"Hey! You armor monster! Who are you calling a weakling!"
A fiery voice broke the silence, and of course it was Natsu.
He didn't care how terrifying the opponent's aura was, the moment he heard the word "weakling," especially from the mouth of a so called "dragon," he was instantly fired up.
He pushed through the crowd and rushed in front of BlackWarGreymon, tilting his head up and glaring at it fearlessly, his fists sparking with fire.
"You... supposed to be a dragon, right? Hey! Do you know Igneel? The Fire Dragon Igneel! Where is he?!"
Natsu's train of thought was always so jumpy and direct.
Feeling the unfathomable draconic might from the being before him, his first thought was to ask about the whereabouts of his foster father, the Fire Dragon King, Igneel.
BlackWarGreymon lowered its head, looking down at the little human bouncing around in front of it as if looking at an ant.
It spoke slowly, the impatience and disdain in its tone almost tangible.
"And what are you?"
"..." Natsu froze for a second, then his anger flared.
"What did you say?! I'm Natsu! The Fire Dragon Slayer who's gonna become the strongest in Fairy Tail and find Igneel! Now tell me where Igneel is!"
BlackWarGreymon seemed to have lost all interest in even answering.
It lifted its black-armored right foot.
The movement seemed casual, yet it was so fast that Natsu had no time to react.
As if kicking away a troublesome pebble, it kicked Natsu square in the stomach.
"Uwaah—!"
Natsu didn't even see the kick coming.
He only felt an irresistible force slam into him, and with a miserable cry, he was sent flying backward like a cannonball, knocking over several tables and chairs along the way before embedding himself into the far wall with a loud thud.
His limbs twitched, he saw stars, and for a moment, he was silent.
"Natsu!!" Happy cried out, flying over to him.
Everyone: "..."
Seeing the casual way it kicked Natsu, Ace felt like... it was just kicking a ball.
BlackWarGreymon retracted its foot as if it had just done something trivial.
It looked at Ace again, its gaze still cold, but it seemed to convey a message of, 'This kind of trash things he's worthy of disturbing me?'
A dark line appeared on Ace's forehead.
He quickly stepped forward and spoke in a low voice, "BlackWarGreymon, they're my friends, not enemies. You should go back and rest for now."
He was genuinely afraid that if this guy stayed any longer, it would casually teach a lesson to anyone else in the guild it found annoying.
Thankfully, Gildarts wasn't here, or else he's gonna take offense and start a brawl with BlackWargreymon.
BlackWarGreymon glanced at Ace, then swept its gaze over the silent guild members before snorting coldly.
Its body dissolved into a stream of dark gray data and was recalled to the summoning space.
Only after it disappeared did the stagnant air in the guild hall seem to start flowing again.
Everyone let out a long breath of lingering fear, their gazes toward Ace growing even more complicated.
Master Makarov rubbed his temples, feeling that after this trial, the level of "liveliness" in the guild was probably going to rise another notch.
The celebration feast continued late into the night in a strange atmosphere.
The fleeting appearance of BlackWarGreymon, coupled with Natsu being kicked into a wall, made it impossible for the celebration to be purely joyful.
But regardless, the birth of new S-Class Mages was always something worth celebrating.
...
The next day, early in the morning.
Sunlight streamed through the stained-glass windows, bathing the second floor of the Fairy Tail guild in a serene and solemn light.
Unlike the noisy hall on the first floor, this area was usually only accessible to S-Class Mages and those with the Master's permission.
It housed portraits of past S-Class Mages, some precious magical literature, and most importantly—the S-Class quest board.
Ace, Erza, and Mirajane, the three newly promoted S-Class Mages, set foot in this area for the first time as official members.
There weren't many parchments posted on the request board, but each one emanated an unusual magical fluctuation or contained a heart-stopping mission description.
Subjugating an ancient evil spirit active on the kingdom's border, exploring a mysterious ruin sunken in the deep sea, escorting a national secret treasure through a war-torn region, investigating the territory of an ancient mage family that had suddenly lost contact with the outside world...
