Fairy Tail's Strongest Mage

Xiao Rang looked up at the clock on the wall. It was already three in the morning. Normally, he would have been dead asleep by this hour, but today was different. In another five minutes, applications for the closed beta of the Fairy Tail fan game would begin. As a longtime die-hard Fairy Tail fan, Xiao Rang would never allow himself to miss such an important moment.

Although his hands rested on the keyboard he knew so well, they trembled uncontrollably. After all, this was the only virtual reality game ever made since the Fairy Tail anime had first aired. In order to meet Natsu, Erza, Gray, Lucy, Happy, and everyone else from Fairy Tail as soon as possible, Xiao Rang would never let this opportunity slip away.

"Ding! Welcome to Asland. Please prepare to compete for tickets to a seven-day trip to Fairy Tail! Countdown to the ticket grab begins!"

"5!"

"4!"

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

"Ticket grab begins! Who will become the first sixty people to enter Fairy Tail? Let us wait and see!"

When the countdown reached two, Xiao Rang began clicking his mouse like mad. Yet even so, the goddess of fortune did not smile upon him. Slot after slot was taken, and Xiao Rang seemed to hear the sound of his own heart breaking. But he refused to give up, still hammering at the mouse with all his strength. As if in response to his efforts, the goddess of fate finally pointed her finger at Xiao Rang.

"Ding! Congratulations, Xiao Rang! You have obtained one ticket for a seven-day trip to Fairy Tail!"

"Ding! All tickets for the Fairy Tail seven-day trip have been distributed. Selected players, please leave your contact addresses. Those who were not selected, do not give up! Asland Magic Academy will be opening soon, so please wait patiently!"

"Well then, bye-bye!"

As the final system notification faded, Xiao Rang's computer screen gradually went dark. About fifteen minutes later, he finally came back to his senses. With a whoosh, he sprang from his chair and danced around as if he had become the richest man in the world. Amid his wild excitement, hot tears burst from his eyes. Xiao Rang could not remember the last time he had been this thrilled. Had it been when he passed the college entrance exam and received his acceptance letter? Or when he first traveled away from home?

But none of that mattered anymore. What mattered was that he had finally gotten a ticket to Fairy Tail, to the land he had dreamed of for so long. Maybe he could even experience the genuine friendship among Fairy Tail's companions... No, it should be the bond of family! And not maybe—it was certain. He would definitely have it. Thinking that, Xiao Rang hurriedly moved the mouse to open the page and fill in his address, only to discover that he had clicked too hard earlier and broken the mouse. It no longer worked. Xiao Rang hurried to the bedroom to fetch his spare mouse. He did not want to lose such a perfect opportunity over such a trivial problem.

Two days later, Xiao Rang indeed received the testing game helmet sent by the game company. Cradling it as carefully as if it were a priceless treasure, he carried it into his bedroom. Following the instruction manual included by the manufacturer, Xiao Rang put on the helmet, lay on his bed, and quietly waited for the game to start. To throw himself wholeheartedly into Fairy Tail's embrace today, he had worked overtime like a madman over the past two days, cramming five days' worth of work into two days and two nights. Then, while waiting for the delivery, he had rested for only about fifteen minutes. Now, Xiao Rang could barely wait to join the magical continent of Asland.

"Ding-dong! Welcome to Asland Magic Academy. Please select your gender!"

"Ding-dong! Male selected. Please enter your nickname!"

"Ding-dong! Nickname entered: Sordil Orn! Please select your magic type!"

"Ding-dong! Magic confirmed: Dragon Slayer Magic! Please select an element!"

"Ding-dong! Element selected. Congratulations on becoming an Earth Dragon Slayer Mage!"

"Ice-Make Magic is cool, but since I've come to Asland, Dragon Slayer Magic has to be my first choice. Sorry, Gray!" Xiao Rang silently thought as he stared at the wild-looking figure on the screen. After all, thanks to Natsu's influence, Dragon Slayer Magic was simply too appealing. He only hoped that, like Natsu and Gajeel, he would not completely turn into a dragon.

Just as Xiao Rang agonized over whether he would dragonize, the scene before him began to brighten. A brilliant blue sky came into view, along with dark-blue waves rolling in one after another. Suddenly, an overwhelming wave of dizziness struck him. Xiao Rang... er, no, he should be called Sordil now. Sordil felt as though he was about to vomit up even his gallbladder! Looking down, he found himself aboard a small wooden boat. In an instant, Sordil wanted to beat the game's programmers senseless. Didn't they know Dragon Slayer Mages got motion sickness from vehicles? How could they teleport him to a place like this? Wasn't this asking for his... er, his life?

Fortunately, the boat was not far from shore, and it finally reached land soon afterward. Sordil at last had time to carefully inspect his surroundings. Not far from him stood an enormous white lighthouse, while beside him lay a broad harbor where ships were docked one after another. Across from the harbor was a bustling city, its pedestrians hurrying about their business. From time to time, the sound of ship horns drifted in from the distance. After climbing onto the seawall, Sordil could even see a large green ship. Wait, wasn't this Hargeon Port, where Lucy and Natsu first met?

Could he be at the point in time when Natsu had left to search for Igneel, encountered the fake Fire Dragon Bora, defeated Bora, and brought Lucy into Fairy Tail? As if confirming Sordil's guess, the women around him began rushing toward the city center, constantly shouting about Lord Fire Dragon. Sordil immediately realized that this was the best possible chance to join Fairy Tail. He followed the crowd toward the center of town. At the same time, Sordil opened his skill panel to check his combat ability. It would be bad if he got taken out in one hit by the aftershock of Natsu and Bora's battle later.

The moment he saw his skills, Sordil had the urge to strangle the game's programmers! It was bad enough that he only had two skills in total, but one of them was even passive. His sole active skill was defensive, with no attack power at all. How was he supposed to enjoy the game now? How was he supposed to help Natsu fight Bora? How was he supposed to join Fairy Tail?

Still, his passive skill was not bad: Dragon's Food of Earth—the exclusive skill of an Earth Dragon Slayer Mage. He could consume earth-element magic or items to restore magic power. That was the only thing that could be considered good news. But Sordil quickly pulled himself out of his disappointment. After all, he could still level up, acquire skills, and change his situation. Once he had regained his spirits, Sordil quickened his pace toward the city center. A voice roared within his heart: "Fairy Tail, here I come! The strongest mage, Lord Sordil, is here!"