Kingdom of Swords

"Great Monster Forest?!"

Levy cried out in surprise when she heard the name.

Sarusuk looked at Levy. "What? You know about it, Levy?"

Levy nodded. "Magic Records has information on it. The Great Monster Forest is one of the legendary forbidden zones for humans. It is said to be home to over a million monsters."

"A million?! How much is a million? I can't count that high! Happy, lend me your fingers!!"

Natsu jumped in fright, anxiously counting on his fingers.

Happy quipped, "Forget my fingers—even if I lent you all the fur on my body, it still wouldn't be enough!"

Gray asked in confusion, "If there are that many monsters in the forest, isn't that country afraid of being wiped out by them?"

Makarov explained, "Then we need to talk about the Sobeia Kingdom. The Sobeia Kingdom, also known as the Swordfighter Nation, is a place where everyone worships swordsmanship. Compared to Mage Guilds like ours, there are more Swordsman Guilds there."

"Swordsman Guilds mainly hunt in the Great Monster Forest. They defeat monsters, bring back their materials to sell, and increase their ranks based on how many monsters they hunt, from One-Star Swordsmen to Nine-Star Swordsmen."

"Among them, a Nine-Star Swordsman is roughly equivalent to an S-Rank Mage in our Mage Guild."

"Thanks to the hunting efforts of countless swordsmen, the Sobeia Kingdom has managed to withstand the monsters' attacks. And with the materials produced from monster bodies, its national strength ranks among the best on the entire Ishgar Continent."

"That is roughly all I know. I had heard of the Legendary Sword long ago, but I thought it was merely a rumor."

"I'm telling you this only so you understand the danger of this mission. It was originally posted in those Swordsman Guilds. Who knew how many Seven-Star, Eight-Star, and even Nine-Star Swordsmen had rushed to challenge it, only to all fall within the Great Monster Forest."

"Later, when the mission could not be completed, it was distributed to Mage Guilds everywhere. Some mages attempted it as well, but they all ended in failure."

"This mission may appear to be only S-Rank, but all of us guild masters believe its difficulty is already approaching SS-Rank. That is why I tried to stop you from going."

"SS-Rank?!"

Everyone in the guild was stunned by those words. SS-Rank was work above S-Rank, and its difficulty was twice as dangerous.

"The only advice I can give you is this: if you find the mission too difficult to complete, retreat immediately. Staying alive is more important than anything else."

"Yes, Master!"

Qi Yan and Erza both nodded solemnly.

Qi Yan also felt that things were rather troublesome. The Great Monster Forest, with its countless monsters, would be no small challenge for him. It was the most troublesome kind of situation he had encountered so far.

But that could not make him give up this mission. Instead, he felt an eager excitement stirring within him.

It had been the same when he fought the Phantom Thief Guild. Back then, he had felt something unprecedented—an intense, exhilarating rush.

Could I actually be battle-hungry deep down? No, that couldn't be right. Before I transmigrated, let alone fighting, I only ever cursed at people when my teammates were too terrible in Honor of Kings.

Erza said to Qi Yan, "Qi Yan, let's go back separately and pack our luggage. We'll meet at Magnolia Train Station in an hour."

"Alright!"

After saying that, the two left the guild.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I want to take on an S-Rank Mission too!!"

Natsu watched their departing backs with a face full of envy.

Gray said from the side, "It's because we aren't strong enough that we can't take S-Rank Missions!"

"Didn't Elfman take an S-Rank Mission too?"

Elfman said helplessly, "I was just tagging along. Qi Yan did everything himself. If it had been me, I probably would have been taken out long ago."

Although he had participated in an S-Rank Mission, fear still lingered in his heart. This S-Rank Mission had been even more dangerous than the one he had undertaken with his sister a year ago. None of the Phantom Thief Guild's mages had been easy to deal with, especially their leader. Full Reflection magic had been far too troublesome.

After returning home, Qi Yan quickly packed his luggage and headed for the train station.

A little while later.

"Sorry... Have you been waiting long?"

"I just got here too... That's a lot of luggage!!"

Qi Yan could not help but complain when he saw Erza. She was dragging an entire cart piled high with bags and suitcases. Was she heading out on a mission, or moving house? No, even if Qi Yan were moving house, he would not have this much luggage.

"Is it that much? It's not too bad."

Soon, the two boarded the train together, found their seats, and sat down as the train slowly began to move.

"Qi Yan, sorry for troubling you this time."

They had only met for the first time, yet she had asked him to accompany her on an S-Rank Mission that put their lives at risk. Erza could not help feeling somewhat guilty.

Qi Yan waved his hand. "It's no trouble. I would have been taking work anyway. I should be thanking you for letting me challenge an S-Rank Mission."

Hearing Qi Yan say that made Erza feel much better.

The two chatted casually afterward. Qi Yan discovered that Erza was a very talkative girl, and talking with her felt relaxed and comfortable. Whenever they grew tired, they rested.

After roughly three days, they arrived at the Sobeia Kingdom's capital, Sword City—Noah.

"How spectacular!"

Qi Yan could not help exclaiming as he looked at the imposing city walls that stood a hundred meters tall.

Unlike an open city such as Magnolia Town, this capital was entirely surrounded by towering walls a hundred meters high, making it appear grand and majestic.

There were also signs of damage and dried bloodstains on the walls, making it easy to imagine that they were not decorations at all, but evidence of real battles of iron and blood.

Even though he was accustomed to skyscrapers and all kinds of magnificent buildings, structures from a true battlefield still carried an entirely different kind of shock.

"Yeah! It's incredible!"

Like Qi Yan, Erza was stunned by the sight. She had never seen city walls so enormous before.

There was a large gate beneath the walls, where all travelers and merchants lined up to be inspected before entering the city.

"What are you two here for?"

Before long, a guard came over to question Qi Yan and Erza.

Erza said, "We are mages from Fairy Tail. We accepted a commission and came here to complete a mission."

The guard nodded. Many mages came here, and many of them were after the monsters in the Great Monster Forest.

"What is inside the boxes?"

"Luggage."

"Luggage?! This much?!"

The guard was just as startled. Were they here to do a mission, or to move house?

Suddenly, a scream rang out.

"Monsters!!"