"What?!"
Makarov's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Kid, you're a new guy, but you've got too much guts to take on that mission! No, you should pick a different one."
Qi Yan said seriously, "Master! I'm confident I can complete this mission!"
He had, after all, drawn Ulquiorra. Although his magic power was relatively low and he couldn't unleash Ulquiorra's full strength, even that was enough to deal with these small fries.
Makarov still shook his head. "This isn't a matter of confidence; it's a matter of strength."
"I have the strength to complete this mission!"
"You stubborn brat, why are you so pig-headed?!"
Makarov slammed the table in anger.
"What's going on? What's going on? How did the new guy make the Master angry?"
"It seems the new guy wants to take on a mission, and the Master isn't agreeing."
"What kind of mission wouldn't the Master agree to?!"
"It's that mission to eliminate the Phantom Bandit Gang."
"What?!"
Everyone in the Guild was also taken aback.
The Phantom Bandit Gang was a recently emerging bandit group. All its members were Mages, engaging in robbery and committing all sorts of evil deeds.
Their actions were so despicable that even Dark Guilds looked down on them.
Although Dark Guilds often took on illicit mission requests, they would still diligently complete their clients' requests and collect payment.
However, the Phantom Bandit Gang used the power of Mages to assault, kill, and rob innocent civilians, completely breaking the rules.
The Magic Council had been pursuing the Phantom Bandit Gang for a long time, but this bandit group was elusive, always managing to escape after each robbery, which also contributed to their notoriety.
According to information provided by victims, the Phantom Bandit Gang consisted of thirteen people, meaning thirteen Mages. This scale was comparable to a small Mage Guild.
To deal with such a bandit group, if working alone, one would need at least the level of an S-Class Mage. If it were a top-tier elite Mage like Natsu, at least two people would be needed.
If it were Mages of average Guild level, at least five people would be required, and there would still be some danger, as the opponents were more than ten Mages.
That's why this mission had been sitting there for several days with no one accepting it.
And for Qi Yan, merely a new guy, to challenge such a mission was practically no different from seeking death. He was truly a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger.
"Master, I'm not being stubborn. I truly am confident I can complete this job."
Qi Yan did not back down. His goal was a B-rank mission worth over 500,000 J, and even if he were to switch to another, Makarov might not agree.
"If you can prove you have that kind of strength, I can let you go."
Seeing Qi Yan's persistence, Makarov wanted him to give up when faced with the difficulty.
"How do I prove it?"
"I'll find someone in the Guild, and if you can defeat him, I'll allow you to take on this job."
"Alright!"
Qi Yan immediately agreed upon hearing this.
Makarov scanned the Guild. He most wanted Erza to step up, but Erza was out on a mission and not in the Guild, so he could only settle for the next best option.
"Natsu!"
"Here!"
As soon as he heard Makarov say he would find someone in the Guild to duel Qi Yan, he was eager to try. Seeing the Master actually call his name, he couldn't contain his excitement and jumped directly onto the table.
"The Master is sending Natsu to fight!"
"The new guy is in trouble!" ... Qi Yan also looked at Natsu. Natsu, the male protagonist of the Fairy Tail anime, he had seen him since entering the Guild, as Natsu's cherry-pink hair was very eye-catching.
He didn't expect the Master to directly pit Natsu against him. As the anime's male protagonist, Natsu's strength in the Fairy Tail Guild was definitely top-tier. The reason he wasn't usually Erza's match was because he couldn't get serious against Guild mates. If he were to get serious, his strength would definitely be S-Class.
However, Qi Yan also felt a surge of excitement. He didn't know whether his current strength or Natsu's current strength was superior, and he also wanted to have a decisive battle with Natsu, the protagonist.
Cana immediately took out a sign, wrote Qi Yan's and Natsu's names on it, and shouted, "Place your bets! Place your bets!"
"New guy Qi Yan VS Natsu!"
"Bet on the new guy to win, 1 to 2! Bet on Natsu to win, 1 to 1!"
