ruin the moment for me.

To make sure it knew its place, I took a page out of Laxus' book, throwing a pillar of lightning its way. Surprisingly, it worked and I heard the pained cries of the beast.

'Damn! I wish I could do that in the real world.' I thought as I felt my body transform, taking the shape of the monster.

"A full transformation? How manly!" Elfman cheered for me, and I decided to show off a little bit more, turning back into a human before transforming only my arm like him.

"Look, we are Magic buddies," I said, trying to pose like he did earlier.

"No, do it like this." Elfman showed how to do it correctly, and we had some fun just goofing around.

And before I noticed, we had gathered a small crowd, all oohing and awing at our show. They ended up declaring Elfman the winner, and that was fine with me since we had fun.

We ended up returning to the Guild after, and I had to decide how to do my cooking. I had a few raw pieces of meat from the butcher over at Clover Town, but I also had an entire Hobra I could butcher and try to cook.

I mean, I had an entire Hobra, few of them even, in my Inventory. Might as well butcher one of them and try to cook for everyone in the Guild. I was still the new guy and wanted to make a good impression with the rest of Fairy Tail.

Now, the Guild itself didn't have a designated butcher place, but Mira said I could do it a bit away from where I trained with Elfman earlier. The only issue was that there were no actual tools there. I managed to fix some of that problem by just taking one of the extra tables–the members tended to break them almost every day, so we needed to have more than a few in reserve–and brought it over.

I took out the massive Hobra, the table creaking under the pressure of the beast. I stared at it for a moment, realizing how intimidating it was. Not the beast, that is, but the process of butchering this thing without ruining everything.

I mean, how hard could it be? I did read a book on cooking, after all.

I ended up wasting some of the meat from the first Hodra, and I felt kind of anxious, unsure if I had enough to serve the whole Guild. I did ask Elfman to tell the rest I'd be cooking for everyone for free today, so that's why I ended up butchering another one, just to be sure.

I still had two more, so everything was fine! Plus, the second one I took was the one I ended up splitting in half, so nothing too valuable was lost there.

Now, with that done, I returned to the Guild. Mira offered to help a little, even offering for me to use some of the vegetables we had in stock. Free of price even since I would be serving my food for free.

Honestly, she caught me by surprise with that, but I did end up accepting. Though, she said she wouldn't be helping me with the meals themselves, and that I had to cook them all on my own. Mostly, she'd be serving them to the members and maybe help me by chopping some of the vegetables.

I was more than thankful, but now I had to cook, and I was feeling ever more nervous after my little failure from earlier. Damn it, I really thought I'd be able to perfectly butcher the Hobra!

Cooking came next, and I was overwhelmed at first. Sure, I read that cooking book, but it took me a moment to get used to the equipment and figure them out.

I got it quick enough, and now I had two stoves and two ovens to work with. Which seemed like too much at first until I realized exactly how much meat I had in my Inventory.

You know, feeding so many people seemed like a harder task than I initially assumed. I thought it would be a simple one and done deal. Now it looked like I'd have to spend a good couple hours into this.

I started off with taking a big slab of meat before cutting it into slightly smaller pieces. I covered those with spices, circled them with vegetables, added some water and threw them in the ovens.

Next, I grabbed some of my nice pans, layered them with oil and began cooking smaller pieces into steaks. Since I still had some room on the stoves, I decided to add a bit more variety by throwing a few pots on them, all filled with meat and vegetables.

Mira helped at the start, but only for a moment, so I was left on my own afterwards. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw her just sitting down and watching me with a smile.

"What?" I asked while focusing on the food, ensuring I didn't mess this up.

"Just enjoying the view," she replied without elaborating. "You really do know how to cook, huh?"

"I told you I read a book," I boasted with a grin.

"If only it was that easy." Mira rolled her eyes. "It took me a few weeks to get as good as you when I started out."

"Maybe I'm just talented?" It was either that or my Magic doing funky stuff.

"Keep cooking, mister," Mira chided.

I did just that, and we talked idly while I kept watch over the food. Somehow the conversation ended about what we were doing with Levy during the evenings.

"Translating a sword manual, huh. Erza might like that," Mira mused. "But how did you end up finding a book in a language that our Levy didn't know?"

I ended up telling her about my own brand of Magic, figuring out there was no reason to hide it from Mira since she was part of the Guild. I mean, I did already tell Levy about it, so why not Mira as well?

"Oh, my," Mira gasped before clicking her tongue and shaking her head. "Grabbing ti… Erza's attention with an interesting sword manual, enticing poor Levy with lost languages, but nothing for little ol' me? I'm hurt, Leon, I'm hurt."

"Wait, what?" I asked, looking back to see her just staring at me with amused eyes. She seemed to be joking about this, but maybe I could gift her something as well?

"I could always gift you something too, you know?" I replied and rolled my eyes. "Actually, I think I have something that you might like."

"You realize I was just teasing you, right?" She asked.

"Yes, you do that quite often. But you are fun to be around, and you've been kind and helpful despite that," I answered while opening my Inventory window. "And you are supposed to give gifts to the people you are close to and like, right? At least, I think that's how gifts work."

Before she could say anything, I pulled out the bunny earrings I got and presented them to her. "Look, I think those will suit you. The little blue crystals are like your eyes."

"The little crystals," Mira said, giggling with a smile that stretched from ear to ear. "The ones shaped like hearts."

"Hearts? Is that what hearts look like?" I turned back to take a closer look. I'd seen a few hearts in my life–monster ones, that is–but they sure didn't look like that.

"Oh, you poor innocent child," Mira said, eyes softening as she stared at the earrings in her hand. "I'll cherish this gift, and ..."

Before I knew it, Mira leaned in, her lips gently pecking my cheek. "For now, this is your gift."

That left me speechless, unsure how I was supposed to respond. Mira just giggled at my shocked face and moved around me, picking some of the food and filling up the plates in the kitchen. "Now, now. Don't get distracted or you'll burn the food."

"Right." I nodded, cheeks burning hotly as I focused on making sure everything was alright while she began delivering the food.

I helped out as well, cutting some the pieces and mimicking the way she ordered them. Hers still looked better than mine, but I thought I did a good job.

Not all preferred it this way, and I did go out of my way to cook the meat a few different ways, so I filled a few plates with the food from the pots.

Together, we brought them all, delivering it to everyone that was in the Guild. Quite a few were actually here since Elfman did go and inform them I'd be doing this. Though perhaps they naturally gathered each evening, at least those who were in the city and not somewhere else on a Job. Erza, for example, wasn't around, so I wouldn't be giving her the cakes I bought earlier.

