"Could it be that Ice Magic is actually very common in this world? Just anyone can learn it?"
Shane's thoughts couldn't help diverging, and for a moment he actually forgot he was in a fight, immersed in comparing the differences between Gray's and the purple-clad girl's Ice Magic.
Seeing the huge ice hammer about to hit the dazed Shane, Gray became anxious and shouted: "Bastard! Spacing out during a fight! Dodge quickly!"
Hearing the shout, Shane came back to his senses, immediately realizing that his old habit of getting easily immersed when encountering something interesting had acted up again.
Really haven't learned my lesson. I'll definitely suffer a big loss in the future like this... He scratched his hair in distress, unable to help blaming himself inwardly.
Then, Shane looked up unhurriedly and smiled reassuringly at Gray: "Thanks for your concern, but it's fine."
The pair of unsharpened black Tachis in his hands adjusted their angle slightly. His tone was flat but carried unquestionable confidence. "Because I'm actually pretty strong."
Before his voice fell, Shane stood steadily on the ice surface, as if beneath his feet was not slippery ice that made it hard to move an inch, but ordinary ground. His wrists flicked lightly, and the dual blades drew two concise and sharp arcs in the air. An invisible sharp aura suddenly spread.
In the next instant, under everyone's astonished gaze, the huge ice hammer smashing down with cold wind was precisely cut open from the middle like fragile glass, then exploded with a bang into countless glittering ice chips, falling profusely.
"This newcomer... is so strong!" The onlookers who were jeering just now were instantly quiet for a moment, then erupted into louder discussion.
Shane acted as if no one was around. He casually lifted the tip of his sword, pointing at Gray, and said, "Come on, no need to hold back. I've encountered a Mage using this, um, Ice-Make Magic before."
He paused. "Her strength was greater than yours, so I won't get hurt."
"You've encountered other Mages using Ice-Make?" Gray was stunned and asked subconsciously, "Was it a white-haired pervert who doesn't wear clothes?"
"Gray, while asking this question, could you please look at yourself first!" Cana, watching from the side, looked at the still-naked spiky head and couldn't help holding her forehead and roasting loudly.
Shane recalled seriously, the image of that purple dress pierced by arrows and stained red appearing in his mind, then answered affirmatively: "No, that girl... I think she likes wearing clothes."
"Girl? Not Lyon?" Gray was blank at first, but he reacted immediately; that wasn't the key point now!
He shouted angrily: "Whose Ice-Make did you say is stronger than mine!"
Accompanied by his voice, Gray pressed his hands down violently, Magic Power surging out: "Ice-Make: Geyser!"
Sharp ice geysers suddenly pierced out from under Shane's feet!
Seeing the other party getting serious, Shane also nodded, thinking time was tight and he indeed couldn't play with him anymore.
"Yeah, that girl makes ice faster than you, and the intensity is higher too..."
As he spoke, he slid lightly on his feet as if dancing on the ice surface, calmly dodging the deadly ice spike assault.
"...Most importantly, the Ice Roses she makes are much more beautiful than your ice hammer."
The moment his voice fell, Shane's figure flickered, cutting into Gray's close range like a shadow.
Gray only felt a blur before his eyes, and a cold touch came from both sides of his neck—the pair of black Tachis were firmly placed on his neck.
"You lose."
Shane announced lightly, then with a thought, the dual blades turned back into cloth strips, which he skillfully wrapped back around his right arm.
He no longer looked at Gray frozen in place, turning to call Erza: "Let's go, let's continue looking at commissions."
Erza walked up and reminded Gray as she passed by: "Not just magic, physical training cannot be ignored either."
This was her most profound realization after sparring with Shane.
When the opponent comprehensively suppressed you in strength, speed, and stamina, the magic you usually relied on would appear extremely pale and powerless.
Gray gritted his teeth, his face full of unwillingness to admit defeat.
Especially being told bluntly that his Ice-Make was inferior to others, which made him more uncomfortable than simply losing.
But he also knew very well in his heart that in the exchange just now, there was indeed a huge gap between the two.
As a Holder-type Mage, Shane barely relied on weapons, easily winning with taijutsu and sword skills far superior to his own.
"No... I need to retrain! Strengthen my training! Can't continue being so lazy!" Gray clenched his fist abruptly and shouted at Shane's back: "Hey! Shane! Wait for me to come back from training, let's duel again!"
After speaking, without waiting for a response, he turned and rushed out of the guild gate full of fighting spirit.
His speed was so fast that it forced Shane to hurriedly look back and shout: "Don't forget to treat us!"
The surrounding onlookers recovered from their shock and couldn't help sighing.
"Gray lost so easily..."
"This newcomer... has incredible strength!"
"Looks like the guild is going to be lively again."
Shane instantly became the center of discussion in the guild with this battle.
And at this time, he finally made his decision.
Shane's gaze patrolled the request board, then he decisively reached out and tore off a commission form pasted in a higher position with a rip.
"I've decided," he handed the commission form to Erza beside him. "Let's go destroy a Dark Guild!"
Erza took the commission and read the content in a low voice: "Destroy the Dark Guild 'Ghoul Spirit' entrenched near Shirotsume City?"
When her gaze fell on the reward amount, her eyes widened at the long string of zeros: "2 million Jewels?!"
Calculations quickly began in the girl's brain:
If she had this huge sum, how many weapons could she buy? Maybe even customize a few sets of armor to match different combat styles?
Right, that coffee shop called "Caffe SSA" they passed on the way to the guild, the decoration was very cute, and the aroma drifting out was very tempting...
"Go! Absolutely going!" Faced with the huge temptation, Erza nodded heavily without hesitation.
"You are not allowed to accept this commission, you two idiots!"
A loud and exasperated voice came from the second floor.
Immediately after, a giant hand completely mismatched with the owner's stature suddenly stretched down, precisely snatching the commission form from Erza's hand.
Guild Master Makarov leaped down from the second floor, landed lightly, rolled up the commission form, then jumped up, thump thump, knocking Shane and Erza on the head one by one.
"This is not a mission you can take at your age!" Makarov blew his beard and glared, obviously quite angry.
He originally saw these two little guys reading quietly yesterday and thought the guild finally got two worry-free and sensible newcomers.
But he didn't expect that just after he earnestly warned about the danger of Dark Guilds yesterday, the two threw his words to the back of their minds the next day!