So the first order of business was to find out where I was and maybe find some work before I had to sleep on the streets. I arrived during the middle of the day, and only about half an hour had passed so far. The sun was still overhead, and the harbor was still busy with ships coming in to port.
Walking over to the pier that had been next to my "rebirth," I started scanning for people who might know something about the area. My eyes eventually land on a man who seems to be monitoring the offloading of cargo from one of the ships.
I walked over to him. "Excuse me, sir, I am a newly arrived wizard looking for work. Do you know anyone offering work?" If I remember right, wizards were supposed to be pretty common, so one looking for work shouldn't be too out of place. At least that's my hope anyway.
I also wasn't quite sure how to ask what city this was without coming off as suspicious. I ended up deciding to hold off on asking that until it came up more naturally.
The man doesn't even look up from his work as he answers. "Don't know any work a wizard would want, but if you're really desperate, you can go to Neil. He's the warehouse supervisor, and he's always looking for warm bodies to move crates. He will take anyone that's strong enough to move cargo."
"I am in fact quite desperate. You happen to know where I might find him?" I ask.
The man finally looks up, only pausing a second as he takes in my robed form, before pointing down the harbor with the pencil he had been using. "See that group of warehouses over there? That's the harbor's general warehouse area, and you can probably find him around there." He goes back to the clipboard. "Now if you excuse me, I've got work to do."
"Thanks for the help," I said as I left. I know a dismissal when I hear one, and he did answer my question, so there's no need to stick around. I at least got a lead on one of my goals.
'Neil, Neil, Neil.' I repeat in my head. I was very bad at remembering names, so if I didn't constantly think about it, I would probably forget it by the time I arrived.
The area I had been directed to was closer to the center of the harbor, which made sense if it was the general warehouse area. I eventually came to a group of identical numbered warehouses with a fairly large sign on the middle building that read Hargeon Warehousing.
'Going to assume that's the name of the harbor and probably the town. It sounds kind of familiar, but I can't place it. Hopefully it's still in the same country as Fairy Tail.' I think as I scan the area. Unfortunately, I don't see anyone that looks like they might be in charge. Just a stream of people moving back and forth through the warehouses.
I eventually move to one of the more trafficked warehouses and ask one of the people coming out of it, "Hey, I'm looking for Neil. You know where he is?"
The man glances at me but does a double take as he actually sees me. His mildly annoyed look is quickly replaced by a more cautious smile. "Um, yeah, he's in building 3 over there."
Following the man's finger, I spot a building with a large number 3 on it. Turning back to the man, I nod. "Thanks."
"Yeah, no problem. Have a good day." The man quickly moves away. He was not exactly jogging, but his pace was a bit more hurried than when I first stopped him.
'Must not like wizards.' I reason to myself. Now I at least knew where I needed to go. 'Neil, Neil, Neil'
Going to the designated warehouse, I found myself in a huge open room. As I scan the inside of the building, I can see the warehouse has rows of storage space divided by walking paths. The main path split the building lengthwise and had large rolling doors at each end. The other paths were not as large as the central one but were still big enough for two people to walk side by side. As I got farther into the building, I noticed another large path split the building widthwise, making a large 4-way intersection right in the middle of the building.
I got some strange looks as I walked through the building, but not one decided to stop me. They probably decided it was someone else's problem, and they didn't want to get involved.
It didn't take long for me to find someone who looked like they were in charge of this place, so I made my way over. The person I assumed was Neil was a large, tanned man in blue worker clothes barking orders at a group of assorted men. Most of them also happened to be fairly large and tanned. Really the only reason I thought this might be Neil was because he was the one giving orders while everyone else listened. He really didn't stand out all that much compared to some of the other people in the building.
"Ah need two more guys over at Dock 12. The loading is taking longer than expected, and we need that dock open when Night Pelican comes in. Zac, pick 7 guys and go to Dock 20. The Salty Mistress has been sitting there taking up space, and we need it unloaded. Take the cargo over to House 9. Alen will know where it's supposed to go, so make sure to ask him. If Ah find out you just left it in some random spot, Ah'm docking your pay." The man orders as he scans a stack of papers in his hand. He looked like he was going to start giving out more commands when he saw me walking up to the group. "Everyone else hang tight. Looks like Ah got a wizard to talk to."
The people who hadn't been assigned jobs murmur a bit at the interruption but scatter off. They stay within earshot but overall vacate the area.
Neil eyes me for a second before grunting, "Well, what do ya want? Ah don't remember putting out any mage guild jobs."
"No sir, I'm not with a mage guild yet." I explain, "I'm hoping to join one, but I need money to travel. Someone said you were looking for people to move stuff. I'm a new mage, but my earth magic can let me make golems to work. Um, golems are like people that are made out of wood or stone." With Move Earth and Golem Workers, I could probably pass myself off as a weak Earth Wizard.
"Ah know what golems are, kid." The man mulls that over for a bit before shrugging. "Yeah, sure. Don't normally see a wizard wanting to do jobs like this, but if ya got golems to do all the work for ya I won't say nothing."
"Jace! Get over here." Neil yells as he glances at a group of men hanging around. A man on the thinner side perks up from where he was saying something to the others and comes over. While thinner and shorter than many of those milling around, he certainly didn't look weak. Well-defined muscles were apparent on the parts of his arm that were exposed.
"Yeah, boss? Got a job?" Jace asked, looking hopeful.
"Ah need you to take this kid over to the Bottom-heavy Wi."
"Fuck," the man curses.
Neil just rolls his eyes at the interruption. "Shut it. Ah'm not expecting you to lift anything."
He then turns to me, "Just a warning, kid, the Witch's captain crams as much stuff as they can get into their crates, so they always weigh a ton. No one likes to unload their stuff because it's exhausting."
I nod. "I should be fine; if nothing else, I can have multiple golems lift one crate if need be." The card said they were good at labor, so hopefully some heavy crates won't be too much for them.
Neil then turns back to Jace. "As Ah was saying, take him to the Bottom-Heavy Witch and oversee him unload it. Take all the cargo to House 2. Penny will tell you where to put it. You can grab a cart to help with moving."
Jace, in a much better mood after finding out he doesn't have to help lift cargo, nods, "On it, boss."
Neil nods before looking over at me. "What's your name anyway, kid?"
That brought me up short. "Oh, right, um, you see, it was… Azrael. Yes, Azrael, though most just call me Ray." I said the second thing that came to mind. The first being my actual name. I had nothing against it; it was my name after all, but it was just so terribly common. In this new life I wanted to stand out. I wanted to be more than just a face in the crowd.
The reason Azrael came to mind was because it was the name of my longest-running D&D character. When we started the game, we had just gotten Valda's Spire of Secrets, and I had wanted to play with the Grim Scythe. Yes, I know naming my character after the Angel of Death because he used a scythe was very original. It was better than my first idea of Grim D. Reaper. I was at least used to responding to Azrael thanks to those games.
"Right… Azreal. Ah know you kids like reinventing yourselves when you decide to be a mage, but at least sound confident when you say it." Neil noted.
"Yes, sir. I'm Azreal." I replied, a bit embarrassed.
"Then ya have your job. We have rates for day workers, so we will pay you that as a base. Ah don't know how good your magic will be at moving stuff, but if you work fast, you can expect your pay to increase. Jace will be supervising, and he'll let me know your worth." Neil then looks over some of the papers he has in his hands, "If there is nothing else, then you can get to work. I got two ships coming into port soon, and I need to prepare crews to receive them."
"On it, sir." I quickly reply before leaving in a hurry, still feeling some embarrassment at my previous slip-up.
Jace comes jogging behind me. "Whoa, what's the hurry, kid? Do you even know where you're going?"
