Chapter 260: Grand Magic Games
Ren clinked his cup with Laxus.
"No need to be polite! You were originally a member of the guild, and now you're just returning to where you belong."
The wooden tankards met with a heavy, dull thud, splashing amber liquid onto the scarred table. The tavern was filled with the boisterous noise of the guild, a chaotic symphony of laughter, shouting, and the clattering of plates that felt incredibly nostalgic.
The two kept clinking glasses, and after three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere gradually became lively. The alcohol served in this rundown temporary guild hall was cheap and burned the throat, but to Ren, it tasted like victory. It was the taste of survival after the hellish encounter with Acnologia.
"Cheers!!"
Ren was a bit dizzy at this point; drinking really did make one happier the more they drank. A warm, fuzzy numbness spread through his limbs, loosening his tongue and relaxing the perpetual guard he held up as a transmigrator.
"Ren, we haven't seen each other in such a short time, how did you get so strong? Did you secretly take drugs or something?"
Laxus lowered his mug, his sharp eyes scanning Ren with a mixture of suspicion and grudging respect. He was shocked by Ren's Bijū transformation—the Kurama Mode—that he had witnessed during the battle. That powerful strength, the sheer density of that malevolent yet controlled chakra, made him feel out of reach. It completely redefined his concept of a strong person. Laxus, who prided himself on his Lightning Dragon Slayer magic, felt a rare sense of inferiority facing that golden avatar.
"Get lost! You're the one who secretly took drugs. I became this strong through my own efforts. Blood, sweat, and tears, you lightning-brained idiot." Ren shot back, grinning as he wiped foam from his lip.
"Nonsense! If effort worked, strong people would be everywhere! Look around you. Everyone here tries hard, but they aren't you."
Laxus scoffed at Ren's words, slamming his empty mug down. In the magic world, talent was undoubtedly the most important thing. It was a harsh truth that the Lightning Dragon Slayer knew better than anyone.
The most important factor was Magic Power talent—the size of one's internal Ethernano container.
Magic Power is the foundation; all magic requires Magic Power to sustain it. For the same magic spell, the stronger the underlying Magic Power, the greater its unleashed power. A simple Fireball cast by a Wizard Saint could incinerate a mountain, while the same spell cast by a novice might only light a candle.
For some powerful magic, if Magic Power is insufficient, one might not even qualify to learn it. For example, Gildarts' Crush magic, that super-advanced destructive magic that pulverizes matter into its base components—everyone in the guild knows it's incredibly strong. Yet, in the entire history of the guild, Gildarts is the only one who can learn and use it effectively without killing himself or destroying the guild hall by accident.
Next is magic talent, the comprehension ability. This is like the difference between a top student and a poor student. A top student can deduce the structure of a spell, modify it, and learn complex High Enchantments, while a poor student can only learn some simple spells by rote memorization.
Effort is the least valuable in this equation. While effort can make one stronger, there is a ceiling. If one's natural "Container" is small, seven years of desperate effort might not even compare to three months of casual training from someone born with a massive reserve like Erza or Mirajane. The reality is that cruel.
"Well! I was just lucky and summoned some powerful heroes from another world."
Ren said with a mysterious smile, tapping the side of his head. Even though he had too much to drink, he still couldn't reveal anything about the System. The concept of "pulling" characters and gaining their powers was something too alien for this world.
"Speaking of which," Ren changed the subject, swirling the dregs of his ale, "half a month has passed since we got back, and there hasn't been a single S-Class mission posted. Not even a 500,000 Jewel mission, let alone an S-Class one?"
Having witnessed Acnologia's power—the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse—Ren felt a sense of urgency about his strength. That dragon was a calamity, a force of nature that made even his current S-Class power feel insignificant. He needed to draw more cards. He needed more power. And for that, he needed the System currency that came from high-level feats. After staying for a while, he desperately wanted to do some S-Class missions.
"There's nothing we can do! Who told us we're the weakest guild in Fiore now? Even the 200,000 Jewel missions only appeared a few times after the clients heard the core members returned."
Warren, who was sitting nearby tinkering with his telepathy radar, spread his hands, saying helplessly. His face was etched with the weariness of the past seven years. "Reputation is everything, Ren. Clients don't trust a guild that's been dead for seven years."
"Those S-Class missions have all been monopolized by powerful guilds, like Sabertooth. They say their guild has so many S-Class missions they can't even finish them. They treat Dragon sub-jugation requests like daily chores."
"What?!"
Ren couldn't help but exclaim upon hearing this. He nearly choked on his drink. So many S-Class missions they couldn't finish them—that was what he had always dreamed of. That was a goldmine of Gacha pulls waiting to be exploited!
"It's not just Sabertooth," Warren continued, ticking them off on his fingers. "Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus also have many S-Class missions. Jura Neekis of Lamia Scale is now one of the Ten Wizard Saints, and the Trimens of Blue Pegasus have become iconic figures. Today's Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus are no longer what they used to be; they've become quite powerful."
"S-Class missions are now almost all concentrated in the top guilds. Small guilds like ours can't get a piece of the pie at all. We're fighting over scraps meant for rookies."
"No! This won't do! The guild ranking doesn't matter to me personally, but S-Class missions cannot be few!"
