"You don't even know what a mage is, yet you want to challenge the Master?"
The white-haired beauty pressed a hand to her forehead, momentarily speechless. However, she remained patient and explained, "A mage is someone who uses magic to fight. By joining a guild and taking on requests, you earn rewards. At the same time, you improve your magic by overcoming various difficult missions."
Magnolia Town was a historic center of magical commerce; it was rare to find a child here who didn't know the basics of the profession. This boy clearly wasn't a local.
"To use magic to fight... then I'm a mage too!" Goku said after a moment of thought.
Magic was something he had studied under Grandpa Dumbledore at Hogwarts for an entire year. He was now quite proficient at using various spells in combat, even integrating them with his martial arts to create his "Fist-Magic," "Finger-Magic," and "Palm-Magic."
According to Grandpa Dumbledore, the ki inside his body was also a form of magic—Ki Magic. Therefore, it seemed he had already met the first condition.
"It's about using magic specifically for combat, not just knowing a few tricks," the beauty said, pouring Goku a glass of juice. "If you can only cast a little bit of magic, you can't really call yourself a mage."
At least ten percent of the town's residents could use some form of magic, especially in a merchant city like Magnolia. But their magic was limited to lighting a pipe with a spark or watering plants with a trickle.
A strong soldier with a wooden club could easily take them down. To be called a mage, one generally had to be able to defeat a dozen fully armed soldiers using magic alone.
"I'm very good at fighting with magic," Goku said confidently. "So, how do I join the guild?"
The woman smiled. Every child who came to challenge the Master was convinced their "frog-killing" magic was invincible.
"You're not an adult yet. To join the guild, you need your parents' permission first."
She figured that once the child spoke to his parents, they would give him a reality check, and he wouldn't be in such a hurry to join. For most commoners, being a mage wasn't necessarily a good life—it was dangerous, and one could die on any given mission. Wealthy parents, in particular, often forbid it, preferring to simply hire an S-Class mage if they needed work done.
"I'm an orphan. I don't have parents," Goku replied honestly. "I came from very far away because I want to challenge strong people to improve my strength."
The woman froze. She was an orphan too. After her parents died, she had wandered with her younger brother and sister until Master Makarov took them in.
She had become an S-Class mage by the age of sixteen, but a mission two years ago resulted in her sister's death. Traumatized, she had retired from the front lines and became the guild's receptionist.
The guild was home to many such orphans: Erza the Titania, Natsu the Salamander, and Gray the Ice Mage. Her gaze softened as she looked at Goku.
"In that case, you can join. I'm sure the Master will agree."
Fairy Tail was different from other guilds. Makarov didn't care about raw power; as long as someone loved magic and had a good heart, he would welcome them, regardless of how weak they were.
"That's great!" Goku beamed. Now, he just had to take missions and climb to S-Class to fight the Master.
"My name is Mirajane Strauss. You can call me Mira-nee. What's your name?"
Goku finished his juice in one gulp. "I'm Son Goku. Just call me Goku! How do I pick a mission?"
"Don't be in such a rush," Mira urged gently. "I'll go get the Master in a bit to handle your paperwork and show you around. We can worry about missions later."
She felt the boy was a bit too eager, though "eager" was practically the guild's motto. Just then, one of the most reckless mages in the guild made his entrance.
"I'M BACK!"
With a loud roar, the front doors were kicked open. A young man with spiky cherry-blossom pink hair and a white scale-patterned muffler stomped in. Beside him flew a blue cat with wings.
"We're home!" the cat chirped, waving.
Behind them followed a bright, blonde-haired girl in a sailor-style outfit.
Natsu was clearly a guild favorite; the hall erupted in greetings. However, a mage with buckteeth called out teasingly, "Yo, Natsu! I heard you did it again—blew up half the harbor in Hargeon!"
Before he could finish, Natsu blurred into a streak of fire and kicked the man across the room. "You jerk! That lead you gave me about the 'Salamander' was fake!"
"How was I supposed to know? I was just telling you what I heard! You wanna scrap, you idiot?!" The bucktoothed mage scrambled out from under a broken table and swung at Natsu.
The two immediately locked into a brawl. The surrounding mages didn't try to stop them; instead, they began cheering, only to get sucked into the fray themselves. Within seconds, the entire guild had devolved into a massive free-for-all brawl.
"Don't mind them. They're always like this," Mira explained, pulling Goku out of the way. She waved toward the stunned blonde girl. "Are you new? Come over here."
"Ah, Mirajane-san!" the blonde girl squealed in excitement. She then gestured frantically at the riot. "Is it really okay not to stop them?!"