Levy, however, was. She offered me a smile and a wave. Though the two members beside her narrowed their eyes when they saw me. They shoved their food in their mouths and frowned, making me think I had messed it up somehow. However, they began eating even faster, taking large bites of the meat, so I wasn't sure what their problem was.

I saw Elfman give me a thumbs up and more than a few thanked me for the free meal. I felt great.

"What brought this on?" Makarov asked as he hopped on a chair next to me.

"Well." I scratched my head. "I didn't get to eat meat very often before, and I always got happy when I got the chance. Yesterday I got for Hobras during the job, and I figured I should share them with the rest."

Makarov began sobbing. "My boy! You haven't caused any property damage. I haven't received a single complaint about you. I even heard some people talking fondly about you and Elfman putting on a show earlier. Now you even hand out free food. Next thing I know, you'll be offering to help me with my paperwork."

"Do you really need help with that?" I asked since I remember how he looked at the stack of papers that were bigger than him. "I had some issues with mathematics at first, but I treated the numbers like enemies and I managed to defeat them. Maybe I can do the same with the paperwork."

"Mira!" Makarov yelled. "I'm not imagining this, right? Right?"

"No, Master, you are not," Mira replied, and I noticed she actually had the earrings on.

"I… I… feel so happy right now." Tears began dripping down Makarov's cheeks.

However, a large commotion occurred before I could say anything else as the members had suddenly started a brawl. I noticed that Levy had stealthily left the main hall, and I was about to do the same before I get caught into this, but then I heard, "Fight me!"

I saw Natsu, eyes blazing with fire jump towards me. My enhancement Spell was already active, but I knew that wasn't enough to escape from this. Lightning streaks began dancing around my body as I overcharged the Spell, prepared to do something in response.

Shit, he was fast and nearly upon me already. I couldn't dodge out of the way, and I didn't dare try to fight back with my nonexistent skill in unarmed fighting. If I had a sword, maybe I could've tried defending myself if I had my sword out, but it was too late for that.

I was about to get punched out of the building, and I knew that since I've seen how tough those guys were. It took a few punches from Erza to knock them out, the girl that shook the building with a stomp.

So, I was left with only one option, and it wasn't one I was confident in using. The last time I did, I nearly killed myself, and I survived only thanks to Laxus catching me before I hit the ground.

Still, it was either that or getting punched out of the building. Plus, I was far better at Magic than I was back then–even if only a few days had passed–so I knew what I was doing.

The lightning streaks dancing around my body intensified as I poured more Mana into my Spell. My body protested, pain surging in response to what I was doing, as I transformed myself into lightning.

There was a flicker of surprise on Natsu's face, but that's all I got to see as I was suddenly at the opposite end of the room. Natsu, of course, had continued on his path and… ended up punching Makarov across the main hall.

The Guild Master lay down for a second while every single member of Fairy Tail paused what they were doing. I panicked, thinking I made the wrong choice and that I should've taken the hit. I mean, the old man was so small and weak looking. He…

I froze in place as a massive pressure descended down on everyone inside. That small, weak, old man I was talking about? He was now almost as tall as the main hall, his head nearly hitting the roof above us.

"You brats!" Makarov roared, his limbs bulging with powerful muscles that fit his current form. "Let me teach you all a lesson!"

I couldn't believe that I thought this man didn't fit my image of a Guild Master! Makarov could literally squish me like a bug!

I activated my Spell one more time, quickly flashing to the other side of the room, right in front of the door that led to the library. I turned back to see Makarov just slamming his palm on top of everyone, destroying the furniture and knocking everyone out in the process.

Nodding to myself, I was assured I made the right decision of leaving before I got caught up in that. Though before I went to the library, I observed Makarov for a moment, wondering how he managed to pull this off.

The way Makarov turned himself into a massive giant was fascinating. Especially because the transformation came along with physical strength proportional to his size. In fact, it might be even greater than that.

Sadly, I didn't get the chance to observe him for too long since he returned back to his small size moments later.

Nevertheless, I believed I gained some insight into how his Magic worked. Incorporating into my own Spell wouldn't work, and it might even mess it up. However, I could see myself creating a new Spell that mimicked his own in the near future when I got a bit better at my Magic.

DC for creating Giant Magic/Spell reduced.

"You managed to escape?" Levy asked as she saw me enter the library, moving to the side to let me sit next to her.

"Barely," I said as I took my place. "Natsu nearly took my head off before I dodge away."

"But you escaped," Levy said with an impressed look.

"I did!" I replied, enjoying the compliment. "Though I should've left when I saw you sneak out earlier."

"No worries. At least you didn't end up getting knocked out," Levy said with a chuckle before taking out her book. "Shall we finish translating the manual? I really want to try deciphering the language."

"Yup." I nodded and took it out before beginning to read out loud to her.

We ended up spending the evening huddled together, translating the last part of the manual and just enjoying the company of the other. It was nice. We ended up agreeing to meet up at the library during the evenings as long as we were both free.

Levy then left, returning to Fairy Hills as the girl members apparently had their own building they lived in. I wondered for a moment why the men didn't as well, but then I realized that they might have had one in the past and ended up destroying it in one of their brawls. Then they never bothered to repair it, so now all the men live on their own. Yeah, that made sense thinking about it.

Still, I had a tiny little problem. Usually, at this time I'd go and tuck in for the night, but I felt full of energy, the fruits I ate earlier keeping me awake. Perhaps I should do something else before going to bed?

What better way to spend my energy than working on my sword skills? I even had a nifty manual for some special style, so I might as well make use of that.

Now, it was getting kind of dark, but Magnolia had plenty of light, so I could train without too many issues. Of course, I did have a slight problem as the manual described a way to fight with two swords while I only had one.

I managed to make do with only a single one and got good practice in, even succeeding in slightly replicating the breathing method mentioned in the manual. It was far harder than I assumed, but there was something weird about it.

Or maybe this was just another doing of my Magic, but I actually felt myself getting slightly stronger when using the breathing method. How weird.

Even weirder was that I faintly heard the sound of Mavis giggling while I trained. Unfortunately, no matter where I looked, I couldn't find that sneaky little ghost.

It is now July 10th, X783. 8 days before ?. 2 days before Levy grabs us and drags us on a special Job.

I woke up bright and early… earlier than usual even. I thought the influx of energy from the fruits would've ran out by now, but it was still going strong. I'd have to keep an eye out to see if this was a permanent thing, or if it would eventually run out.

