"Ahhh~," a golden-glowing object streaked across the sky, accompanied by a scream, crashing into an open space by the forest river and creating a crater.
"Ouch, ouch~ that hurts," Zorn grimaced and winced in pain, rubbing his sore body with his hands before propping himself up in the crater, his brow furrowed in confusion as he surveyed his surroundings.
There was a forest, with only a river flowing gently through it. Besides the rustling of leaves, there was nothing unusual. A gentle breeze swept by, and a leaf landed on Zorn's face, finally bringing him back to his senses.
"What the hell, where is this? Shouldn't I be in my rental apartment, watching an anime about a certain Adventure King? And where exactly is this, damn it~"
It turned out that after Zorn got off work that day, he was watching anime on his computer, which was placed on a desk opposite the window. While slurping on snail noodles, he was intensely focused on the plot, watching how the perverted uncle, moving at light speed, apprehended the protagonists. He didn't notice a flash of lightning at that moment, which, with a thunderous boom, struck his room at extreme speed.
Because of this, Zorn learned that souls truly exist in the world. He felt himself slowly floating up, surrounded by warmth. In a daze, he felt a gentle, jade-like finger lightly tap his forehead, and then his body uncontrollably plummeted backward at high speed. A gentle and ethereal voice echoed in his ears: "I am the Goddess of Light. I apologize for accidentally harming you. As compensation, I will give you a cheat. Go live well in another world!"
A tiny Zorn in his mind was jumping and yelling in exasperation, venting his frustration, while his actual self had already walked to the river, finally seeing his appearance in this world clearly.
Zorn touched his face; it was smooth and tender. He had golden-brown, short, spiky hair, bright, piercing eyes, and a firm nose, undoubtedly showcasing his youthful handsomeness. However, he looked to be only around thirteen years old.
"What exactly is going on? My body has shrunk, and what kind of world is this anyway? The Goddess didn't even give me a manual, and there's no cheat. How am I supposed to live?!"
Although Zorn was still complaining about the unreliable Goddess in his mind, he had already started moving. Following the river, Zorn ran to a distinctly open area in the distance. A gust of wind ruffled Zorn's clothes, and with it, the sounds of hawkers' cries, children chasing and playing through the alleys between various houses, and merchants pulling neatly arranged goods in and out of town with their carriages, all entered his ears.
Zorn looked at the bustling town, patted himself down, and found that he had nothing but his clothes. Gritting his teeth, he looked at the road leading to the town and ran towards it. He also made up his mind that he must start anew in this world and live his own life.
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Zorn looked at the banner hanging on the towering building across the street—the "Fairy Tail" banner. Half a month, his journey had finally yielded results. Zorn smiled happily, showing his white teeth, as he looked at the Fairy Tail banner.
Because this was his favorite world—Earth-land, a world full of Magic.
Half a month ago, Zorn learned from a merchant that he was in an ordinary town in the Fiore Kingdom, and only then did he realize that he had come to the world of Fairy Tail.
So, he had switched several merchant caravans along the way, helping them to get food, and finally, true to his persistence, he arrived in Magnolia.
Just as Zorn reached the guild entrance, a blast of ice sprayed out from inside, freezing Zorn, who hadn't even reacted yet, into an ice pop.
"I'm sorry, I know I was wrong. I didn't mean to freeze you."
A black-haired kid, with a visible bump on his head from being hit, shirtless and full of apologies, was apologizing to Zorn. Zorn, meanwhile, was wrapped in a blanket, drinking hot tea. Fortunately, Gray's ice was made during play, and he was still young, so the cold intensity wasn't too strong and didn't cause much harm.
"Hahahaha, Gray, you're so stupid. Still trying to be cool? Haha, Erza hit you, didn't she? Hahaha." A group of laughing guild members around them were playfully teasing Gray.
"It's okay. You're Gray, right? Hello, my name is Zorn. In my hometown, there's a saying, 'You don't know a person until you've fought them.' So, we've met today. Don't worry about it."
Zorn took his hand out of the blanket and gently placed it on Gray's shoulder, smiling as he spoke to the slightly remorseful young boy in front of him.
"Mhm!" Gray responded faintly, his expression still a bit downcast, not even caring about the teasing around him.
As they were talking, a pair of large hands suddenly touched Gray's small head, gently ruffling his hair.
"Alright, brat, go play. Let Grandpa talk to this young man."
