— — — — — —
On Tenrou Island, Kazuma threw himself into strengthening his physical body while also searching for more anti-dragon artifacts in the Gate of Babylon.
"Most dragons only have a single attribute," he muttered to himself. "Fire Dragons are immune to fire, Poison Dragons are immune to poison."
"But the Black Dragon, Acnologia, is different. He has a unique ability that breaks all magic down into pure magical energy."
"On top of that, he can directly devour magic. Because of that, the only way to fight him is up close, with brute force."
Kazuma didn't know whether Acnologia could consume his natural energy as well, but he had to prepare for that possibility.
His body had to be strong enough to rival a dragon. No, stronger than one.
Time flew by during training. In the blink of an eye, a full month passed.
By then, Kazuma had pushed his physical strength to its current limit and maxed out his energy penetration ability.
At full level, every one of his attacks dealt true damage. No matter how you defended, it wouldn't matter.
He had also prepared a large number of anti-dragon artifacts. By now, he had done almost everything he possibly could. He even found Ea to use it as a last move.
"Whew. Now all that's left is to wait."
Sitting beneath the massive tree on Tenrou Island, Kazuma fully released his aura, as if openly declaring: I'm right here. Come find me.
While he waited, a small barefoot girl in a dress came hopping over, lively and carefree.
"Who's this person? Why is he sitting here? Is he waiting for someone?"
"Huh? He has the Fairy Tail guild mark on his hand. So he's a guild member."
"I really want to talk to someone… it's kind of lonely. I'm bored. Hey, hey, let's play a game."
Mavis floated over and sat on a branch, her little feet swinging back and forth as she spoke cheerfully to Kazuma.
Then it hit her. She was already dead. As a spirit, people shouldn't be able to see her at all.
"First Guild Master," Kazuma said without even looking at her, clearly annoyed, "can you stop acting like a kid? All that chattering is getting on my nerves."
"I'm waiting for a very strong opponent. Don't distract me."
"Huh?!"
Mavis was so startled she nearly fell out of the tree. Then she remembered she was a spirit and wouldn't fall anyway.
"You can see me? That's great! How's the guild doing now? Is everyone okay?"
"And Makarov? Is he healthy? I haven't talked to anyone in so long. I've been so bored."
Her eyes lit up as she zipped around Kazuma in circles, talking nonstop.
"If you weren't the First Guild Master, I'd have shot you already," Kazuma said flatly.
If it were any other spirit, he would have dealt with it without hesitation. But this one was the First. He couldn't just blow her away.
"Don't be so scary," Mavis said, puffing out her chest proudly, which didn't really accomplish much. "No matter what, I'm the First Guild Master. I'm also the oldest one in the guild."
"I'm a mature, gentle big sister. If you have any worries, you can tell me. I'll keep it a secret."
"My biggest problem right now," Kazuma replied, "is that you're way too troublesome."
"And the guild's doing fine. Old man Makarov retired and went to the Magic Council to enjoy his old age."
Kazuma glanced at her. The First Guild Master was cute, sure, but that was it. The words "mature big sister" didn't fit her at all.
Her height, her figure, everything about her screamed little girl. She could practically compete with Wendy in that department.
"Really? That's wonderful," Mavis said, smiling brightly when she heard everyone was doing well. "Then who's the current guild master?"
"Is it that red-haired girl who came here before? Or the blond boy? Don't tell me it's the white-haired girl?"
She was talking about Erza, Laxus, and Mirajane from the previous S-Class trials.
"None of them," Kazuma said calmly. "The new guild master is me."
"WHAT?!"
"You? Someone that scary being guild master? Is everyone really okay with that?!"
Mavis stared at him in shock, blurting it out before realizing she might have said something rude. She quickly covered her mouth.
"If someone like you, First Guild Master, could be guild master despite being a kid, then someone like me being a little scary isn't a problem at all," Kazuma shot back.
"I'm not a kid!" Mavis protested immediately, puffing up her cheeks. "I just look young. I'm actually an adult. A very smart adult."
She was just a little small, that was all. She was definitely not a child. She was a grown-up. A big girl.
"By the way," she asked after calming down, curiosity getting the better of her, "who's the enemy you said you're waiting for?"
"The enemy I'm waiting for is a dragon," Kazuma replied with a smile. "The Black Dragon. The source of all calamities. Acnologia."
"And First Guild Master, you should head back to the guild soon. Staying here is dangerous. If our fight's shockwaves hit you, your spirit could shatter."
"If that happens, you won't be coming back at all."
"The Black Dragon? You're going to fight the Black Dragon by yourself?!"
Mavis stared at him, genuinely stunned this time. Had the guild's new master completely lost his mind?
.
.
.