Chapter 2: The First Mission
Ren found a quiet table in a corner of the guild hall, trying to block out the chaotic symphony of Natsu and Gray's ongoing brawl. He needed a moment to process. He focused his mind, and the translucent blue panel appeared before his eyes once more.
[Host: Ren]
[Age: 18 years old]
[Race: Human]
[Magic Power: ★ (1-Star)]
[Magic: Take Over Magic · Anime Soul]
[Character Card (Equipped): Ulquiorra Cifer (5-Star)]
The golden card depicting the stoic, green-eyed Arrancar sat quietly in his system, but to Ren, it felt like a roaring sun. His hands, resting on his knees beneath the table, were still trembling slightly.
Ulquiorra Cifer. He had pulled Ulquiorra.
Ren, originally just a high school graduate from 'Blue Star'—Earth—had been transmigrated to the Fairy Tail world half a month ago due to an accident. He had awakened in this new, 18-year-old body with this Gacha System.
That's right, the system he was looking at now.
The system's function was to draw characters who had died in various anime. After obtaining a card, Ren could use his 'Take Over Magic: Anime Soul' to integrate their power and use it to fight.
It was, as he'd first thought, just like playing Genshin Impact.
However, the system had a critical flaw. When he first awoke, alone and starving in a forest outside Magnolia, the system had been 99% locked.
[System Error: Host must bind to a recognized Mage Guild to unlock full functionality. Please find a guild.]
For 15 days, that's what he had done. Those 15 days had been a living hell. He'd had no magic, no money, and no skills. He'd slept in alleyways, been chased by wild animals, and had to scavenge for scraps of food from tavern trash bins. He, who had come from a world of comfort, had learned the true, gnawing pain of starvation.
He'd finally staggered into Magnolia, his journey fueled by the single-minded goal of reaching the guild he recognized from his memories. He'd used the last of his strength to push open those doors.
And now, everything had changed. He had a home. He had family. And, thanks to Mira's blessing, he had power.
The system had granted him the 10-pull for successfully binding, and he had pulled Ulquiorra. The power coursing through him, even in its dormant state, was intoxicating. It was a cold, vast emptiness, a deep well of latent strength that made his 1-Star Magic Power feel like a lie.
He knew, instinctively, that his 'Magic Power' stat only reflected his base magical container. The power he could draw from Ulquiorra... that was something else entirely.
But power couldn't solve his most immediate problem. He was still broke. He was still starving. His stomach let out a pathetic, quiet groan. He desperately needed money.
His new guild family was a source of income: the request board.
The system, now fully active, had other features. In addition to one fixed drawing chance awarded each month, completing tasks within the guild could also earn drawing chances. Since he was in the Fairy Tail world, binding with the Fairy Tail Guild was the only option he'd ever considered. He loved this place, this chaotic, warm, and destructive family.
Moreover, Fairy Tail was the strongest guild in the Kingdom of Fiore. Binding here meant access to more tasks, more rewards, and thus, more pulls.
Ren pushed himself up from the table, his legs a little weak from hunger, and walked to the massive request board. It was a whirlwind of activity, with mages jostling each other, shouting, and ripping flyers from the cork.
As Ren approached, his system automatically activated, overlaying a new UI on his vision. It was scanning the posters, color-coding them.
[Scanning for tasks... Grading based on reward...]
Ren watched as the system marked the jobs.
Tasks with a reward between 100,000 J and 500,000 J were marked as C-Rank.
Tasks with a reward between 500,001 J and 1,000,000 J were marked as B-Rank.
Tasks with a reward of 1,000,001 J or more were marked as A-Rank.
A new tab also clarified the gacha rates.
[Complete 10 C-Rank tasks to earn 1 drawing chance.]
[Complete 2 B-Rank tasks to earn 1 drawing chance.]
[Complete 1 A-Rank task to earn 1 drawing chance.]
Ren first looked at the C-Rank tasks, the 100,000 to 500,000 Jewel range.
"Eliminate the Snow Mountain Fierce Beast, Vulcan."