Either way, it was time to start my day. I jumped out of bed, this time managing to leave the room without looking back at it. Downstairs was an absolute mess, with broken furniture thrown everywhere and… Gah, it hurt seeing some of the food I made be plastered on the ground like that. Nevertheless, I knew they enjoyed it since I saw their faces when they ate it.

I looked around for a bit before deciding to gather up the broken things in my Inventory. I could throw them out after asking where they deposited them, though I could also keep them with me for some reason.

Once done, I sat down behind the counter to enjoy one of the meals I prepared yesterday. The dish I took out was steaming hot as if I just finished cooking it. I let out a pleased sound as I wolfed it down, praising my own Magic in my mind.

Mira arrived just a few moments after I was done, looking around in surprise as she saw how clean the place was.

"Good morning," I greeted her with a wave.

"Well, someone is up bright and early. And good morning to you as well," Mira replied as she walked over.

"Are you perhaps seeking more gifts like the one from yesterday, hmm?" She leaned against the counter with an amused smile. "Cleaning up the place before I even arrived? My, oh, my."

"I thought I could be helpful since I can just throw things in my Inventory," I answered, cheeks growing hot as I recalled the kiss… my first kiss!

"How precious," Mira said, her smile growing softer. "Perhaps I can reward you with another one, but first, there's something I wanted to speak with you about."

"What is it?" I asked, trying to distract myself from thinking about receiving another kiss.

"Elfman wanted to speak with you yesterday, but you ended up escaping to the library," Mira informed me. "He was interested in going on a job with you and even picked one he thought you'd like, though it's way harder than the one you took two days ago."

"What's the job?" I asked, figuring I should learn what it was before making a decision.

"A pair of Griffons were seen west of Konugi Station, just in between it and Mount Haboke. It shouldn't take you more than a few hours, half a day at maximum to find them and come back," Mira provided the details for the job. "The reward for it is five thousand Jewels, though you'll have to split it with Elfman, so that will be two thousand and five hundred each."

"Sure, I'd love to go on a Job with him," I answered easily. The money was a nice bonus, but I wasn't doing it because of that. Elfman was a cool guy, and I didn't mind joining him on a Job. Plus, I wanted to see how a more experienced Mage performed in comparison to me.

"He will be here in a bit, so you have a couple of hours until then," Mira told me with a pretty smile.

"By the way," I said before she could walk away. "Are Griffons considered beasts?"

"They are, yes. Why do you ask?" Mira cutely tilted her head.

"Ah, I can also use Take Over: Beast Soul, and I've been looking to add some more options to it," I told her.

"I see, that explains it…" Mira muttered before turning to the side, not really looking at anything in particular.

"Hey, if you use that… don't try to push yourself too hard, okay? Promise me you won't try to use it on Beast you aren't sure you can handle," Mira said and turned back at me, a fragile look on her face. She was always so happy and smiling, but now she looked so sad.

"I promise," I replied, assuring her I won't do something stupid like that.

"Thank you." Mira nodded gratefully before walking away to go grab some replacement furniture, leaving me to wonder what was that about.

I'd maybe ask her in the future, but now I had a few hours to spare.

Since I would be going on another Job later today, one that would have monsters stronger than anything I had faced so far, I decided to work on my sword skills in preparation. When I got to the place I trained with Elfman, I took off my only pair of clean clothes to put on my old ones. I didn't want to ruin them, after all.

"Awoo!" I heard Mavis mimicking a wolf and saw her staring at me with a grin.

"Yes, I have a Spell that makes a wolf," I said as I summoned my companion, deciding to work on my One-Handed Skill while training my conjured beast at the same time.

"Awoo!" Mavis did it again, grin stretching from ear to ear.

"Whatever. Weirdo." It was better to ignore when she became like this. No need to waste my time thinking about her weirdness when I could focus on improving myself.

My training wasn't as effective as I had gotten used to. Maybe it was due to me splitting my attention on a couple of different things, or maybe it was due to Mavis distracting me with her animal noises, but I felt I didn't do as well as usual.

I still felt myself improve, even succeeded in making my conjured Spell better, but it just wasn't as much as I had gotten used to.

Physique gains 243. Now at (596/3600).

One-Handed gains 336. Now at (1542/2000)

Conjured Wolf gains 333. Now rank 9 (100/1000) - Summon a ghostly wolf that has 50/50 Health, +35 to Attack rolls, and deals 1d25+10 dmg on successful hit.

Body Enhancement gains 333. Now rank 8 (832/900)

"Leon!" Elfman caught me just after I finished my training. The guy was absolutely massive, towering way above me while also being twice as width as me. He looked like a monster disguised as a human, but I knew he was a really cool guy.

Elfman was even kind enough to help me out with my own training, and he was my friend in my mind. Hopefully, he saw me the same way. I mean, surely he did since he wanted to go on a Job with me.

"Hi, Elfman," I greeted him back as he came over.

"I see you've been working out! Keep this up." He flexed his massive biceps. "And you might become as big as me one day!"

I could only stare with a hopeful look, wishing that I'd grow just a little bit taller to not look so tiny compared to him. "I'll do my best!"

"So…" Elfman suddenly lost all of his confidence and bravado. "I saw this Job and was thinking if you'd like to come along with me for it. You don't have to, but it will be real manly of you to accompany me."

"You can count me in," I replied, watching him let out a sigh of relief.

"How manly of you! Accepting before even knowing what the Job is!" Elfman declared, and I decided not to tell him Mira already informed me about it, allowing him to describe what he had picked for us.

"That's cool." I nodded. "I guess we can both get one of the Beasts if we choose to do so."

"That's… true," Elfman replied, looking hesitant and twitchy. "I… just want to be there if you decide to Take Over another Beast, but I'm not sure if a Griffon suits me."

"Why not?" I asked then remembered I didn't actually know what a Griffon was. "Is there something wrong with it?"

"No, no, nothing like that." Elfman shook his head. "It's a strong monster that can fly and even use Wind Magic. It's just… it's a bit embarrassing, but I can only use partial Take Over, so it won't be very useful for me."

Wait, what? I thought he could do a full Take Over and hadn't used it to not embarrass me. Plus, I had to actually work on my Spell to get the ability to turn only partially into my Beast.

"Is there something wrong? Maybe I can help?" I couldn't not offer him my assistance, not after he willingly helped me train my body.

