Jiang Bai's Humblebrag

"What do we do now?" Lucy asked, having learned Jiang Bai's whereabouts.

"Are we going to find Jiang Bai?"

"No! Absolutely not!"

Unexpectedly, her suggestion was met with unanimous and extremely vehement opposition from Natsu and Happy.

"Jiang Bai has a really bad temper when he wakes up!" A hint of lingering fear appeared on Natsu's face.

"If we wake him up now, we'll definitely get a beating!"

"Hey!" Happy hugged his little head and nodded frantically.

"Last time, the last time Natsu and I just shouted at his door, and we were immediately pressed to the ground by an incredibly terrifying aura, unable to move at all!"

After hearing the cat and dragon's tearful accusations, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

"So, we just have to wait here?" Levy shrugged helplessly.

And so, a group of mages eager to become stronger spent their days idly waiting in the guild from morning till afternoon.

The sun had already begun to set when the figure everyone had been eagerly awaiting finally arrived.

Jiang Bai walked into the guild unhurriedly, looking refreshed, as if he had just had a nice nap.

Erza, who had calmed down and returned from outside, blushed again the moment she saw Jiang Bai and silently turned her head away.

"Jiang Bai!"

Natsu didn't care about any of that. He charged forward like a cannonball, and the others surrounded Jiang Bai.

"Hey! Jiang Bai! Tell us quickly! How can we become as strong as you?!"

"Hmm?" Jiang Bai looked at Natsu, who had suddenly become so studious and ambitious, with some surprise.

Why are you suddenly asking this?

Mirajane, who was following behind, chuckled softly, covering her mouth, and cleared up his doubts.

"Because Natsu and Marcus had a fight this morning, and although Natsu won, it wasn't an easy victory."

"Sure!" Jiang Bai nodded knowingly.

He scratched his head, feigning serious thought, and then, in a nonchalant tone, uttered a Versailles-esque statement that was enough to make everyone present vomit blood.

"But I don't think I used any special methods."

"I simply learned some basic magic and then created a few passable spells on my own."

"And then... it was time to sleep."

Sleep?

Gajeel pressed on with disbelief, "Then where did you get that terrifying amount of magical power? It couldn't have come from sleeping, could it?!"

"Yes," Jiang Bai nodded matter-of-factly.

"Didn't I already tell you? Go to sleep."

"My magic power increases by itself every night after I sleep."

"..."

Upon hearing this, the entire guild fell into a deathly silence that lasted for three seconds.

Then, the pent-up energy for complaining exploded!

"It's a monster!"

"That freak!"

"They really are monsters that normal humans can't understand!"

Hearing the chorus of praise around him, a brow furrowed on Jiang Bai's forehead.

"Hey! You bunch of guys, you come asking me how to get stronger, and instead of saying something nice, you insult me, and I might just take action!"

He cracked his wrists, making a crisp "crack crack" sound, and then slowly added a sentence.

"By the way, I actually know a way to make you stronger in a short time!"

Before the words were even finished, the expressions on the faces of the crowd, who had just been filled with righteous indignation, instantly changed completely.

Wow! Jiang Bai is such a handsome guy!

"Truly the strongest man in the world!"

However, amidst this chorus of flattery and praise, a discordant voice suddenly rang out.

"Scumbag!"

It's Natsu.

With a serious expression, he gave Jiang Bai a thumbs-up.

The entire venue fell silent once again.

Jiang Bai's smile froze completely.

He gave Natsu a sharp rap on the head, hitting him precisely on the forehead.

"Idiot! 'Scumbag' isn't a compliment!"

"Alright, alright, I'm not messing around with you guys anymore." Jiang Bai clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention back.

"Those who want to get stronger, gather in the forest behind the guild at 9:00 AM tomorrow. Latecomers will not be accepted."

"Wow! I'm fired up!"

Natsu instantly recovered fully, raised his fist, and let out an excited Roar.

"I knew it! I knew Jiang Bai, you'd have a way! I need to get stronger quickly! And then lead Fairy Tail back to number one!"

"Back to number one?"

Upon hearing this, Macao's excitement faded somewhat, replaced by a hint of bitterness.

"It's easier said than done, but it's still quite a long way off."

"Indeed," Wakaba sighed, puffing on his pipe.

"After all, seven years have passed, and apart from Jiang Bai, the main force of our guild is still at the level it was seven years ago."

Alzack added, "And now there's a new guild called 'Sabertooth,' whose strength is unfathomable."

"Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus have become stronger in recent years; they shouldn't be underestimated." Bisca held her daughter, a hint of worry on her face.

Asuka, nestled in her arms, blinked her innocent big eyes and said in a childish voice, "Mmm! They're all very big guilds!"

Seeing everyone's somewhat downcast mood, Makarov, who had been silent all along, suddenly slapped his thigh, as if he had come up with a brilliant idea.

"How about this!" He looked at Jiang Bai, his eyes gleaming.

"Let that brat Jiang Bai take on a few more 100-Year Quest!"

"In the end, this world is all about strength! If Jiang Bai can complete one or two more 100-Year Quest, won't our guild's number one title be back? Why would we have to worry about not having a reputation?!"

This suggestion was a revelation to everyone.

Yes! That's the simplest, most direct, and most effective method!

However, before Jiang Bai could speak, two voices filled with opposition rang out first.

"Damn!"

"No!"

It's Mirajane and Erza.

The two rejected Makarov's proposal almost simultaneously.

Mirajane was still smiling, but that smile carried an undeniable firmness, "President, Xiao Bai has only been back for two days and needs to rest."

Erza stepped directly in front of Jiang Bai, her face serious, and said, "That's right! During those seven years on Tenrou Island, Jiang Bai remained perfectly lucid! He needs to relax!"

Seeing his two "granddaughters" acting so protectively, Makarov instantly lost his temper and could only awkwardly touch his bald head.

"Uh... indeed, I didn't consider that carefully."