Chapter 9: Welcome to Fairy Tail! I'm the Strongest
In front of a magnificent building,
Makarov wore a proud expression and shoved the doors open with one push. He turned around, about to speak to Ren and Erza behind him.
Suddenly, a liquor bottle flew out from inside and smashed straight into Makarov's head.
After a brief silence, Makarov's face darkened as he turned back around.
A loud uproar spilled out.
The three of them looked inside and saw a huge brawl already in progress.
"Enough!!!"
Makarov's body trembled slightly as he walked into the guild hall with a gloomy expression.
The moment he roared, the entire place went quiet.
Everyone turned to look at Makarov.
"Guild Master, you're back!"
"Welcome back, Guild Master!"
After only a moment of silence, an even louder wave of noise burst out.
Smiles returned to everyone's faces as they greeted him enthusiastically.
Makarov's body kept trembling as he stared at the guild hall, which looked like a garbage dump. Without saying a word, he strode forward.
He leapt onto the bar counter and swept his eyes over everyone.
"How many times have I said it?! No fighting in the guild, you idiots!"
Makarov shouted with a black expression.
People looked away, pretending it had nothing to do with them.
"And when I'm not here, why don't you manage them properly?!"
Makarov's gaze locked onto a middle-aged man, and he immediately yelled at him.
"Guild Master, they're all monsters. How am I supposed to control them?"
Macao looked miserable, like he'd suffered a huge injustice.
"Guild Master, don't listen to Macao's nonsense! Today was completely because Macao went to provoke Mirajane and got beaten up!"
A figure suddenly jumped out and indignantly tattled to Makarov.
"Damn it, Wakaba, you traitor!"
Macao's face darkened as he pointed a trembling finger at the man with a pipe.
Makarov let out a long breath, calming himself down inside.
"It's fine, it's fine. They're all my family. I have to be more tolerant."
He forced a smile, then said to everyone, "Today I have something to announce."
Everyone looked at Makarov curiously, waiting to hear what he would say.
"My guild has welcomed two new members. Let's welcome them!"
Makarov gestured toward the doorway.
Ren and Erza stood there.
Erza hid behind Ren a little nervously, peeking her small head out as she looked at the noisy crowd inside.
"Wow, the new guy is really handsome!"
"Welcome, newcomers!"
Makarov jumped down from the bar and walked up to Ren and Erza. He held out a hand to each of them and said with a smile, "Welcome to Fairy Tail!"
Erza glanced at Ren, then placed her hand into Makarov's palm.
Ren also extended his hand and smiled at Makarov. "Thank you, Guild Master!"
In front of Ren, a virtual screen that only he could see floated into view.
Seeing Big Mom's template progress jump instantly to \(85\%\), Ren's smile grew even brighter.
Ren didn't claim the system reward yet, storing it in the system space.
"Oh, kid, my name's Macao. I'm one of the old-timers of Fairy Tail. If you need help later, just come find me!"
Macao walked up, threw an arm over Ren's shoulder, and grinned.
A silver-haired girl stepped up to Erza, smiling warmly. "Hi, I'm Lisanna. I'm a Fairy Tail mage too. What's your name?"
Erza looked up at Ren, then gathered her courage and said to Lisanna, "My name is Erza. I don't have a last name."
After saying it, Erza lowered her head, a little self-conscious.
"Wow, your crimson hair is so pretty."
Lisanna curiously stroked Erza's crimson hair, her eyes sparkling.
Erza looked up at the bright smile on Lisanna's face, and a smile slowly appeared on Erza's face too.
"Hmph. Macao, don't underestimate Ren. He's really strong."
Off to the side, Makarov sneered and took a jab at Macao's smug attitude.
Macao didn't take it seriously at all. He waved his hand. "Come on, he's just a kid. How strong could he be?"
Suddenly, a loud bang echoed through the guild.
"Macao! Are you looking down on kids again?!"
A figure wrapped in an oppressive aura stepped out, glaring at Macao as she shouted.
"O-of course not. Except Mirajane! Mirajane is a top-tier rookie in our guild!"
Macao shuddered and hurriedly smiled, waving his hands at her.
"Hmph. I'll let you off this time."
She had long silver hair and dressed like a delinquent girl, wearing a short top and shorts.
Her eyes swept over the boy in front of her from head to toe.
"You don't look like much."
Mirajane curled her lip, not taking Ren seriously at all.
"Mira, you can't be that rude."
Lisanna puffed her cheeks, ran to Mirajane's side, and hugged her arm while complaining.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it."
Mirajane waved it off and stopped looking at Ren and Erza.
Just as Mirajane turned to leave, Erza suddenly stepped forward and shouted at Mirajane's back, "Ren is really strong! Don't you dare look down on Ren!"
Mirajane turned her head and looked at Erza standing there with her hands on her hips, and a smile appeared on her face.
"Oh? But in this guild, I'm the one who's going to become the strongest."
Erza's anger flared at Mirajane's contemptuous look.
"Ren is the strongest!"
"Hey, hey, hey, kid. I can't pretend I didn't hear that."
Mirajane's face sank as she walked toward Erza step by step.
Erza refused to back down and glared right back.
At that moment, Ren took Erza's hand and pulled her behind him.
The terrifying pressure radiating from Mirajane made Erza's legs tremble slightly.
As an ordinary person, Erza had no way to stand up to someone already somewhat famous like Mirajane.