By the time Rayn reappeared at the guild, it was already noon the next day.
"How are you back already?!" Makarov exclaimed, looking at the boy in front of him with surprise.
He remembered correctly that Rayn's mission was to find and capture a thief. Finding clues, confirming the culprit, and then catching them, all of these steps should have taken a considerable amount of time. Yet, Rayn had just left yesterday and was already back. This couldn't help but astonish Makarov, making him wonder if he had gotten drunk and skipped a part of his life.
"I got lucky. I just happened to run into the cause of the missing items," Rayn explained with a smile, knowing the master's surprise. He and Kanna sat down nearby. He had also thought it would take some time, but he hadn't expected to run into Mystogan, which drastically shortened the mission duration.
"It wasn't a person?"
"No, it seemed to be a rift from another world. When I got there, someone was already sealing it." Rayn concealed the details about 'Anima,' picking out a more plausible explanation.
"Another world!?"
Even the well-traveled Makarov couldn't help but be surprised by this answer. The existence of other worlds wasn't strange to him. After all, various documents hinted at this information, such as the Celestial Spirit World, the worlds where demons and gods existed, and even magic that summoned creatures not found in this world. Rayn's Dragon Summoning magic was proof of that.
What surprised Makarov was that something he had never encountered in his entire life had just happened to Rayn.
"Who was the person who sealed the world rift?" Since he was capable of such a feat, he must be a well-known mage, perhaps even one of the Ten Wizard Saints.
"That person looked a bit shorter than me and had his face completely covered." This wasn't a lie, he just didn't tell the whole story. After all, Rayn couldn't explain how he knew about 'Anima.' And even if he told them, there was no way to travel to Edolas.
"A bit shorter than you?" Makarov scanned Rayn up and down and began searching his memory of the Wizard Saints. However, he couldn't find anyone with a similar physique. Among the Wizard Saints, the only one shorter than Rayn was himself.
"It seems he's a veteran mage who doesn't like fame," Makarov could only shake his head with regret.
The Ten Wizard Saints weren't necessarily the strongest in the world. They earned their titles due to a combination of strength and reputation. But there were some powerful mages who disliked fame, and the Magic Council wouldn't publicize their names.
"Perhaps," Rayn shrugged, saying casually.
Kanna, sitting beside him, glanced up at him. She felt that Rayn seemed to know that person. But since Rayn didn't say anything, it meant he had his own reasons, so she didn't speak up either. Noticing Kanna's gaze, Rayn smiled and gently patted her head.
"Alright, since you're back, get some good rest. Don't push yourself too hard," Makarov said, no longer thinking about it and speaking to Rayn in a heartfelt tone.
In this rather laid-back guild, this little fellow Rayn was an anomaly. He worked so hard it was almost life-threatening, making Makarov worry that he might push himself to the breaking point.
"I'm alright, I guess." Rayn tilted his head, not feeling much of anything. His body, gradually being strengthened by Dragon's Origin, was also becoming less human. What seemed like arduous work to Makarov and the others felt like ordinary exercise to him. The recovery after fatigue was much faster than for ordinary people.
More importantly, the almost tangible progress after extreme training gave Rayn's tired spirit a sense of satisfaction. He was eager to get up and continue his training.
"Oh, right." Seeing Rayn's unforced expression, the corner of Makarov's mouth twitched slightly, but then he remembered something else.
"The council has approved the bounty for the 'Rat Catchers.' It should arrive in a few days. The amount seems to be 200,000 Jewel."
This amount made even Rayn raise his eyebrows slightly. They were just a few not-so-strong guys, why were they worth so much?
"Their strength isn't much, but their actions were too heinous. Many families who lost their children gave money to the council, which is how the amount reached this level," Makarov explained, seeming to notice Rayn's confusion.
"I see. In that case, you can have my share, Master. Plus these 30,000 Jewel, that's half the rent paid back." Laxus had also helped with that mission, so Rayn naturally couldn't take all the money. Just like the mission reward, the bounty was split fifty-fifty. The apartment rent was 70,000 Jewel a month, so three months' rent was 210,000. He had paid back 30,000 from the previous two missions, plus 100,000 from the 'Rat Catcher' bounty, and 30,000 from this mission.
He took out 30,000 Jewel from his bag and handed it to Makarov. Although he hadn't paid it all back yet, having returned a large portion made Rayn feel a sense of relief.
"Rayn, want to pay it all off at once?" Laxus's still-prickly voice came from his ear.
Rayn turned his head to look at Laxus, who was sitting alone in a corner. The blonde boy was now resting his chin on one hand, a wicked smile playing on his lips.
"Laxus, what are you trying to do!?" Makarov, who knew his grandson well, immediately frowned.
"Nothing, just thought we had a score to settle, right?" Laxus casually replied to his grandfather, a complex light flashing in his eyes.
He had already noticed during the battle in Oak Village that Rayn's strength was not weak. He had originally planned to find Rayn to settle their initial grudge after returning, but he didn't expect that guy to go straight to his grandfather to learn magic, and then not come to the guild at all.
When he finally appeared at the guild after a few days, he went out on a mission again. And he had heard from the other guild members that Rayn seemed to have changed again. Even that Gildarts had praised Rayn. It was obvious that the guy's strength had improved significantly in just a few days.
This made Laxus feel a sense of urgency. Although he was reluctant to admit it, Laxus found that a thought had emerged in his mind: if this continued, he would be surpassed by him. Even though he immediately suppressed this thought, Laxus couldn't help but feel a sense of panic.
And the solution to this problem was simple: defeat Rayn with overwhelming strength.
So, Laxus had prepared not to go out on missions during this period and just wait for Rayn to return. Unexpectedly, that guy came back the next day. Even more unexpectedly, the aura on that guy had indeed become more dangerous, as the guild members had said. The way he carried the greatsword on his back gave him a savage, barbaric aura, like a young beast from ancient times gradually revealing its fangs.
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