Ankh examined his right arm. On the skin of his forearm, the Fairy Tail Guild emblem had been carved by a magic seal.
"The Guild emblem is not only a symbol of Fairy Tail's belief, but also proof that you'll need to provide for future jobs," Erza explained patiently, pointing to Ankh's forearm.
Ankh nodded, pulled down his rolled-up sleeve, and asked, "Are there any simple requests?"
With Seram's guidance and Ankh's exceptional talent, even Super Magic could be memorized and understood in a very short time.
Titan Gravity was inherently made for battle. Ankh, unable to contain himself, was eager to find an opponent to test it out.
Among the people in the Guild, it would still take some effort for the current Ankh to defeat them without resorting to his terrifying power.
However, Ankh's foundational magic, which he had just started learning, was all Super Magic, so his future achievements would certainly be no less than Erza's.
Erza looked around the Guild's public notice board and finally took down a yellowed request form, saying, "This is a herb-gathering mission entrusted by a client. The reward is 10,000 J. It shouldn't be a problem for you."
Ankh took the request form, frowning as he looked at the string of numbers written on it.
The people of this world used paper money and coins similar to his previous life. Hard currency also included gold, but mostly, the kingdom issued banknotes, commonly known as J.
He had no concept of the exchange rate for money in the Fairy Tail world, but since it was just herb gathering, the reward was probably not high.
Ankh nodded and said, "I understand. Where is the location?"
"On Hakobe Mountain, outside Magnolia, where it's winter all year round."
So, the environment for carrying out the request was quite harsh… "How does the magic power on this human girl feel so strange?"
Seram's voice, full of doubt, echoed within him. Ankh, unconcerned, replied knowingly, "After all, she's the future Fairy Queen; strong magic power is normal."
"It's not that it's strong; it's just that the density and quality of this magic power are somewhat like... but also very different..."
"Never mind, I probably saw wrong…"
Ankh was stunned by what Seram said.
What was going on? Why had Seram become so unconfident?
Was Erza's magic power, or rather, she herself, special?
Ankh secretly observed Erza's face. At such a young age, she already possessed such a captivating appearance, which was indeed rare, but he still couldn't see any clues… However, Ankh inexplicably felt a sense of familiarity from the little girl, as if they had known each other for a long time.
Ankh was still pondering when Seram's voice interrupted his thoughts, saying:
"And that narrow-eyed brat with the cherry-blossom hair, his magic power also gives off an annoying feeling…"
Natsu… his magic power also had a problem?
Alright, as expected of the ever-changing intersection point in the original story.
These people in the Guild truly each carried some mysteries.
Ankh stayed in the Guild for a while, but couldn't find anything wrong with Erza, so he had to return to the dormitory first.
Erza watched Ankh slowly leave, her brows tightly furrowed, and she murmured, "How strange…"
Not many things were needed for the request. Ankh only brought some food and water, along with some warm clothes.
Hakobe Mountain, not far outside Magnolia, was a vast, extremely cold snow-capped mountain range.
Generally speaking, ordinary people without magic power were unwilling to come here, but this mountain happened to have many treasures.
Rare medicinal herbs, exotic beasts, and strange, unmelting divine ice attracted many people's covetous gazes.
Therefore, people from surrounding cities would entrust the Fairy Tail Guild to carry out requests, as Ankh's Guild was the closest to here.
So, besides this time, Ankh would likely have many more missions here in the future.
Above the continuous, silver-clad mountain range, a slender figure swiftly flew through the fine snow on the horizon.
The biting cold wind struck his face like a knife, but Ankh's smile grew wider and wider, as he thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of flying through the air.
Ankh's Titan Gravity Magic, since he mastered it, allowed him to use many violent and wide-ranging attack methods, but some delicate techniques were difficult to learn.
Flying in the air using gravity was also something Ankh had learned by exploring on his own these past few days.
When he first started learning, he didn't know how many things he had crashed into… Ankh, carrying a leather backpack, steadily hovered above the snowy mountain, looking down at the earth like an exiled immortal.
According to the client's explanation to Ankh, his wife had contracted a strange and serious illness, with her entire body feeling as if it were on fire, so medicine made from the Blue-Leaf Snow Lotus, a specialty of Hakobe Mountain, was needed.
The Blue-Leaf Snow Lotus grew on the cliff tops, so Ankh chose to fly to the top of the cliff, which made searching much more convenient.
"I see it."
In his vision, which was enveloped in white, a faint blue-silver suddenly appeared. Ankh squinted his eyes and flew towards it.
Everything around him was a vast expanse of white, and coupled with the reflection of the sun, it made Ankh's eyes ache a little.
Ankh arrived at the steep mountaintop and waved towards the perilous cliff below. The Blue-Leaf Snow Lotus was drawn by gravity that appeared out of thin air and flew into his hand.
The entire process had no difficulty at all. Ankh held the snow lotus and looked at it for a while, smiling, "This ten thousand J was earned so easily."
"Crack—"
Ankh's smile gradually disappeared. It really wasn't that easy after all… After putting the snow lotus into a sealed ice box in his backpack, Ankh slowly turned around, and a surging crowd of robust figures appeared before him.
Ankh was momentarily stunned. Were these things monkeys?
They had heart-shaped spots on their bodies, were covered in white fur, had very human-like features, and seemed to be lecherous.
The leading ape was the most robust, and the covetousness in its eyes as it looked at Ankh was undisguised.
Ankh's face darkened. What he hated most was this kind of covetous gaze.
"Disgusting beasts!"
These wretched-looking apes seemed to understand his words. The monkey king at the forefront became enraged and, leaping up and down, lunged towards Ankh.
A group of sturdy wild monkeys leaped into the air, a dense black mass obscuring the sky. Ankh stood calmly in place, not moving an inch.
A smug smile appeared on the apes' faces, but before they could revel in their triumph for a moment, their bodies suddenly became heavy.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The monkeys that had jumped into mid-air fell dramatically, crashing heavily into the ground, unable to be pried loose.
The apes chattered and shrieked. With their beastly minds, they couldn't comprehend why such a heavy sensation had suddenly appeared on their bodies… Ankh, with a composed demeanor, folded his arms and said, "Titan Gravity is truly effective against such savage opponents."
To subdue these beasts of brute strength, Ankh's Gravity Magic didn't even need to be used at full power.
The apes' eyes darted wildly, their faces filled with terror as they looked at the stunningly beautiful Ankh, struggling even more violently.
"Tsk—"
Ankh extended his hand, and a familiar magic circle was rapidly completed, floating in his palm. The eerie magic power instantly covered the entire battlefield.
The monkeys, who had been screeching moments ago, were swept by this rapidly approaching magic power and immediately fell silent.
Upon closer inspection, none of the apes piled on the ground, crushed by gravity, were still alive… Super Magic: Terror. As long as any creature harbored even a hint of fear towards the caster, Ankh, it could easily be stripped of its life.
Compared to one of Fairy Tail's three Great Super Magic spells—Fairy Law—the kill condition for this magic, though slightly more stringent, consumed very little magic power.
Moreover, because it was particularly suited to Ankh's physique, the magic of Terror still had considerable room for growth.