"Cough, cough..."
Makarov cleared his throat.
"However, since that place was already desolate, and you rescued all the hostages, the mayor was very grateful. We don't have to pay for the damage."
Hearing this, Lu Chongwei and Gildarts both breathed a sigh of relief.
If they had to pay more, the two of them would really have to go hungry.
"By the way, where's Gray?"
Cana asked curiously.
"Why haven't I seen him?"
Just then, a figure with a headscarf sneaked in through the door, trying to slip into the crowd while everyone was distracted.
"Hey, Gray, why are you wrapping your head up?"
Wakaba had sharp eyes. He yanked the rag off Gray's head.
"Whoosh—"
The strip of cloth slid down.
A smooth, gleaming bald head, shining under the lights, was instantly revealed to everyone.
Silence.
A deathly silence.
Everyone stared wide-eyed at Gray's head, which looked just like a braised egg.
One second.
Two seconds.
"Pfft—"
Someone finally lost it.
And then—
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
A deafening burst of laughter seemed to lift the roof off.
Natsu rolled around on the floor, tears streaming from his eyes.
"HAHAHA! Droopy Eyes! Where's your hair? Are you going to become a monk? HAHAHAHA!"
Even Makarov spat out a mouthful of booze, laughing so hard his mustache quivered.
Gray's face instantly turned liver-red.
Shame!
Rage!
Despair!
The emotions surged through him, driving him completely out of his mind.
"Laugh! What are you laughing at? What's so funny?!"
Humiliated and furious, Gray swung a punch and sent Wakaba, who was laughing the loudest, flying.
"You bastard! You wanna fight?!"
Wakaba climbed to his feet, furious too.
That punch was like a spark falling into a powder keg.
The onlookers, who had already been enjoying the show, instantly grew excited and joined the brawl.
"Let's fight!"
"Take this!"
Tables, chairs, and stools flew through the air as bottles whirled around.
The fight in the guild hall grew more and more chaotic.
Natsu darted around breathing fire, Elfman shouted "A real man!" as he lifted tables and smashed them around, and Cana drank while flinging people with her cards.
The whole guild descended into chaos.
Lu Chongwei sat at the bar, holding a glass of freshly ordered milk and preparing to enjoy a moment of peace.
Suddenly—
"Whoosh—"
A dark shape flew past.
It was the bald Gray, thrown by someone else.
Gray flailed his arms and legs in the air and, by some stroke of bad luck, kicked the glass of milk right out of Lu Chongwei's hand.
"Crash!"
The glass shattered on the floor. White milk spilled everywhere and splashed all over Lu Chongwei.
Lu Chongwei froze.
He looked down at the puddle of white liquid on the floor, veins bulging one after another on his forehead.
A terrifying pressure erupted from him in an instant.
"You bunch of bastards..."
Lu Chongwei slowly rose to his feet and grabbed Gray by the ankle just as he was about to get up and keep fighting.
"My milk!!!"
With a furious roar, Lu Chongwei flexed his arm and swung Gray around like a shot put.
"Fly!"
"Whoosh—"
Bald Gray traced a graceful arc through the air, smashed through the guild roof, and vanished into the distance like a shooting star.
"Everybody stop!!!"
Lu Chongwei turned toward the chaotic crowd and let out a roar.
His voice carried the killing aura he had honed in Inferno Hell, instantly silencing the whole room.
The people who had been fighting fiercely froze as if someone had hit pause, each of them staring in terror at the enraged Lu Chongwei.
He was the madman who had even dared to burn Gildarts!
Who would dare mess with him?
The guild fell silent in an instant. You could hear a pin drop.
Lu Chongwei snorted and patted the milk stains off his clothes.
He turned around, and his angry expression instantly vanished, replaced by an innocent smile.
He winked at the waitress behind the bar, who was still too stunned to move, and pointed at the empty tabletop.
"Um... sorry for the trouble, but could I get another glass of milk? Hot, please. Thank you."
The adorable contrast made the waitress blush instantly, and her heart skipped a beat.
"Y-yes!"
Time flew by, and several months passed in the blink of an eye.
Lu Chongwei had firmly established himself in Fairy Tail.
With his formidable strength and high mission completion rate, he quickly became a prominent figure in the guild.
Makarov looked at the mission reports in his hand and nodded with satisfaction.
"That kid Lu Chongwei is growing at an astonishing pace."
Although his total magic power was still his weak point, he had already mastered control over his strength.
"It seems he's qualified to take the S-Class Mage Promotion Trial."
Makarov murmured to himself.
But he didn't announce his decision right away.
"He's still too young, lacks experience, and is a little hotheaded. I'll keep an eye on him a while longer."
During that time, something big happened in the guild.
Gildarts was leaving.
He had accepted the legendary "Century Quest," a forbidden assignment that even S-Class Mages wouldn't dare take on lightly.
Before leaving, Gildarts stood at the guild entrance with his battered old pack on his back.
He looked at Lu Chongwei, who had come to see him off, and grinned, showing off his bright white teeth.
"Kid, I'm heading out. It might be a long time before I get back."
Gildarts patted Lu Chongwei on the shoulder.
"You're pretty strong now, but you're still a long way from being a true powerhouse."
He leaned close to Lu Chongwei's ear and whispered so only the two of them could hear:
"If you don't become an S-Class Mage soon, I'll leave you so far behind you won't even see my taillights. Don't come crying to Uncle when that happens."
The taunt pricked Lu Chongwei's heart like a needle.
Lu Chongwei, who had grown complacent from his strength and wanted to laze around, instantly changed his tune.
"Tch, you old geezer. Don't underestimate me."
Lu Chongwei clenched his fists and watched Gildarts walk away, his eyes burning with determination.
"Just wait. When you get back, I'll give you the surprise of your life."
From that day on, Lu Chongwei seemed like a different person.
He stopped spending all day drinking milk and sunbathing in the guild. Instead, he took on missions like crazy and threw himself into training.
His strength improved at a visible pace under such intense training.
Meanwhile, Gray's hair had finally started to grow back, forming a short crew cut.
Lu Chongwei still teased him, but Gray had also made great progress.
He could now complete simple hunting missions on his own. He was no longer the kid who could only hide behind other people.
That day—
Lu Chongwei had just finished a mission to clear out sea beasts.
The sun was setting, and its afterglow fell across the shimmering sea, turning the whole ocean golden.
Before you continue