"This is something I'll have to do on my own," Elfma sighed, looking into the distance just like Mira did earlier. I wanted to help them, but I didn't want to push them too hard, so I didn't try to force it here and now.

"But thanks for the help. You're a good, manly friend, Leon." Elfman patted me on the shoulder.

"So, how about we leave for this Job?" I asked, and he perked up.

"Yeah! Let's go!" Elfman marched me out of the Guild, leading me right to the train station. We got tickets for Kunogi and spent time talking with each other. I didn't forget to mention my own Magic and what I could do, so he didn't get surprised later when we ended up fighting the monsters.

"That makes it even better. You can use this Magic of yours on both of the Griffons and not worry about me." Elfman nodded to himself.

"Are you sure?" I asked since this Griffon sounded like a really useful monster to have. I know he said he could only transform his arm into a beast, but that was only for now.

"Yeah! Don't worry about me!" Elfman assuredly patted my shoulder.

After we dropped off the train at the station, we began moving towards the location of where the beasts were spotted. On the way, I showed him my Conjured Wolf and… Elfman tried to use Take Over on it.

"Huh…" He looked at the spot where my wolf was moments ago.

"Did that work?" I asked since I felt my connection disappear, and my Mana was now regenerating again.

"No, but it was weird." Elfman cupped his chin for just a second before shrugging. "Anyway, let's keep on moving."

Funds at 490 Jewels now.

The two of us worked incredibly well together, bouncing off ideas off each other as we tracked the beasts down in record time. Every time one of us lost the tracks, the other picked it up immediately, proving that we were actually a really good team together.

I also learned a lot from Elfman, and I meant that. Sure, I was good at following tracks in a forest, but he showed me so many new tricks to use outside of one. I was more than glad in choosing to come along as this was already proving to be extremely useful to me.

And there they were, two dangerous-looking beasts sleeping or at least pretending to be sleeping out in the open. They looked weird, their bodies that is, as they seemed as if they were made out of multiple different creatures.

Both of observed from a distance, equally surprised when we realized they really were sleeping out in the open like that, I accepted it gladly since I might be able to get a clean sneak attack in. Though I had to discuss it with him first before making a decision.

We discussed it briefly, deciding to attempt a sneak attack on them, mostly so that we can try to cripple their ability to fly. Elfman wasn't a fan of this not so manly plan, but we barely had any ways to fight against an airborne enemy. I had only a single Spell that could work for that. And my bow, of course, but I preferred to fight with a sword if given the chance.

Now, we just had to ensure we actually succeed in sneaking up on those monsters. They seemed like they had sharp senses, but thankfully, they were currently asleep.

We both moved in perfect synchronization, our steps not making even a single sound. Elfman surprised me how good he was at this. You'd think a man his size would have trouble moving as stealthily as this, but he showed how experienced he actually was.

I focused on my own enemy, activating my boosting Spell to its limit first and then taking out my trusty green sword. I took a deep breath and flew off, arriving next to the sleeping beast in a split second, my sword already in motion to cut its wing off.

My blade pierced through, and I nearly succeeded, but the Griffon was far tougher than I expected. Nevertheless, I hurt it good, and it wouldn't be able to fly in its current state.

At the same time, Elfman had jumped the other one with a yell of, "Man!"

His arm transformed into a one covered in scales, and he crushed the beast's wings in one go, displaying strength far above mine.

Immediately after, I used Boss Battle on both of them before I prepared to strike my own enemy. However, an invisible force pushed me, flinging me away from the monster.

Somehow it still managed to fly up in the air, the same invisible force–Wind Magic, I assumed–allowing it to stay above the ground. Thankfully, it wasn't that far up, and I could still attack it if I timed my jump right.

Instead of jumping up like an idiot and trying to fight through its Wind Magic, I decided to be smart and simply summoned my wolf right on top of the beast.

No one seemed to expect that, even Elfman said, "You can do that?"

I didn't need to look his way to know the griffin under him was pummeled into unconsciousness.

My own enemy let out a shrill as my wolf immediately began clawing and biting, not doing as much damage as I would've liked, but it grabbed the monster's attention.

The weird creature even dropped down a bit, getting into the perfect range for me to attack without risking myself too much.

I rushed the Griffin, lightning streaks dancing around me from my overcharged Spell. I felt resistance as I neared the monster, but I pushed through, my sword moving in unpredictable patterns as I used some of the knowledge I gained from the Beast Breathing technique.

The Griffin stood no chance. It used its one available opportunity to fling my wolf away from it. My summon crashed on the ground and was instantly killed, but I had reached the beast and was right on top of it.

My first two strikes took off its wings, forcing it to pummel towards the ground. The third one chopped off its head, and I hopped off it before it crashed down.

"Did you go easy on me yesterday?" Elfman asked as I walked over to him, the last enemy breathing heavily as it was at its death's door. "That isn't very manly of you."

"No, no." I shook my head. "I punched you with all of my strength, but I didn't use any Magic. Just pure physical abilities since I didn't want to cheat!"

"Ha! I knew I shouldn't doubt your manliness!" Elfman grinned at me. "We'll have to test out how strong you are with your Magic later then! I might have to take that into account when figuring out your workout plan."

"I'll appreciate that." I really did. Elfman was a great guy.

"Also, I'm impressed! I didn't know you were this good with a sword! For a moment I thought I was watching Erza there, and she… well, she is really manly," Elfman praised me with a thumbs up.

I paused in my steps, processing exactly what he said. Erza did wear armor, but I wouldn't call her manly. Then again, this was Elfman's way of praising others.

"Will you try using Take Over on this one?" He asked after that.

"Yeah, I think I will. Having a way to travel fast by flying seems really useful. I might even be able to bring others with me that way." I nodded and stepped in front of the beast, activating Beast Soul on it.

Griffin

Physique: 90

Soul: 60

Abilities when used: Flight, Set Observation to rank 3.

Wind Magic: Speed Enhancement/Flight. Storm Shred(3d40+30 damage)

The Griffin wasn't in a good shape when it tried to fight me in that empty space. Actually, the place wasn't as empty anymore. I didn't get that good of a look since I focused on ending the monster as quickly as possible, but there were some vague shapes around me. A few… I'd say bookshelves with a desk near them and a few long tables with chairs. How odd.

Sadly, I didn't get to see much and ended up back into the real world shortly after. I was on all fours again, feeling even weirder than when I transformed into a panther. It was the wings on my back that threw me off. Oh, and the fact that I felt like I could use Wind Magic now.

"Leon?" Elfman asked, looking worried and ready to fight. "Are you okay?"