Everyone in the Guild heard Cana's words and rushed over to join the excitement.
"I'll bet on Natsu! 2000J!"
"I'll bet on Natsu! 3000J!"
"I'll bet on Natsu! 3000J!" ... Almost everyone bet on Natsu to win, which made Cana a little anxious. Although the amount each person bet wasn't large, there were too many people! If Natsu really won, her month's worth of drinking money might all be lost.
"Hey! Why are you all betting on Natsu? You should bet on the new guy too! If the new guy wins, you'll get double!"
Macao laughed, "Haha! Of course, we're betting on Natsu! Why would we bet on the new guy?!"
Wakaba, standing nearby, also laughed along, "Exactly! Exactly!"
Everyone knew how risky it was to bet on the new guy, and how safe it was to bet on Natsu for guaranteed profit.
"I'll bet on the new guy to win! 3000J!"
A purple-haired girl wearing glasses chose to bet on Qi Yan to win.
Droy urged, "Hey! Laki, your opponent is Natsu, you know!"
Laki pushed up her glasses and said, "It's fine! It's just a day's worth of food money anyway. It's too pitiful for the new guy to have no one supporting him."
Qi Yan glanced at Laki. He had a slight impression of Laki. Laki didn't appear much in the anime and was originally an overlooked background character, but when Fairy Tail faced hardship, she was one of the few who still insisted on staying in the Fairy Tail Guild until everyone returned from Tenrou Island.
Being able to stay in the Guild under those circumstances was enough to prove her deep affection for Fairy Tail, and from that moment on, Qi Yan remembered the girl's name.
Laki saw Qi Yan looking at her and smiled at him.
"I'll also bet on the new guy to win!"
"Mira?!"
It was Mira who bet on Qi Yan to win.
"I think since the new guy dared to take on such a mission, his strength definitely won't be weak. He might even be able to defeat Natsu."
The others heard Mira say this and thought the same. Although they weren't familiar with Qi Yan, since he dared to take on that mission, it meant his strength must be considerable.
Subsequently, more people started betting on Qi Yan to win, but there were still more people betting on Natsu to win.
Soon, everyone arrived at the open space behind the Guild. There was a large open area behind the Guild, and beyond that was an endless lake.
This place was often used to settle personal disputes. Natsu and Gray, Mira and Erza, had fought here countless times when they were young.
"Go Natsu! Show the new guy what you're made of!"
"Go new guy! My drinking money for tonight depends on you!"
The onlookers were all cheering for both of them.
"Hello, I'm Natsu. Please take care of me."
"I'm Qi Yan. Please take care of me."
Qi Yan and Natsu greeted each other.
Natsu asked curiously, "What kind of Magic do you use?"
Qi Yan replied, "I use Take Over Magic."
Natsu's eyes lit up. "Oh, oh! So it's Take Over Magic!"
In the Fairy Tail Guild, the ones who used Take Over Magic were the siblings Mira and Elfman. Both of them were very strong, especially Mira, who was as strong as a monster, but unfortunately, she couldn't use Magic anymore.
"Both sides, prepare!"
"Full Take Over! Ulquiorra Cifer!"
Qi Yan's body began to change. His original black clothes transformed into a white-faced, black-backed, high-collared, long-sleeved coat. His lower body was a white kimono-style hakama, cinched with a wide black sash. A Zanpakuto was tucked into the sash, and he wore black socks and white shoes.
His skin became slightly pale, his eyes turned green, with green tear-like markings beneath them, and the left side of his head was adorned with a white, horned helmet.
Anyone who had seen Bleach would immediately recognize this as Ulquiorra's attire.
At the same time, Ulquiorra's memories began to surface in Qi Yan's mind.
From his birth to his final battle and death against Hollow Ichigo, this life flashed by quickly, making Qi Yan and Ulquiorra feel as if they had become one.
Qi Yan completed his transformation, and simply by standing there, he exuded a powerful sense of pressure.