"Nope, but I figure outside would be the first step." I replay but do slow down.
"Eh, well, you're not wrong, I guess." Jace admitted. "So carts are over on the left. Used to have horses pull them, but people kept complaining about the smell and droppings. Not sure if you noticed, but we take pride in how clean the city is. We got cleaners come through here twice a week.'"
The harbor was quite clean now that I actually looked. Nothing looked dirty, which was kind of surprising for a harbor this busy.
Eventually we come to an area off to the side of the warehouses that house a few carts. Though I would call them more wagons than carts. The wooden carts seemed straight out of a historical reenactment with their big wooden two forward poles a horse would normally stand between.
Jace goes over and grabs one of the poles and motions for me to grab the other. "Like I said, we used to have horses, but now we just drag them ourselves. Bit of a pain, but much easier than trying to lug heavy crates from the dock to the warehouses."
It's a bit awkward grabbing one of the poles, but once the cart starts moving, it hardly takes any effort to pull.
"Some of the guys asked about getting a Magic Engine to replace the horses, but the boss didn't want to have to pay for the Lacrima fuel or hire someone to recharge it." Jace seems to be the talkative type.
I just listened halfheartedly as we moved. Giving the actional nod or verbal reply. We eventually came to the Witch, and Jace came to a stop.
"Let me go; let the captain know we are going to start offloading." Jace says as he drops the pole he was using to pull the cart. "Not sure what you need to do for your magic, but you can start while I go let the captain know."
"Right, I'll get on that." I say as I move to an open area. So Golem Workers were considered a familiar and not an ability, which was kind of weird since you summoned them. Summoning something felt more like an ability than a familiar, but what did I know? ( I actually did think it was an ability until I proofread the previous chapter and saw familiar on it. Seeing as they weren't actual characters, I decided to keep it.)
Summoning them ended up being fairly easy, as all I had to do was focus on the mental marker I had of them and will them to appear. As familiar, they didn't require any magic to call even if I was summoning them. So one second there was nothing, and the next there were 11 iron humanoids. They were fairly featureless and kind of reminded me of plastic mannequins.
A good 30 seconds pass as I gape in amazement at my first act of magic, even if it didn't use any, before I realize how dumb I must look. I quickly closed my mouth and discreetly looked around. A few people were looking my way, but they were far enough away that hopefully they didn't see how dumb I must have looked.
Clearing my throat, I say, "I need you to move some cargo. Please form a line as the cargo is on a ship, and we will be moving it from the ship to the wagon." I motion to the wagon.
There was no hesitation as the golems got into position. 'Hmm, I am already able to summon an extra golem. Did mithral bones really boost me enough to already get another? It's the only thing that would have improved my magic since I got here.'
Jace comes back as I muse about possible gacha interactions. "Whoa, so this is your magic, Azreal? Some type of Iron Make? Looks handy. The captain's ready for us to start moving stuff."
I glance from the line of golems to Jace. "Um, right. These guys can follow simple instructions, so if you want to show them where the stuff is, they can get started."
Jace scratches his head for a second before shrugging, "Sure, follow me, I guess."
It's pretty cool watching all the golems step forward in perfect symmetry. It reminds me of some of the times I watched a marching band, but it's even more in sync. Soon enough they reappear carrying fairly large wooden crates. The first one sets his crate onto the back of the wagon before climbing up. He then moves the crate to the front and starts taking the crates from all those behind him and setting them in the front as well. When he puts the last crate down, he jumps off the wagon and follows the rest back up to the ship.
The wagon is already a third full just from that one trip, and as Jace comes down, I can tell he is impressed.
"These golems of yours are pretty impressive. Even Big Mack usually strains lifting the Witch's junk, and she always has a lot of junk in the trunk." Jace laughs a bit at his joke.
I smirk in amusement before I start to wonder, 'Just how many idioms like that are common in both worlds. I knew they had magic cars here, but it's kind of strange that a saying like that would catch on. I didn't think they were common enough for that euphemism to catch on.'
"So how much cargo do ships like this hold?" I ask. The ship did look pretty big, but I don't know how much was storage and how much was stuff for the crew.
"More than most people expect. We are probably going to have to make 6-8 trips to get everything. It's pretty backbreaking work for most guys, but I don't expect you will have any problem." Jace comments as the golems bring the second load of boxes down from the ship.
It doesn't take long for them to load it all up onto the wagon and head back into the ship. Jace continues to make small talk as we wait, and before long they bring a third load.
Once they finished, I stepped up. "Alright, some of you grab the wagon and follow me. We need to deliver this to Warehouse 2."
As we walk, I turn to Jace. "We were supposed to ask somewhere to put this, right? Do you remember who, because I forgot?"
"Yeah, we need to talk to Penny. She's the manager of House 2. Most of this stuff will barely spend a night sitting around in storage before it gets sent somewhere else. She keeps track of when it came in, how long it stays, and where it needs to go. With how busy the port is, we end up needing a manager for each building." Jace answers.
Eventually we come to Warehouse 2, and Jace goes off to find Penny. I just kind of stand around awkwardly until he comes back and shows the golems where to place the crates. It's pretty far in the back, but the large path down the middle of the building means we can bring the cart almost right to the spot we need to unload.
Once unloaded, we head back to the ship and start the process over again. I mainly just stand around while the golems do all the work. Jace makes small talk most of the time. Unfortunately, most of it ends up being harbor gossip. I tried asking about any news related to wizard guilds, but Jace admitted he really doesn't follow them. They supposedly have whole magazines related to wizards and their guilds, but Jace didn't know much else.
We do end up having to make many trips back and forth between the ship and the warehouse, but eventually we get it all unloaded. It's well past midday by the time we finish, and it's getting on into the evening when we head to find the manager.
He seems surprised at how quickly we finished before deciding to roll with it and assigning another boat to us. This one goes even faster than the Witch, and soon we are back in front of the manager.
"Ah'm kind of surprised at how fast you work. Ah would say Ah wish we had more like you, but Ah'm pretty sure you would put most of my boys out of work. We also pretty much need to throw the day worker rate out to sea. You ended up doing an entire crew's worth of work by yourself." The manager comments as he pulls out a stack of bills.
"Ah'm just going to call it an even 25 thousand. It's about half what I would pay a full crew for a day's work, but you did start fairly late. Should be enough for ya to find a place to stay tonight and a train ticket to wherever you want to go. Plus a little extra for food and whatnot." The manager explained, which I was thankful for since I had no idea what things cost in Earth-Land. He could have handed me a hundred… whatever those were, and I would have taken it without knowing better.
"Thank you, sir." I reply. 'Oh shoot! What was his name again? I knew it just a few hours ago.'
"There's a hotel called Tiffiney's near the train station that's decent and has pretty good rates. Better than anything near the harbor. We mainly have stuff that's cheap or pricey here and nothing really in between. And you don't want to stay in the cheap places." He offers more advice.
"Thanks for the advice, sir."I say in gratitude. 'It began with an N, right? Or was it a M?'
"Take care of yourself, Azreal. A guild wizard can be dangerous work. It's a sad fact, but a few of you end up dying every year. Hopefully you're one of the ones that stay alive." Ned, it was probably Ned, offers his hand to shake.
"Thanks for all the help, sir. I really appreciate the chance you gave me to work here, and I'll do my best to stay alive as I go forward." I give Ned a firm handshake before heading out. It was getting dark, and I wanted to try and find the place Ned recommended before the sun went down.
'Also need to find somewhere to eat. Surprised I'm just now starting to feel hungry. This body is supposed to be brand new, isn't it? Probably never had food before.' I think absently as I head into the town proper.