I growled and nodded my head. Talking like this wasn't easy at all. I wasn't even sure if I actually could. I transformed back to show him I was perfectly fine.

"Good." Elfman let out a sigh of relief before presenting me with two things. A sword with the pommel of a Griffin head and another small round object.

"Those things formed from that light you told me about," he informed me as I took and stored them in my Inventory.

The first was called a Griffin Sword, and I figured as much. It was fairly similar to the Grass Wolf one I already had in that regard. It came at the perfect moment since I was in need of another weapon–preferably a blade–if I wanted to make use of that Beast Breathing.

The other one was a complete surprise. A Beast Soul nourishment pill. Now, I wasn't sure exactly what it did, but I could make a guess. It most likely increased the power of a Beast Soul when consumed. It seemed pretty useful, though maybe not for me.

I was easily beating the panther at the moment, but it could grow way stronger than me if I ended up boosting it. The Griffin, I wasn't even considering making it stronger since I wasn't even sure I could handle it on my own.

Right, the pill wasn't as useful for me, but… perhaps Elfman could use it?

"I think I will keep the sword," I told Elfman after inspecting the rewards. "The pill, though… It's called a Beast Soul Nourishment Pill, I'm assuming by its name that it's supposed to increase the strength of a Beast Soul."

"Can such a thing be possible?" Elfman asked, eyes wide in surprise. "I've heard of Souls evolving after prolonged use, but this…"

"Here," I said, offering it to him. "Why don't you take it? We fought together, so you should have half the reward, right?"

"Don't you have two Beast Souls yourself?" Elfman asked, looking at the pill once before staring back at me.

"Sure, but I don't want to push my luck. Worst case scenario, I can try to create a Spell that somehow evolves Souls in the future," I said with a smile.

Elfman scoffed and rolled his eyes. "You don't have to make things up. You're already one of the manliest men I know."

"I'm serious," I told him and shoved the pill towards him. "Take it."

"Alright then…" Elfman took the pill and for a few seconds just kept staring at it. I was about to ask if he was okay when a fierce look of determination appeared on his face. "I can't back down here! I will face my fears like a true man!"

Fears? What fears? I couldn't ask since he gulped down the pill, and I held my breath as I watched to see what would happen.

You know… seeing something form out of light was a bit weird. Then again, all Magic kind of did that. It just usually took the shape of a destructive Spell instead of forming objects after defeating an enemy.

Elfman hadn't heard of anything like that before. But then what did he know? He was a Mage who could only use one Spell and… couldn't even use it right.

It was hard to admit, but it was the truth. He wasn't a good Mage, and he knew that. That's why he trained his body so hard every single day, to make up for his lack of talent with Magic. And to make sure the past never ever repeated itself.

So when his newest friend offered him the pill that supposedly could make a Beast Soul stronger, Elfman thought of refusing. If it really worked, then it would be a complete waste on someone like him. Someone who could no longer even use Take Over. Someone who failed at doing the only thing he was supposed to be good at.

Beast Arm Elfman, was what the people called him. Years ago, he might've thought it sounded cool. Now it was only a painful reminder of what he lost that day. His family and ability to use his Magic.

'Leon should keep it and eat the pill.' As crazy as it sounded, the pill probably did exactly what he said it did. Elfman didn't have reason not to believe him, especially after seeing him get stronger from eating those fruits.

Right. The pill should go to the one with more potential. Leon had learned Take Over on his own less than a week ago! And he was already so much better than Elfman at it!

Not to mention how skilled he was with a sword! For a moment, Elfman thought he was watching Erza there! And Erza, well, Erza was one of the manliest people he knew.

Elfman should've refused, but then he saw Leon's earnest expression as he offered the pill to him. 'This is his way of making friends.'

Mira had mentioned how they had similar pasts. It's just that they had left that awful village many years ago. Leon, on the other hand, had only recently escaped.

The little manly dude had endured for years on his own. He never had anyone he could call a friend, and this was his way of making new ones by giving them gifts. Well, his sister said something similar to that, at least.

So if Elfman refused this gift, he would be refusing his offer of friendship! He already considered the little manly dude his friend, but he didn't want to hurt his feelings.

That's why he took the pill. However, he needed a moment to gather the courage to take it. And hey, if he was lucky, one of the three Beast Souls would grow stronger and allow him to protect his family better! That's why all his Beasts were strong and bulky, so he could shield his close ones from any harm!

Nothing happened for a moment after gulping the pill. Then he felt his three beasts begin struggling against one another, desperately trying to get to something he couldn't quite sense.

'It works.' Elfman thought in excitement that only lasted for a scant few seconds as It surged within him.

'No!' He screamed mentally but The Beast woke up and quickly snatched the vaunted prize the others were fighting for.

A tremendous amount of Magic Power then surged within Elfman, but it wasn't his own. The Beast was growing stronger by the second after it consumed the power from the pill.

'No! Not like this! Not again!' Elfman roared in his mind, images of that day flashing through his mind as the monster began struggling for control.

'Am I about to lose my new friend, my new family again?' Uncertainty and fear filled his being before his eyes burned in anger and determination.

'I refuse! I refuse to allow that! I will not lose anymore of my family!' Elfman struggled with all his might, pouring every bit of his being into the will fight against The Beast.

And the monster of his nightmares faltered! The creature that was now stronger than ever crumbled against his will! Elfman couldn't believe it! He did it! He actually defeated that monster on his own!

No more than a few seconds passed, but when he regained his senses, he found out that both of his arms were transformed!

He laughed! His eyes turned watery, but he resisted it. A man wasn't supposed to cry after all. At least not in front of others. So he laughed and laughed, willing his tears away.

"Elfman?" He heard Leon call out to him, concern visible on his face.

'Mira did mention he couldn't lie to save his life.' He thought before grabbing his friend… no, his brother into a tight hug. Right, Leon was his brother in all but now and that could very well change in the near future.

"I can't breathe," his brother wheezed, and Elfman finally released him from his hug.

"Let's return and tell everyone about our manly adventure!" Elfman declared loudly to the world as he grabbed Leon and began running back towards the train station. He kept both of his arms transformed during the entire time despite it being nothing more than a waste of Magic Power.

How could he not? He had to show the world that he was getting better. That he was returning back to what he used to be!

"You're already done?" The person who had put up the request asked them in surprise when they arrived at the station.

"Of course!" Elfman answered. "Me and my brother took them out in seconds!"

"Brother?" Both Leon and the person asked, but Elfman didn't explain. It was obvious what he meant.

