When Elusha made her suggestion, Hop's eyes lit up.
He had indeed been thinking of slipping away, after all the newly recorded spells in the system and the freshly acquired sunflower seeds both required time to deal with.
But there was no choice; a 20 million J reward split fifty-fifty... she was offering far too much.
"Hey, hey, shouldn't you ask for the opinion of me, the client?"
Old Buck interjected, eyeing Hop skeptically, "That kid doesn't look very reliable. Maybe we should let Miss Mirajane handle it instead."
Old Buck was aware of the reputation of the Demon Mirajane; having two S‑rank mages on his side, especially a Fairy Tail mage known for his combat prowess, would give him complete peace of mind.
The only thing he didn't know was that the silver‑haired girl before him was no longer that fierce 'demon' he remembered.
Mirajane gave a slight smile, politely declined Buck's suggestion, and explained, "Hop may not be famous, but he's powerful—he's even dealt with the 'Jelf Book Demon' twice. With him on board, the archaeology team's safety will be much better assured."
Upon hearing that the kid he had doubted had actually taken down a demon created by a black mage, Buck instantly regarded Hop with newfound respect.
As a historian, he knew all too well how devastating the demon created by the black mage Jelf 400 years ago had been to humanity on this continent.
Take, for example, the great demon Dailiora that suddenly appeared in the North ten years ago; within months it razed twelve cities and hundreds of villages, causing at least two hundred thousand casualties, both direct and indirect.
According to translations of ancient texts by the Historical Guild, demons of Dailiora's caliber are far from rare.
Moreover, the 'Demon Hunters'—once allies of the Historical Guild—had disclosed that even more terrifying and powerful 'Jelf Book Demons' were hidden somewhere on the Ishugal continent.
Unfortunately, the Demon Hunters were wiped out overnight by an unknown force, and the art of demon‑slaying magic was lost.
Anyone who still dares to confront demons head‑on today must possess both strength and courage.
Thinking this, Buck looked at Hop and nodded repeatedly, "My attitude earlier was poor. From now on, could you and the Fairy Queen ensure the safety of our archaeology team?"
Seeing the old man suddenly show him respect, Hop couldn't help but smirk, only to be met with a sharp glare from Elusha.
Shrugging, Hop made a decision, "Since the team is set, let's pack our bags and set off first thing tomorrow morning, how about that?"
Elusha had no objection; anyone who knew her knew that her luggage could fill an entire carriage, so some preparation was indeed necessary.
Buck also had no objections; it gave him a chance to stroll around Magnolia and soak up the local customs.
After agreeing to meet at Magnolia Train Station at six a.m. the next day, everyone went about their own business... Hop spent some time at the counter having a drink and a bite, helped Mirajane handle the busiest part of the reception, and only then returned to his room.
Looking at the tiny room that used to be the guild's lounge, Hop thought he could rent a larger place outside. But then he reminded himself that he wasn't one for luxuries; sleeping here was actually quite comfortable enough.
So until Makalov offered to have him move out, Hop could just keep staying here with a thick skin.
After all, free stuff feels different when you use it.
He pulled out the box of mana crystals from under the bed; after his last accelerated spell decryption, he still had 217 left. The system had logged two powerful spells from his trip to Karna Island, and it was time to convert them into his own power.
Opening the system panel, the system sensed Hop's will and automatically displayed the 'Pending Decryptions' list.
[Current pending extraordinary powers:]
['Magnetic Field Power' (97 days)]
['Card' Magic (15 days)]
['True Moon God‑Destroyer' Magic (360 days)]
[Lost Magic 'Arc of Time' (51 days)]
Ignoring the first two abilities, Hop focused on the prefix of the 'Moon God‑Destroyer' spell—'True'.
Could there be a 'False' God‑Destroyer spell out there?
He racked his brain but got nowhere, sighing. He realized he still knew far too little about this world, as scarce as the mana crystals in his hand.
He had thought the 300 crystals approved by Doranbalt were plenty, only to discover that a 'Moon God‑Destroyer' required 360 to fully accelerate decryption... He felt utterly clueless.
But from another angle, the waters of this world run deep.
'Dragon‑slaying' and 'Evil‑slaying' magics were created to combat rogue dragons and demons, so does the existence of a 'God‑slaying' spell imply that souls or 'gods' once existed—or still exist—here?
Even though he was eager for the 'Moon God‑Destroyer', the lack of crystals forced Hop to slot it into the decryption queue and work on it gradually, planning to fully power it up once he gathered more crystals.
While the God‑slaying magic was still out of reach, another spell logged from Karna Island would not disappoint Hop.
It was the lost magic 'Arc of Time' he had extracted from the treacherous woman masquerading as 'Jerut' while infiltrating Leo's ranks.
Time‑based abilities are top‑tier in any world.
Through his battle with the woman, Hop deduced that the 'Lost Arc' could revert the state of anything—including spells—to the past or push it forward.
But great power always comes with limits.
Aside from plants, the spell cannot directly affect living beings.
Hop found this a pity; if 'Arc of Time' could be used on humans, he could turn foes into children during a fight and then beat the heck out of them... He shook his head, discarding such wild fantasies.
Hop sent a command to the system; 51 mana crystals instantly dimmed, and a system notification appeared.
[Ding~]
[Successfully accelerated 51 days]
[Congratulations, host! You have acquired the extraordinary power — Lost Magic 'Arc of Time']
Immediately, Hop felt a flood of theories about time magic fill his mind—essential knowledge for mastering the 'Arc of Time'.
After a brief pause, he assimilated the knowledge and gained a deeper understanding of the 'Arc of Time'.
When refined to its pinnacle, this spell could actually reverse time for the entire world!
Although the amount of reversal depends on the user's life force and mana, it still attests to the god‑defying magnitude of the 'Arc of Time'.
Hop stashed the remaining 166 crystals back into the box under the bed. As he was about to discard the depleted crystals, a sudden idea struck him while gazing at the dim stones.
Could he use the 'Arc of Time' to revert the crystals to their unused state?
If it failed, they'd just be a pile of junk.
But if it succeeded, it would be a loophole—no more worrying about mana crystals.
Being proactive, Hop immediately grabbed a spent crystal, a blue‑green mana aura enveloped it, and the 'Arc of Time' activated!
Within an invisible surge, the dull crystal glowed anew, its mana restored to exactly the same as when it was brand new.
Success!
Hop gazed at the shimmering crystal in his palm, delighted—what a fantastic spell that treacherous woman had created.
But the next second his smile vanished; reverting a single crystal's state consumed about thirty percent of his mana.
That cost was absurdly high.
Hop frowned, recalling how the woman had unleashed endless 'Arc of Time' attacks on him without seeming fatigued, and he couldn't help but gasp.
His own mana could only reverse three tiny crystals, yet the woman could sustain a barrage of attacks without even breaking a sweat...
Her mana ceiling must be enormous... Hop realized that during their last fight, she might have been unable to unleash her full power for some reason, which gave him the opening to turn the tables.
Now that's trouble—she knows his name and face, and could seek revenge.
Hop sighed; given the situation, he decided to get some sleep first.
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