"I'm really not that amazing." Lucy looked embarrassed by everyone's praise. At the time, she had only been thinking about saving her father, without considering how many enemies there were or how strong they might be. This time, she had even summoned two Celestial Spirits at once.
That alone showed how much Lucy's magic power had increased during her time in Fairy Tail. It was only natural, though. The dangers she had encountered since joining were on an entirely different level from anything she had faced before. Even when she wasn't doing most of the fighting, she still had to give it her all just to avoid getting caught in Natsu, Gray, and Erza's attacks. If nothing else, her physical stamina had definitely improved considerably.
It was actually quite normal for Lucy to have defeated those Dark Guild members on her own. Not every Dark Guild was particularly powerful, after all. Many of their members only possessed a little magic power and had joined Dark Guilds after legitimate Mage Guilds rejected them. When it came to making money, legitimate mages naturally earned it faster. Most ordinary mages never had to worry about money.
Of course, that was true of ordinary mages. Lucy was unquestionably an ordinary mage, but she had the misfortune of teaming up with Natsu. Almost every reward they earned went toward paying for damages, so naturally she worried about her rent. Had she chosen another teammate—even Erza or Gray—she wouldn't have ended up in her current situation.
When had Gray or Erza ever worried about money? Erza in particular had several rooms full of equipment, and that certainly hadn't come free. Fairy Tail's biggest wrecking ball was Natsu. It wasn't just his personality, either; his magic was another factor. Fire magic was far more destructive than many