Hope was a little surprised at Cana's divination results—turns out she really does have some skill.
Still, he didn't dwell too much on what the future might hold.
Trouble was coming, but everything could change in an instant.
What tomorrow would actually bring? No one could say for sure.
[Ding~]
[Host has come into contact with a supernatural power—'Card Magic']
[Analyzing—]
[Analysis complete. Estimated time to crack 'Card Magic': 15 days]
[Currently cracking 'Wing Magic'. Time remaining: 2 days 6 hours 15 minutes. Replace with 'Card Magic'?]
Hope silently rejected the System prompt. Flight was an ability far too practical to give up.
Besides, he vaguely recalled that Card Magic wasn't particularly strong in combat; as auxiliary magic, though, it was remarkably versatile.
Once he'd secured a solid combat spell, he might toy with cracking Card Magic for fun.
Having scored a free perk, the still-slightly-buzzed Cana now looked radiant in Hope's eyes—though she'd always been gorgeous. "Here, on me."
Watching Hope slide the freshly mixed cocktail toward her, Cana blinked. "Didn't peg you for the generous type—I thought you were tighter than a miser's purse."
"Don't doubt it—I am."
Hope wiped a glass, deadpan. "I'm only offering because I botched the flavor. Giving it away counts as recycling."
Cana: Why does this guy feel as sly as Mirajane… "Hope! Two beers!"
"And two plates of aniseed peanuts, thanks!"
"I want… fooood—"
"Keep yelling and I'll treat you to my fist, okay?"
"Heh, he doesn't like it, but I sure do~"
"Agh! Pervert on the loose! Everybody back off!"
"…"
The hall echoed with orders, occasional pranks, and scraps of roughhousing.
As the sun set, guild Mages drifted back to unwind after a day's work.
The receptionist's busiest shift had begun.
Not wanting to disturb him, Cana simply rested her chin on the bar, eyeing the colorful "failed" cocktail he'd gifted her.
He'd moved so smoothly while mixing—how had it gone wrong?
Curiosity won; she took a cautious sip—and her eyes lit up.
Delicious… Another three days passed.
Hope, free of heavy duties, returned to his room.
Since Makarov had taken him in, he'd used his job to brush against guildmates mid-cast, triggering [Analytical Power] and recording their magic.
He asked Laki to fix a broken ladder; while she worked, the System logged 'Wood Shaping'.
When Droy and Salamander argued over who loved Levy more and came to blows, the passing Hope picked up both 'Plant' and 'Gods Foot'.
Lastly, Hope foolishly arm-wrestled Elfman—lasting less than a second—but still copied the 'Take Over' spell.
Once sure the System could crack magic, Hope began mapping his growth path.
Magic analysis took far less time than "Magnetic Field Power", yet still demanded days or weeks.
With his own status unknown and no clue whether canon events had begun, he couldn't wait for some god-tier Mage to appear.
For quick self-defense, the guild's own spells were enough.
'Wing Magic' and 'Gods Foot'—one for the sky, one for the ground—made the perfect escape combo.
'Wood Shaping' and the seed-requiring 'Plant', he figured, would mesh into solid crowd-control.
As for 'Take Over'—lacking time to train his body, he planned to nab powerful beast souls later for instant physical might.
For raw offense, he'd wait for Natsu's return and spar him into coughing up 'Fire Dragon Slayer Magic'.
The protagonist's spell had to be top-tier.
Such was Hope's provisional roadmap—though for now it was only daydreaming, since he hadn't even secured his first life-saving spell.
Moonlight spilled through the window onto the floorboards.
Hope lay wide-eyed on his bed, staring at the ceiling—apparently idle, actually waiting for the System's final countdown.
[Ding~]
[Supernatural power—'Wing Magic' crack complete. Total time: 7 days]
[Congratulations, Host. You have acquired 'Wing Magic']
[First successful crack unlocked a second slot. You may now crack two powers simultaneously]
[Friendly reminder: crack ten powers to open the final slot—keep it up]
[Friendly reminder: after the third slot unlocks, Self-Analysis will become available]
The System voice arrived in a rush and vanished just as fast.
Gaining Wing Magic was thrilling, but those last two lines had Hope grinning ear to ear.
He'd thought the one-crack limit was a crippling flaw—turns out the System simply hadn't fully booted.
Blame the last world: only "Magnetic Field Power" existed, and its century-long crack time had left him zero chance to explore the System.
Now, with two concurrent cracks, his growth would skyrocket; Hope pumped a victorious fist.
"System, start cracking 'Gods Foot' and 'Wood Shaping'."
[Order received]
[Analyzing spell 'Gods Foot'. Time remaining: 9 days 23 hours 59 minutes…]
[Analyzing spell 'Wood Shaping'. Time remaining: 17 days 23 hours 59 minutes…]
'Plant' needed seeds to function, and without a worthy soul 'Take Over' was basically blank—so Hope prioritized the immediately battle-ready 'Wood Shaping'.
Now, in the hush of night, the System quieted and his mood turned complicated.
This second reincarnation was a brand-new life.
This time, he would climb to the world's pinnacle and become its strongest being!
Right—enough chuuni.
Time to sleep; there's work tomorrow.