Chapter 211

Chapter 211: Chapter 211

When the Thunder God Tribe finally returned to Magnolia, they had expected their dramatic entrance to attract at least a little attention.

Instead, everyone in the guild glanced at them once and immediately went back to whatever they were doing.

The normally conspicuous group found themselves standing awkwardly near the entrance, unsure what to do with themselves.

It took them a moment to realize that practically the entire guild was obsessed with the same subject:

[Who would get Marshall’s next Origin-Opening slot?]

The first thing they heard upon entering was Natsu howling like a dying animal.

"Damn it! Max actually got picked for Origin Opening! His Magic Power shot up like crazy! I almost lost to his Sandstorm Magic! What kind of bullshit is that?! When is Marshall going to unlock mine?! I can’t wait anymore!"

"Shut up, fireball idiot," Gray snapped. "Marshall already said he’s drawing one person a day. Our turns will come eventually. Why are you freaking out?"

"How am I supposed to not freak out?! Every day I wait is another day I fall behind! There’s a chance to get stronger sitting right in front of me—how am I supposed to be patient?! No. I’m sneaking into Cake Tower and asking Marshall to make an exception..."

"You sure about that?" someone called out teasingly. "Marshall said anyone who tries to cut the line gets moved straight to the very end~"

Natsu froze.

"WHAT?! Damn it! He already predicted this too?!"

Bickslow wandered over, tongue hanging out as usual.

"Oi, ice-boy. What’re you idiots talking about? What’s this ’Origin Opening’ thing?"

Gray looked over.

"Oh, Bickslow. You guys are back? Marshall invented a spell that can awaken a Mage’s Second Origin without leaving any lasting damage. It massively increases their Magic Power capacity, so everyone in the guild is fighting over appointments."

The Thunder God Tribe quickly gathered the details and returned to report everything to Laxus.

By the time they finished, Laxus’s eyelid was twitching violently.

The Second Origin.

Wasn’t that the "major breakthrough" he had only achieved himself not long ago?

Ever since awakening his Second Origin, Laxus’s Magic Power had not only broken past 200,000, but its growth rate had continued accelerating.

That achievement was the single biggest reason he felt confident enough to pursue the title of strongest in the guild.

He had earned that power through more brutal training and hardship than he could even count.

And now they were telling him that Marshall—that damn little brat—could casually help other people unlock theirs whenever he felt like it?

Was this a joke?!

Then what had all those years of suffering been for?

Had he just developed a hobby for pain?!

Laxus was starting to lose it.

For the first time in his life, he felt like some old man who had been left behind by the march of technology.

What the hell was wrong with that brat?

Had the new era already launched without leaving him a seat on the ship?

Unable to sit still any longer, Laxus stormed straight toward the Master’s office.

The moment he opened the door, however, he discovered the old man watching a projection lacrima full of beautiful women on a beach, grinning so widely that he was practically drooling.

"..."

"..."

Laxus stared without expression.

Somehow, even his eighty-something-year-old grandfather was keeping up with the times better than he was.

Makarov hurriedly shut off the projection, coughed several times, and pretended nothing had happened.

"Ahem. Laxus! You’re back. What brings you here?"

Laxus took a deep breath and desperately tried to erase what he had just witnessed from his memory.

"Old man, what’s going on with Marshall’s Origin-Opening Magic? Is that brat serious?"

"Oh, that? Of course it’s real. He’s already published the paper, and experimental testing hasn’t produced a single failed case so far. Apparently, anyone capable of using the Arc of Time can learn the technique and help awaken another Mage’s Second Origin. Unfortunately, there aren’t many people who know that Magic..."

"Wait."

Laxus stared at him.

"He can seriously just unlock somebody else’s Second Origin whenever he wants? There’s no price?"

"Well... does hurting like hell count as a price?"

"..."

Makarov scratched his beard.

"Although Marshall says the more Magic Power a person already has, the easier the process becomes. Younger people experience more pain too, so I suppose that counts as a limitation."

Then he chuckled.

"Actually, the spell also solves the old problem of children whose bodies can’t handle having too much Magic Power. If this technique had existed when you were little, you probably wouldn’t have needed that Dragon Slayer Lacrima implanted in you at all."

Laxus’s expression stiffened.

"Hahaha! Anyway, it’s an extraordinary piece of Magic. The academic world is in an uproar over it. Young people these days really are unbelievable."

Laxus fell silent.

Even though he desperately wanted to find something wrong with Marshall’s achievement, there was nothing to criticize.

Did that brat seriously have no limit?

Was this what a real genius looked like?

Laxus inhaled slowly.

He couldn’t afford to wait any longer.

If he didn’t act now, there might not be any opportunity left for him to prove himself later.

"Old man."

He straightened.

"I want to discuss something with you."

...

"You want to organize a combat tournament inside the guild?"

Marshall blinked and looked between Makarov and Laxus before nodding.

"Sure. I’m completely fine with that."

Then his eyes lit up.

"Not bad, Laxus. I didn’t know you had ideas like this. This could make us a fortune! We can sell tickets, broadcasting rights, competitor merchandise—sports events are some of the easiest things in the world to monetize."

Laxus couldn’t stop himself from interrupting.

"Oi! I’m not organizing this to make money! The point is to determine who the strongest Mage of Fairy Tail’s younger generation actually is!"

Marshall looked puzzled.

"Isn’t Gildarts the strongest?"

"The younger generation! Nobody over thirty is allowed!"

Marshall snorted.

"Pfft~ Your little scheme isn’t subtle at all, Laxus. Are you that desperate to get famous?"

Laxus’s face reddened.

Marshall continued mercilessly.

"If all you want is to determine who’s strongest among the younger generation, why not just have the S-Class Mages fight each other? Why make it so complicated?"

"That’s not why!"

Laxus stubbornly pushed onward.

"This is also supposed to showcase how powerful our guild is. There should be team battles as well as individual matches. Each S-Class Mage leads a team of four or five people, because real Mage jobs are often completed in teams. That makes the competition fairer and gives the audience more to watch!"

"Ahem."

Makarov stroked his beard.

"I actually think Laxus has a point. Fairy Tail currently has six S-Class Mages: you, Laxus, Erza, Mira, Mystogan, and Gildarts. If each of you selects four teammates, that gives us six five-person teams. We could put together a very entertaining tournament."

Marshall raised an eyebrow.

"Gildarts too? Can we even find him?"

"We’re only in the planning stage right now. We can schedule the tournament for a little over a month from now. If Gildarts still hasn’t returned by then, there’s nothing we can do."

"Fair enough."

Marshall thought for a moment.

"A month is enough time to handle the publicity too. In that case, I can perform Origin Opening on the competitors beforehand, give everyone a power boost, and still leave enough time for them to train afterward."

Makarov nodded enthusiastically.

"Excellent. Then it’s settled?"

His expression brightened further.

"Actually, if this works well, we might even turn it into a recurring event. Oh, right—we need a name for the tournament."

Marshall’s eyes immediately lit up.

"I’ve got one!"

He grinned.

"How about the World’s Number One Magic Tournament?"

Laxus sucked in a breath.

"World’s Number One? Isn’t that a little arrogant?"

Makarov burst out laughing.

"Hahaha! I like it. It’s memorable. I vote for Marshall’s name."

Marshall shrugged.

"If you’re really worried, just stick Fairy Tail Special Edition on the end. It’s our own guild tournament anyway. Why should we care what anyone else thinks?"

Laxus hesitated for a moment.

"Hmm..."

Then he finally nodded.

"All right."

The first World’s Number One Magic Tournament: Fairy Tail Edition was officially decided!