Taking On Another S-Rank Mission

Erza the Fairy Queen, the female lead of the Fairy Tail anime—technically, she should have been the second female lead, but her popularity rivaled that of the first.

Qi Yan also liked Erza's character very much, so he recognized her at a glance.

This was his first time seeing Erza in person. When he had joined the guild before, Erza had not been there. She seemed to have been out on a mission.

"What's going on?"

"Apparently, Erza wants to take an S-Rank request, but the guild master refused."

"S-Rank?!"

S-Rank requests were all exceptionally difficult. Even for S-Rank Mages, they were life-or-death jobs. One careless mistake could get them killed.

Unless they were extremely powerful S-Rank Mages like Gildarts, even S-Rank Mages rarely accepted S-Rank requests under normal circumstances.

"Guild Master! I'm confident I can complete this S-Rank Mission!"

Erza looked at Makarov as she spoke. She had been an S-Rank Mage for three years. At fifteen, she had passed the S-Rank Mage exam and advanced to S-Rank, becoming the youngest S-Rank Mage in Fairy Tail Guild history.

After becoming S-Rank, she had not rushed to take on S-Rank Missions. She knew her strength was still lacking, so she had patiently continued honing herself.

She had originally planned to accept an S-Rank job last year, but then the incident with Mira happened. So she had spent another year patiently refining her strength. Now, she was eighteen.

Hearing that a guild newcomer had completed an S-Rank Mission on his very first job greatly stirred Erza's competitive spirit. She had become S-Rank but had yet to complete an S-Rank Mission, while a newcomer had already done so.

That was why she wanted to challenge an S-Rank Mission.

"No! This job is too dangerous. This isn't a matter of confidence—it's a matter of strength."

"I have the strength to complete this mission!"

"You brat, why are you so stubborn?!"

Makarov slapped the table in anger.

Elfman remarked, "Why does this scene feel so familiar?"

As he spoke, he glanced at Qi Yan. A few days ago, Qi Yan seemed to have spoken to the guild master in exactly the same way.

"Guild Master, I'm not being stubborn. I truly am confident that I can complete this job."

Makarov let out a sigh. "Sigh! You girl, S-Rank requests aren't that simple. This request has actually been posted for over two years. During those two years, seven or eight powerful Mages chose to challenge it, and none of them returned. Do you understand why I won't let you go now?"

"What?!"

"Seven or eight Mages were all taken down?!"

Everyone in the guild was shocked. Any Mage qualified to take an S-Rank request had to be powerful, yet so many powerful Mages had fallen. This S-Rank Mission was far too dangerous.

"Guild Master, I still want to give it a try!"

Erza spoke with a serious expression. Every mission carried danger. Only by constantly challenging herself could she break through her limits.

"You child, why can't I talk any sense into you?"

Makarov was beside himself with anger.

At that moment, Makarov caught sight of Qi Yan standing before the request board. This kid seems to have been eyeing the missions on the second floor all along.

"Fine! I agree."

"Really?!"

Erza was immediately a little delighted. Judging from the guild master's earlier attitude, she had thought he would definitely refuse.

"However! I have one condition!"

"What condition?"

"You can't take this job alone. It's too dangerous by yourself. I'll assign someone to go with you. Only then will I be at ease."

As he spoke, Makarov pointed toward Qi Yan in front of the request board. "Qi Yan, you're going with Erza!"

Qi Yan was also a little stunned, pointing at himself. "Me?!!"

"Eh-----?!"

The people in the guild were also shocked when they heard Makarov's words.

Qi Yan was only a newcomer who had just joined the guild. He had completed an S-Rank Mission not long ago, and now he was going to take on his second S-Rank Mission? This was too absurd.

"That's right! You, brat. Haven't you always wanted to take an S-Rank Mission? I'm giving you an opportunity. Go complete this S-Rank Mission with Erza. Are you in or not?"

[ Ding! Accept S-Rank Mission: Legendary Sword? Mission reward: one ten-pull! ]

"I'm in! I'm in! I'm in!"

The moment Qi Yan saw the system prompt, he immediately raised his hand and shouted.

How could he possibly refuse? One S-Rank request was worth ten A-Rank requests. Besides, doing ten A-Rank requests was far too troublesome, requiring him to run all over the place. How could that compare to the convenience of completing one S-Rank Mission?

Qi Yan quickly stepped forward. "Guild Master, I'll do it!"

"Erza, this mission will be completed by you and Qi Yan together. If you don't agree, then I can't allow you to take this job alone."

Makarov looked at Erza as he spoke. S-Rank requests were far too dangerous. Although Erza's overall abilities were very strong, the possibility of failure was still high. Qi Yan might be a newcomer, but he had already completed an S-Rank request. And judging from Elfman's account, while Qi Yan's endurance was somewhat lacking, when he went all out, the strength he could unleash was absolutely among the very best of S-Rank Mages.

If Makarov were not worried that the kid would become too full of himself, he could have directly made him an S-Rank Mage.

Only if Qi Yan went with Erza could Makarov feel even slightly at ease.

"I agree!"

Erza did not hesitate in the slightest. She was not the kind of person who would stubbornly risk her life just to prove herself. If the mission could be completed more safely, she would not refuse.

"Hello, I'm Erza. Please take care of me."

Erza generously extended her hand to Qi Yan in introduction.

Qi Yan also reached out and shook her hand. "I'm Qi Yan. Please take care of me as well."

"Mm, I've heard about you. You defeated the Phantom Thief Guild alone and completed an S-Rank Mission. You seem very reliable!"

"It was just luck."

"You can't complete an S-Rank Mission through luck alone. We can spar sometime when we have the chance."

"Uh... all right!"

Qi Yan saw Erza's eyes filled with competitive spirit, as if she were determined to defeat him.

"Qi Yan, take a look at the mission."

Makarov handed the request form to Qi Yan.

Qi Yan accepted the request form. This was the first time he had officially seen an S-Rank request form.

A large red "S" was marked on the form, emphasizing the danger of the mission.

[Legendary Sword (S): Deep within a temple in the Western Great Forest of the Sobeia Kingdom lies a Legendary Sword. Pull out the Legendary Sword and deliver it to the Sobeia royal palace.]

"The mission doesn't seem that complicated!"

Makarov's expression turned solemn. "The simpler the mission seems, the more dangerous it is. Seven or eight powerful Mages have already fallen on this mission."

"I don't know much about this mission either, but I do know the Western Great Forest in the Sobeia Kingdom. Its official name is the Western Great Forest, but it has another title—the Great Monster Forest!"