As I was leaving the warehouse, I noticed two things. One, I had left the golems standing around, and I should probably desummon them. And two, I had a new Gacha Ticket in my robes pocket. Getting rid of the golems was fairly easy, as all I had to do was concentrate on their mental representation and will them away. They all blinked out of existence with barely a sound.
The Ticket I at least waited until I was in a secluded area before opening it.
Earn 10,000 Jewels. 1 Bronze Ticket
[Match]
|Trash Ability|
Allows you to light a small flame on your fingers, barely qualifies to be a lighter.
'Well, at least it's an ability.' I think morosely to myself.
'I can worry about that later. Right now I need to find the hotel Ned told me about and then find something to eat.' I think.
It turned out fairly easy to find both those things. The town had multiple signs helping you find your way around, and Tiffiney's happened to be on the same street. When I found the station, I did check to see if I was in the right country. Seeing as they did have Magnolia Town as a destination, I could finally relax. Not knowing which country I was in had been a source of constant worry, and it felt good to get it off my chest.
'Glad I ended up here and not in one of the other countries. I think some of them even had slavery.' I think in relief. I wasn't sure if that had just been from a fic I read or if it was really a thing, but at least I wouldn't have to worry about it.
Finding a place to eat was also fairly easy. The street the station was on had quite a few eateries, so I just picked the best-looking one. I wasn't sure if it was because I was in a new body or if things on a planet with magic were just better, but it was one of the best meals I could remember. It wasn't really that fancy either. Just a pasta dish with some type of cream sauce.
'I wonder what a steak from a magical bull would taste like.' I almost drool while imagining it.
After eating, I stepped into a general goods store to buy a notebook and a pack of pens. I wanted to write down everything I remember about the series before too much time passed. I was already only half remembering things, and I didn't want it to get any worse.
Getting a room was fast and simple. Luckily they didn't need to scan your driver's license like they would in the US. It took a little under a fifth of the money I had just gotten, but I made that in half a day of "work," so I wasn't too bothered.
The room itself was plain but clean, which was the important part. They even had a little crystal light source that functioned like a light bulb, which was nice. I hadn't looked forward to having to write by candlelight.
'But before I start writing, I have something else I need to do.' I think excitedly as I pull out a certain herb. I had been itching to use the herb all day, but I hadn't wanted to use it until I had a bit more privacy. What actually appears is more a pill than a plant. An almost glowing purple pill as thick around as my pinky appears in my hand.
I remember the movie showing Killmonger being more or less knocked out after he took the herb, but that was more because of the vision quest thing. This refined herb wasn't supposed to have any vision quest, so it should be fine.
'I am going to need some water,' I think as I stare at the large pill. Unfortunately, there isn't a sink in the hotel room, so I need to delay my transformation into the white panther.
Ten minutes later I am back in my room with a cup of water courtesy of the hotel's staff. After taking a mouthful of water, I sit on the bed and pop the pill. Even with the water, the pill fights going down, but its struggles are useless in the end.
It gets the last laugh, though, as only a second after swallowing it, my whole body seizes, and I feel one of the most painful sensations I've ever had. It's like getting a muscle cramp but over the whole body. Every part of my body hurts, and it's all I can do not to scream out.
"Whhhhyyyyyyyyy." I hissed out as my body twitched.The movement is bad enough that I actually fall out of bed. As someone whose worst injury was a stretched ACL in high school football, I am very unprepared for the pain.
'It said it was safe to take!' I scream internally, trying not to do it out loud.
After what feels like hours (but was probably only a minute at most), the pain just disappears. One second every part of my body hurts, and the next, nothing.The only sign of it happening was my ragged breathing and the tears rolling down my eyes.
As I am lying there trying not to cry, a knock comes from the door.
"Excuse me, is everything alright?' A female voice asks, "Someone reported a loud noise coming from this room."
'Oh, fuck off.' I curse mentally, but I actually say, "Yes, sorry.Bumped my toe and tripped." My voice isn't nearly as even as I wish it was.
"Are you ok, sir?" the lady asked.
I try to stagger to my feet, but as I push myself off the floor, I seem to put too much force into it and launch myself up. Reflexes I probably didn't have before kick in, and I get my legs under me before I have time to panic. Deciding to think about it later, I move over to the door and open it.
"Yes, quite sorry about that. I wasn't watching where I was going and had a bit of a tumble." I try to reassure her.
She stares at my face for a second before tentatively asking, "Are you… crying?"
I try not to let the embarrassment show as I state, "Ma'am, painful experiences can make the eyes water. It's a perfectly natural bodily response to pain and doesn't need to be commented on."
Realizing asking a guy, even a young one, if he was just crying after stubbing his toe might be a little rude, the hotel worker bows and apologizes. "Yes, my apologies. Well, it looks like everything is fine here, so I will leave you to your rest. Please have a good night."
I watch as she leaves before slowly closing the door.
'Things did not go as planned.' I think morosely to myself. The whole event even put me off testing my new physical ability. Just remembering the whole experience made me shudder.
I instead decide to distract myself with other things. I pull out the notebook and pen I had bought earlier and go to sit at the single desk in the room. Just to be safe I plan to write everything in English.
'So the arcs start with the flute thing right? Then the demon moon island. Then is it the phantom attack or the resurrect tower thing next? I think Lexus's civil war was after the tower arc. He did it during a festival, so that will let me know when it's about to happen. After that is the Nirvana arc, I belive? With Wendy. Then the dark guild with Urd and fire god guy attack or something like that.' I note it down.
'Unfortunately that's more or less what I know about the time line.' I think disappointedly, 'I know they visit the Celestial dimension for one arc and Magicless Earth-land for another. That's where Maryjane's and Elfman's sister gets sent to, if I remember right? I wonder if I can prevent that from happening. There's a tournament arc somewhere in the timeline, and I think they get trapped on an island during the S-rank trials. Don't know where in the timeline that takes place. Then they eventually fight a guild of demons, a bunch of dragons, and maybe Zef and his kingdom.'
'So that is a very vague timeline to work with. Now what can I change?' I ask myself. 'Depending on where I am in the timeline, I might be able to prevent the ice teacher from using her sacrifice spell. I would need to be super early in the timeline to even have a chance of helping with that. Is there anything I can do after she uses it? Doesn't she transmute her body to ice for that spell? Unless I get something from the gacha, I really don't know of a way to turn her body back.'
I tap the pen on my chin. 'Let's put that on the back burner. Anything else I can do? Might be able to prevent… Lisa? Maryjane's sister from disappearing. It would be easier than the ice lady, but it really depends on where I am in the time line. Wasn't there also a fat rich guy that had a celestial key in one of the first episodes? I bet I can get a ticket from that. I don't really plan on keeping the key, but just having it for a bit should be worth a card. Weren't there some stronger keys other than the horoscope ones, or was that just fanon? Might need to look into that. One was supposed to be a dragon right? Speaking of a dragon, wasn't there one trapped in an eternal fire in some village.'
'I don't think there is a lot I can do for the major arcs.' I think after a few seconds. 'Like the tower guy is pretending to be a wizard saint, but I don't have any idea how I would expose him. Urd is also on the magic council, right? I also can't think of any way to prevent the phantom guild from attacking. I could try and find Nirvana early since I know it's linked to Wendy's guild, but what would I do with it after? I don't even remember what it was supposed to do.'
I sigh as I close the notebook. 'This has gotten me nowhere. I only have 2, maybe 3, ideas on how to change anything, and those are minor things. Unless I get so strong I can take out a whole major dark guild, I can't see myself changing too much. I need more time to think.'
Deciding to sleep on it, I turn off the lights and head to bed. I had been right earlier. I stayed awake into the night thinking about life, souls, and the multiverse.
