"Pegasus Meteor Fist!"
"BOOM!"
Magic power surged around his gauntlets as Marco suddenly threw a punch.
The fierce strike instantly sent a towering horned lizard crashing to the ground.
This horned lizard was actually a humanoid monster—an upright-standing lizard with a single horn on its head, standing at least two meters tall.
Its underbelly lacked scales and Marco's punch directly displaced its internal organs, causing its body to crumple as it trembled on the ground, clearly incapacitated.
Marco didn't let the creature suffer for long.
He locked his arms around its neck and gave a sharp twist.
With a crisp crack, the agonized horned lizard met its end.
Pat pat!
Marco dusted off his Equuleus Bronze Cloth, which gleamed as good as new, its sea-blue surface shimmering faintly.
Wearing this Bronze Cloth with its excellent coverage made things much easier in the forest—things like insect bites were no longer a concern.
He only needed to be mindful of the few exposed areas.
Moreover, the Cloth had self-repairing and self-cleaning functions.
Bloodstains, dust, or any other grime would vanish once the Cloth was stored in its case—truly convenient and hassle-free.
Crack!
Marco decisively yanked out the horned lizard's horn and tossed it into his small pouch, which already held thirteen horns.
This marked the thirteenth horned lizard that had fallen to his hands.
These thirteen horned lizards, along with the other magical beasts he'd casually dispatched over the past two days, had significantly boosted his proficiency with the Pegasus Meteor Fist.
Indeed, real combat was the fastest way to improve.
bzzzzz!
As Marco pulled out the horn, an odd noise caught his attention.
"Who's there? Show yourself!"
After securing his pouch and slinging it over his shoulder, Marco turned towards the source of the sound.
It didn't sound like a beast—more like a person.
"Ah… im sorry Jellal. We've been spotted."
Sure enough, human voices emerged from the bushes and soon, a boy and a girl stepped out.
Both of them had blue hair.
The boy was fairly tall, his hair a lighter shade and he appeared to be around Marco's age.
The girl was much younger, perhaps four or five, with an adorable, doll-like face.
"Sorry, we were just passing through," the sky-blue-haired boy said, stepping forward.
A tattoo stretched across the right side of his face, covering nearly half of it like a magic sigil.
Dressed in a black short-sleeved shirt and gray pants, the boy carried a military-green backpack with a wand tucked into it.
He looked like a Mage, yet strangely, Marco couldn't sense any Magic power from him.
Instead, he detected it from the little girl beside him—though her Magic power felt familiar too.
How to describe it?
It somewhat resembled Natsu's, yet not quite.
The girl's Magic power wasn't strong, making it hard for Marco to judge accurately.
Noticing Marco's gaze, the girl shrank back nervously, trying to hide behind the boy, who promptly stepped forward to block Marco's line of sight.
"Who are you? Why are you here?"
Marco stopped looking at the girl and addressed the boy directly.
His tone had softened.
These two didn't seem like bad people—the four or five-year-old girl was really adorable with her pitiful expression that could melt anyone's heart and the boy radiated righteousness with sincere eyes full of honesty.
"My name is Jellal, and she's Wendy. We're trying to find our way out of here," the boy answered after some consideration, not lying to Marco's question.
"What an odd pair. Are you two siblings? Do you live nearby? How did you end up here completely unharmed?" Marco looked at them strangely.
Though Jellal seemed very sincere, his words still raised many doubts in Marco's mind.
Neither of them appeared particularly strong and this forest was no ordinary place—it was far from a safe little grove.
"We're not siblings. We met by chance. She couldn't find her mother and since this place is dangerous, I decided to take her with me," Jellal explained.
His words sounded truthful and the boy gave off an exceptionally genuine vibe—the kind of person who would sacrifice himself to save others.
He carried that kind of aura.
"Big brother... have you seen my mom?" Wendy peeked out timidly from behind Jellal's sleeve, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked hopefully at Marco.
"...No, I haven't. You're the first humans I've encountered here." Marco shook his head.
This 'looking for mom' situation gave him a strange sense of déjà vu.
"My mom isn't human! She's a dragon—the Sky Dragon!" Wendy blurted out anxiously and her words finally made everything click for Marco.
This girl was just like Natsu!
Natsu searched for his father, Wendy searched for her mother.
Natsu's father was the Fire Dragon, Wendy's mother was the Sky Dragon.
The magical aura around Wendy was strikingly similar to Natsu's—she must have also learned Dragon Slayer Magic.
This child was a Dragon Slayer too!
Though Wendy's magic power didn't seem entirely pure, Marco reached his conclusion.
The only question was whether Wendy and Natsu were connected.
"Wendy, do you know Natsu?" Marco asked directly.
If this girl knew Natsu, things would be simpler—he could just take her to the guild.
"Natsu..." Hearing the name, Wendy scrunched up her little face, trying hard to recall it.
The name sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it.
"I don't know him..." In the end, Wendy shook her head.
She truly couldn't remember who this Natsu was.
"I see. Well, never mind. For now, you two should come with me. This forest isn't safe. Once I finish my business here, I'll take you out." Marco nodded and made the offer.
He couldn't just leave these two seemingly weak kids to wander around—they might get eaten by some magical beast.
From what they said, they'd already been in the forest for several days.
The fact that they hadn't been eaten yet was nothing short of miraculous luck.
"I have other matters to attend to. Could you just tell us the way out instead?" Hearing Marco's suggestion, Jellal showed a troubled expression before making his request, as if determined to find their own way.
"Jellal, let me make this clear first. It's not that I look down on you, but you don't know magic, do you?"
Hearing Jellal's words, Marco frowned.
What annoyed him most were people who had no awareness of their own strength or situation.
He was trying to help out of goodwill, yet the other party didn't appreciate it.
Marco doubted these two could safely make their way out even if they knew the path.
"Huh? No, I do know magic!"
Marco's words clearly caught Jellal off guard.
He immediately drew his wand, trying to prove himself.