"Wipe out the Red-Tooth bandits."
"Exterminate forest monsters near Shirotsume Town."
In the Fairy Tail world, 100,000 J was equivalent to about 5,000 RMB from his old world. Getting 5,000 RMB or more for one task sounded generous... but that was for Mages. Facing a Vulcan, for example? Twenty trained, adult soldiers from his old world might not be a match for one of those apes. When calculated that way, the reward seemed pitifully small.
Ren's gaze hardened. It wasn't just about the reward; it was the gacha rate.
'Ten C-Rank tasks for one pull?' he thought, his brow furrowing. 'One task, including travel, would take two or three days at least. Ten tasks, even if I don't rest, would take a month. One drawing chance a month? Including the free one, that's only 24 pulls a year.'
[System Note: A 5-Star (Golden) character is guaranteed every 100 draws.]
'A 100-draw guarantee... At this rate, it would be years before he could get another golden card. That's too slow.'
He couldn't rely on luck. He had Ulquiorra, yes, but he needed more. More power, more options. What if his next enemy was immune to Ulquiorra's Cero? He needed a deeper arsenal.
No, he had to take on more difficult tasks. More difficulty meant more rewards, and in this life, he must become rich. He was done with being hungry.
His eyes scanned past the C-Rank and B-Rank jobs, looking for something... there. One caught his eye. It was pinned near the middle, a simple text-only request.
Ren tore the request form from the board and walked back towards the bar, where Mirajane was busy wiping down a mug, a gentle smile on her face as she watched Natsu and Gray's antics.
"Mira-san," Ren said, his voice a little hoarse.
Mira looked up, her smile brightening. "Oh, Ren-kun! Have you finished your tour of one? Thinking of grabbing a drink?"
"I'd like to do this job," he said, holding out the flyer.
Mira was surprised, her blue eyes widening slightly. "Are you starting work so soon? You just joined! You should take some time to familiarize yourself with the guild first, maybe meet everyone."
Ren smiled bitterly and shook his head, a gesture that seemed to carry the weight of the last 15 days. "No need, Mira-san. I'm... I'm already so poor I can't even afford food. If I don't work, I won't have money to eat."
He wasn't exaggerating. He had next to nothing left. The tiny sum he'd... acquired... on his way here was gone, spent on a piece of bread two days ago. His desire for money, for the stability to simply eat, had reached its absolute peak.
"Hehe!" Mira couldn't help but laugh, a light, tinkling sound. "Ara? You sound just like Natsu and the others." She took the flyer. "Most Mages in the Fairy Tail Guild are in that state. They're too lazy to work until the last moment, only remembering to take a job when they truly run out of money."
She glanced down at the paper, her smile still in place. "Let me see what kind of job it is..."
Her smile froze.
Her eyes scanned the text, and her entire demeanor shifted from a gentle hostess to something far more serious. "Hmm?!"
She looked up at Ren, her expression now one of concern. "Wait, Ren-kun... this kind of job... I can't decide on this one. I still need to ask the Master. Please wait a moment, the Master should be back soon."
"Master?" Ren hadn't met Makarov when he first came to the guild.
As if on cue, the massive guild doors slammed open, quieting the entire hall for a brief second. A tiny, elderly man wearing a yellow trench coat and a striped clown-style hat walked in, clutching a massive roll of paper.
"Master, you're back!" Mira called out, her voice bright and relieved.
Makarov Dreyar looked up and saw Ren standing next to Mira. "Hmm? A newcomer?"
"Yes, Master. My name is Ren. It's an honor to meet you," Ren said, bowing respectfully.
He wasn't just being polite. Although the man before him was less than a meter tall, Ren knew that this short body contained world-destroying power. Makarov's signature Titan Magic could transform him into a giant the size of an island. His Super Magic, Fairy Law, when fully activated, was rumored to be able to defeat the Alvarez Empire's million-strong army.
Beyond his power, this old man treated every member of the guild like his own child. Both reasons were more than enough to earn Ren's genuine respect.