The next morning I found myself up early and heading to the train station after a very awkward wash. I had found out last night that my room lacked a bathroom. Instead they had a communal restroom and wash area. I hadn't been in a public shower since high school, and it was just as awkward now as it was then.
I had also taken a few minutes to play with my new strength. It was amazing just how limber I was now and just how much strength my muscles packed. They hadn't even gotten any bigger. I still looked like a doughboy, yet I might even be stronger than when I finished high school.
I also found a Gacha Pack, which did brighten my day before bringing it crashing down even lower than before. Why, you might ask? Because I got nothing.
Live One Day on Earth Land! 1 Bronze Pack
[Nothing]
|Trash Trait|
Literally just nothing, it's simply impressive that you got this unlucky.
So the morning hadn't started out the best, but I was looking forward to the rest of the day. I would hopefully get quite a few more tickets today. I would also finally be able to tell when I was in the timeline. I assumed I hadn't been put somewhere in the middle of the series, but I had no idea if I was at the start or early in the timeline.
Going down the street to the station, I considered getting breakfast but decided to check departure times first. Which turned out to be a good thing since a train for Magnolia Town left in around 30 minutes.
A train ticket turned out to be a little over 10,000 jewels. I ended up finding out what money was called yesterday when I paid for my dinner. The name was at least better than One Piece's Belly. That left me with nearly 10,000 jewels left in funds. I was probably going to have to take a job fairly soon after joining Fairy Tail to afford a place to stay.
The 30 minutes did give me time to watch people, which made me realize something I had kind of already noticed but never actualized. 'People really do look better in anime land then in real li… No, wait, this is real life, so that doesn't work. People look better than in my previous universe. It's got to be all the magic in the air. Most people can't use it but it obviously helps in some way.' I reason to myself.
Time moved fast as I marveled at all the models walking around. Even the overweight people, the few that there were, looked good. Like they had just walked out of a plus-size magazine.
My people-watching session eventually comes to an end as boarding for my train is called. I entered the train and found a decent spot to wait for the ride to start.
While I wait, I go over my backstory again. I found out the date was September 14 of the year X779. Funnily enough, September 13 was my first birthday, so I was reborn on the same day as my birth. It was also kind of strange that this world used the same calendar as my old one, but since it made things easier to remember, I was not going to complain.
For my age, I had decided to go with 13. Not for any real reason other than 13 seemed like my lucky number. I would only be this age for a year, but hopefully that year would be very lucky.
I would be the bastard son of a wealthy merchant and his mistress. The reason I was so tubby was because I had been studying to become one of my father's underlings.Since I just needed to study and was kept away from other children, I ended up growing fat. My ability to use magic was treated as a novelty and not much else.
I was fairly isolated, so I never really connected with my parents. A few months ago my father was killed during a routine caravan trip, and his business was torn apart by rivals. My mother gave me enough money to live on for a bit and then kicked me out.
I traveled from Seven to Fiore to start a new life. Why Seven? It and Iceberg were literally the only two names I remembered other than Fiore from the series. When I first heard it I had thought it was kind of funny that a county was named Seven, which stuck with me for some reason. I think it was supposed to be fairly chaotic there, so hopefully a merchant dying wouldn't be too amiss.
I really needed to do some history checking in a library soon, but I didn't have the funds to spend a day reading in a library. I probably could have stayed at the harbor working a few more days, but the call of the Gacha was strong, and I was so very, very weak.
'If I remember right they didn't make a big deal of Lucy joining so hopefully they don't ask too many questions.' I reason to myself.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(A few hours later)
Visit Magnolia Town! 1 Bronze ticket
[Lightning Claws]
|Uncommon Ability|
Create claws of violent lightning on top of your regular hands to sever and electrocute enemies at the same time.
The ticket had been in my pocket when I stepped off the train and was a very welcome surprise. An actual combat ability would be very helpful in my new job. It was also very thematic. I really was going to be the white panther if this keeps up. All I needed now was a skintight super suit.
I wonder if other cities will give tickets or if it's only Magnolia since it's the main city for the series. When I have time and money, I should do a tour of the major cities just in case.' I think.
Magnolia was a decent-sized town if you were on foot. The station had been on the outside of town, but some helpful direction from one of the station's staff saw me on the central path for the town, which was then a straight shot to the guild. Overall it took over 30 minutes to arrive in front of the guild.
Before I could enter, I felt something plop into my pocket.
'Nice. We're off to a great start.' I think gleefully as I open the foil packet.
Visit Fairy Tail! 1 Bronze Ticket
[Intermediate Medicine]
|Uncommon Skill|
You are as skilled as a doctor, possessing a variety of medical knowledge and skills in treating injuries, illnesses and problems as well as familiarity with the body and medicine as well as its applications.
'Oh nic… OWOWOWOWO WHY!' My celebratory mood was quickly ruined by a sharp pain in my head. Years of medical knowledge were shoved into my head all at once. As a pharmacist in my previous life, I had more than a passing knowledge of the medical arts. Unfortunately there were only a few things that both worlds had in common, so much of the information was brand new.
I suddenly found myself knowing a whole new list of new illnesses and treatments. I also seemed to have training as a magic doctor, as I knew how to make some basic potions and even an item called Magic Bandages. These were a basic but useful tool to heal minor to moderate traumatic injuries and could even be used in the field.
'It's awesome that I now know this but couldn't they think of a less painful way to give it?' I complain to myself. 'Still, that was two great abilities in a row. Coming here was definitely the right decision.'
I tap my chin for a second. 'I should change my backstory a bit. I now have all this medical knowledge, so I might as well use it. I still should be the bastard son of a merchant, but instead of an underling for my father, I was studying to be a doctor for his caravans. That way, showing some decent medical skills won't be too weird. Well, I shouldn't put it off any longer.''
I say I shouldn't put it off any longer, but as I go to open the door I feel another packet in my pocket. I must have missed its appearance when the pain hit.
'Well, waiting a little longer wouldn't hurt.' I think excitedly.
Open 10 Gacha Packs! 1 Silver Gacha Pack.
[Cardboard World]
|Uncommon Trait|
You have complete and perfect control over your own strength and the power you exert; even with enough power to shatter a planet, you can still easily punch with low enough force to not hurt a foam brick.
'Well… it will probably come in handy at some point. Probably.' I'm sure once I have rolled dozens of legendary packs, I will be thankful for this roll. Until then it seemed kind of useless.
As I open the door to the guild, I'm assaulted by a wave of noise. Standing outside of the guild, I could tell that things were rowdy inside, but I was in no way prepared for just how rowdy. The building must have excellent soundproofing because it hides the true level of noise quite well. There wasn't even a fight going on right now, just people shouting at each other from across the room.
After getting used to the noise, I was then assaulted a second time by the clashing colors in the room. I hadn't seen so many colorful outfits since the last time I visited an anime convention. Which, ok fine, but still. I did notice a few people looking in my direction, but they go back to what they are doing after a bit.
I even noticed some young familiar faces among the colorful cast. 'Well, I at least know I'm before the start of the series.'
I scan the building for the guild master and get lucky to spot him at the bar. The barstool boosted him up enough for me to spot him even with his size. If he had been among the tables in the middle of the building, I probably would have missed him. I had really underestimated just how short Markarov was. The guy barely came up to my waist.
Skirting the outside of the main area, I take a seat next to him at the bar. He glances at me from the corner of his eye. As I sit down I feel something drop in my pocket, but I ignore it for now.
"You're a new face around here, young man. Don't think I have seen you in town either. What brings you to our little guild?" Markarov asks.
"I've found myself in a bit of a mess sir. Got kicked from my home with barely anything to my name. Luckily, I have a few decent abilities I could make a living with. I was hoping Fairy Tail might be the place I could do it in?" I answer as truthfully as I can.
