The Bald Man Suffers, Lu Chongwei's Fury

"Ahem..."

Makarov cleared his throat.

"However, given that the place was already a barren wasteland, and since you rescued all the hostages, the mayor expressed his deep gratitude and stated that we don't need to pay for the damages."

Hearing this, Lu Chongwei and Gildarts both breathed a sigh of relief.

If they had to pay any more money, the two of them would truly be left with nothing but air to eat.

"By the way, where's Gray?"

Cana asked with some curiosity.

"Why don't I see him?"

Just then, a figure wrapped in a headscarf snuck in through the doorway, attempting to blend into the crowd amidst the chaos.

"Hey, Gray, why are you covering your head?"

Wakaba, sharp-eyed, snatched the rag off Gray's head.

"Whoosh—"

The cloth slid away.

A round, smooth head, gleaming under the lights, was instantly exposed to everyone's sight.

Silence.

A deathly silence.

Everyone stared with wide eyes at Gray's head, which looked just like a hard-boiled egg.

One second.

Two seconds.

"Pfft—"

It was unclear who couldn't hold it in first.

Immediately after.

"Hahahahahahahaha!!!"

Deafening roars of laughter threatened to blow the roof off.

Natsu was rolling on the floor, tears streaming from his eyes.

"Hahaha! Droopy-eyes! Where's your hair? Are you planning to become a monk? Hahahaha!"

Even Makarov spat out a mouthful of ale, his mustache trembling with laughter.

Gray's face instantly turned the color of a pig's liver.

Shame!

Anger!

Despair!

A surge of emotions flooded his heart, causing him to lose his reason entirely.

"Laugh! What are you laughing at! What's so funny!"

Gray, fueled by embarrassment and rage, threw a punch that sent Wakaba, who had been laughing the loudest, flying across the room.

"You bastard! You want to fight?!"

Wakaba scrambled up from the floor, furious.

This punch was like lighting a powder keg.

The crowd, already watching the spectacle, instantly grew excited and joined the fray one after another.

"It's a brawl!"

"Take this!"

Tables and chairs flew through the air, and bottles danced wildly.

Inside the guild hall, the battle intensified.

Natsu scurried about breathing fire, Elfman shouted "Manly!" while lifting tables to smash them, and Cana threw cards at people while drinking.

The entire guild had turned into a chaotic mess.

Lu Chongwei sat at the bar, holding a glass of milk he had just ordered, preparing to enjoy a moment of peace.

Suddenly.

"Whoosh—"

A dark shadow flew past.

It was the bald-headed Gray, thrown by someone else.

Gray's limbs flailed in the air, and as luck would have it, he kicked over the glass of milk in Lu Chongwei's hand.

"Snap!"

The glass shattered on the floor, white milk spilling everywhere and splashing onto Lu Chongwei.

Lu Chongwei froze in place.

He looked down at the puddle of white liquid on the floor, the veins on his forehead bulging one by one.

A terrifying pressure instantly erupted from him as the center.

"You bastards..."

Lu Chongwei slowly stood up and grabbed the ankle of Gray, who was just about to scramble up to continue the fight.

"My milk!!!"

With a roar, Lu Chongwei exerted force through his arm and swung Gray around like a shot put.

"Fly!"

"Whoosh—"

Bald Gray traced a graceful parabola through the air, smashed through the guild's roof, and vanished into the horizon like a shooting star.

"Everyone, stop!!!"

Lu Chongwei turned around and let out a bellow at the chaotic crowd.

The sound, laced with the murderous aura he had honed in the Inferno Hell, instantly silenced the entire room.

The people who had been fighting tooth and nail froze as if a pause button had been pressed, each of them holding their stiff poses and staring in terror at the enraged Lu Chongwei.

That was a ruthless man who dared to even burn Gildarts!

Who would dare provoke him?

The guild fell instantly silent, quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

Lu Chongwei snorted coldly and brushed the milk stains off his clothes.

He turned around, the look of fury on his face vanishing instantly, replaced by an innocent, harmless smile.

He winked at the waitress behind the bar, who had been scared silly, and pointed to the empty tabletop.

"Um... could I trouble you for another glass of milk? Make it hot, please."

This massive gap moe made the waitress blush instantly, her heart skipping a beat.

"O-okay!"

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, several months had passed.

Lu Chongwei had firmly established his footing in Fairy Tail.

Relying on his formidable strength and an incredibly high mission completion rate, he had quickly become a prominent figure in the guild.

Makarov looked at the mission report in his hands and nodded with satisfaction.

"This kid Lu Chongwei is growing at an astonishing rate."

Although his total magic power remained a shortcoming, his control over his strength had reached a level of pure perfection.

"It seems he is already qualified to take the S-Class Mage promotion exam."

Makarov muttered to himself.

However, he did not announce the decision immediately.

"He's still too young, lacks experience, and his personality is a bit impulsive. I'll observe him for a while longer."

During this time, a major event occurred in the guild.

Gildarts was leaving.

He had accepted the legendary "Century Quest," a forbidden zone that even S-Class Mages dared not touch lightly.

Before departing, Gildarts stood at the guild entrance with his worn-out pack on his back.

He looked at Lu Chongwei, who had come to see him off, and grinned, revealing a set of bright white teeth.

"Kid, I'm heading out. It might be a long time before I'm back."

Gildarts patted Lu Chongwei on the shoulder.

"Your strength is decent now, but you're still a long way from being a true powerhouse."

He leaned into Lu Chongwei's ear and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"If you don't become an S-Class Mage soon, watch out—I might leave you so far behind you won't even see my taillights. Don't come crying to your uncle when that happens."

This taunt pierced Lu Chongwei's heart like a needle.

The look in Lu Chongwei's eyes, which had grown somewhat lax as he'd considered coasting on his current strength, changed instantly.

"Tch, old man, don't look down on me."

Lu Chongwei clenched his fists, watching Gildarts' retreating figure as a blazing fighting spirit ignited in his eyes.

"When you return, I will definitely give you a surprise."

From that day on, it was as if Lu Chongwei had become a different person.

He no longer spent his days in the guild drinking milk and basking in the sun; instead, he took on missions frantically, throwing himself heart and soul into his training.

His strength, under such high-intensity tempering, improved at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Meanwhile, Gray's hair had finally grown out a little, turning into a short buzz cut.

Although he was still mocked by Lu Chongwei, his own strength had made significant progress.

He was now capable of completing simple subjugation missions on his own, no longer the little brat who could only hide behind others.

On this day.

Lu Chongwei had just finished a mission to clear out sea beasts.

The sun was setting, and the afterglow spilled across the shimmering sea, dyeing the entire ocean a brilliant gold.