Newcomer's First Battle Against the Giant Moth Gidoken

"There is one more thing you must remember."

Makarov suddenly turned serious.

He extended a finger, pointing toward the first-floor quest board on the wall behind him, his tone becoming exceptionally solemn.

"As a newcomer, you may only accept the ordinary quests on the first-floor board. As for the second floor..."

Makarov's gaze drifted toward the staircase leading upstairs, where an unusual sense of oppression seemed to permeate the air.

"The S-Class quests there are extremely dangerous and are absolutely not something you can touch right now. That is a realm that only S-Class mages are qualified to challenge."

Lu Chongwei followed his gaze.

He felt a flicker of curiosity about the term "S-Class," which represented the pinnacle of combat power for this guild, and perhaps even this magical world.

"How does one become an S-Class mage?"

Lu Chongwei blurted out.

His eyes shone with ambition; for the strong, climbing to the peak was almost an instinct.

Just then, Gray appeared out of nowhere.

He seemed to have recovered from his earlier blow, and now he was giving Lu Chongwei a serious explanation, acting like a seasoned veteran.

"Want to become S-Class? Hmph, it's not that easy."

Gray crossed his arms over his chest.

He looked toward the second floor, his eyes revealing a hint of longing, but even more so, a reverence for that level of difficulty.

"You need to pass the ultra-high-difficulty exam held by the guild every year. That test is so perversely strict that many people have tried for years without passing."

Gray held up a finger and wagged it in front of Lu Chongwei.

"Do you know? Since our guild was founded, we currently only have one S-Class mage."

Just as Gray was about to continue bragging about how powerful that S-Class mage was—

"Bam!"

A crisp sound rang out.

Makarov's staff struck Gray's head without mercy, landing right next to the bump that hadn't even faded yet.

"Ouch!"

Gray let out a miserable cry and crouched down, clutching his head.

Tears welled up in his eyes instantly; it was a piercing pain that made him feel as if his skull were being pried open.

"Stop spouting nonsense!"

Makarov huffed, his mustache twitching.

He retracted his staff and slammed it heavily against the floor with a dull thud, clearly displeased with Gray's behavior of intimidating the newcomer.

"Why is the exam so strict? It's to ensure you have enough strength to handle those life-or-death dangers! It's not to make things difficult for you!"

After lecturing Gray, Makarov gestured for Lu Chongwei to look at the quest board.

Lu Chongwei walked over to the first-floor board.

It was densely covered with all sorts of request forms, the colorful papers fluttering gently in the breeze.

He flipped through a few of them at random.

"Help the tailor shop in town find a lost pair of magic scissors, reward 2,000 J."

"Go to the mountain behind the town to drive away wild boars eating the crops, reward 5,000 J."

"Help an old lady find her lost puppy, characterized by a black spot over its left eye, reward 1,000 J."

The corner of Lu Chongwei's mouth twitched.

Looking at these tasks, which were as trivial as could be, he felt his idealized image of the mage profession shatter into pieces.

"Is this what a mage's work is?"

Lu Chongwei couldn't help but complain.

The mages he had imagined were supposed to be fighting evil, saving the world, or exploring mysterious ruins, not working as full-time babysitters.

"This is even busier than a neighborhood committee lady."

Just as he was about to pick one at random to get it over with, a quest sheet tucked away in the corner caught his attention.

The paper was slightly yellowed and even curled at the edges, looking as if it had been hanging there for quite some time.

Lu Chongwei reached out and peeled it off.

"Extermination Quest: Target monster, Gidoken."

He read the contents aloud in a low voice.

"This is a giant moth monster. Whenever night falls, it breaks into Volk City to prey on lone humans. In just one week, over a hundred people have perished."

Lu Chongwei's eyebrows arched slightly.

Seeing the words "preys on humans," his gaze sharpened, and his previous nonchalant attitude vanished in an instant.

"Mission Reward: 400,000 J."

This was a considerable sum, definitely a high-paying job among the first-floor missions, which also implied high risk.

"A man-eating moth?"

Lu Chongwei looked at the grotesque sketch on the mission sheet, a strange feeling welling up in his heart.

In this world of magic, the forms and habits of creatures truly could not be judged by common sense; this unknown danger only piqued his interest further.

"Interesting. This is the one."

Lu Chongwei took the mission sheet and turned back toward the bar.

He slapped the sheet down in front of Makarov with a crisp sound, demonstrating his firm resolve.

"Master, I want to take this one."

Makarov picked up the sheet and glanced at it, his expression turning grave in an instant.

His brows were tightly furrowed; clearly, he did not approve of Lu Chongwei's choice.

"Gidoken..."

Makarov muttered the name under his breath.

He set the sheet down and looked at Lu Chongwei earnestly, his expression filled with the concern of an elder for a younger generation.

"Child, this is your first mission; you should choose something simple. Like delivering letters or driving away wild beasts."

Makarov's fingers tapped against the tabletop.

"You need to first familiarize yourself with the mission process and how to utilize your magic in actual combat. While this Gidoken isn't a top-tier monster, the difficulty is a bit high for a newcomer."

Lu Chongwei shook his head.

His eyes were clear and resolute, showing no sign of backing down; instead, they radiated the sharp spirit of a newborn calf unafraid of the tiger.

"Master, only intense combat will allow me to familiarize myself with my own strength faster."

Lu Chongwei clenched his fists.

He felt the magic surging within him—a power yearning to be unleashed. Flowers in a greenhouse could never grow into towering trees.

"Finding lost puppies won't help me improve at all. I have the confidence to handle this."

Makarov looked into Lu Chongwei's eyes, which were filled with confidence, and remained silent for a long time.

He felt as though he were looking at a young Gildarts, or even his own younger self; that thirst for a challenge was impossible to suppress.

"Sigh..."

Makarov finally let out a long sigh.

As if having reached a compromise, he took a stamp from his drawer and pressed it heavily onto the mission sheet.

"Fine, I agree."

Makarov looked up, his gaze becoming extremely serious.

"However, there is one prerequisite. Gildarts must act as your mission guide and accompany you the entire time. Otherwise, this sheet is void."

A brilliant smile appeared on Lu Chongwei's face.

He snatched up the mission sheet and gave Makarov a somewhat sloppy salute.

"No problem! I'm going to go find that old man right now!"