Makarov raised his hand and greeted, "Oh! Nice to meet you, lad!"
Then, his face contorted. "Hmph!!"
Makarov let out a soft snort, bent his knees, and in a burst of magic power, launched himself from the floor. He flew through the air and landed perfectly on the second-floor railing, towering over them all.
The entire guild fell silent. Natsu stopped eating. Gray stopped stripping. Cana put down her barrel. They all looked up with a sense of dread.
Makarov waved the thick stack of documents in his hand, his face a mask of pure displeasure.
"You brats are causing trouble for me again, aren't you?! Take a good look at how many documents have been sent from the Magic Council!"
"First, Gray!"
"Huh?" A shirtless boy wearing only black underwear looked up, confused. "What'd I do? I haven't caused any trouble."
Mira smiled and whispered, "Gray, your clothes."
"Ah~!! I forgot again!" Gray yelped, frantically looking for his discarded shirt.
Makarov seethed. "There was no problem during your apprehension of the bandits, but after that, why were you walking around the streets without clothes? And in the end, you stole someone's underwear that was drying on their balcony and ran away!"
Gray immediately looked awkward. "Well... being naked isn't very good..."
Elfman, from a nearby table, roared, "THEN DON'T BE NAKED! IT'S NOT MANLY!"
Makarov then rounded on him. "Sigh! Elfman, you brat, you actually used violence against your client?!"
Elfman scratched his cheek. "Because he said I wasn't a man!"
"Cana! You went to the client's place to work, and then secretly drank their entire wine cellar dry! To prevent being discovered, you diluted the wine in the barrels with water!"
"...Heh. Was I discovered...?" Cana muttered, trying to hide behind her barrel.
"Loki! You provoked one of the Council members' granddaughters during your last mission!"
[Akarin's Note: The Magic Council is the governing body of all legal guilds in Fiore, responsible for enforcing rules and regulations.]
Makarov was a Council member himself, and Ren could only imagine the scolding he'd received.
"And next... Natsu."
Ren saw Natsu flinch.
"Eliminating monsters, destroying roads. Pursuing fugitives, ruining six civilian houses. Guarding a caravan, but burning its goods. Eliminating bandits, and also burning the victims' belongings..."
Listening to Makarov recount Natsu's mischief, Ren was truly shocked. He knew this guy could cause trouble, but he didn't expect him to be a one-man natural disaster.
"Alzack! Levy! Laki! Reedus! Bisca!"
Makarov listed off half the guild. "You bunch! You always make me get scolded by the Council members..."
He suppressed his anger, and the air in the guild became heavy and oppressive. Ren felt a bead of sweat roll down his back.
Then, Makarov's tone softened. "However... those Council members can go eat shit!"
With a flick of his wrist, Makarov used magic to ignite all the documents, letting the ashes of the complaints drift down to the floor.
"Listen up, all of you! All phenomena beyond common sense are born from common sense. Magic is not a miraculous power! It is the manifestation of our inner spirit aligning with the spirit of nature. Magic is the result of condensing spiritual power and concentration... no, it's the result of pouring your entire soul into it!"
The old man's voice boomed with passion, filling the hall.
"If you're always worrying about what the higher-ups think, your magic will never progress! Don't be afraid of those fools in the Council! Proceed on the path you believe in!"
"THIS IS WHAT A FAIRY TAIL MAGE IS!!!"
"OH OH OH OH OH OH OH!!!"
The entire guild erupted in cheers. Although Ren had just joined, his emotions were swept up by the crowd. He found himself cheering along with them, a wide grin on his face. This was his guild. This was his family.
Soon, the guild returned to its usual lively scene—drinking, chatting, and brawling.
Mira came to Makarov's side, holding the request form Ren had given her. "Master, Ren-kun wants to do this job. I couldn't decide, so please take a look."
"Oh? What kind of task is it? Let me see." Makarov hopped down from the railing and took the request form. His eyes scanned the paper.
[Eliminate the Phantom Bandit Gang: Task Reward: 700,000 J.]
[Akarin Note:
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