Hey, Monster!

The next day, Eleven discussed what had happened to him the day before in depth with Master Makarov, but Makarov had no idea what was going on with him.

He had indeed heard of magic growing more powerful because of emotional fluctuations, but that generally happened under the influence of intense emotions like anger or sadness, and the boost was only temporary.

He had never heard of anyone increasing their total magic power just by having a good time, as Eleven had. In the end, he could only chalk it all up to Eleven being a little monster. Not only could he grow stronger by courting death, but he could also grow stronger by attending a festival. It was enough to make anyone green with envy.

Eleven had originally wanted to share the enviable news with Laxus and Cana, but Laxus had gone off somewhere to train, and Cana had only been happy for Eleven after hearing it. Eleven was touched, though he also felt a little disappointed that he had failed to show off. As for Gray, showing off to him had never given Eleven any sense of accomplishment. Eleven himself hadn't noticed that, after the events of the previous day, his emotions seemed to have grown richer.

His peaceful days passed one after another, and soon, after the year turned to X775, Eleven finally brought his six months of living with a disability to an end.

The moment the cast came off, Porlyusica looked even more relieved than Eleven. She finally wouldn't have to see this brat on a regular basis anymore.

Eleven was once again amazed by Porlyusica's medical skills. Despite barely moving around for six months, his muscles had not only avoided atrophying but seemed to have grown stronger, and he hadn't lost any flexibility. The only problem was that he had somewhat forgotten how to walk and had a bit of a limp, nearly making Porlyusica doubt her own medical skills.

After Porlyusica chased him out, Eleven wobbled back to the guild and headed straight for the job board. He hadn't taken a job in six months and had long been itching for one. Besides, he'd never had a chance to test the dramatic increase in his strength from six months ago, and he was eager to find a target to try it out on.

After several hours in a carriage, Eleven finally arrived at his destination for the job—Rakao Village.

The village had been ravaged by giant mole monsters. Mud covered the entire place, turning the sizable village into a swamp.

"Oh, wow, this is pretty bad. Even the houses are buried." Rather than step into the mud, Eleven floated up into the air out of habit and surveyed the scene before him, both spectacular and painful to behold.

"Excuse me, are you a mage from Fairy Tail?"

A trembling old man walked over and called out to Eleven as he floated over the swamp. Hearing him, Eleven hurriedly landed in front of the old man and greeted him respectfully.

"Yes, sir. I'm Eleven from Fairy Tail. I'm here for the job to clear out the monsters."

"Oh ho ho, you really are a young mage. You must be younger than my grandson. Come, let me tell you the details of the job." The old man gave Eleven a kindly look, then took his hand with a chuckle and led him back.

"Wait, sir, who are you?" Eleven felt a little helpless. The old man might be unsteady on his feet, but he was quite lively.

"Oh ho ho, forgive my manners. I'm Wolv Rakao, the chief of Rakao Village. Everyone in our village has the surname Rakao."

"Oh, wow, this really is a remarkable village." Nobody knew what Eleven was thinking as he muttered the rather rude remark.

The moment Eleven finished speaking, the swamp beside them suddenly bulged into a huge mound of mud, and a bizarre creature emerged from the sludge. It had thick lips, tiny eyes, a flat face, and four limbs that all ended in webbed feet. It looked a little like a mudskipper, but had a strange, seed-shaped dorsal fin on its back.

Eleven stared blankly at the monster. He had never seen a creature that looked so haphazardly put together. The monster looked just as blank, and the two of them stood there staring at each other.

"Oh, wow, this really is a remarkable village!" It took Eleven quite a while to squeeze out those words.

Only after the creature sank back into the mud with a series of bubbles did the village chief speak up, unhurried. "That's a mole, the monster you're here to defeat."

"That thing is?" Eleven was a little stunned. This mole was completely different from the kind he had imagined. At the very least, it should have...

Before Eleven could find the right words, he saw a boy running toward them. The boy had thick lips, tiny eyes, and a flat face...

(°Д°)!!

Without a second thought, Eleven used his telekinesis to slam the boy to the ground, smashing his entire face into the dirt.

"Phew, that was close. I didn't expect these moles to be able to take human form! Good thing I reacted quickly! Sir, did it frighten you?"

Wiping the nonexistent cold sweat from his forehead, Eleven thought to himself how frightening these moles were as he turned to see whether the village chief had been scared. What he saw, however, was the old man's face, livid with rage.

"That's my grandson! Let him go at once!"

Before Eleven even had time to feel embarrassed, a voice suddenly sounded in his head: "That hurts..."

At that moment, Eleven's Spiritual Power instinctively went on guard. He felt a strand of Spiritual Power trying to enter his consciousness, though it held no malice and seemed to be intended only to transmit and receive information. But because Eleven's Spiritual Power had begun defending itself, that strand had only managed to leave those two words before being blocked out.

Eleven looked at the boy, still pinned face-first in the dirt and slapping the ground with both hands. He hadn't expected this mole-faced fellow to possess Spiritual Power he could project outward as well.

That Spiritual Power just now seemed to be another application of combining the mind with magic power. Could I learn it too? How would I...

Eleven was still thinking when he suddenly felt a pain in his backside. He turned to see the village chief beating it hard with his cane, because the chief had realized that if Eleven didn't move soon, his grandson would suffocate!

Eleven, the village chief, and the mole boy sat in a simple tent. Eleven was a little embarrassed because he had just caused them trouble.

The village chief was quite tactful and acted as though nothing had happened. "Ahem, all right, I've told you everything. In any case, sorry to trouble you, but please clear those pesky moles out of our village. We've had enough of living in tents. My grandson is a mage too. Perhaps he can help you."

The mole boy was fairly forgiving as well. He held out a hand to Eleven. "Hello, I'm Warren Rakao. I look forward to working with you."