Return

Having set a clear course for his training, Jiang Bai wasted no more time.

Developing Blue and Red and thoroughly mastering these two pinnacle applications of space, representing "attraction" and "repulsion," was the path that would lead him to true invincibility.

As for the journey down the mountain, Jiang Bai chose not to use spatial transfer to get there in one step.

After all, he wasn't in a hurry.

When he used it too often, he always felt as though he were living on a series of isolated points, growing increasingly unfamiliar with what the world was really like.

Every now and then, it was nice to ride a steaming train like an ordinary person, watch the scenery fly past the window, and experience the bustle of towns and everyday life.

When Jiang Bai pushed open Fairy Tail's heavy doors once more, the guild hall was as lively as ever.

Clinking glasses, boisterous laughter and curses, and the occasional surge of magic intertwined into a wild symphony unique to this place.

His arrival didn't attract much attention.

But when the sharp-eyed Macao spotted the small figure walking in, he gave Wakaba, who was bragging beside him, a hard shove.

"Hey, look! That kid's back!"

Wakaba looked where he was pointing and saw the black-haired, black-eyed boy.

There wasn't a speck of dust on Jiang Bai. His clothes were as neat as if they had just come from the tailor's, his face showed no sign of fatigue, and his hands were empty. His steps were so light that he might as well have just gone out for a walk.

At the sight, Macao's expression turned amused. He lowered his voice and said gleefully, "I told you, B-rank quests aren't that easy! Look at him slinking back. He must have gotten scared and run home before he even touched a hair on a Vulcan!"

Wakaba nodded in complete agreement and blew a smoke ring. "Coming back without a scratch is good enough. The master himself vouched for how fast that kid can run, after all. It's just a shame about that 700,000 J reward."

Several mages nearby who had been listening in also snickered.

"I told you, what good is a strong defense? Without any way to attack, he can't even break through the quest monsters' defenses. It's useless."

"He's a kid, after all. His ambitions were too high. Now that he's failed, he should learn to be a little more sensible."

The comments were just loud enough to carry across the hall, and naturally, Jiang Bai heard every word.

Jiang Bai merely raised an eyebrow. Not bothering to argue with these guys and their overactive imaginations, he headed straight for the bar.

Behind the bar, Makarov sat upright, absentmindedly polishing a glass so clean it reflected light.

He watched Jiang Bai's leisurely manner and listened to the whispers around him. His expression betrayed nothing, but he knew exactly what was going on.

Have these idiots forgotten that the kid has a space pouch he can summon out of nowhere?

Sure enough.

Jiang Bai reached the bar and casually swept his right hand through the air in front of him under the sympathetic and mocking gazes of the crowd.

A ripple, barely visible to the naked eye, spread through the air.

The next second, a fearsome horn a meter long appeared in his hand out of thin air. It was dark red all over, with traces of dark-gold magical markings still covering its surface.

"Thud!"

Jiang Bai casually tossed the heavy horn onto the bar with a dull thud.

The noise in the entire guild hall stopped abruptly.

Everyone's eyes were riveted on the horn, which radiated powerful magic. Their faces showed a colorful array of expressions.

Macao's mouth hung open wide enough to fit a fist, and Wakaba's cigarette fell into his glass with a plop.

"Th-this is the Vulcan leader's horn?!" cried an old mage who recognized it, as if he'd seen a ghost.

"You've got to be kidding! He... he really wiped out the Vulcan group all by himself?!"

"My god! And he doesn't look hurt at all! How did he do it?!"

Envy, shock, disbelief...

No, more than anything, they envied his ability to pull things out of thin air!

"Damn it! Space magic is way too convenient! Does he not even need a bag when he goes out?!"

"Yeah, yeah! Isn't that way cooler than my molding magic?!"

Jiang Bai ignored the commotion around him and simply looked at Makarov with a smile. "Old man, the quest's done. It was just... a little too easy. Not much of a challenge."

His relaxed tone made it sound as though he had just gone out to buy a bag of apples rather than completed a B-rank subjugation quest.

Makarov put down the glass and picked up the horn, examining it closely and sensing the violent magic lingering on it. Once he had confirmed it, he looked at Jiang Bai's confident, spirited face. His gaze grew complicated, and he fell silent for a moment.

That powerful look, that confidence bordering on arrogance...

How similar.

Makarov couldn't help recalling his equally gifted grandson, Laxus Dreyar.

Back then, the boy had been just as confident, just as dazzling, believing he had been born to stand above everyone else.

But now, that confidence had gradually been warped by pride and obsession, taking him farther and farther away from everyone in the guild...

A wave of bitterness welled up in the old man's heart.

But his gaze returned to Jiang Bai, and a faint glimmer of hope lit up in his small eyes.

Both were monstrously powerful, and both had minds far beyond their peers.

But this kid didn't seem to have the sharp edges Laxus had, the ones that kept everyone at arm's length.

Perhaps...

Perhaps this boy, who also stood at the "summit," could understand Laxus's loneliness.

Maybe the two of them could become good friends?

Makarov sighed inwardly and put the thought aside, the dignity of a guild master returning to his face.

"Good work, kid. Go register it with Xiaomai, and the reward will be deposited into your account."