"So what happens if you actively release the Swift Crab's soul you just received?"
Rhode disengaged the Receiving Magic and attempted to actively release it.
"It seems like nothing happened, no third River Crab appeared."
Rhode felt his own state, "But I can't turn back into that form now."
"I've never encountered this before." Makarov frowned in thought for a while; normally, after actively 'releasing it,' a River Crab should appear.
"Try receiving it again and see."
"Okay." Following the previous steps, Rhode first summoned a River Crab, then received it.
He successfully transformed, and the River Crab went back into a dormant state.
When he disengaged the Receiving Magic, the River Crab would also recover. And when he used the Receiving Magic again, it wouldn't be affected.
Even without actively releasing, he could still summon two River Crabs.
It's just a bit tricky to hold the pendant.
In Gorge Swift Crab form, the pendant was also protected inside the armor.
Rhode pondered that he needed to practice the skill of using Summoning Magic without holding the pendant, just making contact with his body.
"You... your Summoning Magic is a bit strange, and it's just as strange learning Receiving Magic."
Makarov couldn't make heads or tails of it either, but magic itself wasn't something with a fixed form.
Rhode didn't want to be seen as a weirdo, so he quickly said, "My Text Magic is very normal."
Makarov shook his head, that wasn't normal, it was weak.
"Anyway, pay more attention to your physical condition for now, and try receiving something else once you're sure there's no problem."
"Alright, President, I'm going to the lake to practice for a while!" Rhode, still in Swift Crab form, moved a step and was about to rush out.
But in the next moment, a big hand grabbed him, "Fix the wall first!"
"Oh..." Rhode canceled his transformation.
Whether receiving or not, the President would deal with him with a slap.
Fix the wall!
"If you can tear it down, you can build it; if it can break, it can rise!"
Fairy Tail's strongest newcomer, Rhode, muttered bizarre slogans and became a mason.
Much more skilled than last time.
...
"Rhode? What happened to you?"
Approaching noon, Mira saw Rhode looking a bit disheveled, his clothes stained with mud and water.
"I accidentally tore down a wall and just finished repairing it," Rhode said embarrassedly,
"Can you wait for me a bit? I'll be right back."
"No problem, it's still early." Mira smiled, "If you get influenced by Natsu and the others, the President will have a headache."
"It was an accident, just an accident. See you in a bit!"
Rhode quickly left the guild, and after getting outside, the River Crab Armor appeared on him, and he dashed away like lightning, leaving afterimages behind.
Mira covered her mouth, eyes wide with shock, "That was..."
Outside the guild, two people sneaked over, one with thick eyebrows and buck teeth, the other with a triangular head and square chin.
Just as they turned a corner, they suddenly saw a deep green figure flash by, startling them.
Krof asked, "What was that just now? It seemed like something green just ran past."
"Someone probably learned some weird magic again? Maybe it's that guy Qico." Nicky said,
"Forget about that. Go see if Mira and Rhode are still there."
Krof poked his head through the waist-high door and only saw Mira sitting at the counter, lost in thought.
"Okay, Mira's still there, they haven't left yet!"
The two exchanged a glance, "We're still on time, let's act!"
That guy Rhode is too much. He's always hanging out with Mira, whether shopping or traveling.
Today he even planned to have a meal with Mira!
There are so many people in the guild who like Mira, this is practically sneaking ahead.
We need to teach him a profound lesson!
So, after Rhode went home, took a shower, and changed clothes, and came back to the guild to go out with Mira:
"Quack~"
"Quack~"
Two large geese the size of a person were wandering around in front of the guild door.
They stretched their necks to look at Rhode, then both spread their wings, craning their necks: "Quack~ Quack~"
Rhode looked at Mira quizzically, "Whose geese are these? They're so big? I didn't see them when I came in."
Mira immediately recognized it as a poor Transformation Magic attempt and guessed these two were trying to mess with Rhode.
Normally, she might smile and say she didn't know, then watch to see how Rhode would react.
But today, she had something to ask and was irritated by them, so she showed a fearsome look:
"Probably Mr. Cook's order of ingredients, just kill them."
Murderous...aura!
The two who transformed into geese suddenly remembered that Mira's former title was 'Demon Mira.'
"Quack...quack!" In unison, they backed off by two steps and turned to run.
A few meters away, as they reverted to their human forms and continued running, it struck them that once they canceled the transformation, they probably wouldn't be killed...right?
But it's so embarrassing!
"Those were Nicky and Krof, weren't they?" Rhode identified them, "What were they up to?"
"Probably trying to scare you," Mira said, "Hapi mentioned you'd cry if you saw geese, and now the entire guild knows."
"... Hapi!" Rhode gritted his teeth. This unreliable cat really went and spread that around.
But recalling their earlier embarrassing state, Rhode chuckled, "Can't believe they fell for it."
Fake information is so useful; it can even fend off comrades.
Mira didn't seem very enthusiastic in conversation today, Rhode noticed this after trying a couple of casual topics:
"Something on your mind?"
Mira hesitated for a moment, then asked, "The magic you used when you went home earlier—what was it?"
"You saw that? I was going to tell you later." Rhode said,
"I just learned Receiving Magic today, its full name should be 'Full-Body Take Over·Wild Monster Soul·Gorge Swift Crab.'
With that, Rhode simply cast the magic, transforming into his armored form, "How does it look, cool or what?"
Mira appeared a bit absent, having seen a scene like this before:
"Animal Soul: Cat!"
"Beast Soul: Bear!"
"Sister, look, surprised, right?"
"It's the same magic as Sister Mira! With us accompanying you, you won't be lonely again, right?"
Yes, it was at that time.
Planning to leave alone to prevent her brother and sister from being rejected by the guild members due to being seen as a monster again.
At that time, Elfman and Lisana also demonstrated their newly learned Receiving Magic like this.
"We'll always be together, even with the same magic!"
Lisana, that child, was always gentle and kind.
But...
Mira gently bit her lip, "Why did you suddenly want to learn this kind of magic? You'll be seen as a monster."
"Are there few weirdoes in the guild?" Rhode was surprised Mira still cared about being seen as a monster.
The maliciousness of those villagers back then affected her even now.
After all, she was only twelve or thirteen years old then, forced to be strong as an elder sister.
Perhaps this is why she always clashed with Erza after joining the guild?
Rhode thought for a while and seriously said, "I don't care about appearances or others' opinions as much as I want power.
At this stage, I seek the power to protect myself and not drag my companions down when in a team.
Later, I think I'll continue to pursue enough power to protect everyone.
Being seen as a monster, I actually think this form looks pretty cool.
When I can stand in front of those I want to protect, I think that back view will be even cooler."