"S-Class quests are truly on another level," Erza remarked, her sharp eyes scanning the board as if selecting the most suitable weapon.
"We have to choose carefully. It's our first time taking on an S-Class quest independently," Mirajane said, her fingers gently brushing the edge of a request.
Her tone was gentle, but her gaze was equally focused.
Ace also looked on seriously.
The danger and uncertainty of these quests were far beyond the A-Class and B-Class quests he had taken before.
He needed to assess his own and his partners' current conditions and choose one that was relatively stable yet rewarding.
Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed from the stairs.
Natsu, still clutching his slightly swollen stomach, rushed up with Happy in tow.
"Erza! Erza!" Natsu ran up to Erza, his eyes shining. "You're taking an S-Class quest, right? Take me with you! I promise I won't cause any trouble this time! I want to get stronger! Strong enough to beat that black skeleton!"
He was clearly still hung up about being sent flying with a single kick yesterday.
Erza looked at the fire burning in Natsu's eyes and pondered for a moment.
She understood Natsu's potential as well as his capacity for trouble, and S-Class quests were no small matter.
However, the one she had chosen happened to be a subjugation quest that required a frontal assault and powerful destructive force.
The location was the "Everfrost Gorge" in the north, a place constantly covered in ice and snow, where a powerful Frost Wyrm and its minions were said to be hiding.
Natsu's flames might serve as a counter, and... he did indeed need to be tempered by higher-level challenges.
"Alright, Natsu." Erza finally nodded. "You can join this mission as a temporary member of my team. But you must follow my commands completely and not act on your own. Otherwise, not only will I immediately remove you from the mission, but I'll also make you do ten times the training when we get back."
"Yes! I promise to listen to you!" Natsu jumped up in excitement, then immediately stood at attention when Erza glared at him.
Gray pouted from the side but said nothing.
Being able to go on an S-Class quest was a form of recognition and a training opportunity.
On the other side, Mirajane had also made her choice.
She picked up a request to investigate abnormal magic fluctuations in the "Quicksand Ancient City" in the western desert and smiled gently at Elfman and Lisanna, who had followed her up at some point.
"Since this is our first S-class mission, I'm going to go with my siblings. Elfman needs training in a harsher environment, and Lisanna's Animal Soul might be surprisingly effective in the desert. Besides..."
She looked at Ace, her eyes filled with encouragement and a trace of invisible concern.
"We each need to adapt to our new status and powers. Acting separately might be the fastest way to find our own paths."
Lisanna also clenched her small fists, indicating that she would do her best to support her sister and brother.
Finally, Ace's gaze wandered over the request board.
The subjugation, escort, and exploration quests each had their own difficulties and risks.
In the end, his eyes landed on a request that didn't seem as "earth-shattering" and had a relatively simple description:
[Investigation Quest: Three days' journey southeast of Magnolia, deep within the Black Forest. Reports of recent abnormally powerful magic fluctuations and spatial distortion phenomena. Suspected instability of ancient magic ruins or mana leaks. Required to investigate the cause, assess the risk, and intervene or seal if necessary. Client: Magic Council Regional Observatory.]
"I'll take this one," Ace said, tearing the request off the board.
"An investigation quest?" Erza glanced at it and commented.
"Be careful, Ace-nii," Lisanna advised softly.
Ace smiled and rolled up the request. "You too. Stay safe."
The three of them each chose their quests and completed a simple registration on the second floor.
Then, they walked down the stairs together.
On the first floor, many members were already active.
Seeing the three new S-Class Mages descend, they all turned their gazes toward them.
"Oh! Not even resting for a few days, leaving already?"
"Have a safe trip!"
"Be careful!"
Ace nodded to the crowd and walked straight toward the guild's main entrance.
He hadn't chosen to form a team.
This time, he wanted to face the challenge of an S-Class quest alone!
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