Year X777.
Over the past year, Zorn had trained and trained, pushing himself to the limit. He had mastered the 50% of an Admiral's strength he currently possessed almost perfectly, and had also learned all the guild master's Light Magic.
Though training had been hard, his magic also had healing effects, allowing him to give it his all. Fortunately, hard work paid off, and in one year he had gained the strength to protect himself.
Zorn had just walked through the guild doors in a new shirt bearing the Fairy Tail guild emblem when a voice called out in admiration.
"Hey, Zorn, you look sharp today! Where'd you buy that shirt? Hic! I'll get one and try it on too. Hic! Hahaha!" Macao was drinking early in the morning and had spotted Zorn entering the guild. He hiccuped as he spoke. His drinking buddy Wakaba was gulping down his own drink, but when he heard Macao say that, he immediately laughed at him. "Take a look at yourself. You wouldn't look good in anything, hahaha, idiot."
"What? Who are you calling an idiot, huh?"
"You, idiot."
Before Zorn could reply, the two had pressed their heads together, each pushing against the other from side to side. They had also locked hands and were straining against each other, neither willing to give way.
"You damn bastard, have a taste of my fists, big as sandbags! Smoke Magic: Smoke Assault!" Wakaba sprang into the air and unleashed a magical attack. "You think you're the only one who can use magic? Have a taste of my Bullet Assault! Purple Flame Magic: Purple Rainstorm!" Not to be outdone, Macao unleashed his own magic.
Just before the spells collided, a pair of giant hands each seized one and crushed them, leaving only tiny magic particles drifting through the air.
"You two damn bastards! The guild isn't a place for fighting. Get out, both of you!"
Bang, bang! In the blink of an eye, the two had vanished from the guild, both sent flying out the door by the guild master.
Zorn's eye twitched as he watched. "Heh, heh." He gave two awkward chuckles.
"Grandpa Guild Master, I'd like to take a job. Can I?" Zorn looked at him hopefully, eagerly awaiting an affirmative answer.
"Oh, have you learned all the magic I taught you? If a newcomer wants to take a job, I have to test whether they're capable enough to start working. Follow me outside."
Guild Master Makarov led the way out of the guild, with Zorn following at an unhurried pace. Watching the guild master's swaying figure, Zorn couldn't help thinking, He's already this drunk so early in the morning. Is he going to be all right?
The two took their positions in an open area. When the guild members saw that the master was going to test the newcomer's strength, they all poured outside, eager to see the results of his year of hard work. Then they could find a reason to throw another banquet and celebrate, giving them another chance to have fun and raise a ruckus.
They thought this way because, deep down, they believed Zorn would definitely pass the guild master's test.
And Zorn was destined not to disappoint them, because he might already be stronger than Erza was now.
Zorn scratched his head and looked at the guild master, who still seemed a little dazed and tipsy. He smiled helplessly and said, "Grandpa Guild Master, please be careful. I'm about to attack."
Seeing that the guild master still hadn't responded, Zorn said nothing more and decided to help him sober up through action.
Zorn's figure flashed, and he vanished from where he stood. The next moment, he had appeared directly above the guild master, one leg raised high and ready to come down.
Bang! A cloud of dust rose around the two of them, and the onlookers couldn't see what was happening at all.
A short figure darted out of the dust and landed beyond it. Cyan magic circles lit up in his hands, and he summoned a wind to blow the dust away.
Only then did everyone see Zorn standing calmly with a smile, his hands in his pockets. The ground around him looked as though it had been struck by a missile, strewn with broken stones and covered in a spiderweb of cracks.
"Grandpa Guild Master, are you sober now? I'm going to get serious next."
Damn brat, that's some impressive hand-to-hand combat. I don't know how he trained it, but let's see just how strong he is, Makarov thought, marveling inwardly.
Zorn's figure flashed, turning into a streak of light that instantly reached the guild master's side and gathered back into human form.
"Speed is power. Watch out, Grandpa Guild Master," Zorn warned.
"Giantification Magic: Giant's Defense!" The moment the guild master saw Zorn disappear, he prepared himself and cast his magic. The light-speed strike hit an enormous arm three stories tall, shoving the guild master several meters sideways.
The other guild members were dumbstruck. After all, the guild master was one of the Ten Wizard Saints.
"Not bad. Pretty good. You barely pass," the guild master said evenly, looking at the drag marks he had left on the ground. But the barely perceptible satisfaction at the corners of his eyes showed just how pleased he was and how much he approved of Zorn's strength.
That boy Zorn's affinity with the Light Element seems to be approaching 100%. The speed at which he learns Light Magic is astonishing, and his speed has actually reached this level too. If I didn't have some skill in Light Magic myself, I might not even have noticed his movements just now. As pleased as the guild master was, he couldn't help marveling.
"Hey, hey, you've got to be kidding. Is that what he calls pretty good? Zorn's clothes aren't even wrinkled, and he calmly kicked the guild master back a few steps. If I were the one attacking, I'd probably just tickle him," Macao murmured blankly.
Hearing him, Erza, who was standing beside him, looked a little dejected. She couldn't help asking herself whether she could make the guild master move so easily.
All right, enough thinking about it. Come on, I'll train twice as hard tonight. I can definitely gain the strength to save and protect my family, Erza thought reassuringly as she watched Zorn patiently answering Gray's endless questions in the open area.
"Hmm..." Zorn narrowed his eyes at the job board before him, scanning each request one by one. He simply couldn't decide. There were so many jobs that they burst and faded like sparks in his head, bringing on another bout of indecision.
A fair hand suddenly reached for an inconspicuous request in the corner.
"You could choose this one. It's to exterminate a type of Blazing Demon Lizard deep in the Katanado Mountains. It's close, only three days away, and it pays well."
Zorn looked at the request she had indicated. Seeing that his attention had shifted to it, Erza continued her detailed explanation. "This request was posted by a merchant caravan. The demon lizards' hides are highly resistant to heat and flames and can be used to make magical protective gear. They recently received a large order and found they didn't have enough stock, so they put in a request. We can go together. With our strength, the two of us can handle it. What do you think?"
"Okay, it's settled. This is the one. Let's take care of it in one go."