The Test

Makarov had just raised his glass when he heard that. His hand jerked, and he nearly spilled his drink.

"A mission?"

He widened his little eyes and slammed his glass down on the bar with a dull thud.

"What the hell are you thinking, brat?! How old are you? This is the time for you to build your foundation and grow! What mission? Wait a few years and build up your body first!"

Makarov shouted, practically bristling with anger. His voice wasn't loud, but the unquestionable authority in it made several guild members who had been listening in shrink back.

What a joke!

In Makarov's eyes, every child in the guild was family, a treasure he needed to protect with his life.

How could he be so irresponsible as to let a child who wasn't even an adult run off on a mission that could cost him his life?

Absolutely not!

Jiang Bai looked at the old man fussing like a mother hen protecting her chicks, without the slightest surprise on his face.

He had long known that words alone would never convince this stubborn guild master who cared so much for the younger generation.

"Old man, I know you're looking out for me."

Jiang Bai spoke unhurriedly, his tone calm but firm. "But a flower in a greenhouse can't grow into a towering tree."

He met Makarov's uncompromising gaze, his dark eyes showing no sign of backing down.

"How about this? Let's have a little spar. Just one."

Jiang Bai held up one finger.

"If I can meet your standards, you'll agree to let me take a mission. How about it?"

Makarov looked into Jiang Bai's eyes.

There wasn't a trace of joking in those black eyes, nor any rashness of youth. There was only rock-solid resolve and unfathomable confidence.

He suddenly understood that the brat wasn't joking or acting on a passing whim.

He was serious.

Makarov fell silent for a moment. Then a smile full of fighting spirit suddenly spread across his stern face.

"Good! That's the spirit, brat!"

He leaped down from the barstool and rolled his wrists, making them crack.

"Then let me personally see just how much you've improved during your secluded training these past few days!"

The guild's heavy doors were flung open.

Makarov strode out with his hands behind his back and stopped in the spacious clearing directly in front of the building.

Jiang Bai followed at an unhurried pace, his hands in his pockets and his steps as relaxed as if he were out for a stroll.

There shouldn't have been many people at the guild so early in the morning, but this bunch of wizards with energy to spare were clearly an exception.

When they heard that the guild master was personally going to teach an arrogant newcomer a lesson, a crowd of troublemakers eager for a spectacle instantly poured outside and packed the clearing.

With his pipe between his teeth, Wakaba nimbly jumped onto an overturned empty barrel, cleared his throat, and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Come one, come all! Don't miss it! The guild master is personally instructing the newcomer Jiang Bai, and the guild's official betting is now open!"

Wakaba blew a smoke ring and held up three fingers, a shrewd merchant's grin all over his face.

"Listen up, here are the odds! Jiang Bai can't take even one punch, one to one! He takes one punch from the guild master, three to one! Two punches, six to one! If he takes three punches or more, ten to one!"

The crowd immediately erupted.

Macao was the first to push forward. He pulled a handful of silver coins from his pocket, slapped them down hard on the barrel, and shouted.

"Are you kidding? That's the guild master! Even a casual blow from him isn't something a kid who just started learning magic can block! Ten silver coins on Jiang Bai not even lasting half a punch!"

"I'm betting he can't take one punch either!"

"Count me in!"

Coins rained down on the barrel, clattering and ringing.

Almost no one thought Jiang Bai stood a chance. After all, the fearsome reputation of the Ten Wizard Saints spoke for itself. This was going to be a completely one-sided thrashing with no suspense at all.

Makarov stood in the middle of the clearing, listening to the commotion, and shot an irritated glare at the bastards who were always eager to stir up trouble.

In truth, the old man completely agreed with Macao.

Jiang Bai was indeed highly talented, but there were no shortcuts on the path of magic. How could he grow without going through hardships?

Today, he had to make the brat suffer a little and learn his place. Only then would he settle down and build his foundation properly in the guild.

Just when everyone thought the spar was about to end in Jiang Bai's instant defeat,

A fair hand reached out from the crowd and gently tossed a valuable gold coin onto the area marked for three punches or more.

Wakaba froze. His gaze traveled up the hand and met Jiang Bai's smiling black eyes.

"I'm betting on myself. That doesn't break any guild rules, does it?"

Jiang Bai withdrew his hand, his tone perfectly casual.

The jeering around them stopped for an instant.

Macao stared wide-eyed at Jiang Bai as though he were looking at a monster.

"Kid, are you crazy? That's a gold coin! Enough to live on for a long time, right? You're just going to hand it over to Wakaba?"

Jiang Bai shrugged and turned toward the center of the clearing, waving to the crowd with his back to them.

"We'll see who's handing money to whom. Remember to have my winnings ready."

Makarov looked at Jiang Bai as he walked up to him. A hint of admiration flashed in his little eyes, but his expression remained utterly stern.

"Brat, confidence is good, but blind arrogance will only get you into serious trouble!"

The old man's robe stirred without a breeze, and waves of magic power, heavy as a mountain, began to spread through the air, making the spectators around them involuntarily retreat several steps.

"I won't go easy on you just because you're a child. Attack when you're ready!"

Jiang Bai still had his hands in his pockets. He didn't assume any defensive or offensive stance, merely lifting his chin at Makarov.

"Old man, have you got something wrong?"

A challenging smile curved Jiang Bai's lips.

"What I said was, I'll defend, and you attack. So come at me. I'm ready."

The crowd of spectators fell deathly silent at those words, then burst into thunderous laughter.

"Hahahaha! What did I just hear? This kid actually wants the guild master to attack him?"

"He's crazy. The kid's definitely crazy! Does he even know who's standing across from him?!"

"My money's as good as won! Wakaba, double croquettes later!"

Macao was laughing so hard he nearly cried. He pointed at Jiang Bai in the clearing and said loudly to his companions, "This isn't arrogance anymore. He's asking for a beating! I bet the guild master could send him flying out of Magnolia with one finger!"

Makarov was so angry at Jiang Bai's boundlessly arrogant words that he laughed too.

"Bwahahaha! Good! Good boy! You've got guts!"