"Kael, are you going to take a job soon?"
Mira asked as she placed a plate of food in front of him. She'd already kept an eye on a few missions that suited him. If he wanted one, she could point it out directly and save him the trouble of digging through the board.
Kael shook his head. "Not for a while. I need to train my body for a bit."
"Train?!" Elfman's eyes widened. In his eyes, Kael was already a monster. Why did a monster want to get even stronger? It wasn't fair to normal people.
Kael's tone stayed calm. "There's always someone stronger. And there's always a higher level to reach."
Lucy's arrival meant the main story had begun. Kael could feel it—like a door had opened.
One by one, the real monsters would start appearing: the Oracion Seis, Grimoire Heart, Tartaros, the Alvarez Empire, the Spriggan 12… Zeref… and Acnologia.
Especially Acnologia.
The magic dragon Kael had killed earlier wasn't even in the same category. That dragon would probably be a one-hit kill for Acnologia.
The thought put a hard pressure in Kael's chest.
At the same time… it lit something up in him. An eager impulse. A clean, serious fight with the strongest creature alive.
Over the past six months, he'd discovered something else too: the stronger his own base abilities became, the stronger his Take Overs became.
So when he wasn't on missions, Kael trained his body. The system had even helpfully created a training plan for him—one he followed with no shortcuts.
"I'm going back to train. Oh, Cana!"
"Hm?" Cana looked up at him.
"The extra ten barrels I promised you have been paid. Enjoy." Kael waved once and headed out.
Cana's face lit up with a surprised smile. She'd already made a huge profit from the first ten barrels. A normal divination only cost a few thousand Jewels.
She'd basically robbed him—and he still delivered the bonus.
Mira heard that and immediately understood: Kael must have summoned a powerful new spirit.
All his previous spirits were ridiculous powerhouses. She couldn't help wondering what this new one was like.
Cana hugged her barrel tighter, eyes shining. "He's such a good man! Mira… if you don't want him, I'm really going to make my move."
Cana wasn't even fully joking anymore. Handsome, powerful, rich—men like that didn't show up just because you wished for them. If Mira and Kael weren't already so close, Cana would've actually tried.
"You should just stick with your 'boyfriend number one'!" Mira shot back.
Mira didn't look bothered. She knew Cana well enough to know she liked to tease.
Still…
Mira had a small complaint of her own. She might be a little slow sometimes, but she wasn't stupid. She knew Kael liked her.
So why was he so passive?
She'd hinted so obviously. Did he expect her to confess? What a blockhead—completely clueless about a girl's feelings.
A week passed in a flash.
"...997, 998, 999, 1000!"
Kael finished his set—pushups with a giant boulder on his back. His arms trembled on the last few. The stone dug into his shoulders like a punishment.
After 1000, he shoved the boulder aside and lay flat on the ground, panting hard.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have completed the weekly training mission!]
"A week already?" Kael exhaled, staring at the ceiling. Then his eyes sharpened. "Then it's time to get to work."
Training was important, but work was more important.
Completing an S-Class mission rewarded a 10-pull. Even if he didn't get a gold card, he could recycle the others for magic power. It was his main method of upgrading.
Kael went back to his house, took a quick shower, and headed to the guild.
He pushed open the guild doors. As usual, the place was loud and lively.
"Kael!"
"Kael, you're here!"
As soon as he stepped in, people called out to him from different tables. Kael greeted them back, one by one, without rushing.
"Kael, you're here!" Mira's eyes lit up the moment she saw him. It was a small thing—quick, instinctive—then she caught herself.
"Yeah." Kael stopped by her. "I've rested for several days, so it's time to get to work. Are there any suitable jobs for me upstairs?"
Kael meant the second floor, where the difficult S-Class requests were posted.
"Yes," Mira said immediately. "Your timing is perfect. An S-Class request just came in."
Kael's eyes lit up. "I'll go check it out."
S-Class requests were rare because they were brutal. He couldn't do them before he became an S-Class wizard, but now he took every one he could.
Because every one meant a 10-pull.
Kael started moving before the sentence even fully ended.
It would be bad if Laxus, Mystogan, or Erza grabbed it first.
Lucy watched him go and asked, "Isn't the request board on the first floor? Why is Kael going upstairs?"
Mira smiled, then explained patiently, "The board on the first floor is for normal missions. The missions on the second-floor board are on a completely different level. Those are S-Class missions."
"S-Class?!" Lucy felt like she had just heard a frightening new word.
"One wrong judgment on those missions can cost you your life," Mira continued. "But the rewards are also very high."
"Woah—!"
Lucy thought the requests on the first floor looked dangerous enough. She couldn't picture how bad "life or death" really got.
"Only wizards who have been approved by the Master can take S-Class missions," Mira said, tone turning a bit more serious. "Right now, there are only six people qualified, including Kael. You shouldn't make S-Class missions your goal. They're life-threatening jobs."
"I'd never!" Lucy said instantly. She cherished her life. She was still young and had a great life ahead of her. She wasn't risking it on something like that.
Upstairs, Kael reached the request room on the second floor.
At the moment, only one S-Class request was hanging there.
Only one.
Kael walked straight over, eyes scanning it.
[Quest: Please save our island.]
[Level: S-Class]
[Content: The villagers of Galuna Island are cursed. We request a powerful wizard to break the curse.]
[Reward: 7,000,000 Jewels + Golden Key!]
"Huh?" Kael's gaze fixed. Then his memory clicked into place. "It's this mission."
It was the only S-Class mission shown in detail in the Fairy Tail anime. He remembered it clearly.
This mission would be almost impossible if you didn't know what was really going on.
But if you knew the secret?
It was simple.
Kael didn't hesitate for even a second.
He tore the request off the board.