The Mark

The title of "Ten Wizard Saints" in the Kingdom of Fiore wasn't awarded solely on the basis of strength, but as one of the Ten Wizard Saints, Makarov's power was beyond doubt!

Even with Ul's currently feeble magical perception, he could clearly sense the vast, oceanic magic power within Makarov.

However!

Makarov's height was the complete opposite of his strength.

Judging by Ul's estimate, even with the nightcap on Makarov's head, this tipsy little old man was probably... maybe... seemingly... just about over a meter tall!

In fact, when he'd watched the anime, Ul had once thought that Makarov had learned Giant Magic purely because he was dissatisfied with certain aspects of himself.

After all, although Giant Magic—which made the body grow enormous—was powerful, it had plenty of drawbacks. At least in the anime, Ul had never seen the little old man win against anyone while using it!

......

"Oh... Wakaba, you're back... hic!"

"I'm back, Guild Master. This is Ul. He learned magic at the orphanage, and now he wants to join our guild." Wakaba was very respectful toward Makarov, and Makarov was indeed an elder worthy of respect.

Emmmm!

Though the old man was a bit of a lecher and often acted like a fool!

"Hmm... Ul?" Makarov struggled to open his drunken, beady eyes and peered at Ul. Confused, he asked, "Why do I feel like I've seen you somewhere before?"

Ul: "......"

Wakaba: "......"

"Guild Master, have you forgotten? You were the one who found Ul and brought him back!" Wakaba leaned close to Makarov's ear and quietly reminded him.

As Wakaba finished reminding him, Ul clearly saw Makarov's expression freeze for a moment. But the little old man quickly recovered, laughing as he slapped Ul on the shoulder.

"So that's it! I can't believe you've grown so much in the blink of an eye, Ul. And you've even learned magic. Not bad, not bad... smack, smack, smack!"

Makarov might have been small, but the little old man had a strong hand. He slapped Ul's shoulder with a loud smack, making him grimace in pain.

Ul even wondered whether the little old man was taking the opportunity to get back at him.

"Since you've learned magic and want to join our guild, then as the Guild Master, I welcome you to Fairy Tail." After slapping him a few more times and finally covering up his embarrassment, Makarov's expression gradually turned serious.

That was one advantage of having grown up in an orphanage: joining a guild involved virtually no obstacles. You only had to learn magic.

"Wakaba, bring me the Magic Stamp!" Makarov said.

"Got it, Guild Master!"

Wakaba answered, then quickly fetched something that looked like a stamp from behind the counter.

"What color would you like?"

"Gray. You can stamp it right here." Ul pointed to the right side of his chest.

"No problem!"

Wakaba didn't waste time. It was only a matter of stamping a symbol, after all.

As the Magic Stamp pressed against Ul's right chest, a gray design appeared there. It looked like a bird with a tail shaped like a sharp arrow—the emblem of Fairy Tail.

The designs made by these Magic Stamps were unique. They wouldn't disappear unless the guild was destroyed or the member chose to leave.

And from the moment the emblem was stamped onto him...

Ul officially became a member of Fairy Tail.

......

Seeing the guild emblem stamped on Ul's chest, Makarov's mouth slowly curled into a smile. He sprang to his feet, puffed out his chest, and was just about to shout to everyone:

"Listen up, everyone! It's time for a party! Let's welcome our new member, Ul, into our family!"

To Makarov, this was a welcome ceremony that every new "family member" joining Fairy Tail deserved.

But this time!

The ceremony didn't go as planned.

Just as Makarov drew a deep breath and prepared to speak, Ul suddenly said something that nearly choked the breath right out of him.

"Um... Guild Master, can I take a job now?"

"Cough, cough~~~"

"Pfft!"

To Ul, it was a perfectly ordinary question. But to Makarov and Wakaba, it made one of them cough violently while the other spat out a mouthful of liquor!

The two gave Ul a strange look. Only after Makarov finally forced down the words he'd been about to say did he slowly explain, "You can, but for now, you can only take D-rank jobs. Once you've completed enough jobs and become a higher-rank Mage, you'll be allowed to take higher-ranked ones!"

"I understand. Thanks, Guild Master!"

Ul thanked Makarov, then headed over to the Mission Board.

Makarov and Wakaba watched Ul walk away in silence for a long time. Then Wakaba suddenly remarked, "Guild Master, it seems like Ul has some problems of his own."

"Mm-hmm... Most of the people in our guild have had unusual experiences in the past. I just hope Ul can move on from his soon." Makarov's expression turned solemn as well!

Neither of them had ever doubted that Ul had problems.

After all, Fairy Tail had never had anyone who worked hard and diligently took jobs.

Even the occasional one or two were nothing but troublemakers—the sort who could destroy an entire area while carrying out a job...

......

Fortunately, Ul didn't know what Makarov and Wakaba were thinking.

Otherwise!

He would definitely have protested his innocence.

He really just wanted to work hard, take jobs, and earn money to recharge. He truly didn't have that many stories!

He was really just an ordinary cheat, that was all!

......

D-rank jobs weren't much different from temporary work for ordinary people. The only real difference was that they paid a little better.

The currency used in Fairy Tail was worth about as much as the currency of a certain island nation.

Most D-rank jobs paid around four or five thousand J, which was about two or three hundred RMB. Some paid a bit more, but they were also more tiring than ordinary jobs.

And that was exactly the kind of job Ul chose!