"And why Fairy Tail? There are plenty of other places you could make a living in." Markarov swirls the drink in his mug. "Fairy Tail really isn't a place for just living."
The response I had died on my lips as I really thought about what he said.
After I had gotten my pharmacy degree, I had more or less just been coasting by. I had plenty of money to live on and no real goal to work for anymore. I had been like that for years now. It wasn't a bad life. Honestly it was a pretty good one, but it HAD just been living.
I wanted to do more than just live in this new life. I already had one life where I played it safe. It was time to reach out and see what life had to offer. I wanted to see more, to do more, to BE MORE.
And what if that kind of life was too much for me? If all I amounted to was a small flash in the pan? That was fine too. Somehow, though, I don't think that would be my end. I would bet my life on it.
"You're right, I could have made a living just about anywhere else." I turn to Markarov fully. "A very good living but I want more than that. I want to strive for the very top. To climb as far as I can and to leave my name down in history. That's what I want. That's what I gave up everything for. And I think Fairy Tail can help me get there."
Markarov grins widely before downing his drink and slamming it on the table. "Then I think Fairy Tail will be happy to have you, lad. It sounds like you're about to start a great adventure, and that's what Fairy Tail is all about. After all, do Fairies even have tails? Do they even exist? Every day we keep moving forward to try and answer that question, and whether we answer it or not doesn't matter. Because the journey of finding it and the friends we make along the way are what really make life worth living."
Markarov jumps off his stool and waves you over. "Come on, lad, let's get the Guild Stamp from my office and make you official. What's your name anyway?"
I get up to follow him, "I'm Azreal, though most just call me Ray. No last name at the moment. Will that be a problem."
Markarov shakes his head, "No, no.We got a few mages in the guild that don't have one. If you do end up picking one, just let me know and I can add it to your register."
Markarov leads me to a door near the back of the guild, "Through here, Azreal.This is my office if you ever need to reach me and I am not in the guild hall proper. I try to stay out of here when I can since it's so boring cooped up here alone." Markarov grins cheekily at me.
"Now for official records I will have to ask what magic you use. This is mainly so that the magic counsel can have a list of your capabilities if they wish to call on you. Though that is not something most wizards need to worry about, really. Mainly only S-ranked mages get called on by the counsel."
"I don't know a lot of magic at the moment. My father originally planned for me to be a doctor in his caravan. I have quite a bit of medical knowledge and can even make Healing Bandages. Unfortunately, my father is no longer around, and I no longer feel like pursuing the healing arts." I was stretching the truth a bit, but everything I said was more or less true. "Other than being able to make Healing Bandages I also know some earth magic and a single lightning spell."
Markarov looks saddened when I mention my father but does write down the spells I know. "I am sorry to hear about your loss. If you ever want to talk about it, my door is always open. You probably don't want to talk to a complete stranger about personal things like that right now, but Fairy Tail does try to be a family for those needing it. We can't replace what you lost, but we can be there in our own way."
I nodded in thanks, but I wasn't ready to broach the subject just yet. I might not ever be ready. It's not like they were even dead. They were perfectly happy and healthy in my previous world. They wouldn't even notice anything wrong since I was a copy of the original, who was still with them.
Markarov takes my nod in good spirits and continues, "You also don't need to worry about not knowing much magic. We've had starting mages join before. The guild is just as happy to welcome new mages starting their journey as veteran mages well into theirs. The important thing is the attitude. The willingness to always keep seeking adventure."
Markarov makes a few more marks on the paper before putting it to the side and drawing out a small wooden box. "That's most of what I need out of the way. Now the guild mark. The guild symbol is how people recognize you are a part of Fairy Tail. It does not really matter where it's placed or what color it is as long as you wear it with pride. Where do you want the mark?"
"Before I get the stamp, there is something else I want to say. I figure I should tell you before I officially join." I say seriously
Markarov seemed to catch my change in attitude and lowered the stamp. "Oh? Well, if you think it's important."
I had thought a lot about telling Markarov about the Gacha. Debated the pros and cons pretty much the whole trip. I could probably hide the rewards I got from the Gacha given enough time and effort. Pretend to study certain subjects and reveal my abilities as the things I learned. Hold onto items until after a mission and say I bought them along the way.
The thing was, I just really didn't want to live like that in my new life. Constantly watching my words and actions to make sure I didn't let anything slip. Hiding behind lies and subterfuge just to use my abilities. And even if I tried my best, it could slip out anyway. A reward might just be impossible to hide, and then the truth would come out anyway.
I also took the setting into account. Fairy Tail as a setting was a lot more lighthearted than many of the other anime. There's no way I would have talked about the Gacha if this had been Naruto or JJK. The few fanfics I have read also always showed Markarov in a positive light. As far as I was aware, he didn't have the sinister undertones that some elderly leaders had, like Dumbledore and Hiruzen.
I was probably jumping the gun a bit. I had only been here two days, after all. For all I know this could be some AU universe where all light guilds were really dark guilds with better PR. Still, I wanted to get this done now before I actually joined the guild.
"I have been blessed by a god." I state.
Markarov's eyes shoot open, and he jerks back in his chair. He jerks back so strongly that he actually tips the chair over. I can't see it, but I hear the loud thump that he and the chair make as they hit the ground.
The guild master quickly rights himself while holding his chest and shouts, "Who just says that out of nowhere? I'm an old man, you brat. You nearly gave me a heart attack."
I can't help but laugh at his over-the-top antics, "Sorry sir, just thought I shouldn't beat around the bush."
Markarov slowly calms down and moves to sit his chair back up. All the while grumbling about how he's too old for surprises like that and stupid brats.
After setting his chair up and retaking his seat, he stares at me. "So I guess you have some type of God Slaying Magic? It's incredibly rare, but there have been known users of it."
I scratch my head. "Ah, no. It's a bit weirder than that. So before I met the god, I didn't actually know any magic at all. Since then I have found that when I accomplish something he finds interesting, I get a random rewards. They can be items, abilities, or even magical traits. They can be all over the place really. Like, one of the prizes was these guys." I say as I summon the golem workers. Suddenly I am surrounded by 11 iron golems.
Markarov seems to choke on air for a second before growing into a gaint. I don't even have time to move before he suddenly whacks me over the head.
"I told you to stop trying to give me a heart attack!." He shouts at me as I clutch my throbbing head.
"Sorry master! They just seemed like the best evidence I could think of." I apologize as he looms over me.
The giant then shrinks down to his normal size and examines the golems. "If I didn't know better, I would say you made these with Iron Make, but I sensed no magic when you summoned them. One second nothing, the next 11 golems."
He walks around them a few times before returning to his chair. "So this god gives you things when you achieve certain feats correct? So he's still watching you?"
"I guess." I kind of shrug. "He would have to be to keep rewarding me. He hasn't interacted with me other than giving rewards, but I don't see why he couldn't if he wanted to. The only time I heard from him was when he told me about the reward system and then sent me on my way. I didn't even get his name. The only thing I really got was that he was tied to chaos."
The old man rubs his chin with a frown. "I don't really like it, but there's nothing much I can do. Information on gods is very hard to come by. Most information comes from those that were taught God Slayer Magic. The few accounts we have of them say they are as varied as people can be."
Markarov then sighs and shrugs, "Well, thank you for letting me know. I will see if I can find any information about a chaos god, but until then, let's put the matter to the side. Having the attention of a god isn't going to bar you from joining. If anything, it just means your adventure will be more exciting."
He then picks up the stamp again and asks, "Now where do you want your stamp?"
"On the right deltoid please." I say as I start taking off the top section of my robes. "This might be an odd request, but can the stamp have multiple colors? If not, that's alright, but I am kind of attached to a particular color sequence."
