"Cana, where's Zorn? I haven't seen him since we left Magnolia Town, and we're almost at our destination now, but I haven't seen a trace of him along the way." Natsu looked around, trying to find Zorn.
Gray also turned his head and looked around, hoping to spot Zorn.
"Zorn should be watching from somewhere. Let's just finish the mission first. We'll find the client and understand the situation." Cana looked up slightly, as if she had sensed something, but she still followed Zorn's usual mission procedure.
"That's perfect, we can also see how well we've trained," Natsu and Gray said confidently.
At the mission location, a small villa on a farm.
The farm owner looked at the young boys and girls in front of him, his eyelids twitching. He asked with some uncertainty, "Are you the Magicians assigned to this mission?" Did I make a mistake in posting the mission? No, I clearly posted a mission to eliminate animals causing trouble down the mountain and to investigate the cause.
The farm owner even lowered his head to check the mission sheet in his hand, confirming that he hadn't made a mistake. He still recognized the large characters on the mission sheet.
He looked up again at the confident boy and two girls standing in front of him, still very doubtful of their abilities.
Cana saw the farm owner's obvious actions and knew that the mission poster still didn't believe them. Without a word, she directly gathered her strength, stomped down quickly, and when she lifted her foot again, a clear foot-shaped pit appeared in the ground.
At this moment, Zorn, who was on the villa's roof using light magic to refract himself for concealment, also nodded. It seemed that Cana had absorbed the experience well after her battle with Laxus, and her control over the magnitude of her power had improved another notch. She truly was a genius.
Seeing this, the farm owner's attitude immediately changed drastically. He quickly invited the three into the house and began to give Cana more detailed information about the mission.
"You're saying that recently, different animals have been coming down the mountain to eat crops, and lately it's become more frequent, and the animals are getting stronger?" Cana pondered for a moment after hearing this, then looked up at the farm owner and said, "It's probably because something powerful has appeared in the mountains, forcing the animals towards the outskirts."
"That's probably it. Experienced hunters have said the same. That's why we assigned the mission, as we couldn't solve it ourselves," the farm owner said with a hint of helplessness.
"Okay, we understand. Let's go, Natsu, Gray... your clothes." Cana nodded, thinking the mission was simply to deal with that thing. She turned to call out to Natsu and Gray, but seeing Gray once again with only his underwear and hands on his hips, she helplessly reminded him.
"Ah, when?" Gray looked shocked. He had no idea when his clothes came off.
Zorn, using his Observation Haki, heard the details of the situation and looked up at the mountains. "I'll go scout first, just in case it's another special situation like last time." After speaking, he rose into the air, a flash of light, and when one looked along the sunlight, he was gone.
In the mountains, Cana and her group indeed encountered animals that shouldn't have been in the area. At this moment, they were surrounded by several demon wolves. The demon wolves growled lowly, circling them constantly, their saliva leaving trails on the ground as they moved.
"Leave these to us," Natsu said confidently, clenching his fists together.
"Ah, of course, no problem." Gray's hands also emitted a chill, looking eager to fight.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu's fists were enveloped in high-temperature flames, punching away the charging demon wolves one by one. Gray was not to be outdone, clenching one hand and placing the other below it, as cold air spread through his hands. "Ice-Make: Battle Axe!" An ice axe appeared and was wielded powerfully by Gray.
The two cooperated to clear the way, and with their teamwork, the three safely reached the inner part of the mountains.
"This is..." Cana and the two stared at the giant snake before them, coiled in layers three stories high, its head resting on the ground with closed eyes. Around it were various animal skeletons. They were too shocked to speak for a moment.
Zorn was also suspended high in the air, looking at the scene before him. He glanced at the huge cave behind the snake's body and guessed that this snake must have crawled out of that cave, found abundant food here, and decided to stay.
The giant snake seemed to sense them, slowly opening its blood-red vertical pupils and looking at the three in front of it. Then, it let out a roar, directed at the three.
"Natsu, Gray, get ready." Cana reminded them solemnly, then channeled her magic throughout her body. She took out several pre-prepared cards from her hand and activated them. A flash of light passed, and Cana, Natsu, and Gray were all clad in armor. This was something Zorn had specifically asked Erza to prepare before they set off. Cana also wore an armored gauntlet on her hand.
