Chapter 26: I Beat Them Up Too! The Ten-Year Quest!
Ren returned to Fairy Tail with the two girls.
Before he even reached the guild, he saw from a distance that everyone was gathered in the square at the entrance.
The violent tremors and explosions earlier had sent the residents of Magnolia running out of their homes.
Including all the members of Fairy Tail.
Under the gaze of the crowd, the massive mountain south of Magnolia…
Had collapsed.
Fortunately, there were no villages around it, and it was far enough from Magnolia, so no ordinary people were affected.
Ren leaped down from midair, landing heavily in front of the Fairy Tail entrance.
As soon as he hit the ground, before Makarov could ask, Ren shouted, "Guild Master, Erza and Mirajane are injured. Get a doctor!"
Hearing Ren, Makarov jumped in fright and rushed out.
Zeus landed at the entrance just then. Seeing the injuries on the two girls carried by Zeus, Makarov gasped sharply.
"Such heavy injuries!"
Both had been beaten unconscious. Mirajane's eyes were rolled back, her head lolling to the side.
If not for her breathing, Makarov would have thought she'd been beaten to death.
"Wait, their wounds look like they were caused by the same attack?"
After checking them and confirming there was no life-threatening danger, Makarov let out a breath of relief.
Then his face turned serious, and he turned to ask Ren.
Ren nodded, flashing a bright, innocent smile.
"As expected of the Guild Master. You've really got sharp eyes."
"I beat them both up like this."
Ren scratched his head and looked away.
As Ren's words fell, the entire guild went silent.
If eyes could speak, the guild would be filled with one word right now:
*Demon!*
Erza and Mirajane looked like they were on the brink of death.
If Makarov hadn't confirmed they weren't in danger, everyone would be panicking by now.
"Guild Master, relax. I know what I'm doing."
Seeing Makarov's silence, Ren laughed awkwardly.
"Enough. Get them to the hospital first. Come back and tell me exactly what happened later!"
Makarov glared at Ren but didn't pursue it right then.
Ren nodded and waved for Zeus to follow Macao toward the hospital.
Since Fairy Tail was located in the center of Magnolia, the hospital wasn't far.
After sending the two girls to the hospital, two guild members stayed behind to watch over them.
Ren returned to the guild and immediately saw Makarov's serious face.
Ren didn't hide anything and told Makarov exactly what had happened.
Listening to Ren's account, Makarov frowned deeply.
"So, in the end, both of them were still standing?"
After a long silence, Makarov exhaled heavily and looked up at Ren.
Ren nodded. "I thought there was no way anyone could stand after that attack. Or at most, only one. I underestimated their will."
"If I'd known, I would've hit harder."
Hearing that, Makarov jumped up and slapped Ren's arm, shouting, "You brat! Hit harder?! Were you trying to kill Erza and Mirajane?!"
"That's why I said I knew what I was doing."
Ren shrugged, looking like everything was under control.
"Fine, fine."
Makarov shook his head helplessly.
"Since both passed your trial, we'll do as you said. I'll make an exception and promote both Erza and Mirajane to S-Class mages!"
Makarov actually knew that all three candidates had the strength to become S-Class mages.
The trial was just a formality, plus a test of the participants.
Like Cana, who failed the test.
To be an S-Class mage, you needed not only corresponding strength but also a calm mind and rational judgment in critical moments.
…
Two months passed, and Erza and Mirajane fully recovered from their injuries.
Makarov kept his promise to Ren and promoted both of them to S-Class mages.
Cana watched from the side, looking a little lost. But remembering how Ren had beaten Erza and Mirajane into that state with a single move, she felt somewhat relieved.
*Could I really have survived against that Ren?*
Because they became S-Class mages at the same time, Erza and Mirajane were at each other's throats as usual.
But the guild was much quieter.
Because those two idiots, Gray and Natsu, had gone out on a request.
Sitting at the bar drinking as usual, Ren felt the guild was significantly more boring without those two.
He clapped his hands and stretched.
"Rested long enough. Time to get moving!"
Under everyone's gaze, Ren walked up to the second floor.
He looked over the request board on the second floor.
Finally, he chose a request.
Ren took down the request sheet, brought it to Makarov, and handed it over for registration.
Glancing at the request, Makarov's face instantly turned serious and heavy.
"This is a Ten-Year Quest. Are you serious?"
S-Class requests were divided into Normal, Ten-Year Quests, and Hundred-Year Quests.
The names said it all.
The difficulty increased progressively. A Ten-Year Quest was a request that would take ten years to complete.
"Guild Master, I'm confident in myself."
Ren grinned and patted his arm.
Hearing this, Makarov didn't try to stop him.
Ren's strength was obvious to everyone.
Ever since learning Ren had awakened another vibration-causing magic, Makarov felt even more assured.
With that kind of power, Ren was already a powerhouse at the top of the pyramid in this world.
After registering the request, Makarov called out to Ren's back, "When do you plan to leave?"
"I'll wait for Erza to come back. I want to eat her cooking one more time."
Ren turned his head, a warm smile on his face.
Makarov nodded and didn't ask more.
Ten-Year Quests had no mandatory completion deadline. It was best for Ren to leave only after he was fully prepared.
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