The sun rose, waking the town of Magnolia in the early morning. Ankh stretched contentedly and walked out of the dormitory.
It had been a month since Ankh joined the guild, and his normal life had now stabilized.
With his Titan Gravity Magic, none of the guild's tasks were a challenge for Ankh; he could complete them with ease and earn rewards.
Just outside the door, Ankh proudly patted his luxurious fur coat and smiled faintly, "Finally, I've saved up some money."
"[Instead of buying these flashy, impractical clothes, it would be more sensible to buy some food...]"
"You don't understand. The terrifying activation condition for Super Magic is to make your opponent afraid. If I'm dressed in rags, how can I scare anyone?"
Residents passing by on the street looked at Ankh, who seemed to be talking to himself, with strange expressions.
That boisterous new kid in the guild is indeed a strange one!
But honestly, this young man is really handsome... Passersby who saw Ankh's slight smile suddenly felt the world around them brighten.
"[I think if you just cover your face, the terror success rate will activate...]"
Ankh covered his forehead helplessly, sighing, "I've wanted to find a mask for a long time, but who knew..."
Before, he tried buying a fierce Ghost Mask , and you know what, it worked quite well!
After Ankh put it on!
It was like 'half-hidden by a pipa, even more feminine'... Ankh's face instantly became as ugly as if he had swallowed excrement. He was helplessly melancholic... It was still more practical to build muscle.
Under the amazed and longing gazes of passersby, Ankh stiffened his resolve and started walking. If he wasn't mistaken, today would definitely be...
"Ankh-sama, I love you!!"
"Look! It's Ankh, Ankh has appeared!"
"Go quickly and interview him! Next week's magazine sales are sure to explode!"
Before he had even walked a few steps, various reporters and young girls, who had been waiting in alley corners, on the streets, and on rooftops, began to shout enthusiastically.
They looked hungry, as if they wanted to devour Ankh... As these familiar voices rang out around him, Ankh, whose head was buzzing, rolled his eyes helplessly, instantly picked up speed, and disappeared around the street corner in a flash.
A series of deafening sounds grew even more fervent, and all sorts of people chased after where Ankh had disappeared, a mighty procession.
"Tsk tsk tsk--"
...After a chase and evasion.
Laxus sat at a wine table, watching the breathless Ankh who had hidden in the guild, and mocked, "Blocked again?"
Ankh grumpily took off his hat, slammed it on the table, and said, "Of course. Ever since I took that job, those gossip reporters have been blocking the dormitory entrance every day."
Laxus, chewing on candy, nonchalantly added, "Serves you right. Why did you greedily take the male model job for the Mage Weekly?"
Ankh huffed guiltily and whispered, "It was just two photos, and the pay was more than most monster subjugation jobs. Would you have resisted?"
Two weeks ago, a request appeared in the guild: to find a male model for the fantasy section of a Mage Weekly magazine.
Ankh saw that the reward for this request was very generous, so he simply took it for fun. He didn't expect the employer to be very satisfied and even gave Ankh double the payment.
Later, even he didn't expect that that issue of the weekly magazine became incredibly popular because of him, and Ankh consequently became a super popular star who had just 'debuted.'
To this day, any entertainment publication featuring Ankh's photo can be said to be expensive.
Moreover, Ankh never took similar requests again, so those publications have long been hyped by unscrupulous merchants into rare items as precious as gold... How could Ankh have imagined that what was originally a simple odd job would, by accident, launch his career?
Ankh took a drink from the bar and wondered, "I just don't understand, why do girls nowadays like idols with effeminate looks?"
Laxus raised an eyebrow, puzzled, "Are you calling yourself effeminate?"
Ankh: ...
As the two chatted, Laxus suddenly frowned, stood up, and said, "I still have a mission, I'm leaving first."
Ankh was startled, looked at Laxus quickly leaving, and suddenly remembered something, looking behind him.
Sure enough, Erza and Natsu, those noisy guys, had arrived. Laxus probably didn't want to interact with them, right?
It was strange, Ankh originally thought Laxus was difficult to get along with, but after interacting these past few days, he felt that Laxus was no different from others.
However, Laxus behaved differently towards himself compared to other people in the guild.
Could it just be because Ankh's strength earned Laxus's approval?
"Ankh, good morning!"
A figure jumped in front of Ankh; the pretty and energetic girl Cana greeted him with a smile.
Erza, wearing her fitted armor, waved and said, "You're here so early, Ankh."
Ankh nodded in acknowledgment to the two girls. Natsu and Gray also walked over, covered in dirt, and sat opposite Ankh.
"Ankh, those reporters come to block the boys' dormitory every morning, it's really annoying..."
Gray slumped onto the table, saying weakly.
Natsu, who was usually at odds with Gray, nodded and, for once, agreed, "Exactly! When are you going to make them leave?"
Ankh drank his beverage and said, "I've already found a good house outside. Once I move out, they'll naturally leave too."
Natsu finally perked up, grinning broadly with his thick-headed optimism, "That's great!"
Erza stepped forward, leaning her head against Natsu's, looking at Ankh with some concern, "Are you sure you'll be okay moving out of the dormitory alone?"
Ankh waved his hand, a bit speechless. He wasn't some pushover; he wouldn't come to harm living alone.
In the original story, didn't Lucy also live safely in a rented house outside?
Although Natsu and Happy always broke in... Ankh's mind stirred, and he suddenly remembered to ask, "Natsu, do you have a cat?"
Natsu struggled free from Erza's grasp, rubbing his hair, and asked, puzzled, "A cat? Why a cat?"
Ankh shook his head.
It seemed that at this time, Happy had not yet been born or joined the guild.
Speaking of which, the guild was indeed quite empty now; several familiar characters Ankh remembered were not present.
As Ankh was pondering to himself, Makarov suddenly leaned over and asked, "Ankh, have you seen Laxus?"
Ankh snapped back to reality, shook his head, and said, "He just left. Why?"
"There's a rather dangerous request. Since Laxus isn't here, perhaps only you can go."
Makarov held a request form. Ankh took the form, glanced at it, and said in surprise:
"The village church, suspected of being haunted by a demon?"
Makarov nodded, saying seriously, "Although we can't confirm it's really a demon, witnesses say it's indeed very dangerous."
Ankh scratched his chin with interest, muttering softly, "This world is getting more and more interesting; there are even demons lurking about."
Makarov, holding a wooden staff, tapped it on the floor and said, "Just in case, you should go yourself and investigate who is truly behind this."
Ankh put away the request form and said, "Understood, I'll set off immediately."
As soon as he received the new task, Ankh set off without delay. Makarov watched his retreating figure, thinking something thoughtfully.
Among the younger generation of Fairy Tail today, there are two monsters, Ankh and Laxus, at the top, plus the mentally resilient Erza, and further down, the potential stocks of Natsu and Gray... It seems it's time to start the S-Class Mage promotion exam.