The End of the Battle, and the Start of Getting Rich Is Going Deep into Debt

As Makarov let out a heartbroken wail, the onlookers around them also took in the devastating scene.

The entire street had been torn apart, massive chunks of rock jutted up everywhere, and the surrounding houses were on the verge of collapse. The residents of those homes hurried out, grateful to have survived the disaster. When they saw the full extent of the scene, some began to weep in grief.

Others had already discovered who had caused this catastrophe. "Fairy Tail!! You again! Are you trying to destroy this town?!" As perfectly fine European-style buildings turned into Syrian war-zone ruins, the townspeople grew even angrier and surrounded Makarov.

"Guild Master Makarov, we know you are one of the Ten Wizard Saints, and we know you are the master of the Fairy Tail guild. Your status may be noble, but that does not give you the right to destroy our homes whenever you please! You must pay for the rebuilding!"

"And the streets!"

"And compensation! The renovations inside my house have all been ruined!"

"If he does not pay, we will report him to the Magic Council!"

Listening to the accusations around him, the surrounded Makarov knew he was in the wrong. Wiping away sweat, he shouted, "Everyone, rest assured, I will take responsibility for the reconstruction. Your losses will also be compensated at full value. Now, please come over here and report your losses. Wakaba! Macao! Come help!"

Following Makarov's declaration, the crowd's anger gradually subsided. With the other wizards' cooperation, the damage was slowly tallied.

"House repairs... street restoration... furniture repairs... injury treatment..." Macao's face went pale as he calculated. "Master, the total is out... It is rather high..."

Makarov clutched his chest and said with difficulty, "Tell me... I am prepared..."

Macao gritted his teeth. "The total compensation required is 23.5 million J!"

"Gah!" Makarov's vision went black, and he fainted on the spot.

"Master!!"

As the townspeople claimed their compensation one by one, Makarov watched the guild treasury shrink without end, his heart aching terribly.

"That is my retirement fund! Ed!! Look what you have done!" Makarov furiously berated the culprit behind this disaster.

Meanwhile, their protagonist had already recovered from his earlier panic and was even reflecting on his own shortcomings. Hearing Makarov's scolding, he snapped back to his senses and comforted him. "Come on, old man, do not think so much about it. It was my first time using that move on a street. When I tested it before, I was always up in the mountains. I did not realize it would affect the surrounding houses too. I will be more careful next time."

Ed tilted his head and thought for a moment before speaking again. "As for the compensation, I really have Zero way to afford it right now. Guild Master, please cover it for me first. I will work hard and pay you back later!"

Ed bowed deeply to Makarov.

Seeing Ed's sincere attitude in admitting fault, Makarov's anger gradually faded. "Pay me back? Do you know how much over twenty million J is? Even S-Class missions only pay a few million J, and you are not even S-Class."

Makarov looked at the treasury and sighed before continuing, "You do not need to bear all of it yourself. As the guild master, I am also responsible for failing to manage you properly. I will pay 5 million J. You and Gray will cover the remaining 18.5 million J. Since you bear the main responsibility for this accident, you will pay 15 million, while Gray will pay the remaining 3.5 million. Any objections?"

"Yes! Thank you very much!" Gray and Ed immediately stood at attention and shouted in unison.

Once the three of them had settled the compensation matter, the other guild members finally gathered around to review Ed and Gray's battle.

Everyone began voicing their opinions.

"Ahahaha, that was pathetic, droopy eyes! 'Are you going to kill me?' Hahahaha! You did not piss yourself from fright, did you? Huh? Hahahahaha!"

"Natsu! You bastard!!"

The ice and fire pair had barely been peaceful for a few minutes before launching into another intense verbal battle.

"That was amazing, Ed. Your punch just now was so powerful. How did you hit with that much force? Aren't you a spatial magic user?" Curious little Levy spotted the key issue.

"Huh? Oh, that is a mana burst technique. I call it the Monster Strength Art. What do you think? Pretty impressive, right? Want to become my apprentice? I can teach you~" Still recalling the feeling of that battle, Ed casually replied to Levy.

Levy fell into thought. In her mind, she saw herself smashing mountains with a punch, tearing apart the earth with a kick, protecting her companions with one hand—a powerful figure, Zero, invincible in the world. Since the mental image was far too absurd, Levy snapped out of her fantasy. "N-no need. My Solid Script still needs more practice... I do not have the energy to learn that for now..."

"Ed! Although you won, your greatest mistake in this battle was failing to pay attention to your surroundings. You casually used such a powerful spell. If you face this kind of situation again, you must pay close attention to the area around you and carefully consider the spell's power and how much damage it may cause." Serious Erza expressed her dissatisfaction with Ed's actions and gave him her advice.

"Big sis, if you and Ed get together someday, then that power of his seems pretty dangerous." This was a certain black-hearted little cotton-padded jacket teasing her own sister.

"W-who wants to get together with him?! Do not talk nonsense! Ah! Damn it, teasing your own sister like that—you need to be taught a lesson! Lisanna!" came the outburst of a certain white-haired beauty whose defenses had been thoroughly broken. "Ah! Save me, Natsu!" came someone's cry of despair.

"If big sis really gets together with him, could I learn that technique too?" a timid boy muttered to himself, but Zero heard him.

Amid the guild members' noisy commotion, the day quickly turned into night. Back in the dormitory, Ed was finally able to calmly consider his own problems.

"First, I still lack offensive techniques. Although Monster Strength is powerful, I will not necessarily have time to charge up in battle, and its destructive power is honestly a bit too great. I do not want to be like Natsu and the others, spending most of every mission reward on compensation..."

Ed continued his daily training while thinking about which techniques could provide more precise power.

"The Rasengan should work. After all, it is a complementary ninja technique. But I do not know whether I can recreate the Five-Element Shield Art. If I can, I will have more options in battle. Forget it, no need to overthink it. I will start with the Rasengan and take things one step at a time~"

As his training ended, Ed decided on the direction of his next round of cultivation. That was right~ he was going to start rolling balls~

"Ah, time to sleep. I was hoping to earn money and buy a house, but before I even bought one, I ended up millions in debt. So I am a multimillionaire in reverse now~ The start of getting rich is getting deep into debt~" Lying on his bed, Ed laughed at his own pun.