The guild members didn't know that Lucas had earned far more than 30 million Jewels. To be precise, he had earned a whopping 40 million Jewels in one month.
Aside from the first S-Class quest worth 15 million, the rewards for the other two were 13 million and 12 million Jewels, respectively.
Converted to RMB, that was at least 2.4 million. For the first time, Lucas experienced the life of a rich man.
He couldn't spend it all. He simply couldn't.
Perhaps because he was used to hard times, he was now extremely enthusiastic about making money.
He hadn't taken those S-Class quests just to provoke Laxus out of boredom.
Completing S-Class quests was simple: it was for the money.
He didn't plan on being some noble saint. He planned to be a vulgar person who loved money, lusted after beauty, enjoyed vanity, and liked to eat without working.
Gildarts also reported to Makarov about Laxus and Freed's S-Class quest performance.
He had secretly followed them these past few days to prevent any accidents during the mission.
Laxus was unexpectedly powerful. He was more than qualified to be an S-Class Mage. Perhaps it wouldn't be long before Laxus caught up to him. As expected of the Master's bloodline.
Gildarts asked, "Master, who do you think will win this duel?"
"Lucas."
Makarov answered without the slightest hesitation.
This surprised Gildarts. "Master, you have that much confidence in Lucas? He's only been practicing magic for half a year. Laxus has grown a lot over the years."
He had taught Lucas magic for a while, along with some combat skills.
Lucas's magic talent was incredible, but talent was just talent. Even with talent, one needed time to grow. So he favored Laxus more.
Makarov said calmly, "Laxus has grown significantly, but compared to Lucas, he's still far behind."
This made Gildarts even more curious. He didn't know why the Master had such confidence in Lucas. Was it because of some extraordinary performance during the S-Class quest?
Makarov's eyes seemed to drift into memory. "You don't know... that little monster, Lucas. It might not be long before his strength surpasses even mine."
Hearing Makarov's words, Gildarts' eyes widened. He knew the Master, and the Master knew him.
If the old man could say such things, he definitely wasn't blind. He truly felt that way.
But how could that be?!
Lucas, that brat, had barely turned fourteen.
Three days passed in a flash. Laxus was barely seen in the guild during this time, seemingly preparing actively for the battle.
Lucas, on the other hand, came to the guild every day to eat, drink, and have fun, showing no tension about his impending duel with Laxus.
"Laxus is here!!"
At this moment, someone shouted from the guild entrance.
Many people looked outside and saw Laxus arriving with the Thunder Legion.
Compared to his ragged state three days ago, Laxus was now fully prepared.
Since both duelists were present, they headed to the back of the Fairy Tail guild together.
Thanks to Lucas's previous "Merciless Sun" attack, the land behind the guild had become much more spacious, making it easier to fight freely.
"Kid, I don't know what tricks you used to complete the S-Class quests so quickly, but let me tell you, I can complete S-Class quests too. That proves nothing. Today, I will defeat you thoroughly and let everyone in the guild understand who is truly Fairy Tail's strongest."
Lucas scratched his head. "Uh... defeating me doesn't make you the strongest in the guild. There's still the Master and Gildarts."
"Don't worry, I'll challenge them later. Right now, I need to beat you into submission first!"
Gildarts looked at the two of them. "Well? Are you both ready?"
For this duel between Lucas and Laxus, Gildarts would serve as the referee.
Lucas and Laxus both nodded.
"Since you're both ready, then... Begin!!"
"Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd!!" (Note: Often translated as Lightning Dragon's Halberd or similar variations, sticking to contextually appropriate attack names)
"Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd!!"
Laxus and Lucas raised their right hands almost simultaneously, condensing golden lightning to blast at each other.
Two golden spears formed of powerful electric currents collided in the middle.
Boom—!!
Their magic canceled each other out completely.
Laxus's expression turned ugly seeing this. This brat was actually using his magic against him. It was simply too arrogant.
"Since you want to copy, I'll let you copy enough!"
Laxus rushed toward Lucas, golden lightning condensing on his fist as he punched at him.
Lucas didn't dodge. He condensed golden lightning on his own fist and met the attack head-on.
Boom—!!
Their fists collided, unleashing a violent shockwave that shattered the ground beneath their feet.
Laxus raised his leg and kicked at Lucas's head.
This brat might have learned the magic well, but there's a significant gap in combat skills and physique. That's not something you can bridge just by looking.
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