Mount Hakobe belonged to the famous Zonia mountain range, so its slopes were battered by snow and wind all year round.
Because of the harsh weather, the Magic Railway did not reach Mount Hakobe, so Noah and Nobu hitched a ride on a carriage that was heading there to buy magical herbs.
After eight or nine hours, they finally reached the village at the foot of Mount Hakobe.
Noah practically leaped off the carriage. He hadn't minded the ride at first, since it was a novel experience, but after hours of traveling over rough roads, his back ached and his whole body felt sore.
After paying the herb merchant for the ride, Noah followed the address on the request sheet with Nobu to visit the client—the village chief.
They had barely knocked when an old man with a white beard opened the door. Seeing the guild emblem on Nobu's clothes, the village chief sounded pleasantly surprised. "Are you mages from Fairy Tail? You came so quickly! Come in, come in."
In the warmth of the room, Noah and Nobu drank tea brewed from Mount Hakobe's famed magical herbs while the village chief explained the details of the request.
"Winter Snow Grass" was a rare magical herb that could restore one's stamina and magic power in a short time. It was unique to Mount Hakobe and the treasure that the little village depended on for its livelihood.
But a month ago, a group of Vulcans suddenly appeared on Mount Hakobe.
They drove away the villagers who went up the mountain to gather herbs, and they frequently came down to cause trouble in the village. Their behavior kept growing worse; once, they nearly hurt a child.
For the sake of their livelihood and the village's safety, the villagers had pooled together 550,000 jewels. The village chief had then offered the money as a reward for a "Vulcan extermination" request to Fairy Tail.
When Noah asked how many of the "gorilla" monsters there were, the village chief's answer startled Nobu.
There had been more than fifteen Vulcans on Mount Hakobe.
The number struck Noah as odd.
He had read in the Encyclopedia of Monsters left behind by the Second Master that Vulcans lived in small groups, but their numbers usually stayed around seven or eight. It was rare for a group to exceed ten.
And according to the village chief, the Vulcans had suddenly arrived a month ago. But the icy, snowy Mount Hakobe was hardly the ideal habitat for these "gorilla" monsters.
What reason could they have had to migrate there?
After the village chief warmly treated them to dinner, Noah declined his suggestion that they spend the night and start the job in the morning.
On the way there, Noah had already devised a plan for Nobu to deal with the Vulcans. These monsters kept a schedule much like humans, so nighttime was the best time to hunt them.
The moon shone brightly over the snowy mountain, making the path visible even without a light source.
Two figures climbed Mount Hakobe, one following the other.
The Vulcans' lair was easy to find. They lived in caves, and Mount Hakobe had only a handful of natural ones. Only one was large enough to hold more than a dozen monsters.
Having asked the village chief about the route beforehand, the two soon found their target.
Nobu crept into the enormous cave.
Clusters of ice crystals filled the cave. A Magic Crystal that emitted a soft glow illuminated most of the cavern as its light refracted off the ice.
Nobu looked inside and was shocked. He counted roughly twenty-five Vulcans!
Five of them were surrounded by the other "gorilla" monsters like the center of a constellation, and seemed to hold a high status.
Nobu couldn't be bothered with any of that. The phantom of a giant black bear flickered behind him, and a streak of scarlet magic power rose from his body.
"Possession Magic: Bear Spirit Take Over!"
With a roar, Nobu slapped the nearest monster. A sharp crack rang out, and a mixture of red and white spilled from the Vulcan's head.
Nobu's battle cry naturally woke the other monsters. A dozen savage gazes locked onto him, and the immense pressure made him lower his stance slightly and brace for battle.
Listening to the sounds of fighting from inside the cave, Noah yawned at the entrance and muttered to himself,
"Nobu, honestly. Wouldn't it have been better to take advantage of them being asleep and kill five or six right away to lighten the load? Instead, you announced yourself right at the start. Now you have to face twenty-four Vulcans at once."
Noah couldn't understand the "honorable battle" of Nobu's wild people, but he respected his choice.
Nobu's Possession Magic let him use two animal spirits: the bear and the wolf.
The Bear Spirit increased his physical strength, while the Wolf Spirit increased his agility.
Since Possession Magic only allowed him to use one power at a time, Noah had tailored two different fighting styles to Nobu, one for each animal spirit.
The Bear Style focused on powerful strikes, while the Wolf Style focused on agility.
Nobu was already familiar with his magic, and after months of hard work, he had mastered both styles. His strength was clear from the way a single slap had sent a "gorilla" monster to its grave.
As long as he stayed alert, Nobu was fully capable of beating all twenty-four Vulcans head-on—though he would definitely get hurt.
"TM Bear Power!"
Nobu dodged a monster's bite with an agile twist, instantly switching to the Bear Spirit to match his next move. He smacked away a monster that came too close, then switched back to the Wolf Spirit and gave chase.
Switching between the Possession Spirits cost him some magic power, but it made his fighting style incredibly efficient.
The Bear Spirit's brute strength, the Wolf Spirit's speed, and his perfectly suited fighting styles meant that no Vulcan could last more than one exchange against Nobu.
Soon, the seventeenth Vulcan fell, and Nobu charged toward the next monster like a force of nature.
"Stop right there, you damn bastard!"
One of the five high-status Vulcans charged at Nobu, roaring in human speech.
It could speak human language?!
Noah was startled. He remembered what he had told Nobu earlier: powerful Vulcans could use magic to forcibly Take Over human bodies.
Could that one—no, could all five of them—be monsters who had taken over human bodies?
Enraged, Nobu wasn't the least bit afraid of the powerful Vulcan. He threw all his strength into a punch and met it head-on.
Thud, thud, thud!
The "gorilla" monster flew backward and crashed hard into the wall at the back of the cave. The other four powerful individuals stared in shock.
"Boss, this guy's no pushover!"
"Let's use our original power!"
"Right!"
After a brief exchange, magic circles suddenly appeared beneath the five powerful Vulcans and rose upward. Five humans dressed in something like cultist uniforms appeared, each radiating powerful magic.
Nobu's expression darkened. Only powerful individuals could command ordinary Vulcans, but those five powerful individuals weren't Vulcan monsters at all!
They were humans disguised with magic!
Nobu had already used up a considerable amount of magic power. He knew he couldn't take on five mages who were still at full strength.
Seeing the enemies charging at him, Nobu didn't hesitate. He turned and ran. His personal challenge had been fully accomplished after he defeated those twenty monsters and the five enemies revealed their true forms.
With his inner turmoil finally resolved, Nobu ran without a shred of pride and shouted,
"Master! Help me!"
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