"Scatter!" Cana suddenly shouted. Natsu and Gray instantly jumped away upon hearing her, and Cana also scattered. As the three landed in the distance, the giant snake's tail had already whipped the spot where they had been standing, leaving whip marks.
The three exchanged glances and nodded. Gray made the first move: "Ice-Make: Ice Geyser!" Gray slammed his hands on the ground, and a blue magic circle appeared beneath the giant snake. Instantly, ice spikes erupted from the ground like an underground spring, freezing a portion of the giant snake near the ground, which somewhat restricted its movement. It wasn't as strong as it would be later, though.
Natsu and Cana also charged out the moment Gray released his magic.
"Fire Dragon's Claw!" Natsu enveloped his feet in flames to boost his explosiveness, then leaped up and performed a somersault kick, a layer of black substance covering his foot as he slammed it into the giant snake's head.
The giant snake's skull visibly dented, and it thrashed violently on the ground, its body stretching out at that moment.
Cana also seized the opportunity, channeling all her strength. She gathered Armament Haki, Iron Body, and magic into one point on her fist, then delivered a punch to the snake's vulnerable seven-inch mark.
The giant snake, which was still thrashing, suddenly paused, then was smashed into the ground. Dust billowed, the ground caved in, and half of the snake's body was limp and collapsed. The glow in its formerly crimson eyes slowly dimmed and vanished.
Cana was breathing heavily at this moment, but the smile on her face was irrepressible. Natsu and Gray also looked at each other and burst into laughter.
"Clap, clap, clap, not bad, not bad." Applause rang out in the air as Zorn slowly descended from above. Indeed, it was excellent; their coordination was tacit, and their actions decisive.
"Now, the only thing left to deal with is the cave behind us." Zorn affirmed the strength of the three youngsters, then turned to look at the huge cave behind them. If they didn't deal with this, who knew what else might come out later.
The three youngsters were also quite troubled, having no good ideas. Zorn, seeing the three still pondering, simply said, "I'll do it."
"Ame-no-Murakumo Sword!" Zorn's hand gathered light, forming a sword of light. After charging, he casually swung it, and a massive crescent-shaped light impact surged out. He repeated this several times, each time a huge slash.
"Rumble, rumble~"
The cave also collapsed with the slashes. The three youngsters stood behind Zorn, once again having their perception of Zorn's strength refreshed. Their eyes, filled with admiration, stared directly at Zorn's back.
Zorn turned around and saw the passionate and admiring gazes of the three. He suddenly thought to himself that he might have set a bad example.
"Cough, cough~" Zorn lightly coughed into his hand a few times, covering his inner guilt. He looked at the three in front of him and earnestly instructed, "This is a bad example, only for this time. In the future, when you carry out missions, you must control your power and not cause large-scale destruction and losses. However, you must also ensure your own safety first."
"Well, you did well on this mission. The three of you can split the mission reward. Go back and rest for a few days, then we'll have concentrated training, understood?" Zorn looked at their half-understanding eyes and didn't say anything else. After all, there was still a lot of time to teach them.
"Yay!" Natsu and Gray jumped up excitedly. The mission reward this time was substantial; each of them would get a large sum of money. And hearing about more training later, they also looked forward to it, because their strength could become even greater. After this mission, they realized that Zorn's training was indeed excellent.
"Gray, your clothes..." Cana reminded Gray, who was still celebrating, oblivious to where his clothes had gone.
"Ah, when?" Gray instantly stopped celebrating, filled with confusion.
"Alright, mission accomplished, let's go back." Zorn walked ahead, while Natsu and the other two discussed what food to bring Happy, what to bring Lisanna to thank her for taking care of Happy, and how to reward themselves.
Zorn listened and inwardly sighed, thinking how easily children found happiness. It was truly good, truly good. After sighing for a while, he began to think about how to arrange the subsequent training.
Since the last duel, the number of people wanting to learn Haki had suddenly increased. He also needed to arrange it according to each person's characteristics. Zorn still hadn't fully decided. He also needed to grasp Laxus's Observation Haki. Thinking about it, in future battles, Laxus would have his arms crossed, and wherever he thought, lightning would strike; the scene would certainly be magnificent.
"Well, let's think about the present now. I'm thinking too far ahead, too far ahead," Zorn shook his head, dispersing his wild thoughts, and refocused on arranging the training.
Cana, behind him, stared at Zorn's retreating figure, lost in thought, wondering what she was thinking...