The voice continued, "We don't know, not even if fairies exist. Because of that, this name represents eternal mystery, eternal adventure!!!"
"Hearing you say that, the name seems to have a deeper meaning," Finn remarked.
"Of course, it's a great guild," Gildarts said with a smile, pushing open the door.
The door swung open, revealing a scene that made Finn's eyes widen in surprise.
An incredibly loud and chaotic noise erupted from within. A group of people were shouting at each other, and at the slightest disagreement, they started fighting, sending various objects flying through the air.
Plates, glasses, chairs...everything was flying.
"Sir, is this the great guild you were talking about?" Finn turned stiffly to Gildarts.
Gildarts' face darkened, and several 'well' characters seemed to appear on his forehead. He was clearly furious.
"You guys, stop it!!!" Finally, a shoe hit Gildarts in the face. He could take no more and roared.
He'd been gushing about how great the guild was, trying to lure this monster boy in, and these guys were sabotaging him?
At Gildarts' roar, the noisy guild members fell silent.
"Gildarts, welcome back." Finn saw a small, clown-costumed old man sitting at the bar speak.
Finn could tell from the old man's slightly tipsy appearance that he'd had a lot to drink.
Gildarts nodded, satisfied with the silence, and greeted the old man with a smile. "Yo, Master, I'm back."
Then, turning to Finn, he said, "Haha, let me tell you, don't look at this guild's constant fighting and bickering. Everyone's actually very good."
"This is just...um...a way to strengthen our bonds. Yes, that's it," Gildarts wracked his brains for a lame excuse.
"I feel like I've been tricked," Finn said suspiciously.
"Haha, no way. Come on, I'll introduce you to the Master," Gildarts chuckled, changing the subject.
Gildarts led Finn to the bar. From their earlier conversation, Finn knew the old man was the guild's Master.
The old man spoke, "Gildarts, who is this?" His eyes were slightly unfocused as he looked at Finn.
Finn whispered, "Master, are you drunk?"
But the old man heard him and protested, "Kid, I'm not drunk! I can still drink a barrel! This little bit of alcohol is nothing, nothing at all!" He waved his hands repeatedly.
Finn felt that no one in this guild was reliable.
"Master, this is Finn. I met him in the West Wasteland Forest. He has nowhere to go, so I brought him...no, I introduced him to our guild,"
Gildarts corrected himself mid-sentence.
Finn facepalmed. He thought he heard Gildarts say "brought" just now.
This didn't seem like a good place. But he hadn't sensed any malice from these people. Having lived two lives, he could tell the difference between good and bad people.
Besides, there was an old saying: "In for a penny, in for a pound."
"This is our Master, Master Makarov," Gildarts said to Finn.
"Hello, Master Makarov," Finn greeted politely.
Makarov turned his attention to Finn. Sensing the immense magical power within him, his previously hazy eyes instantly sharpened.
"Master, Finn is very strong. I found you a monster boy!" Gildarts whispered to Makarov.
Finn felt the two looking at him strangely, their eyes gleaming.
"Uh oh, these two don't have any strange fetishes, do they?" Finn wondered if he should leave if things got weird.
For them, Fairy Tail was in a sorry state. Only Gildarts was an S-class mage.
Below that, there was no one else of note. Looking at the group of lazy bums drinking at the bar all day, Makarov sighed silently.
Laxus had undeniable potential, but one person couldn't support the guild. While Makarov pretended not to care, he was very worried.
He'd poured his life into this guild, and he didn't want it to decline.
Seeing Finn, a young man with immense potential, Makarov's eyes practically glowed.
Makarov immediately jumped off the bar. "Come, come, kid, let's get your guild mark!" He grabbed Finn's hand and rushed towards the bar.
Seeing Makarov's eagerness, Finn was stunned. Makarov didn't want to give him a chance to change his mind.
"Kid, where do you want your mark? What color?" Makarov held the stamp, eagerly looking at Finn. Finn shook his head helplessly.
"Forget it, I'll try staying here. I don't have anywhere else to go," Finn thought, saying, "Left shoulder, red."