"It's a bit more elaborate than what most people get, but it's doable. You just need to have enough control to vary the magic power you feed the stamp. What did you have in mind?"
"Again, it's perfectly fine if it's a bit too much to ask for. The sequence I was wondering about starts with bronze at the bottom of the mark, then going to silver, gold, platinum, light blue, orange, pink, and finally red at the top of the mark." I figured I might as well pay homage to the Gacha if I can. If not, I would probably just get it in royal blue.
Markarov's eyes slowly widened with each color. "Oh boy, that is quite the request. That many colors would be hard for even most S-ranks to do. Like I said earlier, it's about magic control, and few mages have that much control. Lucky for you, age has given me more than my dashing good looks. It's allowed me to hone my control quite a bit."
My new guild master grabs the stamp and hops off his chair. It's a bit amusing to see him completely disappear behind his desk as he makes his way over, but I try to not let it show. Presenting my arm to him, I wait for him to apply it.
"Now bear with me here a moment. I am going to need to concentrate to be able to add all the colors you requested." Markarov says as he places the stamp on my deltoid. A good half a minute passes before he takes the stamp off.
"Whew, that was harder than I expected. Keeping each section distinct during the application was tricky. Now I need a drink, and I think we should announce the guild has a new member." Markarov says as he tosses the stamp on his desk and heads to the door.
I spend a second marveling at the new mark before quickly slipping my tan tunic on. I was going to hold off putting the top portion of my Archmage Robe on since it has long sleeves and would thus cover my guild mark.
"HEY YOU BRATS!" Markarov yells as he opens the door to his office and walks out, "We got a new member, so let's party!"
The roar that erupts from the guild almost blasts me back into the guild master office. Most of the guild just seem to be looking for any excuse to party and, after a wave and quick welcome, go about the festivities. The young members of the guild actually seem interested to talk or in one pink-haired boy's case…
"Fight me!" A fist on fire whizzes past me as I just barely dodge. Even when I saw him coming, I barely dodged. If I hadn't taken the Herb last night, there would have been no way I would have dodged. Before Natsu could take a second swing at me, a gauntleted cover first slams him to the ground.
"At least let him have a day to settle in before you challenge him to a fight, Natsu." A red-haired girl tells the now twitching Natsu.
She turns to me and bows. "Please forgive Natsu; he is just excited to see how strong our new member is."
"Well, it wasn't quite what I expected when joining, but it's probably something I need to get used to." I give an awkward smile. "I'm Azreal, by the way. A pleasure to meet you."
Erza takes my offered hand and gives me a firm shake. I try not to wince, as the gauntlet has no give to it and Erza's grip is very strong. "Welcome to Fairy Tail, Azreal. I'm Erza. If you ever need any help, please seek me out."
"I will keep that in mind. I probably will need help in the future, as this is all very new to me." I smile in gratitude.
Natsu pops up from where he had been twitching. "Hey, welcome to the guild. I'm Natsu. We should fight later."
"Er, yeah sure. I need to get used to fighting soon. I heard it was an important part of being a wizard." I had been in a single real fight during my life, and that had been in high school. I took karate as a kid, but there was a big difference between that and a serious fight.
Before I could say anything else, I felt a tugging on my pants. Looking down, I notice a blue bipedal cat tugging on my pants.
"Fish?" the cat asks with big watery eyes.
I bend down and say, "Sorry, little guy, I don't have any fish."
Happy's eyes go from big and watery to flat and lifeless. Without saying anything, the cat walks off.
I stand awkwardly and ask Natsu and Erza, "He's going to be alright, right?" I wouldn't worry about Happy if this was the start of the series, but I have no idea what his age is now. Hopefully I hadn't just made a toddler cry.
"I wouldn't worry about him; he'll forget about it in like 30 minutes." A new voice calls out. A young black-haired boy walks up to our group. "Happy and Matchstick share a single brain cell between them, so they bounce back pretty fast."
Natsu stomps up to the other boy and growls, "What was that, Icebrain? Were you asking for a beating? Because I will be happy to give you one."
Gray returns the growl and replies, "Happy must have your shared brain cell at the moment if that's what you heard. I was clearly implying you were dumb, Hotpants."
As they continue arguing, a second young girl walks up. She has black hair up in a high ponytail and is currently drinking from a mug. "Don't mind them. They're always like this. Welcome to the guild; I'm Cana."
Before I can say anything, Erza grabs the drink from Cana's hand and sniffs it. "Cana, are you drinking alcohol again? You know you're too young to drink yet. Why have you become such a troublemaker recently?"
Cana just looks away and tsks, "I don't know why you care; it's just a little hard apple cider. Barely counts as alcohol."
I intervened before I had two arguing groups around me: "Are these the only members our age in the guild?"
Erza pauses before sighing, "We will talk about this later, Cana." She then turns to me; while behind her I can see Cana giving me a nod in gratitude. "We actually have a few others near our age. The Strauss siblings are out on a job at the moment. That team consists of Mirajane, Elfman, and Lisanna. They have been taking a lot of missions lately, so they are gone quite often."
Cana cuts in here, "Everyone knows Erza is the most likely one to make S rank in next year's trial, but Mirajane is trying to beat her to it. She has been pushing her siblings hard to get ready for the trials."
Erza huffs, "Mirajane is a strong mage, but she still has some growing to do before she is ready for the rank."
Cana giggles behind her hand, "Erza and Mirajane have a bit of a rivalry. When they get at it, they can be almost as bad as those two." She motions over to the two boys that were now wrestling on the floor.
Erza just now seemed to notice the boys had gone past arguing and into roughhousing."Gray! Natsu! Get off the ground this instant; that is no way for guild members to act. And Gray! Put on some clothes!" She loomed over the boys on the ground and slowly reached towards them.
It seemed at some point Gray had started stripping, as his clothes were lying around on the ground.
The boys realized they had drawn Erza's ire, screamed, and crawled away. They were just able to outcrawlErza's hands before disappearing under a table. Erza growled before swiftly walking around the table, trying to catch her elusive prey. I can't see what's going on behind the tables but as the sound gets father and father away, I assume the boys are still crawling.
Cana, somehow with drink back in hand, sighs at their antics, "There's never a dull moment here at Fairy Tail. It can be a lot of fun, but it does get old after a while."
I nod slowly. "I can easily see that. It's all a bit overwhelming. I lived a fairly sedative life before this, so I'm definitely not used to all this excitement." I pat my belly when I mention my previous life being sedentary.
Cana eyes me for a second before humming in thought, "You'll probably lose most of that if you stick with being a wizard. It's possible to stay overweight as a wizard, but you have to be a real glutton to keep the weight on. That or incredibly lazy."
"It is something I hope to lose soon. I no longer have access to the large amount of unhealthy food I was once surrounded with, and my goals now point to a more active career than before. I had previously been studying to be a doctor, so I spent long hours reading." Again, mostly the truth. Sure, it was a Doctor of Pharmacy, and I had actually already become one, but I didn't need to mention that.
Cana raises an eyebrow at that. "That's an interesting field of study. We don't actually have anyone really capable of healing in the guild. There's supposedly a retired guild member living near here that knows a lot about healing, but I've never seen her. She probably likes her peace and quiet, which is in short supply here."
I did remember something about that but not any specific details. She was supposed to be some type of elf or something that was super tsundere. Markarova often went to her when injuries were serious.
"Well, I don't have a lot of experience, but I can say I am fairly knowledgeable. If you ever need help, please don't hesitate to ask." While pharmacists took a different oath compared to doctors, that didn't mean I would turn people away who needed help.
"If you will excuse me though, I need to go talk to the master. I just arrived in Marigold this morning and came straight here. I need to get my living situation sorted before I am forced to spend the night out in the woods." I say.