"Well, I don't want to doubt the words of Beast Arm… or would it be Beast Arms Elfman now?" The man looked at his now transformed arms. "But I will need some evidence."

Leon immediately pulled out the headless corpse of the Griffon he slayed. "And I used Take Over on the other."

"Ah! That's why you said brother, I see," the man nodded, but he was completely wrong.

"Well, either way, thanks for dealing with those beasts. Damn things were scouting out the station for an easy target." The man shook his head before offering them the reward.

Elfman took it all before shoving it in his brother's hands. "You take it."

"Wait–"

"No waiting. You take it." Elfman refused to take no for an answer. His brother did so much for him already. The least he deserved was to get the full reward for the Job. Plus, Elfman had a bit saved up. Not that much since he wasn't paid for that annoying escort quest and his unmanly Job giver, but it was enough.

They boarded the train back to Magnolia, and Elfman excitedly marched towards the Guild with Leon. Of course, he made sure everyone saw that he had two of his arms transformed now. Then he burst open the door with a kick.

"We just had the manliest of adventures!" He roared loudly, making sure everyone heard him. He would be repeating the story a few times at least, but he wanted to have a large audience from the start.

"You, weird smelling guy!" Natsu jumped up from his place, fire bursting around him as he lept towards Leon. "Fight me!"

Elfman wouldn't allow that, and he punched him out of the air. Natsu recovered and flipped over, but he looked surprised.

"You got two arms now! That's so cool! Fight me!" Natsu was burning up with excitement.

"Later! After I tell my story," Elfman replied.

"Nice!" Natsu pumped his fist before looking at Leon and licking his lips. "Hey, Leo, are you gonna cook today too?"

"I don't think so. I have a few things to do today," Leon said, backing away slowly.

"Aww. I really liked your cooking yesterday. " Natsu slumped in disappointment before he began looking through his pockets while muttering, "I think I might have enough for a fire pasta…"

Elfman ignored him as he began retelling their manly adventure and how awesome they were. He made sure to tell everyone how amazing his new brother was.

A bit later, Mira took him aside, looking at his two arms. "I take it… Leon had something to do with that."

"He did!" Elfman said. He was the one that had to fight against The Beast, but Leon was the catalyst for it.

"New brother, huh," Mira looked in the distance where their… little sister was buried.

Elfman immediately pulled her in a hug, doing his best to suppress his tears. He was a man and real men didn't cry. Not in front of others. Instead, they stood stall, never faltering no matter what, ensuring that they could protect everyone they cared about.

I sneakily left the building after Elfman began retelling our adventure the second time, feeling embarrassed at how he described me taking down the Griffin in a few quick slashes and how manly I looked while doing that.

And, hey, I did have a few things I wanted to do in town, so I walked around visiting stores that grabbed my attention. A few people even greeted me when they saw me, recognizing me from the little show with Elfman.

It was so refreshing and unlike my time in Loya. People didn't ostracize me for absolutely no reason and were even happy to see me.

They seemed to really like Fairy Tail Mages around here, though a few jokingly pleaded with me to not destroy as many things as the others. Well, maybe they weren't actually joking considering what Erza chided them for doing when I was first introduced to the Guild…

Hopefully, I won't cause that much property damage to be considered a danger. Hopefully…

I grabbed a few more cooking ingredients and even some books about that, one of them was for baking since I wanted to make my own cakes. There were also a few more clothes in my Inventory now, alongside some better Gale Force glasses.

Of course, I also didn't miss the chance to buy my own bed! A sleeping bag was good and all, but why not go for something even more comfortable. I had a nice tent and could drop the bed whenever I wanted to since I was able to pick it up and store it in my Inventory.

My time remaining in the Guild building was running out, and Makarov did encourage me to look for a place to stay on my own. That's why I asked around, finding out that there were a few places that cost six hundred Jewels per month.

They weren't anything special, just a room and a bathroom. Not anything special, my ass! I lived in a shack that was nearly falling apart for sixteen years! Those were like divine domains compared to that.

There were even better places, but they were far more expensive. Though they did have multiple rooms, including kitchens.

Looking at my funds, I could afford one of those if I wanted to. I could also just go with the cheapest living apartments, or I could stay in my tent. Though I'd have to place somewhere outside of town if I went with that option.

Funds at 4690 Jewels.

I chose to get one of the cheaper apartments for myself. It had a bed, and a couple empty bookshelves and cupboards. Not that I needed the latter since I could store everything I owned in my Inventory, but I guessed they'd look nice if I left some objects there.

I paid six hundred Jewels and would have to pay again on the tenth next month. That wasn't really an issue since I was earning a good amount of money through jobs. I'd have to do at most one or two to guarantee I'd have enough Jewels.

The bathroom and shower in there really spoke to me. It was a nice and easy way to clean myself, so I decided to splurge some more cash on a portable outdoor shower. It was a bit expensive, but it had a Lacrima I could charge to replenish the water.

That taken care off, I returned to the Guild and made my way over to the library after greeting my fellow members.

Funds now at 3720 Jewels.

I looked around, hoping to find Levy here. Sadly, the desk we usually study at was empty, so I was on my own for now. I thought about studying the Magic Theory books first, but I shook my head. We started reading them together, so I didn't want to get ahead of her.

Plus, it wasn't like they would grow legs and run away from the library… unless Mavis decided to play a prank on us. Come to think of it, I hadn't seen today yet. I wondered what that little ghost was doing right now. Hopefully nothing bad.

Either way, I was on my own and so I decided to check out one of the Magical Books around here. Levy did show me where I could find them, and I picked up Requip since it was apparently very similar to my own Inventory. Maybe I could even figure out a way to combine the two somehow, but I first had to learn the Magic.

Requip really was similar to my own Inventory, although there were some minor differences.

For one, my Inventory kept things exactly in the state I stored them while food items could deteriorate in Requip.

Also, I seemed to have a lot more space to work with since my pocket space was seemingly endless. Again, that was another win for my Magic.

However, there was one thing Requip was better than Inventory and that was the ability to instantly equip anything stored with but a thought. Meanwhile I had to physically take out my items from their little boxes.

Well, I no longer had that issue since I figured out the Magic in record time. It was almost exactly like mine, after all, and now I could take out anything from my Inventory without looking at the boxes.

Huh, Magic was really easy, wasn't it?

"Hi," Levy greeted me as she entered the library. "How's it going?"

"Hi. I just checked out Requip and managed to combine it with my own Magic, so I'd say pretty well," I said happily.