A short old man said this while retracting his Gigantism Magic, then leaped onto the table in front of Zorn. After sitting cross-legged, he leisurely drank his liquor.
Zorn looked at the short old man in front of him, who was even shorter than himself, with a shining bald head and hair only on the sides and back of his head. He was truly too familiar; this was none other than the Third Guild Master of Fairy Tail—Makarov Dreyar.
"Did you come to the guild for a quest or to join the guild?"
"I want to join Fairy Tail. I want to become the strongest Magician. I heard that Fairy Tail has a Magician who uses Crush Magic and is very powerful. I want to become as strong as him, so please allow me to join the guild, Master Grandpa," Zorn finished, his gaze firm and confident, with a hint of hope as he looked at the Master before him.
Makarov looked at the sunny and confident boy in front of him. Although he really wanted to agree immediately, he still had to ask if he could use Magic, out of responsibility.
After all, the guild's quests carry a certain level of danger, and ordinary people without Magic power cannot complete them. So, he had to ask clearly to be at ease.
"Come on, release your Magic power. Only Magicians with Magic power can join the guild."
A gentle and ethereal voice then resounded in Zorn's mind: "Magic: Holy Light Magic. Your cheat is to possess all the abilities of that perverted uncle you watched, only transformed into Magic in this world. For the rest, you'll have to experience it yourself."
"Goddess of Light, are you there?"
....
"Alright, it seems it's just a voice message and I can't communicate," Zorn, having received no response, sighed for a moment before calming down and feeling the warm aura within his body.
As soon as his mind connected with that ball of light, Zorn understood everything. He indeed possessed all the abilities of that perverted uncle from Adventure King, though currently, he could only utilize about 30% of them. Fortunately, he would automatically unlock 20% more each year, which greatly reassured Zorn.
While Zorn was sensing the ball of light, he didn't notice that his body was radiating a warm, sacred glow from within, like a light that dispelled all darkness.
Zorn's Magic permeated every corner of the guild hall. Some members who were injured from quests found their severe injuries improving, while those with minor injuries noticed their wounds already scabbing over.
Because of this, the clamor and exclamations pulled Zorn's mind back. The light brought by the Magic slowly diminished, and Zorn looked around at the cheering members, feeling very confused and bewildered.
"He has so much Magic power at such a young age? And it's Holy Light Magic with healing effects! Hahahaha, he can join the guild." Makarov felt that Zorn's Magic resembled the warmth and power of the guild's three Super Magic spells.
"Come on, what color do you want your emblem to be, and where do you want it?" Makarov held the emblem in one hand and a wine glass in the other, gesturing for Zorn to think carefully.
"Back of my right hand, golden yellow."
"Good, raise your hand," Makarov said after Zorn replied. The base of the stamp in his hand flashed, and with a 'splat,' a bright Fairy Tail emblem appeared on the back of Zorn's hand.
Gray, seeing a new companion join, excitedly tried to pounce on Zorn but was punched into the floor. Gray kept rubbing his head and yelling in pain.
"Put your clothes on first, you idiot!" Erza roared at Gray, her fists clenched tightly.
"Hello, let me introduce myself. I'm Erza, and I use Requip Magic. Welcome to the guild."
Zorn stared blankly at Erza, who had just punched Gray into the floor, then quickly changed her expression and actions to a smile as she introduced herself. He thought to himself, "This guild truly is extraordinary."
Gray quickly climbed up and used ICEMAKE to create an ice slide, interrupting their conversation and proposing a duel with Zorn. Erza's face darkened, her hands tightly clenched, on the verge of exploding. Gray, as if oblivious, unconsciously stripped off his clothes again, jumping around and recklessly using Magic nearby, trying to get Zorn's attention.
Zorn stood in front of Gray, waving his hands, smiling and nervously trying to calm Erza down with one plea after another, while also occasionally reminding Gray to watch his behavior.
Those around them were also watching with interest, hoping to see Erza lose her temper.
Makarov looked at the lively scene in front of him, very happy. He raised his wine glass, "Everyone, let's celebrate the arrival of our new family member! Let's have a drink!" He then gulped down the wine in his glass without waiting for anyone's response.
"Oh~ yay!" Everyone cheered in response, clinking glasses, hooking arms, patting backs, or playfully fighting, creating a very lively atmosphere.
Makarov heartily drank his wine, glancing at the lively scene, thinking to himself, "This is what family is! Hehe."