Standing by the window, Marco looked at the pitch-black sky outside.
There wasn't really much to see in Magnolia at 4 AM.
Turning back to look inside the room, Marco's eyes immediately fell on the suit of armor displayed on the stand.
Clean and tidy, with a slight metallic sheen, the style was quite imposing.
Clean, neat, with a faint metallic sheen and a majestic design—this was the birthday gift Erza had given him six months ago.
Unfortunately, this armor wasn't produced by the system, so it couldn't be stored in the system space.
Marco's "Requip Magic" couldn't take effect on it, so it could only be displayed as a decorative item.
Next to this armor were many other objects, all gifts from everyone.
The less practical ones could only be displayed to gather dust, like the wooden handcuffs Laki had given him.
It must be said that everyone's hobbies were truly diverse.
Who would have thought that the seemingly intellectual Laki enjoyed collecting various torture devices?
"Clink!"
Marco flipped a gold coin, watching it spin several times before landing back in his palm—heads up, with his face engraved on it.
This was the lucky gold coin Cana had given him, supposedly blessed by a "divination master" and extremely effective for ensuring his safety.
Marco strongly suspected this "divination master" was Cana herself.
In comparison, the dessert Wendy had given him turned out to be the most practical—at least it was edible and had been consumed long ago.
Oh, and there was that supposedly best-selling adventure novel from Levy.
He'd already read it, and the quality was just average at best.
The fantasy adventure novels in this world were too primitive.
They desperately needed some dimensional-crushing content from another world.
Over the past six months, Marco had already started writing and his book wasn't far from completion.
At the same time, he'd begun working on his own exclusive BGM theme.
As for Natsu and Gray's gifts... better not mention them.
Natsu gave him a monster bird egg that never hatched, and Gray gave him a life-sized ice sculpture that couldn't fit in the fridge and had long since melted.
He really couldn't see what was so cool about either of these things.
Marco's room was filled with numerous gifts collected over the years.
Whenever any guild member had a birthday or during holidays, he would prepare gifts, so naturally everyone would reciprocate.
Relationships were built through such thoughtful efforts.
If you don't keep others in mind, why would they care about you?
Putting the lucky gold coin in his pocket and wearing his headphones, Marco headed out to begin his morning training.
*****
"Pegasus Meteor Fist!"
After a simple warm-up jog, Marco started throwing punches.
Over the past six months, his Pegasus Meteor Fist had become increasingly proficient.
[Pegasus Meteor Fist - Beginner, Proficiency: 380/500]
In just half a year, the proficiency growth had been astonishing—more than tripling, with progress far surpassing previous rates.
This dramatic improvement was partly due to the Cloth's enhancement.
Marco now trained while wearing the "Equuleus Bronze Cloth."
As the "brother constellation" to Pegasus, this Cloth also provided some boost to the 'Pegasus Meteor Fist'.
On the other hand, the increase in actual combat brought additional benefits.
Proficiency improved much faster in real fights than through empty swings.
Over the past six months, Marco had been frequently venturing out, taking on numerous monster-hunting missions.
Not only had he saved up a decent sum, but he had also earned himself a small reputation.
"Haa~"
After practicing his punches for a while, Marco began to meditate.
Unlike Natsu, who was freakishly able to enhance his magic power without meditation, Marco never shied away from putting in the hard work.
Marco firmly believed in the saying: 'During training, sweat is on your face. After training, sweat is on your enemy's face.'
The Equuleus Bronze Cloth emitted a faint glow, connecting with the constellation in the sky.
Tiny specks of starlight showered down onto Marco, merging into his body and amplifying his magic power.
Over the past six months, Marco had forged an increasingly strong bond with the Equuleus constellation in the night sky, reaping greater benefits as a result.
For instance, during meditation, he could now absorb the star magic power from Equuleus.
This magic power was incredibly pure and greatly aided in expanding the reservoir of his magic source.
"Huuuu" Marco exhaled deeply as the starlight on his body gradually dimmed.
He opened his eyes, a fleeting azure glimmer passing through them.
'If I establish connections with all the constellations in the space, wouldn't that mean every star would shine for me the moment I meditate? Wouldn't the entire sky's radiance descend upon me?'
Marco looked up at the sky, his heart brimming with visions of the future.
By now, dawn was approaching and the starlight of Equuleus had already vanished.
Yet Marco could still feel that connection with the stars.
Every star in the Equuleus constellation seemed to pulse with joy for him.
Having finished his morning training, Marco returned home.
As soon as he arrived, he ran into Makarov, who was excitedly rushing out the door.
"Marco! Perfect timing—come with me to the guild right now! We've got news!"
Spotting Marco, Makarov's eyes lit up and he immediately grabbed Marco's arm, dragging him towards the guild in a hurry.
"What's going on? What news?" Marco was puzzled.
He noticed Laxus trailing behind Makarov, which was a rare sight.
"It's news about Eisenwald! The Magic Council has finally manage to find out where Eisenwald is located!" Makarov exclaimed excitedly.
He had been waiting for this day for a long time.
"Huh?" Marco was taken aback.
Well, well—finally!
If this had taken any longer, he might have completely forgotten about the whole thing!
"What kind of work efficiency is that? Why does the Magic Council took so long for something simple as this!" Marco couldn't help but complain.
This was the official organization overseeing all magical affairs across the continent of Ishgar—what a bunch of incompetents.
"Don't blame them. The people you captured were tough nuts to crack. They had magically concealed the guild's location in their minds. The Council had to put in a lot of effort to uncover the true whereabouts of the Eisenwald guild."
Makarov defended the Magic Council, speaking objectively.
Though the Council often gave him trouble—issuing reprimands over trivial matters—he didn't deny the importance of its existence.
"If you ask me, there's no need to gather the whole guild. I could handle Eisenwald alone." Laxus interjected from behind, his face full of reluctance.
He wanted to take down the Eisenwald guild single-handedly.
"Don't underestimate them, Laxus." Makarov frowned, cautioning Laxus.
He felt Laxus was being too much of a lone-wolf.
"Hmph." Laxus snorted coldly, turning his head away and refusing to speak or look at Makarov any further.
"..."
Marco pursed his lips, choosing not to contradict Makarov.
After all, the old man had initially planned to single-handedly take down the Eisenwald Guild himself.
But upon reflection, Makarov certainly had the qualifications to do so, whereas Laxus hadn't even become an S-Class Mage yet.
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