"In just a couple of hours?" Levy asked with wide eyes before shaking her head. "Nevermind that. Do you want to continue reading the Magic Theory books with me? I mean… you don't have to, and I can focus on figuring out that language if you have something else to do…"

"I'd love to," I answered without hesitation. "I studied Requip because I wanted to wait for you before continuing with the Magic Theory books so I don't read ahead."

"Oh." Levy mumbled and awkwardly looked down at her feet. For a moment I thoughtI had said something bad, but she continued with, "That's… yeah. That's one of the nicest things anyone has said to me."

"..." And now it was my time to awkwardly look away, cheeks growing hotter by the second.

"Anyway! Reading time!" Levy quickly walked around the desk, sitting down next to me with her shoulder touching mine. "Let's see where we left…"

I thought everything was going fine, but Levy was fidgeting in her place. I turned towards her, noticing her cheeks were slightly red. "Is everything alright?"

"I'm fi… a bit cold. Maybe you can drop your arm over my shoulders?" Levy asked, voice growing quieter with each word.

"Of course," I said and did as asked, placing my arm around her shoulders. My heart sped up, beating almost as fast as when I went into a dangerous fight. "Is this okay?"

"Mhm." Levy rapidly nodded her head in response, eyes focusing on the book and nothing else.

We continued reading for a bit longer, both of using our good Gale-Force glasses to flip through the pages before rereading them again to fully board the information. This continued for some time when Levy began fidgeting again. She looked at me again, cheeks still red.

"Can you… move your chair back a bit?" She asked with a thoughtful expression.

"Sure?" I replied and pushed my chair backwards.

"I'm still a little cold…" Levy paused and focused on the book. Her eyes never left its pages as she moved over and sat on my lap. "Can you hug me while we read?"

"..." I was speechless, my heart feeling like it was about to jump out of my chest. Wordlessly. I wrapped my arms around her stomach, and she leaned back against me.

I was barely able to pay attention to the pages of the book as all kinds of thoughts raced through my mind. One of them was how nice and pleasant Levy smelled, and how I wouldn't mind hugging her more like this in the future.

When we left the library, she offered me the prettiest smiles I'd have ever seen and hugged me goodbye before leaving. I ended up walking back to my apartment in a daze, thinking about Levy the entire night before I finally fell asleep.

It is now July 11th, X783. 7 days before ?. 1 day before Levy grabs us and drags us on a special Job.

Waking up in my own home–one that I bought with my own money–was an experience. I felt a sense of fulfillment and happiness that only grew stronger as I thought of what happened last night. I hoped we did that more often in the future, and I decided to try to initiate those kinds of moments from now on. Hopefully she won't push me away.

I ate my meal in silence, making sure I didn't spill anything in my new home. I just got this place, and I didn't want to get it dirty on the first day. That done, I had to figure out what I would do today, knowing that Levy would like to go somewhere specific tomorrow.

I had everything I needed in my Inventory, and I could easily survive for weeks without getting anything else. I guess I could still buy a few more things, but that seemed unnecessary with what I had.

It might be better to just prepare by practicing a bit. Though I could always see if there were any easy jobs I could complete in a few hours or so.

I didn't know exactly where we would be going, but it would likely take quite some traveling to get there. Now, I didn't have many options for that other than my panther form or my wolf. Both had their own problems.

The panther still resisted me, so I had to dominate it before I could freely use it without a care in the world.

The wolf, on the other hand, was getting slower and slower compared to me. That wouldn't do. It couldn't assist me in traveling or fights if it was that weak, so I had to do something about that, and I knew quite a bit about Magic now, guaranteeing I could improve it massively with a bit of time.

Right, I knew what I would be spending my time on today, but I first had to fight the Beast Soul and win one more time to get it out of the way.

Appearing back in the empty space, I stood face to face with the panther.

"You really want to fight me again?" I asked, using this moment to inspect my surroundings. One part looked cleaner than the rest and that was the library section. The other was a very blurry image of the main hall.

The panther growled and I turned back at it, "I've only grown stronger since the last time I faced you."

It stared at me for a long moment before blinking slowly. Then it lowered its body, submitting to my will.

"Good choice," I said and decided to do a nice thing for it, so I focused and imagined a large piece of meat. It formed in front of me and I threw it at the beast.

Unfortunately, the panther didn't seem to like that. It sniffed it once and looked away in disgust.

Oh, well. I tried, but I guessed it would only eat one of those pills I got yesterday. Hopefully, I would get a new one in the future now that I had a fully submitted beast.

Either way, I was done here and left, prepared to continue my day by working on my wolf Spell.

Since I didn't want to disturb anyone with my training, I went over to the location I worked out with Elfman. There was no one there at first, but as soon as I summoned my wolf, Mavis popped out.

"Awoo!" And again, she was fooling around, making wolf sounds while giggling to herself. "You are making this too easy!"

I tried my best to ignore her as she fooled around, but I noticed that I was doing a better job with her around. Of course, I didn't tell her that even if I secretly hoped she stayed with me the entire time I was training.

Conjure Wolf gains 806 EXP. Now rank 10 (12/1100) - Summon a ghostly wolf that has 60/60 Health, +50 to Attack rolls, and deals 1d30+15 damage on successful hit. = Two Major Upgrades available for reaching rank 10

—Upgrades: 1) bigger, stronger; summon scales better. 2)+1 intelligence. 3) Enhancement: doubled stats and major scaling increase. 4) +2 Intelligence. Wolf rolls a bo2.

My wolf Spell lacked many things. It didn't have any special attacking methods, and it was also falling behind me extremely quickly.

It might even be better to forget about it and focus on something else, but I refused to give up on my first Spell. I wanted to make it useful and capable of keeping up with me.

So I focused on improving what I already started before. Namely its intelligence and strength.

I started with the former since it seemed more important and would allow me to command it easier. Slowly and steadily I worked on making it understand me better and achieved incredible results as the wolf was now capable of hearing my thoughts!

It was even capable of communicating back with some… I wouldn't call them words, but it was close enough. It could send me images with vague questions and that was good enough for me since I could send it out to hunt on its own without worrying that it would attack anything in sight.

Next, I focused on pouring more Mana into the Spell and trying to replicate the effect of my Body Enhancement, visibly watching the wolf grow to an incredible size. My summon reached my chest while standing on all fours and was even taller than me when it pushed itself on two legs.

