"There's one more thing you have to remember."
Makarov suddenly grew serious.
He raised a finger and pointed to the first-floor mission board behind him, his tone turning especially solemn.
"As a newcomer, you can only take ordinary missions from the first-floor board. As for the second floor..."
Makarov's gaze drifted toward the stairs leading to the second floor. An unusual sense of oppression seemed to hang over them.
"The S-Class Missions up there are extremely dangerous. You absolutely aren't ready to take them on. That's a realm only S-Class Mages are qualified to challenge."
Lu Chongwei followed his gaze.
He was curious about the term "S-Class." It represented the pinnacle of combat strength in the guild, and perhaps even in the entire magical world.
"How can I become an S-Class Mage?"
Lu Chongwei blurted out.
Ambition gleamed in his eyes. For the strong, climbing to the top was almost instinctive.
Just then, Gray appeared beside him from who knew where.
He seemed to have recovered from the blow he'd taken earlier. Now he was explaining things to Lu Chongwei with a serious expression, like a seasoned senior.
"You want to become S-Class? Hmph, it's not that easy."
Gray folded his arms.
He looked toward the second floor, a trace of longing in his eyes, but even more awe at the difficulty.
"You have to pass the guild's annual, extremely difficult assessment. It's so punishing it's practically insane. Lots of people try for years and still can't pass."
Gray raised a finger and wagged it in front of Lu Chongwei.
"Do you know? Even though our guild's been around for so long, we only have one S-Class Mage right now."
Just as Gray was about to keep bragging about how amazing that S-Class Mage was—
"Thwack!"
A sharp crack rang out.
Makarov's cane came down mercilessly on Gray's head, landing right beside the bump that hadn't gone down yet.
"Ow!"
Gray yelped and crouched, clutching his head.
Tears instantly welled in his eyes. The pain was so sharp that he felt as if the top of his skull were about to be pried open.
"Stop scaring the newcomer!"
Makarov glared, his beard bristling.
He drew back his cane and thumped it heavily against the floor. He was clearly displeased with Gray for frightening the newcomer.
"Why is the assessment so tough? So you'll be strong enough to face dangers where you could die nine times out of ten! It's not meant to make things difficult for you!"
After scolding Gray, Makarov motioned for Lu Chongwei to look over the mission board.
Lu Chongwei walked over to the first-floor mission board.
It was covered in all kinds of requests, with sheets of brightly colored paper fluttering gently in the breeze.
He casually read a few.
"Help the town tailor find a lost pair of magic scissors. Reward: 2,000 J."
"Drive away the wild boars eating crops on the hill behind town. Reward: 5,000 J."
"Help an old woman find her lost puppy. It has a black patch over its left eye. Reward: 1,000 J."
Lu Chongwei's mouth twitched.
Looking at these tasks, each more trivial than the last, he felt his idealized image of a Mage shatter completely.
"So this is what Mages do?"
Lu Chongwei couldn't help complaining.
He'd imagined Mages fighting evil, saving the world, or exploring mysterious ruins—not working as full-time babysitters.
"They're busier than the neighborhood committee aunties."
Just as he was about to pick a random task and get it over with, a mission sheet in the corner caught his eye.
The paper had yellowed, and its edges were even curled. It looked like it had been hanging there for a while.
Lu Chongwei reached out and took it down.
"Subjugation mission: Target—Gidoken."
He read the words aloud.
"This is a giant moth monster. Every nightfall, it flies into Volk City and preys on anyone it finds alone. More than a hundred people have died in just one week."
Lu Chongwei's eyebrows lifted slightly.
At the words "preys on humans," his gaze sharpened, and his casual attitude vanished in an instant.
"Mission reward: 400,000 J."
That was a substantial sum, among the highest-paying missions on the first floor—and it also meant high risk.
"A man-eating moth?"
Lu Chongwei studied the crude, menacing sketch on the mission sheet, a strange feeling stirring in his chest.
In this magical world, creatures' forms and habits really couldn't be judged by ordinary standards. The unknown danger only piqued his interest.
"Interesting. I'll take this one."
Holding the mission sheet, Lu Chongwei turned and returned to the bar.
He slapped it down in front of Makarov with a sharp crack, showing how determined he was.
"Master, I want to take this one."
Makarov picked up the sheet and glanced at it. His expression instantly turned grave.
His brows knitted together, clearly disapproving of Lu Chongwei's choice.
"Gidoken..."
Makarov murmured the name.
He set the sheet down and looked at Lu Chongwei with the concern of an elder for a younger person.
"Kid, for your first mission, you should pick something simple. Delivering a letter or driving away some wild animals, for instance."
Makarov tapped his fingers on the table.
"You need to get familiar with how missions work and learn to use your magic in actual combat. This Gidoken isn't an especially powerful monster, but it's too difficult for a newcomer."
Lu Chongwei shook his head.
His gaze was clear and resolute. He showed no sign of backing down; instead, he had the fearlessness of a young calf that didn't know to fear a tiger.
"Master, only intense battles can help me get familiar with my strength faster."
Lu Chongwei clenched his fist.
He could feel the magic surging inside him, a power eager to be unleashed. A flower raised in a greenhouse would never grow into a towering tree.
"Finding a puppy won't help me improve at all. I'm confident I can handle this."
Makarov looked into Lu Chongwei's confident eyes and fell silent for a long while.
It was as if he were seeing Gildarts when he was young—or even himself. That hunger for a challenge couldn't be suppressed.
"Sigh..."
At last, Makarov let out a long sigh.
As though he'd made a concession, he took a stamp from the drawer and pressed it firmly onto the mission sheet.
"Fine. I agree."
Makarov looked up, his expression turning extremely serious.
"But there's one condition. Gildarts must be your mission guide and stay with you the entire time. Otherwise, this mission sheet is void."
A radiant smile spread across Lu Chongwei's face.
He snatched up the mission sheet and gave Makarov a rather awkward salute.
"No problem! I'll go find that old guy right now!"
Before you continue