Soon, a red Fairy Tail mark appeared on Finn's left shoulder. The mark was beautiful, like dancing fairies.
With everything done, Makarov jumped onto the bar and shouted, "You bunch of brats, welcome our new member – Finn!"
"Ooh~~"
"Welcome, newbie!!"
"Haha, another newbie. Our guild is getting more lively!"
"Wow~~ Such a cute little brother."
Finn felt a warm feeling in his heart at the cheers, though he heard something weird at the end.
"Then...to celebrate our new member, let's have a feast!!!" Makarov raised his beer mug excitedly.
"Ooh~~ A feast, haha!!!" Everyone raised their cups, laughter echoing.
Finn felt a surge of joy.
"How is it? Pretty good, right?!" Gildarts said with a smile.
"Yeah, it feels great," Finn smiled back. He hadn't felt this way in a long time.
…
Night fell, and the boisterous feast came to an end. The place was a mess, with tables and chairs everywhere, and people sprawled on the floor.
During the feast, Finn met many Fairy Tail members, such as Gray, a pervert who liked to take off his clothes; Cana, a quiet girl; Wakaba, a chain-smoking uncle; and Macao, a heavy drinker.
Many others, all very enthusiastic. Finn smiled, continuing to drink his milk.
Cana approached him. "Finn, do you have a place to stay?" Finn looked up, smiling. "Since I don't have any money, Master let me stay in the men's dormitory. He said I could pay later, after I get a job."
Cana nodded knowingly. "Are you close to Gildarts?"
"Gildarts? We're okay, I guess. We're pretty familiar now," Finn said, thinking about their time together.
"Why are you so interested in him?" Finn asked curiously, noticing Cana's frequent glances at Gildarts.
"Ah, nothing, nothing. He's the guild's strongest mage, so everyone pays attention to him," Cana said quickly.
"Oh, he's the strongest mage?" This was the first time Finn heard this.
"That's only for now. I'll surpass him someday!" Gray, overhearing the mention of "strongest," hurried over.
"Gray, your clothes," Cana reminded him.
"Ah~~ When did that happen?" Gray only then noticed his clothes were gone.
Finn facepalmed. "This is the seventh time I've seen you without clothes, Gray. Aren't you cold?" It was night, and the temperature was lower than during the day.
"Gray is an Ice Mage, he's not cold," Cana whispered.
"An Ice Mage," Finn nodded, understanding. He learned the term "mage" from Gildarts – someone who could freely use magic.
Gray, after searching unsuccessfully for his clothes, gave up and said, "Finn, what kind of magic do you use?"
Finn thought for a moment, remembering the flames of Ryūjin Jakka. "I'm a Fire Mage."
"A Fire Mage? Let's fight! Let's see whose magic is stronger, your fire or my ice!" Gray said excitedly.
"Is it okay with Master?" Finn turned to Makarov, unsure about fighting someone so soon after joining.
Makarov, who had overheard Gray's challenge, nodded drunkenly.
"Let's see your strength. But we'll fight outside."
"Okay!" Gray agreed and gestured for Finn to follow him outside.
"Sigh, I can't believe this," Finn shook his head and left the guild with Gray.
Gildarts and Makarov exchanged glances, quickly putting down their drinks to watch the fight.
Gildarts ran quickly, while Makarov stumbled off the bar, shouting in the guild.
"Wake up! Gray and Finn are fighting outside! Come and watch!!"
Many sleepy people, hearing about a fight, perked up.
"Huh? Gray and the newbie's fight? We have to see this!" They struggled to their feet and followed Makarov outside.
…
The bright moonlight illuminated the clearing beside the Fairy Tail guild.
Two figures stood facing each other, surrounded by onlookers who were shouting.
"Gray, you're a senior! Don't get beaten by a newbie!"
"Newbie, show Gray what you've got! Beat him!"
"Come on, let's place bets!"
Some were even taking bets on who would win.
Gildarts held 10,000Jewels and smiled. "Haha, I'll join in. I'm betting on Finn."
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