**Chapter 8: Erza**
Kaito immediately turned and walked toward the request board. Makarov was stunned that the boy actually listened. In his impression, this stinky brat was never this obedient.
Before long, Kaito returned and placed another request sheet in front of Makarov.
Makarov picked it up and read it. "Exterminate bandits. Reward: 500,000 J."
The corner of Makarov's mouth twitched. He could tell this brat had a violent streak. Still, this mission shouldn't be too difficult for him. With the kid's strength, even some of the adult mages in the guild might not be his match. He had confirmed that personally after watching Kaito fight Mirajane.
After seeing that battle, he realized the boy's fighting talent was even higher than expected.
His physical stats were far inferior to Mirajane's after her transformation, yet he had fought her to a standstill using pure technique. Then one magic attack had nearly ended the fight. A genius like this was best left to grow freely.
But looking at this stinky brat's face, he still couldn't shake the feeling that the kid was unreliable.
"Erza, team up with Kaito to complete this mission."
Erza walked over as soon as she heard Guild Master Makarov's words.
Kaito blinked. "Why do we have to do it as a team? Don't you trust me to handle it alone?"
Makarov stroked his chin. "You're a newcomer to the guild, so you're not familiar with how jobs work. It's tradition for veterans to guide new mages."
"But why pair me with a little girl?" Kaito curled his lips. He was very interested in the future Erza, but right now taking a little girl to fight bandits sounded like asking for trouble.
Erza's face darkened. With a sharp "clang!" she drew her sword and placed it against Kaito's neck, speaking coldly, "You look down on girls? How about we fight right now? Don't think beating Mirajane makes you the strongest in the guild."
Mirajane immediately became unhappy. "Erza, what do you mean by that? Am I weaker than you?"
"Aren't you?" Erza replied flatly.
"Damn it! I want a duel!" Mirajane roared angrily and prepared to fight Erza again.
Makarov felt a headache coming. The guild was full of problem children. One moment of carelessness and they would start fighting.
"Both of you, shut up!!"
"Fight, fight, fight! That's all you know! Can't you do anything else?"
Many of the kids looked at Makarov in confusion. Do something else? Like what? Because of their age, only a few of them were allowed to take jobs. Fighting when bored was perfectly normal and helped improve their combat skills.
Makarov realized his slip of the tongue. "Cough, cough!" After clearing his throat, he said, "Don't underestimate Erza just because she's young. Her strength is already quite good even among the adult mages in the guild."
Kaito pursed his lips. "Uh… Is the guild really this weak right now? Relying on a little girl to hold up the fort."
"Stinky brat! Can you stop twisting my words!" Makarov slammed the table in anger. This kid had strength and incredible talent, but his mouth was way too infuriating.
Kaito waved his hand. "Fine, fine! Teaming up with a pretty little girl is still much better than going with some greasy old uncle."
"Hmph!" Erza snorted at Kaito, sheathed her sword, and turned to leave. The Guild Master would never assign a truly dangerous mission to a newcomer anyway. Since the chance had come, she wasn't going to waste it.
"Meet at the guild at eight o'clock tomorrow morning." After speaking, Erza flicked her hair and walked away.
She and Mirajane were evenly matched in their usual fights. But Kaito had easily defeated Mirajane, which felt like he had also defeated her. Although she usually acted indifferent, she had always been the strongest among her peers. Suddenly having someone stronger appear made her uncomfortable. As a girl who hated losing, she would simply train even harder and teach this guy a lesson later.
In the evening, Makarov arranged a room for Kaito in the guild's member dormitory, located on a quiet hillside northwest of the guild building. It was a modest apartment complex.
Each person had their own room, fully equipped with a bathroom, shower, refrigerator, and everything else. Of course, it wasn't free—rent was 100,000 J per month, roughly 6,000 RMB.
Those who couldn't pay yet could help out with odd jobs around the guild or pay later once they started earning from missions. There was no interest.
Kaito secretly cursed Makarov for being so stingy. There was no way he would let the old man make money off him. After completing this mission and paying the rent, he would eventually build a big villa facing the sea with blooming flowers in spring, then charge even higher rent.
Actually, the rent wasn't unreasonably expensive considering the prices in this world. The cheapest jobs on the board offered around 30,000 J, while S-Class missions paid over ten million.
One good job could cover ten years of rent—provided you succeeded and made it back alive.
Kaito scrubbed off nearly a month's worth of dirt in the bathroom until his body felt much lighter. Afterward, he collapsed onto the bed and couldn't help sighing. This was how a civilized person was supposed to live. Soon, he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.