What exactly this "dragon egg" would hatch into still had no answer for now, but its attractiveness had already become obvious.
Inside the forest, several huge green-furred gorillas charged out, one of them especially large, clearly the leader.
"SO BIG!!!"
Seeing the five giant gorillas rush out, the children all screamed and backed up several steps, running behind Moen and Erza.
"It's Forest Balugon!"
Levy immediately recognized these monsters with green fur and purple bodies.
"They're after the dragon egg! They love eating eggs the most!"
Levy grew nervous and shouted at Natsu, who was holding the egg.
"Egg! Egg! Give us the egg! Let us eat it!"
Even without Levy's warning, the Forest Balugons were already crying out after seeing the egg in Natsu's arms.
They were a species of magical beast with decent intelligence, capable of speech.
These green-furred monkey monsters had been very active recently in Magnolia's East Forest. Many people had already encountered them. When they were not in mating season, Forest Balugons were not very dangerous and could be driven off with a few eggs.
But if it was mating season, they were extremely dangerous, and women were advised not to enter the East Forest at that time.
Clearly, this was not their mating season, since they were completely ignoring the girls around—they only had eyes for the egg in Natsu's arms.
"Damn it! I'm not giving you anything!"
Natsu bared his teeth and growled at the monkeys.
While speaking, he held the egg tightly and ran behind Moen and Erza.
"Moen-nii! Erza! Watch the egg for me—I'll drive them away!"
Natsu put down the egg, rolled up his sleeves, and rushed at the monkeys.
"We're going too!"
Gray, not to be outdone, charged in right after Natsu.
"I don't even have that egg—how could I let you monkeys have it…"
Elfman muttered as he also rushed forward. When facing an enemy, the boys were all extremely brave.
Cana, Levy, and Lisanna stood in the back, also eager to join in. They were all mages—how could they possibly be afraid of a few monkeys?
Smack!
Natsu, Gray, and Elfman, who rushed in, were all slammed into the ground, each sporting a huge bump on their heads after being punched down by the five monkey monsters.
"Use magic!"
Seeing this ridiculous scene, Moen couldn't help but rub his forehead. These three idiots had rushed in with their fists.
Forest Balugons relied completely on brute strength—every muscle on their bodies looked larger than the kids themselves. Without using magic, fighting them with pure physical strength meant the mages had no advantage at all. Getting beaten was normal.
"But they're not using magic!"
Natsu held his head, refusing to accept it.
Gray stood up as well. He didn't know why Natsu refused to use magic, but as long as Natsu didn't use it, he wouldn't either!
Among the three, only Elfman stayed down, stars circling his head as he lay on the ground, completely losing the ability to fight.
Clearly, Gray and Natsu—who had long suffered Moen and Erza's constant beatings—had incredible durability, while Elfman simply couldn't compare.
"Elfman!"
Lisanna rushed over with a worried expression, helping him up, not knowing what to say.
"Eggs! And pretty girls!"
Seeing how weak the children were, the Forest Balugons grew even more arrogant. They thumped their chests and shrieked loudly.
One of them leaped high and landed in front of Lisanna and Elfman.
Its eyes were filled with hearts as it stretched out its large purple hand toward Lisanna.
"Lisanna!"
"Elfman!"
Natsu and the others panicked and tried to rush over, but the remaining monkeys blocked their way.
"BOOM!"
Magic power surged into the air, falling like snowflakes. A terrifying blast of freezing fist-wind covered the monkey monster. A layer of frost formed instantly, freezing it into an ice sculpture.
"Diamond Dust Fist!"
With the roaring wind, all the remaining Forest Balugons were frozen solid by the icy air.
"C-c-cold!"
Lisanna, Natsu, and Elfman all shivered uncontrollably. Even the dazed Elfman was instantly jolted awake.
"Moen-nii! That was awesome!"
Gray didn't feel much cold. Looking at the frozen monsters, he reached out to poke one. The Forest Balugon instantly shattered into pieces on the ground.
"W-whoa…"
Gray's eyes widened. There was no fear—only admiration. He wished he could master such terrifying freezing power.
"H-h-hot, h-hot…"
Natsu kept blowing fire and rubbing his arms to warm himself up.
Moen walked over to Lisanna. With a wave of his hand, the remaining cold air dispersed, warming Lisanna and Elfman again.
Lisanna and Elfman looked up at Moen and noticed his expression was not good—cold, even.
"Don't you ever do that again. If something really happened, could you handle the consequences? Even a lion uses its full strength to strike a rabbit. When facing an enemy, you put in everything from the first move. Understand?!"
Moen spoke with a serious tone, staring at Natsu, Gray, and Elfman. His voice was unusually stern.
"Yes, Moen-nii. I understand."
Gray responded first. His mind had always been clear—he had only gotten dumber because Natsu was around.
"S-sorry, Moen-nii… I won't do it again…"
Elfman apologized shamefully.
He felt he had disappointed Moen. His slow progress with Take-Over Magic already made him ashamed, and now this happened. He wished he could bury himself in a hole.
"…"
Natsu looked thoughtful, as if he had realized something. When the monkey monster attacked Lisanna and Elfman earlier, the anxiety he felt gave him a new understanding.
"Moen-nii, I think I get it now."
Natsu said seriously, nodding at Moen. This time, he truly understood—even Moen's earlier lessons about the meaning of life had clicked a little.
Natsu was extremely straightforward. If he understood, he understood. If he didn't, he wouldn't pretend.
"Good. Since you get it, let's head back to the guild. I remember there's a quest to take out Forest Balugons—let's take the reward and use it for a feast. Everyone can relax and eat well."
Seeing everyone's responses, Moen clapped his hands with a smile, announcing good news. The kids all cheered happily. Moen's teaching style was always "a blow followed by a reward." That was one of the reasons everyone loved him—he never hesitated to give rewards.
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