Cana frowns in thought, "That's going to be hard to find on short notice. We used to have a boy's dormitory like we do for the girls, but it got burned down." She smirks evilly before continuing, "Rumor is Natsu had bed lighting problems when he was younger. Kept lighting fires when he was asleep because he was too cold."
I laugh at both the imagery and remembering an old Pokémon comic that was very similar. My happy mode then turns sour a bit as I remember I won't be able to get on the internet ever again. Probably good for my health and sanity, but I was going to miss it.
"Well, if that's the case, I better start looking now. Sounds like my odds of not having to camp out in the woods are dwindling every second. Good talking to you." I wave as I leave.
"Good luck. I'm going to go see if I can get more of that cider. It's a little weak, but no one will give me anything stronger." Cana says as she goes searching.
I shake my head as the burgeoning alcoholic. I was never a real fan of her excessive alcoholism, but she was rarely shown as actually being drunk, so I let it pass. I didn't mind people who had the occasional beer to relax even if I could never stand the taste. It was those that got drunk constantly that I avoided. In Cana's case she easily drank enough that she should be drunk but somehow had such a high tolerance that it hardly affected her.
While I did need to talk to the guild master, there was another reason I begged off any more conversation. I could feel my pocket positively building with Gacha Packs. The temptation to open them could only be held off for so long, and I had reached my limit.
'I guess we all have our vices.' I think to myself. Cana had alcohol, and I had Gacha.Last edited: Sep 23, 2025 Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Jeff Roy, Ligoya, YiteWrite and 242 othersShadow sharpSep 22, 2025Reader modeNewAdd bookmark Threadmarks Threadmarks Chapter 6 New Threadmarks Shadow sharpKnow what you're doing yet?Sep 23, 2025Add bookmark#7Finding a semi-secluded spot I pull out my Gacha Packs. It turns out I had a total of 5 bronze, 1 silver, and 1 gold.
'Oh nice!' I think happily to myself as I open my first bronze packet
Meet Natsu! One Bronze Pack
[Fake Weapon]
|Trash Ability|
Allows you to create illusionary weapons in your hands for intimidation purposes.
'Well at least it's an ability. Don't know if I will ever slot it in but who knows.' I try to console myself. I grab the next ticket to hopefully get something better.
Meet Happy! One Bronze Pack
[Deus Eggs Machina] (This was actually my 4th roll but I thought it would be good here)
|Trash Trait|
You will be able to find a regular chicken egg anywhere in opportune moments.
As the ticket disappeared, I noticed behind it was a plain white egg sitting on the table. I am certain it wasn't there before I read the card.
'Well,' I think 'At least I'll never starve. I now got a permanent easter bunny following me around leaving eggs.' As I think about what to do with the new egg, I see Happy crawl nearby. I can hear Gray and Natsu still screaming as they use tables and chairs to escape Erza's wraith. Guess Happy wanted to join in on the game. Still at least the egg won't be going to waste.
"Happy." I call out.
"Aye?" The little blue cat stops crawling and looks up.
"Here, it's not a fish but you can ask the waitress to cook it for you." I offer as I hand him the egg.
"Aye!" He takes the egg and runs off. I watch him rush off with the egg held over his head like some great prize.
'I wonder if I can do a running gag where I off eggs to people after they get beat up.' I giggle a little to myself as I remember the meme, "Can I offer you a nice egg in this trying time."
Meet Erza! One Bronze Pack
[Frisk] (This was Actually my 1st roll)
|Common Ability|
Allows you to know the full inventory of a target you are looking at, what they are wearing, and what's on their body as well as a quick summary of their inventory.
1 Ability Slot has opened up!
'Definitely better then illusionary weapons. Don't think I will have it equipped during a fight, but it will be useful in other situations. Plus it's my 5th ability.' I cheer to myself.
Meet Gray! One Bronze Pack
[Iron Skin]
|Uncommon Ability|
You are able to reinforce your skin and body to the level where it resembles metal more than flesh and increases your mass, giving you superhuman durability. Even as a base human, baseball bats would break on impact, small caliber bullets are ineffective. Even a car crash, while it would hurt, you can walk away. But maintaining iron skin can make you slower to move.
'Whew, Jackpot. It's a shame it makes me slower, but more defense is always great.'
Meet Cana! One Bronze Pack
[Bad Boy/girl Charm]
|Uncommon Trait|
You have that raw bad boy/girl edge, you are an object of affection for emo's and edgy people. Rudeness may come across as cool more often.
I feel just a bit stunned as the ticket disappears, 'I'm like the furthest thing away from being a bad boy. I'm a chubby nerd who is polite to everyone. It's going to be really strange if people start thinking I'm some misunderstood rebel.'
Meet a Wizard Saint! One Silver Pack
[Building]
|Uncommon Ability|
You are able to perform transmutation on a macro scale, while you cannot build complex constructs or small applications you could turn the ground into a proper building in less than an hour. This ability does not move particularly fast, so its combat applications are limited.
I am about to celebrate before a somewhat familiar pain spikes in my head. It seems along with the ability to make buildings, I also get a novice understanding of architecture. It's a wide but shallow understanding of how to make a building that won't immediately collapse. It even comes with some knowledge on how plumbing, heating, cooling, and lacrima placement work.
'Seems the knowledge is world specific.' I had already kind of figured that out with the medical knowledge I got, but this really drove it home. Most of everything that ran on electricity in my own world used lacrima here. Lights? Light Lacrima. Hot water? Water and Fire Lacrima. Cooling? Ice Lacrima. Plumbing could be done in two ways. You could be connected to a general water supply that usually comes from a reservoir that's passed over multiple purifying lacrima, or a house could have a personal water lacrima. The personal lacrima would have to be charged by a wizard, so it wasn't used that often for general housing.
It made me wonder how the world wasn't in danger of being flooded when a person just needed a crystal and magic to make water. Unfortunately, the information pack didn't go into that much detail.
This did give me an idea on how to fix my housing situation and make some money at the same time. Cana said earlier that the Fairy Tail Men's dorm had burned down. They obviously weren't interested in replacing it themselves, so I wonder if Markarov would let me replace it. For use of the land and a generous discount to Fairy Tail members, I would get a place to live and some steady income.
I was almost tempted to go talk to him right now, but the golden temptation was still calling. 'After the gold pack,' I promise myself as I tear open the gold foil.
Join Fairy Tail! One Gold Pack
[Cockroach Physique]
|Elite Ability|
Allows you to turn into a humanoid cockroach or a hybrid at will, granting you extreme resilience and increased physical abilities along with all of the traits a mundane cockroach would otherwise possess.
'On one hand, more physical enhancements are great; on the other, it's a cockroach. Why couldn't it be like a beetle or ant? Those are actually cool.' I sigh as I ask myself. 'Ugh, I'm probably going to be known as the roach wizard or something, aren't I.'
I was practical enough to know I wouldn't not use such a powerful ability, but it didn't stop me from whining about it. Even if it was only in my own head. Still with cockroach physiology, iron skin, and mithril bones, I was going to be a tank.
With my Gacha addiction satisfied for the time being, it was time to do some actual work. Scanning the hall, I found at some point Markarov had separated from the party proper and was watching the antics with a smile on his face. I make my way over to him, being sure to skirt around the rowdier partiers.
"Not enjoying the party, my boy? It's being thrown in your honor." Markarov comments as I get close.
I wince a bit at the comment but press on, "Kind of hard to enjoy it when I'm not sure where I will sleep tonight. That's the reason I came to find you."
Markarov waved off my concern before replying, "You don't need to worry about it. We let members stay in the guild if they are in need. It's frowned on if it lasts more than a week, but a few days while you find somewhere to live is more than doable."
