Year X773.
This year, both Raizel and Laxus turned twelve.
After repeated requests from Laxus, Makarov finally agreed to let Laxus undertake missions, on the condition that he must team up with Raizel and not travel too far from Magnolia.
Raizel didn't have any particular obsession with doing missions.
Money was temporarily optional for him, as he was still freeloading meals and accommodation at Makarov's house.
He and Laxus would go hunting in the forest, trading animal pelts and meat for some money.
Raizel bought himself several new outfits, and even had spare cash to buy a set for Makarov.
...
Mount Hakobe is a mountain that experiences heavy snowstorms even in summer.
The mountain is inhabited by many ape-like monsters called Vulcans, as well as Snow Wolves, Blizzard Beasts, White Wyverns, and other magical creatures.
The mountain also contains a magical herb that can restore physical strength and magical power in a short time, but this magical herb withers quickly when brought to warm areas.
They had accepted two missions this time: gathering the magical herbs and hunting Snow Wolves to obtain their pelts.
Snow Wolf pelts are highly favored by noblewomen, making this mission quite lucrative.
Not just because of the Snow Wolves - the perennial snowstorms and various magical beasts mean Mount Hakobe sees very few visitors.
Raizel planned to take it easy.
After all, he wasn't the excited one about doing missions, and Laxus would share the money with him anyway.
"Hey, hey, looking like that and still talking about doing missions? I'll be too busy protecting you later."
They decided to take a carriage to Mount Hakobe - no, actually Raizel made that decision unilaterally.
Despite Laxus's strong protests that went unheeded, he ended up lying in the carriage looking half-dead.
Raizel poked Laxus with his finger.
"For some reason, I've started getting motion sickness recently, ugh~ If Grandpa hadn't insisted you come along, I would never have let you see me like this, ugh" Laxus's face was turning purple, his hand covering his mouth, barely able to speak properly in the carriage.
Raizel knew this was a side effect of being a Dragon Slayer Mage - motion sickness on vehicles.
And it would get worse as their physique became more dragon-like, because dragon vision differs from human vision, making them prone to motion sickness.
"Hahaha, I should have brought a camera to capture this look of yours and show it to Cana." Raizel held his stomach laughing, clearly looking for trouble.
"If you dare, ugh~ I'll tear you apart, ugh." Laxus shakily raised a finger to point at Raizel.
"Alright, I'll stop teasing you. You should rest." Raizel helped Laxus sit up facing the window, not wanting him to vomit inside someone else's carriage, which would be troublesome to clean.
"Wait, I just remembered - you wouldn't have known about my motion sickness and deliberately wanted to see me embarrassed, would you? Otherwise why would you insist on taking the carriage, talking about wanting to see the scenery along the way?"
After getting off the carriage, perhaps refreshed by the cold wind, Laxus's thinking became unusually clear.
"You actually guessed right."
"Bastard, how did you know?" Laxus clenched his fists, arcs of electricity dancing around him.
"Haha, that's a secret. Can't tell you." Raizel interlocked his fingers behind his head, preparing to climb the mountain.
"You damn bastard, were you following me?"
"You're overthinking it. I'm not that kind of pervert."
"After we finish the mission, we're flying back. Walking is fine too, but I'm absolutely not taking a carriage again."
"Yeah, yeah," Raizel nodded dismissively.
After all, Laxus couldn't beat him anyway.
...
The biting wind and snow whipped against Raizel and Laxus's faces, but as training maniacs with monstrous physiques, they were practically immune to the blizzard.
Trekking through the snow-covered mountain terrain, they found the snowy landscape offered a uniquely beautiful view.
"Here, for you." Raizel pulled out sunglasses and put them on, handing another pair to Laxus.
"Why wear sunglasses?"
"Staring at snow for too long hurts your eyes."
"Idiot, with a Mage's physique like yours, you're worried about your eyes?" Laxus's tone was disdainful, but despite his words, he still took the glasses and put them on.
"Haha, really? I read it in a book, so I'm not sure."
