"Demon Beast Great Forest?!"
The name alone was enough to make Levy—the Guild's foremost scholar—gasp.
"Wait, Levy, you know about that?" asked the mage next to her.
Levy nodded, her eyes wide with academic dread. "The Magical Record lists the Demon Beast Great Forest as one of the legendary human forbidden zones. It's said to be the lair of millions of Demon Beasts."
"Millions?!! How many is a million? I can't count them all! Happy, lend me your fingers!" Natsu shrieked, already lunging to grab the blue cat's paws.
Happy batted him away. "Forget fingers, even if I lent you all the fur on my body, it wouldn't be enough, Natsu!"
Gray scowled, wrapping his arms against the cold dread. "If that forest has so many monsters, how has that country not been annihilated already?"
Master Makarov sighed, his gaze intense. "That brings us to the Sobeya Kingdom, the 'Kingdom of Swordsmen.' They revere the blade. Unlike our Mage Guilds, they have numerous Swordsman Guilds."
"These Swordsmen live and die by the forest. Their sole purpose is to venture in, hunt the Demon Beasts, and sell the materials. Their ranks—from One-Star to Nine-Star Swordsman—are determined by how many monsters they kill."
He paused for emphasis. "A Nine-Star Swordsman is roughly equivalent to an S-Class Mage in our world."
"Through the relentless, bloody efforts of these Swordsmen, the Sobeya Kingdom has held the line against the Demon Beasts. In fact, by utilizing the materials the beasts provide, their national power is among the strongest on the entire Ishgar continent."
Makarov's tone hardened. "I tell you this because the danger is far beyond what the request form says. This mission was first posted in those Swordsman Guilds. Countless Seven-Star, Eight-Star, and Nine-Star Swordsmen—their strongest—challenged it. They all fell."
"When they failed, the job was outsourced to Mage Guilds. Seven or eight of our most powerful Mages also failed."
The Master's voice dropped to a thunderous whisper. "The simple truth is this mission is not S-Class. All the Guild Masters agree that the difficulty is now approaching SS-Class."
"SS-Class?!" The word exploded in the hall. It was a tier above the deadliest, twice the danger of S-Class.
"My advice to you both is this," Makarov concluded, meeting their serious gazes. "Retreat immediately if you feel the mission difficulty is too high. Staying alive is more important than anything else."
"Yes, Master!" Qi Yan and Erza nodded in unison.
Qi Yan felt a knot of dread, but it was quickly eclipsed by a surge of pure, excited anticipation. A forest of death, an SS-Class challenge—it was the most troublesome scenario he could imagine, yet, just like when he faced the Phantom Bandit Gang, the danger was an exhilarating rush.
Could I actually be a battle maniac? he wondered, shaking his head. No, he'd been a couch potato gamer before this. Maybe this world was simply unlocking something new inside him.
Erza turned to him, her scarlet gaze focused. "Qi Yan, let's pack up. Meet me at the Magnolia train station in one hour."
"Sounds good."
Sword City: Noah
"Sorry... Have you been waiting long?"
Erza's voice arrived before she did. Qi Yan turned and couldn't help but gape.
"I just arrived... But so much luggage!"
Erza Scarlet, the fearsome Queen of the Fairies, was pulling a giant handcart overflowing with bags, trunks, and containers. Was she on a mission, or was she moving the entire Requip storage facility?
"Is it a lot? It's fine," she replied, completely unconcerned.
Soon, they were on the train. Qi Yan, surprisingly, found Erza to be a thoughtful and relaxed travel companion. She even apologized.
"Qi Yan, I'm sorry I've troubled you. Asking you to risk your life on an SS-Class mission with me on our first meeting..."
He waved it off. "It's no trouble at all. I was planning to take a job anyway. I should thank you for letting me challenge an SS-Class mission this conveniently."
That seemed to ease her guilt, and the next three days passed in casual conversation and rest.
Finally, they arrived at the capital of the Sobeya Kingdom: Sword City—Noah.
"How spectacular!" Qi Yan exclaimed, stepping off the train.
Unlike the open-air streets of Magnolia, this city was a fortress. The majestic city walls towered an astonishing hundred meters into the sky, completely encircling the capital. The structures were grand, imposing, and utterly formidable.
He noticed the details: deep scars, scorch marks, and dark, dried bloodstains that marred the stone. These weren't decorations; they were the proof of countless, desperate battles.
"Yes! How spectacular," Erza agreed, equally stunned by the sheer scale of the defenses.
They lined up at the colossal main gate, where guards were meticulously inspecting every merchant and tourist.
"What are you two here for?" a guard demanded, approaching them.
Erza stepped forward. "We are Mages from Fairy Tail. We received a royal request to complete a mission."
The guard nodded, used to the influx of adventurers. Then his eyes fell on the cart.
"What's in the boxes?"
"Luggage," Erza stated simply.
"Luggage?! So much?!" The guard was momentarily speechless.
Suddenly, a piercing, panicked shriek sliced through the air from the city wall above them.
"There's a Demon Beast!!"