Fairy Tail: Vector Manipulation

He swiftly took the bread from Makarov's hand and began eating.

"Do you have any other family?" Makarov asked gently as he watched Chen Fan wolf down the bread.

"No."

"Then come join my guild."

"Uh... what's your guild called?" Chen Fan said after struggling to swallow the dry bread stuck in his throat.

"Fairy Tail." Makarov's tone carried a hint of pride. It was clear he was proud of his guild.

"What? Fairy Tail?!" Chen Fan was shocked. Then he realized where he was. He had known he'd been transported to another world, but he had never expected to end up inside an anime.

To be honest, Chen Fan had been an otaku in his previous life. He had dabbled in all kinds of anime, manga, and novels, so his interests could be called quite broad. Fairy Tail had also been one of his favorite anime. He had been drawn in by its cheerful atmosphere and moved by its unyielding spirit.

But for various reasons, he had not kept up with it for a long time. Now that he had the chance to come here, he truly did not know what attitude he should take toward it. A confused expression appeared on his face.

Yet Makarov mistook that expression for Chen Fan remembering something painful. After all, it was not the first time he had seen such a look. Many members of his guild had once been homeless, and Makarov's greatest wish was for the children of his guild to live happily.

After a while, Chen Fan finally made up his mind. Since he had come to this world, how could he not enjoy it properly? This was one of the places he had most wanted to visit.

So he raised his head and said to Makarov, "Sure, but I want to become an S-Class wizard."

"Hm? Why?" Makarov asked in confusion, unable to understand why Chen Fan wanted to become an S-Class wizard.

"No reason. It just looks cooler."

"That won't do. A guild has its rules. If you want to become an S-Class wizard, you'll have to pass the examination." Makarov spoke somewhat sternly. It seemed he was still quite particular when it came to principles.

"Tch... Isn't it just S-Class? What's so special about it? I just don't want to compete with the others in the guild."

"Then you agree?" Makarov asked happily. He had become rather addicted to taking in homeless children.

"Yeah, I agree." Chen Fan waved his hand, feeling somewhat helpless toward this old child. But Chen Fan always repaid those who had helped him as generously as he could, and the greatest help he could give Makarov was to protect the guild of Fairy Tail. The simplest way to do that was to join Fairy Tail.

He once again devoured the bread he had snatched from Makarov, drank a little water, and lay down beside him to sleep. He soon drifted into dreams. In Chen Fan's mind, there were not many people in this world stronger than Makarov. Was there anywhere safer than sleeping beside him?

Early the next morning, Chen Fan woke up. Makarov woke shortly after him as well. They quickly packed their things and set off for Fairy Tail.

Along the way, Makarov kept telling him amusing stories about the guild, and Chen Fan listened with great interest. He also learned that Natsu and Gray were almost the same age as him. Makarov occasionally mentioned Erza too, specifically warning Chen Fan not to provoke her. Once Chen Fan had a rough sense of the timeline, he felt relieved. It seemed the story had not begun yet.

Following behind Makarov step by step, Chen Fan once again felt just how useless his current body was. After walking for barely half an hour, he was already exhausted.

He lay on the ground, gulping down fresh air, looking utterly drained.

Fortunately, Makarov knew that Chen Fan was not in good health, so they stopped to rest. Time passed as they walked and rested, and by the time they reached Fairy Tail, half a month had already gone by.

Looking at the guild doors before him, Chen Fan dropped to his knees, tears streaming down his face. "Finally, finally, we're here! We finally made it to Fairy Tail! Ahahahaha..." He looked completely mad, showing just how badly the past few days had tormented him.

With his eyes closed, a smile on his face, and his mouth wide open, he ran toward the guild doors. If the scene were slowed down and examined carefully, one could see the glistening tears running down Chen Fan's cheeks beneath the sunlight.

Makarov stood behind him, smiling as he watched Chen Fan excitedly run toward the doors of the Fairy Tail guild. He was happy as well.

"Boom..."

A deafening crash rang out. The guild doors flew open, and Chen Fan saw only a black shadow charging toward him. With a "Bang...!!", he was sent flying by the shadow.

As Chen Fan flew through the air, he thought mournfully, Damn it, I never thought my glorious reputation would be ruined like this.