Of course, its prowess massively improved with the increased size. I figured that out when I tried wrestling with it for a bit, finding out it could overpower me if I wasn't using my overcharged Spell. This was amazing since I could send it out to fight monsters almost as strong as the Griffons from yesterday.

Not to mention that it no longer looked like a ghost but a real wolf. A very colorful wolf but a real one nonetheless.

Sure, Conjure Wolf cost one hundred and seventy five Mana now, but I thought it was worth it. After all, my Mana had grown tremendously since I started. Though I had noticed that it only increased after using Boss Battle. I might have to start seeking out opponents more actively in the future if I wanted to raise it higher.

"Big wolf!" Mavis hopped on top of it, and I mentally ordered it to run around, watching her whoop in joy.

I watched her have her fun for some time before dispelling the wolf and returning to the guild. I had some free time since I finished earlier than I expected and decided to check up on the Guild Master.

Mira helpfully pointed me at the location of the Guild Master, and I found Makarov in his office. The stacks of papers I saw a few days ago were even higher this time. He was barely visible from behind them, but I heard him grumbling and cursing, so I knew he was there.

"Master," I called out.

"Leon! Save me!" Makarov jumped over the stacks of paper. "They won't leave me alone, and they keep growing bigger every time I look away."

"Do you need some help? I have some free time…"

"What did I do to deserve you." Makarov began sobbing audibly. "You've been part of the family for only a few days, and you are already becoming my favorite."

I wasn't sure what to say to that, especially when he latched onto me, hugging me tight.

"Let's face those damn evil enemies then!" Makarov hopped away with determination.

"I was thinking maybe I can even try using one of my abilities on them," I said before having to explain what I could do to Makarov.

"Ohh!" Makarov was suddenly filled with excitement. "I have a great idea! Use it on that stack!"

There were seven different ones on his desk, and he pointed at one near the edges.

"Done," I said and began walking towards it to see what I was up against.

"No, no, stop." Makarov crossed his arms, stopping me from going near it.

"What now?" I questioned, watching him evilly grin.

"Fire!" He yelled.

"What?" I tilted my head at him.

"Fire! Blast them away! Destroy them!" Makarov chuckled like a mad man. "They are just lousy complaints. Who cares about that! Fire!"

I was hesitant, but Makarov was the Guild Master, so I followed his words, firing my Lighting Spell at the stack of papers. Surprisingly, the light that formed my rewards appeared, though it only turned into a blank book.

"Would you look at that?" Makarov inspected the reward, flipping through the pages and all before he threw it over to me.

"Anyway, onto the next one!"

And so we ended up burning half of the stack of papers with my Spell. Only those that were complaints about our Guild members. I offered to help him with the rest, but he denied me, telling me that was his burden to bear for the time being. Instead, he offered me some suggestions for using my lightning Spell, and I listened attentively to his wise words.

After exiting Makarov's office, I walked downstairs while wondering why I didn't gain any more maximum Mana even though the ability actually worked. I couldn't think of anything else other than the stack of papers not being a living being. I might have to try using it on a few more inanimate objects before coming to a conclusion.

I forgot all about that moments later as I entered what had become my favorite place to spend my time, finding Levy already there. She quickly got up to greet me with a hug before we sat down to continue from where we left off.

"Do you want to read like yesterday?" I asked, feeling bolder today.

"Mhm." Levy nodded without saying a word and quietly sat in my lap again. My heart sped up as I wrapped my hands around her, and I felt hers beating just as fast when she leaned against me.

Whoever wrote this book sure knew what they were doing. Everything just clicked, and I understood Magic that much better every time we moved on to a different topic, so much that I felt like I could easily create a few different types of Magic in a day at most.

I was so absorbed by this incredible book–I couldn't believe there were two even better ones–that I almost forgot that I was holding Levy in my arms. Almost.

"Hey," I said as we decided to call it here for the day. "Do you think we can bring those books with us? It's not like anyone else visits the library, and I can keep them safe in my Inventory."

"Yeah, that shouldn't really be a problem." Levy nodded, leaning against me.

"And I do have to ask what exactly is that Job we will be doing?" I figured I should at least be aware of what we would be doing.

"Oh, there's this ruin in Bosco that I couldn't figure out since I didn't recognize the language. I wanted to write it down before trying to figure it out, but my stuff ended up getting destroyed while we were dealing with the monsters living there," she explained.

"Ah, so we are just visiting then." I nodded, it wasn't anything dangerous.

"Oh, no." Levy shook her head. "We cleared the ruin half a year ago, but I found another request to deal with the monsters. Apparently, they regularly gather near it, and the people that live a short distance away from it have to constantly send out requests."

"Huh. Maybe there's something weird going on with the ruins," I mused, thinking it was somehow attracting the monsters there.

"I'm not sure. I would've figured it out if I had at least some paper to write down the glyphs there, but I lost them all," Levy let out a huff and gently placed her hands over mine. "I even asked the people there, but they said they couldn't read the language. It was so disappointing."

"Then it shouldn't be a problem now. As long as it's an actual language, I will be able to read it." I shrugged.

"I still can't believe you just wasted such a precious book!" She turned around to look at me with a fake pout.

"Hey! I didn't do it on purpose." I looked away since she was way too close. "Plus, I might find a way to somehow teach you in the future."

"You'd do that for me." She turned around fully, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"I don't see why I wouldn't," I mumbled, almost getting lost in her pretty eyes.

"Anyway!" Levy suddenly hugged me tiger, hiding her face against my chest. "Are you prepared for a longer journey? We'll need to grab the train to Clover Town. From there, we'll have to see if there are any merchants on their way to Bosco to hitch a ride with them or else we'll have to walk all the way there."

"I should be. I carry everything with me in my Inventory almost all the time." I took a look just to be sure. "I have food, books, armor, weapons, a tent, a bed, and a portable shower."

"Of course you do," Levy chuckled.

"And we don't even need to look for merchants. I upgraded my Spell earlier just so we could travel long distances quickly," I continued, feeling proud of my earlier achievements.

"What Spell?" She looked up, and I pointed to the side, summoning my wolf.

"Woah." Levy got up to look at my companion, and I felt disappointed, so I ordered the wolf to give her a big lick.

"Hey!" She called out, though she laughed and didn't seem to dislike it.

"It's really soft," Levy said as she got control of the wolf–I told it to calm down mentally–and petted the beast.

"It's also pretty strong and fast, so we should be able to travel in comfort," I added.

"Yeah…" She muttered before turning around, looking at me with a smile. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"See you tomorrow," I replied, giving her one last hug before we departed the building.