Makarov had hired a teacher to teach Raizel and Laxus how to read.
Raizel examined the map of Mount Hakobe, which had been drawn based on previous explorations.
It marked locations of minerals and medicinal herbs, habitats of Snow Wolves, Vulcans, and Blizzard Beasts.
While snow wyverns weren't specified, the map noted they could appear anywhere.
Following the map's directions, Raizel led the way to find the Snow Wolf pack first.
"We're here." Raizel and Laxus climbed to a high point, looking down at the Snow Wolf pack below.
"Charge straight in?" Laxus asked Raizel, who was still studying the map.
Raizel nodded but added, "Hold back a bit. Don't cause an avalanche."
"Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist!" Laxus stomped his foot, electricity coiling around his arm as he leaped directly toward the Snow Wolf King.
"Didnt i tell you to hold back? Why the hell are you going straight for the Breakdown Fist?"
Raizel put away the map and activated Gankoomon Take Over.
His hair began turning red, armored lenses formed over his eyes, and his entire body became covered in white alloy armor.
Fire God Might surged behind him, his vibrant colors standing out brilliantly against the snowy mountain, making him look exceptionally cool.
Take Over: Gankoomon.Synchronization Rate: 44.5%
Raizel didn't use any skills, simply jumping down alongside Laxus to engage the Snow Wolf pack in fierce combat.
Laxus recklessly expended his magical power, starting with Lightning Dragon's Roar to sweep away a group of wolves.
He followed up with another Breakdown Fist aimed at the wolf king, then immediately used Lightning Dragon's Jaw, concentrating lightning in both fists to smash with all his strength into the Snow Wolf King's head.
Excess magical power scattered from around the wolf king's body as it crashed into the snow, creating a large crater. Seeing their king slain, the remaining Snow Wolves began to flee in all directions.
"Wait, did we go too overboard? Weren't we here to collect fur? These probably aren't usable anymore."
Raizel glanced around at the Snow Wolf corpses - some with fur standing on end, others charred black.
The Snow Wolf King had lost its head, and its fur was stained with blood.
There was no helping it - Laxus had gone berserk.
Actually, Raizel with his Gankoomon form was similar, each punch carrying Fire God Might.
Most of the charred fur was actually his doing.
"Seems we did go too far. Whatever, let's take these anyway. At least bring the Snow Wolf King's pelt - maybe it can still be used after washing."
"Typical of you, Laxus. Can't even let the Snow Wolf King rest in peace after killing it."
"Alright, let's head to the Blizzard Beast's territory to gather the herbs." Laxus ignored him, and after handling the fur, he signaled for Raizel to follow.
The Blizzard Beast was a herbivorous magical creature, yet it resembled a two-legged wyvern, covered entirely in white scales, standing about five meters tall when upright.
They encountered little resistance at the Blizzard Beast's domain, spotting only one.
Laxus relentlessly unleashed his Thunder Dragon Slayer Magic, ultimately repelling the Blizzard Beast with a Thunder Dragon's Halberd strike, without going for the kill.
"These herbs need to be kept cold; they'll wither in warm places."
It seemed Laxus took his first mission seriously, having done some preparation in advance.
"Don't worry, Omega can use ice and snow—I can preserve them." Raizel crossed his arms, appearing unconcerned.
"No need, I brought storage tools." Laxus retrieved a tool from his backpack, gathered over twenty magical herbs, and packed them into a box.
"Keep the extras for yourself."
After collecting it, Laxus told Raizel to keep it as their mission only required three plants.
"Alright, in that case, let's head back."
"Just so we're clear, I'm absolutely not taking a carriage this time!"
This time, Raizel granted Laxus's wish, walking back to the guild.
One joke was enough—after all, he could laugh about it for a lifetime.
The Snow Wolf King's fur turned out to be usable after all, preventing Raizel and Laxus's first mission from ending in failure.
...
After completing several missions together and gaining some experience, given Laxus's already considerable strength, Makarov approved Laxus's idea of taking on solo missions.
From then on, the two operated separately.