Chapter 1: Crossing into Fairy Tail
Kingdom of Fiore.
Magnolia Town.
The Fairy Tail Guild.
"May I have your name, please?"
"Ren."
"Your age?"
"Eighteen."
"And what magic do you specialize in?"
"Take Over magic."
"Take Over magic?!"
Mirajane looked a little surprised. She hadn't expected him to specialize in the same magic she did. Still, Take Over was a fairly common type of magic, so it wasn't all that strange for him to know it.
"Alright, your registration is complete. Ren, where would you like your guild mark?"
Ren placed his right hand on the counter. "On the back of this hand, please."
"Pick a color you like."
"Red."
Mira adjusted the color on the stamp and pressed it firmly onto the back of Ren's hand. A crimson Fairy Tail guild emblem appeared on his skin.
"Welcome to Fairy Tail. You're an official member now," Mira said, her face lit up with a brilliant smile.
"Thank you."
Ren stared at the guild mark on his hand, a thrill running through him. A member of Fairy Tail... I really joined Fairy Tail. He knew that if a dream was cheap enough, it just might come true, but he'd never heard of a fantasy becoming reality. Yet, here it was, happening right in front of him.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, on joining Fairy Tail. Do you wish to bind to this guild?]
A panel that only he could see popped up before his eyes.
"Bind!"
[Ding! Binding successful! Congratulations, Host, you have received one 10-Pull! Draw now?]
"Draw..."
Just as Ren was about to tap the "Draw" button, he suddenly thought of something. He looked at Mira and said, "Mira, can you wish me good luck?"
Mira was a bit confused, but she still gave him a radiant smile and offered her blessing. "I wish you good luck, Ren!"
So cute. I really want to take her home and make her my wife.
With the goddess's blessing, Ren's finger tapped the screen.
"Ten-pull!"
Sparks of light glittered across the screen, just like a pull from a gacha game.
A brilliant, golden star-burst flashed among them.
"It's a gold drop!"
Ren was instantly ecstatic. He couldn't believe his first-ever ten-pull was a golden legendary.
A moment later, ten character cards appeared on the panel.
Ren ignored all the other low-rarity pulls and focused only on the first one. He wondered which golden legendary character he had drawn.
The moment he saw the character's image, Ren recognized him without even needing to read the name.
"It's him!"
Short, messy black hair, deathly pale skin, and green eyes. Below those eyes were deep green, tear-like markings. The left side of his head was covered by a white, horned helmet fragment. His build was slender, and he wore a white, high-collared jacket with a black lining, a hakama, and a sword at his waist. He looked incredibly elegant and cool.
Ulquiorra Cifer.
The No. 4 of the Espada, the top-ranked Arrancar in Aizen's army from the anime Bleach.
Bleach was one of Ren's favorite anime, and Ulquiorra was one of his favorite characters.
Even though he was only ranked No. 4 among the Espada, that ranking was just for his first Resurrección. He was the only one capable of a Segunda Etapa, an ability that massively boosted his power. In the eyes of many fans, Ulquiorra was the strongest Espada.
Although he was ultimately defeated by Vasto Lorde Ichigo, that form of Ichigo was arguably at the top-tier of power even by the end of the series.
It didn't detract from Ulquiorra's own incredible strength in the slightest.
"This is awesome!"
Ren couldn't help but exclaim his joy out loud. He never expected to pull a golden legendary on his first try, let alone Ulquiorra. This was an absolutely top-tier, super-strong character.
Everyone in the guild turned to look at him.
"Hm? What's awesome?" Mira asked, looking at Ren with a puzzled expression. This new member seemed a bit strange.
Ren finally realized he'd shouted his thoughts aloud. "Er... I mean, joining Fairy Tail is awesome!"
Hearing this, Mirajane giggled. It was common for new mages who admired Fairy Tail to get overly excited when they joined. She always had a soft spot for those who genuinely loved the guild.
"Let me give you a tour of the guild."
"Okay, thank you."
Mira first led Ren to the large board at the front. "This is the Request Board. All the jobs posted by clients are put up here. Guild members can choose requests that suit them, and after completing the job, they collect the reward money. This is the main source of income for guild mages."
"The basement level is the storage room. It's mostly just used to store guild supplies and miscellaneous things."
"What about the second floor?" Ren asked, looking up.
"The second floor has the infirmary. Members who are injured and need treatment can go up there. But normally, regular members aren't allowed to go up. It's reserved for S-Class Mages."
"Why?"
"Because the jobs posted up there are all S-Class quests. Nearly every one of them is a life-threatening mission. In exchange, the rewards are much, much higher. Only those who become S-Class Mages are qualified to accept them."
"S-Class Mages..."
Ren, of course, knew what S-Class Mages were. They were the ace mages of a guild, far stronger than ordinary members. They were the pillars of the guild.
The girl standing right in front of him, with her flower-like smile and gentle appearance, was one of Fairy Tail's S-Class Mages.
"I will become an S-Class Mage," Ren said quietly, but his tone was unshakably firm.
"I hope you succeed soon!"
Mirajane smiled at his words. She used to be just like him. Looking at Ren, she felt like she was seeing her past self.
But becoming an S-Class Mage wasn't so easy. She hoped Ren could do it. If the guild had one more S-Class Mage, the guild itself would become that much stronger.