Newcomer Challenges Gray, Battle Begins

A long-lost warmth slowly welled up from the bottom of his heart.

In this world filled with unknowns, he had always been like a lonely traveler, his nerves constantly on edge.

Yet at this moment, in this boisterous guild, he actually felt a temperature known as "home."

Gildarts laughed and patted him on the shoulder, asking loudly:

"How about it? This feeling isn't bad, right?"

Lu Chongwei turned his head, looked at Gildarts, and finally smiled from the bottom of his heart.

"Yeah... not bad at all."

He said softly, his gaze softening.

"This feeling... I'm very happy."

This was a warmth he hadn't experienced in a long time.

Night fell, and the banquet finally came to an end.

The guild was in a state of utter chaos, even messier than when they had been fighting during the day.

Tables, chairs, and benches lay scattered about, with empty bottles and food scraps everywhere.

Most of the guild members were already dead drunk, lying on the floor in unseemly positions, fast asleep with a chorus of snores rising and falling in unison.

Lu Chongwei sat at a table in the corner that was still relatively intact, holding a cup of warm milk and sipping it slowly.

Although everyone else was drinking alcohol, he still preferred this milder beverage.

During this lively banquet, he had also gotten to know quite a few people.

That middle-aged man who was always puffing on a pipe with a roguish look was Wakaba; the one who looked a bit honest but loved to brag after a few drinks was Macao; and then there was that perverted boy, Gray, who always ran around stripped down to nothing but his underwear...

Everyone had a distinct personality, and they were all unexpectedly easy to get along with.

Just then, a light sound of footsteps approached.

Lu Chongwei looked up and saw a girl with curly brown hair walking over.

She held a few tarot cards in her hand, her eyes filled with a touch of curiosity and inquiry.

It was Cana.

"Hey, newbie."

Cana sat down across from Lu Chongwei and casually placed her tarot cards on the table.

"Have you figured out where you're staying tonight?"

Lu Chongwei set down his milk cup and pointed upstairs.

"The Master said there are still empty beds in the boys' dormitory, so I'll stay there for now. As for the rent and food expenses, I'll pay them back slowly once I start taking on jobs."

Cana nodded in understanding, seemingly unsurprised by the Master's arrangement.

"That's good. Even though the Master seems unreliable most of the time, he's actually quite generous when it comes to looking after newcomers."

She paused, her eyes suddenly flickering as if she were hesitating about something.

After a few seconds, as if she had made up her mind, she asked with feigned nonchalance:

"Um... I saw that you came back with Gildarts. Are you... very close with him?"

Lu Chongwei was slightly taken aback, surprised that she would ask this.

"I suppose we're acquainted."

Lu Chongwei thought for a moment and replied.

"We ran into each other on the road and traveled together for a while. Why?"

He looked at Cana's slightly nervous expression, feeling a bit puzzled.

Ever since the banquet started, he had noticed that this girl's gaze would drift toward Gildarts every now and then.

"It's nothing, just asking."

Cana waved her hand quickly, picking up the cards on the table to shuffle them as a cover.

"After all, he is the guild's strongest mage, so everyone is quite curious about him."

"Tch, 'strongest mage,' my foot."

Just then, a voice filled with disdain and provocation suddenly cut in.

Lu Chongwei and Cana turned their heads at the same time.

They saw a black-haired boy who had approached them at some point.

It was none other than that exhibitionist, Gray.

He was currently shirtless, holding a leftover chicken leg in his hand, looking completely unconvinced.

"That old guy might be strong now, but I'll definitely surpass him in the future!"

Gray brandished the chicken leg in his hand with great conviction, as if it were a precious sword.

Cana sighed, helplessly pressing a hand to her forehead.

"Gray, you've stripped again."

Lu Chongwei couldn't help but chime in with a dry remark.

"Is this the seventh time already? Does your clothing have a mind of its own and decide to run away from home?"

He looked Gray up and down, noting that he was wearing nothing but a pair of shorts; just looking at him in the chilly night air made one feel cold.

"Besides, aren't you cold?"

Gray glanced down at his naked body, seemingly only just realizing it, yet he showed no intention of finding clothes to wear.

"What's this temperature compared to anything else!"

Cana explained from the side, "Gray is an Ice Mage. His training method is quite unique; he's been accustomed to enduring the cold since he was a child, so he often strips unconsciously."

"An Ice Mage?"

Lu Chongwei raised an eyebrow. That was interesting.

Hearing this, Gray's eyes lit up, and he immediately cast the matter of finding his clothes to the back of his mind.

He leaned in close to Lu Chongwei, his eyes gleaming as he asked:

"Hey, newbie, I heard you're a monster that Gildarts took a liking to. What's your magic attribute?"

Lu Chongwei looked at his battle-hungry gaze and, without hiding anything, replied calmly:

"Fire."

"Fire?!"

Gray's voice shot up an octave, his expression shifting between excitement and disdain.

"Fire again! Just like that idiot Natsu!"

He tossed the chicken leg aside and struck a combat stance.

"Since it's fire, I can't let you off even more! I want to see whether your fire is stronger, or my ice!"

"Let's have a duel! Lu Chongwei!"

Lu Chongwei looked at the overly hot-blooded youth before him, feeling a mix of amusement and exasperation.

Were the people of Fairy Tail really all a bunch of battle maniacs?

However, he also happened to want to test the level of the mages in this world.

He turned his head to look at Makarov, who was slumped over a table not far away, still pouring drinks into his mouth.

"Master, is this allowed?"

Makarov lifted his head in a daze and let out a hiccup.

"Hic... A duel? Sure! Young people should spar more often!"

He waved his hand, looking like someone who feared the world wouldn't be chaotic enough.

"But go outside to fight! Don't tear apart the rest of the guild's tables!"

Once he finished speaking, Makarov seemed to suddenly perk up; he jumped directly onto the table and let out a roar at the top of his lungs.

"Listen up, brats! Stop sleeping! There's a fight! Gray is challenging the newbie, Lu Chongwei!"

That shout was more effective than any morning alarm clock.

The people who had been lying motionless on the floor instantly sprang up like zombies the moment they heard the words "there's a fight."

"What?! A fight? Where, where?"

"Gray is challenging the newbie? This is going to be a good show!"

"Hurry, hurry! Let's go outside and grab a spot!"

Even Gildarts, who had been pretending to be drunk on the sidelines, immediately set down his glass upon hearing this, wearing an expression that suggested he loved nothing more than a good spectacle.

He and Makarov exchanged a look, both of them wearing the same sly, old-fox grins.

"Let's go, let's go! Let's go watch the show!"

The bright moonlight spilled over the open ground beside the guild, draping the somewhat barren land in a veil of silver.

By now, this clearing was packed solid by the members of Fairy Tail.

The crowd formed a large circle, with Lu Chongwei and Gray standing opposite each other in the center.

Jeers and cheers rose and fell from the surrounding crowd, and some people even started taking bets on the spot.

"Come, come! Place your bets! Two-to-one on Gray! One-to-one on the newbie!"

Wakaba puffed on his pipe, skillfully calling out the odds.

"I'm betting on Gray! Even if that kid loves to strip, his strength isn't half bad!"

"I'm betting on the newbie! Anyone who can be brought back by Gildarts is definitely no pushover!"