Ren suddenly realized the situation was somewhat critical. S-Class missions were the resources for him to become stronger. In his mind, cutting off someone's financial path is like killing their parents. Without high-ranking quests, his System progression would stagnate. He couldn't rely on daily log-ins forever.
If this continued, without S-Class missions, how could he become stronger? How could he prepare for Zeref, Acnologia, or the Alvarez Empire?
"That's right... recently, there hasn't even been a decent mission."
The gloom in the tavern deepened. Currently, most of the guild members always stay in the guild, not because they are lazy, but because there really aren't many suitable missions. Most of the current guild missions are small ones ranging from 3,000 J to 20,000 J—hardly enough to pay rent, let alone buy magical equipment.
Lucy rested her chin on her hands, looking at the empty request board. "It seems we still need to improve the guild's ranking. If we aren't number one, the good jobs won't come to us."
Laki, adjusting her glasses, said pessimistically, "It's hard! Although our core members are back, their strength is still what it was seven years ago... The magic world has advanced. Techniques have evolved. We're... outdated."
"Uh..."
There was no refuting this. The silence that followed was heavy. Even Natsu, a hot prospect for S-Class back then, was now suppressed in simple sparring matches by Max, who had trained consistently for seven years. The "Second Origin" concept hadn't been unlocked for them yet. Everyone naturally lacked confidence.
Erza, clad in her armor, nodded solemnly. "Hmm, this is indeed a problem. Although Ren and Gildarts both possess strength far exceeding others, a guild's power is not determined by one or two people. It will take some time to return to how things used to be. We need to rebuild our foundation."
"Isn't there a faster way? I can't wait any longer, I want to do S-Class missions! I need action!"
Ren clamored, slamming his hand on the table. He wanted to do S-Class missions, he wanted to draw prizes! Only then could he take down Acnologia. Patience was not a virtue when an apocalypse dragon was out there.
Suddenly!
"Ren-niisan! There is a way!"
Romeo Conbolt jumped onto the table, his eyes burning with a fire that had been absent for years. "Brother Ren! There is a way! There's a quick way to reclaim the number one spot!"
"Really?!"
Ren's eyes lit up, locking onto the boy.
However, the expressions of the Seven-Year Team—Macao, Wakaba, Vijeeter—changed drastically. Their faces drained of color, replaced by pure terror.
"Wh..."
"No... it couldn't be?"
"Could it be that..."
Macao broke out in a cold sweat, dropping his pipe. "No!! Romeo, stop! Didn't we decide never to participate in that?! It's suicide for our reputation!"
"What is that? Fourth Generation?"
Makarov, sitting on the bar counter, asked Macao, puzzled by the fear in his successor's eyes.
Macao shivered at the address, waving his hands frantically. "Don't say that, Fifth Generation... I mean, Sandaime. Just don't ask."
Romeo ignored his father's panic. He looked straight at Ren and Natsu. "Brother Ren, listen to me! While you guys were gone, a yearly festival was established to choose the strongest guild in Fiore!"
He took a deep breath and shouted the name that haunted the weaker guilds.
"All the guilds of Fiore gather to compete in magic. It's called the Grand Magic Games (Daimatō Enbu)!"
"As long as Fairy Tail wins the Grand Magic Games, it will become the strongest guild in Fiore! We can reclaim everything in one shot!"
"Ooh—!"
"Grand Magic Games!"
"Sounds like fun!"
"It certainly feels very interesting!"
All the Tenrou Team members were excited when they heard this. Natsu punched his palm, grinning. Gray looked intrigued. They were battle junkies, after all; a tournament sounded like heaven.
"Let's do it!"
Ren immediately made the decision. Hearing the name, he suddenly remembered the Grand Magic Games arc. Having stayed in the Fairy Tail world for so long, he couldn't recall many minute details unless they happened right before his eyes or were mentioned specifically.
The Grand Magic Games... The Twin Dragons of Sabertooth, the hidden agenda of the Eclipse Project, the chaotic battle royale. Though he'd forgotten the specifics of the matchups, he knew the outcome: victory meant absolute dominance. For the sake of endless S-Class missions, no matter who his opponents were—Dragon Slayers, God Slayers, or Wizard Saints—he would defeat them.
Makarov pondered, stroking his mustache. "Ren and Gildarts go without saying, they are monsters. But as for the rest of you, do you think you can win with your current Magic Power? We've been asleep for seven years. The world has moved on."
Macao shouted, "Exactly!! Too naive! We've been last place every time we tried! It's humiliated us!"
Romeo gritted his teeth and played his trump card. "If you win, you'll get a huge prize of 30 million Jewels!"
"We're in!!"
Upon hearing about the prize money, Makarov immediately changed his expression. His hesitation vanished instantly, replaced by dollar signs in his eyes. He was now dirt poor; the guild's location was still mortgaged, everyone was cooped up in this small tavern, and he owed Ren a considerable amount of money. If they won such a sum, the guild could recover significantly.
"Master!!" Macao was instantly dumbfounded. "You sold out so fast!"
"It won't work! There's Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale..." Wakaba cried out.
"And Sabertooth is there too! They are monsters!"
"We've always been last! We'll be the laughing stock of Fiore again!"
Makarov stood up on the counter, radiating intense aura as he enthusiastically pumped his fist, "Don't worry! It's fine! With Ren, Gildarts, Laxus, and Erza, we're sure to win!"