"That's good to know. It's definitely a load off my mind." I took a few seconds to think about how I wanted to ask about the possibility of a men's dorm. "So it turns out joining Fairy Tail was a bit of an achievement. I might have forgotten to mention earlier that I am also fairly skilled in construction and know some takeover magic. Sorry about that."
Markarov's eyes sharpen for a second before he sighs, "Well, I hadn't sent in the documents for you joining the guild, so it won't be that hard to add them."
I nod in thanks. "I also heard from Cana that the men's dorm burned down a while back. Were there any plans on rebuilding it?"
Markarov rolls his eyes. He obviously see's where I am going with this. "No, not particularly. Let me guess, you happen to be interested in helping us with our lack of a boys' dorm."
I try to smile innocently, but I don't think I pull it off very well. "Well, I just happen to be fairly good at building, you see, and I notice you might have a need for such skills. For the use of your land, I am more than happy to build and manage a men's dorm. I am even willing to give Fairy Tail members a steep discounter. Everybody wins then. I get a home to call my own and a small bit of income, while the men get to keep more of their money and can spend it on fine establishments like the guild bar."
Markarov gives me a disgusted look before downing his drink. "Fine, fine, just stop talking like a used magic carriage salesman. I feel slimy just being near you right now."
I give him a pout. "Master's words are hurtful." I then smiled, "I am glad you are willing to give me this chance. Don't worry, with my building magic and golems, I should be able to make a men's dorm that is up to Fairy Tail's standard."
Markarov grumbles something about "brat's not having standards" before motioning to the party. "So we got that all sorted out; go enjoy the party. I noticed you only talked to the other kids. Go say hello to the others."
I cringe at the suggestion before nodding. I was a pretty heavy introvert, so parties were never really my idea of a good time. Still, I at least knew how to socialize even if it wasn't my favorite activity.
I spent the next hour or so getting to know the "background" characters in the guild. I wasn't sure how big the guild was in the anime, but there were over 50 members here during my joining party. That wasn't even all the guild members. Supposedly there were quite a few out on jobs or doing their own thing outside the guild. I never got an exact number, but supposedly there were nearly 100 members in total.
I knew for a fact I was never going to remember all their names. The only reason I remember most of the main cast's names is because I read enough fanfiction to associate their image with a name, and even then I think I forgot a few. If I remember right, there was a cowboy and cowgirl team I didn't know the name of, and I forgot Levy's team member's name.
I did remember Levy's name for more than the fact she was a pretty girl. Her script magic seemed pretty versatile, if lacking in strength. It was kind of something I wanted to learn if possible.
After getting more than my fill of social interaction, I begged off to get something to eat. The guild restaurant/bar had a good variety of food, but I ended up getting a turkey club. I figured I could be adventurous with my food later when I didn't have to worry about wasting money on food I didn't like.
As I ate, I thought about the best way to set up the men's dorms. The building would effectively be free, just costing me time and energy, so I could splurge with the design. Eventually, after some thought, I figured it would be easier to just make multiple townhomes instead of one megabuilding that had all the additions I wanted.
Though the townhome concept depended on just how much land Fairy Tail owned. I doubted the original men's dorm was a small building, but multiple townhomes would take up quite a bit of space. That didn't even get into the fact I wanted to build some community buildings like a gym and common room.
I had always loved Legos as a kid, and thinking about all the stuff I wanted to build brought back some fond memories. The second I was done eating, I went off to search for the guild master.
He looked kind of exasperated when I showed up again. My excitement was pretty obvious because as we headed to the site of the old dorms, he commented, "You're going to be a strange one. Most of the guild get excited at destroying buildings. You might be one of the only ones excited at building ones."
I just laughed. "It's that, and I will finally get to use my magic in a big way. I tried out some small stuff here and there, but nothing on this scale."
Markarov just hums in agreement, "I can understand that. Magic is a wondrous thing, allowing you to do things that should be impossible. It can truly work wonders if given the proper motivation. Unfortunately the opposite is true if people let greed, pride, or pain lead them."
Eventually Markarov leads me to a bare area near the lake. "This is it. It's been a few years since the dorm burned down, so you really can't see where it used to be."
I give the area a look over. It is a decently large area, so my idea for individual townhouses should work. The town proper starts a few hundred feet away from the lake edge, which gives me plenty of room to work. Farther down the shore, hills start forming, making a natural barrier there.
"So this area is owned by Fairy Tail?" I ask, "Do I need to do anything before I start building? Permits I need to fill out?"
Markarov looks a bit baffled. "Why would we need permits to build stuff on our own land? I guess if you plan to connect it to the town's water and sewer system, you would need to talk to town maintenance. Bah, I say just start building. If I don't end up liking it, I'll just have Natsu burn it down. I'm sure he will enjoy that."
"Wow, thanks master. Good to know my hard work will be used for the enjoyment of a pyromaniac if you don't approve." I deadpan at him.
Markarov just waves me off. "It will need to be some pretty crappy buildings to need to go that far."
"Alright, guess I will get started." I say.
I first start sectioning areas off using Earth Move. It was important to have a firm idea of where everything will be when it's all built so things look neat and organized. I lower the areas I want the buildings to go 5 feet below the ground. I work slowly and make sure there is plenty of room between each building.
Getting to use Earth Move was also a fascinating experience. I could feel my magic seep into the earth before adhering to it. Once it adhered, I could direct it however I wanted. Moving it through the earth was fairly easy, but if I tried lifting it into the air it took a lot more magic to move it the same distance.
I started out fairly slow, but I quickly learned how to direct my magic and then how to direct the earth. I'm pretty sure my Archmage Robes were the main reason for my quick understanding of how the ability worked. I even learned how to compact the earth by moving it into itself. I could turn loose ground into firm flooring. It wasn't quite as hard as stone, but it ended up being much firmer than it originally was.
It took hours for me to finally get everything straightened out. If my mental map were right, I would have 2 rows of 15 townhouses with some larger buildings being closer to the lake. There was even a second area marked off for what would be the receptionist's office when/if I got around to hiring someone for the position. I definitely didn't want to have to be tied to the dorms the whole time, so someone here to manage things while I was off on missions was a must. I was hoping I could leave the golems here, and they would take care of any maintenance problems until I could get back and just use Building to remake whatever was wrong.
Once the placement was set, I moved over to the first area in the second row of houses. This would hopefully be my home once it was all said and done, and since it was getting late, I needed to at least finish this townhouse before it got dark.
Luckily, I would have lights, air conditioning, and water right away, as lacrima were considered part of a building, just like electric wiring and plumbing were part of a building in my old universe, so I did have the ability to transmute them.
Unfortunately, the downsides to making them were that I could only make lower-powered ones and they were a real power hog to actually make. The ones I could make were just strong enough to heat or cool a home, light up a room, or provide water to a home. If I ever made anything bigger than a house, I would need to transmute dozens of crystals to get the job done.
It wasn't a bad deal in the end. I get everything I need in a modern home, and all I have to do is spend energy. Lots and lots of energy. So much, in fact, that I didn't actually finish my house before dark. The Gacha said I could transmute a building in an hour but did not mention how much energy it would take to do so. Even with breaks and both Archmage Robes and Mithral Bones boosting me, I only got about halfway done before it was almost too dark to see.
Rather than work through the night, I decided to retire back to the guild. Markarov had wandered off sometime during the first hour of my work, but he did say I could stay at the guild a few days. It would also let me grab something to eat at the guild's bar/grill, as constantly using magic did make you hungry. Even if the fact is you breathed magic in rather than got it from food.
(Auther Notes: So that's all the chapters I had before I decided to post. Let me know what you think. I don't really have a beta, so I did the best I could, but I am in no way a proficient editor. In fact, english was my worst subject in school.)